Emperor Ping of Han (9 BC – 3 February 6 AD), personal names Liu Jizi and later Liu Kan , was the eleventh emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty , reigning from 1 BC to AD 6. He ascended the throne at the age of eight following the death of his cousin, the childless Emperor Ai . Wang Mang was appointed regent by Grand Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun . Dissatisfied with his father's dictatorial regency, in AD 3, Wang's son Wang Yu (王宇) conspired with Emperor Ping's maternal uncles of the Wei clan against the regent, but after they were discovered, Wang Mang had not only Wang Yu and the Weis (except Consort Wei) put to death, but also used this opportunity to accuse many actual or potential political enemies as being part of the conspiracy and to execute or exile them. From then onwards, the Han dynasty existed only in name. Furthermore, Wang Mang also designated his daughter as the empress consort to Emperor Ping to codify his legitimacy to power. Emperor Ping was allegedly poisoned by Wang Mang after reigning less than six years because Wang was concerned that he would avenge his uncles, and his successor, the infant Ruzi Ying , would be chosen by none other than Wang Mang himself.
71-469: Liu Jizi was born in 9 BC. His father Liu Xing (劉興) was the youngest son of Emperor Yuan and a younger brother of Emperor Cheng . His mother was one of Prince Xing's consorts, Consort Wei (衛姬). Prince Jizi had three sisters (whose names are not recorded in history) but no brother. He was born with a heart ailment, which, when afflicting him, causes him to have circulation problems, manifesting itself outwardly as having his lips and appendages turn blue. He
142-636: A "son-in-law of Han". In response, Emperor Yuan gave him five ladies in waiting as a reward, and one of them was the beautiful Wang Zhaojun . Impressed that Emperor Yuan gave him the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen, Huhanye offered to have his forces serve as the northern defence forces for Han, a proposal that Emperor Yuan rejected as ill-advised, but the relationship between Han and Xiongnu thereafter grew stronger. Emperor Yuan had two favourite concubines in addition to Empress Wang, Consort Fu ( 傅昭儀 ) and Consort Feng Yuan ( 馮昭儀 ), each of whom bore him one son. Empress Wang apparently tried to maintain
213-511: A Chinese culture hero , with the authorship of the I Ching and the Classic of Poetry having traditionally been attributed to him, as well as the establishment of the Rites of Zhou . His personal name was Dan ( 旦 ). He was the fourth son of King Wen of Zhou and Queen Tai Si . His eldest brother Bo Yikao predeceased their father (supposedly a victim of cannibalism); the second-eldest defeated
284-765: A bear which had broken loose. Princess Dowager Feng, realizing that Empress Dowager Fu was behind the investigation, went back to her palace and committed suicide. In total, 17 members of the Feng clan died as a result of the investigations. Prince Jizi, then still a toddler, was spared. (Princess Dowager Feng's reputation would be restored, and her accusers severely punished, in 1 BC, after the deaths of Emperor Ai and Empress Dowager Fu.) In August 1 BC, Emperor Ai died without an heir. His stepgrandmother, Grand Empress Dowager Wang , quickly seized power back from Emperor Ai's male favorite (and probable lover) Dong Xian , and recalled her nephew Wang Mang as regent. Wang Mang quickly carried out
355-1348: A bottle of blood onto Wang Mang's mansion door to create that effect—but Lü was discovered by Wang Mang's guards. Wang Mang then arrested Wang Yu, who then committed suicide, and his wife (Lü Kuan's sister) Lü Yan (呂焉) was executed. Wang Mang then executed the entire Wei clan, except for Consort Wei. Wu was cut in half and then drawn and quartered. (It is not known what happened to Lü, but it would appear that there would be no way for him to escape death.) Wang Mang then took this opportunity to further wipe out potential enemies—by torturing Wang Yu and Lü's coconspirators and then arrest anyone that they mentioned, and then have them either executed or forced them to commit suicide. The victims of this purge included Emperor Yuan's sister Grand Princess Jingwu (敬武長公主), Wang Mang's own uncle Wang Li (王立), and his own cousin Wang Ren (王仁). He told Grand Empress Dowager Wang, however, falsely, that they had died of illnesses. Many other officials who were not willing to follow Wang Mang were also victimized in this purge. After this, Wang Mang's hold on power became absolute. In 4 CE, Emperor Ping officially married Wang Mang's daughter and created her empress. In 5 CE, Wang Mang revived an ancient ceremony intended for those who have made great contributions to
426-633: A conspiracy to get the emperor deposed of. The conspiracy was discovered, and the entire Huo clan was executed by Emperor Xuan. Empress Huo was striped of all her titles but not executed, Emperor Xuan decided 12 years later that he wanted her to be exiled, in response, she committed suicide. What Empress Huo tried to do influenced Emperor Xuan in his choice of the next Emperess. At the time, his favoured consorts were consorts Hua, consorts Zhang, and consorts Wei, each of whom he had children with. He almost settled on Consort Zhang as his new empress. However, he hesitated, remembering how Empress Huo had tried to murder
497-579: A cordial relationship with both, and she was largely successful, at least as far as Consort Feng was concerned. However, a struggle between Empress Wang and Consort Fu for their sons' heir status erupted. As Crown Prince Ao grew older, Emperor Yuan became increasingly unhappy with his fitness as imperial heir and impressed with Consort Fu's son, Prince Kang of Dingtao ( 山陽王劉康 ). Several incidents led to this situation. One happened in 35 BC, when Emperor Yuan's youngest brother Prince Liu Jing of Zhongshan ( 中山王劉竟 ) died. Emperor Yuan became angry because he felt that
568-445: A eunuch, Shi Li (史立), to serve as investigator, and Shi tortured a good number of Princess Dowager Feng's relations (including her sister Feng Xi (馮習) and her sister-in-law Junzhi (君之)), some to death, but still could not build a solid case against Princess Dowager Feng. Shi Li decided to show Princess Dowager Feng who was actually behind the investigation, by referring to an incident in which then-Consort Feng defended Emperor Yuan against
639-465: A factional schism developed, a phenomenon that would plague his entire reign and cause officials to concentrate on infighting rather than effective governance. One faction included mainly Confucian scholars, his teachers, Xiao and Zhou, aligned with an imperial clan member who was also a Confucian scholar, Liu Gengsheng (劉更生, later named Liu Xiang 劉向), and imperial assistant Jin Chang ( 金敞 ). The other faction
710-549: A highly honoured part; it was not until several decades later that Confucians began to disfavour fortune telling.) Jing, who had become a trusted advisor of Emperor Yuan after Emperor Yuan greatly favoured his proposed system for examining and promoting regional officials, accused Shi and Shi's assistant Wulu Chongzong ( 五鹿充宗 ) of being corrupt and evil. Initially, Emperor Yuan believed him, but took no action against Shi and Wulu. Shi and Wulu soon found out and fought back by accusing Jing of conspiring with Emperor Yuan's brother Liu Qin,
781-552: A holy regent on the scale of the Duke of Zhou . In 1 CE, for example, after having his political allies convincing Grand Empress Dowager Wang of his great faithfulness and great achievements, he was created the Duke of Anhan (安漢公, literally "Duke who made Han secure"), even though there had not been a single duke created in Han history up to that point. Further, to appease both the disaffected nobility and
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#1732855798664852-813: A major role in governing the country, given the forceful nature of his father. He was taught the Confucian classics by a succession of Confucian scholars during his pre-teen and teenage years. Prince Shi became a mild-mannered and strict adherent of Confucian principles, unlike his father who made effective use of both Legalist and Confucian principles in his governance. This would bring his father's ire on him. In 53 BC, when Emperor Xuan and Prince Shi were having dinner, he suggested that Emperor Xuan employ more Confucian officials in key positions. Emperor Xuan became extremely angry and commented that Confucian scholars were impractical and could not be given responsibilities, and further commented that Emperor Yuan's reign would lead to
923-483: A mid-level office, along with Zhou's student Zhang Meng (張猛, a grandson of the great explorer Zhang Qian ). Despite the relatively low positions that Zhou and Zhang had, their advice was highly valued by Emperor Yuan. In 44 BC, he promoted the highly regarded Confucian scholar Gong Yu ( 貢禹 ), who tried not to engage himself in factional politics, to the position of vice prime minister, and heeded many of his suggestions to further reduce governmental spending and to encourage
994-453: A new capital city at Chengzhou around 1038 BC. Laid out according to exact geomantic principles , Chengzhou was the home of King Cheng, the Shang nobility, and the nine tripod cauldrons symbolic of royal authority, while the Duke continued to administer the kingdom from the former capital of Haojing . Once Cheng came of age, according to traditional narrative, the Duke of Zhou dutifully gave up
1065-442: A selection process of eligible noble young ladies (after declaring, in accordance with ancient customs, that Emperor Ping would have one wife and 11 concubines ). However, then, in an act of false modesty intended to create the opposite result, he petitioned Grand Empress Dowager Wang that his daughter not be considered—and then started a petition drive by the people to have his daughter be selected as empress. The petitioners stormed
1136-404: A stroke, and Shi Xian found an opportunity to falsely accuse Zhang of crimes and forced him to commit suicide. In 37 BC, another Confucian scholar would try to shake the influence of Shi Xian. He was Jing Fang ( 京房 ), who, in addition to studying Confucianism, was also an accomplished fortune teller . (At this time, fortune telling was still considered to be a part of Confucian studies, indeed,
1207-612: A subject and received Han assistance. Chanyu Zhizhi, then the stronger of the two, tried to maintain a détente with Han by sending his son Juyulishou ( 駒于利受 ) to the Han court, but was not so willing to submit, and soon found himself out-powered by the Han-assisted Huhanye. In 49 BC, the last year of Emperor Xuan's reign, Chanyu Zhizhi headed north-west and conquered several Xiyu kingdoms, basing his capital in Jiankun (modern Altay, Xinjiang ). From there, he frequently attacked one of
1278-451: A traditional enemy of Kangju . They repeatedly inflicted heavy victory appon victory against the Wusun over the course several years. In 36 BC, two Han commanders, Gan Yanshou ( 甘延壽 ) and his lieutenant Chen Tang ( 陳湯 ), took the initiative start a war on Zhizhi. Zhizhi, after winning many victories over the Wusun and other Xiyu kingdoms, had become exceedingly arrogant, and treated his ally,
1349-415: A trap for Zhizhi, by pretending that they were running low on supplies, to ward off the possibility that Zhizhi would flee. Zhizhi took the bait and stayed in his capital. The coalition forces soon arrived at his capital and besieged it later killing Chanyu Zhizhi in the subsequent battle . After this Chanyu Huhanye made an official visit to the Han capital of Chang'an in 33 BC and formally asked to become
1420-436: A wave of retaliation against Dong Xian and Emperor Ai's Fu and Ding (relatives of his mother Consort Ding ) relations, purging them from government. At the same time, he also purged many actual or potential political enemies, while pretending to Grand Empress Dowager Wang to be still loyal to the Han dynasty. Prince Jizi, as the only surviving male descendant of Emperor Yuan (both Emperors Cheng and Ai having died without issue),
1491-401: Is also known as the "God of Dreams". The Analects record Confucius saying, "How I have gone downhill! It has been such a long time since I dreamt of the Duke of Zhou." This was meant as a lamentation of how the governmental ideals of the Duke of Zhou had faded, but was later taken literally. In Chinese legends, if an important thing is going to happen to someone, the Duke of Zhou will let
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#17328557986641562-743: The Honorable and Virtuous King ( 褒 德 王 , Bāodé Wáng ). In 1008, the Zhenzong Emperor gave the Duke the posthumous title King of Exemplary Culture ( traditional Chinese : 文憲王 ; simplified Chinese : 文宪王 ; pinyin : Wénxiàn Wáng ). He was also known as the First Sage ( traditional Chinese : 元聖 ; simplified Chinese : 元圣 ; pinyin : Yuán Shèng ). In 2004, Chinese archaeologists reported that they may have found his tomb complex in Qishan County , Shaanxi . Duke of Zhou
1633-518: The Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye around 1046 BC, ascending the throne as King Wu . King Wu distributed many fiefs to his relatives and followers and Dan charged with securing the former Shang capital region near present-day Luoyang . Only three years after assuming power, King Wu died and left the kingdom to his young son King Cheng . The Duke of Zhou successfully attained the regency and administered
1704-450: The Han borders, and let him travel the remaining journey on his own. Gu reasoned that by escorting Juyilishou all the way to Jiankun, he might be able to persuade Zhizhi to submit, and that he was willing to risk his own life to do so. Emperor Yuan agreed and Gu escorted Juyilishou to Jiankun. Chanyu Zhizhi was not impressed and had Gu executed. Zhizhi then realized that he made a major mistake, and he allianced with Kangju to conquer Wusun ,
1775-483: The Han throne officially in 8 AD. Emperor Ping's burial mound is found in Zhouling district of Xianyang . The grave sits in a field with only a rudimentary sign and low fence to distinguish it. The latter has not proven effective in discouraging climbers, as there are worn paths leading up and down the hill. Consorts: Emperor Yuan of Han Emperor Yuan of Han , personal name Liu Shi (劉奭; 75 BC – 8 July 33 BC),
1846-500: The Han's ally, the Wusun . In 44 BC, Chanyu Zhizhi sent an ambassador to offer tributes to Han, but at the same time demanded that Han deliver his son Juyilishou back to him. Emperor Yuan commissioned a guard commander, Gu Ji ( 谷吉 ), to escort Juyilishou. Initially, based on advice from Gong and other key officials, who reasoned that Zhizhi had no real intention to submit and was far away, Emperor Yuan instructed Gu to escort Juyilishou only to
1917-498: The Huos had murdered Empress Xu, which led him to begin stripping the Huos of actual power, while giving them impressive titles. In 66 BC, after there had been increasing public rumours that the Huos had murdered Empress Xu, Lady Xian finally revealed to her son and grandnephews that she had, indeed, murdered Empress Xu. In fear of what the emperor might do if he had actual proof, Lady Xian, her son, her grandnephews, and her sons-in-law formed
1988-461: The Prince of Huaiyang, and Prince Qin's uncle. As a result, Jing was executed. Around the same time, despite Emperor Yuan's general tendency for pacificism, a military confrontation had developed with one branch of Xiongnu , which had split into competing courts ruled by Chanyus Huhanye in the east and Zhizhi in the west. During Emperor Xuan's reign, Chanyu Huhanye had officially submitted to Han as
2059-531: The Weis, including Consort Wei, and Emperor Ping's sisters not to be allowed to go to Chang'an to see him, but were to remain in Zhongshan. In 2 CE, to reduce the burden of the people in naming taboo , Emperor Ping's name was changed to Kan (衎), since Ji and Zi were commonly used characters. Also in 2 CE, Wang Mang decided to have his daughter married to Emperor Ping to further affirm his position. Initially, he started
2130-483: The banks of Lake Balkhash ) had only recently been built and lacked strong defences, his plan was to use the colonization forces that the Han army had in Xiyu as well as Wusun forces to advance to and capture Zhizhi's capital. Gan agreed with his plan and wanted to request approval, but Chen feared that civilian officials would disapprove of this plan. Therefore, when Gan fell sick, Chen forged of imperial edicts and requisitioned
2201-408: The capital. In 3 CE, Wang Yu formed a conspiracy with his teacher Wu Zhang (吳章), his brother-in-law Lü Kuan (呂寬), and the Weis, to try to see what they can do to break Wang Mang's dictatorial hold. They decided that they would create what appear to be supernatural incidents to make Wang Mang concerned, and then have Wu try to persuade Wang Mang to transfer power to the Weis. Wang Yu told Lü to toss
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2272-483: The colonization military forces as well as forces of the other kingdoms that submitted to Han authority. Once Gan recovered, he tried to reverse Chen's actions, but Chen warned him that it was too late to do so. They then set out (after submitting reports admitting to forging edicts but providing the reasons for doing so), marching along two routes, one force taking a route through Dayuan and the other through Wusun. The forces rejoined when they entered Kangju . They then set
2343-655: The court faction further pressed Xiao into committing suicide. They did this by tricking Emperor Yuan into deciding to have Xiao investigated for inducing his son to make a petition for him, something considered inappropriate. Hong and Shi calculated that Xiao would rather commit suicide than face an investigation, and that was what Xiao did. As a result, the court faction prevailed. Consistent with his personality, Emperor Yuan rebuked Hong and Shi harshly for misleading him and buried Xiao with great honour, but did not punish Hong (who died later that year) and Shi. In 46 BC, Emperor Yuan summoned Zhou back to his administration and gave him
2414-483: The crown prince. He therefore resolved to making an empress who was childless and kind. He decided on the gentle Consort Wang , and made her empress in 64 BC. Emperor Xuan put Prince Shi in her care, and she cared for him well. Empress Wang would have a role in Crown Prince Shi's eventual choice of a wife. In the middle of the 50s BC, Consort Sima, the favourite consort of Prince Shi, died from an illness. Prince Shi
2485-523: The downfall of the Liu imperial clan, words that would turn out to be prophetic. This would also bring his father to consider changing the succession plans, as he was also disappointed by Prince Shi's general lack of resolve. He considered making Prince Shi's younger brother, Liu Qin, the Prince of Huaiyang , crown prince instead. However, he could not bring himself to do so, remembering how Prince Shi's mother, Empress Xu,
2556-454: The emperor and their key roles in processing reports and edicts for Emperor Yuan. Policy-wise, the Confucian faction advocated returning to the ancient policies of the early Zhou dynasty , while the court faction advocated keeping the traditions of the Han dynasty. In 47 BC, Hong and Shi used procedural traps which led to Zhou and Liu being demoted to commoners and Xiao retired. Later that year,
2627-524: The emperor. In winter 5 AD, Wang Mang submitted pepper wine (considered in those days to be capable of chasing away evil spirits) to the 13-year-old emperor, but had the wine spiked with poison. As the emperor was suffering the effects of the poison, Wang Mang wrote a secret petition to the gods, in which he offered to substitute his life for Emperor Ping's, and then had the petition locked away. (Historians generally believed that Wang Mang had two motives in doing this—one was, in case Emperor Ping recovered from
2698-786: The failed rebellion was that Prince Ju committed suicide and his entire family was executed. Bingyi was spared because of his young age, but became a commoner and survived on the largess of others. One of his supporters was chief eunuch Zhang He, who had been an advisor for Prince Ju before his rebellion, and who was punished by being castrated. Around 76 BC, Zhang wanted to marry his granddaughter to Bingyi, but his brother Zhang Anshi ( 張安世 ), then an important official, opposed his decision, fearing that it would bring trouble to his family. Zhang, instead, invited one of his subordinate eunuchs (who had also been castrated by Emperor Wu), Xu Guanghan ( 許廣漢 ), to dinner, and persuaded him to marry his daughter Xu Pingjun to Liu Bingyi. When Xu's wife heard this, she
2769-477: The fate of the other Confucian scholars, entered into an alliance with Shi Xian to ensure his own safety and power. In 40 BC, more unusual signs occurred and Emperor Yuan asked the court faction to explain how they could continue to occur if, as they alleged, they were signs of divine disapproval of Zhou and Zhang. They could not, and so Emperor Yuan summoned Zhou and Zhang back to the capital to serve as advisors. However, this would not last long, as Zhou soon died of
2840-441: The god Shangdi they should be restored to power. According to this doctrine, Shang injustice and decadence had so grossly offended Heaven that Heaven had removed their authority and commanded the reluctant Zhou to replace the Shang and restore order. On a more practical level, the Duke of Zhou expanded and codified his brother's system of territorial administration , granting titles to loyal Shang clansmen and even establishing
2911-439: The heart to turn in his wife, instead agreed to Chunyu's release. In April 70 BC, Emperor Xuan made Huo Chengjun empress. Accustomed to luxury living, her palace expenditures far exceeded the late Empress Xu. Huo Chengjun becoming empress was a threat to Prince Shi's life. On 24 May 67 BC, Emperor Xuan made the eight-year-old Prince Shi into Crown Prince and awarded Empress Xu's father and Prince Shi's grandfather, Xu Guanghan,
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2982-496: The important state decisions, rather than have her do so, and Wang Mang immediately became the most powerful figure in the empire. To prevent Emperor Ping's Wei relations from becoming powerful potential rivals at court, Wang Mang limited the titles of Emperor Ping's uncles to acting marquesses (關內侯) and his mother Consort Wei to "Princess Xiao of Zhongshan" ("Prince Xiao" being Prince Xing's posthumous name), and only created Emperor Ping's three sisters ladies (君). He also ordered that
3053-411: The intercession of Shi Dan, who risked his life by stepping onto the carpet of the imperial bed chamber, an act that only the empress was allowed to do (on pain of death) led Emperor Yuan to cease those thoughts. When Emperor Yuan died in 33 BC, Crown Prince Ao ascended the throne (as Emperor Cheng). Consorts and Issue: Duke of Zhou Dan, Duke Wen of Zhou , commonly known as the Duke of Zhou ,
3124-479: The king of Kangju , as a subject, he even executed king Kangju 's daughter, who had been married to him as part of the alliance. He also forced the other kingdoms in the region, including the powerful Dayuan , to pay him tribute. Chen felt that Chanyu Zhizhi would eventually become a major threat and devised a plan to eliminate him. Reasoning that Zhizhi was a powerful warrior but lacked the affection to kingdoms that subjected to him, and also that his new capital (on
3195-575: The kingdom himself, leading to revolts not only from disgruntled Shang partisans but also from his own relatives, particularly his older brother Guan Shu . Within five years, the Duke of Zhou had managed to defeat the Three Guards and other rebellions and his armies pushed east, bringing more land under Zhou control. The Duke of Zhou was credited with elaborating the doctrine of the Mandate of Heaven , which countered Shang propaganda that as descendants of
3266-525: The mother of his first-born son, Prince Ao, empress. On 17 June 47 BC, he made Prince Ao crown prince. In 46 BC, alarmed at the high human and monetary cost of occupying Hainan and suppressing the frequent native rebellions, Emperor Yuan decreed that the two commanderies on the island be abandoned. Similarly, in 40 BC, alarmed at the high cost of maintaining imperial temples, he reduced the number of standing temples. Early in Emperor Yuan's administration
3337-691: The outside of the palace, and Grand Empress Dowager Wang, overwhelmed by the display of affection for Wang Mang, ordered that Wang Mang's daughter be made empress. Wang Mang's son Wang Yu (王宇) disagreed with his father's dictatorial regime and program to build up his personality cult, afraid that in the future the Wangs would receive a backlash when Emperor Ping was grown. He therefore formed friendships with Emperor Ping's Wei uncles, and told Consort Wei to offer assurances to Wang Mang that she would not act as Emperor Ai's mother and grandmother did, trying to become an empress dowager. Wang Mang still refused to let her visit
3408-439: The people, Wang Mang instituted a program to restore marquess titles to descendants of past imperial princes and marquesses, started a pension system for retired officials, and reduced taxes. He also bribed vassal states into making offerings of rare animals, viewed as signs of heavenly blessing, to Han. With all people praising Wang Mang, he managed to persuade Grand Empress Dowager Wang, then already 69 years old, to have him make
3479-512: The person know through dreams: hence the Chinese expression "Dreaming of Zhou Gong". Zhou Gong's Explanations of Dreams (Chinese: 周公解夢, pinyin: Zhōu gōng jiěmèng ) is attributed to him. The main line of the Duke of Zhou's descendants came from his firstborn son, the State of Lu ruler Bo Qin 's third son Yu ( 魚 ) whose descendants adopted the surname Dongye ( 東野 ). The Duke of Zhou's offspring held
3550-461: The poisoning, to use this to try to absolve himself of involvement in the poisoning, and the second was to leave for posterity evidence of his faithfulness.) After a few days of suffering, Emperor Ping died. The throne would lie vacant for the next few years, as although Emperor Ping's cousin-once-removed , the infant Emperor Ruzi , would be selected as emperor, he would never actually take the throne. Wang Mang would serve as acting emperor and usurp
3621-498: The regent, Huo Guang 霍光, having been dissatisfied with his initial selection of Prince He of Changyi, deposed Prince He and offered the throne to the commoner Bingyi instead. Bingyi accepted and took the throne as Emperor Xuan. Shi's mother Xu Pingjun was made empress. This action would cost Empress Xu her life, however, and cost Prince Shi his mother. Huo Guang's wife, Xian ( 顯 ), would not be denied her wish of making her daughter Huo Chengjun ( 霍成君 ) an empress. In 71 BC, Empress Xu
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#17328557986643692-663: The seed of dissatisfaction was sown. As the princes grew older, Emperor Yuan and Prince Kang became closer. They shared a love of and skills in music, particularly the playing of drums. Prince Kang also showed high intelligence and diligence, while Crown Prince Ao was known for drinking and womanizing. When Emperor Yuan grew ill during 35 BC, an illness that he would not recover from, Consort Fu and Prince Kang were often summoned to his sickbed to attend to him, while Empress Wang and Crown Prince Ao rarely were. During his illness, apparently encouraged by Consort Fu, Emperor Yuan reconsidered whether he should make Prince Kang his heir instead. Only
3763-478: The state, and had himself given the nine bestowments . (The "nine bestowments" would, after Wang Mang, thereafter become a customary step for usurpers to receive before they usurp the throne.) Circa 5 AD, Emperor Ping, having grown older, appeared to have grown out of his earlier heart condition, and it became fairly plain that he resented Wang Mang for slaughtering his uncles and not allowing his mother to visit him in Chang'an. Wang Mang therefore resolved to murder
3834-486: The study of Confucianism. In 43 BC, there were a number of unusual astronomical and meteorological signs that were considered signs of divine disapproval. Shi Xian and his allies, the Xu and Shi clans, alleged that this was a sign of divine disapproval of Zhou and Zhang's policies. Zhou and Zhang were demoted to local posts. In 42 BC, he promoted another Confucian scholar, Kuang Heng ( 匡衡 ), to be his key advisor, and Kuang, aware of
3905-460: The teenage Crown Prince Ao was not grieving sufficiently, particularly because Princes Ao and Jing were of similar age and grew up together as playmates, thus showing insufficient respect to Prince Jing. Prince Ao's head of household, Shi Dan ( 史丹 ), a relative of Emperor Yuan's grandmother and a senior official respected by Emperor Yuan, managed to convince Emperor Yuan that Crown Prince Ao was trying to stop Emperor Yuan himself from over-grieving, but
3976-633: The throne as Emperor Ai. Also in 7 BC, when Prince Jizi was just 2, Prince Xing died, and Prince Jizi inherited his principality as the Prince of Zhongshan (roughly modern Baoding , Hebei). He continued to be periodically afflicted with his heart disorder. As a result, his grandmother Princess Dowager Feng hired many physicians and often prayed to the gods. In 6 BC, Emperor Ai, hearing about his cousin's illness, sent imperial physicians along with his attendant Zhang You (張由) to go to Zhongshan to treat Prince Jizi. This, however, would have dire consequences of Princess Dowager Feng. The imperial attendant Zhang
4047-482: The throne as Emperor Yuan. As emperor, Emperor Yuan immediately started a regimen of reducing governmental spending, with the objective of reducing the burdens of the people. He also started a program for social assistance to provide stipends for the poor and also for new entrepreneurs. Contrary to his father's governing philosophy, he relied heavily on Confucian scholars and put them into important governmental positions. In 48 BC, Emperor Yuan made Consort Wang Zhengjun,
4118-456: The throne without trouble. The duke's eight sons all received land from the king. The eldest son received Lu ; the second succeeded to his father's fief, Zhou [ zh ] . In later centuries, subsequent emperors considered the Duke of Zhou a paragon of virtue and honored him with posthumous names . The empress Wu Zetian named her short-lived 8th-century Zhou dynasty (known as Wu Zhou in historiography) after him and called him
4189-414: The title of Marquess of Ping'en. Huo Guang opposed these actions. Huo's wife, Lady Xian was shocked and displeased, because if her daughter ever had a son, why would he only be forever a prince and not the future emperor. She instructed her daughter to murder the crown prince. Allegedly, Empress Huo did make multiple attempts to do so, but failed each time. Around this time, the emperor also heard rumours that
4260-608: The title of Wujing Boshi ( 五經博士 ; Wǔjīng Bóshì). One of the Duke of Zhou's 72 generation descendants family tree was examined and commented on by Song Lian . Duke Huan of Lu 's son through Qingfu ( 慶父 ) was the ancestor of Mencius . He was descended from Duke Yang of the State of Lu 魯煬公 Duke Yang was the son of Bo Qin , who was the son of the Duke of Zhou. The genealogy is found in the Mencius family tree ( 孟子世家大宗世系 ). The Zhikou Jiangs (also romanized as "Chiangs") such as Chiang Kai-shek were descended from Jiang Shijie who during
4331-437: The trust he held in certain corrupt officials. He was succeeded by Emperor Cheng . When Emperor Yuan was born Liu Shi in 75 BC, his parents Liu Bingyi and Xu Pingjun were commoners without titles. Bingyi was a great-grandson of Emperor Wu , and his grandfather Liu Ju was Emperor Wu's crown prince, until Emperor Wu's paranoia forced him into a failed rebellion in 91 BC while Bingyi was still just an infant. The aftermath of
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#17328557986644402-553: Was a member of the royal family of the early Zhou dynasty who played a major role in consolidating the kingdom established by his elder brother King Wu . He was renowned for acting as a capable and loyal regent for his young nephew King Cheng , and for successfully suppressing the Rebellion of the Three Guards and establishing firm rule of the Zhou dynasty over eastern China. He is also
4473-549: Was an emperor of the Chinese Han dynasty . He reigned from 48 BC to 33 BC. Emperor Yuan promoted Confucianism as the official creed of the Chinese government. He appointed adherents of Confucius to important government posts. However, at the same time that he was solidifying Confucianism 's position as the official ideology, the empire's condition slowly deteriorated due to his indecisiveness, his inability to stop factional infighting between officials in his administration, and
4544-491: Was considered the logical successor, and he was welcomed to Chang'an to succeed his cousin. Almost immediately after Emperor Ping took the throne, Wang Mang began to carry out a regime to return governmental structure to ancient days of the Zhou dynasty and the even more ancient Xia dynasty and Shang dynasty . He also aggressively pursued a program to build up a personality cult about himself, wanting to have himself recognized as
4615-501: Was furious and refused her permission, but because Zhang was Xu's superior, Xu did not dare to renege on the promise. Bingyi and Pingjun were married in a ceremony entirely paid for by Zhang (because Bingyi could not afford the cost). Zhang also paid the bride price . After their marriage, Bingyi heavily depended on his wife's family for support. Shi was less than a year old when something very unusual happened to his father. Shi's great-granduncle, Emperor Zhao (漢昭帝), had died that year and
4686-465: Was grief-stricken and became ill and depressed. Emperor Xuan was concerned, so he had Empress Wang select the most beautiful of the young ladies in waiting and had them sent to Prince Shi. Wang Zhengjun was one of the ladies in waiting chosen. With her, he had his first-born son Liu Ao (劉驁, later Emperor Cheng ) c. 51 BC. Prince Ao became Emperor Xuan's favourite grandson and often accompanied him. During his years as crown prince, Prince Shi did not have
4757-618: Was himself afflicted with a psychiatric condition (probably bipolar disorder ), and when he got to Zhongshan, he suddenly, in a rage, left there and returned to the capital Chang'an . Once he did and was ordered to explain his conduct, he made up a false reason—that he had discovered that Princess Dowager Feng was using witchcraft to curse Emperor Ai and his grandmother, Empress Dowager Fu . Empress Dowager Fu and Princess Dowager Feng had been romantic rivals when they had been both consorts to Emperor Yuan, and Empress Dowager Fu decided to use this opportunity to strike at Princess Dowager Feng. She sent
4828-556: Was his cousin-twice-removed Shi, imperial secretary Hong Gong ( 弘恭 ) and chief eunuch Shi Xian ( 石顯 ). Hong Gong and Shi Xian are recorded as being the Emperor's lovers. Yuan gave them both key administrative positions, which eventually proved disastrous as they plotted the deaths of many officials who opposed them. The Confucian faction derived their power from the fact that Emperor Yuan trusted and respected their advice. The "court faction" derived their power from their physical closeness to
4899-438: Was his first love and had been murdered by poisoning, and also how he depended on his father-in-law in his youth. Prince Shi's position therefore was not seriously threatened. In 49 BC, Emperor Xuan became seriously ill. Before his death, he commissioned his cousin-once-removed Shi Gao ( 史高 ), Prince Shi's teacher Xiao Wangzhi ( zh:蕭望之 ), and Xiao's assistant Zhou Kan ( 周堪 ) to serve as regents. After he died, Prince Shi ascended
4970-489: Was pregnant when Lady Xian came up with a plot. She bribed Empress Xu's female physician Chunyu Yan ( 淳于衍 ), under guise of giving Empress Xu medicine to help ease her pain and control blood flow after she gave birth, to poison Empress Xu. Chunyu did so, and Empress Xu died shortly after she gave birth. Her doctors were initially arrested to investigate whether they cared for the empress properly. Lady Xian, alarmed, informed Huo Guang what had actually happened, and Huo, not having
5041-679: Was raised by his paternal grandmother Consort Feng Yuan , a concubine of Emperor Yuan, who then had the title princess dowager in Prince Xing's principality. Around the time of Prince Jizi's birth, Prince Xing was considered a potential imperial heir, because Emperor Cheng had no heirs, but eventually Emperor Cheng chose his nephew (Prince Jizi's cousin) Liu Xin (劉欣), because Emperor Cheng considered Prince Xin to be more capable than Prince Xing, and also wanted to adopt Prince Xin and make him his own son. When Emperor Cheng died in April 7 BC, Prince Xin took
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