This article recounts the late Yuan Dynasty’s fatal succession crises. Frequent coups, broken pacts, and assassinations rocked the court after Emperor Chengzong’s death. Rival princes and warlords fought for the throne, draining the empire. By the time Huizong took power, decades of chaos had doomed Mongol rule in China.
In Journey to the West, the Purple Gold Alms Bowl was bestowed upon Tang Sanzang by Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin) before his pilgrimage. While providing attendants and a horse was practical, the emperor’s deliberate choice of this sacred vessel demands scrutiny.