Partisan Prohibitions

  • Xia Fu [Biographies of Noble Scholars]

    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.

  • Zheng Xuan

    Zheng Xuan (127–200 CE) was a preeminent Confucian classicist of the Eastern Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Kangcheng, and he was a native of Gaomi, Beihai Commandery (in present-day Gaomi, Shandong).

  • The Partisan Prohibitions: the Fall of the Han Scholar-Gentry [Eastern Han]

    This article explores Eastern Han’s Partisan Prohibitions. Eunuchs branded scholar‑gentry like Li Ying and Chen Fan as “partisans,” triggering two brutal purges. Many were killed, exiled, or banned for life. The crackdown destroyed honest officials, fatally weakening the Han and paving the way for its collapse.

  • The Five Eunuch Marquises: How Palace Slaves Became Masters of the Han Empire [Eastern Han]

    This article reveals how Emperor Huan of Eastern Han ennobled five powerful eunuchs as marquises, letting them dominate the court. Their corruption, tyranny, and abuse of power outraged scholars and students. Their ruthless rule weakened the Han Empire, laying the ground for its eventual collapse.