Kidnapping

The Eastern Han Dynasty, established by Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu, was built upon the cooperation and solidarity of the great aristocratic clans from regions like Hebei, Yingchuan, and Nanyang. The entire history of the Eastern Han was essentially a political structure where imperial power occupied the stage while the gentry lurked in the shadows—the throne managed the central government, while the clans governed the localities. Both sides shared equity and dividends in this arrangement. When did cracks begin to appear in this system of shared governance?

To be precise, it was not the interference of maternal relatives that caused the rift, but the usurpation of power by eunuchs. Most maternal relatives were themselves of aristocratic origin, so their power-grabbing did not significantly harm the interests of the gentry class. The eunuchs, however, were different. Due to the limitations of their physical condition, perspective, and background, once they held power, they acted without restraint, save for their loyalty to the throne, severely damaging the interests of the elite clans.

This disrupted the political order of the Eastern Han, eventually leading to the intensifying "Disasters of Partisan Prohibitions." While the Eastern Han effectively perished under Emperors Huan and Ling, it truly met its demise with the Partisan Prohibitions. Because the vested interests of a vast number of scholars and local clans were destroyed and their paths to advancement were blocked, they became determined to topple and rebuild the existing political order. The Eastern Han imperial court, having lost the centripetal force of the scholar-official class, was fundamentally incapable of governing such a vast country. Without the cooperation of the gentry—who had long since evolved into local power brokers—the eunuchs could not handle taxation, finance, national defense, law and order, disaster relief, or the welfare of the people. Consequently, the late Eastern Han descended into chaos.

Ultimately, under the meticulous orchestration of Yuan Shao, an outstanding young talent from the aristocratic class, both the eunuch faction and the faction of maternal relatives (at the time led by He Jin, who was not of noble birth) that had entrenched themselves in the court for over a century were wiped out. Yet, the fruits of this victory were not enjoyed by the gentry, but snatched away by Dong Zhuo, a local warlord who relied on brute force. After generations of humiliation, painstaking efforts, desperate struggles, and elaborate schemes, the prize was stolen by a bumpkin.

Could the aristocratic clans swallow this insult? Could they accept this status quo? Thus, no matter how Dong Zhuo tried to win them over, and regardless of him holding the trump card of the Emperor, the gentry refused to play along. This is why the coalition of warlords against Dong Zhuo emerged.

...

Today was another day for Yuan Xi to go to the palace for his studies. Since the assassination attempt last year, Xu Chu had followed him like a shadow, though he could only wait outside the palace gates while Yuan Xi was in class. Within the palace, Princess Wannian, Liu Yan, occupied a large portion of Yuan Xi’s energy—a fact he could not escape. Let us cast our gaze back to the end of 182 AD; that year was quite tumultuous.

...

In 182 AD, in Luoyang, Yuan Xi intended to go out. He clumsily rode his horse out of the estate and was traveling along Vermilion Bird Street.

Suddenly, he saw a group of people approaching in the distance, looking quite formidable. He paused for a moment, thinking, "In this day and age, whoever dares to parade around with so many people so brazenly must have an extraordinary identity." However, Yuan Xi had no intention of engaging them. Even if they were important, in Luoyang, who did he, a young master of the Yuan family—a house of "Three Excellencies for Four Generations"—have to fear? It was a joke! Yuan Xi simply continued on his way. Then, the unexpected happened: a shout erupted from behind him, "Hey, you kid in front, come over here!"

The shout startled Yuan Xi so much that he slid right off his horse.

A tea-time earlier, a young girl dressed in court robes was riding at the front, followed by a group of nervous-looking strong men. "Your Highness, let us return. It is too unsafe out here. If anything happens to you, how can I answer to the Emperor?" Duan Gui said with a pale face, bowing toward the heavens.

"Oh, Attendant Duan, you have been nagging the entire way. What is wrong with me coming out to play?" the girl said, looking indifferent. Duan Gui thought to himself, among so many eunuchs, why did she have to choose him? He was in agony but could only offer a bitter smile. "Your Highness, I fear if the Emperor finds out, he will have my head. Perhaps you should consider—"

The girl said unhappily, then suddenly spotted something. "Stop calling me Princess. Hey? There is a kid in front, catch him!" Duan Gui thought, "Kid, you are out of luck; that is the fifth one today."

When Yuan Xi saw that the leader was just a little girl, he felt much more at ease. At most, she was just a spoiled brat; why fear her? In Luoyang, who would dare to touch a member of the Yuan family, especially the second young master? So, Yuan Xi straightened his sleeves and brushed the dust off his clothes. He stood there with a swagger. The girl, seeing Yuan Xi’s disheveled state, burst into laughter. She was curious that he had recovered so quickly, so she stepped forward and asked, "Hey, what is your name?"

"Yuan Xi," Yuan Xi glanced at her. A commotion broke out among the guards; some had clearly heard of him.

The girl asked again, "Then, how old are you?"

"Six—oh no, I am seven." Yuan Xi thought that by saying he was older, he might intimidate people a bit more.

"And where is your home?"

"Hey, are you checking household registrations? Where I live is none of your business."

Yuan Xi, having been asked so many questions, felt a slight irritation. He thought, if I tell you my family name, you will be scared to death. Stunned by Yuan Xi’s retort, the girl felt a spark of delight; she thought it was fresh, as no one had ever dared to speak to her like that.

As the saying goes, "courtesy demands reciprocity," so Yuan Xi asked back, "Hey, and who are you? What is your name? Where do you live?" Seeing Yuan Xi ask in return, the girl was even happier. She smiled and said, "Listen well, my name is Liu Yan, and my home is in Luoyang."

Yuan Xi seemed to think of something and burst into laughter. "Haha. Liu Yan? 'Leaving a message'? Truly, there is nothing new under the sun; people have all sorts of names."

"Presumptuous! How dare you speak the Princess’s name!" At this, a shrill, eerie-sounding person roared at Yuan Xi.

Hearing this, Yuan Xi was stunned, thinking, "This little girl has quite the background. Anyone surnamed Liu these days likes to play at being royalty. My own grandfather is a relative of the Han clan; the capital is crawling with high-ranking nobles." Looking up at the man, Yuan Xi laughed even harder, sighing, "Oh my god, I’ve certainly seen something today. A grown man wearing makeup and powder? Are you not ashamed?"

"Presumptuous! Still—not seizing him!" The eunuch, seeing Yuan Xi laughing at him, turned livid. How could he run into such a character on his first time out?

"Eunuch Wang, are you trying to commit treason? Did I say to seize him?" The Princess had just finished saying she was not to be called Princess, yet she proudly announced it herself, glaring fiercely at the eunuch.

"This servant would not dare," the eunuch said, casting a vicious glare at Yuan Xi.

...

The Heaven-Piercing Sword, the blade of Emperor Xuanwu. The sword is the lord of all weapons. It symbolizes status and majesty, originally belonging to the Zhen family, meticulously crafted from heavenly meteorite iron at the behest of Zhen Yao. Later, when Yuan Xi went south to rescue the throne, Zhen Yao gifted it to Emperor Xuanwu. This sword was as famous throughout the world as Cao Cao’s Yitian Sword. After the death of Emperor Xuanwu, it was stored in the armory and disappeared during the late Western Jin Dynasty. It was later recovered by Emperor Daowu, Yuan Chun, who renamed it the Mysterious Heaven Sword. Later, Emperor Xian of Jin relied on this sword to gain the support of the descendants of the Zhen family.