During the Tang period, it was not considered unusual for the emperor
to be affable and mutually respectful of his ministers; in other
words, the emperor and his ministers were permitted to be friends.
An example of such friendship can be shown through Tang T'ai Tsung's
marriage to his best friend's sister. Many of the ministers had
an influential lineage; some even greater than the Emperor himself.
Therefore, when the Emperor met with his ministers, he served them
tea with his own hands.
Noble families of the Tang dynasty were descendants of Han officials.
There were seven distinct clans, or families, that possessed the
most power - Tsui (2 families), Li (2 families), Wang, Cheng, and
Lu. The ideal Tang dream for males would have been to gain a government
position and marry into any of the seven clans. However, clans charged
"outsiders" extraordinary prices for brides. It was difficult for
even the imperial family to marry into a clan!
