In the ninth year of the Yanxi era—166 CE—when young Miss Mengde was just three years old, the first Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions erupted in the Eastern Han Dynasty.
The cause of this disaster was an imperial amnesty issued by Emperor Huan of Han.
Around that time, Emperor Huan, Liu Zhi, planned to proclaim a general amnesty for the realm.
Before the decree was officially announced, the eunuchs close to him somehow learned of it.
When eunuchs heard such news, it was like dogs stumbling across dung—they were overjoyed.
Among them, the followers of Zhao Jin and Hou Lan began committing crimes in anticipation of the amnesty.
Likewise, Zhang Fan and Xu Xuan, who also learned of the coming decree from their eunuch connections, ran wild in the provinces, counting on the amnesty to shield them from punishment.
However, officials such as Cheng Zhen, Zhai Chao, Liu Zhi, and Huang Fu refused to let these men off.
Even after the amnesty, they still prosecuted and punished them according to the law.
The eunuch faction took this opportunity to report these officials to Emperor Huan, accusing them of defying imperial authority.
Feeling that his power was being undermined, the emperor came down harshly on those officials.
***
Not long after, the Governor of Henan, Li Ying, executed a man named Zhang Cheng in the provinces.
Zhang Cheng was closely tied to the eunuchs and had gotten wind of the impending amnesty.
He told his son that he could now commit any crime he wanted, with no fear of consequences.
His son took that advice literally and killed someone.
Despite the amnesty being issued shortly thereafter, Li Ying arrested Zhang Cheng and his son anyway.
Furious, he ordered both of them to be executed.
In response, one of Zhang Cheng’s disciples, Lao Xiu, submitted a petition to Emperor Huan, accusing Li Ying and others of “sheltering unruly students from the Imperial Academy, forming cliques with provincial scholars, and stirring up slander against the court, sowing confusion in society.”
Emperor Huan was enraged.
He issued a nationwide order to arrest over 200 so-called “partisan” officials, including Li Ying and Chen Shi.
At that moment, the rift between the gentry class and the eunuchs truly erupted.
Grand Commandant Chen Fan and Minister of Works Liu Mao both remonstrated with the emperor.
But while Liu Mao quickly gave up when Emperor Huan expressed displeasure, Chen Fan persisted.
The emperor, irritated by Chen Fan’s insistence, dismissed him from his post on the grounds that he had recommended unworthy individuals for office.
He then appointed Palace Assistant Minister Zhou Jing as the new Grand Commandant.
Liu Mao was not spared either—he too was dismissed, and Palace Attendant Minister Xuan Feng was promoted to Minister of Works.
With this, the Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions came to a temporary pause.
***
The impact of this disaster on the Eastern Han was immense.
However, for now, it had nothing to do with Mengde or her father, Cao Song.
Throughout the incident, Cao Song remained neutral.
Mengde, on the other hand, was bedridden with a high fever.
For children in ancient times, falling ill was common, and so was dying from it.
When Cao Song saw his beloved daughter suddenly fall gravely ill, he not only summoned the best doctors in all of Luoyang to treat her, but also prayed to the gods day and night.
He gave her a childhood name: Jili, meaning “auspicious,” hoping she would be safe and overcome the crisis.
The fever lasted for more than half a month.
When she finally woke up and heard the name her father had chosen, Mengde was speechless.
“So from now on, I’m called Cao Jili?”
She scratched her head, thinking.
As for her other childhood name, A-Man, that one was most likely out of reach now.
After all, in the late Han period, “Man” meant “squinty-eyed.”
The historical Cao Cao had been nicknamed A-Man because his eyes were small.
From that perspective, Xu You certainly didn’t die unjustly—who could tolerate someone constantly bringing up such embarrassing history?
While the historical Cao Cao may have had squinty eyes, Miss Mengde—now reincarnated as a girl—had bright, gem-like eyes, and there was no way anyone would call her A-Man now.
***
Soon after, Mengde overheard from her father and his friends that the Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions had broken out in the court.
She shook her head with a complicated expression.
“Although it’s likely that there are bad people among the scholars, it’s almost impossible for there to be any good people among the eunuchs.”
She said this to her father, Cao Song.
Cao Song’s expression turned rather awkward—after all, his own father, Mengde’s grandfather, was the eunuch Cao Teng.
Seeing her father’s discomfort, Mengde offered him comfort.
“Grandfather was a cautious and kind man. He supported the enthronement of the emperor, recommended worthy officials, and stayed out of politics. He was a rare virtuous eunuch—not at all like villains such as Hou Lan or Cao Jie. You don’t need to worry, Father.”
“Is that so?”
Only then did Cao Song’s expression begin to ease.
Mengde wasn’t lying just to comfort him.
It was indeed true.
Regardless of other matters, the fact that Cao Teng served his entire life as Grand Chamberlain for Attendants, never coveting higher positions in the central court, was proof enough that he had been a wise and capable eunuch.
People like Hou Lan and Cao Jie were constantly meddling in politics, framing officials, and committing all sorts of vile acts.
Although not all the ministers in court were virtuous either, as Mengde just said, even the most morally corrupt scholar-officials would at least try to hide their shame behind propriety, righteousness, integrity, and honor.
But eunuchs? They did evil without even pretending to have a conscience—not even behind closed doors.
Humans have dignity.
But for most emperors in the feudal era, their greatest wish was not for the people to live in peace and prosperity.
What they truly wanted was to break the bones of those with dignity and turn them into obedient dogs that never defy their will.
Eunuchs, being the people closest to the emperor, were castrated upon entering the palace and constantly subjected to humiliation and abuse.
Only under the emperor’s protection could they momentarily escape their suffering.
So naturally, they became the emperor’s most submissive dogs.
Dogs are not guided by human morals or principles.
Only those who have received respect can learn to respect others.
Only those who have been loved can learn to love others.
A child from a broken home will struggle to grow up emotionally healthy—and for most eunuchs, the humiliation they endured during castration, the oppression they faced at the bottom of palace hierarchy, are far beyond what an ordinary person could ever imagine.
Their tragic experiences made it difficult for them to empathize with ordinary people.
And this means that once eunuchs gain power through the emperor, they are almost never able to wield it righteously.
After all, these men not only chose to become eunuchs, but also climbed their way to the top through the cold, twisted environment of the palace.
Expecting them to still be decent human beings under such conditions? That’s a bit much, don’t you think?
There’s a story in the Records of the Grand Historian: When Guan Zhong was sick, Duke Huan of Qi asked, “Who among the ministers can take your place as Chancellor?”
Guan Zhong replied, “No one knows me better than you, my lord.”
The duke asked, “What about Yi Ya?”
Guan Zhong said, “He killed his own son to prove his loyalty to you. That goes against human nature. He cannot be trusted.”
The duke asked, “What about Kai Fang?”
Guan Zhong said, “He abandoned his own parents to serve you. That too defies human nature. It’s hard to get close to him.”
The duke then asked, “What about Shu Diao?”
Guan Zhong replied, “He castrated himself to serve you. That’s not natural either. It’s difficult to form a real bond with someone like that.”
Simply put, Duke Huan wanted to know if any of these men could serve as Chancellor.
Guan Zhong told him: Yi Ya killed his son, Kai Fang left his parents, Shu Diao mutilated himself—if they don’t even love their own family or their own bodies, how could they possibly love you? The only thing they love is power.
This same logic applies to eunuchs.
Of course, even though Mengde despised the eunuchs, she understood that they were merely tools of imperial power.
They were nothing more than the emperor’s dogs.
The reason the eunuch faction ran so rampant during the Eastern Han was because the emperor deliberately used them to wrest power away from the empress’ clan and court ministers.
The real problem wasn’t the eunuchs—it was the emperor.
‘Was it wrong for the emperor to reclaim his authority?’ Of course not.
But using eunuchs to do it was undoubtedly a mistake.
That kind of strategy always ended up hurting the common people, because eunuchs rarely cared about them.
Using eunuchs to seize power was the stupidest method chosen by foolish emperors.
Every time this strategy was used, it brought massive harm to the country.
Truly wise and capable emperors always relied on internal political factions.
For example, Emperor Wen of Han relied on rising officials to oppose the old military nobles.
More recently, Emperor Kangxi used rival factions within the Eight Banners to eliminate Oboi.
Political matters should be handled with political tools.
Court officials were never a monolithic group.
A wise emperor would use one faction to counterbalance another—support the weaker, loyal, reformist officials while suppressing the powerful, disloyal, conservative ones.
That’s how true consolidation of power should be done.
Not by hiring cruel and incompetent eunuchs to break the rules of the court and turn all the ministers into enemies.
Clearly, Emperor Huan of Han was not a competent ruler.
He only cared about seizing power and showed no concern for the welfare of the people.
Luckily, his reign was nearing its end.
***
In the twelfth month of the ninth year of the Yanxi era, the Roman Emperor Antoninus sent envoys to Luoyang to visit Liu Zhi, bringing gifts such as ivory.
At the time, Mengde was being carried by a maid through the streets and happened to witness the Roman delegation entering the city.
“Rome is truly beautiful,” she said with a soft laugh.
“I wonder if I’ll ever get the chance to visit Rome someday.”
As a civilization that shone just as brightly as the Han Empire, Mengde naturally hoped to see that country with her own eyes one day.
***
In the tenth year of Yanxi, Imperial Secretary Huo Xu and Gate Guard Commander Dou Wu submitted a joint memorial pleading for mercy on behalf of the partisans.
Liu Zhi’s anger eased slightly.
He issued an edict to allow the partisans to return home, but still imposed a lifetime ban on their political participation and recorded their names to ensure they would never be employed again.
That July, perhaps sensing his health was failing, Liu Zhi changed the era name to Yongkang—”eternal health”—as if superstition could preserve his life.
But superstition couldn’t save him.
In the twelfth month of that same year, Liu Zhi passed away in the Hall of Deyang at the age of thirty-six.
Mengde was not surprised by Emperor Huan’s early death.
After all, he had kept a harem of over five or six thousand women.
Spending twenty years indulging in such a life would wear down even a steel rod until it became a needle.
She didn’t feel the slightest sorrow at his death.
The next emperor to ascend the throne of the Han Dynasty was—Liu Hong, Emperor Ling of Han!
***
“Why does my Great Han keep producing such pathetic excuses for emperors?”
Back in the Cao residence, upon hearing the news, Lady Mengde couldn’t help but shake her head and complain.