Set during the Western Jin dynasty, this novel depicts the bloody, sixteen-year civil war that erupted after Emperor Hui of Jin, Sima Zhong, ascended the throne. Because of his limited intelligence, Empress Jia Nanfeng seized power, setting the princes against one another in a struggle for control. The princes waged war on each other, the regime changed hands repeatedly, and society was thrown into turmoil as the people endured terrible suffering. From Jia Nanfeng's purge of the regents to the princes taking up arms, from the Prince of Zhao's usurpation to the Prince of Qi's rebellion, and then the successive rise of the Princes of Changsha, Chengdu, Hejian, and Donghai, every faction plotted and schemed, with betrayal following betrayal. War brought economic collapse, cultural decline, political corruption, and ethnic strife, leaving the country in ruins. Yet even amid this endless darkness, ordinary people, loyal ministers, and men of justice held on to hope. At last, from the wreckage, the Western Jin embarked on the arduous path to rebuilding and renewal.
