After Hou Yi formally deposed Xiang and established himself as ruler, he arrogantly believed that his unparalleled archery skills were enough to intimidate all directions and secure lasting peace. Consequently, he followed in Tai Kang's footsteps, indulging in a life of extravagance, debauchery, and excessive drinking and pleasure, even surpassing Tai Kang in these excesses. He surrounded himself with petty individuals and distanced himself from virtuous ministers, ignoring the remonstrations of capable officials like Wu Luo, Bo Yin, Xiong Kun, and Long Yu, while entrusting heavy responsibilities to the cunning and treacherous Han Zhuo.
Han Zhuo was a descendant of the Boming clan of the Eastern Yi tribe. His ancestors, having rendered great service during the Yellow Emperor's era, were enfeoffed with the land of Han (in present-day Weifang, Shandong), where their domain was called Boming State, also known as Han State. Later, the clan adopted "Han" as their surname. From childhood, Han Zhuo was willful and unruly, resistant to education, and because of his extreme mischievousness, he was expelled by the leader of the Boming clan. After his expulsion, Han Zhuo heard that Hou Yi, the ruler of the Youqiong State, had overthrown the Xia dynasty's ruler and declared himself king. Greatly admiring Hou Yi, he decided to seek refuge with him. Arriving at the Xia capital, he stayed for over ten days before finally meeting Hou Yi, and through his cleverness and eloquence, he won Hou Yi's favor. Despite opposition from many, Hou Yi kept him by his side as a minor leader. To secure his position, Han Zhuo deliberately concealed his true nature, behaving with extreme caution. He curried favor with powerful court officials while doing everything possible to earn Hou Yi's trust. Later, he was ordered to lead troops to suppress rebellious vassal states and achieved a great victory. From then on, Hou Yi trusted him deeply and promoted him repeatedly. In a short time, Han Zhuo rose swiftly to the highest ranks, becoming the most powerful minister in the court.
At this time, Hou Yi had already become corrupt and degenerate, spending his days drinking and seeking pleasure; relying on his skill in archery, he often led his followers on hunting expeditions. Han Zhuo did everything he could to satisfy Hou Yi in order to win his favor: since Hou Yi was fond of women, Han Zhuo searched everywhere for beautiful women to present to him; since Hou Yi loved wine, Han Zhuo selected the finest wines from across the land for his enjoyment; since Hou Yi was obsessed with hunting, Han Zhuo chose the best horses from various regions and trained a group of expert hunters exclusively for Hou Yi's hunting trips. Hou Yi was utterly delighted by this and handed over all state affairs to him. As Han Zhuo's power grew increasingly immense, his personal desires also began to swell, and he started using his authority to win over court officials, secretly cultivating his own faction.
Hou Yi was completely unaware of the situation. His ministers, including Wu Luo, Bo Yin, Xiong Kun, and Mang Yu, admonished him, stating that Han Zhuo was luring the ruler into indulgence and pleasure with malicious intent, and that he should be dismissed and punished. However, Hou Yi was entirely deceived by Han Zhuo and refused to heed his ministers' advice. He stubbornly appointed Han Zhuo as Prime Minister, entrusting him with the governance of the entire court. This made Han Zhuo truly the second most powerful person in the realm, second only to the ruler himself. The loyal and upright officials became disheartened, while Han Zhuo grew increasingly smug. No longer content to remain subordinate, his successful appointment as Prime Minister granted him even greater power, bringing him one step closer to replacing Hou Yi. Though Han Zhuo outwardly flattered and fawned over Hou Yi with every possible sycophantic gesture, behind his back he cursed him, wishing for his early demise.
Three more years passed, during which Han Zhuo allied with his confidants, killed loyal ministers like Wu Luo, Bo Yin, Xiong Kun, and Mang Yu who were devoted to Hou Yi, and filled the court with his own supporters, seizing control of the entire government. Seeing that the time was ripe, Han Zhuo began to seek an opportunity to kill Hou Yi and take the throne for himself.
One day, Hou Yi went out hunting again, and Han Zhuo seized the opportunity to stage a coup, occupying the court and listing Hou Yi's crimes, declaring that he would depose this incompetent ruler. Then, he led troops to ambush the road where Hou Yi would return. When Hou Yi came back from hunting, he did not expect the ambushing soldiers to swarm out from the roadside and shoot him dead with a volley of arrows.
Han Zhuo killed Hou Yi and immediately proclaimed himself king. It is said that after taking the throne, Han Zhuo brutally massacred the Youqiong clan. Many people, fearing for their lives, fled to remote border regions, while those who remained changed their names and went into hiding among other tribal states. From then on, the Youqiong clan vanished entirely from the Central Plains.
The reason Taikang lost his kingdom was entirely due to his indulgence in pleasure and neglect of state affairs, which brought the kingly way into question. Hou Yi drove out Taikang, fully aware of why he was deposed, yet still followed the same path as Taikang, which is truly lamentable.
Han Zhuo successfully killed Hou Yi and seized the throne, but he could not rest easy, because he knew that Xiang, the true heir of the Xia royal house, was still alive—he simply needed time to build up his strength in order to eliminate the root of the threat. Back then, after being driven out by Han Zhuo, Xiang fled to Diqiu, later moving to Zhenguan, roughly in present-day eastern Shouguang, Shandong. Xiang once attempted to restore his kingdom, allying with the Zhengxun and Zhenguan tribes to launch a three-pronged attack on the Han state. However, because Han Zhuo was on guard and had the help of his two sons, Han Jiao and Han Xi, Xiang ultimately returned empty-handed and fled again to Diqiu. At that time, the Huai Yi, Feng Yi, and Huang Yi tribes, which Xiang had previously campaigned against, came to Diqiu and expressed their willingness to submit to him.
Han Zhuo sent his two sons to launch a surprise attack on the Xia tribe's people, achieving great success by plundering large amounts of property and capturing many slaves. Seeing that the Xia tribe was so vulnerable, Han Zhuo became determined to destroy them.
The following year, Han Zhuo sent his son Han Jiao to launch a full-scale assault on Diqiu. After two battles, the two major vassal states, the Zhen Guan clan and the Zhen Xun clan, were both destroyed, further weakening Diqiu's strength. Han Zhuo then immediately attacked and captured Diqiu, and by this time, he had occupied all the territories under the Xia Dynasty's rule. Han Zhuo usurped the throne through a coup, and the Xia Dynasty's governance was interrupted.