Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande (玄德), was a Chinese warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of China.
Tang dynasty portrait of Liu Bei by Yan Liben
Edo period illustration of Liu Bei
Baling Qiao, mural illustration of the Oath of the Peach Garden between Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, & Liu Bei
Edo period illustration of Liu Bei breaking the Siege of Beihai along with Taishi Ci, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei
Throughout Chinese history, "Emperor" was the superlative title held by the monarchs who ruled various imperial dynasties. In traditional Chinese political theory, the emperor was the "Son of Heaven", an autocrat with the divine mandate right to rule all under Heaven. Emperors were worshiped posthumously under an imperial cult. The lineage of emperors descended from a paternal family line constituted a dynasty, and succession in most cases theoretically followed agnatic primogeniture.
Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China (r. 221–210 BC)
Qin Shi Huang escaping assassination (3rd century AD)
An 18th century depiction of Wu Zetian, the only female emperor of China
Yellow Emperor