Bronze door through time and space

Chapter 617: Death of Emperor Ling of Han

As expected, petitions from all over the country poured in like snowflakes, but the Ten Eunuchs kept silent about their intentions because they knew what these people were planning. It was to force the emperor to compromise first, and they had seen this tactic many times before.

But we can't stop someone from taking the initiative to bring this up. After all, if we don't bring it up, how can we make use of the issue and how can we continue?

Liu Hong was feasting with the Ten Attendants in the back garden, enjoying the pleasant time of being flattered. This occupied a small proportion of his life, so he was very happy, until the Counselor Liu Tao came to him.

This guy didn't even have a prelude, he just knelt down and started crying. I guess he wouldn't have cried so loudly even if his father had died. This made Liu Hong furious. I'm not even fucking dead yet!

It's not like he hasn't encountered crying memorials before. After all, he has been scolded as a tyrant, so he can't avoid this. There is no need to be so angry. But this person's words are really rude. He said that the world is in danger, but Your Majesty is still drinking with eunuchs. He also said that bandits have risen up in all directions and invaded counties. The disaster is all caused by the Ten Eunuchs selling official positions and harming the people. All the upright people in the court have left, and the disaster is imminent.

The problem is that Liu Hongcai was the source of selling official positions and the man behind the Ten Attendants' actions. What's the difference between this and scolding him to his face?

If you say that Liu Tao didn't know about this, you are simply lying. If you say that he knew about this, he deserves to die. So how could Liu Hong not be angry?

The Ten Eunuchs were also very quick-witted and immediately fell to their knees and wept bitterly.

There were so many of them and their crying was so loud, like a chorus, that it immediately drowned out Liu Tao's voice. He could only open his mouth but no sound could be heard.

Moreover, most of the Ten Eunuchs were treacherous. They seemed to be repentant on the surface, but in fact they were fanning the flames because they knew best what Liu Hong hated.

As expected, Liu Hong was furious and had Liu Tao taken out and beheaded.

Liu Tao was still making trouble, shouting that he would not hesitate to die! It was a pity that the Han Dynasty, which had lasted for more than 400 years, was over now!
Doing so is like being afraid of not dying. Is Liu Tao really a loyal minister?
I don't know whether he was loyal or not, but as soon as he left the house, before he could draw his sword, he was angrily stopped by the ministers who had been waiting there.

"Don't do it, wait for me to advise you."

The person who came was Situ Chen Dan. He tidied up his appearance, held his head high and strode into the back garden.

After a series of passionate remarks that were typical of a loyal minister advising his tyrant, Chen Dan and Liu Tao were imprisoned together.

According to the script that had been prepared long ago, the two men were just going through the motions and would gain the same fame as Lu Zhi after they were released. Unfortunately, they underestimated the ruthlessness and decisiveness of the Ten Eunuchs, and they killed the two men who were still dreaming in prison that night.

Even though two idiots were killed, the matter still had to be resolved, otherwise the emperor would have no way to explain himself.

Liu Hong didn't care at all about the fact that the Ten Attendants killed two ministers, because in his opinion these guys would never die.

The aristocratic families have plenty of people to fill these positions. The key is to solve the problem as soon as possible and not let these people slap him in the face again.

But the problem is, the Ten Eunuchs do have means, but they have lived in the palace all year round, and their abilities are all limited to flattery and palace faction fighting. It is simply nonsense to ask them to govern the local area and quell the rebellion.

It’s not that the court doesn’t have such talents, but they can’t use them. For example, if any one of Lu Zhi were to take action, the problem would not be a problem.

But Lu Zhi and the other two hated the Ten Attendants just as much, and would not mind getting rid of them if they had the chance.

Fortunately, in addition to these three famous Han generals, there are three better generals of the younger generation who can be used, and they are more obedient.

So, with Liu Hong's tacit approval, the Ten Attendants falsely issued an imperial edict to Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and Liu Bei, asking them to lead troops to quell the rebellion.

As for why they condoned the Ten Eunuchs to falsely convey the imperial edict, it was because the plan might not succeed. If it failed, they would be the ones to take the blame. If it succeeded, it would be because the emperor was wise and powerful.

Apparently after gradually taking back his power, Liu Hong began to consider the issue of reputation.

At that time, the national strength of the Han Dynasty was still quite substantial. Even if all parties were unwilling to contribute, rebellions in various places were still easily quelled, and the three men were each rewarded.

Among them, Liu Yu was awarded the title of Taiwei for governing the local area and suppressing the rebellion, Liu Yan was awarded the title of Youzhou Mu for his meritorious service, and Liu Bei took over as the prefect of Zhuojun. It can be said that all of them were promoted to a higher level.

In this way, the problem was solved and the situation was very good. However, Liu Hong fell ill at this critical moment. It was a very bad time and he was so seriously ill that he needed to prepare for his funeral.

Whether it was Liu Hong, the Ten Eunuchs, or the ministers and their families, they all knew that the Han Dynasty was about to face tremendous changes.

Even though Liu Hong was called a tyrant and had many shortcomings, that was because from the very beginning, he was not trained to be an emperor. Even he himself did not think that he could become an emperor. Not everyone is like Emperor Gaozu of Han.

Liu Hong's father was just a small marquis, equivalent to a small landlord, of humble origin. He was lucky enough to inherit the throne only because of his Han bloodline and his ability to manipulate people. This also led to his inability to control the situation after he ascended the throne.

At that time, various forces were fighting for power, and the emperor had no real power at all. Not only did he have no power, he also had no money. All his money was taken away by court officials in the name of righteousness.

It can be said that when Liu Hong first ascended the throne, he was penniless, with no power, no money, and no one.

Fortunately, Liu Hong had advantages that other emperors did not have, that is, he had a flexible bottom line and was shameless.

Since he had no power, Liu Hong decided to take the opportunity to make money. This was his most simple idea at the time, because he didn't think he could be the emperor for long. If he was no longer the emperor, at least he could make some money.

So when small neighboring countries offered treasures as tribute, Liu Hong would always collect the treasures and put them in his own small warehouse on the pretext of admiring them. Over time, his treasures increased in number.

Although his greedy and stingy appearance made him lose face, he was also looked down upon by others. Gradually, people relaxed their vigilance and allowed him to do whatever he wanted, treating him like a mascot. And a powerless emperor is nothing more than a mascot.

After having money, Liu Hong became more confident. Although his reputation was completely ruined and he was labeled a tyrant, he was able to carve out a niche for himself in the airtight encirclement of the aristocratic families with the help of the Ten Eunuchs whom he trusted.

This is also the reason why Liu Hong trusted the Ten Attendants headed by Zhang Rang so much.

After years of hard work, in addition to some relatives of the Han royal family, there are also three generals selected by him, who are capable of guarding an area and preventing major chaos. This is also the reason why he dares to act recklessly and even go against the aristocratic families.

Otherwise, once the world was in chaos, Liu Hong, as the emperor, would have to compromise no matter how reluctant he was.

With the support of the local authorities and the shameless and unreasonable behavior of the Ten Eunuchs in the court, and the Eight Commandants of the Western Courtyard that he had established with his own money to restrain the foreign relatives, although it made life difficult for the people, Liu Hong had gradually gained a firm foothold in the power struggle and began to take the initiative.

As long as he continues according to plan, Liu Hong will be able to take back most of the imperial power. By then, he can train a good prince to take over and usher in a prosperous era.

Unfortunately, he was seriously ill. As a tyrant, he could not avoid alcohol and women, so his body was hollowed out when he was only in his thirties. He could never get up again after this illness.

Knowing that he was probably doomed, Liu Hong's most important thing now was to secure the position of crown prince.

Liu Hong had two sons. Although the eldest son, Liu Bian, was born to the queen, he was not liked by him.

Because the queen's brother He Jin was a representative pushed forward by the external relatives to restrict him, naturally he would not like her.

On the contrary, the second son Liu Xie was deeply loved by Liu Hong because he was born to Liu Hong's favorite concubine Wang.

Unfortunately, the Queen was jealous and poisoned Concubine Wang to death. Under pressure from his external relatives, Liu Hong had to raise Liu Xie in the palace of Empress Dowager Dong. However, he also hated the Queen and General He Jin deeply because of this.

Although Liu Bian's succession to the throne was legitimate, with Empress He and General He Jin around, he would inevitably become a puppet, leading to the external relatives becoming more powerful and controlling the power of the court again.

But it is extremely difficult to push Liu Xie to the throne.

If Liu Hong was given another ten years, with the recovered imperial power and his training, Liu Xie might not be able to hold on to this position.

Unfortunately, God did not give him time. Before he could explain more, Emperor Ling of Han ended his life, and at the same time, it also marked the beginning of the Han Dynasty's rush towards its end.

By the time Liu Bei knew about these things, it was already a foregone conclusion, so he went to find the teacher as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)