A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The power of local aristocratic families is deeply entrenched, and when they mobilize their power, they can easily seize control of local military forces.

As more and more powerful families gained control of the military, Emperor Huan of Han became somewhat afraid. He withdrew the troops from the states of Xiao and Han, then sought out members of these two families and allowed them to re-establish the states of Xiao and Han.

After the army was withdrawn, it was stationed in Chang'an to protect Emperor Huan of Han.

At the same time, he relinquished all five chief eunuchs under his control, using them to quell the anger of powerful families and partisans across the land.

However, after removing these five eunuchs, he found that his control over the court was rapidly declining. So he once again supported five eunuchs with slightly better reputations, including Cao Jie, to help him control the court.

However, the courtiers did not buy it and criticized him as emperor on a daily basis, constantly vying for power with Emperor Huan of Han. Emperor Huan of Han also devoted himself to this task every day, racking his brains to outmaneuver these ministers and fight for power and profit.

This also led to Emperor Huan of Han becoming exhausted at a young age and dying at the young age of 36. In addition, his poor health meant that his children from his youth were killed by Dou Ji's daughter.

As she gets older, her body becomes depleted, and she is no longer able to have children.

After Emperor Huan of Han died, no one succeeded to the throne.

With the support of Empress Dowager Dou, the court officials were summoned to discuss the selection of a new emperor.

To prevent the recurrence of eunuchs seizing power, they carefully selected a filial and well-regarded child to be the emperor.

This child is Liu Hong, a descendant of the King of Hejian.

When Liu Honggang ascended the throne, he was only 11 years old and unable to govern, so Empress Dowager Dou Miao acted as regent.

Dou Miao employed his father, Dou Wu, and the famous partisan Chen Fan.

Dou Wu was already close to the partisans. He hoped to emulate Wang Mang by bestowing favors upon the powerful families of the world, transforming the Dou family into a top-tier family, and then establishing a state and ancestral temple for the Dou family.

During his and Chen Fan's administration, they promoted many members of the partisan faction and recruited many famous scholars from all over the country. Under Chen Fan's call, a large number of partisans who had been imprisoned were reinstated and appointed as high-ranking officials in the court and local areas.

The party members were excited, feeling that heaven and earth were clear and bright, and that both humans and ghosts were happy. Everyone in the world longed for peace.

At the same time, the court publicly exonerated the Xiao and Han families, and provided funds from the imperial treasury to help them rebuild their kingdoms.

This also earned them recognition and support from many vassal states.

When Empress Dowager Dou ruled as regent, she was unwilling to become a puppet of Dou Wu and Chen Fan. She promoted a group of female ministers and eunuchs as her tentacles to interfere in politics.

Upon seeing this, Chen Fan submitted a memorial requesting Empress Dowager Dou to kill all the eunuchs and dismiss the female ministers.

Empress Dowager Dou refused, and the relationship between the two began to crack.

General Dou Wu pleaded with the Empress Dowager, hoping to eliminate the eunuchs.

Out of respect for her father, Empress Dowager Dou killed several eunuchs, including Guan Ba ​​and Su Kang, but spared Cao Jie and others.

Following this, Chen Fan and Dou Wu successively submitted memorials to the Empress Dowager, pressuring her to execute Hou Lan, Cao Jie, and others.

However, these were Empress Dowager Dou's right-hand men and her only means of interfering in politics. Once these people were eliminated, she, as Empress Dowager, would become a caged bird, completely sidelined.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, keenly sensed this rift. He began to privately contact the eunuchs whom Chen Fan had requested be executed, telling them, "The Chancellor and the General-in-Chief are determined to kill you. The Empress Dowager and the General-in-Chief are blood relatives. Your deaths are not far off."

These eunuchs and female ministers were extremely terrified and expressed their willingness to obey Liu Hong's orders, hoping that Liu Hong could save their lives.

Liu Hong accepted these eunuchs and female ministers, instructing them to win over other eunuchs so they could betray him at a crucial moment.

At the end of the first year of Emperor Ling of Han's reign, the conflict between the partisans and eunuchs broke out completely.

Dou Wu sent men to arrest the eunuch Zheng Sa and subjected him to severe torture. Unable to withstand the torture, Zheng Sa confessed to the crimes of Cao Jie, Wang Fu, and others.

Dou Wu immediately sent someone to report to the emperor that they should be arrested according to law.

The memorial was intercepted by a eunuch before it was sent to the Empress Dowager's residence.

Seeing that the court officials were determined to kill them now, and that even the Empress Dowager might not be able to protect them this time, these eunuchs used this memorial to win over powerful eunuchs such as Cao Jie and Wang Fu, stole the imperial seal from Empress Dowager Dou, and delivered it to Emperor Ling of Han.

After obtaining the imperial seal, the 11-year-old Emperor Ling of Han theoretically had the legal right to control the government. He arranged for eunuchs to take him out of the palace in disguise.

The eunuchs, who had been cultivating their influence in the capital for a long time, secretly led Emperor Ling of Han out of the palace and into the Northern Army camp.

With the eunuch's arrangement, they successfully met Zhang Huan, the commander of the northern army left behind by Emperor Huan of Han.

Upon seeing the emperor and the Imperial Seal, Zhang Huan quickly pledged his allegiance. He was an old minister left behind by the late emperor and was feared by both Empress Dowager Dou and the forces of Dou Wu and Chen Fan. If it weren't for his firm control of the military, he would probably have been eliminated long ago.

"The Dou family is wicked, holding the young emperor hostage, and now they even intend to rebel. General, are you willing to set things right?"

Emperor Ling of Han warmly took Zhang Huan's hand and spoke with deep emotion.

"I am willing to die for Your Majesty."

Zhang Hui knelt on one knee and handed over the tiger tally.

Emperor Ling of Han received the tiger tally and ordered the eunuchs to convey his decree to arrest Dou Wu.

However, Dou Wu defied the imperial decree, believing that the emperor was in the palace and intending to use the military force under his control to seize control of the palace and take back the Imperial Seal of the State from the young emperor.

Chen Fan also led the guards of the party members in the capital, gathering a considerable force, and joined forces with Dou Wu.

However, most of their troops were stationed in the provinces, and the only troops in the capital were a colonel of infantry under Dou Wu's nephew.

With concrete evidence of Dou Wu and Chen Fan's rebellion, Emperor Ling of Han directly dispatched Zhang Huan to quell the uprising.

Under the suppression of the Northern Army led by Zhang Hui, Dou Wu and Chen Fan's forces were completely powerless to resist.

Zhang Hui easily quelled the rebellion, and Dou Wu and Chen Fan both committed suicide with their swords.

After the rebellions of Dou Wu and Chen Fan were quelled, Empress Dowager Dou was moved to the Yuntai Palace in the south, and the Dou family was exiled to Zhuyai County.

In the second year of Emperor Ling of Han's reign, Emperor Ling brought his biological mother, Lady Dong, into the palace, where she resided in Yongle Palace.

In the same year, a young man named Cao Cao suffered from a persistent headache that he could not cure.

Introduced by his grandfather Cao Teng, he visited the home of Wei Shou, the descendant who founded the Wei family's medical lineage.

In order to completely cure this problem, Cao Cao chose to stay at the Wei residence, and thus got to know the younger generation of the Wei family lineage—Wei Xue.

Wei Xue originally intended to inherit his family's medical skills, but as his father traveled throughout the Han Dynasty, treating and saving lives, he came to understand a profound truth.

Studying medicine won't save a strong man!