Chương 305: Liu Bian Ascends the Throne

A young eunuch rushed in, panting, and said, "Jian... Jian, the Grand General... the Grand General reached the palace gate, and then... then turned around and ran away again!"

"What?!" Jian Shuo's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They ran away? Why did they run away?!"

"I... I don't know... I just saw Pan Yin say a few words to him, and then he ran away..."

Jian Shuo stamped his foot angrily, shouting, "Pan Yin! That Pan Yin! He ruined my plans!"

He knew that the perfect "decapitation operation" had failed before it even began, dying in its infancy!

He Jin's escape has certainly aroused suspicion, making it difficult to trick him into entering the palace again.

Then a huge panic surged in Jian Shuo's heart. He Jin was not dead, and he even knew that he had plotted against him. This time... he was in big trouble!

What's more troublesome is that the news of His Majesty's death can no longer be kept secret.

...

The truth will eventually come out.

The news of Liu Hong's death spread like wildfire, quickly beyond the palace walls and throughout the streets and alleys of Luoyang.

"Have you heard? His Majesty has passed away!"

"Really? When did this happen?"

"It's absolutely true! The palace is in complete chaos!"

The entire city of Luoyang instantly erupted in chaos!

The common people were abuzz with discussion, and a sense of impending doom hung over the imperial capital.

The civil and military officials were in a panic, and the court and the country were in complete chaos.

A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, but His Majesty has not appointed a crown prince. Who will inherit the throne?

Having narrowly escaped death, He Jin was filled with lingering fear and boundless rage!

You damn Jian Shuo, a spineless eunuch, dare to scheme against me? Do you really think I'm made of clay?

I'll kill you, or I'm not a He!

Fear? That was before! Now, he's realized, "I have troops!"

He immediately straightened up, his back ramrod straight, exuding confidence.

He mustered his most elite personal guards, each one clad in armor, swords drawn, bows strung, exuding a murderous aura.

He Jin himself, fully armored and surrounded by a group of fierce personal guards, swaggered and led his troops to storm the palace!

This time, it wasn't by imperial decree, but rather to "protect the emperor" and "maintain stability"!

Seeing this display of force, how could the imperial guards at the palace gate dare to stop them?

He Jin proceeded unimpeded until he reached the palace gates. When the guarding eunuchs tried to stop him, he pushed them aside and said, "Get out of my way! This general has urgent business with the Empress!"

The palace is now leaderless, and no one dares to truly stop him.

He Jin entered the palace smoothly and went straight to He Lian's bedroom.

Upon seeing each other, He Jin cried out, "Sister! That scoundrel Jian Shuo tried to kill me! If Pan Yin hadn't informed me, I almost wouldn't have seen you again!"

He Lian was also quite frightened, and said angrily, "This eunuch has such audacity! Don't worry, brother, with me here, no one can touch you!"

The two quickly took control of the situation.

In the grand hall, which symbolized supreme power, Empress He, now known as Empress Dowager He, led the young Prince Liu Bian to sit next to the emperor's original seat.

Although she was also flustered, her courage was emboldened by her brother standing below with his soldiers.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she adopted the majesty of an empress, speaking sternly: "His Majesty has passed away, and the country cannot be without a ruler for even a day! Prince Bian, the eldest son of the legitimate wife, is benevolent, filial, and intelligent; he is rightfully to inherit the throne! Do any of you ministers have any objections?"

Her voice echoed in the empty hall.

The civil and military officials, the three dukes and nine ministers, looked at each other, and finally their gazes involuntarily drifted to the He Jin personal guards outside the hall, who were holding sharp blades and glaring menacingly, and then to He Jin's dark, fat face that seemed to say, "Dare to oppose me and see what happens."

Objections? Are you tired of living?

Okay, whatever you say.

An eerie silence fell over the hall. Everyone seemed to have agreed beforehand, keeping their heads down as if they wanted to shrink into their court robes. Not a single person dared to utter a sound!

Even the old Confucian scholar who usually loved to quote classics and invoke ancestral laws was now speechless.

Excellent, passed unanimously.

Within a few days, the entire process was completed at an astonishing speed.

At the age of fourteen, Liu Bian ascended the throne and honored his mother, He Lian, as Empress Dowager.

As for Liu Xie, who was once favored by the late emperor and was known for his intelligence and wit? He was sent to be the Prince of Bohai, but everyone knew that he had been completely marginalized and far removed from the core of power.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, it is customary to grant a general amnesty and change the era name.

The reign title was chosen as "Guangxi," with "Guang" meaning light and "Xi" meaning blazing, which sounds full of hope.

He Jin then followed procedure and won over Yuan Wei, a representative of the old aristocratic families and Grand Tutor, to "run the affairs of the Secretariat" and take charge of the government.

Anyone with eyes to see could tell that Yuan Wei was just a figurehead. Empress Dowager He ruled from behind the curtain, but the real power fell entirely into the hands of the He siblings.

...

He Jin, having just acquired his newfound power, immediately settling scores.

"That damned eunuch Jian Shuo, how dare he plot to kill me?" He Jin gritted his teeth in hatred at the memory of that scene at the palace gate.

"If I don't avenge this, I'll take his surname!"

At this moment, a young man eager to rise in rank seized the opportunity and approached.

He was Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu.

Through his retainer Zhang Jin, he sent a message to He Jin: "General, the eunuchs have been a scourge on the country for a long time. Jian Shuo's arrogance is all due to the eunuchs' power. Why not take advantage of the new dynasty's establishment and the current state of power to eliminate all the eunuchs once and for all, thus preventing future troubles? This is the achievement of Yi Yin and Huo Guang, a feat that will be remembered in history!"

These words struck a chord with He Jin.

He Jin thought to himself: That's right! The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their reputation is high. This kid and his brother Yuan Shu have also gathered a group of heroes and chivalrous men under their command, so they have considerable influence.

By winning them over, we can deal with the eunuchs!

Therefore, He Jin regarded the Yuan brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, as his confidants, and recruited a group of famous scholars and strategists, such as He Yong and Zheng Tai, offering them official positions and promises, quickly building his own "think tank" and "henchman group".

When the news reached Jian Shuo's ears, he panicked completely.

He Jin, having seized power, was even going to join forces with the partisans to purge the eunuchs? Wasn't that tantamount to killing him?

He was restless, like an ant on a hot pan. He quickly wrote a secret letter to Zhao Zhong, Song Dian, and others who were also eunuchs. The letter read: "The He Jin brothers have already taken control of the court. They will surely conspire with their cronies to kill us all to satisfy their own selfish desires! I now command the Imperial Guards. Why don't we take the initiative, close the palace gates, forge an imperial edict, arrest and kill He Jin, and eliminate any future troubles!"

He wanted to drag the eunuch clique down with him in a desperate gamble.

But he overlooked one crucial detail: Guo Sheng, the eunuch, was a fellow townsman of He Jin! Moreover, he was a "pure fellow townsman" from Nanyang County!

Back then, He Lian was able to gain Liu Hong's favor as a palace maid, and He Jin was able to rise from a mere butcher to a high position. Guo Sheng played a significant role in this and used his connections to help them!

Guo Sheng's wealth and status were already tied to the He family, so why would he risk his life with Jian Shuo, an "outsider"?