A live-streamed Chinese language lesson under the sky—the ancients were taken aback.

The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period began, marking the darkest period of chaos in Chinese history.

My history teacher skipped this part when he was teaching, saying it was too tragic to talk about.

Five dynasties rose and fell in fifty years, averaging one every ten years.

Of the fourteen emperors, how many do you think died peacefully?

Human ethics have vanished, cannibalism is now a source of pleasure, and the massacre of entire cities has become commonplace.

……

He sighed, unable to speak further.

"We'll talk about the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period another time when we have the chance to discuss the several chaotic periods that China experienced."

"Now we return to the aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, an easily overlooked impact: the demise of the aristocratic class."

The scene shifts to a grand manor burning in flames.

Many people believe that the powerful clans were eliminated during the Huang Chao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

But in reality, the An Lushan Rebellion marked the beginning of their long decline.

The war caused the manors of aristocratic families in Hebei and the Central Plains to be repeatedly burned and looted, and the family members were scattered.

The foundation of the Five Surnames and Seven Families was emptied out during the superposition of two phases: first, it was peeled away by the chaos of warlord conflicts, and then it was pierced through the heart by Huang Chao.

The scene shows a figure on horseback, followed by a vast army of refugees, rushing into Chang'an and into the already crumbling aristocratic manors.

"Huang Chao himself was a failed scholar who took the imperial examinations many times but failed each time. In the end, with a deep hatred for the system, he led a large army of refugees from Shandong all the way to Chang'an."

Wherever his army went, the gentry were systematically massacred, their manors were burned, and their genealogies were destroyed.

After this catastrophe, the aristocratic clan system that had lasted for hundreds of years completely disappeared.

From this point on, Chinese society entered a completely new stage: a society of common people.

The aristocratic families monopolized officialdom for over a thousand years, but their rule vanished just like that.

The full implementation of the imperial examination system began with the demise of the aristocratic class.

The implementation of the imperial examination system during the Sui and Tang dynasties was precisely one of the reasons for the decline of the aristocratic class.

Therefore, there were no more aristocratic families after the Song Dynasty.

[Huang Chao: If you won't let me take the exam, I'll make sure none of you can take it.]

……

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin, Li Zhi, and Wu Zetian, who were under the sky, felt a subtle improvement in their mood, which had been heavy due to the An Lushan Rebellion.

In the Taiji Hall, when Li Shimin heard the words "the demise of the aristocratic clans," his brows furrowed at first, then slowly relaxed.

He picked up the teacup on the table, lowered his head and took a sip, using the teacup to cover the corner of his mouth.

When he put down the teacup, his expression had returned to calm.

"Huang Chao went too far. However, these families have been deeply entrenched for hundreds of years. When I compiled the Records of Clans, I wanted to suppress them. They were outwardly respectful, but secretly they did a lot of things to trip me up."

He paused, looking at the burning manor in the sky, his eyes filled with complex emotions, but the smile on his lips remained.

"I am currently rectifying officialdom, eliminating redundant officials, and reforming the tax system. I was worried that any of these things would affect the interests of the aristocratic families, and that they would inevitably unite to obstruct me. But now it seems that I don't need to worry. They should be more anxious than I am."

Fang Xuanling stood in the hall, and upon hearing the emperor's words, his hand holding the imperial tablet tightened slightly.

He was born into the Fang clan of Qinghe. Although not one of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, he was still a member of the Shandong gentry.

When he heard the words "the demise of the aristocratic families," he felt a mix of emotions. Those families he had looked up to since childhood, those even more illustrious than the Fang family, were gone just like that.

744 AD, the third year of the Tianbao era.

In a secluded courtyard in Pingkangfang, Chang'an, several elderly men were having a feast.

They were representatives of the Cui clan of Qinghe, the Lu clan of Fanyang, the Zheng clan of Xingyang, and the Wang clan of Taiyuan in Chang'an.

At this moment, the sky is showing the tragic aftermath of the An Lushan Rebellion: Chang'an has fallen, palaces are burning, and desolation stretches for miles.

They watched, shaking their heads and sighing.

"Li Longji was muddleheaded and favored barbarian generals, and he reaped what he sowed."

"Those poor people."

"In the end, it's a matter for the Li family. As long as we protect our family's status, our estate, and the genealogy and land left by our ancestors, no matter who becomes emperor, they will have to use our people."

Their tone was indifferent, carrying a hint of arrogance, as if the blood and fire in the sky had nothing to do with them.

Then the scene on the sky changed; after the An Lushan Rebellion, the aristocratic families began to disappear.

The old man's wine glass fell to the ground, the sound of shattering porcelain was very soft, but the entire room was deathly silent.

A member of the Cui clan suddenly stood up, pointing at the sky, his finger trembling. "Nonsense! My Qinghe Cui clan has existed for four hundred years, from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present. How could it just disappear like that!"

The scene on the sky continued: Huang Chao's cavalry charged into Chang'an and into those manors that were already on the verge of collapse.

Slaughter, burning, genealogies reduced to ashes.

The narrator coldly concludes that, after this catastrophe, the aristocratic clan system that had lasted for hundreds of years completely disappeared.

"Improve my case!" An old man stood up shakily, his voice trembling but urgent. "Go to the palace immediately and remonstrate with the Emperor that An Lushan cannot be used anymore, that barbarians cannot be used anymore! The power of the border generals is too great, and they will surely become a great threat! The power of the regional military governors must be taken back!"

They suddenly realized that this matter concerned not only the Tang Dynasty, but also themselves.

-

Unaware of the turmoil her words had caused, the woman on the sky softened her tone and continued speaking.

"We have discussed so many impacts after the An Lushan Rebellion: economic collapse, land abandonment, foreign invasion, regional warlordism, and the demise of the aristocratic class."

However, if we look at these problems from a historical timeline, the Silk Road could be replaced by the sea, lost land could be regained, and attacks from foreign tribes could be fought back. The excessive military power of the military governors was also taken back by the Song Dynasty, and the aristocratic class was replaced by other systems.

"So, what was it that China truly lost after the An Lushan Rebellion, something it could never get back?"

She paused for a few seconds before finally giving her answer.

"It's about spirit."

"In the next episode, the final episode of this video series, we'll discuss how the An Lushan Rebellion buried a nation's ambition to dominate the world."