士族主導了魏晉南北朝時期的政治領域，儘管如此，皇帝政治依然持續發展。相對於士族分布子弟於朝廷內外的要職，皇帝採取了透過家人、以家為單位，與士族展開在政治、社會和文化各方面的競爭。「皇弟皇子府」的制度化是皇帝政治重振的一個面向，透過官品制度中的僚佐品位而得以實踐，與士人仕宦的偏好相互結合，形成了南朝特殊的政治現象。「皇弟皇子府」成為唐代以下「親王府」的前身。「親王府」（王府）之名及制度不見於南北朝以前，漢晉之間也未有「王國」以外的王府制度，其原型來自南朝的「皇弟皇子府」，它在南朝形成具體制度後，間接催生了北朝後期至隋唐制度中的「親王府」。「皇弟皇子府」是南朝重振皇帝政治的產物，作為一種政治體制，它以漢魏以來的宗室制度為基礎，受到西晉結合諸王與軍府的影響，最後成形於南朝，隋唐的親王府是其理念和實踐的結果。

The revival of imperial authority was one of the main trends in the political history of the Southern Dynasties. In the process of this revival, the “princely establishment” (huangdi huangzi fu 皇弟皇子 府，the official staffs of the emperor’s brothers and sons) was seen as an effective and trustworthy apparatus for carrying out a restoration of the emperor’s power. The princely establishment was not only built on the tradition of kinship, but also on the institutional basis of the Han and Western Jin principality. In the Western Jin, military commands had been combined into the principalities, but in the Eastern Jin this military power remained in the hands of prominent gentry. Beginning in the Liu-Song dynasty, emperors and their families—the princes—contested the clout of the gentry families, putting real power in the princely establishments. At the same time, however, the princely establishment also offered the gentry an attractive array of official posts, especially the “adjutant” (canjun) positions, to serve in. For this reason, the princely establishments came to play an important role not only in the revival of imperial power, but in the development of the official rank system as well.