In the glorious era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, there was a minister whose name was deeply imprinted in the pages of history, and he was the great general Huo Guang. Huo Guang not only won the deep trust of Emperor Wu with his outstanding military talent and extraordinary wisdom, but also became a pivotal figure in the imperial court in Emperor Wu's later years. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew that he was old, so when he was dying, he entrusted his young prince Liu Fuling (that is, Emperor Zhao) to Huo Guang, hoping that he could assist Emperor Zhao and stabilize the country of the Western Han Dynasty.
Emperor Zhao, assisted by Huo Guang, although young, still maintained stability and prosperity in the dynasty. However, Emperor Zhao's life was as short as a meteor, and after his death, Huo Guang stepped forward again and decided to appoint Liu Xun as emperor (i.e., Emperor Xuan). Since then, Huo Guang has become the actual ruler of the Western Han Dynasty, and he has held the power of the court for more than 40 years, making great contributions to the stability and development of the Western Han Dynasty.
After Liu Xun ascended the throne, he made Concubine Xu the queen. However, this peaceful palace life has made waves because of one person's greed. Huo Guang's wife, Huo Xian, is a woman who is extremely greedy for wealth. She looked at her youngest daughter Cheng Jun, and a crazy idea surged in her heart - to make Cheng Jun the queen. In order to realize this ambition, she actually bought off a female doctor and poisoned Queen Xu when she was sick. However, this poisonous plan did not completely hide from Emperor Xuan's eyes, and the female doctor was eventually arrested and imprisoned.
Huo Guang didn't know anything about what his wife did, and when the matter was revealed, Huo Xian confessed everything to him. Huo Guang was shocked, and he accused his wife of not doing such a hurtful thing. He also thought about reporting the matter, but looking at his wife's frightened and pleading eyes, he still couldn't make up his mind. He chose to remain silent and hid the matter.
However, Huo Guang's silence did not bring peace to the family. After his death, someone reported the incident to Emperor Xuan. Emperor Xuan was furious, and he immediately sent someone to investigate and deal with it. After Huo Yan learned the news, he discussed countermeasures with family members and cronies. They decided to rally their people to plot a rebellion, but the plan leaked out. When Emperor Xuan learned about it, he immediately sent troops to surround the Huo family, and finally beheaded the whole house.
The Eastern Han Dynasty historian Ban Gu made a profound evaluation of Huo Guang's life in "Hanshu - The Biography of Huo Guang". He praised Huo Guang for his great exploits to the Western Han Dynasty, but at the same time pointed out his shortcomings. Ban Gu said that Huo Guang "does not learn and has no skills, and is dark in Dali", which means that although Huo Guang has extraordinary wisdom and talent, he is unable to distinguish between right and wrong because of his lack of knowledge, and he also lacks a deep understanding of the truth related to the overall situation. This evaluation is not only a summary of Huo Guang's life, but also a warning to future generations.