Episode 28: Clear Debate and Party Imprisonment
They are famous Qingliu in history, as the name suggests, metaphorically referring to their pure conduct like the flowing water of a mountain stream, capable of stirring up chaos and promoting purity. They advocate justice, do not avoid power and eunuchs, and criticize evil. Their name is Qingyi, but they are like the rolling magma that erupts with fire, forming a huge flood of public opinion in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Their influence extends from temples to the people, stimulating the most sensitive nerves of the Eastern Han Dynasty and stirring up the atmosphere of an era. However, before the volcano extinguished, it encountered merciless frost, and the disaster of party imprisonment came with great force. Qingliu was cruelly suppressed, Qingyi was brutally sealed off, and more seriously, the Eastern Han Dynasty lost political balance and triggered a comprehensive collapse. This is a historical issue that requires contemplation. When a regime faces various contradictions and crises, what kind of response and solution are needed?
The Taixue Site in Yanshi County, Luoyang City, Henan Province
This is Taixue Village in Yanshi County, Henan Province, 30 kilometers away from the city center of Luoyang. There is a poplar forest in the suburbs, covering an area of 30 hectares. Now, this forest has become the second classroom of a primary school in the village. The way of university lies in Mingmingde and Xinmin. Teacher Huang is the Chinese teacher of this elementary school. He brings his students here every week to teach them some content of the Five Classics. The reason why Teacher Huang moved the classroom here is under this forest. At that time, the Eastern Han Imperial Academy was the highest academic institution in the country. 70 centimeters underground in this forest was the original site of the Eastern Han Imperial Academy. In 1975, archaeologists excavated it to protect the site of the Imperial Academy, Donghua University. After excavation, it was backfilled and a sapling was planted on top of the site. Nowadays, the seedlings have grown into big trees, and the former Imperial Academy is deeply buried under the forest. However, in Teacher Huang’s mind, tree people are like forests. The former Imperial Academy did not disappear with the burial of soil, but its grandeur became more and more evident as the forest grew lush. In addition to the ruins, some cultural relics were also discovered at the excavation site, among which the most precious is this Xiping stone scripture.
Xiping Stone Classics is located in the third exhibition room of Xi’an Stele Forest in Xizang. It has collected more than 4000 steles and epitaphs up to the Han Dynasty, the largest number in China. Nowadays, although there is only one residual stele left in the Xiping Stone Sutra, it is the treasure of the temple here. The Xiping Stone Sutra is the earliest official Confucian classic stone carving in Chinese history, and the text engraved on the stele is the content of Confucian classics. In the fourth year of the Xiping reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty (175 AD), the court ordered that officially approved Confucian classics such as “Poetry”, “Book”, “Rites”, “Yi”, “Spring and Autumn”, etc., be engraved on forty-eight stone tablets in the Li style Zhu script as standard textbooks for scholars, and stand in front of the east gate of the Imperial Academy.
Taixue, founded during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, flourished in the Eastern Han Dynasty. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted the policy of deposing the Hundred Schools of Thought and monopolizing Confucianism, Taixue began to undertake the task of inheriting Confucian classics and cultivating government officials. Taixue was also a place where the emperor consulted on national affairs, and doctoral students could express their opinions, facilitating the cultivation of a culture of loyalty, patriotism, and concern for national affairs among Taixue students. At the beginning of the Taixue era, there were only a few dozen people, but by the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the number of Taixue students gathering in the capital had reached over 30000. With the rapid increase in the number, the way out for Taixue students was becoming very narrow. More importantly, the clique of relatives and eunuchs are active in the political arena, occupying most of the official positions from the central to local levels. This makes the situation even more difficult for the students, and they hope for the system of procuratorial examination. (Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Zhao Kai: The so-called examination and examination system, as the name suggests, first examines and then examines. Examination is the process of local officials going to the grassroots to select talents based on the evaluation of the people. Of course, his standards are nothing more than two, one is virtue and the other is talent.)
By the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were already many subjects for the imperial examination, including moral character as the main assessment object, filial piety and integrity, as well as talent as bravery and knowledge of military law. However, all subjects were based on moral behavior first, and Confucianism was the main focus of learning. More importantly, the imperial examination system was entirely based on recommendation.
Professor Gao Kai from the Department of History at Zhengzhou University: When the central government gives you this right, what person would you recommend? It must be someone close to me, so he may turn imperial power into private power through the process of prosecution. If you have policies above and countermeasures below, then the result of such development must be the formation of an interest group.
This form made it difficult for most of the college students, forming a major problem in the Eastern Han Dynasty, while college students themselves had to face greater contradictions. The education that college students received was loyalty, patriotism, impartiality, and the courage to speak up. However, reality is mercilessly undermining their beliefs. They need to make choices, either succumbing to the power and violating ethical and moral principles, or adhering to principles to maintain personal dignity, but not being able to enter politics and achieve their aspirations. The sharp contradictions in society are concentrated on the students, making it easier for them to see social drawbacks and develop strong dissatisfaction with the power and officials.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: After this accumulated resentment for a long time, it will form a social public opinion that criticizes current affairs, eunuchs, relatives, and even challenges imperial power.
This is the Han portrait stone museum in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is currently the largest and most comprehensive Han portrait stone museum. There are over 1000 Han portrait stones on display in the museum, which are engraved with various aspects such as politics, economy, and culture. They are a microcosm of Han society and provide important basis for us to understand the history of the Han Dynasty. The portrait stone we see now is the one with the most rubbings made and also the most precious cultural relic in the museum. It is the painting of paying respects. According to experts in the museum, this portrait stone is carved with scenes of scholars kneeling and worshipping. These scholars formed a special group in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the Qingliu School of Scholars. They joined forces with leaders of the Imperial Academy, with the goal of revitalizing the Han dynasty and maintaining justice. They used criticism as a weapon to criticize the current situation, criticize the powerful officials, and evaluate the characters, known as the Qingyi. Qingyi is essentially a form of social public opinion, and the main body that creates public opinion is the scholars and officials of the Qingliu faction. The external relatives, eunuchs, and mediocre officials are all the objects of Qingyi criticism. The upright, loyal, and courageous scholars and bureaucrats become the objects of Qingyi praise. Due to their great influence, no one is afraid of this kind of Qingyi. Li Yuanli, the model of the world, Chen Zhongju, the fearless imperial censor, Wang Shumao, the handsome figure of the world, Fan Mengbo, the governor of Runan, Huang Nuo, the capitalist of Nanyang, Cen Gongxiao, the governor of Nanyang, and Hongnong Chengjin sit and howl in this Western folk song. Li Yuanli, Chen Zhongju, and others are representative figures of the Qingliu School of literati, and they have also become models highly respected by the world.
Director of the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Bu Xianqun: At that time, Qingliu not only had the power of discourse, but also had a great power of discourse. It can be said that it monopolized the discourse power of grassroots society. What is discourse power? At that time, the greatest discourse power was character evaluation and character evaluation. What was the purpose of character evaluation, or to become an official? You cannot become an official if you receive the evaluation of the country, but if you receive his evaluation, you can become an official.
Li Ying’s Hometown, Xiangcheng County, Xuchang City, Henan Province
Xiangcheng County, Henan Province, is the hometown of Li Ying, the most representative figure of the Qing school. Li Ying, with his courtesy name Yuanli, has been the most influential historical figure in Xiangcheng County for thousands of years. He has been praised by local literati and ordinary people. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Li Ying’s name not only spread throughout his hometown, but also widely known in Luoyang, Kyoto and even throughout the country. At that time, scholars and bureaucrats took pride in befriending Li Ying. If someone was lucky enough to receive Li Ying’s audience, they would be called Deng Longmen. Many scholars and imperial students became famous scholars in the scholarly circles precisely because they became guests of Li Ying and were also highly respected.
Guo Yunmeng is a famous writer in Xiangcheng County. Since five years ago, he has been preparing to write Li Ying’s character chronicles, browsing through a large number of ancient books and conducting field investigations to search for the relics left by Li Ying in Xiangcheng County. It was in Xiangcheng County that Li Ying was elected as a filial piety official and entered his official career. Due to his upright personality and bumpy career, Li Ying only moved out of Xiangcheng with his family at the age of 46. At this time, Xianbei was in trouble, and Emperor Huan of Han reinstated Li Ying as the General of Du Liao. Li Ying was renowned for his formidable influence in the border areas, but what truly made Li Ying a leader of the scholarly community and a prominent figure in history was his repeated use of iron fists to attack eunuchs and their followers. When Li Ying was appointed as the Colonel of the Imperial Academy, he punished Zhang Shuo, the younger brother of eunuch Zhang Rang, in accordance with the law, which greatly impressed the court and the public, and was praised by the scholarly officials.
Guo Yunmeng: Generally, people give three points of courtesy to Zhang Rang, but Li Ying was able to chase after Zhang Rang’s mansion and broke the pillar, leaving him empty. If he broke it, he would take Zhang Shuo away, take his home for trial, and then execute him on the spot.
To Guo Yunmeng’s regret, although he had been searching for five years, he still did not find any remains of Li Ying in Xiangcheng County. Even the tomb of Li Ying recorded in ancient books has now disappeared, and Li Ying seems to have never appeared here. Li Ying’s advocacy of justice and clean flow has brought immense glory to his hometown Xiangcheng. Guo Yunmeng hopes to revive the memory of Li Ying in this ancient city.
Researcher Wu Wenling from the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: People have a higher evaluation of him for his impact on the power of eunuchs, because eunuchs have a very close relationship with the emperor. Challenging eunuchs is also a manifestation of daring to challenge imperial power in a sense.
In Qingliu, officials such as Fan Pang and Zhang Jian are also on par with Li Ying. They are known for their erudition and integrity, and among the students, there are leaders such as Guo Tai, Liu Tao, and Jia Biao, whose power cannot be underestimated. During the reign of Emperor Huan of Han, the famous scholar Zhu Mu served as the governor of Jizhou. After taking office, it was during the funeral of the powerful eunuch Zhao Zhong’s father and his burial in Jizhou. The standard of his funeral tomb became more and more strict, and Zhu Mu was immediately investigated and dealt with in accordance with the law. Zhao Zhong was favored by Emperor Huan of Han. Upon learning of this, Emperor Huan of Han was furious and immediately ordered Zhu Mu to be imprisoned, preparing for severe punishment. This incident caused a stir. The imperial student Liu Tao led thousands of people to petition and wrote to Emperor Huan of Han, praising Zhu Mu and condemning the eunuch in the chapter, expressing his willingness to serve in his place. This petition was successful, and Emperor Huan of Han weighed the power. The pros and cons ultimately pardoned Zhu Mu. A few years later, Yilang Huangpu Gui was persecuted by eunuchs and arrested and imprisoned. This incident once again aroused great indignation among scholars. More than 300 officials and imperial students collectively petitioned, ultimately leading to Emperor Huan of Han pardoning Huangpu Gui once again. In these events, the power of Qingliu is constantly growing, and their focus is increasingly on the eunuch group.
Professor Zhang Zhongwei from Renmin University of China: The Qing school’s focus on eunuchs is mainly based on, firstly, the shamelessness of this group of eunuchs, and secondly, their shamelessness. When this group engages in power abuse due to the trust of the emperor, they either cause harm to the country and the people, or harm loyalty and righteousness, while their shady parent-child relationships or goods run rampant in the countryside, or they prey on the common people.
This is a special museum located at the foot of Shijing Mountain in Beijing, rarely visited by people. There is no statue of a person or any cultural relics stored in the museum, only a few tombs and a dozen missing stone tablets. This is the only eunuch museum in China. Eunuchs, also known as eunuchs, are men who have lost their sexual function after being castrated. They were officials in ancient China who were dedicated to serving emperors and their families.
Professor Zhang Zhongwei from Renmin University of China: The emergence of eunuchs dates back relatively early, and the exact era can generally be traced back to what we call the Shang Dynasty. This group of eunuchs initially came from criminals and prisoners of war, and of course, there were also some who belonged to the imperial palace, mainly serving the royal family or the royal family.
Zhang Zhongwei, a professor at Renmin University of China, has been studying the history of the Qin and Han dynasties for many years. Due to the special nature of eunuchs in the history of the Qin and Han dynasties, they have also become the objects that Zhang Zhongwei wants to study. During the Western Han Dynasty, imperial officials were either eunuchs or scholars. However, by the middle of the Eastern Han Dynasty, all imperial positions were held by eunuchs, forming a systematic and complete institutional setup, corresponding to the large group of scholars and officials outside the palace. The number of eunuchs in the palace was also considerable. By the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the number of eunuchs had reached more than 2000, and they had an inseparable relationship with imperial power and had a great deal of power. However, they… Often despised by the world.
Professor Zhang Zhongwei from Renmin University of China: In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was a very special phenomenon. The emperors who succeeded since Emperor Ming and Emperor Zhang were young, but for the young emperor, they could not govern the court. Therefore, the mother of the young emperor, also known as the Empress Dowager, would govern the court. For these relatively young empresses and empresses, it was also difficult for them to govern the court, so they would rely on their own father and brother. However, for the young emperor, as they grew up and wanted to govern the court, they had to overthrow their relatives. Therefore, in this case, they all relied on the eunuch group around them to achieve this goal.
Emperor Huan of Han, Liu Zhi, was the eleventh emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty. After the death of Emperor Zhi of Han, the influence of his relatives took advantage of the situation. Empress Dowager Liang and his elder brother, General Liang Ji Dingce, helped 15-year-old Liu Zhi ascend to the throne of the emperor. As a result, Liang Ji monopolized the court and became a representative of the influence of his relatives. The promotion and replacement of various officials, as well as the emperor’s forbidden province, were all under the control of Liang Ji. Emperor Huan of Han harbored resentment, but it was difficult to break free from Liang Ji’s control. In the second year of Yanxi, Emperor Huan of Han, who had served as a puppet emperor for thirteen years, was determined to eradicate Liang and Ji. However, due to internal and external isolation, Emperor Huan of Han could only seek help from eunuchs around him. It was with the conspiracies of eunuchs Shan Chao, Xu Huang, Ju Yuan, Zuo Huan, and Tang Heng that Emperor Huan of Han eliminated Liang and Ji. As a result, Shan Chao and five others were greatly favored by Emperor Huan of Han and were granted the title of Marquis on the same day, known as the Five Marquis. The other eight eunuchs were also granted the title of Township Marquis, and their power rapidly expanded.
After the death of Liang Ji, the power of the external relatives group was restrained, but the eunuch group took the opportunity to rise. In September of the second year of Yanxi, Li Yun, the county magistrate of Baima County, wrote a letter accusing eunuchs of meddling in politics and criticizing the emperor’s incompetence. Emperor Huan of Han was furious and immediately ordered the arrest of Li Yun. Officials Du Zhong felt guilty of Li Yun’s loyalty and wrote a letter promising to die on the same day as Li Yun. Emperor Huan of Han also arrested Du Zhong and imprisoned him. Although many ministers pleaded, Emperor Huan of Han ultimately executed Li Yun and Du Zhong. As a result, the power of eunuchs became even greater, with many reckless actions and increasingly tense relations with the outside world, leading to new contradictions.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Eunuchs at that time seemed to be of different races and had different hearts. They were neither male nor female, nor were they of any kind. These people were not supposed to hold power or hold official positions, and they should not participate in politics and state management like normal people. Now, these talents are involved in political management and committing crimes. The combination of these two factors often makes them the targets of crackdowns by the Qing dynasty officials.
The most severe action to crack down on eunuchs was in the eighth year of the Yanxi reign, when Tai Wei Yang Bing escorted Hou Can into Beijing in a prisoner’s carriage. Hou Can was the younger brother of the eunuch Hou Lan and had served as the governor of Yizhou. During his tenure, he was cruel and greedy, and accumulated as much as 100 million stolen money. More than 300 vehicles he carried were loaded with gold, silver, and silk. Tai Wei Yang Bing pointed his finger directly at Hou Lan and his eunuch group, accusing them of being spoiled and outraged, and demanded that their official positions be removed. This move was widely supported by clean officials and Tai students. Under pressure, Emperor Huan of Han had no choice but to dismiss Hou Lan from his official position. In the same year, members of the Five Marquises, Ju Yuan and Zuo Hu, who had helped Emperor Huan eliminate Liang and Ji, were severely impeached by Han Yan, the commander of the Imperial Academy. Zuo Hu committed suicide in fear of guilt, and Ju Yuan was demoted. For a while, the eunuch group suffered a heavy setback, and the role played by the Qing Dynasty literati in politics became crucial.
Director of the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Bu Xianqun: In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, the state’s personnel were completely controlled by local elites, and the power of the state at the grassroots level was already in a vacuum. The emergence of such a situation, of course, was not acceptable to the state, and it had to adopt various means of suppression, control, and restriction.
The actions of the Qingliu literati against the eunuch power were carried out one after another, but they were soon severely defeated. The important officials of the Qingliu faction, the prefects of Nanyang and Taiyuan, both violated the imperial amnesty order and were imprisoned in their struggles with the eunuchs. In the ninth year of the Yanxi reign (Gongyuan 166), wealthy businessman Zhang Fan had a relative with the harem and was tyrannical in the local area. The prefect of Nanyang did not fear power and arrested Zhang Fan. However, in time of the amnesty, according to the law at that time, all prisoners in custody should be released. But the Prefect of Nanyang believed that Zhang Fan, who was in custody, had committed a serious crime and deserved his death. He not only did not release him, but also killed more than 200 of Zhang Fan and his clan guests, which was extremely extreme. At the same time, the greedy and reckless Xiaohuangmen Zhao Jin was arrested by the Taiyuan Prefect and also killed after the issuance of the amnesty order. Although both Prefect punished the bullies, their law enforcement actions violated the amnesty order. Emperor Huan of Han was furious upon learning of this, and shortly after they were imprisoned, they were sentenced to death. As a result, the eunuch power rebounded again, and many dismissed eunuchs resumed their original positions.
Researcher at the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences – Zhao Kai: In the world, there is nothing but royal soil, nothing but royal officials leading the land. The supremacy of imperial power, and the law is also a representative of imperial power, so as a Qing school official, if you do not respect and violate the law, in a sense, you are also a kind of disrespect for imperial power.
The struggle between Qingliu and eunuchs is becoming more intense. It was also in the ninth year of Yanxi (166 AD) that although several officials had been killed, the main figure of Qingliu, Li Ying, rose against the wind and decisively executed an intentional murderer. The murderer who was executed by Li Ying was his father’s name Zhang Cheng, a famous sorcerer. He said he predicted that the court would issue a general amnesty soon and instigated his son to kill the enemy. During Li Ying’s trial of this case, the court’s amnesty order arrived as scheduled. According to tradition, Li Ying should release the person unconditionally, but he released the amnesty order. On the side, the murderer was quickly executed, which directly triggered the first calamity of party imprisonment. Among the prisoners who were executed, many had close ties with eunuchs, some even being relatives of eunuchs. Therefore, in the eyes of Li Ying and the Puritan officials, they were dealing with the power of eunuchs. The Puritan officials were loyal and had no intention of offending imperial power. However, their failure to execute the amnesty order had actually turned against Long Li. The eunuchs seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack. With the support of the eunuchs, Zhang Cheng’s disciples petitioned the emperor, accusing Li Ying and others of bribing students such as Shu Peng to form cliques, defaming the court, causing chaos in people’s hearts, and corrupting social norms. Emperor Huan of Han, who could no longer bear it, immediately ordered the arrest and interrogation of Li Ying, and the nationwide arrest of party members. The murderous envoys launched attacks everywhere, and hundreds of party members were imprisoned.
Wu Wenling: In ancient times, it was a consensus that gentlemen did not form cliques. For emperors, if their courtiers formed cliques for personal gain, it would pose a great threat to imperial power. Therefore, in such a situation, the emperor would definitely not tolerate such clique and personal gain behavior. Therefore, Emperor Huan believed the words of eunuchs and launched a crackdown on the Qing faction. In the edict issued, these so-called officials of the Qing faction were actually referred to as party members.
Fortunately, the arrested party members received the support of high-ranking officials such as Grand Marshal Chen Fan, who begged the emperor for mercy. Chen Fanzi Zhongju was a highly respected courtier leader who had always supported Qingliu. This time, due to the extreme remonstrance in a party case, Emperor Huan of Han was very angry and used excuses to dismiss Chen Fanzi. This move shocked the court, and no one dared to intercede for the party members anymore. However, to the surprise of the eunuchs and Emperor Huan of Han, at a critical moment, the leader of the Imperial Academy, Jia Biao, brought in reinforcements. He was the father of Empress Huan, Dou Wu. Dou Wu was famous for recruiting famous scholars and donating to the Imperial Academy. This time, he also regarded Li Ying and others as loyal and virtuous, and eunuchs as treacherous. Dou Wu even directly accused Emperor Huan of not having heard of good governance since he ascended to the throne. If this continues, there is a risk of losing the Han Dynasty. Dou Wu’s intense writing made Emperor Huan of Han feel another kind of pressure. The political balance needed to be balanced, and Emperor Huan had to reconsider this matter. In the first year of Yongkang (167 AD), Emperor Huan granted amnesty to the world, and Li Ying, Fan Pang, and others were spared. However, they were imprisoned for life and could never become officials. This was the first time in the history of the Eastern Han Dynasty that the disaster of party imprisonment occurred.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: In the Han Dynasty society, the literati wanted to understand the classics and achieve worldly success. He regarded becoming an official as the highest and most fundamental way out. For many literati, the road to becoming an official now was blocked, blocked by gambling, and their political life would end forever.
On the banks of the Yingshui River in June, with a gentle breeze and willows swaying, thousands of chariots parked on the roadside, and nearly ten thousand people gathered on the streets to welcome a victorious hero. Fan Pang, with the courtesy name Meng Bo, was from Qiang County (now Luohe City, Henan Province) in Runan County. He was a righteous and upright official who angered the eunuchs and was therefore included in the party. During the interrogation process, he treated his life as if he had died. This amnesty allowed him to return home, and Fan Pang was warmly welcomed by the literati in Runan, Nanyang and other places. At the same time, Li Ying and others reached the peak of their reputation and became saints in public opinion. Xian, the first disaster of party imprisonment failed to extinguish the fighting spirit of the literati, but instead increased the reputation of the party members and completely suppressed eunuchs in public opinion.
Wu Wenling: The external relatives group, eunuch group, and bureaucratic group are actually the three pillars of power for the emperor. An emperor with strong control ability is usually able to maintain a balance between these three forces, allowing them to form a tripartite situation as much as possible, which is conducive to the stability of his own rule. However, once the emperor’s own control and his control weaken, he is prone to losing power. At this time, the rise and fall of these three forces will affect the development of the entire political landscape
In December 167 AD, Emperor Huan of Han passed away and Liu Hong, who was only 13 years old, ascended to the throne. This was Emperor Ling of Han, and the Eastern Han court reorganized. Empress Dowager Dou was appointed as the regent, and Dou Wu and Chen Fan were highly valued. The two of them held great power, and officials from the Qing school such as Li Ying returned to the court to participate in political affairs together. Since the middle period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, three distinct political groups, namely external relatives, eunuchs, and officials of the Qing Dynasty, have gradually formed, and they mutually constrain and maintain imperial power. Now, with the death of the old emperor and the young age of the new emperor, the political power has lost a key figure in control of balance. The relatives and officials of the Qing faction immediately formed an alliance to completely eliminate eunuchs.
On a day in May of the first year of Emperor Ling’s Jianning reign (168 AD), a solar eclipse occurred in the sky above Luoyang, causing panic and unease among the people. In the minds of the Han Dynasty, this was a warning from heaven against the emperor’s improper governance. Dou Wu, Chen Fan, and others immediately took the opportunity to report that the eunuchs had caused anger and resentment, and they must all be brought to justice. In August, after completing the security deployment in the Jingji region, they once again demanded the execution of eunuch leaders Cao Jie and others. At this time, Dou Wu and others completely gained the upper hand, and the final settlement was about to begin.
The eunuchs were being driven to a dead end, and the death of Emperor Huan had already caused them a sense of crisis of losing their support. With the comeback of Li Ying and other party members, they were restless and would not sit idly by. Instead, they remained highly vigilant like a cunning rabbit under the eagle’s claws, ready to deliver a fatal blow to their opponents. At this time, Empress Dowager Dou, who was in power, was of utmost importance. However, what puzzled Dou Wu, Chen Fan, and others was that when they were determined to completely cleanse the eunuchs, Empress Dowager Dou did not agree.
Wu Wenling: Due to some of the practices of his school, he is more extreme and too absolute, and has gone to another extreme. He feels that there are eunuchs who control the court, as if there are some illegal behaviors. They feel as if all these eunuchs are not good people and should be killed. It is indeed very extreme and can to some extent stimulate these. These eunuchs who originally had different interests and affiliations may eventually unite and form a stronger force.
The most tense moment has arrived. The memorial to kill the eunuchs was presented to Empress Dowager Dou, but she still did not agree. That night, the eunuchs peeped into those murderous words, and some eunuchs who had never engaged in misconduct were also angered because they were also listed on the list of executions. The eunuchs who fought against the enemy all night long took action, and they placed Empress Dowager Dou under house arrest. Then, in the name of the emperor and the empress dowager, they issued a decree to quell the rebellion. Dou Wu hastily summoned the five forbidden soldiers of the Northern Army to fight, but his soldiers dared not attack the emperor’s feathered army and defected one after another. Dou Wu was defeated and surrounded. Being forced to commit suicide, the most tragic scene unfolded immediately. Chen Fan, the 80 year old Grand Tutor, was shocked to hear of the palace coup and Dou Wu’s sacrifice. Instead of retreating, he led more than 80 disciples to rush into the Chengming Gate of the palace and engage in a final struggle like a moth to the fire, Eventually killed.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: In the power structure at that time, the officials of the Qing school were still a small part. They were a niche, and they were both aloof and aloof. When they rose to power, they used this public opinion to influence many people. Many officials may not have genuinely supported their views, but due to the influence of this Qing school, they would respectfully show obedience. Therefore, when the Qing school is afraid of losing power, these people will no longer support them.
At this time, Emperor Ling of Han was only 13 years old, and it was obviously not realistic for him to fully understand this palace coup. Surrounded by eunuchs, he only knew that his fair haired teacher Chen Fan and his usually serious grandfather Dou Wu were rebellious subjects, while the gentle and kind eunuchs bravely protected themselves. A few days later, the emperor issued an edict, and 18 eunuchs including Cao Jie and Wang Fu were rewarded for their contributions in suppressing the rebellion. The relatives and guests of the rebel leader Dou Wu and Chen Fan were either killed or exiled, and their officials who chose benevolence were all dismissed and imprisoned.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: Where do eunuchs come from? They come from imperial power. Essentially, they are an extension of imperial power, so they are different from bureaucratic groups. Like the officials of the Qing school, their starting point is also good, and they also hope that this can maintain the Han dynasty’s world. However, some of their actions inevitably conflict with imperial power, especially when they attack this eunuch, they will intentionally or unintentionally touch the emperor’s cheese.
Although the palace bloodbath has ended, for the scholars of the Qingliu faction, the nightmare has just begun. In October of the second year of Jianning (169 AD), under the guidance of eunuchs, the court ordered the arrest of party members nationwide. Under the attack of eunuchs, more than a hundred Qingliu faction scholars suffered and died. Many innocent people were falsely accused of being party members for offending eunuchs and were imprisoned. Some of the party members’ relatives, servants, and former officials were executed, while others were exiled. As a result, up to 600 to 700 victims were arrested. The court also issued an edict, including the party members’ disciples, former officials, father and son siblings. The relatives of Wu Fu were all imprisoned for life and were not allowed to hold official positions, which was the disaster of the second party imprisonment. In this disaster of party imprisonment, Li Ying, as a leader of the Qing school, was not spared. He and other Qing school celebrities such as Fan Pang were beaten to death in prison. In the autumn of the first year of the Xiping era (172 AD), an anonymous notice appeared on the Zhuque que que in the imperial palace, indicating that the world was vast. Eunuchs Cao Jie and Wang Fu imprisoned and killed Empress Dowager Dou, while the eunuchs and nobles Lan indiscriminately killed party members. However, all the officials and ministers were left with corpses and no one dared to offer advice. This rare large character poster openly disregarded imperial power and immediately aroused collective anger from the emperor, eunuchs, and ruling ministers. As a result, more than a thousand imperial students were arrested and imprisoned.
In January of the fourth year of Jianning (171 AD), both inside and outside the capital were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. At the age of 14, Emperor Ling of Han held a grand coronation ceremony, granting amnesty to the world according to tradition. Those prisoners who had committed treason were released, but only the party members were not included in the amnesty. The foolish and ignorant empire had forever placed them in a different register.
Zhao Kai, a researcher at the Institute of History of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: They represent integrity and courage. They are considered the conscience of society, and they receive a lot of sympathy. They are public opinion leaders. When they are attacked, more people sympathize with them, and those who sympathize with them will turn their emotions towards hatred and hostility towards the attackers. To whom is it towards eunuchs? Eunuchs are an extension of imperial power, and this hostility and emotion will turn to the side of imperial power. Therefore, in the long run, I think the Eastern Han Dynasty will lose people’s hearts.
Under confinement, honor and prestige are forever lost. For scholars who pursue the use of the classics, confinement means that they cannot achieve their life aspirations, which is equivalent to castration. The Liu family of the Han Dynasty has lost their hearts and is no longer the home of scholars. The time has come for good birds to choose trees and settle down. The Han government, which is unwilling to hear criticism, can no longer see its own problems and crises, cannot find political balance, and can only let it tilt further step by step until it completely falls. The eunuch group seemed to have achieved the final victory in the two calamities of party imprisonment. However, they did not expect that decaying wood would be difficult to build into a mansion. With the complete influx of clean water, they quickly followed the unbalanced Eastern Han court towards its downfall.
We can still see the footsteps left by the Qingliu people here, who have heard the loud sound of reading. Their deliberation reflects the Confucian moral ideal of governing the country and pacifying the world, but it has quickly been cleansed. If we try to restore the ruins of the Eastern Han Dynasty’s Imperial Academy, we will see that this place truly carries the glory of ancient Chinese culture and traditions. Although Qingliu appeared again in the late Qing Dynasty over 1600 years later, Li Hongzao, Zhang Zhidong, and others held a fair and impartial stance, did not avoid power, made direct admonitions, and demonstrated the true nature of Qingliu. However, their influence cannot be compared to the magnificent Qingliu in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is an irreproducible legend.
90 seconds in history: at the age of Jia Zi
In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, plagues were rampant, society was corrupt, and the people were struggling. Zhang Jiao claimed to be a great and virtuous teacher and sent eight disciples to spread teachings and develop disciples in all directions. Over the course of more than ten years, the number of disciples reached over 100000, with the intention of overthrowing the Han dynasty. At the same time, various folk religions continue to emerge across the country, and they have established strict management organizations among the disciples, gradually becoming independent kingdoms that compete with local governments. In the winter of 183 AD, when the sky was already dead, the yellow sky was standing, the year was in Jiazi, and the world was in good fortune, this low and passionate folk song with profound meanings continued to spread among the people. At the same time, in the capital city of Luoyang, the words “Jia Zi” written in white clay continue to appear on the walls of local government offices. With a large-scale search throughout Luoyang, a peasant uprising that swept across the country in the late Eastern Han Dynasty is about to erupt.