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In the Han Dynasty, the group of officials known as lang (郎) was the most numerous. In fact, the character lang (郎) in the Han period was also interchangeable with lang (廊), meaning "corridor." Thus, langguan (郎官) essentially referred to "corridor officials."
Unlike the short-lived Qin Dynasty, the Han Dynasty saw the construction of numerous palaces, particularly in the capital cities of Chang'an and Luoyang. Luoyang, in particular, was dominated by massive palace complexes, the most prominent being the Northern and Southern Palaces. Additionally, there were palaces designated for the dowager empresses, transforming the city into a grand metropolis of interconnected palaces. The corridors linking these structures were where the langguan originally stood guard.
Over time, however, the ranks and responsibilities of the langguan evolved. Those who stayed close to the emperor, offering counsel when needed, were called yilang (议郎, "advisory officials"). Those tasked with handling documents—drafting, compiling, and issuing decrees—within the Imperial Secretariat (Shangshutai) were known as shangshulang (尚书郎, "secretarial officials"). High-ranking officials often had deputies referred to as zhonglang (中郎, "middle-ranking officials"). Below them were shilang (侍郎, "attendant officials"), and even lower were langzhong (郎中, "court gentlemen"). Only those without any substantive duties were simply called langguan (郎官).
All these lang positions fell under the jurisdiction of the Guangluxun (光禄勋), one of the Nine Ministers. However, given the sheer number of langguan, the Guangluxun could not manage them all personally. Instead, subordinate officials under the Guangluxun oversaw their respective groups.
Cai Yong, for instance, held the position of Left Leader of Court Gentlemen (Zuozhonglangjiang), a subordinate role under the Guangluxun. The Left Leader's Office, along with the Leader of the Five Officials (Wuguanzhonglangjiang) and the Right Leader of Court Gentlemen (Youzhonglangjiang), collectively formed the Three Offices (Sanshu). Originally responsible for the deployment of palace guards, these offices had gradually shifted from military to civil functions since Emperor Wu's reign.
This was because palace security had transitioned from being the duty of langguan to specialized units like the Tiger Guards (Huben) and Feathered Forest (Yulin). As a result, the langguan, who once stood guard in the corridors, no longer needed martial prowess. Instead, the Three Offices became the most common placement for xiaolian (孝廉, "filial and incorrupt") nominees from commanderies and kingdoms, serving as the first step for scholar-officials to enter the political arena.
And now, Fei Qian had stepped onto this very stage.
As arranged by Li Ru, Cai Yong merely went through the formalities before the official seals and ribbons were handed to Fei Qian. Normally, the emperor would have at least met the new appointee to acknowledge his existence. However, with the entire court under Dong Zhuo's control—where even the convening of court sessions and imperial audiences required Dong Zhuo's approval—the usual audience was waived with a casual wave of Dong Zhuo's hand.
Though the audience was skipped, formalities still had to be observed. Thus, under the guidance of a junior eunuch, Fei Qian performed a grand salute from a distance toward the palace where the emperor resided, symbolizing his reverence and loyalty to the imperial house. With that, the formalities were complete. Following the eunuch's signal, Fei Qian prepared to depart…
××××××××××××
Liu Xie crouched, gripping the palace railing as he gazed outside.
Though he was the emperor of the Great Han, he could not step beyond the palace gates. Since the incident at the ancestral temple, security around him had tightened further—likely due to the impending capital relocation—to prevent any mishaps. Without Dong Zhuo's permission, Liu Xie was barred from leaving the palace or receiving ministers privately.
And so, he could only press his face against the railings of the palace terrace, peering through the gaps. An elderly eunuch attending to him offered to hold up a parasol to shield him from the sun, but Liu Xie refused. He did not wish to draw attention.
In just over a month, it would be his birthday.
As a child, he had never met his mother. It was said she had fallen ill and died shortly after giving birth to him, but Liu Xie knew the truth likely involved Empress He.
After his mother's death, Empress Dowager Dong took him in and raised him, becoming like a second mother to him. It was not until he was six or seven—old enough to understand—that she told him how his birth mother, Wang Rong, had fallen gravely ill after drinking a so-called "tonic soup" sent by Empress He…
Later, Empress He became Empress Dowager He, and Empress Dowager Dong—who had been like a mother to him—was expelled from the palace, only to be killed en route…
Though Empress Dowager Dong had been greedy for wealth, she had treated Liu Xie well. Had she still been alive, she would likely have been preparing some grand surprise for his birthday by now…
His father, though not well-regarded in court, had never missed his birthday—except last year, when he was too ill to come. Back then, he had patted Liu Xie's head and promised to make it up this year…
And then there was his elder brother. Though Empress Dowager He had been unkind to Liu Xie, his brother had always enjoyed playing with him. Once, he had even sneaked away from the eunuchs and taken Liu Xie to the rear gardens, where they both tumbled into the mud and earned a scolding from Empress Dowager He…
But now…
Even that stern-faced Empress Dowager He was gone this year.
This year, none of you are here…
Are you all doing well over there?
I'm the only one left…
I miss you…
Tears welled up in Liu Xie's eyes, but he quickly wiped them away with his sleeve, biting his lower lip and tilting his head upward.
After that day at the ancestral temple, he had vowed never to cry again. Tears were the mark of the weak, and he refused to be weak.
No amount of weeping could save him or free him from this gilded cage…
Now, everyone he had known was gone, and soon he, too, would have to leave this familiar palace, this terrace…
He did not want to go. Yet now, even stepping outside the palace or meeting someone was an impossible luxury, let alone seeking help…
Clutching the railing, Liu Xie pressed his face against the gaps like a caged young beast, desperately inhaling the free air beyond.
Hmm? Was that a newly appointed langguan being led by a eunuch?
Liu Xie quickly adjusted his posture, shifting from crouching to kneeling formally, straightening his back and composing his expression.
"Rise," he murmured softly, mimicking the ritual as the distant figure bowed under the eunuch's guidance.
"Dismissed."
As he watched the retreating figure, a strange sense of familiarity flickered in Liu Xie's mind…
××××××××××××
Fei Qian, following the eunuch's lead, suddenly felt as though someone was watching him. He paused and glanced back, but aside from the silent palace halls and the Feathered Forest guards, there was no sign of movement.
Sighing softly, he shook his head, offered one last bow toward the palace, then hurried after the eunuch, who was urging him onward.