Chương 306: Jian Shuo's Death, Empress Dowager VS Empress Dowager

Guo Sheng received Jian Shuo's secret letter, but without even reading it carefully, he went straight to Zhao Zhong. The two of them discussed it and said, "Jian Shuo is digging his own grave, and he wants to drag us down with him? No way! We have to stand on the General's side!"

The two hit it off immediately and decided to sell out their teammate.

The secret letter was delivered intact to the General's mansion.

He opened the secret letter and saw that, well, he had been caught red-handed!

Enraged, he slammed his fist on the table, his thick hand making a loud thud: "You damned Jian Shuo! Your conspiracy has been exposed, yet you still dare to conspire to retaliate! Do you really think I'm a pushover!"

That day, He Jin stopped wasting words and directly sent the eunuch to lead soldiers to rush into Jian Shuo's residence with lightning speed. They arrested Jian Shuo, who was still having a dream, on the spot and immediately executed him!

The Western Garden Imperial Guards, which Jian Shuo had painstakingly built up and relied on for his survival, were leaderless and were easily incorporated into He Jin's private army.

The first round of power struggle in Luoyang ended with a complete victory for He Jin's group and the eunuch group losing a "general".

...

Jian Shuo had barely died and his body was still warm when the second round of the power struggle in Luoyang began!

This time, it was General Dong Zhong who stepped forward.

This man has a special identity; he is Empress Dowager Dong's nephew, and the current emperor Liu Bian has to call him his maternal uncle.

When Liu Hong was alive, Empress Dowager Dong was the absolute master of the Yongle Palace, and Dong Zhong's status naturally rose accordingly.

Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, the He siblings are in power, and Empress Dowager Dong has become the "Grand Empress Dowager of Yongle Palace," which sounds prestigious, but in reality, her power has been usurped.

Dong Zhong, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, may have a high rank, but in reality, he was completely suppressed by He Jin, the Grand General.

Dong Zhong was seething with anger! How could He Jin, that pig butcher, be allowed to control the court? My aunt was the late emperor's biological mother! I am also a legitimate member of the imperial family! He couldn't swallow this insult.

Therefore, relying on the remaining power of Empress Dowager Dong and some of his own troops, he began to openly "confront" He Jin, vying for power and profit. The two fought fiercely, and the court was often filled with tension.

The eunuch faction in the palace had just lost Jian Shuo and was still in shock when they saw this situation. Their eyes lit up: Hey, an opportunity has come! He Jin is too powerful, and a direct confrontation is not an option, so let's play the "balancing act"!

They quickly adjusted their strategy, turning around and trying to curry favor with Dong Zhong, offering all sorts of flattery and advice, hoping to use the Dong family's power to counterbalance or even bring down the He family, and completely muddy the waters of Luoyang.

Meanwhile, Empress Dowager Dong, deep within the palace, was seething with pent-up anger with nowhere to vent it.

She was the emperor's own grandmother! When her son was alive, her words carried more weight than imperial edicts; who dared disobey her, inside or outside the palace?

Now, her grandson has become emperor, and He Lian, that butcher's girl, has become empress dowager. She ignores her, her proper grandmother, and whenever she tries to get involved in politics or personnel matters, He Lian immediately shuts her down, making her heart ache with anger.

On this day, the two empress dowagers quarreled again in Yongle Palace over a trivial matter.

He Lian was young and impetuous, and her words were sometimes somewhat argumentative.

Empress Dowager Dong's long-suppressed anger finally erupted like a volcano!

"Empress Dowager Dong," He Lian said, maintaining her composure, "I will handle matters of the inner palace. You should rest in peace and enjoy your old age."

"Enjoying one's twilight years?" Empress Dowager Dong exploded upon hearing this.

"My son has just died, and your He family thinks you can control everything? Let me tell you, this Han Dynasty doesn't belong to you!"

"Your Majesty is mistaken," He Lian sneered.

"His Majesty ascended the throne as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, which is perfectly legitimate. If you wish to interfere in court affairs, I'm afraid it would be against the rules."

"Rules!" Empress Dowager Dong stood up abruptly, her finger almost poking He Lian's nose. Her voice was shrill as she said, "He Lian! You shrew from a butcher's family! What are you so arrogant about? You think you're so great just because you're Empress Dowager? You're only powerful because your butcher brother He Jin has a few broken knives! Let me tell you! I can get Dong Chong to lead troops and chop off He Jin's head as easily as slicing a watermelon! Your He family, just you wait!"

These words were nothing short of a blatant death threat, and they were delivered through "official channels" (Empress Dowager vs. Empress Dowager).

Upon hearing this, He Lian turned pale with anger and trembled all over.

She wasn't one to take things lying down. She immediately sent someone out of the palace to deliver a message to He Jin: "Brother! That old woman from the Dong family wants to kill you! She's having Dong Zhong chop off your head! If you don't act now, our He family is finished!"

...

Meanwhile, in Zhuo County, Youzhou, at the Prince of Yan's residence.

The study was warm and quiet, a stark contrast to the somber atmosphere of Luoyang.

Liu Ce was reviewing spring plowing reports sent from various places.

Lu Bing walked in silently.

"My lord, an urgent report from Luoyang: Liu Bian has ascended the throne, and He Jin and Dong Zhong are vying for power. Empress Dowager Dong angrily rebuked Empress Dowager He, saying she wanted Dong Zhong to kill He Jin."

Liu Ce put down the bamboo slips, a playful smile on his face: "Oh? Old Madam Dong is in a bad mood. This He Jin... is probably going to take drastic measures against the Dong family."

After a moment's thought, he said to Lu Bing, "Send a message to your people in Luoyang: find a way to secretly protect Empress Dowager Dong."

Lu Bing looked slightly puzzled and asked, "Protect Empress Dowager Dong? My lord, this action..."

Liu Ce smiled, his smile tinged with complexity, and said, "After all, Empress Dowager Dong was the birth mother of my late brother, the late emperor, and an elder in our hometown of Hejian. He Jin is a man who appears kind on the outside but is actually suspicious on the inside; he seems honest and straightforward, but in reality, he is ruthless."

"I predict that after he brings down Dong Zhong, he will not let Empress Dowager Dong off the hook. On the surface, he may respectfully escort her back to her fiefdom in Hejian, but halfway there... a cup of poison and a sudden illness would be too easy."

"Tell our men to be alert and make sure Empress Dowager Dong arrives in Hejian safely. Once she arrives, don't make a fuss; just have people secretly watch over her. She's just an old woman who has lost power; she can't cause any trouble, but sometimes being alive is better than being dead."

Lu Bing understood immediately and asked no further questions. He bowed and said, "I understand. I will make the arrangements immediately."

Liu Ce waved his hand and picked up the spring plowing report again, as if he had just given an instruction on a trivial matter.

The bloodshed in Luoyang seemed to him merely a game of chess that needed to be stirred occasionally.

...

May, Luoyang.

Having grasped the dual motivations of the "Empress Dowager's edict" and "his own sense of crisis," He Jin acted swiftly.

He rallied the Grand Tutor and the Three Dukes (Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, Minister of Works Ding Gong, Minister of Public Works Liu Hong, and Grand Commandant Zhou Zhong) to jointly submit a memorial to the throne.

The charges leveled against Empress Dowager Dong in the memorial were quite down-to-earth: "The former Empress Dowager Yongle sent eunuchs to collude with local officials to exploit the people, plunder their wealth, and indulge in extravagance and debauchery."

Then they brought up the old rule that "according to ancestral laws, the queens of vassal states are not allowed to reside in the capital" and strongly demanded that Empress Dowager Dong be sent back to her fiefdom of Hejian!

This memorial is well-reasoned, supported by evidence, and complies with procedures.