A Sudden Death and a Stolen Throne
In 125 CE, Emperor An of Han fell gravely ill while on a pleasure tour. He died en route – “a fool to the end,” as later historians would say. His wife, Empress Yan, burst into tears, but her brother Yan Xian and eunuchs Jiang Jing and Fan Feng urgently silenced her:
“Do not weep! If the ministers learn the emperor is dead, they’ll install Prince Jiyin (Liu Bao) – and we’ll all be slaughtered!”
Years earlier, Emperor An’s concubine Lady Li had borne him a son, Liu Bao, who was named crown prince. Fearing rivalry, Empress Yan poisoned Lady Li and conspired with Jiang Jing and Fan Feng to falsely accuse the ten-year-old prince of treason. Emperor An, gullible and weak, deposed Liu Bao and demoted him to Prince of Jiyin.
Now, with the emperor dead, the Yan faction acted swiftly. They concealed his death, rushed back to Luoyang, and installed a toddler – a grandson of Emperor Zhang – as puppet emperor. Empress Yan became Empress Dowager, and Yan Xian seized power as General of Chariots and Cavalry.
He purged the court: replacing the Three Excellencies (Grand Commandant, Minister Over the Masses, Minister of Works) with his own men, then orchestrating the downfall of former allies like General-in-Chief Geng Bao, eunuchs Fan Feng, Xie Yun, Zhou Guang, and wet nurse Wang Sheng – all accused of “forming cliques and plotting rebellion.” They were executed or imprisoned.
The Yan clan’s tyranny had begun.
The Eunuch Coup: Nineteen Men Who Seized an Empire
But their reign lasted only months. The child emperor fell ill and died. Seizing the chaos, eunuch Sun Cheng secretly rallied eighteen fellow Yellow Gate Attendants (imperial guards). They swore an oath before heaven:”We will restore Prince Liu Bao!”
Before the Yans could react, Sun Cheng struck. His men assassinated Jiang Jing and Liu An, stormed the palace, and that very night enthroned eleven-year-old Liu Bao as Emperor Shun.
Sun Cheng then:
- Ordered imperial guards to kill Wei Wei (Commandant of the Guards) Yan Jing;
- Forced Empress Dowager Yan to surrender the imperial seal;
- Imprisoned Yan Xian, Yan Yao, and Yan Yan, who were soon executed;
- Confined the empress dowager to a detached palace, where she died days later.
Thus ended the Yan clan’s brief but brutal rule – only to usher in a new era of domination: by eunuchs.
From Wolves to Jackals: The Rise of the Eunuch Lords
Sun Cheng and his nineteen conspirators were hailed as saviors. Flatterers compared them to Han Xin and Wu Han, heroes of founding emperors. Emperor Shun ennobled them all as marquises; Sun Cheng, the ringleader, became Marquis of Fuyang and Commandant of the Capital Guards.
Overnight, power shifted from external relatives to palace eunuchs.
By 132 CE, however, a new threat emerged: Emperor Shun married Lady Liang, daughter of Liang Shang, who was appointed General-in-Chief. The Liang clan rose – reviving the cycle of outer-family dominance.
To appear virtuous, the court held a special examination for talented scholars. Among the candidates were:
- Chen Fan of Runan,
- Li Ying of Yingchuan,
- Li Gu of Nanzheng,
- And Zhang Heng of Nanyang – the brilliant scientist.
They proposed bold reforms. But with eunuchs and Liang relatives controlling policy, their words fell on deaf ears.
The Genius Ignored: Zhang Heng and His Marvels
Zhang Heng was no mere scholar. A pioneer of astronomy and mathematics, he:
- Argued the Earth was spherical;
- Understood the Moon reflected sunlight;
- Invented the armillary sphere, a water-powered celestial model showing star movements indoors.
Even more astonishing was his seismoscope – a bronze vessel shaped like a wine jar, ringed by eight dragons, each holding a copper ball over a frog’s open mouth.
When an earthquake struck – even a thousand miles away – the dragon facing the epicenter would drop its ball into the frog’s mouth with a resounding “clang.”
In 138 CE, the western dragon dropped its ball. Officials scoffed: “No quake in Luoyang! Zhang Heng is a fraud!”
Days later, news arrived: a massive earthquake had leveled Jincheng in Longxi.
Yet despite this triumph, Zhang Heng remained sidelined. In a court ruled by greed, genius had no place.
The Fatal Precedent: Eunuchs with Heirs
Emperor Shun, indebted to eunuchs, made a fateful decision: when Sun Cheng died childless, the emperor allowed his adopted son Sun Shou to inherit his title and fief.
This broke centuries of precedent. Since Emperor Wu, eunuchs were trusted precisely because they lacked blood heirs and couldn’t build dynastic power. Now, any eunuch could adopt dozens of sons, creating sprawling, entrenched clans.
Soon, hundreds – then thousands – of eunuch households filled the capital, battling for influence. Even Liang Shang, the general-in-chief, ordered his sons to befriend powerful eunuchs like Cao Jie and Cao Teng to safeguard their status.
Corruption became systemic. Offices were bought, justice sold, and the people suffered.
Enter the Wolf: Liang Ji Takes Power
When Liang Shang died in 141 CE, his son Liang Ji inherited the post of General-in-Chief. Though stuttering and crude, Liang Ji was ruthless – a gambler, cockfighter, and bully since youth.
Allied with eunuchs, he ruled like a warlord. Taxation soared, justice vanished, and peasant uprisings erupted across the empire.
In response, Minister of Admonition Zhou Ju urged the emperor:
“Punish corrupt local officials – they are why the people rebel!”
Emperor Shun, unusually receptive, dispatched eight inspectors to investigate provinces.
“Wolves Block the Road – Why Hunt Foxes?”
Among them was the youngest: Zhang Gang, a man of unshakable principle. As he neared Luoyang’s city gate, he stopped his carriage, smashed its wheels, and buried them.
When asked why, he declared:
“Wolves block the road – why hunt foxes? The root of corruption is Liang Ji and his brother Liang Buzhi (Governor of Henan). Punish them, and petty officials will tremble.”
He returned to the capital and submitted a blistering memorial accusing the Liang brothers of tyranny.
The city erupted in support. Commoners cheered: “Zhang Gang speaks for us!”
The Liangs seethed:”How many heads does this boy have?”
But Emperor Shun, doting on Empress Liang, ignored the petition. Other inspectors’ reports – also implicating Liang Ji – were buried without reply.
A Noble Trap – and a Noble End
Furious, Liang Ji plotted revenge. When news came that Zhang Ying, leader of tens of thousands of rebels in Guangling (Yangzhou), was ravaging the southeast, Liang Ji recommended Zhang Gang as governor – hoping he’d be killed.
But Zhang Gang did the unexpected. With only a dozen followers, he met Zhang Ying face-to-face, vowing:
“I come to punish corrupt officials – not to harm the people.”
Trusting his integrity, Zhang Ying disbanded his army. Zhang Gang recruited capable rebels as local officers and sent the rest home to farm. Peace returned to Guangling.
For this, ministers urged honors – but Liang Ji blocked every promotion. Within a year, Zhang Gang died in office, exhausted and unrewarded.
The Cycle Continues: Another Child on the Throne
In 144 CE, Emperor Shun died. His two-year-old son, Liu Bing, became Emperor Chong – but died six months later.
Now the succession crisis loomed again. Two candidates emerged – both great-grandsons of Emperor Zhang:
- Liu Suan, mature and wise;
- Liu Zuan, just eight years old.
Grand Commandant Li Gu urged: “Choose the elder! Stability demands it!”
But Liang Ji and Empress Dowager Liang wanted a puppet. They installed Liu Zuan as Emperor Zhi – ensuring another decade of tyranny by regents and eunuchs.
And so, as wolves howled in the halls of power, the people’s hope dimmed once more.
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