Lingdi 靈帝

Chen Shou's Records contain no biography of Emperor Ling, so the records that refer to him as "Emperor Ling" in various biographies are gathered here in chronological order. Seeing that Emperor Ling's government was in decline and the imperial house beset by troubles, the Minister of Ceremonies Liu Yan proposed that, since inspectors and administrators obtained their posts by bribery and exploited the common people, upright senior ministers should be chosen to serve as regional governors (mubo). When inspectors were killed one after another in Bing and Liang Provinces, his plan was put into effect, and Liu Yan took on the additional post of Governor of Yi Province. Records, Shu 1 §3–5

According to the biography of Sun Jian, in the 1st year of Zhongping (184) the Yellow Turban leader Zhang Jue rose in Wei Commandery, and on the jiazi day of the 3rd month thirty-six groups rose all at once in a single morning, burning commanderies and counties and killing their officials. The Han court sent the General of Chariots and Cavalry Huangfu Song and the General of the Household Zhu Jun to suppress them. The Annals of Emperor Wu place this at the end of the Guanghe era, when Cao Cao, as Commandant of Cavalry, attacked the rebels of Yingchuan. The Biography of the First Sovereign records that when the Yellow Turbans rose at the end of Emperor Ling's reign, the provinces and commanderies each raised volunteer troops. Records, Wu 1 §6Records, Wei 1 §3Records, Shu 2 §6

Bian Zhang and Han Sui of Jincheng killed the inspector and the administrator and rebelled, their followers numbering more than 100,000. In the 3rd year of Zhongping (186) the court made the Minister of Works Zhang Wen acting General of Chariots and Cavalry and sent him west. Ma Teng also rose in the west together with Bian Zhang and Han Sui at the end of Emperor Ling's reign. North of the Yellow River, the host of Zhang Yan, known as the Heishan (Black Mountain), grew to a million; Emperor Ling was unable to subdue them, and the commanderies north of the river suffered at their hands. Records, Wei 1 §5Records, Wu 1 §8Records, Shu 6 §25Records, Wei 8 §53

Wang Fen, Inspector of Ji Province, and others joined with powerful men and plotted to depose Emperor Ling and set up the Marquis of Hefei. When Wang Fen told him of it, Cao Cao refused, and Hua Xin, saying that deposing and enthroning a ruler was a grave matter, dissuaded Taoqiu Hong of the same commandery. Wang Fen and the others ultimately failed. Records, Wei 1 §4Records, Wei 13 §28–29

At the end of Emperor Ling's reign, as the realm fell into disorder, Emperor Ling made his favorite, the Junior Palace Attendant Jian Shuo, Colonel of the Upper Army of the Western Garden and stationed troops in the capital, intending to control the four quarters. He summoned the heroes of the realm to serve as lieutenants and adjutants, and Cao Cao, Yuan Shao and others also became colonels under Jian Shuo. Records, Wei 8 §30

When Emperor Ling died, the Crown Prince took the throne and the Empress Dowager presided over the court. The General-in-Chief He Jin wished to kill the eunuchs together with Yuan Shao, but when the Empress Dowager would not agree, he summoned Dong Zhuo. Jian Shuo was killed by He Jin at this time. Dong Zhuo, who arrived after He Jin had been killed, deposed the emperor, making him Prince of Hongnong, soon killed the Prince of Hongnong and Empress He, and set up Emperor Ling's young son, the Prince of Chenliu; this was Emperor Xian. The Annals of Emperor Wu date this year to the 6th year of Zhongping (189). Records, Wei 1 §5–6Records, Wei 8 §31Records, Wei 6 §5 · 8

Later Qiao Zhou of Shu, following the old account that Marquis Mu of Jin had given his two sons inauspicious names and so brought on disorder, remarked that Emperor Ling of Han had named his two sons Marquis Shi and Marquis Dong, and that both had taken the throne as emperor and were later deposed and reduced to lords. Records, Shu 12 §21–22