by Luo Guanzhong
20In the fourth lunar month of the sixth year of Zhongping,[20] Emperor Ling became deathly ill. He summoned supreme general He Jin to the palace to discuss the matter of his successor. He Jin originally came from a family of butchers. However, his younger sister had become a consort within the palace, and had given birth to Prince Bian. As a result, she became an empress, and Jin was given an important and powerful post. Emperor Ling had a special fondness for Consort Wang, who gave birth to Prince Xie. Empress He became jealous, and killed Consort Wang by poisoning her. After that, Prince Xie was raised within the palace of Empress Dowager Dong. Empress Dowager Dong was the mother of Emperor Ling, and the wife of Liu Chang, Marquis of Jiedu Ting. Since Emperor Huan had no sons, the son of Marquis of Jiedu Ting was selected for the throne; this was Emperor Ling. Emperor Ling succeeded the throne, so his mother was also brought into the palace, and was given the title of empress dowager.
21
Empress Dowager Dong had advised the emperor to make Prince Xie the crown prince. The emperor was also partial to Xie, and wanted to pick him as his successor. Jian Shuo, the emperor's personal attendant, addressed the emperor, saying, "If Xie is chosen, He Jin must first be killed, in order to avoid any future repercussions." The emperor agreed, and summoned Jin to the palace. When Jin arrived at the gates to the palace, a military clerk named Pan Yin said to Jin, "You must not enter the palace. Jian Shuo will have you murdered." Jin was shocked; he hurried back to his private residence, and summoned all of his ministers. He wanted to kill all of the eunuchs. A man on the dais defiantly stood up and said, "The power of the eunuchs has been building ever since the time of Chong and Zhi. They have spread like a virus throughout the court; how can we possibly kill them all? If the plot is not kept secret, they could wipe us from the face of the earth." Jin looked at him, and saw that it was junior captain Cao Cao. Jin rebuked him, saying, "What would a junior ranking officer like you know about important matters of the court!"
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
This is one of four great novels from China, published when it was the most highly civilization in the world. Map shows China at the time of this story.
Chapter Summary: Zhang Yide gets angry and whips the County Inspector; Royal uncle He plots the murder of the wretched eunuchs.
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This translation from Wikipedia. See license CC-BY-SA.
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