One man returned from exile and built an empire.
Later, he died at the hands of his own son.
Another swept across the land and became the strongest emperor in the north.
Later, he died at the hands of the eunuch he trusted most.
More absurdly, that same eunuch later killed another emperor.
After all the killing, a boy secured the throne. His empress would one day be Empress Dowager Feng, who ruled Northern Wei for twenty years.
Empress Dowager Feng took charge of the court, and Emperor Xiaowen launched his reforms.
To move the capital to Luoyang, Yuan Hong even tricked the entire court into walking straight into his scheme.
He wanted to transform the country from the ground up: speak Han Chinese, wear Han clothing, and sever the Xianbei people’s roots with a single stroke.
But what was the result?
His wife betrayed him, his son hated him, and his own people cursed him.
After his death, Luoyang grew ever more prosperous, while the Six Garrisons in the north grew ever colder.
At last, the people of the Six Garrisons rebelled.
Erzhu Rong seized his chance amid the chaos, leading to the Heyin Incident.
Countless high-ranking court officials were killed or wounded in a single night.
From then on, Northern Wei was divided.
Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai faced each other across the river, neither able to defeat the other.
The south was no less turbulent. The Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen dynasties took turns on the throne, and emperors changed even more frequently than in the north. Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, lived to eighty-six, only to be trapped by rebels in Taicheng and starve to death.
After Gao Huan died, his son Gao Yang founded Northern Qi.
After Yuwen Tai died, his nephew Yuwen Hu seized control of the court, and Northern Zhou was later established.
In Northern Qi, uncles and nephews turned on each other, brothers hacked one another down, and each emperor was madder than the last.
In Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yong endured for twelve years before finally killing the regent with his own hands and turning around to destroy Northern Qi.
