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Introduction
Few textual characteristics of this chapter require
comment. Its eulogy, like that in the preceding chapter, opens with a remark by
Pan Piao, but, like that chapter, this one shows no characteristics that would
lead us to consider it more than the other annals to be the work of Pan Piao.
Pan Ku might easily have quoted a passage from his father's eulogy in a chapter
that was largely his own composition.
Summary of the reign
This chapter constitutes the chronological summary
covering one of the long reigns in the dynasty, which lasted twenty-six years,
from 33 to 7 B.C. It was a peaceful period, when the traditional practises were
largely continued without change. The government was entrusted to the Wang
clan, that of the Emperor's mother; her brothers, one after another, controlled
affairs, while the Emperor took his pleasure in amusement, music, banquets,
incognito excursions, and in his harem.ere driven to sporadic rebellions, none
of which, however, became serious. Certain events within the imperial harem
influenced history more vitally than anything else.
The beginning of the future Grand
Empress Dowager née Wang's career
Many casual happenings cooperated to bring Emperor
Ch'eng to the throne. About 52 B.C., while his father, Emperor Yüan, was still
only Emperor Hsüan's Heir-apparent, the Heir-apparent's favorite concubine
became ill and died. Either in sincerity or because she wished to keep her
husband true to her, she told the future Emperor Yüan, before she died, that
her death had been the result of magical imprecations by his other concubines.
He believed her, became ill with grief, and would have nothing to do with his
other women. His father, Emperor Hsüan, became worried, and told his Empress to
pick out some of his Daughters of Good Family (the next to the lowest grade of
imperial concubines) for the Heir-apparent. Five girls were offered to the
sorrowing Heir-apparent, who had no desire for any of them. Out of respect for
his mother, he forced himself to say, "One of these will do." The harem
official thought he meant the girl nearest him, who happened to
be the only one dressed in red; consequently she was sent to the
Heir-apparent's apartments.
This girl, Cheng-chün, the future Grand Empress
Dowager née Wang, was the daughter of a minor official in one of the capital
bureaus. She had been betrothed twice, and each time her betrothed had died.
The diviners had foretold that she would become honorable, so she had been
taught to write and to play the lute, and had been presented to the imperial
harem. At this time, she was in her nineteenth year. The Heir-apparent had been
married for seven or eight years and had had several tens of women in his
apartments, but he had had no children; the first time that this new girl was
summoned, she was favored and conceived. In 51 B.C., she gave birth to the
future Emperor Ch'eng. Emperor Hsüan was delighted with the babe, his grandson,
called him the Heir-apparent of the Heir-apparent, and often had the child by
him. When Emperor Yüan came to the throne, this child was in his third year and
was made Heir-apparent. His mother was accordingly made the Empress.
Cheng-chün's father was made a marquis, and her uncle was given an official
position. The favoring of relatives (cf. p. 292) is a Confucian moral
principle.
Shih(3) Tan frustrates an intrigue to
change the Heir-apparent
When the Heir-apparent grew up, he proved generous and respectful, but he
gave himself up to drinking, music, and banqueting. His father thereupon
concluded that this son was incapable. The Emperor's second son, Liu K'ang(1a),
who had been made King of Ting-t'ao, showed much ability and skill, and was
beloved by his father, who kept the boy by him. He also highly favored the
child's mother, the Brilliant Companion née Fu. In 33 B.C., when Emperor Yüan
was seriously ill, this Brilliant Companion and her son were constantly in
attendance upon him, while the Empress née Wang and her son did not often see
the Emperor. He thought seriously of changing the succession, and several times
asked what previous emperors had done when they changed their heirs.
Emperor Yüan had previously appointed, as the
protector of his Heir-apparent, Shih(3) Tan, an intimate companion of the
Emperor, who was a younger son of the clan to which the Emperor's
great-grandmother had belonged. Shih(3) Tan, who was attending upon the Emperor,
took the opportunity when the Emperor was alone to speak in behalf of the
Heir-apparent. He pointed out that the Heir-apparent had had that position for
more than ten years because he was the Emperor's eldest son and had
consequently become known to the people and the officials, so that
a change in the succession might bring about a rebellion. Emperor Yüan was
impressed by this reasoning. He considered that his Empress née Wang had been
very respectful and careful and that his Heir-apparent had been loved by
Emperor Hsüan, so he did not change the Heir.
The Wang clan controls the
government. Their deeds
Just as Emperor Yüan had put his maternal relatives
into control of the government, so Emperor Ch'eng promptly put his mother's
relatives into the dominating positions. Wang Feng, the eldest brother of his
mother, was made Commander-in-chief, General-in-chief, and Intendant of the
Affairs of the Masters of Writing and an associate of Hsü Chia, who had been
Commander-in-chief and General of Chariots and Cavalry for seven years
previously. Hsü Chia was the father of Emperor Ch'eng's first Empress and a
maternal uncle of Emperor Yüan. Wang Feng's concurrent titles were higher than
those of Hsü Chia, and, in three years, the latter retired because of age,
after which Wang Feng alone controlled the government.
The dominating position in the government became
again, as previously in the time of Emperors Chao and Hsüan, the Intendant of
Affairs of the Masters of Writing. In 29 B.C., the eunuch office of Palace
Writer was abolished. As Intendant, Wang Feng could determine what matters came
to the attention of the Emperor, who was supposed to ratify all important
appointments and enactments. When Wang Shang(1a) (a different person from the
Wang Shang(1b), who was a brother of Wang Feng) was Lieutenant Chancellor and
accused a Grand Administrator of crime, his memorial was suppressed by Wang
Feng, so that nothing could be done. Wang Feng soon had Wang Shang(1a) dismissed
(cf. 82: 2a). Emperor Ch'eng was young and deferred to his uncle, who watched
over the Emperor's every action. When the famous scholar, Liu Hsin(1a), was first
presented to the Emperor, the latter was delighted and wanted to make Liu
Hsin(1a) a Regular Palace Attendant. Just as he was about to be installed, one of
the Emperor's entourage told the Emperor that he should first consult Wang
Feng. Emperor Ch'eng wanted impatiently to proceed with the installation, but
Wang Feng's man insisted, and Emperor Ch'eng communicated with Wang Feng. When
the latter refused permission, the matter was dropped. Thus Wang Feng dominated
the government both through his position and by his ascendency over his
imperial nephew. He came to be cordially hated by many in the court.
In order to prevent the domination of the
government by a single person, two Intendants of Affairs of the
Masters of Writing had been created. Chang Yü(3), a Confucian scholar and Erudit,
who had been Emperor Ch'eng's teacher and was later made Lieutenant Chancellor,
had been made Intendant along with Wang Feng. The Confucian scholar, however,
feared the power of Wang Feng, and several times pronounced himself ill and
asked to resign. This permission was refused, and he was not allowed to resign
until 20 B.C., when he was retired on account of age. The Confucian could not
hold his own against the Emperor's close relative.
Wang Feng's power did not go unchallenged; in 25
B.C., Wang Chang, an outspoken official, in a private audience, took advantage
of an eclipse to tell Emperor Ch'eng that special visitations came because of
deeds done by high officials, and pointed out Wang Feng's derelictions. But
Wang Feng's cousin, Wang Yin, who was concealed and listening to the
conversation, reported the matter to Wang Feng. The latter promptly pronounced
himself ill, retired to his residence, and asked to retire on account of age.
When Emperor Ch'eng's mother heard of it, she wept and refused to eat. Emperor
Ch'eng was to kind-hearted to hurt his mother or had become accustomed to be
dominated by her; he had also come to rely upon his uncle and found he could
not do without him, so he replied that Wang Feng should arise and do his best.
Later the latter had a Master of Writing memorialize Wang Chang's offenses; he
was sent to prison, where he died, and his family was exiled. Thereafter the
power of Wang Feng remained unchallenged. He chose the incumbents of all the
positions in the government and filled the bureaucracy with his adherents.
Before Wang Feng died in 22 B.C., Emperor Ch'eng
came to see him and promised to make Wang Feng's brother the next
Commander-inchief. Wang Feng, however, recommended Wang Yin. The latter was
accordingly made Commander-in-chief, General of Chariots and Cavalry, and
Intendant of Affairs of the Masters of Writing. Hsieh Hsüan, who later became
Lieutenant Chancellor, was also made Intendant.
The Wang clan thus rose from obscurity to the
control of the empire because one girl of the clan had happened to give birth
to the Emperor. Eight members of the clan had already been made marquises; two
more were later also enfeoffed. Members of the clan vied with one another in
extravagance. They had several dozen women in their harems, hundreds or
thousands of slaves, musicians, singers, dogs, and horses. Their residences
were large and contained earthen hills, cave gates, high pavilions,
passage-ways, etc. Wang Shang1b, a brother of Wang Feng, borrowed from Emperor
Ch'eng the Ming-kuang Palace, north of Ch'ang-lo Palace in
Ch'ang-an, in order to live in it to escape the heat of summer. He had the
city-wall of Ch'ang-an pierced, in order to let the Feng River into his
residence, where he made a large pond. On his boat he had feather coverings and
curtains all around; his oarsmen sang songs of Yüeh as they rowed. When Emperor
Ch'eng visited Wang Shang's residence and saw the pierced city-wall, he was
displeased, but said nothing. Later he saw the earthen hill in the park of Wang
Feng's residence, and became angry. These deeds violated imperial prerogatives.
He was told that another brother, Wang Li(5), sheltered guests in his house who
made a practise of robbery. Emperor Ch'eng reprimanded Wang Yin; the brothers,
Wang Shang, Wang Li(5), and Wang Ken, came to the Emperor carrying axes and
headsman's blocks on their backs, begging pardon for their crimes. Again the
kind-hearted and timid Emperor could not bear to execute them or make them
suffer, so they escaped punishment.
When Wang Yin died in 15 B.C., his position was
given to Wang Shang(1b), the eldest living brother of Wang Feng. He was made
Commander-inchief, General of the Guard, and Intendant of Affairs of the
Masters of Writing. When he died in 11 B.C., his next younger brother, Wang
Li(5), was in line for the vacancy, but he had committed a crime, so Wang Li(5) was
passed over and his next younger brother, Wang Ken, was made
Commander-in-chief, General of Agile Cavalry, and Intendant of Affairs of the
Masters of Writing. He controlled the government for the next five years.
The rise of Wang Mang
In 7 B.C., Wang Ken retired on account of age. His
position was taken by Wang Mang but not without an interval of struggle and
intrigue. Wang Ken's sister's son, Shun-Yü Chang, had shown ability and so had
been made a marquis and had been elevated to be one of the ministers. He
naturally thought that he would succeed Wang Ken, and had even gone so far as
to discuss who should be given prominent government positions. But Wang Ken's
elder brother's son, Wang Mang (who later usurped the throne), was intensely
ambitious and wanted the place. He took care to wait upon Wang Ken in his
illness and to find out about Shun-Yü Chang's doings. The latter had many wives
and concubines and indulged much in music and women, not restraining himself by
the laws. He had taken the widowed sister of the dismissed Empress née Hsü as a
concubine, and had received bribes from the dismissed Empress to the value of
more than ten million cash, on the promise that he would induce the Emperor to
make her the Junior Empress. Wang Mang told Wang Ken about Shun-Yü Chang's
deeds, adding that the latter had rejoiced at the illness of Wang Ken, because
he expected to succeed the latter in control of the government.
Wang Ken became angry and had Wang Mang inform the Empress Dowager née Wang
about the matter, who in turn had Wang Mang repeat his information to Emperor
Ch'eng. Shun-Yü Chang was dismissed and ordered back to his estate.
As he was leaving, Wang Jung, the heir of Wang
Ken's elder brother, Wang Li(5), called upon Shun-Yü Chang, and the latter took
the opportunity to send some valuable jewels to Wang Li(5), who accordingly spoke
the Emperor Ch'eng in behalf of Shun-Yü Chang. Emperor Ch'eng became suspicious
and had the officials investigate. They arrested Wang Jung, and his father made
him commit suicide, in order to prevent the government from securing
information. Thereupon Emperor Ch'eng became even more suspicious, and had
Shun-Yü Chang arrested and tortured. He told about making sport of the
dismissed Empress née Hsü and of his promise to her; his crime was adjudged to
be treason, and, in 8 B.C., he died in prison. His family was exiled; Wang Li(5)
was exiled from the capital to his estate; the dismissed Empress was sent
poison; and several dozens of persons were sentenced.
Wang Ken recommended Wang Mang for his position,
and in 7 B.C. the latter was made Commander-in-chief and Intendant of Affairs
of the Masters of Writing. In five months, Emperor Ch'eng died; three months
later Wang Mang resigned to make way for the new Emperor's maternal
relatives.
Thus the Wang clan ruled the empire for a
quarter-century by virtue of being relatives of the Emperor's mother. She
supported them against any threat to displace them, and the weak Emperor was
glad to be relieved from the burdens of government. Their conduct is hardly
admirable. Wang Feng merely continued the traditions of his predecessors, while
Wang Ken was known for his avarice. The quality of the government declined
considerably. The Lieutenant Chancellor and Grandee Secretary had become
virtual subordinates of the Commanderin-chief.
Imperial economies and grants
A superficial perusal of this "Annals" gives the
impression that Emperor Ch'eng's reign was a good one. He had the best of
intentions and indeed probably thought of himself as a good ruler. He followed
Confucian models and continued his father's practise of instituting economies
in the government. Some twenty-five palaces and a prison in Shang-lin Park were
abolished (10: 2a, 3a). The imperial carriages and stables were reduced
(4a).
The great imperial sacrifices
removed to the capital
A great economy was effected in 32 B.C. at the
suggestion of the Confucian, K'uang Heng, by moving the imperial sacrifices to
the Supreme One, to the Five Lords on High, and to Sovereign
Earth, from Kan-ch'üan Palace at Yün-yang (in the present central Shensi), from
Fen-yin in Ho-tung Commandery (in the present western Shansi), and from Yung
(Feng-hsiang, in the present western Shensi), respectively, to the capital,
where places for these sacrifices were established to the south and north of
the capital. The practise, which was continued down to Ch'ing times, that the
altar for the imperial sacrifices to Heaven and Earth should be at the imperial
capital, was thus inaugurated. This change was not, however, made without
qualms, especially as at the time of the change, a storm uprooted more than a
hundred great trees at the Kan-ch'üan altar. When, in 14 B.C., Emperor Ch'eng
was still without an heir, the Empress Dowager restored the imperial sacrifices
to their former places, and thereafter Emperor Ch'eng traveled bi-annually to
those places to perform the usual sacrifices. Immediately after his death,
however, the altars at Ch'ang-an were restored, just as certain imperial
ancestral temples, which Emperor Yüan had abolished and restored, were finally
abolished when he died.
In addition to these economies, grants of taxes,
noble ranks, money, oxen, wine, silk, etc. were made at intervals of every few
years; amnesties were granted every two or three years; and approximately every
three years the Emperor asked for the recommendation of capable persons for
government service. In 18 B.C., a much lower price was put upon noble ranks. In
15 B.C., noble ranks, official positions, and tax remissions were given to
those who made large contributions at the time of a famine. When, in 16 B.C.,
it became apparent that more than four years' work was insufficient to complete
a second and grander tomb for the Emperor, this tomb was given up and the Court
Architect, who had planned the second tomb, was punished, together with Ch'en
T'ang, who had planned to benefit by the real-estate development connected with
the second tomb. The imperial edicts show a sincere desire to secure a good and
beneficent government and to benefit the people. These edicts, however, had
little effect, for the Wang clan, not the Emperor, was selecting the officials,
and Emperor Ch'eng did little without the consent of this clan.
Corrupt government brings popular
distress and rebellions
The character of the government administration must
have declined considerably and official oppression of the people must have
increased greatly, for in this reign there occurred a phenomenon that had been
absent since the reign of Emperor Wu---several sporadic revolts occurred in
various parts of the empire. There were droughts in 31 and 18 B.C. In 29, the
Yellow River broke a dike and overflowed 32 prefectures in four commandaries to
a depth of thirty feet, because the central government, through
false economy, had refused to repair the dike. The dike was immediately mended.
There were floods again in 30, 29, 27, 23, and 17 B.C. These, however, do not
seem to have been much more than the usual number of such calamities in north
China.
Yet in 17 B.C., there were many vagrants and roving
people on the roads (p. 10b)---people who had been driven away from their homes
for one reason or another---another phenomenon largely absent since the time of
Emperor Wu. In 22 B.C., there was an armed rebellion among those sentenced to
work as slaves in the government iron works at Ying-ch'uan commandery (in the
present central Honan). The rebellion overran nine prefectures. In 17 B.C.,
there was a similar revolt among the government criminals in Kuang-han
Commandery (in the present Szechuan), which lasted for ten months, overran four
prefectures, and produced a band said to have numbered ten thousand persons. In
the winter of 14/13 B.C., there was a revolt in Ch'en-liu Commandery (the
present central Honan), in which the Grand Administrator was killed. Its leader
was assassinated by some treacherous followers and the revolt collapsed. The
next month, the greatest of these revolts arose among the government slaves in
the iron works at Shan-yang Commandery (the present southwestern Shantung).
This revolt spread over nineteen commanderies and kingdoms. It was put down in
the same year.
Since the officials had almost unchecked power over
the people, unless the Emperor took the trouble to consider the people's
petitions, a set of corrupt officials could easily tyrannize and oppress the
common people, until rebellion became a welcome relief from suffering. Those
sentenced to penal servitude would naturally be treated the worst, and hence
would be the first to rebel. In this reign, as in that of Emperor Wu, official
oppression, caused by imperial negligence in the oversight of the bureaucracy
and consequent official corruption and oppression, brought about bitter
suffering on the part of the common people in the provinces and consequent
revolts.
Divine visitations and prodigies
This reign is unique in the number of visitations
and prodigies recorded. Fires, comets, eclipses, fogs, flies, droughts, floods,
earthquakes, avalanches, murders, meteors, and thunders dot the pages of this
chapter, few years being without several visitations. The recording of these
portents is undoubtedly due to the increasing acceptance of Han Confucianism by
intelligent people, with its doctrine that Heaven, as the state god, is
interested in state happenings and consequently sends visitations (tsai) as
warnings whenever anything wrong is allowed to occur, following
them by prodigies (yi), if the warnings were not heeded. As a natural
consequence, people looked for portents whenever things began to go wrong, and
found a portent in any strange event. The reporting of portents was thus a
means of criticizing the government---one which could hardly be punished or
stopped, since portents were supposed to be sent by Heaven, not by men. Ever
since the time of Emperor Wu, criticism of the government had been more or less
repressed and ofttimes punished; the reporting of portents thus became a safe
outlet for peoples' feelings. It is furthermore probable that most, if not all,
of these portents were reported by the people to the high officials, such as
Commandery Grand Administrators, and memorialized to the throne by the latter,
since, except for those persons who could go to the imperial palace in person,
ordinary people could not petition the emperor. Thus the large number of
portents in this reign is an indication of the reaction by the people, and
especially by the higher officials, to the character of the central
government.
There were several systems of
portent-interpretation; they are summarized in the "Treatise on the Five
Elements," ch. 27, of which W. Eberhard has made a study in his "Beiträge zur
kosmologischen Spekulation der Chinesen der Han-Zeit" (Baessler-Archiv, B. 16,
H. 1-2). Since, however, portents were merely strange chance events and could
not be fabricated to fit the situation, due to the danger of detection and
punishment, and since they had to be interpreted to fit the actual evils of the
time, no system of portent-interpretation could fit all cases; we find diverse
interpretations for the same portent from different authorities and for the
same sort of event at different times. It is therefore not surprising that Pan
Ku, after a long discussion of portents, should have concluded that they are
"obscure, profound, dark, and impenetrable." (HS 100 A:
16a). In his "Memoirs," he records many instances in which an interpretation of
a portent produced a correct prophecy of the future, but he characteristically
also records instances in which reliance upon portents led to error and
calamity. The interpretation of portents was thus, even in Han times, a
pseudo-science not wholeheartedly accepted by the best minds.
Emperor Ch'eng was usually affected by these
portents; his edicts testify to his acceptance of the Confucian doctrine that
they are warnings sent by Heaven to the ruler. Sometimes, however, he was not
so sure of their meaning. In 16 B.C., after an eclipse of the sun and several
earthquakes, people memorialized that these portents came because of the Wang
clan. But the aged Confucian scholar, Chang Yü(3), told Emperor Ch'eng that it is
very difficult to know the causes of portents and that Confucius rarely spoke
of strange events or of supernatural beings, so that the
Emperor should not pay attention to the sayings of ignorant Confucians and
should pay attention to the government. Emperor Ch'eng was glad to have his
cherished relatives thus exonerated. On the other hand, when, in 7 B.C., a
strange appearance among the stars, an avalanche, and an earthquake were all
blamed upon the highest official in the government, Emperor Ch'eng had this
exacting and cruel Confucian Lieutenant Chancellor, Chai Fang-chin, commit
suicide, saying that these signs showed he had not done his duty. Thus the
Confucian doctrine could be used upon a Confucian official who had made use of
portents in his criticism of others.
The status of Confucianism
During this reign, Confucianism reigned supreme as
the official philosophy and religion. The famous Liu Hsiang(4) was given the task
of making a catalogue of the Imperial Private Library, the greatest library in
the empire, in the course of which he prepared and published standard editions
of some important books. He did this, for example, with the works of the great
philosopher, Hsün-tzu. An Internuncio was sent about the empire to seek for
lost books, and the `ancient text' classics and explanations probably entered
the Imperial Private Library at this time (cf. p. 5b, 6a, n. 6.1). Pan Yu, a
great-uncle of Pan Ku, assisted Liu Hsiang4 in this undertaking and read much
aloud to the Emperor (100 A: 4b). The results of this cataloguing are to be
found in the "Treatise on Arts and Literature" (HS ch.
30).
Emperor Ch'eng's personal character
In his personal character, Emperor Ch'eng was
dignified, kindly, affectionate, gentle, and docile. In the spirit of "yielding
to others," he allowed his mother and uncles to control the government; his
kindliness and timidity prevented him from punishing their derelictions. He
became a heavy drinker and spent much time in banqueting, drinking, watching
dances, and other forms of sport. In the earlier part of his reign, Emperor
Ch'eng was inclined to the study of the classics, and had two Confucian
authorities, Chen K'uan-chung and Chang Yü(3), expound the classics in a hall at
the palace. Certain of the imperial attendants, such as Pan Po, another
great-uncle of Pan Ku, were ordered also to study with these scholars. This
amusement, however, palled upon the Emperor after some years, and he stopped
studying.
In 20 B.C., a favorite nobleman, Chang Fang, whose
mother was the Emperor's aunt and who had married a sister of the Empress née
Hsü, invented a new amusement---Emperor Ch'eng went out incognito, like a mere
noble, with a following consisting of only a dozen persons, calling himself
a member of Chang Fang's household. He thus attended cockfights and
horse-races. The Emperor's mother became worried, and at last made him send
Chang Fang away to the border, urging her son to associate more with Confucians
like Pan Po, who warned against intoxication. Emperor Ch'eng then revived his
love for learning. He remained, however, the dilettante, seeking amusement in
Confucian studies just as he had in horse-racing.
Lack of an heir induces the Emperor
to change his Empress and distribute his favors
The events that throw the most light upon the age,
upon conditions within the forbidden apartments of the imperial palace, and
upon Emperor Ch'eng's character are connected with his doing away of his two
natural sons for the love of a woman, so that he was left without a natural
heir. Such a deed would seem almost unbelievable, but, after his sudden death,
an industrious Director of the Retainers, whose duty it was to investigate the
actions of the officials at the capital, ferreted out the facts and
memorialized the depositions of eye-witnesses: certain eunuchs, slave-women in
the imperial palace, and chamberlains to the Brilliant Companion née Chao. This
sensational memorial is quoted in the "Memoir of the Imperial Relatives by
Marriage."
Emperor Yüan's mother had been assassinated soon
after the birth of her first child and Emperor Yüan sorrowed at that fact.
Hence he selected the daughter of her first cousin to be the consort of his
Heir-apparent. This girl later became the Empress née Hsü. She was intelligent
and accomplished and good at the clerkly style of writing. When she was
married, the future Emperor Ch'eng was delighted with her, which overjoyed his
father. From the time that she was married until Emperor Ch'eng ascended the
throne, she was continually favored by the Heir-apparent, and he rarely
approached his concubines. But her children all died in infancy. She had a son
who died young; after her husband ascended the throne, she bore him a daughter,
but this babe died also.
One of the prime duties of a filial son, especially
of an emperor, according to Confucian teaching, is to have a son. The Emperor's
mother and her clan were worried at the lack of an heir, for, if another line
came to the throne, their power would be gone. The Confucian explainers of
visitations, especially the famous Liu Hsiang(4) and Ku Yung, blamed the
visitations upon the imperial harem. Thus the Emperor's conscience, his mother
and relatives, and outstanding Confucians combined to urge him to cease
favoring only his beloved wife. In economizing government expenses, he reduced
the allowance for the Empress's apartments and for the harem.
The sensitive Empress protested, and Emperor Ch'eng replied, citing the
portents alleged to have been directed against her. Thus a coolness
developed.
The Emperor's first new favorite was a great-aunt
of Pan Ku, a well-educated woman who understood the Odes and the admonitory
writings for women. She had been selected for the imperial harem when he first
ascended the throne. She first became a Junior Maid, the eleventh rank among
the imperial concubines, but in a little while the Emperor took quite a fancy
to her and made her a Favorite Beauty, the second rank. She was installed in
the Residence of Increasing Perfection, the third hall in the imperial harem.
She remained his prime favorite for some years, and bore him two children, one
of whom was a boy, who died when a few months old. Once when the Emperor was
going on an excursion to a country lodge, he wanted this Favorite Beauty née
Pan to ride in the same chariot with him, but she refused, saying that
according to the histories, sage princes always kept famous subjects by their
sides; only decadent princes spent most of their time with concubines. Emperor
Ch'eng approved highly of her reply; it also commended her to the Empress
Dowager.
After 20 B.C., Emperor Ch'eng planned to spread his
favors among many concubines in order to secure an heir, and so the Favorite
Beauty née Pan introduced to him a maid of hers, Li P'ing. This girl was also
favored and made a Favorite Beauty. She had risen from humble station, and so
Emperor Ch'eng gave her the surname Wei, in memory of Emperor Wu's famous
Empress née Wei, who likewise rose from humble people. Through his evil
precedents, such as his selection of a singing girl to be his Empress and his
bestowal of high positions upon relatives, Emperior Wu ultimately ruined his
dynasty.
About this time, when Emperor Ch'eng was one day
traveling incognito, he passed by the residence of the Imperial Princess of
Yang-o. The Princess had music performed for him. (The ancient `music' included
dancing.) There he first saw the later famous beauty, Chao Fei-yen. This girl
had originally been a Palace Maid, one of a class of slave-girls, aged seven
and over, who were reared in the imperial palaces to work there. She came from
a very humble family, which was so poor that when she was born, the family
decided to abandon her. But the babe was still alive on the third day, so she
was reared. When she was grown, she was put into the household of the Princess
of Yang-o, and studied singing and dancing, so that she came to be called
Fei-yen, lit., "flying swallow." When Emperor Ch'eng saw this girl dance, he
was delighted with her and summoned her to his harem, where she became
his prime favorite. She had a younger sister, who was then also
summoned and favored. Both sisters were made Favorite Beauties.
The Empress née Hsü had now lost the Emperor's
favor, and naturally tried every means of regaining it and of securing an heir.
Her widowed sister performed magical rites to attract the Emperor to the
Empress and to injure his concubines who were with child, especially a Beauty
née Wang, who was pregnant, and also to injure the Wang clan, which the sisters
regarded as having been responsible for the portents that had caused the
Emperor to turn away from the Empress. In 18 B.C., Chao Fei-yen accused the
Empress of having performed magical rites and of having even pronounced
imprecations against the Emperor. The Empress Dowager née Wang was infuriated
that a girl of her own clan should have been injured; her eldest brother, Wang
Feng, had died just a few years previously, and now black magic was probably
suspected to have caused his death. The accused ladies were examined; the
Empress's sister and a few others were executed. The Empress was herself
probably guiltless, for she was merely dismissed and sent to live in a separate
palace. Her relatives, the Hsü clan, were all banished from the capital.
Chao Fei-yen had also accused the Favorite Beauty
née Pan, but the latter replied that life and death are fated; wealth and honor
are bestowed by Heaven. She said she had lived an upright life but had not yet
been blessed with the greatest happiness (a living imperial son). If now she
had done evil and tried to get the spirits and gods to aid her, if they had
knowledge of human activities, how could she hope not to be accused by them of
disloyalty to her lord; whereas if they had no knowledge, what good would it
have done her to appeal to them? Hence she said she had not participated in any
magical rites. Emperor Ch'eng was so delighted with her reply that he gave her
a hundred catties of actual gold.
It is noteworthy that there were no such general
excitement and wholesale executions at this time as in the time of the black
magic and witchcraft case near the end of Emperor Wu's reign. The difference is
probably due to the increased influence of Confucianism (which was sceptical of
magic and spirits), and to the higher degree of civilization then attained in
court circles. The reply of the Favorite Beauty née Pan, who came of a highly
educated family, indicates the attitude of the best people at this time.
The Favorite Beauty nevertheless saw that
eventually she might be injured by the clever Fei-yen, so she asked for
permission to withdraw from the harem and devote herself to caring for the
Empress Dowager. Her request was granted, and she retired from the intrigues of
the court.
Emperor Ch'eng's infatuation with the clever singer
and dancer continued, and he now wanted to make her his Empress. But his mother
made difficulties, for she resented that this girl had come
from such humble circumstances. Emperor Ch'eng, however, had his boon
companion, who was also his mother's nephew, Shun-Yü Chang, smooth matters
over, and finally secured his mother's consent. At last, in 16 B.C., Fei-yen
was made Empress and her father was made a marquis.
Emperor Ch'eng's infanticide of his
two sons for love of the Brilliant Companion née Chao
After her elevation, Emperor Ch'eng gradually lost
interest in her, and came to favor her younger sister more than anyone else.
This latter girl was made a Brilliant Companion (the highest rank among the
imperial concubines) and was installed in the Sun-bright Residence, the first
of the eight halls in the imperial harem. Her residence was painted and adorned
with gold and jewels as no place in the harem had ever before been decorated.
She retained Emperor Ch'eng's favor until his death, and he promised her never
to be faithless to her.
The philandering Emperor's attention could not,
however, be kept from wandering. In 12 B.C., an educated slave-girl, Ts'ao
Kung, became pregnant. She had been employed to teach the difficult
Book of Odes to the Empress, Chao Fei-yen. This girl
told her mother, who was also a government slave in the palace, that she was
with child by the Emperor. In due time, she bore a son on whose forehead there
were stubborn hairs like those of Emperor Yüan. This child constituted a great
danger for the Empress and the Brilliant Companion née Chao, for neither sister
had any children. If this child became the Heir-apparent, his mother would be
made Empress and the Chao sisters would lose their influence.
Within a few days, a eunuch came to the Assistant
at the harem prison (who testified later to what he had done), bringing an
imperial edict ordering that Ts'ao Kung, her child, and her six slaves should
be taken to the palace prison, and that no one should even ask the sex of the
child or who was its father. The third day after, another edict was brought to
the Assistant, asking whether the infant was dead yet. A little later the
messenger returned, saying that the Brilliant Companion and the Emperor were
very angry, and asking the Assistant why he did not kill the babe. He replied
that whether he did or did not kill the child, he would have to die, so he
wrote the Emperor a memorial saying that it did not matter by whom the
Emperor's heir was born. When the messenger brought the Emperor this reply, the
latter merely looked at the messenger fixedly. That night the Assistant was
brought an order to give the child to another eunuch, who was ordered to select
a wet-nurse for the babe, and not to allow the matter to leak out. The child
was then seven or eight days old. The third day after, another edict was
brought to the Assistant, together with a small sealed box and an
order that he must himself give its contents to the woman and that she must
drink it. In it were two packages of drugs and a little written message from
Emperor Ch'eng, "I am commanding you, Wei-neng [the `style' of Ts'ao Kung], to
try hard to drink this medicine. You cannot again enter Our presence, which you
yourself know." After protesting in vain and lamenting that she had no means of
giving information about her newly born son to the Emperor's mother, who would
probably have saved the babe, Ts'ao Kung drank the poison. Her slaves were
summoned by the Brilliant Companion née Chao and were made to strangle
themselves. The wet-nurse cared for the babe to its eleventh day, when a eunuch
came with an imperial edict to take it away, and it disappeared. Such was the
penalty of successfully attracting a philandering Emperor whose favorite was a
determined woman. It is not difficult to imagine what happened between the
Emperor and his Brilliant Companion.
Emperor Ch'eng loved hunting and similar
amusements, so did not remain continually in Wei-yang Palace. At the large
Shang-lin Park, some miles west of Ch'ang-an, some imperial concubines were
kept at the Lodge for Wetting and Bathing the Hair. In 11 B.C., a certain
Beauty née Hsü was summoned to the Ornamented House in that Lodge, conceived,
and in due time gave birth to a boy. Among the fourteen ranks of imperial
concubines, the Beauties ranked fifth, so that this child could not be disposed
of as easily as the child of a mere slave.
To prove his sincerity, Emperor Ch'eng in person
brought the news of the child's birth to the Brilliant Companion née Chao. She
reproached him with unfaithfulness to her and her sister. A eunuch later
testified that he overheard her say to the Emperor, "You are always deceiving
me. You said that you came from the Empress; if you have been coming from the
Empress, how has it come about that the Beauty née Hsü should have had a son?
Must an Empress née Hsü be again set up?" In her desperation, she struck
herself with her fists, beat her head against the wall and doorposts, and threw
herself down to the ground from her bed. She wept and declared she would not
eat, saying, "Where will you now put me? I want to go home."
Emperor Ch'eng replied that he had purposely told
her about the birth in order to prove his own sincerity and faithfulness to
her, for she could not otherwise have known about the child being born in a
lodge outside the capital. He evidently considered that occasional attentions
to other concubines outside of the Palace did not constitute unfaithfulness to
his favorite. In order to convince her, Emperor Ch'eng likewise refused to eat.
Finally the Brilliant Companion said, "If your Majesty thinks that
you are right, why do you not eat? Your Majesty constantly said
to me, `I promise not to turn my back upon you.' But now that this Beauty had a
child, you will eventually turn you back upon your promise. What do you mean to
do?"
Emperor Ch'eng replied, "I promise that for the
sake of the ladies née Chao I will not set up the Beauty née Hsü as the
Empress, and I will bring it about that nobody in the world surpasses the
ladies née Chao. Do not be worried."
Later the Emperor and the Brilliant Companion went
to this Lodge in Shang-lin Park. A eunuch afterwards testified that he was
ordered to take a green sack containing a letter to the Beauty née Hsü. He was
told, "The Beauty will have something to give to you. Bring it and put it in
the Ornamented House south of the curtain." She took her babe and put it into a
reed basket, sealed it, and gave it with a written reply to the eunuch. He took
them, and placed them where he had been directed, then left. The Emperor and
the Brilliant Companion seated themselves in this room, and the Emperor ordered
one of his companion's chamberlains, who later testified to the occurrence, to
open the basket. Before the sealed knot had been opened, the Emperor ordered
all the three chamberlains out of the room. He himself closed the door and
remained alone with the Brilliant Companion. In a moment he opened the door and
called them back, ordering them to take the sealed basket to the Assistant at
the harem prison. They were told that in the basket there was a dead child and
that he should bury it near the gate and should let no one know of it. He
buried it below the wall of the prison. Thus Emperor Ch'eng himself disposed of
his only sons.
It was then an ancient custom, even in the noblest
houses, that when a male or female babe was born, it was laid upon a couch or
on the ground; if the head of the family did not pick it up, the babe was not
reared. Emperor Ch'eng was thus quite within his rights in disposing of his own
sons. Yet when, several months after Emperor Ch'eng's successor had ascended
the throne, this infanticide became known, it caused a very great stir. There
indeed grew up a general feeling that Emperor Ch'eng had acted contrary to the
will of Heaven in destroying his sons, and that the Han dynasty had lost the
mandate of Heaven. The troubled economic condition of the country aided in
spreading this feeling, and in the next reign, prophets appeared with recipes
for renewing the lost Mandate of Heaven (cf. Glossary, sub Hsia Ho-liang). Wang
Mang later took advantage of this feeling to usurp the throne. Although the
Empress née Chao and her sister, the Brilliant Companion, had assisted Emperor
Ai to the throne, when the fact became known that the Brilliant
Companion had been responsible for these infanticides, even though the
Brilliant Companion was already dead, Emperor Ai dismissed her brother and
nephew from their marquisates, made them commoners, and exiled them together
with their families. Because of his debt to the Empress nee Chao, Emperor Ai
did not push the matter further.
Public opinion did not, however, unanimously
condemn the infanticide; one Grandee-remonstrant (whose office corresponded to
the Ch'ing dynasty's Censors) memorialized that the matter was not serious, for
the Emperor had himself had his own children killed. Some intelligent people
thus justified Emperor Ch'eng's action. Immediately after the death of Emperor
Ai in 1 B.C., when the Wang clan again came into power, the Empress née Chao
was, however, degraded and exiled to another palace; a few months later she was
dismissed and made a commoner, whereupon she committed suicide. Thus died a
famous Chinese beauty.
The appointment of an Heir-apparent
and the Emperor's death
It remains to speak of the succession to the throne
and of Emperor Ch'eng's death. When Emperor Ch'eng remained without heirs, his
first cousin, Liu Hsin(5), the son of the Liu K'ang whom Emperor Yüan had once
planned to make his heir, came to pay court to Emperor Ch'eng a few years
before the latter's death. Liu Hsin(5)'s grandmother, the Brilliant Companion née
Fu, secretly bribed Chao Fei-yen and the latter's sister, the Brilliant
Companion nee Chao, together with others, so that in 8 B.C., Liu Hsin(5) was
finally made the Heir-apparent. Four months later Emperor Ch'eng died quite
suddenly. He had not been ill. On the night of April 16, 7 B.C., he slept in
the White Tiger Hall. It had been arranged that the next morning two vassal
kings were to take their leave and on that day K'ung Kuang was to be installed
as Lieutenant Chancellor. His seal and charter had already been prepared. In
the evening, Emperor Ch'eng was well; towards the next dawn, he tried to arise
with his trousers and stockings on, but dropped his clothes and could not
speak. In the morning, when the clepsydra marked the tenth division, he died.
The people blamed the Brilliant Companion. The Empress Dowager had the
officials investigate what had happened in the harem that the Emperor should
have become ill, and the Brilliant Companion committed suicide. It was, of
course, suspected that the Emperor had been poisoned; it is however quite
possible that he died of apoplexy. He was in his forty-fifth year of age. So
ended the reign of a loving and kindly playboy, who was forced to choose
between his heir and his childless beloved, and chose the latter.
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