“Yellow Sky”: Crisis for the Han Dynasty sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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On this day, the court had been summoned to discuss the repercussions of the state of things, and many officials were quietly fearful for their own careers and lives as they watched the emperor enter: they kowtowed penitently and awaited the first words of the proceedings.
“…The foreigners have been sent away…?” the Excellency of Works, Yuan Tang, asked of the multitude of courtiers that were seated before him.
“All have been sent away,” the weary Minister Herald replied.
“Was that wise…?” another official wondered out loud. He was in his fifties, and his face carried a great strength that had helped him to endure the years of strife.
“…What choice did we have, Mister Huo…?” the Minister Herald retorted.
“…That is true, I suppose,” Mister Huo sighed.
“Until this matter is closed, we cannot keep the foreign men here, or we would face suspicion of our motives at best… or perception of weakness that might be dangerous,” the Minister Herald continued. “The Xiongnu, the Qiang, and the men from that place Da Qin… are covetous. I have heard from some that everyone that Da Qin have done business with, they have eventually betrayed, unless they are seen as strong… no, we must fortify the borders and cut communications, so that the barbarians and foreign empires cannot smell blood and threaten us with further problems. Perhaps we should tell them that there has been an outbreak of plague… they will fear that, and will leave us be.”
The courtiers murmured agreeably.
“We shall therefore move on to the matter at hand,” the Excellency of Works said. “A case has come to the attention of the court, regarding the ‘public reaction’ to the matter of the arrest of the former Magistrate of Luoyang, Li Ying, for the crimes of wrongful arrest and execution - and by inference, murder - of the noted Mister Zhang Cheng, and his son.”
Many officials lowered their gaze and fretted silently.
“This matter has gotten out of hand unnecessarily,” the Commander-in-Chief, Chen Fan, protested.
“How so, Commander-in-Chief?” one official heckled. “Murder is murder!”
Chen Fan was silently angry.
“Magistrate Li was acting rightly in a matter of egregious moral deviance,” Mister Huo suggested. “It is my understanding that the execution of Misters Zhang, father and son was right because the father had the son commit a murder for purpose of pleasure, knowing that an impending general pardon - which, furthermore, they should not have been aware of - would ensure his son would not answer for the groundless snuffing of a life.”
“That is not our understanding,” Emperor Huan said with anger. “It is our understanding that ‘Magistrate Li’ conspires with self-serving intellectuals to destabilise our government, and maliciously defied our decree of pardon to destroy good men of talent, the talent to know the will of the Heavens!”
“Mister Zhang’s knowledge of the pardon shows his skill as a diviner of the fates!” another official suggested. “He had the respect of people far and wide and of all levels for his foresight, and was cruelly ruined by the jealous Li Ying, a man of high reputation but no real talent!”
“As you say,” Mister Huo sighed, “Mister Zhang was highly regarded by people of all levels… from the lowest… to the highest.”
All eyes turned - discreetly, and very, very briefly - to a small group of eunuchs that was stood to the left of the imperial throne. The attendants grinned and simpered in a show of weakness as they eyed the courtiers of Emperor Huan.