Summary of the period
The short reign of Emperor Ai (7-1 B.C.) constituted a temporary
eclipse to the power of the Wang clan and Wang Mang. The Emperor
himself, a sickly young man, attempted to imitate the "strong" government
of Emperor Wu, but only succeeded in becoming a tool, first of his
grandmother and then of his favorite's family. As a result of the Emperor's
attempt to rule in person, the period is full of intrigues: concerning
the maternal relatives of the Emperor, concerning a certain revelation,
and concerning Tung Hsien2a. Attention is centered in the court; external
events continued to be uneventful. The influence of Han Confucianism,
which reached its apogee in the reign of Wang Mang, continued
to grow. This introduction will deal with the events and forces
necessary to understand the background of this chapter, matters which
are not explained in the chapter itself (for further details, cf. the Onomasticon
and Glossary). It, like the other imperial annals, is rather a
chronological summary than what occidentals would call a history.
