The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

The table was piled high with all sorts of strange and unusual design drawings.

There are curved plows, dragon-bone waterwheels, wooden oxen and flowing horses, and... an ingeniously designed rotating fountain.

The more Bi Lan saw these things, the more she admired Li Chang's ingenuity. He was clearly not good at mechanical manufacturing, yet he could come up with so many wonderful things!

"His Majesty loves these novelties the most."

Bi Lan muttered to herself as she drew.

"Once this fountain is finished, send someone to Luoyang. His Majesty will be very pleased to see it."

"His Majesty has been unwell lately and needs these!"

A smug smile appeared on his face. Bingzhou was great; it had given him something to strive for.

Without an emperor or Liu Hong, it felt like something was missing.

While in Luoyang, he gained Liu Hong's favor by building all sorts of novel palaces and gadgets for him.

After arriving in Bingzhou, Li Chang gave him unprecedented respect and power, allowing him to fully utilize his talents.

But in his heart, the person he was most grateful to was Liu Hong.

If it weren't for Liu Hong, he would still be just an unknown eunuch.

It was Liu Hong who gave him wealth and honor, and the opportunity to showcase his talents.

"No, after this battle, I will personally go to Luoyang and deliver this fountain to His Majesty."

Bi Lan put down her charcoal pencil and stretched.

But just then...

His heart suddenly clenched.

I feel empty inside.

It was as if something extremely important had left him forever.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked in the direction of Luoyang.

That was where he had lived most of his life.

There, was his only refuge.

"His Majesty……"

……

The sky over Luoyang was still a leaden gray.

Inside the Jiade Hall, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the kneeling eunuchs on the floor and the already cold emperor on the dragon bed.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!!"

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!!"

However, Zhang Rang temporarily suppressed the news of Liu Hong's death.

There was no funeral, no mourning, and even the palace gates were kept tightly closed.

Inside the palace were only the Nine Attendants and a few dozen trusted eunuchs; not even a fly could escape.

Zhang Rang raised his head, his face still streaked with wet tears, but his eyes had become incredibly fierce.

He wiped the blood off his face.

That's what I got from kowtowing just now.

"His Majesty's will establish Prince Xie, the son of Marquis Dong, as Emperor."

He Jin harbors wolfish ambitions and is determined to kill us all. If he learns of His Majesty's death, he will surely lead his troops into the palace and install Prince Shi Bian as emperor.

"At that time, not only will our lives be in danger, but Lord Dong will also surely die!"

"Marquis" here is a title for princes raised in the palace, not a formal noble title.

At that time, princes were often addressed by the surname of their caregivers plus the character "侯" (hou), similar to how they are called by their nicknames today.

Liu Xie was raised by Empress Dowager Dong, so he was called Marquis Dong, while Liu Bian was raised by the Daoist Shi Zimiao, so he was called Marquis Shi.

Zhao Zhong gritted his teeth: "Brother Zhang, what do you suggest? We'll do whatever you say!"

"It's very simple." Zhang Rang's eyes were resolute.

"By order of His Majesty, summon He Jin to the palace for a meeting. Have executioners lying in ambush in the Jiade Hall; as soon as he enters, hack him to death!"

"Kill He Jin, then immediately enthrone Dong Hou, and issue an edict to close the city gates and arrest He Jin's cronies. Once we control Luoyang, the situation will be settled!"

Jian Shuo suddenly looked up:

"I agree! I still have military power over the Western Garden Army! As long as He Jin is killed, I will immediately lead troops to control all the palace gates. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!"

The other attendants also nodded in agreement.

They have no way out.

When Liu Hong died, their world collapsed.

Either kill He Jin, support Liu Xie, and live on; or be killed by He Jin and die a gruesome death!

There is no third option!

"Okay!" Zhang Rang took a deep breath:

"There is no time to lose. Draft an edict immediately! Summon General He Jin to the palace at once to discuss His Majesty's funeral arrangements!"

The orders were passed down silently.

Behind the curtains of the Jiade Hall, two hundred axemen lay in ambush.

The cold blade gleamed with a chilling light in the candlelight.

Everyone was waiting for He Jin to walk right into their trap.

……

The General's Mansion.

He Jin was sitting in the hall, discussing military affairs with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and others.

Since Liu Hong fell seriously ill and wanted to replace Liu Xie with Liu Hong, he had been contacting powerful families to guard against any unforeseen circumstances.

Just then, a person dressed in eunuch's robes stumbled in, his face pale.

"General! Something terrible has happened!"

He Jin frowned: "Pan Yin? What's the matter that you're so panicked?"

Pan Yin was a fellow townsman of He Jin and had received favors from He Jin in his early years. Now he was on duty in the palace and was He Jin's spy planted among the eunuchs.

Pan Yin knelt on the ground with a thud, panting heavily:

"Your Majesty...His Majesty has passed away!!"

"What?!"

The entire room was astonished!

He Jin suddenly stood up, saw stars, and then everything went black!

It took me a long time to recover:

"What did you say? His Majesty has passed away? When did that happen?"

"Just this morning!" Pan Yin exclaimed urgently.

"Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong kept your death a secret, falsely summoning you to the palace with an imperial edict, intending to ambush and kill you in the Jiade Hall! Then they would install Lord Dong as emperor!"

"They've already laid an ambush! General, you absolutely mustn't go into the palace! You'll surely die if you do!"

He Jin's face instantly turned ashen.

A chill ran from the soles of my feet straight up to the top of my head!

That was close! He almost died!

"How dare they! These eunuchs... how dare they be so audacious!"

He Jin roared and drew his sword from his waist:

"Pass on my order! Immediately gather all troops and escort me to the palace!"

"General, you mustn't!" Cao Cao hurriedly stepped forward to stop him. "The situation is unclear right now, and there are eunuchs' spies everywhere in the palace. If we rashly lead troops into the palace, something unexpected might happen."

"You might even be framed for treason by those eunuchs!"

"Mengde is right," Yuan Shao nodded in agreement. "We should first station our troops outside the palace and observe the situation. At the same time, we should send someone to inform Empress Dowager He so that she can receive us from within the palace."

Xu You nodded in agreement: "The most urgent task is to enthrone the eldest son of Marquis Shi, Bian, on the throne!"

He Jin took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Xu You are right!

Acting impulsively now will only lead you into the eunuchs' trap!

"Very well," He Jin ordered.

"Pass down the order: Yuan Shao and Meng De shall lead the troops of the Western Garden to immediately assemble in Luoyang and encamp outside Pingguan. Without my command, they shall not make any rash moves."

"Furthermore, send someone to the palace immediately to inform the Empress Dowager that His Majesty has passed away, and that I request that Prince Bian be enthroned as Emperor. I ask the Empress Dowager to make the final decision."

"promise!"

Inside the Jiade Hall.

Zhang Rang and the others waited for a full hour, but He Jin never showed up.

Instead, they received news that He Jin had led his troops to garrison outside Pingguan.

"Oh no! We've been exposed!" Zhao Zhong's face changed drastically. "Someone must have tipped us off!"

Zhang Rang's face also darkened.

It's over, they missed their best opportunity!