Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties: The Noble Families and Famous Scholars

In the first year of Taikang, Sima Yan accepted the abdication and unified the realm; the scholar-officials believed that peace could be achieved. However, when Sima Zhong ascended the throne, Empress Jia disrupted the government, the Eight Princes slaughtered one another, Liu Yuan rose in Lishi, and Luoyang was left empty. Thus there was the Wang clan of Langya—where Wang Xiang lay on ice, where Wang Lan contended over poisoned wine—and by the time of Wang Dao, "the Wangs and the Sima share the realm." There was the Xie clan of Chenjun, rising from humble origins: Xie Shang was renowned for music, Xie An settled matters over weiqi, and by the time of Xie Xuan the Beifu army was established; at the Battle of Fei River, with few striking many, Eastern Jin was extended for several more decades. In the north, the Cui clan of Qinghe, through the talent of Cui Hao, established the institutions of Northern Wei; he compiled the national history and suffered the calamity of clan extermination. The Lu clan of Fanyang, through the Confucianism of Lu Xuan, initiated the enterprise of the Imperial Academy. The Zheng clan of Xingyang, through the laws of Zheng Xi, rectified the statutes of criminal law. The Wang clan of Taiyuan, through the marriages of Wang Qiong, allied with the imperial house. These four clans, together with the Shandong gentry, were collectively called the "Commandery Surnames." By the early Tang, they were still feared by Emperor Taizong, and so the "Clan Records" was compiled, lowering the old clans and elevating the new nobility. — Description from novelcodex.orgFull novel: Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties: The Noble Families and Famous Scholars — read the rest free on N​o⁠v​e⁠l​C⁠o​d⁠e​x⁠.​o⁠r​g⁠