After deposing the emperor of Wei and establishing his own regime, Emperor Wu of the West Jin Dynasty was known for his extravagance and sensuality. The kinsmen of his wife Empress Young therefore gained control of the imperial court. Upon Emperor Wu’s death in 290 AD, the conflicts between the aristocratic families increased. Emperor Wu’s son Sima Zhong inherited the crown as Emperor Hui. Emperor Hui’s wife, Empress Jia, used her position to claim full control over the Young family as well as the Sima family. After Empress Jia died, Duke Sima Lun was in charge of the imperial court. Emperor Hui married Empress Yang. The Yang family established its aristocratic and political status through the marriage with the Sima family and other prominent families in the early Jin Dynasty. Meanwhile the struggle for power intensified in the imperial court. Empress Yang accompanied Emperor Hui going into exile during the War of the Eight Princes. Without the protection from her diminishing Yang clan, Empress Yang survived constant death threats and the abolishment and establishment of her title depending on which duke was in power. In this paper I have studied the background of the rise and fall of the Yang family and analyzed how Empress Yang survived the treacherous power struggle, and then understood the manipulation of power during the War of the Eight Princes through the abolishment and establishment of Empress Yang’s title.