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Wang Yun was born into the prestigious Taiyuan Wang clan, a family that had been a leading lineage in the region for generations.
From a young age, Wang Yun was diligent and ambitious, striving to achieve great deeds. During the Han Dynasty, many scholars still adhered to the ancient tradition of mastering the "Six Arts," and Wang Yun was no exception. He was well-versed in the Confucian classics and practiced horseback riding and archery morning and night, making him a man of both literary and martial prowess.
Wang Yun did not gain fame through his scholarly achievements but rather through the acclaim he earned in confrontations—especially those against higher-ranking officials and even eunuchs.
At the age of nineteen, Wang Yun became a minor official in his commandery. At the time, a eunuch named Zhao Jin, serving as a Minor Yellow Gate (a low-ranking eunuch official), was notorious for his greed and tyranny, becoming a scourge to the county. Zhao Jin dared to act so brazenly for two reasons: first, to enrich himself, and second, to curry favor with the more powerful eunuchs above him.
However, Wang Yun directly accused Zhao Jin of a crime and had him executed.
Killing a eunuch naturally provoked the wrath of the powerful eunuchs in the capital. Seizing an opportunity, one of them slandered Wang Yun before the emperor. Interestingly, the emperor, in his fury, ordered the governor of the commandery, Liu Zhi, to be summoned to the capital, imprisoned, and eventually executed.
It could be said that Governor Liu Zhi became the stepping stone for Wang Yun's rise to fame. In the eyes of the emperor and the eunuchs, how could a mere minor official in a commandery dare to provoke such a powerful faction? They assumed Governor Liu Zhi must have been the one backing Wang Yun.
Later, Wang Yun escorted Liu Zhi's body back to his hometown, observed three years of mourning for him, and then returned home.
Not long after, Wang Yun returned to public service. This time, he encountered a local strongman named Lu Fo, a man of no virtue. In the Han Dynasty, lacking virtue did not necessarily mean one had a bad character—it often meant the person was not from an established scholarly family.
Despite this, Governor Wang Qiu appointed Lu Fo to an official position. Wang Yun refused to accept this and boldly remonstrated against the decision. Enraged, Wang Qiu attempted to arrest and execute Wang Yun. However, the Inspector of Bing Province, having heard of Wang Yun's reputation, recruited him as a subordinate officer. With his superior now openly protecting him, Governor Wang Qiu no longer dared to defy the inspector's authority.
As a result, Wang Yun's fame grew even further, while Lu Fo was never appointed.
The first year of the Zhongping era (184 AD) was an unfortunate time for the Han Dynasty, but it marked the rapid rise of Wang Yun. That year, the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted, and Emperor Ling appointed Wang Yun as the Inspector of Yu Province.
To deal with the crisis, Emperor Ling had no choice but to compromise with the scholar-official class, lifting the "Partisan Prohibitions" that had barred many from office. Consequently, numerous renowned scholars regained the opportunity to serve, and Wang Yun appointed two of them—Xun Shuang (one of the "Eight Dragons" of the scholarly elite) and Kong Rong (famous for his humility in yielding pears)—as his subordinates.
With the support of local elites, Wang Yun achieved an unsurprising victory against the Yellow Turbans in Yingchuan. Alongside the Left General of the Household, Huangfu Song, and the Right General of the Household, Zhu Jun, he accepted the surrender of over 100,000 Yellow Turban rebels, further cementing his reputation.
In 189 AD, Emperor Ling passed away, and Wang Yun traveled to the capital to attend the funeral. At the time, Grand General He Jin was plotting to eliminate the eunuchs and summoned Wang Yun to assist in the plan. He Jin recommended Wang Yun for a high-ranking position, ensuring he remained in the capital.
Shortly afterward, Dong Zhuo seized control of the capital, and Wang Yun was transferred to the position of Grand Coachman (Taipu) before being promoted to Imperial Secretary (Shangshu Ling).
The position of Imperial Secretary was a classic example of a low-ranking but highly influential post in the Han Dynasty.
As the central decision-making and policy-issuing body of the Eastern Han, the Imperial Secretariat (Shangshu Tai) drafted imperial edicts and had a say in official appointments. Thus, most governmental affairs were handled by the Imperial Secretariat. Though its chief, the Imperial Secretary, was institutionally subordinate to the Privy Treasurer (Shaofu) and held a modest salary of 1,000 dan of grain, he effectively reported directly to the emperor and wielded immense power.
From this, it was clear that Dong Zhuo trusted Wang Yun more than others...
One day, while Wang Yun was seated in his residence, he suddenly received word that Grand Tutor Yuan Wei had come to visit.
Wang Yun hurried out to welcome him and invited Yuan Wei inside. After the two were seated as host and guest, Wang Yun smiled and said, "Grand Tutor, your timing is impeccable! Fresh tea has just arrived—haha..."
"Oh?!" Yuan Wei raised his eyebrows. "Could it be the new batch of tea from Master Ge?"
"Indeed!" Wang Yun stroked his beard proudly.
No wonder Yuan Wei was impressed. At the time, the most famous tea was that grown by Ge Xuan, a renowned alchemist of the Han Dynasty, on Mount Tiantai in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The tea was of exceptional quality and extremely rare. Moreover, with the Guandong Coalition forces stationed at Suanzao, Wang Yun's ability to transport the tea into the capital suggested that the Wang family had secret channels unknown to others—capable of bypassing the surveillance of both Dong Zhuo and the Yuan clan.
However, Wang Yun's feat was not due to any extraordinary smuggling network. Rather, Dong Zhuo had been consuming an excessive amount of alchemical elixirs, and before the coalition forces had fully assembled, Wang Yun had obtained Dong Zhuo's permission to purchase a new batch of elixirs from Mount Tiantai. He had simply taken the opportunity to smuggle in some tea under Dong Zhuo's name, thus avoiding the Yuan clan's scrutiny.
Yuan Wei smiled warmly and said leisurely, "In that case, I shall enjoy this thanks to the Grand Coachman's generosity!"
Hmph!
Though Yuan Wei's face was all smiles, inwardly he sneered coldly. At this point, he was beginning to feel that Wang Yun had grown too powerful, like a bird with fully feathered wings or a beast with an uncontrollable tail...
Before long, servants brought in freshly brewed tea.
Yuan Wei and Wang Yun each held a cup, sipping slowly while hiding their expressions behind the rising steam. Neither was willing to speak first.
But no matter how much tea there was, it would eventually run out.
Yuan Wei finished his tea but continued holding the empty cup to obscure his face, his mind racing like lightning. The sudden and seemingly casual display of Wang Yun's influence forced Yuan Wei to reconsider his original intentions for this visit.
In the current court, Dong Zhuo was undoubtedly the supreme authority, yet many of his decrees could not be directly enforced across the land without the Imperial Secretariat's involvement. This was where Wang Yun's importance lay.
Previously, the Imperial Secretariat had been under Yuan Wei's indirect control, but Dong Zhuo had eventually realized this and replaced its leadership with the more compliant Wang Yun, effectively cutting off Yuan Wei's ability to manipulate appointments through the Secretariat.
Yuan Wei set down his cup and said with a smile, "Grand Coachman, this tea is truly exceptional! The last time I drank it, the fragrance lingered for days—I wonder how long it will last this time?"
Grand Tutor Yuan Wei's words carried a hidden meaning. As a high-ranking noble, no matter how exquisite the tea, it was at most a momentary pleasure—how could its fragrance linger for days?
The last time Yuan Wei and Wang Yun had shared this tea was when Dong Zhuo had just entered the capital. At the time, Dong Zhuo had seized the credit for escorting the emperor back to the capital, absorbed the troops of He Jin and Ding Yuan, and begun openly dominating the court. Back then, Wang Yun and Yuan Wei had sat together to discuss how to deal with Dong Zhuo...
Wang Yun smiled and nodded but did not respond immediately. He understood Yuan Wei's implication, but the circumstances were different now.