Embers of the Han Loyalists

The year 184 AD, the first year of Zhongping under Emperor Ling.

That year, Zhang Jiao cried, "The Azure Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise," proclaimed himself General of Heaven, and plunged the land into the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

That year, Han Sui killed imperial officials and launched a revolt. Liangzhou rebels raided the Three Auxiliary Commanderies.

That year, the Shanyue tribes rose up and captured one commandery after another.

That year, drought and locusts struck together. Locusts swarmed across the land, devouring the crops and worsening the food crisis.

That year, Emperor Ling indulged himself in pleasure and ignored affairs of state. He turned the imperial harem into a marketplace, ordering palace women and eunuchs to play merchants and customers while he played a shopkeeper for amusement. He also built a "Naked Stroll Pavilion" where he frolicked with his consorts, leaving the government entirely in the eunuchs' hands.

That year, the Han Empire teetered on the brink of collapse.

That year, Zhu Rui, who had come from a later age, had a dream. He wanted to climb high and see the lights in a thousand homes; he wanted to travel across the land and see peaceful villages and pastoral scenes.

He wanted children to grow up strong, women to live free of humiliation, and the elderly to have a good end.

He wanted to bring this age of chaos to an end.