Jinting Han people

Three days after Li Han led his army to Xin'an again, Liu Xian, acting on behalf of Sima Yi, issued an edict announcing the lifting of martial law.

At the same time, he ordered the troops outside Luoyang to mobilize 40,000 soldiers, divided into two routes: the northern route to Henan County and the southern route to Yiyang County. Although he did not explain the reason to the officials, his intention was very clear: to confront Li Han head-on and decide the outcome outside Luoyang.

The reason why they left the city instead of defending it was simple: Luoyang was a city that was destined to be lost.

This is not to say that Luoyang's city walls were not high enough. As the heart of the empire, its city defenses were naturally unparalleled. Its outer walls were five zhang high and two zhang wide, wide enough for horses to walk on. There were also towers and gates on all four sides, and the city gates were built with the strongest jujube wood and covered with iron plates, making them impervious to water and fire. All these specifications were beyond the reach of ordinary city defenses.

The stronger the city's defenses, the more troops are needed to garrison them. To effectively defend Luoyang, at least 100,000 troops are required, a number the current court cannot provide. Furthermore, the daily food consumption of the city's inhabitants is enormous; a siege would quickly lead to famine. If, at that point, someone within the city were to incite a rebellion among the starving populace, colluding with the attacking forces from within, the entire situation would be ruined.

What are the chances of winning if we abandon the city's defenses and take the initiative to fight the elite cavalry of the Western Expeditionary Army? For a time, everyone from the officials of Luoyang to the common beggars was discussing this matter.

Even the ordinary palace maids couldn't help but discuss the prospects of this battle. After all, the palace was their home, and the outcome of each battle determined their fate.

While sweeping up the fallen leaves at Tingfengguan, two young palace maids brought up this topic.

A palace maid named Ru Niang said, "Many people are missing from the palace. Have they all gone to fight in the east?"

The girl with her was named Chuanhua, and she was a little older than Ru Niang. She said, "No, I heard that many of the palace guards have been transferred to protect the General of the Cavalry."

"I see. How is the General of the Flying Cavalry's injury? It seems like we haven't heard from him for almost ten days!"

"Who knows? His Highness the Prince of Changsha hasn't come out since that day. He must have been seriously injured."

The assassination attempt on Sima Yi had become common knowledge, but opinions varied widely about the exact circumstances. Some said he needed to rest, others said he was on the verge of death, and still others said he had already succumbed to his injuries. However, there was a general consensus that Sima Yi's injuries were certainly serious.

"Why do we have to fight?" Ru Niang complained angrily. "Weren't these years years of bumper harvests? Hasn't His Highness the Prince of Changsha done a good job? If we bring in another prince, will we be dragging people to their deaths again?"

At the end of last year, the King of Qi and the King of Changsha fought a bloody battle in the Mingguang Hall. The palace paths, corridors, and ditches were almost littered with corpses, which were eventually cleaned up by Ru Niang and her group of palace maids. For them, the horrific scene of blood being spilled and entrails being collected was something they never wanted to see again.

"What's there to doubt? If someone wants to kill, no one can stop them. I only hope that it won't be like three years ago, when King Zhao's men entered the palace and abducted so many sisters to be humiliated!"

"Yes!" Ru Niang nodded, still somewhat shaken as she recalled the tragedy of a few years ago. After King Zhao ascended the throne, in order to win over the hearts of the people, he distributed many palace maids to his soldiers, ostensibly to marry them off as wives and concubines, but in reality, they were reduced to playthings. Later, after the three kings entered the capital, in order to sever ties with King Zhao, they killed these palace maids, and many were hastily buried, their bodies never found to this day.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but imitate the monks of Baima Temple, putting her hands together and praying to Heaven: "May Lord Liu be able to defeat the enemy and utterly crush the rebel army."

She genuinely believed this. After all, over the years, the palace maids had clearly discerned which officials in the court were good and which were bad. This Lord Liu not only possessed a formidable reputation and was diligent in his duties, but most importantly, he was a good person. He was often curt and disrespectful to princes and nobles, yet he treated ordinary palace maids with utmost respect and never put on airs. The palace maids all adored him, and having not seen him for the past few months, they even missed him quite a bit.

Before they could finish speaking, a chess piece was thrown down from the balcony, startling the two of them. Then, the Empress's angry voice came from above: "How many times have I told you not to mention him in the palace!"

The two palace maids were startled again, and quickly shut their mouths, waving their brooms and pretending to be busy sweeping.

For the palace maids, this was just something to talk about when they were being lazy, but for Yang Xianrong, this kind of distress was unavoidable.

Since her conversation with Liu Xian, the Empress has finally come to understand her situation:
In truth, everyone is a puppet of their time; she was, and so were everyone else. Although each person has their own unique destiny, there is never a perfect destiny. There is always a loss for every gain, and a sorrow for every joy. The kind of all-encompassing happiness she fantasized about never existed…

Therefore, since she was born into the Yang family and received unimaginable care, her current absurd situation was already predetermined. This was her responsibility as a daughter of a noble family, even though no one had ever asked for her opinion.

Only then could she understand the advice her teacher had given her: "Life is like a flower on a branch, its bloom and decline are unpredictable and ever-changing. Ah Cha, you are destined for wealth and honor, but you must take it lightly, otherwise you will be burdened by it."

This understanding, however, did not bring the Empress any sense of relief. On the contrary, Empress Yang Xianrong was now in distress. She could no longer be as innocent as before, wasting her time with ignorance.

In the past, when she had nothing to do, she would read books in the palace to pass the time, but now she couldn't concentrate on reading. This was because she had previously been too concerned with the happiness and harmony between people, and had overlooked the disharmony hidden in the sentences, but for some reason, she could now notice it.

Did Emperor Guangwu and his wife truly have no complaints about their deep affection for each other?
Liu Xiu married Yin Lihua for only a year before marrying Guo Shengtong in Hebei. Did Yin Lihua harbor resentment upon hearing this news? After reuniting with Liu Xiu, Wu Han led the Han army to plunder Nanyang, forcing Deng Feng, Yin Lihua's benefactor who had protected her during the war, into rebellion. Deng Feng was subsequently murdered. Did she feel remorse? Furthermore, after the founding of the dynasty, Yin Lihua's mother and brother were killed by bandits, likely involving political struggles. Was she truly as calm and composed as recorded in history?
The other happy stories were largely the same, which made the Queen increasingly irritated. She not only experienced prolonged frustration but also developed a resentment towards the world: Was all of this a divine deception? Why couldn't people have their wishes fulfilled? Why must there always be a price to pay for anything? Why wasn't she the master of all things?
Of course, she resented Liu Xian the most. In Yang Xianrong's mind, that conversation was almost an insult: no one in the world had ever rejected her so decisively, as if she were worthless.

Therefore, she forbade the palace maids to speak of this person again. Otherwise, hearing his name would fill Yang Xianrong with shame and anger, like the shame of being stripped naked in public, making her blush and restless. Fortunately, she had recently come into contact with some Buddhist scriptures. In recent years, the Yuezhi monk Zhu Fahu had been translating Buddhist scriptures at the White Horse Temple, imparting the Buddha's great wisdom to the world. For each scripture translated, the Secretariat would make a copy for archiving. With nothing else to do, the Empress would read them, and the Buddhist teachings on the emptiness of all things resonated with her. So she erected a Buddha statue in the palace and tried reciting the *Mahaparinirvana Sutra* and the *Prajnaparamita Sutra* daily, attempting to forget the various troubles of this world from the Buddha's earnest teachings, to abandon the seven emotions and six desires, including kinship and love, and then escape the cycle of suffering to reach Nirvana.

But for some reason, the more she did this, the more unforgettable the memories from her childhood became, and the more restless her heart became. Her emotions grew increasingly intense, giving rise to a desire: to see her mother and father again. To throw herself into their arms and cry her heart out, and then to question them about whether they truly loved her.

But this idea is probably impossible to realize. As the empress, she can only be a puppet, ignored by everyone, in the deep palace.

When she heard the news that the two armies were about to clash, Yang Xianrong was torn. On one hand, she hoped that the court would win and that her father, Yang Xuanzhi, would be safe and sound; on the other hand, she hated Liu Xian and wished that the entire court army would be defeated and killed. But after much deliberation, her longing for her father overwhelmed everything, and so, from some point onward, the empress's prayers before the Buddha statue were all for her parents' well-being.

That day, she prayed on the balcony until late at night. The surrounding night sky had turned gray-black, and most of the palace maids had gone to rest. All was quiet and shrouded in mist. After reciting the *Bodhisattva Practice Sutra* again, the Empress felt slightly tired. She tried to get up, but her legs had gone numb from kneeling for so long, and she nearly fell. Fortunately, Liu He, who was nearby, reacted quickly and caught her.

"Your Highness, shall we return to the Taiji Palace?" Liu He asked.

"I'll stand here for a while, and leave when I feel better," Yang Xianrong replied absentmindedly, rubbing her sore and numb legs. The reason she returned to Taiji Palace so late was simple: being with her husband made her feel increasingly pathetic, to the point that the Empress subconsciously distanced herself from the Emperor. There was no objection to this in the palace, as it was indeed human nature.

Just as she was about to descend the stairs, footsteps suddenly sounded below the platform, unusually clear in the quiet night. It wasn't just one person's footsteps, but the footsteps of a group. A sense of foreboding arose in the Empress's heart. She walked to the entrance of the platform and looked down. She saw a group of people, about two or three hundred, surrounded by brightly lit torches. They were all clad in armor, the gleam of the armor plates shimmering like waves.

"Your Highness, I have important matters to report." A person stepped out from the crowd and called out loudly to Tingfeng Temple.

Yang Xianrong was extremely familiar with this scene; she had experienced a similar situation last winter, but she never expected it to reappear now. She slowly descended the steps, flanked by several of her personal maids, including Liu He, but they appeared weak and powerless in front of the armored soldiers.

"Who is it?" she asked.

“Your Highness, it is I.” The leader raised his head and spoke to the Empress in a calm voice: “We are here on the orders of the Grand Commandant (Prince of Hejian) to rescue Your Highness from the traitors.”

Yang Xianrong immediately recognized the leader as Bian Cui, the Grand Secretary. He was responsible for drafting imperial edicts and had entered the palace many times to request the Empress to affix her seal, which was why the Empress recognized his face.

"How could you possibly side with the Prince of Hejian?" The Empress was somewhat surprised, after all, Bian Cui was originally a key minister in the Qi King's faction, and he had been by Sima Jiong's side when he died. Sima Yi admired his loyalty and righteousness, so he retained him as the Grand Secretary. Unexpectedly, Bian Cui would actually side with the Prince of Hejian.

"What's so strange about Bian Zhongshu seeking revenge for his former master and then switching allegiance to the Grand Commandant?" A middle-aged man's voice boomed past the Empress's as he stepped confidently from the crowd. Yang Xianrong looked over and saw that it was none other than Attendant-in-Ordinary Feng Sun. Xianrong couldn't help but gasp softly, utterly surprised and at a loss for words.

Feng Sun was a young talent who rose to fame during the reign of Emperor Wu, having served as a literary advisor in the court of the former deposed Crown Prince Sima Yu. Later, during the period of power held by the Empress Dowager's faction, he was promoted to Attendant-in-Ordinary and concurrently served as Minister, a position he held for nearly ten years. He remained impartial and unbiased, widely recognized as a virtuous and upright official who deserved to be given important responsibilities. During the coup d'état of the Prince of Changsha, he also participated in the overthrow of the Qi dynasty. Unexpectedly, his true identity was revealed to be a member of Sima Yong's faction!

Yang Xianrong knew things were going badly, but she still wanted to stall for time, so she said to Bian Cui, "Eh? I clearly heard that it was the Grand Commandant who framed Prince Qi, right? Bian Zhongshu switched sides to Prince Hejian, can he really be without any resentment?"

"Who can fully understand the rights and wrongs of the world?" Bian Cui put his hand on his waist knife and said slowly, "No matter what, His Highness died at the hands of the King of Changsha. I must avenge him. I ask the Empress to understand and leave the palace with us."

"Leaving the palace, where to?"

"Go to Xin'an to meet up with the Governor of Henan (Li Han)."

"Just me? No His Majesty?"

Feng Sun smiled upon hearing this and said calmly, "Your Highness is joking. As everyone knows, His Majesty is incapable of governing, while Your Highness is the true ruler who brings peace and prosperity to the people. In today's world, your decrees are far more effective than His Majesty's."

Yang Xianrong roughly understood the current situation. Bian Cui and others planned to kidnap her and take her to join Li Han. If they succeeded, they would use her as a figurehead to issue orders, and Sima Yi's faction would be reduced to traitors and rebels, making it difficult for them to oppose Li Han.

This was not what she wanted to see, so she shook her head and said, "What if I don't want to go?"

“That’s probably not up to Your Highness.” Bian Cui raised an eyebrow and waved her hand. Dozens of armored soldiers rushed forward, surrounding the Empress like a crescent moon. Liu He and the other palace maids tried to stop them, but they were unarmed and their flesh and blood were no match for the swords. In just a few breaths, the palace maids were cut down by the armored soldiers, their blood staining the steps.

Yang Xianrong tried to continue resisting, but her opponent showed no mercy and struck the Empress on the back of the head, knocking her unconscious.

Seeing that the Empress had succeeded, Bian Cui ordered someone to bring out a bamboo basket, stuffed Yang Xianrong's lithe body inside, closed the lid, and the group immediately rushed towards Qianqiu Gate. (End of Chapter)