Since the reign of Emperor He of the Eastern Han Dynasty, a vicious cycle of alternating dominance between maternal relatives and eunuchs had taken shape. By the time of Emperors Huan and Ling, the eunuch faction led by Cao Jie and Wang Fu (precursors to the Ten Regular Attendants) monopolized court affairs, sold official titles and ranks, and persecuted loyal officials.
In 168 AD, Emperor Huan passed away without an heir. Dou Wu and Chen Fan, among others, enthroned the 12-year-old Marquis of Jieduting, Liu Hong (Emperor Ling). Dou Wu assumed the role of Grand General, and Chen Fan became Imperial Guardian, together forming a joint “maternal relatives + scholar-officials” administration. They planned to eliminate the eunuch group led by Cao Jie and Wang Fu.
However, Empress Dowager Dou (Dou Wu’s daughter) and Dou Wu himself hesitated at critical moments and delayed action. Their plans were quickly leaked, prompting the eunuchs to preemptively strike. Cao Jie and others took the young emperor and Empress Dowager Dou hostage, forged an imperial decree, and accused Dou Wu of treason. Dou Wu was subsequently killed in a counterattack, and Empress Dowager Dou was placed under house arrest.
>> Why Grand Generals Dou Wu and He Jin failed to stop the eunuchs?
As a result, the eunuch faction reached the peak of its power. Cao Jie, Wang Fu, and other Regular Attendants controlled the court, forming the group known as the Ten Regular Attendants. They manipulated imperial decrees and official appointments, suppressing the influence of maternal relatives. During Emperor Ling’s reign, the eunuch Zhang Rang even institutionalized the open selling of official positions, directly monetizing power.
This power structure persisted for two decades until the outbreak of the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 AD, which provided He Jin, a maternal relative, with an opportunity to regain military authority.
In April 189 AD, Emperor Ling fell gravely ill. In the matter of Ling’s heir apparent, Queen Mother Dong urged the Emperor to name Xie, son of the murdered concubine Wang, over Bian, son of Empress He. The Emperor himself was disposed to make this change as he was partial to Prince Xie.
As Emperor Ling’s end drew near, the eunuch Jian Shuo advised him, “If it is Your Majesty’s wish that Prince Xie, not Prince Bian, follow you on the throne, first get rid of Regent He Jin, Bian’s uncle, to forestall countermeasures.” Emperor Ling took his advice and commanded He Jin to appear. He Jin arrived at the palace gate but there was warned by the commanding officer, Pan Yin, not to enter because Jian Shuo meant to kill him. He Jin fled to his quarters and summoned the ministers and high officials to consider executing all the eunuchs.
Soon, Emperor Ling of Han lay dead, and the imperial palace in Luoyang became a chessboard for a power struggle that would tear the dynasty apart. On one side stood the eunuchs, long-time manipulators of court politics. On the other stood the imperial in-laws, led by the bullish General-in-Chief He Jin, brother of Empress He.
Sensing the vacuum left by the emperor’s death, scheming eunuch Jian Shuo plotted to assassinate He Jin. He concealed the emperor’s death, forged an imperial edict to summon He Jin to the palace. Again, Pan Yin ran to He Jin and informed him Jian Shuo’s plan.
He Jin moved quickly. He firstly placed his nephew Liu Bian on the throne as Emperor Shao and took control as one of the regents. Then led his troops to the court to arrest Jian Shuo. Soon, Jian Shuo was captured and executed—an early victory for the in-laws(imperial maternal relatives).
To strengthen his hand, He Jin absorbed Jian Shuo’s troops into his own. The eunuchs seemed cornered.
Then came a fateful suggestion from Yuan Shao, a prominent scholar-official. Yuan Shao said to He Jin, “These eunuchs have organized their own gang. But today the tide runs with us. Let’s kill every last one.”
But He Jin hesitated. The eunuchs had powerful allies—even within his own family. His brother He Miao, bought off by eunuch bribes, openly opposed the purge. So did Empress He, who feared that eliminating the eunuchs would leave her brother too powerful.
The eunuchs, led by the cunning Zhang Rang, seized this division as a lifeline. They whispered in the empress’s ear, warning that He Jin planned to dominate the court entirely. They even won over He Miao, turning brother against brother.
Months passed. He Jin’s indecision grew—until August 25th, when the empress pursuaded by the eunuchs to summon He Jin to the Palace of Lasting Happiness.
>> Why was He Jin so merciful and indecisive toward the eunuchs?
“Your sister calls you to discuss the elimination of the eunuchs,” a messenger told him.
His advisors warned him not to go. Chen Lin, He Jin’s first secretary, sought to dissuade the regent. “This,” he argued, “is a plot of the Ten Eunuchs. Keep away. If you go we are ruined.”
“It is the Empress’s own command,” said He Jin. “Nothing can happen.”
“Our plans,” Yuan Shao said, “have been leaked. Our cause is publicly known. Do you still want to enter the palace?”
But He Jin, swollen with pride, entered the palace alone.
It was a trap.
As soon as he stepped into the inner court, dozens of eunuchs rushed him with daggers and swords. Zhang Rang himself screamed, “You dared to try and destroy us? Now die, you fool!”
He Jin fell butchered in the corridors where he once held power.
When news spread, the capital erupted. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao led loyal troops into the palace, slaughtering every eunuch they found—young or old, guilty or innocent. He Miao, accused of treason against his own brother, was cut down by He Jin’s subordinates. Zhang Rang and his inner circle fled, only to drown themselves in the Yellow River.
In the span of one day, both the eunuch faction and the in-law leadership lay destroyed.
But the vacuum remained—and soon, it would be filled by a wolf from the west: Dong Zhuo, the warlord who would burn Luoyang, dethrone the emperor, and plunge China into an era of blood and chaos.
The tragedy of He Jin was not merely his death—it was his failure to see that in the game of thrones, there are no half-measures. Either you strike decisively, or you become a pawn in someone else’s plot.
And in the end, the only winners are those who wait patiently outside the gates—with an army.
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