From the First Emperor to the Last Emperor: The Legends of Emperors links history through the eyes of its rulers, focusing on the clash between power and human nature while sketching the rise and fall of dynasties in a few deft strokes. Here is a concise cast of emperors and the main narrative:
I. Opening: Two Emperors of Qin (Qin Yingzheng and Hu Hai)
- Yingzheng: From a young King of Qin controlled by Lu Buwei at the age of thirteen to the First Emperor, who conquered the Six States and standardized writing and axle widths, he founded a new order with the bold declaration “I am the realm itself.” Yet his quest for immortality and tyrannical rule sowed the seeds of collapse.
- Hu Hai: A puppet in Zhao Gao's hands, he went from falsifying an edict to kill his brother to the absurd rule that made “calling a deer a horse” famous. He witnessed the rapid fall of the Qin dynasty after just fifteen years and lamented on his deathbed, “I wish I had been an ordinary commoner.”
II. Western Han: Founding the Dynasty and the Witchcraft Disaster (Liu Bang, Liu Che, Liu Xun)
- Liu Bang: From a street thug in Pei County to the founding emperor who proclaimed the “Three Articles of Law,” he laid the foundation of the Liu dynasty with his “rogue's cleverness,” surviving the dangers of the Feast at Hong Gate and the humiliation at Baideng Mountain.
- Liu Che: He ascended the throne at sixteen, established the Imperial Academy, fought the Xiongnu, and opened routes to the Western Regions. His bold vow, “Anyone who offends the mighty Han, no matter how far away, will be punished,” ushered in a golden age. But the Witchcraft Disaster cost him his crown prince, and in old age he issued an edict of self-reproach.
- Liu Xun: From a convict in the Imperial Household to a great ruler who restored the dynasty, he joined forces with Huo Guang to destroy the Huo clan, but could not prevent the Wang clan from rising to power.
III. Eastern Han: The Restoration under Emperor Guangwu and the Puppet Rule of the Final Years (Liu Xiu, Liu Xie)
- Liu Xiu: At Kunyang, the “Son of the Plane” made an improbable comeback. He won the realm through gentleness, retired meritorious officials, and promoted civil administrators, reviving the Han dynasty after its decline, though he could not escape the limits of his fate as the “emperor on an ox's back.”
