Dou Wu
In 172, Hou Lan was abruptly “found guilty of luxury and arrogance, and of acting with arbitrary authority.” He was ordered to surrender his seal and ribbon of office. He then committed suicide. It seems likely that Hou Lan's downfall, on such vague charges, did not result from any particular misconduct of his own. Rather, his arrest and dismissal are better explained by his relationship to Empress Dowager Dou in the controversy which led to her arrest and the death of her brother Dou Wu, together with many of their relatives, in the year 172.