Empress Wu, constantly replacing crown princes and emperors like a revolving lantern, aimed to become emperor herself. She posthumously honored her five generations of ancestors, established ancestral temples in her hometown, appointed her maternal relatives to important official positions, and demoted officials who opposed her, such as Xu Jingye and Luo Binwang.

At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, consecutive years of natural disasters, coupled with oppressive taxes and labor services as numerous as cow hairs, caused unbearable suffering among the people, who voiced theicomplaints everywhere.

After the Tang dynasty recaptured its two capitals, An Qingxu fled to Hebei, seized control of sixty cities, and continued to resist fiercely. Emperor Suzong of Tang decided to send a large army to suppress An Qingxu. This campaign saw the Tang forces concentrate a massive army of six hundred thousand troops led by nine

When it comes to Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, most people are familiar with him. The folk tale "The Cat Who Switched the Crown Prince" involves his mother, and it was Emperor Renzong who had spittle from the famous official Bao Zheng land on his face.

Emperor Wu of Han's interest in lychee was clearly much greater than his interest in sharks. This was naturally due, on one hand, to the delicious taste of lychee, and perhaps, on the other hand, also related to the account in the "Biographies of Immortals" (Lie Xian Zhuan) stating: "Those who eat its flowers and fruit become lychee immortals."

Zaoyang was not only the place where Liu Xiu grew up, but also where he rose to prominence. It was from here that Liu Xiu established the Eastern Han Dynasty. In Zaoyang, Liu Xiu underwent a transformation from a member of the imperial clan and an official's son, to a commoner living in poverty.

Empress Wang Zhengjun, mother of Emperor Cheng of Han, had eight brothers. The second son of her second brother, Wang Man, was named Wang Mang. Some court ministers praised Wang Mang highly, so Emperor Cheng enfeoffed him as Marquis of Xindu and later appointed him Grand Marshal, granting him control over the imperial court.

In the struggle among powerful feudal states for hegemony, large states annexed smaller ones, expanding their territories. However, the rulers of these large states had to enfeoff newly acquired lands to their meritorious ministers. As a result, the power of these ministers grew stronger.

Wang Mang's main forces had already been destroyed, leaving only the two major cities of Chang'an and Luoyang under his control. Wang Xian, the governor of Hongnong (in present-day Henan),simplysurrendered to the Han army, and many powerful aristocratic families followed Wang Xian to attack Chang'an. They set fires everywhere inside and outside the city.

Introduction: He ascended the throne wearing straw sandals, his imperial robe patched and mended. After reigning for 23 years, he never built a new palace, repaired a garden, added to his carriages and ceremonial guards, or even acquired an extra dog or horse.