Page:Romance of the Three Kingdoms - tr. Brewitt-Taylor - Volume 1.djvu/49

 dignity and wealth you have, and this is your gratitude! You would slay us. You call us sordid and dirty; who is the cleaner?”

Ho Chin was panic stricken and looked about for a way to escape, but the eunuchs closed him in and then the assassins appeared and did their bloody work.

So Ho Chin died. Yüan Shao waited long. By and by, impatient at the delay, he called through the Gate, “Thy carriage waits, O General.” For reply the head of the murdered officer was flung over the wall.

A decree was proclaimed that Ho Chin had contemplated treachery and therefore had been slain. It pardoned his adherents. Yüan Shao shouted, “The eunuchs have slain the minister. Let those who will slay this wicked party come and help me.”

Then one of Ho Chin’s officers set fire to the gate. Yüan Shu at the head of his men burst in and fell to slaying the eunuchs without regard to age or rank. Yüan Shao and Ts‘ao Ts‘ao broke into the inner part of the palace. Four of the eunuchs fled to the Blue Flower Lodge where they were hacked to pieces. Fire raged, destroying the buildings. Four of the eunuchs led by Chang Jang carried off the Empress, the heir apparent and the Prince of Ch‘ên-liu toward the north palace.

Lu Chih, since he had resigned office, was at home, but hearing of the revolution in the palace he donned his armour, took his spear and prepared to fight. He saw the eunuch Tuan Kuei hurrying the Empress along and called out “You rebels, how dare you abduct the Empress?” The eunuch fled. The Empress leaped out of a window and was taken to a place of safety.

Wu K‘uang burst into one of the inner halls where he found Ho Miao, sword in hand.

“You also were in the plot to slay your brother,” cried he.

“You shall die with the others.”

“Let us kill the plotter against his elder brother,” cried many.

Miao looked around; his enemies hemmed him in on every side. He was hacked to pieces.

Shao bade his soldiers scatter and seek out all the families of the eunuchs, sparing none. In that slaughter many beardless men were killed in error.

Ts‘ao Ts‘ao set himself to extinguish the fires. He then begged Ho T‘ai-hou to undertake the direction of affairs and