Although the Yellow Scarves Uprising had been suppressed, the Eastern Han court sank into deeper crisis.
The flogging of the inspector
Liu Bei and his companions received official posts for their military achievements and should have been respected. However, the inspector (Duyou, or the commissioner), deliberately created difficulties, demanding bribes. Liu Bei, being upright and unyielding, refused to submit. The commissioner, harboring resentment, subjected him to various humiliations. When Zhang Fei learned of this, he was enraged. He went straight to the guesthouse where the commissioner was still throwing his weight around. Without hesitation, Zhang Fei seized him by the hair, dragged him to a hitching post, and gave him a severe flogging with willow branches. The commissioner cried out in pain, begging for mercy.
The Aftermath and Political Intrigues
Hearing the news, Liu Bei rushed to the scene and stopped Zhang Fei, but the commissioner was already half-beaten to death. Realizing they could no longer stay, Liu Bei resigned his official seal and left. The three companions sought refuge with Liu Hui in Daizhou, moving from place to place thereafter.
Meanwhile, turbulent undercurrents surged within the court. The Ten Regular Attendants controlled the government, selling official posts and disrupting state affairs. He Jin, the Empress’ brother, sought to eliminate the eunuchs but was obstructed by Empress He. Ignoring dissuasion, He Jin insisted on summoning fierce generals from all regions to the capital, intending to use external forces to purge the eunuchs. This move was like throwing a massive rock into a still lake, triggering tremendous turmoil in the court and sowing the seeds for Dong Zhuo’s subsequent tyranny.
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