225 Marquis Zhuxu

A9.28|29

However, the Lü family still controlled the Southern Army. When Marquis Pingyang heard about it, he informed Prime Minister Chen Ping of Lü Chan's plan, and Chen Ping asked Marquis Zhuxu to assist the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal ordered Marquis Zhuxu to guard the military gate. He also sent Marquis Pingyang to inform the guards: "Don't let Prime Minister Lü Chan enter the palace gate." Lü Chan, unaware that Lü Lu had already left the Northern Army, entered the Weiyang Palace and attempted to cause chaos, but was unable to enter the palace and wandered around the door. Marquis Pingyang was worried that he could not stop him from entering, so he ran to tell the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal was also worried that he could not defeat the Lü family, and did not dare to publicly say that he wanted to exterminate the Lü family, so he said to Marquis Zhuxu: "Hurry up and enter the palace to protect the emperor." Marquis Zhuxu requested that some troops be allocated to him, and the Grand Marshal gave him more than a thousand soldiers. When Marquis Zhuxu entered the Weiyang Palace, he saw Lü Chan in the palace. It was dusk at that time, and Marquis Zhuxu attacked Lü Chan. When Lü Chan escaped, a strong wind blew, so his followers were confused and dared not fight. Marquis Zhuxu chased Lü Chan and killed him in the toilet of the attendant's mansion. 

After Marquis Zhuxu killed Lü Chan, the emperor sent an envoy with a seal to express his gratitude to Marquis Zhuxu. Marquis Zhuxu  tried to take the imperial seal away, but the envoy refused to let go. So he followed the envoy in the same carriage, used the imperial seal to run away, and killed Lü Gengshi, the guard of Changle Palace. On his way back, Marquis Zhuxu drove into the Northern Army and reported to the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal stood up, bowed and congratulated Marquis Zhuxu, saying, "The only thing we were worried about was Lü Chan. Now that Lü Chan has been killed, the world is at peace." So he sent people to arrest all the men and women of the Lü family, regardless of age, and beheaded them all. On the Xinyou day, Lü Lu was arrested and beheaded, and Lü Xiang was beaten to death. People were sent to kill Lü Tong, the King of Yan. Zhang Yan, the King of Lu, was deposed. On the Renxu day, the court reinstated Shen Yiji, the emperor's tutor, as the left prime minister. On the Wuchen day, the King of Jichuan was renamed the King of Liang, and Liu Sui, the son of King You of Zhao, was named the King of Zhao. Marquis Zhuxu Liu Zhang was sent to inform the King of Qi about the extermination of the Lü family and asked him to withdraw his troops. Guan Ying's army also withdrew from Xingyang.

然尚有南军。平阳侯闻之，以吕产谋告丞相平，丞相平乃召朱虚侯佐太尉。太尉令朱虚侯监军门。令平阳侯告卫尉：“毋入相国产殿门。”吕产不知吕禄已去北军，乃入未央宫，欲为乱，殿门弗得入，裴回往来。平阳侯恐弗胜，驰语太尉。太尉尚恐不胜诸吕，未敢讼言诛之，乃遣朱虚侯谓曰：“急入宫卫帝。”朱虚侯请卒，太尉予卒千余人。入未央宫门，遂见产廷中。日餔时，遂击产。产走，天风大起，以故其从官乱，莫敢斗。逐产，杀之郎中府吏厕中。

朱虚侯已杀产，帝命谒者持节劳朱虚侯。朱虚侯欲夺节信，谒者不肯，朱虚侯则从与载，因节信驰走，斩长乐卫尉吕更始。还，驰入北军，报太尉。太尉起，拜贺朱虚侯曰：“所患独吕产，今已诛，天下定矣。”遂遣人分部悉捕诸吕男女，无少长皆斩之。辛酉，捕斩吕禄，而笞杀吕媭。使人诛燕王吕通，而废鲁王偃。壬戌，以帝太傅食其复为左丞相。戊辰，徙济川王王梁，立赵幽王子遂为赵王。遣朱虚侯章以诛诸吕氏事告齐王，令罢兵。灌婴兵亦罢荥阳而归。

224 Right Arms or Left Arms

A9.25|26|27

Zhou Bo, the Grand Marshal and Marquis of Jiang, was not allowed to come into the army to take charge. Li Shang, the Marquis of Quzhou, was old and sick, and his son Li Ji was on good terms with Lü Lu. The Marquis of Jiang conspired with the Prime Minister Chen Ping to have Li Shang kidnapped. Then they let his son go to trick Lü Lu, "Emperor Gao and Queen Lü ruled the world together. The nine kings of Liu’s and the three kings of Lü’s are all established by ministers, which had been announced to the princes, and the princes all thought appropriate. Today, the empress dowager passed away, the emperor is young, and your majesty wears the seal of the king of Zhao. He who defends the border when there is no internal urgency in the country is the true general, but to have soldiers stationed here raise the eyebrows among the ministers and princes.  Why don't you return the general's seal to the Grand Marshal? And please ask the king of Liang to return to the seal of the country and ally with the minister. The army will be dismissed, and the minister will be safe, and with high pillows the king will rule thousands of miles. This is the benefit of the world. Lü Lu believed in his plan and wanted to return to the general's seal, so the army would be in the charge of the Grand Marshal.

And he sent someone to report it to Lü Chan and the seniors of the Lü‘s, and they thought it was either appropriate or inappropriate, and all were hesitate making up their minds. Lü Lu trusted Li Ji and often went out hunting with him. When he passed by his aunt Lü Xu's house and went in for a visit. Lü Xu was furious and said, "You are a great general but you have abandoned your army. The Lü family will soon have nowhere to go." She threw pearls, jade and other treasures on floor of the hall and said, "Don't worry to guard for others."

Left Prime Minister Shen Yiji was dismissed.

In August, on the morning of the Gengshen, Cao Zhu, the Marquis of Pingyang, who were on the duty of imperial historian’s affairs, came to see Prime Minister Lü Chan to discuss state affairs. Jia Shou, the supervisor of  attendants, just came back from his mission to Qi, and he was scolding Lü Chan and said, "You did not leave for your state quickly, now even if you want to go , can you still leave?" He informed Lü Chan in detail about Guan Ying's alliance with Qi and Chu to kill the Lü  family, and urged Lü Chan to enter the palace as soon as possible. Marquis Pingyang heard all their conversation and ran to inform the Prime Minister and the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal wanted to get into the Northern Army base, but couldn’t get in. Ji Tong, the Marquis of Xiangping, was in charge of the imperial seals, so he was asked to take the imperial seals and falsely convey the imperial decree to allow the marshal to enter the Northern Army. The Grand Marshal ordered Li Ji and Liu Jie, the Imperial Courtier, to persuade Lü Lu, saying, "The Emperor has sent the Grand Marshal to guard the Northern Army and wants you to be enfeoffed. Return the seal and leave quickly, otherwise, disaster will occur." Lü Lu believed that Li Ji would not deceive him, so he gave the general's seal to the Minister of Guests and rendered the military power to the Grand Marshal. The Grand Marshal had the seal, after entering the military gate, he ordered, "Those who support Lü should show their right arms, and those who support Liu should show their left arms." The soldiers in the army all exposed their left arms to support Liu. When the Grand Marshal arrived at the Northern Army, General Lü Lu had already returned the seal and left, so he took command of the Northern Army.

太尉绛侯勃不得入军中主兵。曲周侯郦商老病，其子寄与吕禄善。绛侯乃与丞相陈平谋，使人劫郦商。令其子寄往绐说吕禄曰：“高帝与吕后共定天下，刘氏所立九王，吕氏所立三王，皆大臣之议，事已布告诸侯，诸侯皆以为宜。今太后崩，帝少，而足下佩赵王印，不急之国守藩，乃为上将，将兵留此，为大臣诸侯所疑。足下何不归将印，以兵属太尉？请梁王归相国印，与大臣盟而之国，齐兵必罢，大臣得安，足下高枕而王千里，此万世之利也。”吕禄信然其计，欲归将印，以兵属太尉。使人报吕产及诸吕老人，或以为便，或曰不便，计犹豫未有所决。吕禄信郦寄，时与出游猎。过其姑吕媭，媭大怒，曰：“若为将而弃军，吕氏今无处矣。”乃悉出珠玉宝器散堂下，曰：“毋为他人守也。”

左丞相食其免。

八月庚申旦，平阳侯窋行御史大夫事，见相国产计事。郎中令贾寿使从齐来，因数产曰：“王不蚤之国，今虽欲行，尚可得邪？”具以灌婴与齐楚合从，欲诛诸吕告产，乃趣产急入宫。平阳侯颇闻其语，乃驰告丞相、太尉。太尉欲入北军，不得入。襄平侯通尚符节。乃令持节矫内太尉北军。太尉复令郦寄与典客刘揭先说吕禄曰：“帝使太尉守北军，欲足下之国，急归将印辞去，不然，祸且起。”吕禄以为郦兄不欺己，遂解印属典客，而以兵授太尉。太尉将之入军门，行令军中曰：“为吕氏右襢，为刘氏左襢。”军中皆左襢为刘氏。太尉行至，将军吕禄亦已解上将印去，太尉遂将北军。