The Blue Sky Is Dead, the Yellow Sky Shall Rise

It was the year of Jiazi.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am one of them."

The man in ragged clothes spread both arms wide, pointing toward those wearing yellow turbans.

"This Zhang is a starving commoner, exactly like them. If you insist on finding a difference, I've simply learned a little more than most and given a decent name to the dream every one of my comrades is sharing."

"...Dream?"

"That's right. The dream of the lowly."

A world where people like us are treasured as highly as the heavens. A world where those who have never touched dirt or let the sun burn their faces are the ones held in contempt. A world where men covered head to toe in sweat and soil from honest labor are valued like the sky itself. A world that slaughters the blue sky that refuses to look down on us and lets the dust of the earth take its place!

I am the one who named that insane dream.

"I, Zhang Jue, have named that dream like this."

As Zhang Jue roared the words, the Yellow Turbans who had been fearfully inching backward suddenly froze in place.

"Y-Yeah! You think we came all this way just to turn tail and run?!"

"Don't fall back! The ones who should be afraid aren't us—it's them!"

"The blue sky is dead; the yellow sky shall rise!"

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise! In this year of Jiazi, the world shall know great fortune!!!"

"It is the year of Jiazi! We will make it happen!"

They were no longer the same rebels who would scatter like frightened dogs at a single harsh word or glare from their betters. As the rebels—no, the Yellow Turbans—surged toward Gulu as one, the sheer momentum sent clouds of dust exploding outward in every direction. Every time the masses of Yellow Turbans packed into the mountains and fields around Gulu began moving on the fortress, dust billowed up like fog to blind the eye. Yellow earth rose into the sky, forming clouds that swallowed the blue until the only thing visible was the yellow heavens.

At the sight, the face of Wang Shun, Governor of Ji Province, drained of all color.

By the time the Yellow Turbans had captured Gulu and were cutting off Wang Shun's head, He Jin—who had only just become Grand General—was secretly making his way to a meeting on the orders of his sister, Empress He.

If he was being honest, He Jin had grown afraid of his sister at some point. When exactly? He couldn't say. Maybe it began the moment he saw her glaring at Consort Wang with murderous intent after the woman brought her newborn into the palace, right after his sister had forced abortions on the other consorts. (And of course, she really had gone on to kill Consort Wang.) Or perhaps when she refused to settle for being a mere consort, joined hands with the eunuchs, cleverly framed Empress Song, and finally seized the empress's seat for herself. Or maybe even earlier—back when he, unwilling to remain a simple butcher, had flattered, bribed, sold his body, and ultimately sold his own sister to the palace attendant Zhang Rang just to obtain a government post.

Why was it? Contempt for the villainess who had slaughtered unborn children? Pity for a sister who had become even more obsessed with power than he was? Or perhaps the guilt of having sold a crying girl who never wanted to enter the palace to the emperor anyway. It might have been some mixture of all three.

Whatever the reason, He Jin had always treasured his sister, both then and now. Yet something made it terribly difficult to treat her with the easy familiarity of their childhood. Because of that, whenever he spoke with his younger sister He Xi—no, Empress He—he could never look her directly in the eye. He always kept his head slightly lowered. It had been that way when he was Governor of Henan, and it remained true now that he had risen to the still higher post of Grand General.

And right now, alone with her in a secret chamber of the empress's palace, He Jin was growing even more uneasy in her presence.

"Grand General, just do as I say."

"B-But Your Majesty…."

Grand General He Jin scratched roughly at his scalp, looking troubled.

"If we don't suppress those bandits in Ji Province right now, the flames will spread in every direction. Then, forget His Majesty the Emperor—Lord Zhang Rang will be hounding me, and when that happens…."

"Let them spread wherever they like. And Zhang Rang? You've become Grand General, yet you're still cowering before a mere palace attendant? Why are you so terrified of a woman whose womb was removed?"

"Good heavens, Your Majesty!"

Startled, He Jin spun around with a speed that seemed impossible for his plump frame, eyes darting everywhere.

"...You know perfectly well that I'm Grand General in name only. How can you speak like that?"

"It's precisely because I know that I'm telling you to leave the bandits alone for the time being."

"...?"

Empress He gave a small sigh at the sight of He Jin staring at her in blank confusion, then took a sip of tea.

"In your judgment, Grand General, do the governors of Ji Province seem capable of quelling this rebellion with their own strength?"

"They're all men who bought their posts just to bleed the people dry, aren't they? They won't manage it."

"Then are there any capable men in the regions surrounding Ji Province?"

"The situation is the same there."

"If they can't stop the rebels in Ji Province or the neighboring lands, the bandits will rampage across the realm, won't they?"

"That's exactly why we need to send reinforcements to Ji Province at once, isn't it?"

"No."

Just as He Jin said, the current governors had not earned their offices through talent. They were pathetic creatures who had purchased their ranks with money and now exploited the commoners. No one expected them to put down the rebellion. The proper course would have been to dispatch the central army to Ji Province immediately without wasting time. Yet his younger sister the Empress was ordering him to stall, so He Jin could only sit there, utterly bewildered.

"The more wildly the bandits run free, the more central troops you will be able to command, Grand General. The more anxious His Majesty grows, the more talented men he will send to serve under you. And the closer those men are to Luoyang, the easier it becomes to reach a compromise with the Ten Eunuchs. Therefore, march out as late as possible. That way…."

After another delicate sip of tea, Empress He set her cup down with a sharp clack. Her eyes were fixed directly on He Jin, yet he felt gooseflesh rise because it seemed as if she were staring at something far ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠beyond him.

When He Jin lowered his head to escape her gaze, Empress He gave a soft snort and continued.

"That way, even the Ten Eunuchs will have no choice but to approve recalling the Qingliu Faction."

"Th-Then the Qingliu Faction will return to Luoyang?! Your Majesty! That must never happen! Everyone knows we've been eating from the same bowl as the Ten Eunuchs—how can you possibly summon them back? No, Your Majesty!"

"Which is precisely why you must become their benefactor, Grand General."

"Benefactor?"

"Pick out a few of the most prominent names from the Qingliu Faction and petition His Majesty tomorrow for their reinstatement. The Ten Eunuchs will foam at the mouth in protest, but if you stand firm, they will eventually give in."

"...But if I become their benefactor, won't that make me a traitor who has turned his back on the Ten Eunuchs and the Taliu Faction?"

"That is why I must oppose it."

The Qingliu Faction. A term for those scholars and officials who called themselves the pure ones and scorned the Ten Eunuchs, the palace eunuchs, and every bureaucrat who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cooperated with them as the Taliu Faction. They were men who pretended to be clean and enjoyed the respect of the world, yet in truth they were the losers of power struggles—men driven out of the capital or forced to flee to the provinces. They claimed to prefer it that way and indulged in mental victories, but the moment an opportunity appeared they lusted after the very power held by the Ten Eunuchs.

Therefore, if He Jin reopened the path to office for them, they would naturally gather around him and form a massive faction. Yet because He Jin had bribed Zhang Rang, sold his body, and even sold his own sister to reach the seat of Grand General, he would inevitably be branded a traitor by the Taliu Faction and subjected to every political trick they could devise.

And if, at that moment, Empress He opposed the return of the Qingliu Faction?

"They will assume a rift has opened between us. Those fools will come flocking to me instead. You must keep the Qingliu Faction tightly leashed so they cannot entertain any other thoughts, Grand General. I will keep an eye on those women myself."

He Jin stared at his sister for a long time as she finished speaking and burst into bright laughter. At last he opened his mouth cautiously.

"...But Your Majesty. Is there really any need to go this far?"

"Need?"

"We could simply sweep those worthless bandits away with the central army right now. Why create enmity with the Ten Eunuchs and invite ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Qingliu Faction in?"

"The reason…."

"It's not as if we've fallen out with Lord Zhang Rang, and the Crown Prince's position isn't in immediate danger. There's no need to take such risks…."

"Hah!"

When Empress He shot him a venomous glare, He Jin instinctively hunched his shoulders.

"Grand General. No—Brother."

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty…."

"Do you want our Bian to become a halfwit?"

"N-No, Your Majesty! How can you say such a thing…."

"You've seen it all while licking the backsides of those women to climb the ladder, haven't you? You watched them turn the Emperor into an idiot with your own eyes, yet you still say that?"

"He Xi! Hold your tongue!"

"Do you really think those creatures will stop just because your nephew has become Emperor?!"

......

He Jin had no choice but to fall silent. The Emperor he had first met after gaining office through Zhang Rang had already been a puppet of the Ten Eunuchs, yet he had occasionally shown flashes of intelligence. Each time, however, the Ten Eunuchs had dragged that brilliant mind down into nothing but pleasure, turning him into a fool. And now… no, it was certain his nephew would suffer the same fate. Even the thought of it felt like his heart was being torn apart; how much worse must it be for the boy's own mother?

He could understand her feelings. Yet this was far too dangerous a tightrope walk.

"...Then there is no need for you to keep the Ten Eunuchs close. They will surely lash out once cornered. It's too risky. The moment we secure power with the Qingliu Faction, I will personally wipe those women out."

"No, Brother. If the Ten Eunuchs are removed, we will be next. Those creatures are already swollen with venom from being unable to act arrogantly. Do you think killing a mere ten women will satisfy them?"

Empress He trusted neither the Ten Eunuchs and the Taliu Faction nor the Qingliu Faction. Hypocrites who pretended to be clean. Snakes as cunning as vipers, as venomous as serpents driven mad with poison. That was her assessment of the Qingliu Faction.

"It's like bringing venomous snakes to catch a snake. Brother, make sure the Qingliu Faction stays focused on biting the Ten Eunuchs and nothing else. I will do the same—keep them so busy watching the Qingliu Faction that they have no attention to spare elsewhere."

Only when those two sides were too busy tearing at each other's throats to notice anything else would there be room to gather people for Bian.

After she finished speaking, Empress He fell into quiet thought. He Jin fidgeted for a long while before finally opening his mouth again.

"...By the way, Xi."

"Hm?"

"...This is just in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠case, but… it won't collapse, right?"

"What won't?"

"...Those bandit bastards. I heard their forces in Ji Province are enormous. It won't all get swept away and the whole thing will collapse, will it?"

"What?"

Empress He exploded with laughter. She cackled for a long time before finally catching her breath.

"Brother! You think the country will fall just because a bunch of farmers have risen up?"

Meanwhile, at the same time, inside the Sima family residence in Wen County, Henei Commandery, Sili Province.

Sima Liang was sighing at the ridiculous nonsense coming from her pathetic younger sister.

"H-Honestly… I think the Han is already doomed…"

"Zhongda, what are you saying…"