[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-overthrowing-han":3,"chapter-overthrowing-han-overthrowing-han-chapter-329":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Overthrowing Han",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1223088,1620,"Chapter 329: The Gray-Haired Scribes of the Han Court (Continued)","overthrowing-han-chapter-329",329,"\u003Cp>In the sixth year of Zhongping — or, one might say, the first year of Guangxi — on the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, just as the sun began to slant westward, Zhang Rang received a message from He Miao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And upon hearing that message, the Regular Attendants and Yellow Gates gathered at Zhang Rang’s residence were all but in despair… Of course they despaired. In truth, ever since Ding Yuan burned Mengjin, Dong Zhuo submitted his memorial demanding the execution of the eunuchs, and Empress Dowager He sent them home, these men had already been despairing and full of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking back now, the one thing they should never have done was betray Jian Shuo. Jian Shuo’s military authority had, in fact, been their greatest support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even in their despair, these men had made other preparations. In truth, as early as the day Gongsun Xun’s victory memorial reached Luoyang, they had already begun reconnecting with one another. For by then, Zhang Rang and the others had already realized that their compromises were destined to be utterly meaningless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, once Gongsun Xun — that man who never plays by the rules — led his troops south, no one could protect them. Not even He Jin could protect them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, they had to resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, Yuan Shao’s actions bringing calamity upon their families merely forced them to harden their resolve… If they did not stake their lives on resistance now, not only would their own lives be forfeit, but their families would be dragged down as well. With that in mind, what else was there left to fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the afternoon of the twenty-fourth of the fifth month, Zhang Rang left his private chamber and went to a side courtyard to pay a visit to his daughter-in-law, Lady He — the younger half-sister of He Jin by the same father, the full younger sister of He Miao by the same mother, and the full younger sister of Empress Dowager He by both father and mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he saw Lady He, Zhang Rang, as her father-in-law, knelt and kowtowed to the ground. He had only one request: that his daughter-in-law go to see Empress Dowager He and obtain permission for them, these Regular Attendants and Yellow Gates, to re-enter the palace and serve the Empress Dowager and the new Son of Heaven for two more days — because, knowing they “could not be tolerated by the Grand General,” they were preparing to return to their respective hometowns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Lady He have ever faced such a scene? She agreed almost at once and immediately set off for the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the twenty-fourth day of the fifth month, the Regular Attendants and Yellow Gates returned to the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at the same time, He Jin, prompted by He Yong, Feng Ji, and others, finally thought through the situation at hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the morning of the twenty-fifth of the fifth month, He Jin met with one of the recruitment commanders he had sent out: Wang Kuang. The latter had raised several thousand troops and was encamped twenty li outside the city; he himself had led several hundred of his elite soldiers directly into Luoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man’s appearance delighted He Suigao beyond measure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon on the twenty-fifth of the fifth month, He Jin received an edict from the Empress Dowager ordering him to the Hall of Jiade to discuss affairs. He Suigao, having just learned of his troops’ arrival, thought nothing of it and headed straight for the Hall of Jiade, located in the Southern Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A word more here: the Hall of Jiade was the main hall of the Southern Palace, the place where the Son of Heaven conducted daily business and rested, and also where grand court assemblies were held. It was very close to the Imperial Secretariat. After the fire in the Southern Palace, it had been renovated and was now resplendent in gold and jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That said, even though he was going to the Hall of Jiade in the Southern Palace, and even though the commander of the Southern Palace’s Rapid Tiger Guard was now Yuan Shu, He Jin still made preparations. He notified Yuan Shu in advance, and he also made a stop at the Imperial Secretariat, where he gave instructions to the guards and the various Ministers. Only then did he unhurriedly proceed toward the Hall of Jiade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the afternoon, brother and sister met in the hall. The outcome was the same as ever: Lady He begged her elder brother to spare the Ten Regular Attendants, while He Jin begged his younger sister to stop shielding these men… Only, having just gained troops at his command today and having torn all face with He Miao over this matter yesterday, He Jin’s back was especially straight, and his words were far more aggressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To use his own words: he wanted to execute the Ten Regular Attendants!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brother and sister parted in anger. He Jin, however, did not leave the palace, but instead went over to the Imperial Secretariat to discuss government affairs with the various Ministers. It was not until dusk that he prepared to depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand General!” Gongsun Yue, carrying documents on his way to the Imperial Secretariat, ran straight into He Jin, who was about to leave the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wenchao, it has been a long time since you last came to my residence!” He Jin’s face was full of smiles when he saw Gongsun Yue. “Well then, are you free this evening?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since the Grand General extends an invitation, how would Yue dare decline?” Gongsun Yue replied at once with a light laugh. “I shall certainly trouble you this evening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Suigao, hand on the ceremonial saber at his waist, laughed even louder. “In another month, when all affairs are settled and your elder brother comes to Luoyang, we can set our minds at ease and gather whenever we please. Not like now, toiling day after day, not daring to indulge even in a cup of wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Yue could only join him in laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t keep you from your work,” He Jin said, and with his hand still on his saber, he strode off. “Don’t forget to come this evening.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Yue bowed to see him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as He Jin was about to turn away, this Gentleman Attendant of the Yellow Gate felt a stir in his heart. A matter suddenly came to mind, and he called out to stop him: “Grand General!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is it?” He Jin, who happened to be walking beside a Rapid Tiger Guard warrior, turned back without concern to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My elder brother wrote me a private letter, asking me to remind you: unless absolutely necessary, before the matter is accomplished, do not lightly enter the Northern Palace!” Gongsun Yue said with a serious expression. “Especially since the eunuchs re-entered the Northern Palace yesterday — you must be all the more careful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand,” He Jin nodded at once. “How could I be so foolish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words, the two turned away from each other — one heading toward the Central Secretariat, the other walking in the direction of the palace gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Gongsun Yue had not yet entered the Central Secretariat, and He Jin had not yet turned the corner, when a young Junior Yellow Gate suddenly came running in haste, dashing up to He Jin and kneeling before him: “Grand General! The Empress Dowager has issued an edict, commanding you to return to the Hall of Jiade once more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Jin gave a cold laugh and thought nothing of it, heading back toward the Hall of Jiade on his own. At the same time, Gongsun Yue, who had heard every word, also paid it no mind and continued on to deliver his documents… After all, the Hall of Jiade was right beside the Imperial Secretariat, and this was the Southern Palace, not the Northern Palace!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Northern Palace was the Son of Heaven’s residence and the location of the rear palace — the eunuchs’ very foundation. The Southern Palace, however, was not the eunuchs’ lair. Here were the Censorate and the Imperial Secretariat; just one wall away was Bronze Camel Street, and across the street were the various government offices and bureaus — all packed with He Jin’s men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, right inside the Southern Palace, beside the Hall of Jiade, the Grand General and the scholar-officials shared a common stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s right — it was precisely the Imperial Secretariat that Gongsun Yue was about to enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this very moment, the Rapid Tiger Guard of the Southern Palace was under Yuan Shu’s command, and the guards of the Imperial Secretariat had long since been replaced with trusted men, answering only to the Grand General, who oversaw the Secretariat, and the Grand Tutor Yuan Kui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the situation so arranged, how could he not go to the Hall of Jiade right next door?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, He Jin had already gone there once at noon and had a quarrel with his sister there. Now that the Empress Dowager was summoning him again, it was surely either to continue the quarrel or simply to yield… What was there to stop him from going?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, at dusk on the twenty-fifth of the fifth month, Grand General He once again arrived below the Hall of Jiade. According to protocol, he was required to remove his shoes and set aside his saber at the forbidden steps before the hall. Yet no sooner had he sat down, with only one shoe removed, than he suddenly discovered dozens of eunuchs armed with sharp blades appearing around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at their head were none other than Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, Duan Gui, and the others, their hair long since streaked with gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides looked at one another in silence. At this point, no words were needed. And in that silence, He Jin suddenly rose and, wearing only one shoe, tried to flee the hall… If only he could escape to the Central Secretariat, he might still be saved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen or so eunuchs showed no mercy whatsoever. They swarmed forward, blades slashing down in chaos. He Jin, though struck several times, still burst through the forbidden steps and reached the base of the hall. But having taken multiple cuts, he simply could not hold on. In the end, it was Qu Mu, the Central Yellow Gate serving as Director of the Imperial Treasury, who caught up to him below the hall, killed him with a single stroke, and then cut off his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand General He Jin, the man upon whom the balance of Luoyang — and indeed the entire realm — depended, breathed his last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all honesty, this killing caught everyone by surprise. Not to mention He Jin himself — even if Gongsun Xun, or even Lady Gongsun, had been present, faced with such a scene, they too would likely have been at a loss… One must understand that for a long time, Lady Gongsun, that “Three-Knife Woman,” had always assumed that the palace where He Jin would die upon entering was simply “the palace.” Later, after learning of the Southern and Northern Palaces, she naturally assumed it was the Northern Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even Gongsun Xun, who had once raised chickens for a time at the Imperial Secretariat in the Southern Palace, was the same — he had long since subconsciously assumed that Grand General He “would” die in the Northern Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, whether in the present or in the history of that other time and space, He Jin died in the Southern Palace — died in the Hall of Jiade, extremely close to the Imperial Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this death did not quite qualify as a coup; it was more akin to an assassination. Because even with He Jin dead, the Southern Palace was still not — or not entirely — under the eunuchs’ control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After killing He Jin, the eunuchs split into two groups. One group, led by Zhao Zhong, who had once been Grand Prolonger of Autumn, went up to the palace walls to contact old associates within the Rapid Tiger Guard, using the Empress Dowager’s name to seal the palace gates. The other group — Zhang Rang, Duan Gui, and the rest — hastily drafted a forged edict, appointing the pro-eunuch Xu Xiang of the Gongzu clan as Intendant of Henan and Fan Ling as Colonel-Director of Retainers, and then carried He Jin’s head to the Imperial Secretariat to deliver the edict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both efforts, however, met with failure!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For He Jin, the Rapid Tiger Guard had been unreliable, but for the eunuchs, the Rapid Tiger Guard was equally unreliable. Most of the Rapid Tiger Guard chose to follow Zhao Zhong and immediately sealed the palace gates, but quite a few of them chose to flee at once and carry word outside the palace. Wu Kuang and other trusted men of He Jin, who had been waiting on Bronze Camel Street just outside the Southern Palace, immediately learned of He Jin’s death. They at once raised a clamor and tried to force their way into the Southern Palace, only to be blocked before the palace gates by those Rapid Tiger Guards loyal to the eunuchs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, at the Central Secretariat, Lu Zhi, Minister of the Bureau of Civil Appointments, upon receiving the blank-slate edict delivered by the eunuchs, also grew suspicious at once… because such an appointment could not possibly have come from He Jin and Yuan Kui, who oversaw the Secretariat. The various Ministers and Gentlemen of the Secretariat, who had been preparing to leave for home, discussed it briefly and realized that a great calamity was about to unfold. They immediately sealed the doors and windows of the Secretariat and began drawing their ceremonial sabers to stand guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where is the Grand General?” Once the preparations behind him were complete, Lu Zhi was the first to step out of the Central Secretariat and demand an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What greeted him was He Jin’s head, hurled in with force by a Central Yellow Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene struck everyone with shock, and many of the young Gentlemen of the Secretariat who had followed Lu Zhi out turned pale. But Lu Zhi merely glanced at it, said not a word, and with crisp efficiency snatched a halberd from the hands of a still-dazed Rapid Tiger Guard beside him and took his stand. Seeing this, Gongsun Yue let out a long sigh, then likewise seized a halberd from a guard and went to support Lu Zhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it was Zhang Rang and his men who were at a loss. They had weathered so many storms, yet this was the first time they had ever seen proper scholar-officials — renowned Confucians of the realm, no less — brandish weapons against them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left with no choice, Zhang Rang and the others ordered a direct assault on the Central Secretariat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But because of the Rapid Tiger Guard’s unreliability, and because Wu Kuang and his men were still at the palace gates, Zhang Rang, short on troops, could only send eunuchs forward with blades. And since the Central Secretariat was itself a raised-platform hall, they found themselves locked in a stalemate, unable to force entry for a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the twenty-fifth of the fifth month, General of the Rapid Tiger Guard Yuan Shu received a report from some of his subordinates. In other words, the Yuan clan, ahead of everyone else, was the first to learn of the Grand General’s death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the report, Yuan Kui was utterly at a loss. In his haste, he could only summon his three nephews and discuss the matter right there in his own courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uncle, what do you mean?\" The moment Yuan Shao heard this, his first reaction was also panic and bewilderment, but very quickly, for some unknown reason, he suddenly gripped the hilt of the blade at his waist, and his tone actually became calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know.\" Yuan Kui replied blankly. \"I am asking you — now that the Grand General has been suddenly killed, what are we to do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is the situation in the Southern Palace?\" Yuan Shao forced himself to ask Yuan Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I don't know.\" Yuan Shu's forehead was covered in sweat, but he could still manage an answer. \"More than half of the Tiger Guard remained where they were, following Zhao Zhong's orders to seal the palace gates, though a small portion did come looking for me. I also heard that the Central Pavilion seems to be at a stalemate...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where is Wu Kuang?\" Yuan Shao suddenly cut him off. \"Where is Wu Kuang, the one most loyal to the Grand General, right now? Has he fled and scattered?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Gathered before the palace gate, unable to advance or retreat!\" Only then did Yuan Shu recall this other piece of intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is an opportunity!\" Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's voice almost immediately began to tremble. \"Uncle... the Grand General's power has not scattered, nor could it scatter so quickly. And everyone in Luoyang knows that the Grand General and our Yuan clan are allies! If at this moment we can avenge the Grand General, we can seize everything belonging to the He clan! From then on, the Yuan clan will stand supreme, even mightier than the Huo clan of old! Wasn't this our original plan? It's just that He Jin suddenly died, sparing us the trouble of struggling with him for power.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we do this, how will the realm submit to our Yuan clan?\" Yuan Ji also suddenly broke out in a heavy sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our Yuan clan will execute the eunuchs for the sake of the realm — who would not submit to us?\" Yuan Shao countered sternly. \"Does Elder Brother not know that the realm has suffered under the palace for decades?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The He clan still has the General of Chariots and Cavalry!\" Yuan Shu's voice quavered slightly, and the hand he instinctively raised to stroke his beard also trembled. \"Though the two have never been on good terms and share no blood, they are brothers after all.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell Wu Kuang and those men that He Miao is in league with the eunuchs, that the Grand General's death was their doing. Let those soldiers kill him in the chaos! Once He Miao is dead, all the He clan's power will be ours!\" Yuan Shao replied on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are also those among the high officials who oppose us.\" Yuan Kui cautiously reminded his nephew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kill them too!\" Unknowingly, Yuan Shao's breathing had grown heavy, and his chest had puffed out even more. \"Uncle and Elder Brother will handle this matter. Summon the officials in Uncle's name, right here in our home, and kill those few high officials who have always been close to the eunuchs, as a warning!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There are outside troops beyond the city!\" Yuan Ji suddenly reminded him. \"Ding Yuan, Dong Zhuo, Qiao Mao...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That is precisely our advantage.\" Yuan Shao seemed to have anticipated this. \"Were it not for these outside troops, I might not even dare to avenge the Grand General... Three outside armies — Dong Zhuo is Uncle's former subordinate, Qiao Mao has always been on good terms with me. Let us not alert them yet. Once matters in Luoyang are settled and we hold the moral high ground, we can then use Dong Zhuo and Qiao Mao to annex Ding Yuan, and the situation will be entirely in our hands.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four men, uncle and nephews, fell silent for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But... after all this talk, how exactly do we avenge the Grand General?\" Amid the silence, Yuan Shu suddenly thought of the most fundamental question. \"The eunuchs are now inside the palace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then we attack the Southern Palace.\" Yuan Shao's face was expressionless. \"You go find Wu Kuang. I will go find Wang Kuang, who has just returned from recruiting troops. Together we will attack the Southern Palace.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The uncle and nephews fell silent once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is there left to hesitate about?\" At that moment, Yuan Shao suddenly flew into a rage, and it was directed solely at Yuan Shu. \"At this moment, either we attack the Southern Palace and let our Yuan clan truly become the preeminent clan of the realm, or you and I, brothers, can only follow the example of the Partisans of old and flee far beyond the mountains and seas! Uncle and Yuan Ji may have a way out — do you and I?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Shu froze for a moment, then abruptly turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Kui and Yuan Ji, their faces pale, stared at Yuan Shao, stammering wordlessly... as if seeing this closest of kin for the very first time. But Yuan Shao did not linger. He drew the blade at his waist, a blade that had never been stained with blood, glanced at it once, and then strode out, dragging the naked steel behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the evening of the twenty-fifth day of the fifth month, Yuan Shu led the small number of Tiger Guard loyal to him, along with Wu Kuang, an attendant of the Grand General, and together they led troops to attack the Southern Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slightly later, Yuan Shao sought out Wang Kuang, who had just returned from recruiting, hastily gathered several hundred men, and joined the ranks attacking the Southern Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the early morning of the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Wang Kuang, and Wu Kuang had jointly breached the walls of the Southern Palace and converged with the various Ministers and Ministerial Clerks at the Central Pavilion. The specific details of the coup were thus thoroughly disseminated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the late morning of the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month, upon receiving the news, all political factions in Luoyang no longer hesitated and virtually all mobilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao led troops into the palace, attempting to rescue his younger sister and nephew and avenge his elder brother. Tian Chou, who had been hiding in Liu Kuan's former residence, immediately mobilized and led several dozen loyal followers to storm the Southern Palace, seeking to rescue Gongsun Yue and Lu Zhi. Dong Zhuo's own younger brother, Dong Min, also dared not delay and hastily led several dozen Xiliang soldiers to assault the Southern Palace. As for the various divisions of the Western Garden, Feng Fang, Cao Cao, and other scholars with eunuch backgrounds were stripped of their military authority, but they promptly returned home, gathered a few soldiers, and entered the palace to join the attack on the eunuchs, thereby proving their innocence. As for all the rest, every government office and official residence dispatched their own guards to enter the palace and kill the eunuchs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly, as Yuan Shao had said, the realm had suffered under the palace for decades!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not only Yuan Shao who was unwilling to endure any longer — among all the civil and military officials of the court, among all the scholars and commoners of the realm, who was willing to live through those days again, the days when the late Emperor Ling was still alive?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And from another perspective, when Lu Zhi saw He Jin's severed head the day before and his first reaction was not condemnation but to seize a halberd, the desperate actions of Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the others were already doomed to be nothing more than the futile struggle of trapped beasts!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scholars took up weapons to protect themselves, and in an instant, they discovered that the so-called imperial authority and the court were utterly laughable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon on the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month, Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, upon receiving the news, felt greatly reassured. He immediately, under the pretext of colluding with the eunuchs in rebellion, openly executed Xu Xun and Fan Ling — both from noble houses but leaning toward the eunuchs — right within his own residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the afternoon of the twenty-sixth day of the fifth month, the greater part of the Southern Palace had fallen to the anti-eunuch forces. The palace buildings caught fire, and in the light of the flames, right before the Hall of Excellent Virtue, Wu Kuang, in the name of avenging the Grand General, joined forces with Dong Zhuo's younger brother Dong Min to launch a surprise attack and kill General of Chariots and Cavalry He Miao. Throughout the city, various factions also began to exploit the chaos to attack and kill one another, with disturbances breaking out in both the Northern Army and the Western Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the evening of the twenty-sixth to the early morning of the twenty-seventh day of the fifth month, the Southern Palace was almost entirely overrun. Relying on his prestige, Yuan Shao ordered the palace gates sealed and, in turn, began slaughtering the eunuchs within the palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a time, regardless of rank or notoriety, the eunuchs of the Southern Palace were nearly all massacred by scholars who had seethed with hatred for decades. Even guards, censors, and ministerial clerks with sparse beards were mistakenly killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just at this moment, while Yuan Shao and the others were on a killing spree, venting their fury, Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the rest suddenly abducted Empress Dowager He, the Son of Heaven Liu Bian, and the Prince of Chenliu Liu Xie, fleeing the Southern Palace and attempting to escape into the Northern Palace via the imperial causeway between the two palaces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as these men fled in panic onto the imperial causeway, they suddenly heard continuous commotion behind them, accompanied by screams. Turning back, they saw several dozen men, each armed, in pursuit. And the leader, clearly visible under the bronze lamps of the causeway, was a tall, gaunt figure with a high cap and white hair, charging forward with a halberd — it was none other than Lu Zhi, Lu Zigan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why does Lord Lu pursue the procession of the Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven?!\" Zhang Rang, clutching the Son of Heaven Liu Bian, turned around, brandished his blade, and shouted fiercely. \"There are rebels causing chaos in the Southern Palace, burning buildings and slaughtering indiscriminately, blood flowing everywhere! We servants are merely escorting the Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven to the Northern Palace for safety — is that wrong?! Or do you intend to commit treason before the Son of Heaven and let our blood spatter upon him?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At this point, why spout such nonsense?\" Lu Zhi stood facing them with his halberd, his beard and hair bristling. \"You relied on the Son of Heaven's authority to throw your weight around and bring chaos to the realm. And now, even at this moment, you still intend to use the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager as hostages?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What exactly do you want?\" Zhao Zhong pushed Empress Dowager He forward, also shouting with a fierce expression. \"Do you truly intend to raise blades against the Empress Dowager and the Son of Heaven?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a subject, how could I raise a blade against the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager?\" Lu Zhi immediately answered with stern righteousness. \"But today, do not think you can accomplish anything further. Wherever you take the Son of Heaven and the Empress Dowager as hostages, I will naturally follow. I want to see what else you can possibly do?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Attendants Zhang and Duan, take the Son of Heaven and the Prince of Chenliu into the Northern Palace first.\" Hearing this, the eunuchs all changed color, but it was the narrow-minded Zhao Zhong whose fury turned to laughter. \"I will stay here with the Empress Dowager and have a proper debate with Lord Lu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Rang and the others were overjoyed and immediately turned to flee. In a moment, only Zhao Zhong remained, holding the Empress Dowager hostage on the imperial causeway, confronting Lu Zhi and his men. Although Lu Zhi, Gongsun Yue, Tian Chou, and the others had ample manpower, they were hindered by Empress Dowager He, who was panicked and could do nothing but weep bitterly, and for a time they could not overcome the standoff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Empress Dowager!\" Lu Zhi stepped forward several paces, holding his halberd as he spoke. \"Come now to your servant's side. Zhao Zhong does not dare kill you...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Empress Dowager, do not weep!\" Zhao Zhong, too, actually addressed Empress Dowager He. \"This old slave also wishes to ask you one thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, the Empress Dowager was terrified. She wanted to move, but her limbs were numb. She wanted to respond, but her voice was hoarse and she could not speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It is no matter. The Empress Dowager need only nod or shake her head.\" Zhao Zhong sneered all the more. \"This old slave wishes to ask you: back then, when you poisoned the Beautiful Lady Wang and the late Emperor wanted to depose you, was it not we who pooled together several hundred million in cash to bribe the late Emperor, thereby preserving your position?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager He immediately nodded repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then why, when we repeatedly showed weakness and repeatedly pleaded, asking for nothing more than to stay alive, was the Grand General unwilling to give us even a chance? He even wanted to exterminate our entire clans? Does this not count as the He clan betraying us first?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empress Dowager He nodded again, but then wept and shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You eunuchs have brought chaos to the realm. Everyone wishes to execute you. The Grand General's decision to deal with you is called not forsaking the public good for private reasons! How can that be considered betraying you?\" The one who spoke out indignantly was Tian Chou, the leader of the loyal followers who had come along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bullshit!\" Zhao Zhong finally erupted in fury. \"The chaos in the realm certainly bears our responsibility, but is it our responsibility alone? Lu Zigan, you are a renowned Confucian of the realm — you tell me... We eunuchs may indeed be filthy and contemptible, but from the Yuan clan on down, among all the high officials of the court, and from your student the Gongsun clan on down, among all the frontier generals and provincial officials everywhere, and even renowned Confucian aristocratic families like yourself — how many are truly clean?! If you kill us, will the realm be at peace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tian Chou opened his mouth to retort but was stopped by a gesture from the silent Gongsun Yue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Lu Zigan, standing at the very front, unhurried and unflustered, still faced him with his halberd: \"What Attendant Zhao says is indeed irrefutable. It is as you say... killing you may not necessarily bring peace to the realm! But if we do not kill you, the realm will never be at peace! What do you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the blades and the firelight, Zhao Zhong actually fell silent for a moment. Then, he suddenly pushed forward fiercely, shoving Empress Dowager He into Lu Zhi's arms. Lu Zhi hurriedly caught her, while Zhao Zhong seized the opportunity to retreat several steps along the imperial causeway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gongsun Yue and Tian Chou immediately pressed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, Zhao Zhong, having lost his leverage, was not flustered. Instead, holding his blade, he actually laughed again: \"Lu Zigan... you cannot refute my words, and I cannot refute yours. But I still wish to ask you — have you considered this? He Jin is dead, He Miao is also dead. Now, if we eunuchs are also slaughtered by you, then with no one left to support the Son of Heaven, might it not instead lead to great chaos in the realm?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhi, supporting the Empress Dowager with one hand and holding his halberd with the other, actually met this with silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand. You have thought of it, but because of your resentment and anger toward us eunuchs, you are unwilling to let go.\" Zhao Zhong laughed even louder, as if demented. \"Everyone in the realm says we eunuchs are selfish, but they do not know that you scholars are the most selfish and self-serving of all! Everyone in the realm says we eunuchs toy with power, but they do not know that you scholars are the ones most devoid of sovereign and father! I, Zhao Zhong, the dignified Grand Prolonger of Autumn, how could I fall into the hands of hypocrites like you?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said this, Zhao Zhong, who had been retreating all along, suddenly halted. Then, heedless of the several sharp blades closing in before him, he abruptly turned his blade sideways and slit his own throat — blood sprayed five paces, spattering the imperial way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Send half the men to escort the Empress Dowager to Chongde Hall for safekeeping!\" After a long pause, the grey-bearded Lu Zhi finally spoke, yet his expression remained as composed as ever. \"The rest of us, continue the pursuit!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————I am the blood-spattered-five-paces dividing line————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the final years of Zhongping, He Jin died, and blood flowed in the Southern Palace. Zhang Rang and the other Regular Attendants, having seized the Empress Dowager, the Young Emperor, and the Prince of Chenliu, abducted the officials of the inner bureaus and fled via the covered walkway to the Northern Palace. The Minister Lu Zhi, spear in hand, pursued them along the way. Rang and the others fled ahead, leaving only Zhong to guard the Empress Dowager and block the path. Zhi looked up and rebuked him; Zhong, indignant, replied: 'Are we eunuchs alone the ones who have brought calamity upon the realm? From the high ministers down, who among you can claim to be loyal and incorruptible? Would killing me truly bring peace to the house of Han?' Zhi calmly answered: 'Unless we kill your kind, the house of Han will never know peace!' Ashamed, Zhong then released the Empress Dowager and slit his own throat in the covered walkway.\" — *A New Account of the Tales of the World*, Chapter on Speech\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thanks to new Alliance Master Le Yanshan... the twenty-fifth Alliance Master... it feels like a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One more thing... many people still don't know that my old reader group, the one with eighteen hundred or sixteen hundred people, was busted a long time ago. The new group is 931557287; those interested can join.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",5743,"2026-06-04T19:42:26.060Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","9a451a4b52ca18f76c2ef2a00c4fa96a847f2370b6d06ba735b351c5ecd14ca3","overthrowing-han-chapter-330","overthrowing-han-chapter-328",548,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Foverthrowing-han-cover.jpg"]