The Han Dynasty Rises Again: Emperor Ling’s Comeback

Winter of the first year of Yongkang (167 CE). Luoyang is shrouded in freezing mist. Liu Hong, the twelve-year-old Marquis of Jieduting, is summoned to the Southern Palace. Days later, as the edict announcing the death of Emperor Huan of Han, Liu Zhi, and the fact that he has left no heir spreads throughout the court, the boy from the Kingdom of Hejian is about to ascend to the pinnacle of power in the Eastern Han. But already dwelling within his body is a soul from two thousand years in the future, one fascinated by the history of the Qin and Han dynasties. The Eastern Han of this era is like a gilded statue, splendid on the surface but rotten within: the Dou clan of imperial relatives controls the court, the eunuchs are stirring in the shadows, powerful aristocratic families are seizing land, refugees roam everywhere, and the Qiang rebellions remain unquelled. Lin Yue (Liu Hong) opens his eyes to see more than the power of the throne. He sees the road to ruin, from the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the chaos of the Three Kingdoms. Clenching his fists, he draws on the clear-eyed perspective of a modern soul and the foresight of a historian, determined to rewrite a fate that seems certain to collapse.