Gao1 Zu3(great great grandfather) 高祖 Liu2 Bang1
|
|  Yüklə 2.47 Mb.
|
| 6) You Zhu 幼主 Gao Heng 高恒 577 Chengguang (承光 cheng gu_ng) 577 Gao Heng (高恒) (570━577), often known in history as the Youzhu of Northern Qi ((北)齐幼主), was briefly an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi. In 577, with Northern Qi under a major attack by rival Northern Zhou, Gao Heng's father Gao Wei, then emperor, wanted to try to deflect ill omens that portended a change in imperial status, and therefore passed the throne to Gao Heng. Later that year, after they fled in face of Northern Zhou forces' arrival, they were captured and taken to the Northern Zhou capital Chang'an, where, in winter 577, Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou ordered them, as well as other members of the Gao clan, to commit suicide. Northern Qi territory was seized by Northern Zhou, although for several years Gao Wei's cousin Gao Shaoyi claimed imperial title in exile under Tujue's protection. Background
Gao Heng was born in summer 570, as the oldest son of the emperor Gao Wei. His mother was Gao Wei's then-concubine Consort Mu Sheli. To celebrate his birth, Gao Wei declared a general pardon. Gao Wei's powerful wet nurse Lu Lingxuan, who was also Consort Mu's adoptive mother, wanted Gao Heng to be crown prince and eventually inherit Gao Wei's throne, but was afraid of opposition by Gao Wei's wife Empress Hulu. She therefore, with Gao Wei's approval, gave Gao Heng to Empress Hulu to raise. Later that year, when Gao Heng was only three months old, Gao Wei created him crown prince. After Empress Hulu's father, the general Hulu Guang, was executed under false charges of treason, Empress Hulu was deposed, and while initially Consort Mu was not created empress, in winter 572 she was first created "Right Empress," and then became sole empress in 573 after Left Empress Hu was deposed. In 576, rival Northern Zhou launched a major attack on Northern Qi. Gao Wei initially personally led troops to battle Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, but after suffering a great defeat at Pingyang (平阳, in modern Linfen, Shanxi), he fled back to the secondary capital Jinyang (晋阳, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) and lost the will to fight. In order to prepare for flight first to Shuo Province (朔州, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi) and then possibly Tujue, Gao Wei first sent his mother Empress Dowager Hu and Gao Heng to Shuo Province. After he changed his mind and fled back to the capital Yecheng (邺城, in modern Handan, Hebei) around the new year 577 in the face of Northern Zhou attack on Jinyang, however, the general Gao Mai (高劢) escorted both Empress Dowager Hu and Crown Prince Heng back to Yecheng as well. Believing the words of his astrologers that the omens showed that the imperial seat was about to be changed, Gao Wei decided to pass the throne to Gao Heng, and spring 577, the young crown prince took the throne as emperor, but with his father Gao Wei still in control as Taishang Huang (retired emperor). Reign The young emperor's reign did not last long, as Northern Zhou forces approached Yecheng soon thereafter. Instead of taking a last stand at Yecheng as Gao Mai suggested, Gao Wei decided to flee from Yecheng to the provinces south of the Yellow River, to try to regroup the troops, and if that could not be done, to flee to Chen Dynasty. With that in mind, Gao Wei first sent Grand Empress Dowager Hu, Retired Empress Mu, and Gao Heng to Ji Province (济州, roughly modern Liaocheng, Shandong). He soon abandoned Yecheng and joined them there as well. Once he arrived, he issued an edict in the young emperor's name further passing the throne to Gao Wei's uncle Gao Jie (高□) the Prince of Rencheng─although the edict appeared to have never reached Gao Jie, as the official that Gao Wei sent to deliver the edict and the imperial seal to Gao Jie, Hulu Xiaoqing (斛律孝卿), surrendered to Northern Zhou after leaving Ji Province. (The edict also gave Gao Heng an alternative title, but what that alternative title was is disputed among historical sources. The Book of Northern Qi gave it as "Heavenly Prince Protector" (守国天王, Shouguo Tian Wang). Zizhi Tongjian gave it as Heavenly Prince of Song (宋国天王, Songguo Tian Wang), and Zizhi Tongjian's commentator Hu Sansheng believed that it should be "Heavenly Prince of the Primary Line" (宗国天王, Zongguo Tian Wang). Whether that alternative title was actually used, however, is unclear.) Meanwhile, Northern Zhou forces continued their pursuit, and Gao Wei, leaving Grand Empress Dowager Hu at Ji Province, fled further south with Retired Empress Mu, Consort Feng Xiaolian, Gao Heng, and some of his other close followers to Qing Province (青州, roughly modern Qingzhou, Shandong). Northern Zhou forces, however, soon arrived at Qing Province as well, and Gao Wei's party tried to flee south to Chen, but were captured and delivered back to Yecheng, where they were initially treated with respect by Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu. Soon, Northern Zhou took control of nearly all of Northern Qi territory, and when Emperor Wu returned to the Northern Zhou capital Chang'an, he took Gao Wei and the members of the Gao clan, including Gao Heng, with him. (This traditionally marked the end of Northern Qi, with Gao Heng as its last emperor, although Gao Wei's cousin Gao Shaoyi the Prince of Fanyang fled to Tujue and later claimed the Northern Qi throne in exile.) Death Emperor Wu initially created Gao Wei the Duke of Wen, but in winter 577, he, apprehensive of the Gao clan, falsely accused Gao Wei of plotting rebellion with his former official Mu Tipo, and then ordered him and other members of the Gao clan to commit suicide. Gao Heng died in the massacre. Only during the regency of Yang Jian over Emperor Wu's grandson Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou were members of the Gao clan, including Gao Heng, properly buried north of Chang'an. 7) Fan Yang Wang (范阳王 fan yang wang) Gao Shaoyi (高绍义 g_o shao yi) 577-579? Gao Shaoyi (高绍义), often known by his princely title of Prince of Fanyang (范阳王), was an imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi, who claimed the Northern Qi throne in exile under the protection of Tujue after rival Northern Zhou seized nearly all of Northern Qi territory and captured the emperors, Gao Shaoyi's cousin Gao Wei and Gao Wei's son Gao Heng in 577. In 580, Tujue, after negotiating a peace treaty with Northern Zhou, turned Gao Shaoyi over to Northern Zhou, and he was exiled to modern Sichuan, ending his claim on the Northern Qi imperial title. Most traditional historians do not consider Gao Shaoyi a true emperor of Northern Qi. Background Gao Shaoyi was the third son of Emperor Wenxuan, Northern Qi's first emperor. His mother was Emperor Wenxuan's concubine Consort Feng, who carried the title of Shifu (世妇), a title for third class imperial consorts. It is not known when he was born. In 559, Emperor Wenxuan created him the Prince of Guangyang. After Emperor Wenxuan's death later that year, Gao Shaoyi's older brother Gao Yin became emperor (as Emperor Fei), and around the new year 560, Emperor Fei changed Gao Shaoyi's title to Prince of Fanyang. During Emperor Fei's reign and the subsequent reigns of Gao Shaoyi's uncles Emperor Xiaozhao and Emperor Wucheng, Gao Shaoyi was gradually promoted through the official ranks, and, during Emperor Wucheng's reign, he was the mayor of the capital Yecheng. He was said to like drinking with his associates, and he was accused of having his eunuchs kill his teacher Ren Fangrong (任方荣). Emperor Wucheng caned him 200 times, and then sent him to Emperor Wenxuan's wife Empress Li Zu'e, who further caned him 100 times. Nothing is known about Gao Shaoyi's activities in the following years. In 577, with rival Northern Zhou having launched a major attack on Northern Qi, then-emperor Gao Wei (Emperor Wucheng's son) fled from the secondary capital Jinyang (晋阳, in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi) back to Yecheng, and he made Gao Shaoyi the governor of Ding Province (定州, roughly modern Baoding, Hebei). Subsequently, after Gao Wei was captured by Northern Zhou forces, most Northern Qi provinces surrendered. However, Zhao Mu (赵穆), the former gubernatorial secretary of Northern Shuo Province (北朔州, roughly modern Shuozhou, Shanxi), captured the Northern Zhou general (and former Northern Qi general) Feng Fuxiang (封辅相), whom Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou had made the military governor of the Northern Shuo Province and tried to welcome Gao Shaoyi's uncle Gao Jie (高□) the Prince of Rencheng to Northern Shuo Province to head the resistance, but could not do so. He therefore welcomed Gao Shaoyi instead, and when Gao Shaoyi arrived at Mayi (马邑), the capital of Northern Shuo Province, the people of the local region supported his resistance movement. He led his troops south to try to recapture Jinyang, but was unsuccessful in first sieging Xinxing (新兴, in modern Xinzhou, Shanxi), and Northern Zhou's counterattack was successful in capturing Lu Qiong (陆琼), the governor of Xian Province (显州, part of modern Xinzhou), and Gao Shaoyi retreated to Mayi. As the Northern Zhou general Yuwen Shenju (宇文神举) approached Mayi and defeated Gao Shaoyi, Gao Shaoyi decided to flee to Tujue. At this time, he still had about 3,000 men, and he issued an order, "If you want to return, do so." More than half took up his offer and left him. When Gao Shaoyi arrived at Tujue, Tujue's Tuobo Khan, who had long admired Emperor Wenxuan, saw that Gao Shaoyi, like Emperor Wenxuan, had a particularly large ankle, and therefore particularly favored and respected Gao Shaoyi. He transferred the former Northern Qi subjects, whether they fled to or were captured to Tujue, to be under Gao Shaoyi's command. Imperial claim in exile Almost all of Northern Qi territory fell into Northern Zhou hands, but Gao Baoning (高宝宁), a distant relative of the Gao imperial line and governor of Ying Province (营州, roughly modern Zhaoyang, Liaoning), refused to surrender. Around the new year 578, Gao Baoning, sent a petition to Gao Shaoyi, requesting that he take imperial title. Gao Shaoyi therefore declared himself emperor, with military assistance from Tujue. In summer 578, Northern Zhou's Emperor Wu died, and Gao Shaoyi believed this to be a good opportunity to reestablish Northern Qi. At the same time, Lu Changqi (卢昌期), the leader of an agrarian rebellion at You Province (幽州, roughly modern Beijing) captured Fanyang (范阳, in modern Baoding) and welcomed Gao Shaoyi to join him. Gao Shaoyi, commanding Tujue forces, sought to aid Lu by attacking Jicheng (蓟城, in modern Beijing), and he defeated Yuwen Shenju's subordinate Yuwen En (宇文恩), but meanwhile, Yuwen Shenju captured Fanyang and killed Lu. Gao Shaoyi took up mourning clothes and publicly mourned Lu, but then withdrew back to Tujue. Gao Baoning, who had also tried to come to Lu's aid, also withdrew back to Ying Province. In spring 579, Tuobo Khan sought peace with Northern Zhou. Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou created the daughter of his uncle Yuwen Zhao (宇文招) the Prince of Zhao the Princess Qianjin, offering to give her to Tuobo Khan in marriage if Tuobo Khan would be willing to surrender Gao Shaoyi. Tuobo Khan refused. Death In 580, after Emperor Xuan's death, Yang Jian, the regent for Emperor Xuan's son Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou, nevertheless sent Princess Qianjin to Tujue to marry Tuobo Khan. After the marriage, Yang then sent the official Heruo Yi (贺若谊) to Tujue to bribe Tuobo Khan to give up Gao Shaoyi. Tuobo Khan agreed, and as a ruse, he invited Gao Shaoyi to a hunt, but instead had Heruo Yi capture Gao Shaoyi. In fall 580, Gao Shaoyi was delivered to Northern Zhou's capital Chang'an, and he was exiled to modern Sichuan. Meanwhile, his wife Princess Feng had fled back from Tujue, and while they were not able to reunite, Gao Shaoyi sent her a letter that stated, "The barbarians were faithless, and they sent me here." He eventually died in exile, but the year of his death is not known. Xi (Western) Wei Dynasty 535-556(3) 1) Wen Di 文帝 Yuan Baoju 元宝炬 535-551 Datong (大统 da t_ng) 535-551 Emperor Wen of Western Wei ((西)魏文帝) (507━551), personal name Yuan Baoju (元宝炬), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state to Northern Wei. In 534, Yuan Baoju, then the Prince of Nanyang, followed his cousin Emperor Xiaowu in fleeing from the capital Luoyang to Chang'an, after a fallout between Emperor Xiaowu and the paramount general Gao Huan. However, Emperor Xiaowu's relationship to the general that he then depended on, Yuwen Tai, soon deteriorated as well, and around the new year 535, Yuwen Tai poisoned Emperor Xiaowu to death, making Yuan Baoju emperor (as Emperor Wen). As Gao Huan had, late in 534, made Yuan Shanjian the son of Emperor Wen's cousin Yuan Dan (元□) the Prince of Qinghe emperor (as Emperor Xiaojing), thus establishing Eastern Wei, Emperor Wen was known as Western Wei's first emperor, formalizing the division. Emperor Wen's relationship with Yuwen appeared cordial, but he was unable to exercise much real power. Background Yuan Baoju was born in 507. His father Yuan Yu (元愉), the Prince of Jingzhao, was the son of Emperor Xiaowen and a younger brother of the reigning Emperor Xuanwu. His mother was recorded as Yuan Yu's concubine Lady Yang. (Some historical records indicate that Lady Li was initially surnamed Yang, and only became known as Lady Li after Yuan Yu, wanting her to be part of a prominent family, had the aristocratic family Li adopt her.) He had three other brothers, at least one of whom, Yuan Baoyue (元宝月), was older, and born of Ladi Li. Yuan Yu favored Lady Li but not his wife, Princess Yu, a sister to Emperor Xuanwu's wife Empress Yu. Consequently, Empress Yu once summoned Lady Li to the palace, beat her severely, and then forced her to become a Buddhist nun. Only after the intercession of Empress Yu's father Yu Jing (于劲) was Lady Li returned to Yuan Yu. Meanwhile, in 508, Yuan Yu himself was punished by Emperor Xuanwu for corruption. He was caned 50 times and demoted to the governorship of Ji Province (冀州, modern central Hebei). In anger, he rebelled at the capital of Ji Province, Xindu (信都, in modern Hengshui, Hebei), alleging falsely that Emperor Xuanwu's uncle Gao Zhao had murdered the emperor and declaring himself emperor. Yuan Yu's rebellion was soon defeated by the general Li Ping (李平), and during his being delivered to the capital Luoyang, Gao had him killed. At that time, Lady Li was pregnant, and she was permitted to give birth and then was executed. Emperor Xuanwu did not execute any of Yuan Yu's sons, but had them, including Yuan Baoju, put under arrest at Zongzheng Temple (宗正寺). Assuming that Lady Li and Lady Yang were in fact the same person, this also meant that Yuan Baoju grew up without either parent. He and his brothers remained at Zongzheng Temple and were released only after Emperor Xuanwu's death in 515. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu's son Emperor Xiaoming, Emperor Xiaoming's mother Empress Dowager Hu posthumously recreated Yuan Yu the Prince of Lintao, and Yuan Baoju and his brothers then observed a mourning period for their parents. Yuan Baoyue inherited the title, but Yuan Baoju did not possess any titles at the moment, although he was made a general. Despite Empress Dowager Hu's rehabiilitation of Yuan Yu, however, Yuan Baoju was not impressed at her toleration of corruption, particularly by her lovers, and he secretly plotted with Emperor Xiaoming to have her lovers killed. When this plot was discovered, he was stripped of the office he held. In 525, he married his wife Lady Yifu, the daughter of a moderately prominent aristocratic family. (In his youth, Yuan Baoju was described by the Book of Wei as frivolous, alcoholic, and sexually immoral, but this description is highly suspect in that the Book of Wei was written by Wei Shou, an official of Eastern Wei, the rival of Western Wei, for which Yuan Baoju would eventually become emperor.) In 528, Emperor Xiaoming created him the Marquess of Shao County, and in 530, Emperor Xiaozhuang created him the Prince of Nanyang. In 532, after several years of civil war, the victorious general Gao Huan made Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Xiu the Prince of Pingyang emperor (as Emperor Xiaowu). Emperor Xiaowu was not happy about Gao's hold on the military, and he entered into alliances with the independent generals Yuwen Tai and Heba Sheng (贺拔胜), seeking to resist Gao's control. Yuan Baoju served in Emperor Xiaowu's administration as a general. In 534, Emperor Xiaowu planned to act against Gao, but Gao discovered his plan and instead marched on Luoyang. Emperor Xiaowu decided to flee to Yuwen's territory, and Yuan Baoju accompanied Emperor Xiaowu in doing so, arriving at Chang'an in late 534. Also accompanying Emperor Xiaowu was Yuan Baoju's sister Yuan Mingyue (元明月) -- who was in an incestuous relationship with Emperor Xiaowu. Yuwen did not tolerate Emperor Xiaowu's incestuous relationships with Yuan Mingyue and two other cousins, and eventually he had Yuan Mingyue killed. Emperor Xiaowu became angry, and his relationship with Yuwen deteriorated. Around the new year 535, Yuwen poisoned him to death. Initially, Yuwen was poised to make Emperor Xiaowu's nephew Yuan Zan (元赞) the Prince of Guangping the new emperor. However, under suggestion of Yuan Shun (元顺) the Prince of Puyang, who argued that Yuan Zan was too young, Yuwen changed his mind and made Yuan Baoju, then 27, emperor instead (as Emperor Wen). As Gao had earlier declared Yuan Shanjian, the son of Yuan Baoju's cousin Yuan Dan (元□) the Prince of Qinghe, emperor, Gao's territory became known as Eastern Wei, with Yuan Shanjian (Emperor Xiaojing) as emperor, and Yuwen's territory became known as Western Wei, with Emperor Wen as emperor. Reign Yuwen Tai publicly deferred to Emperor Wen on most matters, but Yuwen held actual power, with Emperor Wen not being able to exercise much independent authority. Throughout the early years of his reign, there were serious doubts as to whether Western Wei would survive, as Eastern Wei was then the much stronger state, and Gao Huan made repeated attempts to conquer Western Wei. However, with Yuwen and other generals capably defending the territory, Western Wei was able to withstand Gao's assaults. In 535, Emperor Wen posthumously honored his father Yuan Yu as Emperor Wenjing, and he posthumously honored his mother Lady Yang as empress. He created his wife Princess Yifu empress, and her son Yuan Qin crown prince. His marriage with Empress Yifu was said to be a happy one, as she was virtuous and beautiful, and Emperor Wen respected her greatly. She bore him 12 children, although only Yuan Qin and Yuan Wu (元戊) the Prince of Wudu survived infancy. In 538, with Western Wei under the threat of attack by Rouran, Yuwen first tried to alleviate the situation by marrying a daughter of a member of the imperial clan to Yujiulu Tahan (郁久闾塔寒), the brother of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulu Anagui, but then, believing that to be insufficient, he asked Emperor Wen to divorce Empress Yifu and marry Yujiulu Anagui's daughter. Emperor Wen agreed, and divorced Empress Yifu, making her a Buddhist nun. He then married Yujiulu Anagui's daughter and created her empress. For a while, this brought peace with Rouran. Later in 538, with Western Wei then (temporariily) controlling the old Northern Wei capital Luoyang, but with Luoyang under attack, Emperor Wen (who had wanted to visit the imperial ancestral tombs in Luoyang) and Yuwen led troops to reinforce Luoyang's defenses, leaving the official Zhou Huida (周惠达) and Crown Prince Qin in Chang'an. However, with the forces engaged in battle, Emperor Wen eventually became stuck at Hengnong (恒农, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), when Chang'an was taken by rebelling former Eastern Wei troops who had been taken captive previously by Western Wei, forcing Zhou and Crown Prince Qin to flee as well. Yuwen was eventually able to disengage after abandoning Luoyang, and he put down the rebellion, allowing Emperor Wen to return to Chang'an. Although the former Empress Yifu had been deposed and made a Buddhist nun, Empress Yujiulu was still not happy about her presence in the capital. in 540, Emperor Wen therefore made Yuan Wu the governor of Qin Province (秦州, roughly modern Tianshui, Gansu), and had Empress Yifu accompany Yuan Wu to Qin Province. However, because he still hoped to welcome her back to the palace one day, he secretly told her to keep her hair uncut, rather than shaved like a Buddhist nun. At this time, however, Rouran made a major attack on Western Wei, and many officials thought that the attack was on behalf of Empress Yujiulu. Emperor Wen felt compelled to order Empress Yifu to commit suicide, and he did. Soon thereafter, Empress Yujiulu, who was pregnant, died during childbirth. In 548, Yuwen and Yuan Qin were on a grand tour of the provinces when Emperor Wen grew ill, and when they heard the news, Yuwen returned to Chang'an quickly, although by the time they returned, Emperor Wen had recovered. In 549, Emperor Wen issued an edict -- probably as Yuwen requested -- ordering that the names of the ethnic Xianbei, changed to Han names during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, be changed back to the original Xianbei names. In 550, Gao Huan's son Gao Yang forced Eastern Wei's Emperor Xiaojing to yield the throne to him, ending Eastern Wei and starting Northern Qi (as its Emperor Wenxuan). Emperor Wen therefore became the only claimant to the Northern Wei throne. Yuwen, declaring Northern Qi a rebel state, launched a major attack, but Gao Yang himself commanded a large army to defend against the attack, and Western Wei not only did not make gains, but lost a number of provinces to Northern Qi. In 551, Emperor Wen died and was buried with honors due an emperor, with Empress Yujiulu, although eventually Empress Yifu was buried with him. (It is not clear whether she displaced Empress Yujiulu or not.) Yuan Qin succeeded him (as Emperor Fei). 2) Fei Di (废帝 fei di) Yuan Qin (元钦 yuan q_n) 552-554 Emperor Fei of Western Wei ((西)魏废帝) (died 554), personal name Yuan Qin (元钦), was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei state Western Wei -- a branch successor state of Northern Wei. He, even more so than his father Emperor Wen, held little actual power in the face of overwhelming control of power by the paramount general Yuwen Tai. In 554, he tried to plot to have Yuwen killed, but his plot was discovered, and Yuwen deposed him, and soon had him killed. As crown prince It is not known when Yuan Qin was born. What is known is that he was the oldest son of Yuan Baoju the Prince of Nanyang, a grandson of Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei, by his wife Princess Yifu, and that he had one younger brother by Princess Yifu, Yuan Wu (元戊). Around the new year 535, Emperor Xiaowu of Northern Wei -- a cousin of Yuan Baoju and the final emperor of the undivided Northern Wei state but who by now was only emperor over the western part of the state (i.e., Western Wei) -- was poisoned by the paramount general Yuwen Tai over a dispute developed when Yuwen disapproved of his incestuous relationship with Yuan Baoju's sister Yuan Mingyue (元明月). Yuwen Tai made Yuan Baoju the new emperor (as Emperor Wen). Emperor Wen created Princess Yifu empress, and created Yuan Qin crown prince. In 538, while both Emperor Wen and Yuwen Tai were away on a campaign against Eastern Wei, Yuan Qin was nominally put in charge of the capital Chang'an, although the official Zhou Huida (周惠达) was actually in charge. When former Eastern Wei captives, upon hearing initial news of Eastern Wei victories, rebelled within Chang'an with Zhao Qingque (赵青雀), Zhou and Li Hu (李虎) were forced to escort the crown prince out of Chang'an to flee the rebellion. Eventually, when Yuwen returned, Zhao's rebellion collapsed, and Emperor Wen and Yuan Qin were both able to return to Chang'an. Emperor Wen had little actual power, and also in 538, over Yuwen's desire for an alliance with Rouran, he was forced to depose Empress Yifu and marry the daughter of Rouran's Chiliantoubingdoufa Khan Yujiulu Anagui as his empress. In 540, he was further forced to initially send Empress Yujiulu away from Chang'an (to live with Yuan Qin's younger brother Yuan Wu), and then forced to order her to commit suicide. Sometime during Emperor Wen's reign, Yuan Qin married Yuwen Tai's daughter as his crown princess. It was said that he favored her greatly, and that he had no concubines. In 542, during an assault that Eastern Wei's paramount general Gao Huan launched on the border city Yubi (玉壁, in modern Yuncheng, Shanxi), Yuan Qin was made the defender of the important city Puban (蒲阪, in modern Yuncheng as well), while Yuwen launched an army to try to catch up with Gao as he retreated. It is not known how much responsibility or authority Yuan Qin actually had during this campaign. In 551, Emperor Wen died. Yuan Qin took the throne (as Emperor Fei). As emperor Emperor Fei appeared to have even less actual power than his father, to whom Yuwen Tai paid formal deference. He was able to rebury his mother Empress Yifu with his father Emperor Wen. He created his wife, Crown Princess Yuwen, empress. Apparently because Yuwen wanted to restore many Zhou Dynasty customs and traditions, Emperor Fei did not use an era name; rather, the years of his reign were merely referred to as "the first year," "the second year," and so on. In 553, Yuwen Tai's nephew Weichi Jiong conquered the western provinces of Liang Dynasty, which had been previously under the control of the Liang pretender to the throne, Xiao Ji, and added them to Western Wei territory. In late 553, the official Yuan Lie (元烈) plotted killing Yuwen, but his plot was discovered, and Yuwen killed him. After Yuan Lie's death, Emperor Fei became angry at Yuwen and often spoke against him. He also secretly plotted killing Yuwen, despite advice from Yuan Yu (元育) the Prince of Linhuai and Yuan Zan (元赞, the nephew of Emperor Xiaowu) the Prince of Guangping that plotting was dangerous. Emperor Fei's plot, however, was eventually discovered by Yuwen's other sons-in-law. Yuwen deposed and imprisoned Emperor Fei, making his younger brother Yuan Kuo emperor (as Emperor Gong). Soon thereafter, Emperor Fei was put to death. According to the History of Northern Dynasties, his wife Empress Yuwen "also suffered death because she was faithful to Wei's imperial house," although it is unclear exactly how she died or whether she died the same year he did. |