Volume One: The Supervisor and the Scholar Chapter Thirty-Nine: On Historiography in the Later Han

Like many performances in later generations, today’s imperial lecture began with less important figures taking the stage as an opening act, rather than having the chief speaker, Yang Shen, start from the very beginning.

Huang Ming quickly understood the purpose behind this arrangement: first, to guide everyone into the proper mood; second, perhaps to create a contrast, highlighting the excellence of Yang Shen’s presentation that would follow.

In any case, the content delivered by the first two scholars was exceedingly dull and tedious. They spoke of how the noble families and ministers of the early Eastern Han were upright and incorruptible, accepting only half of their rightful salaries, leaving their wives and children back in their hometowns, never taking advantage of public funds.

According to their descriptions, the Eastern Han’s early and middle periods seemed to be an age where the whole world was filled with virtuous gentlemen, utterly devoid of selfishness.

If that were truly the case, how could the Eastern Han suddenly decline so sharply and end up as little more than a hollow name?

As for tales of eminent ministers who were so self-disciplined that, even upon their deaths, they had only a few thousand coins to their names—Huang Ming would not believe a single word of it. Such stories might fool naïve children, but not a single official in this grand hall would take them seriously.

Of course, their faces betrayed nothing of their disbelief, displaying only expressions of admiration and yearning. They were all seasoned performers, masters of controlling their expressions with precision.

Even His Majesty the Emperor was deeply impressed. When the second speaker finished and withdrew, the emperor exclaimed, “Thus, there is a saying in later generations—‘the people long for the Han’. Such a clear and upright era, with a wise ruler and honest ministers, truly serves as a model for posterity.

“Yet this gives rise to a question. If the Eastern Han was so virtuous, united from top to bottom, why did it later descend into the chaos of the late Han?”

The imperial lecture offered no opportunity for other ministers to express themselves. As the emperor finished speaking, a man stepped forward, approaching the imperial throne and standing at the lectern.

He was a striking figure, handsome and graceful, in his twenties or thirties, his eyes bright as stars, a neatly trimmed beard of three strands at his chin. At first sight, one would praise him as a true son of the nation!

Huang Ming’s eyes flashed, and he immediately guessed the identity of this extraordinary man—Yang Shen.

Sure enough, Yang Shen turned slightly, saluted the emperor, and said, “Your Majesty, allow me to address your question and offer some explanation.”

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The main event had finally begun. Huang Ming, like everyone else inside and outside the hall, felt a surge of anticipation, eager to see how the chief speaker would perform.

With Yang Shen’s opening remarks, the gap between him and the previous speakers became instantly apparent—

“I hear Your Majesty delights in poetry. Have you read Du Fu’s poem commemorating Zhuge Liang, the Martial Marquis?”

With this single question, the emperor’s interest was piqued, and he replied, “Of course I have read it, especially the last two lines: ‘He died before his mission was fulfilled, forever causing heroes to shed tears.’ They linger in the mind.”

A master’s touch—one sentence was enough to capture the emperor’s attention, making the previous speakers’ straightforward narratives seem utterly inferior by comparison.

Huang Ming gazed deeply at Yang Shen behind the lectern, inwardly praising him. This was truly the work of a brilliant scholar whose name would live on in history.

Yang Shen, sensing the momentum, continued, “Your Majesty is learned; I too deeply admire Zhuge Liang for his dedication unto death. Especially his memorial submitted at the beginning of his northern expedition, which is a masterpiece for the ages!”

Seeing the emperor nod in agreement, he boldly recited the memorial aloud, reaching the passage: “…to cherish virtuous ministers and distance oneself from petty men—this was the reason the former Han flourished. To favor petty men and alienate the virtuous—this was the cause of the Eastern Han’s decline. Whenever the late emperor discussed this with me, he never failed to sigh and lament over Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling…” He suddenly paused.

His tone grew solemn. “Your Majesty, I believe that what is stated in the memorial is sufficient to explain why the late Eastern Han fell into the turmoil of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, ultimately leading to the collapse of the realm.”

The emperor, captivated by this explanation, nodded in agreement. “Yang Shen, your words are most reasonable. But who, then, are the virtuous ministers and who are the petty men?”

“The virtuous ministers are naturally those mentioned earlier, such as Yang Zhen and Yang Ci, whose names are immortalized in history…

“They held high office and served the nation wholeheartedly, never caring for personal gain. They even willingly accepted only half their rightful salaries, seeking no luxury, serving solely for the public good…

“As for the petty men, the historical records are clear. Men like Liang Ji, Dou Xian, and He Jin, those overbearing relatives of the imperial family, and…”

At this point, he paused, his gaze deliberately sweeping toward the emperor’s flanks, where Huang Jin and another eunuch stood.

“…but the chief culprits behind the late Han chaos were the Ten Attendants, led by Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong—the palace eunuchs.

“It was their insatiable greed and lawlessness, their ability to deceive the emperor and persecute virtuous ministers, that brought about decades of corruption and disaster in the court. This led to the calamity of the Partisan Prohibitions, followed by unbearable hardship among the people, forcing them to rise up and spark the Yellow Turban Rebellion!”

Huang Ming lowered his gaze, realizing that the true subject had finally been broached.

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As expected, Yang Shen now focused on the calamity of the Partisan Prohibitions and the subsequent uprising of the Ten Attendants, explaining every detail.

His foundation was solid, his eloquence remarkable, and his preparation meticulous. His narrative was clear yet profound, drawing everyone in and leaving them enthralled.

The young emperor, especially, nodded repeatedly in admiration, clearly swayed by Yang Shen’s arguments.

The two eunuchs standing by his side remained outwardly composed, but their hearts grew heavier with each passing moment.

Yang Shen’s historical discourse was clearly more than mere scholarship; once the logic reached its conclusion, the accusation would inevitably point toward themselves.

What could they do?

One eunuch glanced at Huang Jin. “Elder Huang, didn’t you say you had a way to deal with this?”

Huang Jin felt the tension in his heart grow, his gaze drifting to the doorway where his son stood.

His son had created so many incredible miracles recently—might today bring yet another, even greater miracle?

Huang Ming appeared as enraptured as everyone else by Yang Shen’s eloquent exposition, but inside, he was conflicted.

The situation was tougher than he’d imagined. The opponent’s arguments were well-supported, his speech flowed like a river, and compared to Yang Shen’s mastery of history, Huang Ming felt as ignorant as a child. Pursuing his previous strategy would be mere bravado, doomed to fail.

He would have to try another way—a more unorthodox approach.

Just then, as half an hour had passed, Yang Shen was finishing his final summary.

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