The Three Kingdoms Volume 1 (7 page)

In the midst of their indecision, the minister who had warned him at the palace gate came and said: “The Emperor is no more. Jian Shuo has reached an agreement with The Ten not to announce the death. They have forged an edict to command you to go into the palace so as to destroy you. Furthermore, they want to make Prince Xie the new Emperor to avoid future trouble.” He had hardly finished speaking when the edict arrived, urging He Jin to go to the palace to discuss the succession.

“The matter for the moment is to set up the rightful heir first,” said Cao Cao. “Then deal with the eunuchs.”

“Who dares to join me?” asked He Jin.

At once there stepped forward a man who said: “Give me 5,000 veteran soldiers and we will force our way into the palace, set up the new heir, slay all the eunuchs, and sweep clean the government so as to restore peace to the land.” The energetic speaker was Yuan Shao, son of a high-ranking minister and a senior officer in the imperial army.

He Jin mustered 5,000 palace guards for Yuan Shao to command, while he himself went into the palace, followed by some thirty other ministers. And before the very coffin of the late Emperor, they installed Prince Bian on the throne.

After the ceremony was over and all the officials had paid their respects to the new ruler, Yuan Shao went in to arrest Jian Shuo. The terrified man escaped into the palace garden and hid among the flowers, where he was discovered and murdered by one of his colleagues. All his guards surrendered. Yuan Shao thought this was the most opportune moment to destroy The Ten and advised He Jin to take immediate actions against them. But they had already scented the danger and they went to Empress Dowager He for help.

They said to her: “It was Jian Shuo who plotted against your brother, the General. None of us had anything to do with it. Now the General has taken Yuan Shao’s advice and wishes to kill every one of us. Please have pity on us.”

“Do not worry,” she said, “I will protect you.”

Then she sent for her brother and said to him in private, “You and I are of lowly origin. We owe our good fortunes to the eunuchs. Now that the treacherous Jian Shuo is dead, why do you listen to other people’s words and want to kill them all?”

He Jin obeyed and came out to explain to his party, “Jian Shuo was the one who plotted against me and his family should be exterminated. But it’s not necessary to kill the rest of them.”

“If you do not destroy them, root and branch,” said Yuan Shao, “they will surely harm you.”

“I have decided,” said He Jin coldly. “Say no more.” Then all the other officials withdrew.

The next day He Jin was promoted to an even higher rank and all those who helped him received new offices.

Meanwhile Empress Dowager Dong became worried. Summoning the ten eunuchs to a council, she said: “I was the one who first brought her forward. Now that her son is on the throne and all the officials are on her side, her influence is enormous. What should I do?”

“Your Highness, you can administer the state affairs by sitting behind the curtain in court. You should create Prince Xie head of a fief and give your brother, Dong Zhong, a high rank and place him at the command of the army and also put all of us in important positions. That will help you achieve everything.”

The Empress Dowager was very glad to hear this. The next day in court she did just as she was advised, creating Prince Xie as Prince of Chenliu and her brother Dong Chong as a general of a very high rank, and allowing the ten eunuchs to participate in running state affairs.

When Empress Dowager He saw this she gave a banquet to which she invited her rival. In the middle of the feast, she rose and offered her guest a cup of wine, saying, “Both of us are women. It is not suitable for us to meddle in state affairs. In the old days, Empress Dowager Lu’s
^*
whole clan were put to death because she had tried to seize supreme power. Now we ought to content ourselves with living in the palace and leave the state affairs to the ministers. That would be best for the country and I hope you will act accordingly.”

Empress Dowager Dong flared up. “You poisoned Lady Wang out of jealousy. Now you think you can say such nonsense to me because your son sits in the throne and your brother is powerful. In fact I can have your brother beheaded as easily as I turn my hand.”

Now it was Empress Dowager He’s turn to become angry. “I tried to persuade you with well-intended words—why are you so unreasonable?”

“You low-born daughter of a butcher, what do you know of state affairs?” retorted the other lady.

And the quarrel went on and on until at last the eunuchs managed to persuade them to retire to their separate palaces. However, that very night Empress Dowager He summoned her brother into the palace and told him about what had happened. He Jin then sought counsel with the principal ministers.

The next morning a petition was presented in court which said that the late Emperor’s mother, being originally the consort of a “frontier” prince, was not fit to live long in the palace, but should be resettled in Hejian without delay. As the late Emperor’s mother was being escorted out of the capital, her brother’s house was surrounded by imperial guards and his seal of office demanded. Knowing this was the end, he committed suicide in his private chamber. The soldiers only left when his family started wailing over his death.

When they saw that Empress Dowager Dong’s line was destroyed, two of the ten eunuchs bribed He Jin’s brother, He Miao, and his mother with expensive gifts, asking them to speak on their behalf with the Empress Dowager He now and again. So once more The Ten won favor in court.

Two months later He Jin sent his men to murder Empress Dowager Dong in her residence in Hejian. Her remains were brought back to the capital and buried in the imperial graveyard. He Jin feigned illness and did not attend the funeral.

Yuan Shao went to see him and said: “The eunuchs are spreading the rumor that you caused the death of the late Empress Dowager, and that you are aiming for the throne. If you don’t take this opportunity to put them out of the way, they’ll become a real menace to you.” He also reminded him of how in the past Dou Wu had missed his chance and was later murdered by the eunuchs because the secret had not been kept. Then he said: “Now the officers under the command of you and your brother are all valiant fighters. If you can make them exert themselves, you are sure to succeed. This is a heaven-sent opportunity. Don’t miss it.”

But He Jin only replied, “Let me think it over.”

His servants secretly told this to the eunuchs, who went to see his brother and gave him more gifts. Corrupted by these offerings, He Miao went to the palace to speak to his sister. He said, “Our brother is responsible for assisting the new emperor in ruling the country, yet he does not exercise mercy and benevolence, but thinks only of slaughter. Now he intends to kill The Ten without cause. I think this will only lead to trouble.” His sister agreed.

After a while, He Jin also went in to see his sister and tell her about his plan to put the eunuchs to death. She objected: “It’s the practice of the Hans for the eunuchs to look after palace affairs. The late Emperor had died only recently and yet you want to kill his old servants. This is not the way to show respect for the crown.” Being a man of indecision, He Jin murmured assent and withdrew.

“What about it?” Yuan Shao came forward to ask.

“Her Highness will not consent,” He replied. “What can we do then?”

“Call in warriors from all sides and ask them to lead their forces to the capital to slay the eunuchs. This is imperative. She cannot but consent.”

“Excellent!” said He Jin.

And he was about to send out orders all around when Chen Lin, an important adviser objected: “No, this won’t do. As the saying goes, ‘Cover the eyes while trying to capture the swallows.’ It is only cheating oneself. A small thing like a swallow cannot be fooled, let alone the machinery of state. Backed by the imperial house and the army, you had enormous power—to put the eunuchs to death would be as easy as lighting up a furnace to burn a hair. But you should act promptly and decisively. Then all the people will be on your side. If you summon forces from outside to enter the capital and gather many ambitious men together, each with his own schemes, you will be putting your weapons in the hands of others and placing yourself in their power. Nothing but failure can come of it, nothing but confusion.”

“The view of a coward!” said He Jin with a sneer.

Then one of those beside him suddenly clapped his hands and laughed. “It is as easy as turning over one’s hand. Why so much talk?”

The speaker was Cao Cao.

To get rid of wicked men from your king’s side,
Then seek counsel from the wise men of the state.

What Cao Cao said to them will be told in the next chapter.

*
Superstition has it that the blood of animals and filth can render black magic ineffective.

*
776–476
B.C.

†
A river in Hangzhou in East China.

*
Consort of Liu Bang, first emperor of West Han.

CHAPTER THREE

Dong Zhuo Silences Ding Yuan at Wenming Gardens

Li Shu Bribes Lu Bu with Lavish Gifts

C
ao
Cao said to He Jin: “The evil of the eunuchs has a long history. It arises because the ruler has given them improper power and favor. To deal with it, we need only execute the prime culprits. And a jailer would be enough to do the job. So why busy yourself summoning troops from the provinces? But if you want to kill them all, you would not be able to maintain the secret and the plan will fail.”

“Are you also harboring some scheme of your own, Meng-de?” asked the angry He Jin.

Cao Cao withdrew and said to himself, “He Jin will be the man to throw the empire into confusion.”

Then He Jin immediately sent envoys bearing secret letters to various provinces.

One of the men who received this secret message was our old acquaintance Dong Zhuo. He had at first failed in his attempt to destroy the Yellow Turbans and would have been punished if not for the protection of The Ten, whom he had bribed. Later he had also managed to associate with high-ranking officials in court and was promoted to become commander of some 200,000 men in the west. But he was treacherous and disloyal at heart. He rejoiced greatly when he received the summons to go to the capital and lost no time to obey it. Leaving behind his son-in-law Niu Fu to guard Shanxi, he set out for Luoyang with some of his trusted subordinates.

Li Ru, another son-in-law and an advisor, said: “Although we are acting according to a formal edict, our actions are not without ambiguity. It would be well to send up a petition stating our aims plainly. Then we can proceed with our grand scheme.” Dong Zhuo agreed. So a memorial was composed which read something like this:

I, your humble servant, hear that the continual rebellions owe their origin to the ten eunuchs, who disregard all recognized precepts. Now, to stop the boiling of a pot, the best way is to put out the fire; to cut out an abscess, though painful, is better than to keep it nourished. I will undertake a military advance on the capital to eliminate The Evil Ten for the benefit of the empire and the people.

When He Jin received this, he showed it to the other court officials. One of the ministers admonished him: “Dong Zhuo is as vicious as a wolf. If you allow him into the capital, he’ll surely harm you.”