The Palace Scatters Ashes on the Finished Feast
The imperial family eventually tried to ruin the done deal by scattering ashes over it. Empress Dowager He, who had been ruling as regent in place of the Little Emperor, couldn't ignore the bribes and sweet talk from He Miao and Wu Yangjun.
"My daughter, yesterday, Zhang Yang came to the palace and tearfully begged your Yang sister-in-law, saying he'd die without regrets if he could just see the Empress Dowager and Your Majesty again."
"Sister, what if we give the eunuchs a chance, as Mother suggests?"
The Ten Attendants. These bastards really know how to grovel.
In truth, Empress Dowager He wasn't incapable of distinguishing flattery from sound advice. But if the Ten Attendants were eliminated now, He Jin would become the unchallenged power behind the throne. For the Empress Dowager, who had no desire to be a puppet in He Jin's hands, reinstating the Ten Attendants was an appealing option. And once they were back, they'd cling to her even more desperately.
Since I've saved them as the Empress Dowager, the Ten Attendants' leashes will be firmly in my grasp.
Who would refuse loyal hounds that bark on command and play dead when ordered? And so, the decision that would drive the realm toward catastrophe was made. It was the autumn equinox of the sixth year of Zhongping (189 AD), when night finally dragged day down to equality.
It was still too early for dinner when Yuan Shao met He Jin alone in a secret chamber. The meeting had been arranged the moment Yuan Shao rushed to He Jin upon hearing that the Empress Dowager had reinstated all the Ten Attendants.
With fire not just at his feet but licking at his robes, Yuan Shao spoke harshly.
"It's not too late even now. We must kill them before they fully reclaim their positions and place our men to watch the eunuchs' quarters."
"I have no intention of letting the Ten Attendants live either. But the Empress Dowager won't allow it."
He Jin had shown them a shred of mercy by ordering them home, only for them to ignore it and slink back into power. He had no reason to spare them. But reasons not to kill them held him back. Executing the Ten Attendants, whom the Empress Dowager had personally reinstated, would be a direct challenge to her—and losing his greatest political patron would be disastrous. She was the biggest shareholder who had elevated a lowly butcher's son to Grand General, so it was natural for He Jin to hesitate.
Of course, such nuances meant nothing to Yuan Shao.
"Even if we kill the Ten Attendants first and beg the Empress Dowager's forgiveness afterward, we can't miss this chance."
The court is filled with men bloodthirsty for the Ten Attendants' heads. Betray them now, and the Qingliu faction might withdraw support. The longer we wait, considering the influence they've spread, the more danger we face. The Empress Dowager didn't reinstate them out of fondness—we can compensate her after it's done...
Yuan Shao pressed He Jin with argument after argument, and his relentless reasoning finally swayed the indecisive Grand General.
"You're right. We'll move as quickly as possible."
"Then I'll assemble the troops immediately."
Knock knock.
If things had proceeded this way, there would have been no problem—but heaven seemed to harbor some grudge against the Han, betraying it here too.
"Grand General, the Empress Dowager has sent a messenger."
A servant outside relayed the words passed from the errand boy. Had He Jin or Yuan Shao glimpsed the messenger themselves, they might have noticed it was a eunuch, not the Empress Dowager. But deep in their secluded talk, without admitting the servant, they missed the clue.
"The Empress Dowager? What did she say?"
"Yes. She commands you to enter the palace swiftly, as there are matters to discuss this evening."
"Hm. Tell her we'll comply."
Once the servant's footsteps fully faded, He Jin turned to Yuan Shao.
"I was planning to visit her first, but I didn't expect the summons. She must want to settle things about the Ten Attendants. Will you come with me?"
"How could I refuse?"
Yuan Shao didn't reject He Jin, recalling Jang Myeong's warning that the Grand General would meet disaster. If the Ten Attendants fully regained power, that doom would strike.
We must act now to avert that future.
It was the moment a self-fulfilling prophecy, straight out of Greek myth, came true. He Jin entered the palace without his guards and was slain by the Ten Attendants. He Jin's subordinates—Wu Kuang, Yuan Shu, Yuan Shao, and others—learned of his beheading and led troops storming the palace. Yuan Shu set fires in the South, West, and East Palaces, excluding the North Palace, to threaten the Ten Attendants. Yuan Shao forged an edict with Imperial Secretary Yuan Wei to secure key figures and legitimacy. The Ten Attendants had no troops, no soldiers, no justification. The North Palace's fall was only a matter of time; their last card was flight.
The great watershed Jang Myeong had warned Jojo about was nearly upon them.
A massive blaze erupted in the imperial palace. The flames, replacing the fading sunset glow, were faintly visible even from outside the walls. For days, people would faithfully play their roles of killer or killed inside and around the palace.
With the Ten Attendants' chaos reaching this point, staying neutral far from the court brought no gain. Picking a side was profitable now—and naturally, siding with the winning Grand General's faction was best. Backing the Ten Attendants meant death at the hands of rampaging soldiers, like He Miao, He Jin's half-brother. Some might scorn me and Jojo as opportunists. But our contributions wouldn't be small, making finger-pointing difficult.
As I prepared lanterns to step forward, Jojo's face hardened.
"Somyeong, take care of yourself."
"I'll live to a ripe old age, so no worries."
Jojo headed toward the burning palace with his personal guards, while I hurried north. At the appointed ruin, over forty mercenaries awaited me. The map of Luoyang's north side, scouted over ten days, was in my hands. I unrolled the map, marked in red for escape routes, and briefed them.
"The Ten Attendants will flee north with the Emperor. Scatter to the chokepoints marked here and slow them down."
I kept it brief. They'd figure it out themselves for the reward, even without me. With preparations complete, there were no needless questions.
"One more thing: don't die. Just hold them off—no need to fight hard. Use the signal flute we agreed on. Move out."
My words ended, and the mercenaries melted silently into their assigned shadows. Once all had left the ruin, I too stepped into the night that would become the watershed.
While Jang Myeong busily directed the mercenaries, Jojo clutched the letter and headed for the palace. Knowing what Jang Myeong had written inside, Jojo couldn't afford to dawdle. Some soldiers encircling the palace mistook him for an enemy, but others recognized his face and let him through.
"Hey, do you know where Colonel of the Palace Guard for the West Garden is?"
Jojo sought Yuan Shao first and soon found him. Yuan Shao was clad in bloodied armor and sword—fresh red stains suggested he'd been swinging it moments ago.
"Aman? What's brought you here?"
"A letter from Jang Myeong for you. Urgent—read it quickly."
Yuan Shao swiftly unrolled the letter. The text was short but shocking.
The star of the sovereign departs its throne.
Follow the flute's call north, we pray.
Yuan Shao's eyes widened upon reading it all. The Emperor's flight erased every stray thought he'd had entering the palace.
The Emperor is fleeing. Wait—back when we met, Jang Myeong...
As Jang Myeong predicted, the Grand General was dead, and stars clashed in the Ziwei Palace. Realizing the astronomy matched perfectly sent chills down Yuan Shao's spine.
"The Emperor—the Emperor fleeing? No, that can't happen."
He gripped the letter tighter. With the prophecy so accurate, the Emperor surely wasn't in the palace. Yuan Shao scanned around. The grounds were hell: soldiers slaughtering eunuchs, eunuchs dying. He had to convince the red-eyed berserkers and lead them to the north gate.
Yuan Shao urgently sought his adjutant.
"Assemble troops for Luoyang's north gate now! As many as possible!"
Letting the Emperor escape would brand these blood-soaked palace-burners as traitors in time.
"The soldiers are rampaging wildly—hard to gather right—"
"Do it! No excuses!"
The adjutant rushed to obey, and Jojo began rallying with his own men. But the chaos thwarted their efforts.
Piii—
How long had it been since Jojo arrived? A faint flute sound drifted from the north on the wind. Yuan Shao heard it and sensed time was short.
"How many troops now?"
Remustering yielded just under two hundred—short of hopes, but the best in this mess. Yuan Shao led them north, torches lighting the dark.
Please, not too late.
He prayed fervently inside.
Peek!
A flute sounded not far off. I bolted toward it. Unable to use lanterns while ambushing, I groped forward by moonlight. Nearby mercenaries joined one by one.
Piiiik!
The flute grew closer to the walls. Fortunately, we closed faster than they fled. Exiting a narrow alley, faint figures appeared. Amid them, yellow robes with gold caught my eye—likely the Little Emperor and King of Chenliu by their small stature.
Found them.
Black-clad men clustered anxiously around. Too distant for faces, but their panic was clear. I pegged them as the Ten Attendants and eunuchs.
"The gate..."
Hard to hear at this range, but "gate" drifted over, and some broke off. The north gate was closed, so they were clearing guards to open it. I wanted to order mercenaries after the stragglers, but distance and numbers prevented it.
"Almost there!"
We caught the group just as they reached the north gate. Catching my breath, I saw the gate guards all dead. A few eunuchs strained to lift the bar.
"Surround them."
Me and the mercenaries threatened from ten paces away; outer eunuchs drew blades to oppose us. Hidden mercenaries, hearing the flute, gathered, thickening the encirclement. Still outnumbered, but escape was impossible. I taunted the trapped rats.
"You eunuchs serve the Emperor—how dare you abduct the Son of Heaven!"
The group shifted, and a child in yellow silk emerged from within, shouting boldly.
"Who are you to insolently threaten the Son of Heaven!"
His speech marked him as the future Emperor Xian, King of Chenliu. Hearing the rebuke meant for Dong Zhuo felt oddly surreal.
Is this why Dong Zhuo made him emperor?
I hadn't expected such naivety from the boy. Did he think his authority intact amid the burning palace? Speaking like that while kidnapped by the reviled Ten Attendants? But before I could reply, he was pulled back inside.
Confused, I glanced back—the north gate creaking open.
"You lot hold them off!"
A presumed Ten Attendant yelled. Some stayed to block us; the Attendants and two royals fled through the gate.
"Your Majesty, this way—quickly?"
The gate gaped wide enough, but the Ten Attendants froze. Odd figures stood in the darkness beyond, where they sought refuge.
"Isn't this Zhang Yang?"
"G-General... Former General."
My body stiffened at the voice. Never met, but knowledge and instinct screamed.
Fuck?
The voice's owner was Dong Zhuo. Things had gone wrong.