SuaveG – The Gentle Path

Chinese mythology, folktales, and literature

Emperor Hui of Jin

  • The Twenty-Four Friends

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    Juan

    The Rise of Jia Mi and His Literary Coterie In the bloody coup that toppled Empress Jia Nanfeng, Jia Mi – her nephew and adopted heir to the powerful Jia Chong – was executed. Yet just months earlier, this man in his twenties had stood at the pinnacle of imperial favor. Backed by the…

  • The Princes’ Catastrophe

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    Juan

    The Doomed Heir: Rise and Fall of Crown Prince Sima Yu While still crown prince, Emperor Hui of Jin had a concubine named Xie Jiu, who became pregnant. Fearing the jealousy of Empress Jia Nanfeng, she fled the Eastern Palace. Soon after, in the inner quarters of the imperial harem, she gave birth to…

  • Zhou Chu’s Last Stand [Jin & Southern-Northern Dynasties]

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    Juan

    Empress Jia’s Bloody Ascendancy After orchestrating the successive eliminations of Yang Jun, Prince Sima Liang of Ruyan, Wei Guan, and Prince Sima Wei of Chu, Empress Jia Nanfeng seized sole control of the Western Jin court. Outwardly, she feigned grief; inwardly, she gloated. When ministers proposed Zhang Hua as chief minister to stabilize the…

  • One Hundred Days of Blood: The Collapse of Jin Authority and the Onset of Princely Carnage [Jin & Southern-Northern Dynasties]

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    Juan

    The Emperor’s Deathbed and a Stolen Mandate In late 290 CE, Emperor Wu of Jin fell gravely ill. Lying unconscious in his palace, he left the court in panic. With the heir – Crown Prince Sima Zhong – widely known as mentally unfit, ministers anxiously awaited an imperial edict naming regents to guide the…