Wang Chengen earnestly advised Jian Shuo to bide his time and wait until his men contacted Liu Wei, raised their troops, and launched a joint attack from within and without.

This way, the success rate is higher.

However, Jian Shuo believed that He Jin would definitely take action against him and the Ten Attendants soon.

With the young emperor's ascension to the throne, He Jin held immense power and would absolutely not tolerate their existence.

He Jin had ordered Jian Shuo to hand over the military tallies of the Western Garden Army and the Imperial Guard within a month. Jian Shuo's vague response had already displeased He Jin.

It is said that Empress Dowager He and others also seemed to know about Emperor Ling Liu Hong leaving a will for Liu Wei.

If Jian Shuo continues to delay handing over the military tally, He Jin will immediately have an excuse to take action.

Even if they manage to contact Liu Wei and coordinate an attack from within, by the time Liu Wei's army arrives in Luoyang, Jian Shuo will have no military power left, and it's uncertain whether he will even survive.

Therefore, Jian Shuo's only option now is to kill He Jin first, so that they have a glimmer of hope to turn the tide and help Liu Xie ascend the throne.

Ignoring Wang Chengen's earnest advice, Jian Shuo summoned his trusted confidants from the Western Garden Army and the Imperial Guards to secretly plot.

Some people suggested that Empress Dowager He frequently summoned He Jin to the palace to discuss state affairs, and therefore believed that the chances of killing He Jin on his way to the palace were greater.

Jian Shuo immediately adopted the man's suggestion and selected one hundred elite soldiers from the Western Garden Army to relieve a portion of the Imperial Guards, ready to be deployed at any time and to find the best opportunity.

Upon learning that He Jin was to enter the palace again today, Jian Shuo decided to take action, ambushing a hundred elite troops on the road from Zhengyang Gate to Yong'an Palace, just waiting for He Jin's arrival!

But Jian Shuo was unaware that his most trusted military commander, Pan Yin, had betrayed him.

After He Jin heard a secret report from his retainer at the General's Mansion, Yuan Shao proposed that he, Cao Cao, Bao Xin, and Zhao Yan each lead armored soldiers to seize the opportunity to storm the palace.

He Jin had long wanted to get rid of Jian Shuo and control the Western Garden Army and the Imperial Guards, so he agreed to Yuan Shao's proposal.

Before setting off, He Jin wore two layers of armor under his official robes to guard against sneak attacks by Jian Shuo's men.

He Jin, accompanied by Yuan Shao and Cao Cao disguised as bodyguards, arrived at Zhengyang Gate.

Bao Xin and Zhao Yan, each leading two hundred armored soldiers, also set off from the General's Mansion.

In the entire city of Luoyang, apart from the Western Garden Army and the Imperial Guards, all other troops were controlled by He Jin and Yuan Shao.

Four hundred armored soldiers arrived at Zhengyang Gate with ease.

Before the imperial guards at Zhengyang Gate could react, He Jin, along with Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and four hundred armored soldiers, charged in. Anyone who tried to stop them was killed on the spot!

Zhengyang Gate was quickly taken over by He Jin's men. Four hundred armored soldiers marched straight in and, led by Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, Bao Xin, and Zhao Yan, searched everywhere for Jian Shuo.

Jian Shuo was waiting near the Qinde Hall for He Jin to come in alone, so that he could make his move.

Unexpectedly, chaos erupted at Zhengyang Gate, and someone rushed in to report that He Jin had led his soldiers in and stormed in.

Jian Shuo was greatly alarmed and immediately realized that his plot had been exposed. He hurriedly ordered the hundred soldiers of the Western Garden Army to appear and move out.

Faced with the overwhelming tide of armored soldiers and the incomparably brave Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, the Xiyuan Army was defeated in one battle, and Jian Shuo fled in panic upon seeing this.

He tried to escape from the Imperial Garden to the West Garden to call for reinforcements from the West Garden Army, but Yuan Shao caught up with him and beheaded him on the spot.

After Jian Shuo's death, He Jin immediately ordered Zhao Yan to take over the Western Garden Army, Cao Cao took over the Imperial Guards, and Bao Xin led men to hunt down Jian Shuo's remaining associates.

Wang Chengen was brought before He Jin for questioning.

He Jin asked him to accuse Liu Wei of being an accomplice in forging the will; Wang Chengen kept silent, so He Jin threw him into a death row cell.

"General, now that we have executed Jian Shuo and eliminated the threat of the Western Garden Army, why not take this opportunity to execute Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and the other Ten Attendants as well, and thoroughly cleanse the Empress's palace?"

Yuan Shao then offered another suggestion.

He Jin hesitated for a moment, then immediately ordered the operation to begin.

Yuan Shao immediately ordered his soldiers to capture the Ten Attendants. The Ten Attendants were chased and fled in panic to Empress He's Yong'an Palace for protection.

Yuan Shao disregarded all this and ordered his soldiers to step forward, intending to kill the Ten Attendants on the spot.

Empress Dowager He appeared angrily with the young emperor and stopped them, then let the Ten Attendants into Yong'an Palace.

It turned out that Empress Dowager He was talking to the young emperor in the palace when He Jin arrived. However, someone came to report that there was chaos at Zhengyang Gate and that He Jin had led his troops into the palace!

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, died after being given a slow-acting poison by her, and Prince Hongnong, Liu Bian, successfully ascended the throne.

Empress Dowager Dong's faction was dissatisfied and did not attend the ceremony. Only Prince Liu Xie of Chenliu, accompanied by Dong Cheng, came to offer his congratulations.

Empress Dowager He didn't care about these details. She acted like a victor, transforming herself into Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager Dong, on the other hand, became the Grand Empress Dowager and was expelled from Yongle Palace.

Empress Dowager He began to envision herself ruling from behind a screen, like Empress Lü, and interfering in court affairs.

However, reality shattered her beautiful dream.

Grand Tutor Yuan Wei and other court officials did not include her in their activities and even advised the young emperor not to let his mother interfere in politics.

Even her own elder brother, General He Jin, directly told her to just help the Empress manage the harem and not to loiter around the Hall of Diligent Governance.

If she hadn't poisoned Liu Hong, the young emperor wouldn't have ascended the throne so quickly.

Empress Dowager He was furious that He Jin had betrayed her after using her, so she frequently summoned He Jin to court.

Actually, there's nothing wrong with summoning them; it's just a way to demonstrate one's authority.

Considering the internal and external troubles, He Jin did not completely fall out with Empress Dowager He, but he always came whenever she summoned him.

This time, when Empress Dowager He summoned He Jin, it was actually Jian Shuo who took the initiative to curry favor with Empress Dowager He in order to lull He Jin into a false sense of security. He expressed his loyalty to Empress Dowager He and cried out that He Jin wanted to kill him!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!