My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 325: Poisoning
"Now that the previous emperor has passed away and the new emperor has ascended the throne, I wonder how Bingzhou should deal with it?"

"Do you have any strategy to teach me?"

In the Bingzhou governor's mansion, Lu Yi summoned civil and military officials to ask.

A new emperor appoints his own ministers. Now that Liu Hong has passed away and his eldest son Liu Bian has succeeded to the throne, the old order and conventions have been broken. Naturally, Lu Yi has to deal with the situation that seems a little confusing.

"Brother, no matter which emperor succeeds to the throne, we now have Bingzhou, so there is no place in the world that we cannot go."

Upon hearing this, Lu Bu immediately stepped out and spoke.

The general trend of the world today has gradually begun to show a policy of weakening the trunk and strengthening the branches.

Among the princes in the world today, Bingzhou and Liangzhou are the most powerful.

Bingzhou's military strength was greatly boosted by successive battles with rebel forces such as the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, Xianbei, Yellow Turbans, Heishan, Qingzhou Army, and Zhang Ju.

Liangzhou also became increasingly powerful due to years of war with the Western Qiang.

Therefore, what Lu Bu said was not wrong.

After ten years of hard work, Lu Yi's power has grown to the point where he no longer needs to look at anyone's opinion.

Therefore, even if Liu Bian succeeded to the throne, he did not dare to do anything to Lu Yi.

"What Fengxian said is very true. No matter how the situation changes, as long as someone dares to be an enemy of the lord, I, Old Zhang, and the Zhangba Snake Spear in my hand will be the first to disagree!"

As soon as Lu Bu finished speaking, Zhang Fei behind him also spoke.

"Haha, Fengxian and Yide are wrong!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng smiled and stepped out to interrupt.

"Oh? What advice do you have for me, Advisor Tian?"

After a series of plans, Tian Feng and Chen Gong have established their extraordinary status as military advisors. Even Lu Bu, the second-in-command under Lu Yi, did not dare to be presumptuous when he met the two of them, but asked for their advice humbly and sincerely.

"If you only want to emulate Liu Yan, the governor of Yizhou, and be the ruler of a small corner, then what I said is correct."

"Considering the prestige and military power of our lord today, even the emperor would have to treat him with courtesy."

"But if you want to emulate the stories of the hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, how can you tie your hands and live in a small corner?"

After Tian Feng explained a few words to Lu Bu, he put on a serious look and tried to persuade Lu Yi again and again.

"Now that the previous emperor has just passed away, and the successor is young and lacks authority, this is a time when the ruler is young and the country is in doubt!"

"The new emperor is too young to be diligent in governing the country, so the Queen Mother and the Grand Queen Mother are in charge of the government. However, the two Queen Mothers are just women, how can they preside over the affairs of a country?"

"Therefore, I predict that the emperor's power will definitely fall into the hands of the imperial relatives and eunuchs. If the late emperor was alive, these two groups could still live in peace. Now that the late emperor has passed away, they will be like horses that have broken free from their reins, and will be hostile to each other and fight against each other!"

"Therefore, I suggest that you take advantage of the conflict between the two to prepare your army and store up food and grass. When both sides are defeated, you can take advantage of the situation!"

Tian Feng's words were well-reasoned and as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Gong and Zhao Yun immediately stepped forward to second his opinion.

"Military Advisor Zuo's words are profound and righteous. We all agree with them!"

"Ok!"

"The military advisor's words are very much in line with my opinion."

Lu Yi nodded and looked at Tian Feng with admiration mixed with surprise.

He is a prophet who understands the general trend of history.

But Tian Feng does not have his own prophetic golden finger. He really doesn’t know what is going on in the minds of these counselors. They can predict the future and predict things that have not yet happened so accurately.

"In that case, prepare according to the military advisor's advice!"

"All civil and military officials need to cooperate fully and not be negligent!"

"Yes! We will obey the Lord's orders!"

……

While Lu Yi was actively preparing, He Jin, who had achieved what he wanted in Luoyang City, was feeling complacent and becoming elated.

The current empress dowager is He Jin's sister, and the current emperor is He Jin's nephew.

He Jin himself was the general who commanded all the troops in the world, and his position was above the three highest officials in the country, so he had great power in the court.

Among the ancient relatives of the emperor, none was more honorable than the He family.

Therefore, He Jin certainly had the qualifications to be arrogant. He was so confident of his power that he was too lazy to even attend court meetings. He indulged in sensual pleasures in the general's mansion every day, as if he had received personal instruction from his brother-in-law Liu Hong, who had died not long ago.

However, He Jin's arrogance caused other forces whose power was declining due to the weakening of imperial power to secretly bear resentment.

"He Jin is just a butcher, but now that he is in power, he actually bullies me! He even dares to disobey my orders!"

"If I hadn't supported them back then, how could they be so rich and powerful today?"

"I didn't expect that I would end up inviting wolves into the house. I attracted two ungrateful wolves for no reason!"

"It really makes me angry!"

In the harem, in the Empress Dowager's bedroom, there were bursts of hysterical roars from time to time, mixed with the occasional sound of porcelain objects breaking and crashing.

Empress Dowager Dong was so angry that all the items in her bedroom were smashed to pieces, with fragments all over the floor.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs all knelt quietly in front of Empress Dowager Dong with obedient expressions, not daring to dodge even when the debris hit their faces.

"Grand Empress Dowager, anger hurts the liver, please take care of yourself!"

Seeing that Empress Dowager Dong was finally tired of being beaten, Zhang Rang immediately stepped forward and began to persuade her with a humble look.

"Hmph!" Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Dong slapped Zhang Rang in the face upon hearing this.

"Thank you for the gift, Empress Dowager. I deserve to be beaten. You beat me well. Just make sure you don't let your hand slip."

Zhang Rang was slapped but acted as if nothing had happened. He still smiled and spoke to Empress Dowager Dong.

"The late emperor had shown great respect to you when he was alive. Now that my grandfather and grandson have been humiliated by the He family, are you just going to sit back and watch?"

"I can't wait!"

Zhao Zhongwen also immediately stepped forward and kowtowed.

"Hehe, you wouldn't dare!"

"We can't let the He family continue to run rampant. You guys should quickly think of a solution. If we don't get rid of this ungrateful couple, I won't be able to sleep or eat in peace!"

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Dong felt a little relieved and she scolded them out without waiting for them to say anything.

Zhang Rang and others did not dare to go against the wishes of Empress Dowager Dong, so they quickly left her bedroom and found a side hall to discuss the matter.

"Since the Empress Dowager has given the order, please discuss it."

Zhang Rang subconsciously stroked his swollen face and spoke in a light tone.

"He Jin is just a butcher. He is so famous today because we spoke well of his sister in front of the late emperor. If we hadn't helped him, would He Jin have wanted to become the queen with his vicious means? He would be lucky not to be banished to the cold palace!"

Someone immediately snorted in dissatisfaction, obviously extremely dissatisfied with He's current method of crossing the river and demolishing the bridge.

"What's the point of always talking about the past? Let's stick to the facts and don't talk about other irrelevant things!" Zhang Rang interrupted with a dissatisfied snort.

"For now, the emperor is secondary. The most important thing is the military power in He Jin's hands!" "Now all the troops in Luoyang are under his control. If he has evil intentions, won't we be at the mercy of others?"

Zhao Zhong thought about it and suddenly spoke.

"Since He Jin is the general, why don't we ask the Grand Empress Dowager Dong to appoint her nephew Dong Chong as the General of the Cavalry. This way, we can compete with He Jin and won't be afraid of his generalship!"

"Also, although Jian Shuo no longer holds the position of the Grand Marshal of the Eight Colonels of Xiyuan, he still commands the imperial guards. As long as we work together to guard the palace gates, what's the point of him being a mere general?"

"Great!" Zhang Rang and others were overjoyed upon hearing this, and immediately began to advise Empress Dowager Dong according to Zhao Zhong's strategy.

"Good! I and the late emperor really did not raise you servants in vain. You can finally be of some use."

"Tomorrow morning, I will not only appoint Dong Zhong as General of the Cavalry, but also confer the title of Prince of Chenliu on Xie Er. I will make sure that all civil and military officials will not dare to underestimate me!"

Empress Dowager Dong was delighted and immediately prepared to act according to the plan.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rang immediately kowtowed to Empress Dowager Dong to express his gratitude along with everyone else.

But he couldn't help but touch his swollen cheek again where no one could see, and snorted in his heart.

"If the late Emperor Liu Zhi was still in power, would he have treated us like slaves and insulted and whipped us at every turn?"

"Hehe, you two, mother and son, really are doing our family a great favor!"

On the second day, Empress Dowager Dong came to the court in person.

As the grandmother of the current emperor, she issued the Empress Dowager's decree and appointed her nephew Dong Chong as the General of Chariots and Cavalry on the spot.

Although the court was full of He Jin's spies, He Jin was not present and no one could resist the authority of the Empress Dowager, so the plan of Zhang Rang and others was carried out smoothly.

"General! It's bad!" Although they could not stop Empress Dowager Dong, He Jin's men still told He Jin the bad news as soon as possible.

"What!" He Jin, who was playing tossing pots with his wife and concubines at home, was shocked after hearing the news. He could no longer stay at home and immediately prepared his carriage and horses to go to the palace to meet his sister, Empress Dowager He, to discuss countermeasures.

"Brother, you are a little too nervous."

"Now that Bian'er has inherited the throne, the Empress Dowager is naturally dissatisfied."

"I will find an opportunity to persuade the Empress Dowager to stop interfering in government affairs."

After the meeting, Empress Dowager He couldn't help but laugh when she heard the purpose of He Jin's visit.

"If that's possible, it would be the best!"

He Jin couldn't help but sigh when he heard this. Although he was a great general with great power, the Han Dynasty ruled the world with filial piety. He didn't dare to risk the world's condemnation and openly go to war with Empress Dowager Dong.

In this case, even if he won, it would be a big blow to his reputation.

However, things did not develop as the He brothers and sisters had expected.

It has always been difficult for elders to listen to the advice of their juniors.

Not to mention the emperor’s grandmother, Empress Dowager Dong.

Therefore, Empress Dowager He's persuasion had no effect at all.

Instead, Empress Dowager Dong threatened to order the General of Cavalry to kill the entire He family, which made the He brothers and sisters determined to get rid of him as soon as possible.

After all, Empress Dowager Dong was born into a feudal family and had no political talent.

How can such a thing as murder and extermination of a clan be made public?

Saying in front of your enemy that you want to kill his entire family really shows that you have been alone for too long and have begun to become stupid.

For things like this, either don’t do it, or do it thoroughly!

"What? To destroy the entire He family! Did that old man really say that?"

After receiving the news from Empress Dowager He, He Jin became furious.

"The current situation is like this. If this person is not eliminated, even if I can escape today, he may kill my entire family in the future!"

"As the saying goes, the first to strike is the strongest, the last to strike will suffer. As a woman, it is not convenient for me to come forward. Brother, please make plans for this matter early!"

Empress Dowager He was indeed a ruthless person who had poisoned many concubines to death. As long as it was detrimental to her power, she would even dare to harm the grandmother of the current emperor.

"Don't worry, Queen Mother. I'll save you the trouble!"

He Jin had long been dissatisfied with Empress Dowager Dong, so when he heard his sister say so, he no longer hesitated. After giving a vicious reply, he hurried out of the palace to leave.

He Jin's revenge came very quickly.

Before Empress Dowager Dong could feel relieved for long, the emperor's edict was delivered to her.

After all, the emperor is the ruler of the world. Even the emperor's grandmother can only kneel down and obey the imperial edict.

"Empress Dowager Dong was originally a concubine of a vassal. She is ordered to move back to her original place immediately and not stay in the palace for long!"

"What! You are falsely conveying the imperial decree!"

"This is He Jin's forged edict!"

Empress Dowager Dong was shocked when she heard this and quickly stood up and tried to disobey the order.

"This is the Emperor's will. Grand Empress Dowager, please do not make things difficult for us!"

But He Jin was well prepared and would not give her any way to retreat. Immediately, two strong guards drew their swords and stepped forward to force her back.

"Well, He Jin, I will order the General of Cavalry to kill your entire family!"

After being forced to retreat, Empress Dowager Dong still refused to give in and started shouting hysterically.

However, the Ten Attendants had long been sent away by Empress Dowager He on pretext of something, and the surrounding guards and eunuchs were all He Jin's spies. How could a woman like her resist them?

"Haha, I'm not afraid to tell the Empress Dowager that instead of thinking about how to protect the general, you should first consider the safety of your Dong family!"

"Since the general is going to harm you, how can he allow your nephew to interfere?"

"After today, I'm afraid the Dong family will be wiped out!"

The leading eunuch sneered coldly, and without waiting for Empress Dowager Dong to continue speaking, he ordered his men to force her into a sedan chair and forcibly take her out of the palace.

It's a pity that the grandmother of a country has fallen from power and is not even as good as an old woman in the village.

That night.

The entire Dong residence was surrounded by He Jin's heavy troops. Seeing that resistance was hopeless, Dong Chong had no choice but to resign and surrender.

However, although He Jin did not have any great strategies, he still understood the principle of cutting the grass at its roots and did not accept Dong's surrender.

Not only was the entire Dong family killed, but even Empress Dowager Dong, who was driven back to her hometown, was caught up by He Jin's men and poisoned to death along the way.

After Empress Dowager Dong was poisoned to death.

Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and other ten eunuchs heard that He Jin was not satisfied with killing the Empress Dowager and was also planning to kill themselves and other ten eunuchs, so they gathered together to discuss countermeasures.

"This He Jin is truly mad and crazy. We originally thought he was just a bit arrogant, but now he dares to rebel and even poison the Empress Dowager!"

……

(End of this chapter)