Editing Northern Wei (section)

=== Rise of Erzhu Rong and Heyin Massacre ===
Exacerbating the situation, [[Empress Dowager Hu (Northern Wei)|Empress Dowager Hu]] poisoned her own son [[Emperor Xiaoming of Northern Wei|Emperor Xiaoming]] in 528 after Emperor Xiaoming showed disapproval of her handling of the affairs as he started coming of age and got ready to reclaim the power that had been held by the empress in his name when he inherited the throne as an infant, giving the Empress Dowager rule of the country for more than a decade. Upon hearing the news of the 18-year-old emperor's death, the general [[Erzhu Rong]], who had already mobilised on secret orders of the emperor to support him in his struggle with the Empress Dowager Hu, turned toward Luoyang. Announcing that he was installing a new emperor chosen by an ancient Xianbei method of casting bronze figures, [[Erzhu Rong]] summoned the officials of the city to meet their new emperor. However, on their arrival, he told them they were to be punished for their misgovernment and butchered them, throwing the Empress Hu and her candidate (another puppet child emperor [[Yuan Zhao]]) into the [[Yellow River]]. Reports estimate 2,000 [[courtiers]] were killed in this Heyin massacre on the 13th day of the second month of 528.{{efn|1,300 or 2000 according to different versions of the ''[[Book of Wei]]''<ref>{{citation |first=W.J.F. |last=Jenner |title=Memories of Loyang: Yang Hsuan-chih and the Lost Capital (493–534) |publisher=Clarendon Press |location=Oxford |date=1981 |page=90 }}.</ref>}} Erzhu Rong claimed [[Yuan Ziyou]] grandson of Emperor Xianwen the new emperor as [[Emperor Xiaozhuang of Northern Wei]].

In 529, Liang general [[Chen Qingzhi]] sacked Luoyang, forced Emperor Xiaozhuang to flee and claimed [[Yuan Hao]] another grandson of Emperor Xianwen emperor, before his final defeat by Erzhu Rong.