What should he do?

At this moment, countless thoughts raced through He Jin’s mind.

The current situation—though he was not eloquent—He Jin knew it wasn’t wise to rely solely on the support of these scholars.

He had his own balance to weigh.

Here, it wasn’t just two opposing sides divided by the walls of Nangong City.

It was factions.

Eunuchs, aristocrats, and He Jin himself!

As Zhang Rang had said, if he were to corner these eunuchs who had just lost their greatest support, he could ensure Liu Bian ascended to the throne after eliminating them.

But that would also mean losing control over the aristocratic powers.

Moreover, the relationship between the imperial family and the in-laws was not entirely trustworthy.

Even his half-sister, Empress Dowager He, after becoming regent, would likely prioritize the young emperor’s interests over the He family’s.

Perhaps he should consider letting Zhang Rang and others off the hook for now, just as Liu Hong had done in the past.

He could maneuver between the eunuchs and the aristocrats to gain enough benefits from both sides, ensuring his own invincible position.

Zhang Rang and the others were more in line with his intentions than those like Yuan Shao, who only spoke but did not act.

Killing Dong Zhong was the best declaration of intent!

General Dong Chong, stationed in Hedong and approaching Luoyang, had no connection with Dong Zhuo, who was Empress Dowager Dong’s nephew and aligned with Liu Xie’s faction.

To ascend to the throne, Liu Xie needed both an imperial decree and the support of Dong Chong’s troops.

Initially, He Jin thought Zhang Rang summoned Dong Chong to see the emperor to legitimize his military actions.

Instead, driven by fear, Zhang Rang and others killed Dong Chong first as a gesture of goodwill towards He Jin.

This was perfect! It couldn’t have been better.

Zhang Rang deliberately severed ties with Liu Xie!

He Jin couldn’t have imagined that Liu Hong’s final plan before his death was to eliminate him, even if it meant allowing Zhang Rang and Jia Xu to kill Dong Chong first to gain his trust.

This was the cunning strategy of a manipulative emperor.

As He Jin looked towards the imperial city with Dong Chong’s lifeless head under his horse’s hooves, he felt pure satisfaction.

Even if Zhang Rang allowed him to bring only two hundred soldiers, so what?

With these people at his side…

He had enough men to ensure his safety.

Having too many people might raise suspicions of treason.

He Jin loudly declared, “First, let my men confirm the Emperor’s fate.”

As he spoke, he saw a hanging basket lower from the southern palace wall.

He gestured for a servant to approach.

The trusted aide climbed into the basket and was hoisted up into the palace.

After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he returned in haste.

He reported to He Jin, “Indeed, His Majesty has passed away. The decree to pass the throne has been given to General Dong.”

He had seen it with his own eyes.

He also saw the headless body of Dong Chong lying in the Jia De Hall.

General Dong probably never expected to find not a living Emperor inside, but such a deadly blow.

When he heard that Liu Hong had ultimately chosen to pass the throne to Liu Xie, He Jin didn’t get angry.

Instead, he smiled.

After all, Liu Hong had long favored Liu Xie over Liu Bian for his intelligence and suitability.

The decision in the will was not surprising.

He Jin’s smile was because, despite Liu Hong’s disdain for their roughness and doubts about Liu Bian’s abilities, the eunuchs who had once surrounded him and driven him were now, after his death, abandoning Dong Chong and siding with him!

In the end, He Jin was the ultimate victor!

With the facts laid out before him, He Jin ignored the warnings of Yuan Shao and others.

They had spoken of how the situation was already like an arrow on the bowstring, ready to be released.

He Jin immediately ordered all but the two hundred soldiers who would follow him into the South Palace to retreat to a safe distance.

As the palace gate slowly opened, he led his guard into this heavily guarded inner area.

When the gate opened, he saw Zhang Rang and Zhao Zhong standing there to greet him.

Because of their earlier actions, killing Dong Chong, the two were covered in blood.

The once proud eunuchs, who had been honored by Emperor Liu Hong and acted arrogantly, now looked like two—

Drowned rats!

That was the only comparison He Jin could think of.

He rode his horse forward, not even bothering to dismount despite being inside the South Palace.

With arrogance, he stopped beside Zhang Rang and said, “Zhang Rang, if you had been this wise earlier, would you have needed to kill the emperor’s kin to gain my trust today?”

Zhang Rang, with a bitter expression, replied, “You jest, Grand General. If only I had realized sooner…”

“…come to your side, I fear I would have long been rejected by His Majesty.”

Hearing this, He Jin laughed lightly, realizing Zhang Rang had a point.

He then asked, “The two princes have already been sent from the North Palace to the South Palace. Where is the Imperial Seal?”

As the southern palace gate closed, and although Yuan Shao and the others were no longer by his side, He Jin didn’t feel he was in danger.

Instead, he felt comfortable, his greedy and cunning nature coming to the forefront as he found himself in a territory with no current ruler.

At the same time, the northern palace gate opened and closed again, following his order, bringing Liu Xie and Liu Bian from the North Palace to this place.

Zhang Rang heard the report from a young eunuch, knowing that Liu Xie was now in a safe environment, and couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He then said to He Jin, “Please follow me, Grand General.”

He Jin did not ask about how Emperor Liu Hong’s body would be handled or his funeral arrangements.

Instead, he first inquired about the location of the Imperial Seal, which made perfect sense.

Since there was only an edict to pass the throne to Liu Xie, if Liu Bian wanted to ascend the throne, or rather to do so in a lawful manner, it would be best to have a new decree.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s written later. As long as it bears the Imperial Seal and has the Grand General’s support, it will be enough!”

Seeing that Zhang Rang was leading him towards the eastern palace chambers rather than the western Jiade Hall, He Jin cursed Zhang Rang in his heart, calling him an old fox.

It seemed Zhang Rang was wary of him forcing his way into the palace, so he had hidden the Imperial Seal beforehand.

Luckily, He Jin didn’t choose to confront Zhang Rang but accepted his submission.

Otherwise, supporting his nephew’s ascension to the throne would have been more troublesome.

In the second year of Zhongping, a fire broke out in the South Palace but did not affect this area.

The palace chambers in the southeast corner of the Luoyang South Palace were separated from the official residences by just a wall and were mostly used as office spaces similar to government offices.

Even though Zhang Rang was leading He Jin to a northern area, the alleys here were still narrower than the usual palace pathways.

He Jin, focused on obtaining the Imperial Seal as soon as possible, didn’t notice that in these palace pathways, his two hundred accompanying soldiers had been stretched into a long column, reducing their ability to protect him effectively.

He only saw Zhang Rang stop at a side door of a palace courtyard and say, “It is here. Please wait a moment, General.”

Zhang Rang pushed the door open and entered.

He Jin noticed that the courtyard had not been cleaned for a long time, with a wooden beam placed across the doorway.

He frowned but realized that Zhang Rang…

“…really chose a perfect place to hide the Imperial Seal.

If he had decided to force his way in earlier, he wouldn’t have searched in such hidden corners.

If the Imperial Seal had been lost, it would have given the scholars another reason to denounce him.

“Please wait a moment, Grand General. I will go fetch it.”

Zhang Rang bowed to He Jin and walked towards the palace chamber without closing the courtyard door.

He Jin didn’t suspect anything and stayed where he was.

But then, the unexpected happened!

Almost as soon as Zhang Rang’s figure disappeared from his sight, the courtyard door was suddenly shut by someone hidden behind it, leaving He Jin and his men trapped in the narrow passage between the high walls.

Before He Jin could react, dozens of archers appeared on the high walls.

These archers, already with bows drawn, stood on ladders.

Using the closing door as a signal, they simultaneously leaned out and shot long arrows at He Jin and his men in the alley.

At least ten arrows were aimed directly at He Jin!

He and his men were wearing specially made armor that could not be easily pierced by ordinary arrows.

But these arrows from above were aimed at their faces!

The sudden attack, executed by the elite troops of the Xiyuan Eight Schools trained by Jian Shuo, resulted in a long arrow piercing He Jin’s face.

This was a fatal arrow!

The arrow penetrated his face, leaving only the feathered end visible, hitting a critical spot.

Before He Jin fell, he was still dreaming of glory.

He believed that once he obtained the Imperial Seal, he would have the merit of supporting his nephew’s ascension to the throne.

But now, all of this was shattered.

In his increasingly blurry vision, he saw Jian Shuo’s troops pouring in from both sides of the alley, blocking all exits.

Even if he had not been hit by the arrow, he would still meet his end here.

He Jin, filled with hatred, could do nothing to stop his consciousness from rapidly fading away under the impact of the fatal arrow.

The only thing he could do was to curse, “Zhang Rang, you scoundrel!” as he fell backward.

“Scoundrel?” Zhang Rang, hearing He Jin’s curse, snorted coldly.

What kind of scoundrel was he?

Years ago, Empress He was notoriously jealous in the harem.

After Consort Wang gave birth to Prince Xie, Empress He poisoned her.

It was only because they, the eunuchs, intervened that Emperor Liu Hong temporarily changed his mind, sparing Empress He from the fate of Empress Song, who had her entire clan executed.

And how did He Jin repay them?

After becoming the Grand General in the seventh year of Guanghe, He Jin unhesitatingly accepted the allegiance of the aristocratic clans, making himself the leader of the anti-eunuch faction.

Ungrateful fool!

Now that He Jin was dead, Zhang Rang just needed to inform Lu Zhi and Dong Chong’s brother, ensuring they quickly took control of the troops that once belonged to He Jin.

Zhang Rang aimed to become the key minister maintaining power until the next emperor’s ascension.

To prevent the news from leaking, avoiding the situation when Liu Hong first tried to eliminate He Jin during his lifetime, Zhang Rang hadn’t allowed anyone else in the South Palace to leave.

Now that He Jin was dead, the biggest obstacle was gone. Even if some messengers pretended to comply while secretly defying orders, it didn’t matter anymore.

He picked up He Jin’s severed head and walked toward the northeast corner of the South Palace.

There were still some trustworthy people among the Western Armies Eight Division, selected by Liu Hong.

This included captains like Cao Cao and Bao Hong.

Cao Cao watched as Zhang Rang, covered in blood and holding He Jin’s head, approached and said:

“Mengde, I know you have close ties with Yuan Shao, but the nation is in peril. The Emperor’s last wish was to have Marquis Dong succeed him. We, being directly under the Emperor’s command, should fulfill his hope, don’t you think?”

Cao Cao smiled bitterly in his heart but showed no emotion on his face.

He had hoped that the establishment of the Eight Division would allow him to achieve his ambitions, but it turned out Liu Hong only intended to use this force to counter the Grand General.

Now, with the Emperor dead, their situation had become even more precarious.

However, perhaps the current chaos must be resolved before order could be restored. Having already started down this path, he had no choice but to see it through.

Even though Cao Cao had once beaten Jian Shuo’s uncle to death, he was still considered reliable at this moment.

He had fierce warriors and elite soldiers by his side, allowing him to break through any encirclement.

Therefore, Zhang Rang entrusted him with the task of contacting the necessary allies.

Cao Cao responded, “I am at your service, Lord Zhang.”

Seeing Cao Cao remain calm despite the sudden turn of events, displaying the demeanor of a great general and agreeing to the task, Zhang Rang smiled with satisfaction. “Leave immediately through the northeast gate and find Minister of War, Lu Zhi. The late Emperor appointed Minister Lu to assist the young Emperor. Since Minister Lu is skilled in military affairs, ask him to quickly reorganize the troops with your assistance and lift the siege of the South Palace!”

Asking for Lu Zhi’s help?

This decision thrilled Cao Cao.

If he had to choose between Lu Zhi and others like He Jin and Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, who still held loyalty to the Han Dynasty, would undoubtedly choose Lu Zhi!

Even though this power transition was highly unconventional,

Lu Zhi was truly selfless and dedicated to public service. If he were to assist in governance, the Han Dynasty might indeed have a chance at revival!

Upon receiving the orders, Cao Cao, along with Xu Chu and Cao Hong, immediately left through the northeast gate of the South Palace.

Before Cao Cao and his men could break through, He Jin’s earlier shout of “Zhang Rang, you scoundrel!” echoed through the palace walls, reaching not only Zhang Rang nearby but also He Yong, who was in the Office of the Minister over the Masses.

Realizing something was wrong, He Yong rushed to where Yuan Shao and the others were.

After hearing He Yong’s speculations, Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao did not hesitate to lead their troops towards the city walls.

He Yong’s prediction proved accurate.

In response to their question, “Where is the Grand General?” there was initially silence, followed by He Jin’s severed head being thrown from the city walls.

Hearing Zhang Rang from behind the walls accuse He Jin of treason and claim they were waiting for Lu Zhi and Liu Yu to take charge, Yuan Shao did not retreat as Zhang Rang had hoped.

Instead, he stared intently at the source of the voice and suddenly asked Yuan Shu, “Is this not the best time to eliminate the eunuchs?”

The South Palace of Luoyang was not a heavily fortified place!

The troops that once followed He Jin were now the best weapon they could use!

Even if this action might damage the emperor’s prestige, once successful, the scholars could easily cover it up.

After all, they were only eliminating eunuchs!

Cao Cao had just met with Lu Zhi, discussing the situation in the Luoyang Palace and handing over the appointment letter.

Lu Zhi looked towards the imperial city, his face changing color.

In the darkening sky, a blazing red glow stood out starkly.

That was…

Lu Zhi grabbed Cao Cao’s arm, “This is bad! The South Palace is on fire, something must be wrong! Mengde, leave me twenty riders. I’ll go to the North Army camp to gather troops. You must quickly go to extinguish the fire and rescue people!”

“No matter what, first ensure the safety of Prince Xie… no, ensure the safety of His Majesty!”

With the late emperor’s edict in hand, Prince Xie was to be the next emperor of the Han Dynasty!