Regular Attendant

In the year 189, at Beimang, Xiaopingjin.

"You are merely rebellious subjects and wicked ministers, whom everyone has the right to execute. I beg Your Highness and His Majesty to mount your horses; leave the Ten Eunuchs to us to deal with," Yuan Xi said with resolute determination.

"Xianyi, let's go together. You are no match for Zhang Rang, and the Imperial Eldest Sister would not want anything to happen to you either," the Prince of Chenliu tugged at Yuan Xi's robe.

At that moment, Yuan Xi felt a genuine touch of emotion; human hearts are, after all, made of flesh.

"Those who throw the state into chaos are the Ten Eunuchs. If I cannot personally slay these two villains today, I am not worthy of being called a man. I would fail the Yuan family above and Your Highness's deep affection below."

Yuan Xi gently brushed aside the Prince of Chenliu's hand and took a step back.

"Your Majesty, your safety is paramount. Forgive us for fleeing alone," with that, the Prince of Chenliu helped the Young Emperor onto his horse. He cast a glance at Yuan Xi and said with a trembling voice, "Xianyi, take good care of yourself. May there come a day when we meet again in wealth and nobility."

"Please mount your horse, Your Highness. I will certainly proceed with caution, so do not worry on my account."

Seeing Liu Xie, the Prince of Chenliu, act in this manner, Yuan Xi was truly moved.

The Prince of Chenliu nodded, and with the assistance of Chunyu Qiong, he leaped onto his horse, shook the reins, and galloped away toward the source of the fire alongside the Young Emperor.

"Uncle, go and provide an escort." "Very well, Young Master, take care."

Could this be Emperor Xian of Han? This righteous, courageous youth who remained calm in the face of danger—was he truly the Emperor Xian of Han known for his weakness, incompetence, and endless tears?

It seemed that he had still underestimated this Liu Xie in the past, and he had no choice but to play along with his performance. When it came to acting skills, everyone in the Yuan family was an Oscar-winning actor.

"Who goes there?" Xu Chu shouted loudly.

A streak of blue-green sword light flashed like lightning toward the warhorse.

"Zhang Rang!" Yuan Xi cried out, drawing his sword instinctively and pointing it at the newcomer. "Rebellious traitor, how dare you coerce and kidnap the Son of Heaven! What crime deserves such punishment?"

At that moment, Zhang Rang's hair was disheveled and his eyes were bloodshot. His entire body was soaked through with blood. Startled by Yuan Xi's sudden shout, his body trembled involuntarily.

When he finally regained his wits and looked closely, a sarcastic and sinister expression crossed his face. "I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's the second young master of the Yuan family, Yuan Xi. Truly, enemies are bound to cross paths; we and your Yuan family are irreconcilable enemies."

"Hmph, on the strength of you alone?" Yuan Xi looked coldly at Zhang Rang.

"Yuan Benchu, I bet you didn't expect this! Your retribution has arrived. Tonight, I will have your son's life, so do not blame me," Zhang Rang stared madly at Yuan Xi.

Yuan Xi cared little for his madness and said coldly, "If retribution truly exists in this world, the first to die would surely be eunuchs like you. Today, this young master shall rid the world of scoundrels and grant you a death with your head separated from your body."

Hearing this, Zhang Rang suddenly calmed down and did not draw his sword.

He merely gazed coldly at Yuan Xi and said with utter disdain, "Very well, since Young Master Yuan claims that my kind brings disaster to the state and the people, I wonder how an eunuch like me has brought disaster to the state, and how we have harmed the people? Could you enlighten me?"

"This!" This question caught Yuan Xi off guard, leaving him stammering, "You sell offices and bestow titles, suppress ministers, bewilder the late emperor, lead him into debauchery and depravity, deceive superiors while concealing things from subordinates, and delay military opportunities. You cultivate favorites and eliminate those who disagree with you."

"Oh? Is that all?" Zhang Rang could not help but chuckle.

"Are these not enough to throw the state into chaos?"

A cold laugh suddenly rang out from the bushes behind Zhang Rang.

That person said, "Since Young Master Yuan speaks thus, you must possess irrefutable proof. Bring it out and let us see it, so that we, a few eunuchs, may die without lingering regrets."

Xu Chu pushed his blade forward and sternly demanded, "Who goes there? Get your ass out here!"

A figure emerged from behind the bushes—it was none other than Duan Gui. His appearance was no better than Zhang Rang's; his clothes were in disarray and his entire body was stained with blood.

"Duan Gui?" Yuan Xi now recognized the newcomer as well.

Duan Gui glared at Yuan Xi and said, "Young Master Yuan, produce the evidence. I shall throw myself into the river and drown without requiring a single finger of effort from you. How about that?"

Yuan Xi suddenly sneered, "Hmph, I am young and did not participate in major state affairs; naturally, I have no irrefutable proof. Aren't you just bullying me with impossible demands?"

Zhang Rang took over the conversation. "Very well, I won't demand irrefutable proof from you either, since we are bound not to survive today anyway. Then let me ask Young Master Yuan: surely you have heard some rumors at least? Grant us the clarity to die with understanding."

Faced with the aggressive and overwhelming words of Zhang Rang and his companion, Yuan Xi coughed dryly and said, "At the very least, bewitching the late emperor is an undeniable fact."

Duan Gui stepped forward and spoke on Zhang Rang's behalf. "That, of course, existed. However, those who bewitched the late emperor were not merely us, the Ten Eunuchs alone. The civil and military officials of the entire court accounted for at least half of it. Take your Yuan family for instance: if you were not adept at anticipating the imperial will, how else could you have attained the glorious status of 'Three Dukes over Four Generations'?"

"Hmph, by that logic, you eunuchs are actually quite innocent?" Yuan Xi strode forward with his sword drawn, glaring coldly at them.

Duan Gui said in a deep voice, "Not entirely innocent, but our crimes do not warrant death."

"Selling offices and titles, cultivating favorites, eliminating dissenters, and proscribing the literati—how do you explain those?" At this moment, Yuan Xi drew his fine steel sword.

Zhang Rang smiled bitterly and said, "The literati form a faction, and the eunuchs form a faction; it is nothing more than factional strife within the imperial court. What does it have to do with bringing disaster to the state and the people? If such matters caused political turmoil, then the literati bear responsibility as well. Why cast all the filthy water upon us simply because our bodies happen to be somewhat incomplete?"

Before Zhang Rang could finish speaking, Yuan Xi's expression shifted dramatically.

He took a step back and sophistically argued, "Then what about the assassination of General He Jin? And the forged decree to execute the Three Dukes—are these not capital offenses?"

Duan Gui shook his head and sighed. "For years, I had heard that the second young master of the Yuan family was a prodigy, exceptionally brilliant and intelligent, and I had always admired him. To think he is just like the rest of the Yuan family—a mere fool, utterly devoid of originality. How truly disappointing."

Yuan Xi was not angered by this; instead, he said coldly, "Heh, continue. This young master would like to hear your lofty theories."

Duan Gui sneered, "On the surface, if we had not killed He Jin, He Jin and your father would have been determined to eliminate us first. Therefore, killing He Jin was merely an act of self-defense. What crime is there in that? It is entirely logical! To go a step further, what is He Jin anyway?"

Hearing this, Yuan Xi fell silent and offered no reply.

Then, Duan Gui stared intently at Yuan Xi and spat out two words: "Imperial relatives by marriage."

A thunderous roar echoed in Yuan Xi's mind. Imperial relatives?

Imperial relatives, eunuchs, and ministerial factional strife—were these not the underlying causes of the Han Dynasty's collapse? His teacher, Zhang Hong, had touched upon some of this with him previously.

Seeing the change in Yuan Xi's expression, Duan Gui's aura surged powerfully.

He stepped closer and said coldly, "The alternating rule of imperial relatives and eunuchs has almost become a tradition in the Han realm. When an emperor ascends the throne at a young age, the maternal relatives of the empress inevitably grow powerful, acting tyrannically and disregarding the sovereign."

"When the emperor grows older, he wishes to reclaim what rightfully belongs to him. However, the imperial relatives are unwilling to relinquish power, and thus their conflicts intensify."

"The helpless emperor then utilizes the eunuchs close to him to eliminate the imperial relatives, thereby creating an inevitable cycle, does it not?"

"An underage emperor has no trusted confidants of his own, and thus he grows close to us, physically incomplete eunuchs. Some spineless individuals, seeing us attain power, desperately try to ingratiate themselves; those who fail to do so desperately slander us."

"When the reigning emperor dies and a young emperor ascends the throne, the new sovereign fears that supreme power will slip away. Therefore, he utilizes the faction of imperial relatives to eliminate the previously loyal eunuchs, and thus the power of the imperial relatives grows once again."

"When the power of the imperial relatives becomes uncontrollable, the emperor once more remembers the eunuchs by his side and uses them to eliminate the imperial relatives."

"Thus it goes round and round, a cycle of retribution. In my view, regardless of who kills whom, they are all merely sacrificial lambs to political struggles."

Faced with Duan Gui's relentless questioning, Yuan Xi was left speechless.