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Chapter 404: The Yellow Turban Rebellion
Chapter 404: The Yellow Turban Rebellion
September 25, 2017
As the investigation by the Chief Justice's office deepened, various signs indicated that this assassination was not a simple political revenge killing, but a larger conspiracy was hidden behind it.
The Chief Justice eventually identified the masterminds behind this incident as two other eunuchs, Feng Xu and Xu Feng.
After identifying the culprits, the Chief Justice's office acted swiftly. Within a few days, they discovered that Feng Xu had been in frequent contact with a man named Ma Yuan Yi during this period.
The half-burned letter now provided a crucial lead, connecting all the dots.
The Chief Justice's office presented the evidence to Emperor Ling, who, upon seeing it, became furious and immediately ordered the arrest of the culprits.
The Chief Justice's office directly arrested Feng Xu and Xu Feng, confiscating over a million gold in wealth from their respective homes in Luoyang. Shockingly, they also found several letters exchanged between Feng Xu and Ma Yuan Yi.
These letters explicitly outlined a plan for a coup in March of the following year, aiming to assassinate Emperor Ling and seize control of Luoyang.
It was obvious that this letter was suspicious, and someone else might have framed them, but the newly appointed Chief Justice didn't care about such details.
For him, since Emperor Ling had personally taken charge of this case, he was determined to handle it well. Now that the truth had been revealed, he didn't mind if the case became even bigger, as it could only benefit him.
Therefore, the Chief Justice immediately submitted these letters as evidence. Meanwhile, Feng Xu, one of the ten powerful eunuchs, couldn't withstand the intense interrogation and quickly confessed, admitting not only to the original charges but also to additional crimes.
Following the clues provided by Feng Xu, the Chief Justice's office found Ma Yuan Yi, who was still in Luoyang. When Ma Yuan Yi realized the gravity of the situation, it was too late to escape. After a fierce battle with his guards, he was eventually captured.
During the interrogation of Ma Yuan Yi, it was discovered that the infiltration of the Heavenly Peace Sect into Luoyang was even more terrifying than expected.
Over a hundred people in Luoyang were implicated, including many wealthy merchants and officials.
Upon seeing this list, the court was in complete disarray, and the case was officially classified as treason and rebellion.
In April 183, the court became aware of the rebellion and treason stemming from the assassination attempt on Zhang Rang.
Emperor Ling was enraged, and the court took swift action. On one hand, they purged known rebels in Luoyang and other regions, and on the other, they ordered the Inspector of Jingzhou to mobilize his forces and capture Zhang Jiao's family.
The purge of rebels in Luoyang proceeded smoothly, but the situation became dire when it came to capturing Zhang Jiao.
At this point, the Yellow Turbans were not the same as in history. Although they had emerged earlier, their preparation was actually more thorough than their historical counterparts.
The main reason was the presence of numerous Outsiders among the Yellow Turbans. While many, like the Yellow Turban Sect, used the Yellow Turbans as a stepping stone, there were also many genuine Outsiders closely tied to the Yellow Turbans. The most outstanding representative among them was Zhang Jiao's direct disciple, Zhang Daosheng.
As a Yellow Turban, Zhang Daosheng had a stronger sense of crisis than anyone else.
He was well aware that due to the presence of Outsiders, the Yellow Turbans' ability to remain hidden was not as long-lasting as he had imagined.
Therefore, he had made early preparations. The Inspector of Jingzhou was surrounded by members of the Heavenly Peace Sect, and before the secret order from Luoyang reached him, Zhang Daosheng had already obtained it.
"Brother Daoyi, do you really think this is a simple matter?"
Upon receiving the secret edict, Zhang Daosheng could only mutter to himself. After a brief moment, he sought out Zhang Jiao with the document in hand.
The delivery of this secret edict to Zhang Jiao marked the official beginning of the Yellow Turban Rebellion.
On the first month of the year 183, Zhang Jiao stepped onto the stage of history, declaring the slogan, "Heaven is dead, Yellow Heaven shall rise, in the year of the Monkey, all under heaven shall prosper," and initiating the rebellion.
Soon after, the Heavenly Peace Decree was issued, and within less than a month, the Heavenly Peace Sect rose up in the thirty-six counties of the eight provinces across the country. The Yellow Turban Army advanced like a force of nature, capturing states and counties, causing officials and soldiers to flee, and shaking the capital. The entire Han Empire's eight provinces were in turmoil!
Thus, the worst era for the common people began, while for outsiders, scholars, and military generals, the best of times commenced.
As the instigator of this rebellion, Zhang Daoyi, after assassinating Zhang Ran and completing his intricate plan, directly led the Grand Historian away from Luoyang. He comfortably settled in a small county, renting a courtyard, and quietly awaited the system's notification of his completed task.
Just as the Yellow Turban Rebellion officially erupted, Zhang Daoyi, the instigator, received a system notification.
"Congratulations on completing the task 'Accelerated Yellow Turban Uprising.' You have advanced the uprising by ten months, and your performance is rated as 'Legendary.' You will receive the following rewards."
"You will obtain a copy of the Taoist scripture, 'Book of Heavenly Peace,' and have one chance to comprehend a talent."
"You will receive three Legendary-tier treasure chests and one Mythic-tier treasure chest."
Upon hearing the system's notification, a smile appeared on Zhang Daoyi's face. The Grand Historian beside him seemed to have received a reward of the same level, and both of them were overjoyed, their faces beaming with happiness.
"I didn't expect you to be so reliable this time," the Grand Historian said with a laugh. "Not only did you not drag me into a pit, but you also completed the task so effortlessly. I thought that after this task, I would have to go on the run with you."
Zhang Daoyi raised an eyebrow, revealing a proud expression that he only showed in front of the Grand Historian. Just as he was about to say something, another system notification arrived.
"You have obtained the Book of Heavenly Peace, the ultimate guide to survival!"
"Extreme Fleeing"
Task Difficulty: Legendary
Task Description: As the assassin of Zhang Ran and a traitor to the Heavenly Peace Sect, you will be hunted by both the court and the sect.
During the pursuit, the system will randomly assign hunting tasks to outsiders. Your task rewards will be sealed, and if you are killed by an outsider, your rewards will be revealed in full.
Task Completion Condition: Survive the pursuit for ten months.
Task Completion Reward: Unknown
Zhang Daoyi and the Grand Historian exchanged a glance, their initial joy instantly turning into bitterness.
"Blame me," Zhang Daoyi said, slapping his own face. "I should have known this damn system wouldn't give out such an easy task."
He didn't mind making mistakes on his own, but he had the Grand Historian by his side. This time, his mistake would put the Grand Historian in danger as well, a situation he wanted to avoid the most and felt the most guilty about.
At this moment, the Grand Historian seemed much calmer than Zhang Daoyi. He stretched lazily, then looked at Zhang Daoyi with a sidelong glance. "Why are you standing there in a daze? I knew you were unreliable. I'm used to it by now. Let's get ready to run."
Zhang Daoyi was stunned for a moment, then rubbed his face and nodded firmly.
Almost simultaneously, as Lu Haikong received the intelligence about the Yellow Turban Uprising and the system notification, he laughed heartily.
"Ding Yuan, Ding Yuan, I'll make you regret what you've done to me!"
(Chapter End)
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