During the reign of Emperor Zhengde (1506-1521) of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), eunuchs seized power under the leadership of Liu Jin. His power was second only to that of the emperor. But he was not satisfied with this and dreamed of overthrowing the emperor. Many ministers in the Ming Court opposed him, including He Tang, a tutor of the emperor. Unfortunately, however, they didn’t know what to do as they had no proof against him.
One day, all the ministers came to celebrate the emperor’s birthday. Liu Jin was there too. He held his head up high as he rode on his horse. When he got down from the horse, He Tang saw a yellow imperial robe hidden beneath his red court dress. At that time, yellow imperial robes could only be worn by the emperor. He Tang was shocked at the scene, “Oh, no!”, he thought. “Liu Jin intends to usurp the throne. I must prevent him from carrying through his plan.”
After the ceremony, the emperor threw a banquet for all his ministers. He Tang secretly hid a cup when no one was looking. When a eunuch served the cups decorated with the nine-dragon pattern to each minister, he found that one was missing.
At this time, He Tang intentionally shouted, “Who has hidden the cup? Hand it over, otherwise the thief will be sentenced to death if the cup is found on his person.”
Liu Jin was startled at his words, as any body search would give him away. He said, “No. Today is our emperor’s birthday. Don’t spoil the atmosphere. Just go and take another one!”
He Tang said, “If you didn’t take it, why not agree to a body search?” He kowtowed to the emperor and said, “I think we should search everyone, and I say let the search begin with your Majesty. All ministers should be searched one after another. The one with the highest rank should be the first to be searched.” While he spoke these words, He Tang winked at the emperor. The emperor respected his teacher very much. He realized that He Tang had some plan in mind. He stood up and undid his imperial robes to allow his ministers to check him.
Then, He Tang asked, “Now, who is the next?” “Liu Jin! It is you!”
Liu Jin turned white and beads of sweat rolled down his face. His reaction made him look more suspicious. Liu Jin had no choice but to submit to the search. The moment when his court dress was undone, the yellow imperial robe hidden inside was exposed. Everyone was stunned.
Although he knew he was in trouble, Liu Jin still put up a struggle. He drew his dagger and thrust towards the emperor. He Tang anticipated the danger, and moved quickly to intercept the eunuch. At this moment, the emperor shouted out, “Seize the traitor!” Immediately, bodyguards rushed at Liu Jin and took him into custody.
At this time, He Tang took out the hidden cup, and said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, it is me who hid the cup.”
