Swords into Plowshares Episode 32 Recap
> Swords into Plowshares Recaps
In the eleventh month of Qianyuan 3rd year (950 AD), Liu Chengyou, Li Ye, Guo Yunming, and others conspired. Outside Chongyuan Hall, they ambushed and shot to death three important ministers: Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, and Shi Hongzao, as a warning to others. Witnessing this scene, the assembled officials knelt in terror. Li Ye, holding an imperial edict, vehemently accused them of six major crimes.
Liu Chengyou, meanwhile, sat high in the court, feigning grief and indignation, proclaiming that "the treacherous have been executed to secure the state." Feng Dao, sitting quietly beside him, lowered his eyes and remained silent, as if in meditation. He had already seen through the new emperor's self-deception, recognizing that the foundation of the Han dynasty was hollowed out. Liu Chengyou intended to appoint Su Yugui as the Grand Councilor, but Su Yugui politely declined, instead recommending Guo Wei.
At this moment, Guo Rong risked secretly returning to his residence to prepare to leave with his family. Guo Wei's concubine, Zhang Qingyun, took charge in this crisis. Faced with the lives and departures of one hundred and sixty-eight people in the entire household, she knew that a simultaneous evacuation would be too conspicuous.
Therefore, she decided to first prepare two light carriages, allowing Guo Rong to leave the capital with his wife and children first, while the remaining family members and servants would plan their next move later. Inside the Empress Dowager's palace, Li Sanniang angrily denounced Liu Chengyou as foolish and tyrannical, for unjustly killing important ministers and destroying the foundation of the court.
She stated that the empire was in precarious danger, and the only person who could truly stabilize the situation was Guo Wei, who held significant military power and enjoyed great prestige. Therefore, she strongly advocated for an immediate imperial edict to summon Guo Wei back to court to govern, thereby calming the hearts of the people.
However, Liu Chengyou, appearing filial but actually rebellious, not only failed to adopt Li Sanniang's suggestion but, incited by Li Ye, attempted to hold Guo's family members hostage to force Guo Wei into submission. If Guo Wei complied and returned, all would be well; if he did not, they would all be executed to eliminate future troubles.
Just as the Guo family was frantically arranging their evacuation, Zhao Kuangyin rushed to deliver a message, stating that the Wude Directorate had been ordered to seal off the Guo mansion and that troops would soon arrive. Zhang Qingyun knew that if the Wude Directorate found no one in the Guo residence, it would confirm the Guo family's rebellious intentions. She decisively announced that all relatives, including herself, would stay behind.
Their purpose was to use the entire family as a gamble and a shield to buy Guo Rong the opportunity to leave the city and deliver the news. Guo Rong bid farewell to his family with tears in his eyes, and under Zhao Kuangyin's cover, he successfully escaped. He rode day and night without stopping, swiftly reporting the major changes in court to Guo Wei, who vowed to raise an army and return to the capital.
All at once, news reached Bianjing, and Liu Chengyou was seized with panic, quickly seeking advice from Feng Dao and Su Yugui. Although deeply disappointed with the new emperor, for the sake of the state, they still offered the most prudent suggestion at the moment: accept Guo Wei's terms and hand over the instigator, Li Ye, to quell the military disaster.
Yet, Liu Chengyou was once again swayed by Li Ye's deception, and actually issued an edict to slaughter the entire Guo clan. On the day of the execution, the people of Bianjing closed their doors, hearing only the clang of armor.
On the execution platform, the Guo family matriarch, Guo Rong's wife and children, household managers, and a host of servants, from young children with unbound hair to elderly retainers, a total of over a hundred people, perished without a single survivor. The tragic news reached the army, and Guo Wei and his son were heartbroken, leading their forces directly to Bianliang. Liu Chengyou fled but was killed by rogue soldiers, and Li Ye was personally beheaded by Guo Wei.
Afterwards, Guo Wei went straight to the royal palace. Feng Dao, along with a hundred officials, welcomed him and urged him to ascend the throne. However, he entered the hall alone to meet Li Sanniang, asking her to issue an edict to enthrone Prince Chen as the successor. Li Sanniang, who had risen from a farm girl to empress, had successively experienced dynastic changes, the death of her husband, and the downfall of her son.
She knew that her wicked son's execution was his own doing, but the brutal power struggles in the court meant she absolutely could not allow her young son to be drawn into the whirlpool of power again. Therefore, she earnestly pleaded with Guo Wei, for the sake of their shared struggles in establishing the empire years ago, to leave the Liu family one last bloodline. Guo Wei was moved with compassion.
He then left the main hall and publicly announced Li Sanniang's imperial edict, establishing Liu Yun as the successor and immediately inviting him into the capital. Upon the issuance of this edict, the entire court was stunned. Liu Yun was Liu Chong's son, later adopted by his elder brother Liu Zhiyuan. Legally, he indeed had the qualification to inherit.
However, in front of Guo Wei, who wielded absolute military power and had won the hearts of the people, this arrangement appeared overly "humble" and even inappropriate. Indeed, Guo Wei's core generals, especially his trusted commanders Wang Jun and Wang Yin, were deeply dissatisfied with this decision.
They had followed Guo Wei in bloody battles, risking their lives for this "purging the emperor's corrupt advisors" endeavor, all for the rewards of assisting a new emperor and gaining wealth in a new dynasty. Now, their commander intended to continue supporting a member of the Liu family. If Liu Yun were to settle old scores later, or seize an opportunity to cause trouble, how would these "followers of rebellion" protect themselves?
It was precisely because of this concern that a group of military generals secretly plotted to eliminate Liu Yun. Guo Wei, noticing the unrest in the army, proactively visited Feng Dao, declaring that he had no intention of claiming the imperial throne. Feng Dao merely sighed, lamenting that the world was turned upside down, and ultimately, human power could not fully control events.
