The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

Dou Xian, whose great-grandfather was Dou Rong, served as Grand Marshal during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of Han and was granted the title of Marquis of Anfeng.

When Dou Xian was a child, Dou Mu and Dou Xun were killed for their crimes.

In the third year of Jianchu, her younger sister Dou was canonized as empress by Emperor Zhang of Han, Liu Zhuang.

Dou Xian was appointed as Lang, and later promoted to Shizhong and Huben Zhonglang Jiang; his younger brother Dou Du was Huangmen Shilang.

"In the eighth year of Jianchu, as Empress Dou's favor grew, the Dou Xian brothers served Emperor Hanzhang in the palace together. Emperor Hanzhang was very close to them and rewarded them with countless wealth."

"Sikong Diwu Lun wrote to Emperor Zhang of Han to advise him to strictly order Dou Xian and others to be clean and cautious in making friends with officials and scholars."

"Dou Xian relied on the influence and power of the queen to be tyrannical and overbearing."

"Whether it's the prince, princess, or the Yin family, Ma family and other relatives, they are all afraid of him."

"Dou Xian once tried to buy Princess Qinshui's manor at a low price, but the princess was afraid of his power and didn't dare to argue."

"When Emperor Zhang of Han was traveling, he passed by the manor and asked Dou Xian about the situation of the manor. Dou Xian secretly ordered his attendants not to answer truthfully."

"Later, Emperor Zhang of Han discovered the truth and became furious."

"He believed that Dou Xian's seizure of the princess's estate was a mistake, and when he asked about it, he dared to lie and deceive. This was even worse than Zhao Gao's attempt to call a deer a horse."

"Even the princess was robbed, let alone the common people."

"Dou Xian was too domineering. The court abandoned him as easily as throwing away a bird or a mouse."

"Emperor Zhang of Han scolded Dou Xian, who was very frightened. Empress Dou took off her empress's clothes to express her apology."

"It was a long time before Emperor Zhang of Han calmed down his anger and ordered Dou Xian to return the manor to the princess."

"Emperor Zhang of Han did not punish Dou Xian according to the law, but he also did not entrust him with important tasks."

"In the third year of Yuanhe, the Grand Commandant Zheng Hong wrote several letters to the emperor, pointing out that Dou Xian was too powerful, and his words were earnest, which made Dou Xian very resentful of him."

"Later, Zheng Hong wrote a letter to impeach Dou Xian's cronies, Shangshu Zhang Lin and Luoyang Ling Yang Guang, saying that they were corrupt and brutal."

"The official who handled the memorial was an old friend of Yang Guang. He informed Yang Guang, who in turn reported it to Dou Xian."

"So Dou Xian impeached Zheng Hong, saying that he was an important official but leaked secrets."

"Zheng Hong was held accountable for this and was dismissed from office shortly afterwards."

"Zheng Hong surrendered himself to the court and awaited trial, and Emperor Zhang of Han issued an edict to release him."

"He requested to retire and return home, but his request was not approved."

"Later, Zheng Hong fell seriously ill, but he still wrote to the emperor saying that Dou Xian was a treacherous person, comparable to the usurper Wang Mang. He advised Emperor Zhang of Han to stay away from treacherous officials who flattered him."

"In February of the second year of the Zhanghe reign, Emperor Zhang of Han died and Emperor He of Han ascended the throne."

"Empress Dowager Dou was the regent. Dou Xian, as the Minister of State, entered the palace to handle confidential matters and left the palace to announce Empress Dowager Dou's orders."

"His younger brother Dou Du was the General of the Tiger Guards, and Dou Jing and Dou Gui were the Imperial Household Attendants, all of whom held prominent positions."

"Dou Xian's retainer Cui Yan wrote to warn Dou Xian that his favor was growing day by day and his official position was rising. Everything he did would attract the attention of the court officials, so he should be careful and restrained and observe etiquette."

“If one is too powerful but does not know how to give in, or too high an official position but lacks righteousness, then one will be ridiculed and mocked.”

"Dou Xian was respected by the late emperor because of the benevolence and courtesy of the Grand Commandant Deng Biao, and he was also a loyal and easy-going person."

"Therefore, please ask Empress Dowager Dou to issue an edict to appoint him as the Grand Tutor, grant him the title of Marquis of Guannei, and make him in charge of the secret affairs of the Secretariat, and order all officials to obey the Grand Tutor."

"If Dou Xian has any ideas, please tell Deng Biao and have him report them to Empress Dowager Dou."

"Dou Xianze went to the inner palace to explain the situation to Empress Dowager Dou, and everything was approved."

"Deng Biao holds the position of Grand Tutor, but he only cultivates himself and is unable to rectify the rules and regulations of the court."

"Huan Yu, the cavalry commander, was a teacher to several generations of emperors. He was modest and chaste by nature, so Dou Xian recommended him to teach the classics in the palace."

"Dou Xian has a violent temper and will take revenge for any slight."

"During the Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of Han, the courtier Han Yu tried the case of Dou Xun, the father of Dou Xian."

"Dou Xian ordered his followers to kill Han Yu's son and use his head as a sacrifice to Dou Xun."

"In May of the second year of Zhanghe, Liu Chang, the son of King Shang of Qi, Liu Shi, and Marquis of Duxiang, came to the capital to pay tribute to Emperor Zhang of Han, and Empress Dowager Dou frequently summoned him."

"Dou Xian was afraid that Liu Chang would take away his power in the inner palace, so he sent assassins to kill Liu Chang among the imperial guards and put the blame on Liu Chang's brother, Marquis of Li Liu Gang."

"So the court sent the Imperial Censor and the Qingzhou Governor to interrogate Liu Gang and others."

"Minister Han Leng believes that the murderer is in the capital, and we should not seek far away."

Zhang Juzheng: Empress Dowager Dou was furious and severely reprimanded Han Leng, but Han Leng still insisted on his opinion.

He Chang, the Imperial Censor, petitioned the Grand Commandant Song You to participate in the trial, and Song You agreed to He Chang's request.

When the Minister of Works and the Minister of Civil Affairs heard that He Chang was going to participate in the trial, they both sent their responsible officials to accompany him.

Eventually the truth of the case was uncovered and Dou Xian's actions became known to the world.

Empress Dowager Dou was furious and imprisoned Dou Xian in the inner palace.

Dou Xian was afraid of being killed, so he asked to attack the Northern Huns to redeem his death penalty.

In October of the second year of Zhanghe, Dou Xian was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry, and mobilized the five schools of the Northern Army, namely Tunqi, Yueqi, Infantry, Changshui, and Shesheng, as well as the cavalry from Liyangying, Yongying, and twelve border counties, as well as Qiang and Hu troops, in preparation for an expedition beyond the border to attack the Northern Xiongnu.

In the first year of Yongyuan, before Dou Xian went on an expedition to attack the Northern Huns, court officials wrote to dissuade him. They believed that the Northern Huns had not invaded the border, but the Han army was going on a long journey for no reason, spending national assets just to seek merit thousands of miles away, which would not benefit the country.

Memorials were submitted one after another, but they were all put on hold.

Seeing this, Taiwei Song You felt frightened and dared not sign his name on the memorials anymore. The court officials also gradually stopped advising him.

Only Si Tu Yuan An and Si Kong Ren Wei still insisted, and even took off their official hats to argue in the court, and submitted letters to the court about ten times.

Everyone felt that they were in danger, but Yuan and Ren looked calm and behaved as usual.

The Imperial Censor Lu Gong wrote in a letter saying that not long after Emperor Zhang of Han died, conscription was launched across the country for a long expedition against the Northern Huns, disrupting the lives of the people.

Now that we are about to go to war, supplies are running short. Officials are oppressing each other in order to raise money, and the people are suffering to the extreme.

Court officials and common people all believed that it was not appropriate to go on an expedition against the Northern Huns. It would be detrimental to the country to sacrifice tens of thousands of lives just for Dou Xian alone and make the common people suffer.

Shangshu Han Ling, Cavalry Commandant Zhu Hui, and Jingzhao Counselor Le Hui also wrote letters to advise the Empress Dowager, but she was stubborn and refused to listen.

Empress Dowager Dou issued an edict to build houses for Dou Du and Dou Jing and to force the common people to work.

He Chang, the Imperial Censor, wrote a letter to stop the attack, saying that the Northern Xiongnu had not committed any crime of treason and the Han army would have no reason to go out on a quest.

It is now the spring ploughing season, and the people will certainly be dissatisfied with the large-scale conscription of soldiers.

Dou Du and Dou Jing were royal relatives and should have been role models for all officials. However, it was inappropriate to renovate mansions for them at a time when the court was unstable, the people were suffering, and the national treasury was empty.

The construction should be temporarily suspended, and the government should concentrate on the war in the northern border and show sympathy for the people's difficulties. After the memorial was submitted, Empress Dowager Dou ignored it.

Dou Xian once sent his disciple to see Shangshu Pushe Zhishou with a letter to ask for a private favor. However, Zhishou not only did not accept the request, but immediately sent the messenger to the imperial prison.

He also wrote letters to the emperor many times, impeaching Dou Xian for his arrogance and unreasonableness, and cited the incident of Wang Mang's usurpation of the throne to warn the court.

He also took the opportunity of attending court to criticize Dou Xian and others for the campaign against the Northern Huns and the large-scale construction of mansions, using stern voices and harsh words.

Dou Xian was furious and falsely accused Zhi Shou of privately buying public land and slandering the court.

After interrogation, Zhi Shou was sentenced to death by beheading.

He Chang wrote a letter to plead for Zhi Shou, saying that his duty was to correct the mistakes of ministers, and if he remained silent in the face of mistakes, he should be punished by death.

Now, Zhishou has put forward correct suggestions for the sake of national security, but he is being slandered.

The court should not punish him, otherwise it would be ridiculed by future generations.

After the memorial was submitted, Zhi Shou's sentence was changed to exile to Hepu. Before he left, Zhi Shou committed suicide.

In June, Dou Xian and General Geng Bing set out from Jilushai in Shuofang, the Chanyu of Southern Xiongnu set out from Manyi Valley, and General Deng Hong set out from Chenyang Pass. The three armies met at Zhuoxie Mountain.

Dou Xian dispatched Deputy Colonel Yan Pan, Sima Geng Kui and Geng Tan to lead more than 10,000 elite cavalry of the Southern Xiongnu to fight against the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu at Jiluo Mountain. They defeated the Northern Xiongnu army and the Chanyu fled.

The Han army chased the northern Xiongnu tribes to Siqubidi Lake, killing 13,000 Xiongnu people in total, capturing many Xiongnu people alive, and capturing more than one million livestock of various types.

Eighty-one Xiongnu tribes and more than 200,000 Xiongnu surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Dou Xian and Geng Bing traveled more than 3,000 miles to the Yanran Mountain and ordered the Central Guard General Ban Gu to carve a stone tablet to record the prestige and kindness of the Han Dynasty.

"Dou Xian also sent military commanders Wu Si and Liang Feng to bring gold, silk and other valuables to the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu."

"At that time, the Northern Xiongnu were in chaos. Wu and Liang caught up with the Chanyu at the shore of the West Sea, announced the prestige of the Han Dynasty to him, and gave him rewards in the name of Emperor He of Han. The Chanyu kowtowed and accepted."

"So Liang Feng persuaded the Chanyu to follow the example of Huhanye Chanyu and become a vassal of the Han Dynasty."

"The Chanyu readily agreed and immediately led his people back south with Liang Feng."

"When they arrived at Siquhai, they heard that the Han army had entered the Great Wall, so the Chanyu sent his younger brother, King Youwen Yudi, to the Han Dynasty with tribute as a hostage, and accompanied Liang Feng to the capital to pay homage."

"Because the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu did not come in person, Dou Xian reported to Empress Dowager Dou and sent Chanyu's brother back."

"The Chanyu of Southern Xiongnu gave Dou Xian an ancient tripod with a capacity of five dou in Mobei, and Dou Xian presented the ancient tripod to Emperor He of Han."

"Due to his military exploits in the attack on the Northern Xiongnu, Dou Xian was appointed as the general, and was granted the title of Marquis of Wuyang, with a fief of 20,000 households."

"Dou Xian resolutely declined and refused to accept the title, and Empress Dowager Dou agreed."

"According to the old rules, the general's position is below the three ministers, the Grand Commandant, the Minister of Works, and the Minister of Civil Affairs."

"Empress Dowager Dou specifically issued an edict stipulating that Dou Xian's position was below that of the Grand Tutor and above that of the Three Dukes."

"Dou Du, Dou Jing, and Dou Gui served as the Palace Attendant, Imperial Charioteer, and Imperial Concubine's Horse Supervisor. The four brothers competed to build houses, and many craftsmen were employed."

"The Dou brothers relied on their favor and became arrogant, with Dou Jing, the Prefect of the Imperial Guards, being the most prominent."

"His servants and subordinates robbed the people of their property, illegally released criminals, and raped and abducted women."

"Merchants were so scared that they dared not go out to do business, as if they were hiding from the enemy."

"Dou Jing arbitrarily recruited the elite cavalry units from the frontier counties and used them for his own purposes."

"The memorials impeaching the Dou brothers were shelved and received no response."

"The Minister of State He Chang secretly reported that General Dou Xian resigned from his high position shortly after Emperor Zhang of Han passed away, which was admirable."

"But before the national mourning was over, Dou Xian changed his attitude."

"Now the Dou brothers are in power in the court. Dou Xian controls the army of the whole country, and Dou Du and Dou Jing lead the palace guards."

"They were harsh and tyrannical, enslaved the people, lived in extravagance, and killed innocent people at will, which aroused criticism from the people and court officials."

"Among the Dou brothers, only the son-in-law Dou Wei liked Confucian classics and kept himself clean. He had requested to step down from his high position many times."

"He Chang suggested that Empress Dowager Dou discuss with Dou Gui how to protect the country and ensure the stability of the Dou family."

"When Dou Xian learned about this, he asked the empress dowager to transfer He Chang out of the capital and appoint him as the Grand Tutor of Jinan State."

"In the second year of Yongyuan, Dou Xian sent Deputy Colonel Yan Pan to lead more than 2,000 cavalrymen to attack the Northern Xiongnu garrison in Yiwu and reoccupy the area."

"The Cheshi Kingdom was deeply terrified, and the former and latter kings sent their princes to the Han Dynasty as hostages to become dependent on the Han Dynasty."

"Empress Dowager Dou issued an edict to confer the title of Marquis of Guanjun on Dou Xian, the title of Marquis of Yan on Dou Du, the title of Marquis of Ruyang on Dou Jing, and the title of Marquis of Xiayang on Dou Gui. Dou Xian refused to accept the title."

"Not long after, Dou Xian left the capital and stationed in Liangzhou. He ordered the attendant Deng Die to serve as the General of the Western Expedition and the deputy commander-in-chief."

"Because the Han Dynasty sent back his brother who was sent as a hostage, the Chanyu of the Northern Xiongnu sent an envoy to the border to express his submission and request to come to the capital for an audience."

"Dou Xian sent Ban Gu and Liang Feng to meet them. It happened that the Chanyu of Southern Xiongnu once again wrote a letter requesting the extermination of Northern Xiongnu, so Dou Xian sent Zuo Guli Wang Shizi and others to lead 8,000 cavalry to Jilu Pass to attack the Chanyu of Northern Xiongnu."

"The army arrived at night and laid siege to the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu. The Northern Xiongnu Chanyu was seriously injured and barely survived."

“The Han army captured the queen of the Northern Xiongnu and her five children, beheaded 8,000 people, and captured thousands alive.”

"In the third year of Yongyuan, Dou Xian wanted to take advantage of the weak Northern Xiongnu and destroy them."

"In February, he sent the left lieutenant Geng Kui and the military commander Ren Shang to lead troops out of Juyan, surrounded the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu at Jinwei Mountain, captured the Chanyu's mother, Yanshi, and killed more than 5,000 Xiongnu people."

"The Northern Xiongnu Chanyu fled and disappeared. The Han army has traveled more than 5,000 miles beyond the border. Since the Han army set out, it has never reached such a far place."

"From then on, the Xiongnu forces were completely defeated."

"After Dou Xian achieved great success, his reputation became very famous."

"He used Geng Kui, Ren Shang and others as his minions, Deng Die and Guo Huang as his confidants, and Ban Gu and Fu Yi as his writers."

Li Qingzhao: Most of the provincial governors, county magistrates and county magistrates were recommended and appointed by the Dou family.

These people extorted money from officials and the people, and engaged in corruption and bribery.

Si Tu Yuan An and Si Kong Ren Wei impeached a group of county governors, and more than 40 officials were demoted or dismissed due to implicate.

The Dou brothers were very resentful about this, but since Yuan An and Ren Wei had always behaved noble and had great reputations, they were unable to harm them.

Shang Shu Pushe Le Hui was an impartial and ruthless person in his supervision and reporting. Dou Xian and others disliked him very much.

Le Hui reported that Dou Xian and others, as uncles of Emperor He of Han, should not control the central power.

Emperor He of Han should have ordered Dou Xian and others to give up power for the sake of justice, and Dou Xian and others should have retired voluntarily.

After submitting the memorial, it was ignored, so Le Hui claimed to be ill and wrote a letter requesting to retire and return to his hometown.

Dou Xian secretly issued strict orders to the state and county officials, forcing Le Hui to commit suicide by taking poison.

The court officials were shocked by this and all tried to follow Dou Xian's words and deeds, and no one dared to disobey.

Because Emperor He of Han was young and his foreign relatives were in power, Yuan An would sob and cry every time he attended a court meeting or discussed state affairs with other court officials.

Since the Northern Xiongnu Chanyu was defeated and disappeared, his younger brother, Youguli King Yu Chuqian, proclaimed himself Chanyu, led thousands of troops to station in the Pulehai area, and sent envoys to the Han Dynasty to request submission.

Dou Xian suggested that according to the precedent of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, Yu Chugan should be made Chanyu and a General of the Household should be appointed to supervise him.

Song You and others agreed with Dou Xian's suggestion. Yuan An and Ren Wei wrote a letter to express their opposition, believing that Emperor Guangwu's appeasement of the Southern Xiongnu was only a temporary measure in order to use them to resist the Northern Xiongnu.

Now that the Northern Xiongnu have been pacified, the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu should be ordered to unify the north and the south, instead of appointing Yu Chuqian as Chanyu.

After the two opinions were submitted, it was impossible to finalize them for a while.

Yuan An was worried that Dou Xian's proposal would be approved, so he submitted a sealed memorial, strongly suggesting that the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu should unify the management of the north and the south.

His reason was that the ancestors of the Southern Xiongnu Khan Tuntuhe had led their people to surrender more than forty years ago.

Tuntuhe was also the first person to propose the strategy of the northern expedition. After destroying the Northern Xiongnu, he wanted to establish a newly surrendered Northern Chanyu, which violated the long-standing plan and broke the promise of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu who was supported by the Han Dynasty. From then on, other foreign tribes dared not believe in the promises of the Han Dynasty.

The cost of providing for the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu was more than 190 million per year.
The cost of supplying the Western Regions is 74,800,000 per year;
Now that the Northern Huns are farther away, the cost is more than doubled, which will deplete the treasury.

Emperor He of Han ordered his ministers to discuss the matter again, and Yuan An and Dou Xian further argued and questioned each other.

Dou Xian used his power to bully others and spoke arrogantly, but Yuan An remained unmoved. In the end, Emperor He of Han Dynasty listened to Dou Xian's advice.

In the fourth year of Yongyuan, Dou's father, sons and brothers were all nine ministers and colonels, holding important positions in the court.

Marquis Rang Deng Die, his younger brother Infantry Captain Deng Lei, his mother Yuan, Dou Xian's son-in-law Archery Captain Guo Ju, Guo Ju's father, Changle Shaofu Guo Huang and others colluded with each other.

Among them, Yuan and Guo Ju often went in and out of the palace, and Guo Ju was favored by Empress Dowager Dou. So they planned together to murder Emperor He of Han.

Emperor He of Han secretly knew about their plot, but because of the monopoly of power by Dou Xian and his brothers, Emperor He of Han could not get close to the ministers inside and outside the court, and only the eunuchs were with him.

Emperor He of Han believed that all officials in the court, big and small, were Dou Xian's cronies, except for the eunuch and the commander of the imperial guards, Zheng Zhong, who was cautious, alert and calculating, and did not flatter the Dou family group.

So, Emperor He of Han conspired with Zheng Zhong to kill Dou Xian.

At that time, Dou Xian was away on a military expedition, and Emperor He of Han was afraid that he would raise an army and cause chaos, so he tolerated it for the time being.

At this time, Dou Xian and Deng Die both returned to the capital.

Emperor He of Han wanted to take action, so he let Qinghe King Liu Qing stay in the palace. He had a private chat with Liu Qing at night and asked him to pass a message to Zheng Zhong, asking Zheng Zhong to collect precedents of emperors killing their uncles.

Not long after, Emperor He of Han visited the Beigong Palace and issued an edict ordering the Prefect of the Guards and the five colonels of the Northern Army to lead troops to prepare for war, garrison the Nangong Palace and the Beigong Palace, close the city gates, arrest Guo Huang, Guo Ju, Deng Die, and Deng Lei, and send them all to prison to be executed.

He also sent the Imperial Censor to take back Dou Xian's seal and sash of the general, and changed his title to Marquis of Guanjun, and sent him to their respective fiefdoms together with Dou Du, Dou Jing, and Dou Gui.

Out of consideration for Empress Dowager Dou, Emperor He of Han was unwilling to formally execute Dou Xian. Instead, he chose a strict and capable prime minister to supervise him.

After Dou Xian, Dou Du and Dou Jing arrived at their fiefdoms, they were all forced to commit suicide.

All members of the Dou family and their guests who held official positions because of Dou Xian’s relationship were dismissed and sent back to their hometowns. (End of this chapter)