Upright scholar Xia Fu was falsely framed as a partisan by corrupt eunuchs. To spare others from disaster, he cut his beard, disguised himself and labored as a metalworker in mountains. Even after amnesty, he stayed in exile until the governor fetched him after three attempts.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the Ten Regular Attendants (led by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong) are portrayed as a treacherous eunuch clique that harmed the nation and its people. Yet, Emperor Ling of Han (Liu Hong) obeyed them unconditionally and relied on them extensively. Why did such a political situation arise? This…
The first chapter of Romance of the Three Kingdoms skillfully juxtaposes two stories about “emperors and serpents”: one is the legend of the founding emperor, Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty, slaying a white serpent to rise in rebellion, and the other is the omen of the last emperor, Emperor Ling of Han, fainting…