No transmigration, no golden finger, and no mindless wish fulfillment. Drawing on Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, the Book of Jin, and A New Account of the Tales of the World, this novel portrays the tangled relationships among the aristocratic clans, the imperial family, and commoners of the Western Jin dynasty.
The Jin dynasty was born from the aristocratic clans, rose through them, was constrained by them, and was destroyed by them. People say Sima Yan was indulgent, mediocre, and lazy, but how could the emperor who unified the Three Kingdoms have been so foolish and inept? He treated the gentry as his pieces and the imperial clansmen as his pawns, maneuvering among the great aristocratic families, including the Yang clan of Hongnong and the Wang clan of Langya. Jia Nanfeng harbored ambitions and schemes, roiling the court amid the chaos. War in Hexi and the Xianbei uprising stirred beneath the surface, while a descendant of Zhang Liang hid in the court and countryside, quietly setting his plans in motion. Over fifty years of upheaval, from the prosperous Taikang era to the chaotic Yongjia era, this is the complete epic of the Western Jin aristocratic system at its height and its decline.
A story focused on aristocratic politics and the rivalries between great clans, for readers interested in the history of the Two Jin dynasties and Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance.
