Han Dynasty Achievements

Chapter 2 Entering the Forbidden Palace

The eunuch led Liu Bian forward. Liu Bian paid close attention and first entered the Lecheng Gate, then the Wende Hall, all the way north, and finally arrived at the Jingfu Hall.

As soon as Liu Bian entered the room, he sat down on a chair, pulled at his uncomfortable clothes, frowned, and tried his best to stay calm, trying to find a solution.

He had a general understanding of the current situation, which was that Emperor Ling had passed away, the eunuch party and the foreign relatives were fighting, and now it was General He Jin who supported him to be emperor. The story that followed was that He Jin led his troops into the palace and the two parties fought each other.

"We can't let them fight!"

Liu Bian blurted out. He is the one who suffers the most in the fight between the two parties!

The eunuch party, He Jin, Dong Zhuo... His life cannot be decided by others!

The eunuch two steps away was startled, then stepped forward quietly and whispered, "Your Majesty?"

Liu Bian looked up at him, his mind quickly changed, and he said calmly: "Who do you belong to?"

The eunuch with a sallow face lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, I am a member of Jian Changshi's staff."

'Jian Shuo.'

Liu Bian nodded slightly. There were twelve eunuchs in the palace now. These twelve people were highly favored during the reign of Emperor Ling. Emperor Ling even called Zhang Rang, the leader, "Father Rang".

Not only did they control the imperial palace, they even seriously interfered in state affairs. They had many contradictions and conflicts with the civil service group headed by relatives of the emperor's wife, and the struggle was constant and fierce.

The eunuchs and maids in the palace were basically subordinate to these twelve people. These twelve attendants controlled everything in the palace. Jian Shuo even commanded the eight commanders of the Western Garden and controlled the imperial palace.

'The Guards!'

Liu Bian had an idea. If he wanted to gain a foothold, he must first control the palace. If he wanted to control the palace, he must control the imperial guards, that is, the troops led by the eight commanders of Xiyuan!

Liu Bian narrowed his eyes slightly. If he remembered correctly, He Jin led his troops into the palace to kill the eunuchs. The other eleven attendants were afraid, so they killed Jian Shuo as a scapegoat and were able to survive.

"If we control Jian Shuo, can we control the Imperial Guards?"

Liu Bian gradually came up with an idea in his mind. After careful consideration, he looked at the eunuch and said, "Then, where is Attendant Jian now..."

"Bian'er, Bian'er..."

Suddenly, an excited female voice rushed in accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

Liu Bian turned around and saw a beautiful woman in her forties, dressed in plain white, with a graceful figure and a happy face, rushed in and hugged Liu Bian, saying excitedly: "Bian'er, today is thanks to your uncle, otherwise that old woman Dong would have succeeded! Now that you are the emperor, you don't have to be afraid of anything. Everything will be decided by your uncle and me, you can just be the emperor with peace of mind..."

Liu Bian felt a little uncomfortable being held, but he didn't dare to struggle. He already knew who the person was.

The mother of this body, the Empress of Emperor Ling, He, Empress He, should now be Empress Dowager He.

Liu Bian glanced at the woman, whose eyes and eyebrows were full of joy. She didn't look like a stupid woman whose husband had died at all. He secretly complained in his heart: If I listened to you, I would have to count the days to my death on my fingers.

But Liu Bian could not avoid this stepmother and his powerful uncle, General He Jin.

Liu Bian was thinking about these messed up relationships and was about to speak when suddenly a eunuch ran in hurriedly. He stumbled and fell to the ground, then got up again, knelt on the ground with a face full of fear and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, there is a rebellion, a rebellion, and they are leading their troops to attack us..."

Empress Dowager He's face changed drastically. She also heard the shouting and ran over, asking anxiously, "What rebellion? Who rebelled?"

Liu Bian's heart skipped a beat: Here it comes!

He never expected that it would happen so soon. He had just ascended the throne for only a few moments and He Jin was already impatient to kill the Twelve Eunuchs!

"I don't know, it seems to be the captain of Xiyuan..." The eunuch trembled.

The Eight Commandants of Xiyuan were led by Jian Shuo, the general and one of the Twelve Eunuchs.

Empress Dowager He panicked and shouted, "It was that old woman who did this! Quick, quick, go find the general and have him lead his troops into the palace to protect the emperor!"

The eunuch responded and ran out again, crawling.

However, Liu Bian knew very well that this was not a rebellion, but a fight between the foreign relatives group headed by He Jin and the Twelve Eunuchs group of the eunuch party!

Liu Bian knew that he could not let them go on like this. According to history, his end would be to be killed by Dong Zhuo!

After thinking it over, his expression became ruthless: Let’s take a gamble!

He glanced at the eunuch who brought him here and waved quietly.

The eunuch looked at Empress Dowager He, who was as anxious as an ant on hot pan, and bowed to Liu Bian's side.

Liu Bian turned his head and whispered, "Go tell Jian Shuo that Zhang Rang and others are going to take his head to the general to pay for his crime. Tell him to come to me immediately. Only I can save him."

The eunuch was startled and wanted to ask, but Liu Bian had already turned his head away with an expressionless face.

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then slowly retreated.

"Empress Dowager, it was Jian Shuo who wanted to frame the general from the beginning. I am innocent..."

Before the eunuch retreated to the door, Zhang Rang led more than ten people to squeeze in, and his voice arrived before he even entered.

The eunuch, who was already skeptical, immediately looked horrified, looked at Liu Bian, and suddenly turned around and ran away without any hesitation.

When Liu Bian saw him leave, he felt a little relieved and looked at Zhang Rang and others.

Zhang Rang and the others knelt on the ground and cried, saying in unison: "Your Majesty, it was Jian Shuo who conspired with Queen Dowager Dong to establish Prince Xie as the emperor, so they wanted to kill the general. It has nothing to do with us. Please have mercy on us, Your Majesty..."

Empress Dowager He's eyes widened with anger, filled with hatred and panic, and she said angrily: "The old woman has gone too far in bullying me! Someone! Someone! Tell the general to come to see me! Quickly, tell the general to come to see me! And! And, kill Jian Shuo, quickly, kill Jian Shuo!"

Zhang Rang and the others said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, we have already sent people to kill him. We will have news soon. Your Majesty, please calm down..."

The other attendants followed suit and shouted: "Your Majesty, please calm down..."

Liu Bian watched coldly, feeling nervous and uneasy, and turned a deaf ear to what Zhang Rang and others said.

No matter who wins or loses in the fight between the two factions, the powerless emperor will be the biggest loser!

The shouting and screaming outside seemed to be right in front of us, and could rush in at any time.

Although the Eight Commandants of Xiyuan were under the command of Jian Shuo, those eight commanders, such as Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Chunyu Qiong and others, also hated the eunuch party and actually obeyed the orders of General He Jin. Now only He Jin could stop the second half of this "uprighting the emperor and eliminating the thieves".

"Jian Shuo, please don't die..." Liu Bian said silently in his heart.

While Zhang Rang and others were crying and shouting, Empress Dowager He was looking forward to seeing what was happening, and Liu Bian was secretly anxious, the eunuch Pan Yin was running around everywhere, avoiding the charging imperial guards while searching everywhere for Jian Shuo.

After an unknown amount of time, Pan Yin finally found Jian Shuo in a corner of Fanglin Garden.

Jian Shuo was a tall and strong man with a face as hard as iron, but at this moment his hair was disheveled and there was blood on his body, and he looked quite disheveled.

As soon as Pan Yin found him, he said hurriedly, "Attendant, come with me quickly. His Majesty said he can save you!"

Jian Shuo hid behind a rockery, listening to the imperial guards shouting his name everywhere. With a gloomy expression, he said, "Your Majesty? Could this be a trap set by the pig killer?"

He Jin made a living by slaughtering pigs in his early years. Because his sister was favored in the palace, he became the emperor's brother-in-law. He was promoted all the way and became a powerful general.

But this background has always been ridiculed by many people.

Pan Yin glanced around and whispered, "I heard with my own ears that Zhang Rang and others wanted to use the head of the attendant to atone for their crimes and calm the general's anger. They all cried in front of the Empress Dowager, saying that it was the attendant who colluded with the Empress Dowager Dong and wanted to make Prince Xie the emperor, and it had nothing to do with them!"