“Yellow Sky”: Crisis for the Han Dynasty sample (Act I) -- T. P. M. Thorne
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The powerless Chen Fan sobbed as he fled the court.
Another courtier - the middle-aged scholar and commander of the capital’s defence forces, whose name was Dou Wu - exhaled slowly and purposefully, but he did not speak.
“Your edict shall be law before the night is out, Your Majesty,” the Imperial Secretariat promised.
“We will have no more treachery!” Emperor Huan barked.
The courtiers were fearfully silent, while the eunuchs - who had managed another political victory - did what they could to hide their satisfaction.
Within hours, the Emperor’s word was being passed not just to the capital, but to all the regions of the empire, and any within the capital that were deemed to be ‘partisans’ - factionists that had contested the competence of the Emperor and his government - were being violently taken from their homes or places of public protest by the army. The eunuchs had added to the list as it was being made, and dozens of noted figures that had opposed them were now political prisoners.
Mister Huo and Mister Dou Wu met in secret at the latter’s home later that day.
“…A terrible day,” Mister Huo sighed.
“The eunuchs have, for the second time, achieved absolute power,” Dou Wu said with anger. “His Majesty, corrupted by vice, is immune to sound counsel and is intent on self-destruction, I think. Now that I am almost guaranteed to be promoted to the position of Commander-in-Chief to replace Chen Fan, I would write a petition, but-”
“Not yet,” Mister Huo suggested. “His Majesty was very angry, having only just been informed of the ‘plotters’. Even a man as regarded and well-connected as you might lose his head while the eunuchs have such a strong grip. Their slander has toppled mountains; cautious words and timing are advised.”
Mister Dou Wu - whose daughter was Empress - silently agreed.
*************
3
Two young boys stumbled along the streets of the capital, laughing hysterically. They were dressed in robes that reflected their status as children of men of high status, and were enjoying a moment of mischief after a day of education.
“…The look on his face…!” one snickered.
“We… we should be more careful, Cao,” the other youth scolded as best he could. “What… what if we’d been seen…?”
“Bah… and what would happen? It’s just a bit of fun,” the first youth replied. His family name was Cao, granted to his father by the eunuch Cao Teng that had adopted him. His given name was Cao - though it was written with an altogether different glyph that had a different meaning and was pronounced in a slightly different way.
“What would your father say…?” the other youth fretted. “I feel terrible about it already… I think we should do something to apologise.”
“Not me,” Cao Cao replied. “If you say sorry, Miao, you do it on your own.”
The other youth did not reply. His family name was Zhang, and his given name was Miao. Like Cao Cao, he was a son of a family with some status.
“You two… are truly cruel!” a third youth panted as he caught up to them.
“Ah, calm down,” Cao Cao snickered. “The whole thing was half your idea, anyway, Xu Yòu.”
Xu Yòu grinned and said, “Yeah, but… I only half deserve to be caught, then.”