Walter Dale, Susan Clark, Ethan Brooks, Ian Lee, Eugene Hunt, David Dunn, Charles King, Owen Clark, Lawrence White, Daniel Hill, Hugh Judd, George Grant, Cecil Grant, Samuel Baker, Frank Shaw, Paul Vaughn, Shawn Young, Eugene Chase, Bruce Young, James Bolton, Shawn Kent, William Clark, Sean Brooks, Eugene King, Colin Warren, Philip Ford, Charles Drake, Shawn Dale, Mark Bolton, Colin King, Rufus Clark, Brian Howard, Joe Quinn, Shawn Brooks, John King—all these people are the outstanding talents of the time, respected by many in the world. But is there even one among them who comes from a humble background?

The Xun clan, the Yuan clan, the Sima clan, the Yang clan, the Chen clan—so many renowned scholars and officials all come from these noble families. Not a single great Confucian scholar or famous gentleman is seen to arise from humble origins!

The Imperial University students were trainee officials. The Imperial University students of the Western Han were more like the passionate university students of later generations, full of fervor. As for the Eastern Han Imperial University students... best not to speak of them. It was the Eastern Han students who started the trend of “pure discussion”—they were the first group to do nothing but idle talk, and even took this as a mark of honor. A hundred years later, they became models for the world, with scholars everywhere sitting and engaging in pure discussion, talking about everything under the sun, discussing the classics and literature.

Yet while they were engaged in lofty debates, discussing the past and present, the northern frontiers had long since been lost, and millions of commoners wept blood!

At this moment, the Imperial University students had not yet reached the extremes of a century later, but even so, their lives consisted of taking medicine during the day, drinking at night, indulging in their own unruliness. The students would sway as they sat in the pavilions, half-drunk, reciting the Han laws: “Gatherings for drinking are forbidden.”

Richard Clark is not highly regarded in the historical records, often said to be close to petty men and distant from virtuous ministers. Yet it was this emperor, who ascended the throne young, who eliminated the overbearing general Jack Lane; and it was this emperor who, by using the Five Marquises and several powerful eunuchs, suppressed the noble families so much that they could only suffer in silence. However, this time, the noble families truly provoked the Son of Heaven, who was already thirty-four years old and still without an heir.

It was often mentioned in the pure discussions of the Imperial University students: “If the ruler is without virtue, Heaven will punish him. Do you not see that the sacrifices have ceased?”

Upon hearing this, the emperor was so enraged he nearly ordered a bloodbath at the Imperial Academy. But the officials intervened, weeping as they submitted memorials, saying, “The ancestors decreed that university students may speak without guilt, and should not be judged for their words.” In the entire Han dynasty, there were only two kinds of people who would not be punished for their speech: one was the illiterate peasant—whom the Han valued and treated with great leniency, keeping taxes low; the other was the Imperial University student.

The emperor was unlucky: unable to trouble the students, he could only trouble the officials. Among the officials, there was the eunuch faction and the noble family faction. Overall, the noble families held more power. From time to time, officials would submit memorials demanding the execution of the eunuchs led by the Five Marquises. The emperor did not wish to respond, but the result was a grand protest by the Imperial University students blocking the palace gates. These students could not be beaten or harmed!

Seeing this, the emperor was powerless. Just then, Gavin Lane, Hugh Stone, Warren Judd, and Henry Turner were gradually growing in influence and no longer obeyed imperial orders. The emperor directly executed the Four Marquises and divided power among a new eunuch faction led by Lawrence Lord. However, the honeymoon between Lawrence Lord and the noble families had just ended, and now the noble families turned their arrows toward Lawrence Lord. Perhaps in their view, the emperor only needed to divide the power of the officials and rule by inaction to achieve universal harmony.

This time, however, the emperor absolutely refused to agree. The officials and noble families began to target Lawrence Lord. Local minor eunuchs and powerful families close to the eunuchs were frequently exterminated. The emperor ordered their release, but it was to no avail. The emperor then arrested two people at once, sounding the alarm for the noble families. Who would have thought that these factionalists would now try to use the matter of a mere child to pressure the emperor again.

Age was not an issue. The factionalists only needed to use the pretext of a royal relative disrespecting a governor and causing chaos in the state to persuade the Imperial University students. Moreover, the students were already led by the Grand Tutor and General-in-Chief, making the emperor grit his teeth in anger.

Lawrence Lord had an idea. He looked around and whispered, “Your Majesty, why not summon the Marquis of Ting and let the people of Luoyang see for themselves what kind of person this Marquis is, how old he is, and thus expose the false face of those scholars? Then, under the pretext of the royal relatives discussing state affairs in private, arrest Ian Lee. At that time, the factionalists will be leaderless and unable to stir up trouble!” Richard Clark said nothing, lowering his head to look at the bamboo slip in his hand, the veins on his forehead bulging.

“I am the Son of Heaven! The factionalists have gone too far in deceiving me—even my young nephew they wish to manipulate! What use are such officials?? What use are they!!”

“Lawrence Lord!!”

Richard Clark shouted. He felt he could no longer endure it. After retreating again and again, did these people really think the Han emperor was made of clay? Fine, then let them see what it means when the Son of Heaven is enraged and the whole world mourns in white!

“Your Majesty!” Lawrence Lord was so frightened he immediately knelt down.

“Transmit my edict: Ian Lee and the other officials have harbored Imperial University students, formed connections with students from various commanderies, driven each other on, formed factions, slandered the court, corrupted customs, showing little of a minister’s propriety and none of a great officer’s demeanor. Order you to the Northern Prison to immediately arrest the factionalists and those who form private cliques—this is a major case, not a single criminal must escape!” Richard Clark shouted in anger, and at once, Lawrence Lord was stunned.

As a eunuch, he was at odds with these scholar-officials and often referred to them privately as “factionalists,” meaning those who form cliques for private gain. But this was the first time they were publicly called “factionalists.” Moreover, the emperor’s action was truly explosive—no criminal was to be spared. What did that mean? Countless officials would be implicated, and the famous scholars of the realm, even the Imperial University students, would likely be unable to escape punishment!