Tian Fen, brother of Emperor Jing of Han's empress, wielded immense power at court. When the young Emperor Wu first ascended the throne, Tian Fen served as prime minister and trusted confidant, with the emperor heeding his every word, prompting nobles and officials alike to flock to his side.
However, Tian Fen grew increasingly arrogant and extravagant with each passing day.
Tian Fen once hosted a grand banquet for many guests. Despite his elder brother, the Marquis of Gai, sitting facing south in the customary seat of honor, Tian Fen himself took the eastern seat—the position of highest rank. He believed that as the esteemed Imperial Chancellor, he could not disrupt the hierarchy of status for the sake of brotherly relations.
He built a mansion more lavish than any feudal lord's estate; purchased goods streamed into the capital from across the land; before his hall stood bells, drums, and curved banners—ornaments reserved for the imperial household alone; his rear chambers housed hundreds of wives, concubines, and servants; and the gold, jade, rare horses, and curios bestowed by regional lords were beyond count. Truly, his extravagance and indulgence knew no bounds.
"Victory" here means "exhausted." The idiom "beyond counting" describes something that cannot be counted, extremely numerous.
Source: *Records of the Grand Historian*, "Biography of Weiqi and Wu'an Marquises"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "不可胜数" came to describe how something cannot be counted, extremely numerous.