had already been stained red with flames. In the courtyard, Zhou Dewei and He Huoluo stood behind their leader, Xue Tieshan, while 300 personal guards stood solemnly. Despite the raging fire not far a...In May of 884 AD, on the official road fifty li southwest of Bianzhou (modern-day Kaifeng)med "Liu Qizi," he, of course, remembered the ranks of nobility: The nine ranks were as follows: First, King, with an estate of ten thousand households and holding the rank of first class. Second, Hei...