Sunday, September 21, 2008
Yu Huan
Yu Huan was a scholar and author from the Cao Wei. He was a native of what's now , and most notable for his writing of his work Weilue, also known as Dianlue , though some scholars thought that it could be a separated work. Both of which are no longer extant, however a chapter of Weilue was quoted as an extensive footnote to the Records of Three Kingdoms in the section of Wuhuan, Xianbei and Dongyi by Pei Songzhi during the 5th century, it served as an additional guide to the Western Regions on the book. The chapter has only survived because it was included as an extensive note to it.
Xu Xiake
Xu Xiake , born Xu Hongzu , courtesy name Zhenzhi , was a travel writer and geographer of the Ming Dynasty known best for his famous geographical treatise, and noted for his bravery and humility. He traveled throughout China for more than 30 years, documenting his travels extensively . Xu's writing falls under the old Chinese literary category of 'travel record literature' , which used narrative and prose styles of writing to portray one's travel experiences.
With an ancestry in Jiangxi, he was born Xu Hongzu , as the second son of Xu Yu'an and Wang Ruren . It was often commented that it was his mother's encouragement for him to travel that shaped Xu's predilections. His sobriquet is Zhenzhi . ''Xiake'' was an alternate sobriquet given to him by his friend Chen Jiru and it means "one who is in the sunset clouds". His other friend, Huang Daozhou , also gave Xu an alternate sobriquet: ''Xiayi'' , meaning "untrammelled in the sunset clouds."
On his journeys throughout China he travelled with a servant called Gu Xing . He faced many hardships along the way, as he was often dependent on the patronage of local scholars who would help him after being robbed of all his belongings. Xu traveled throughout the provinces of China to write his enormous geographical and treatise, documenting various details of his travels, such as the locations of small gorges, or mineral beds such as mica schists . It was because of the confusion of earlier Chinese over the enormous bend and detour of the Lu Nan Shan mountains that they believed the Jin Sha Jiang River was its own. It was Xu Xiake who discovered that the Jin Sha Jiang was simply the northern section of the Yangtze River.
Life
With an ancestry in Jiangxi, he was born Xu Hongzu , as the second son of Xu Yu'an and Wang Ruren . It was often commented that it was his mother's encouragement for him to travel that shaped Xu's predilections. His sobriquet is Zhenzhi . ''Xiake'' was an alternate sobriquet given to him by his friend Chen Jiru and it means "one who is in the sunset clouds". His other friend, Huang Daozhou , also gave Xu an alternate sobriquet: ''Xiayi'' , meaning "untrammelled in the sunset clouds."
On his journeys throughout China he travelled with a servant called Gu Xing . He faced many hardships along the way, as he was often dependent on the patronage of local scholars who would help him after being robbed of all his belongings. Xu traveled throughout the provinces of China to write his enormous geographical and treatise, documenting various details of his travels, such as the locations of small gorges, or mineral beds such as mica schists . It was because of the confusion of earlier Chinese over the enormous bend and detour of the Lu Nan Shan mountains that they believed the Jin Sha Jiang River was its own. It was Xu Xiake who discovered that the Jin Sha Jiang was simply the northern section of the Yangtze River.
Sanmao (author)
Sanmao , literally "three hairs" though it is not considered to have a meaning, was the pseudonym of the popular Taiwanese author Chen Ping . She adopted her pseudonym from the acclaimed caricaturist Zhang Leping's most famous work "", which tells the story of a Shanghai street child named "Sanmao". In she was also known as Echo, the first name she used in western European languages, or Echo Chan, based on the homonymous Greek nymph.
Sanmao was born in 重庆 Chongqing China, and the whole family moved to Taiwan later. She was said to have read the 《紅樓夢》 or 《红楼梦》 Dream of the Red Chamber, a famous classic, at the age of five and a half years old. In elementary school, she read much literature. Throughout her education she had conflicts with her teachers, including an incident in which she said she wanted to be a garbage collector when she grew up, which her teacher said was unacceptable. During her second year of high school, she shut herself up due to a traumatic incident, and refused to go to school. Her father bought many books for her to read at home, allowed her to take piano lessons, and practice painting.
From 1965 to 1969, she studied philosophy in Taiwan, and it was during this period that she experienced her first love. Things didn't work out, so she planned to go as far away as possible, and ended up in Spain.
Between 1967 and 1970 she studied in Spain, and then in Germany, and later found work in a law library in the state of Illinois in the US. Eventually, she returned back to Taiwan and began working as a teacher. Her fiance died, and it was at this time that she again left Taiwan and returned to Spain.
In 1974 she went to the Sahara desert and married a Spanish man named Jose 荷西, whom she met in Madrid 7 years before when she was a student. She writes that when she first met Jose in Spain she thought he was very handsome, but too young for her. Jose had been waiting for her since she had returned to Taiwan, although they had not been dating at the time.
In 1976 she published her first work, entitled 《撒哈拉的故事》''The Stories of the Sahara'' in 1976. With its immense success, her early writings were collected in a second book, published under the title 《雨季不再来》 ''Gone With the Rainy Season''. Her writings continued to be published from that point on, and her experiences in the Sahara and the Canary Islands were published in several more books.
In 1979 her husband drowned while diving . In 1980 she returned to Taiwan, and in November of the same year, she traveled to Central and South America. These experiences were recorded in subsequent writings. From 1981 to 1984, she taught and lectured in a Taiwanese university. After this point, she decided to dedicate herself fully to writing.
Near the end of her life, she became accuainted with an author named Wang Luobin 《王洛宾》, and there has been speculation that she may have considered marrying him.
In 1991, at the age of 48, Sanmao died in a hospital in Taipei. Most people believe that it was a suicide, though some, most notably Zhang Jingran, claimed it was a murder. Her apparent suicide came as a shock to many of her readers.
Sanmao's books deal mainly with her own experiences studying and living abroad. They were extremely well-received in both Taiwan and the Mainland China, and they remain very popular. From 1976 to the time of her death in 1991, Sanmao published more than 20 books. She had also translated the comic Mafalda from to .
Biography
Sanmao was born in 重庆 Chongqing China, and the whole family moved to Taiwan later. She was said to have read the 《紅樓夢》 or 《红楼梦》 Dream of the Red Chamber, a famous classic, at the age of five and a half years old. In elementary school, she read much literature. Throughout her education she had conflicts with her teachers, including an incident in which she said she wanted to be a garbage collector when she grew up, which her teacher said was unacceptable. During her second year of high school, she shut herself up due to a traumatic incident, and refused to go to school. Her father bought many books for her to read at home, allowed her to take piano lessons, and practice painting.
From 1965 to 1969, she studied philosophy in Taiwan, and it was during this period that she experienced her first love. Things didn't work out, so she planned to go as far away as possible, and ended up in Spain.
Between 1967 and 1970 she studied in Spain, and then in Germany, and later found work in a law library in the state of Illinois in the US. Eventually, she returned back to Taiwan and began working as a teacher. Her fiance died, and it was at this time that she again left Taiwan and returned to Spain.
In 1974 she went to the Sahara desert and married a Spanish man named Jose 荷西, whom she met in Madrid 7 years before when she was a student. She writes that when she first met Jose in Spain she thought he was very handsome, but too young for her. Jose had been waiting for her since she had returned to Taiwan, although they had not been dating at the time.
In 1976 she published her first work, entitled 《撒哈拉的故事》''The Stories of the Sahara'' in 1976. With its immense success, her early writings were collected in a second book, published under the title 《雨季不再来》 ''Gone With the Rainy Season''. Her writings continued to be published from that point on, and her experiences in the Sahara and the Canary Islands were published in several more books.
In 1979 her husband drowned while diving . In 1980 she returned to Taiwan, and in November of the same year, she traveled to Central and South America. These experiences were recorded in subsequent writings. From 1981 to 1984, she taught and lectured in a Taiwanese university. After this point, she decided to dedicate herself fully to writing.
Near the end of her life, she became accuainted with an author named Wang Luobin 《王洛宾》, and there has been speculation that she may have considered marrying him.
In 1991, at the age of 48, Sanmao died in a hospital in Taipei. Most people believe that it was a suicide, though some, most notably Zhang Jingran, claimed it was a murder. Her apparent suicide came as a shock to many of her readers.
Sanmao's books deal mainly with her own experiences studying and living abroad. They were extremely well-received in both Taiwan and the Mainland China, and they remain very popular. From 1976 to the time of her death in 1991, Sanmao published more than 20 books. She had also translated the comic Mafalda from to .
Pei Ju
Pei Ju , courtesy name Hongda , formally Duke Jing of Anyi , was a high level official during the dynasties Sui Dynasty and Tang Dynasty, briefly serving as a during the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang. He was praised by traditional Chinese historians for his ability and lack of corruption, but blamed him for flattering Emperor Yang of Sui and contributing to Sui's downfall by encouraging many external military campaigns that drained Sui's resources.
Pei Ju's clan was originally from Hedong Commandery . His grandfather Pei Tuo was an official for Northern Wei, and his father Pei Nazhi served as an official during Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei and Eastern Wei's successor state Northern Qi. Pei Nazhi died when Pei Ju was young, and Pei Ju was raised by his uncle Pei Rangzhi , himself a famed official during the time.
In his youth, Pei Ju was known for his knowledge and intelligence. He served on the staff of Gao Zhen the Prince of Beiping and then of Gao Renying the Prince of Gaoping, both sons of Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi. After Northern Qi was destroyed by rival Northern Zhou in 577, it was said that Pei was stuck at his position. When the Northern Zhou general served as the commandant at Ding Province , he invited Pei to serve as his secretary. Pei later left Yang Jian's service when his mother died, to observe a mourning period. In 580, Yang Jian seized power as regent over the young Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou. He sent messengers to summon Pei, and Pei served on his staff as a secretary.
In 581, Yang Jian had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him, ending Northern Zhou and establishing Sui Dynasty as its Emperor Wen. Pei Ju became a mid-level official in the new dynasty's government. In 589, when Emperor Wen sent forces to conquer the rival Chen Dynasty and to unite China, Pei Ju served as a secretary to Emperor Wen's son the Prince of Jin, the commander for the overall operation. After Chen's capital Jiankang fell and the emperor Chen Shubao was captured, Yang Guang had his assistant Gao Jiong and Pei collect the Chen archives. In 590, Pei was ordered to head to the Lingnan region to comfort the people there, but while he was still traveling there, nearly all of former Chen territory, with the people unfamiliar with and resenting Sui laws, erupted into rebellion. Emperor Wen initially recalled Pei, but Pei requested permission to continue, and Emperor Wen allowed him. He gathered several thousand soldiers at Nankang and defeated and killed the rebel general Zhou Shiju , who served under Wang Zhongxuan . He then approached Guang Province , where Wang was stationed, and Wang's forces, in fear, collapsed. In all, Pei pacified more than 20 provinces, commissioning governors and county magistrates in Emperor Wen's name. After he returned to Chang'an, Emperor Wen was pleased and praised Pei greatly. He created Pei the Duke of Wenxi and awarded him a large cache of silk. He also made Pei the assistant minister of census, and then ''Neishi Shilang'' , the deputy head of the legislative bureau of the government .
At that time, one of the major threats that Sui was facing was from Eastern Tujue, to the north, particularly because its Dulan Khan Ashina Yongyulü had married Northern Zhou's Princess Qianjin, who hated Yang for destroying Northern Zhou's imperial Yuwen clan. In 593, Pei Ju served as a Sui emissary to Eastern Tujue, and he revealed to Ashina Yongyulü that Princess Qianjin had been committing adultery, and then further persuaded Ashina Yongyulü's nephew and subordinate khan Ashina Rangan that if he was able to get Princess Qianjin killed, Sui would be willing to let him marry a Sui princess. Ashina Rangan therefore convinced Ashina Yongyulü that Princess Qianjin should be killed, and Ashina Yongyulü killed Princess Qianjin. Later, Ashina Rangan was in fact allowed to marry Sui's Princess Anyi, and this led to a break between him and Ashina Yongyulü. Emperor Wen put Ashina Rangan under Sui protection, created him Qimin Khan, and, after Princess Anyi's death, gave him Princess Yicheng in marriage. He also launched armies against Dulan Khan and the subordinate Ashina Dianjue, to protect Ashina Rangan. In one of those attacks, commanded by Shi Wansui the Duke of Taiping, against Ashina Dianjue, Pei served as Shi's assistant, and they achieved a great victory, but once they returned to Chang'an, Shi was falsely accused of being an adherent of the crown prince Yang Yong, with whom Emperor Wen was already displeased and executed, and Pei was given no rewards. Soon, Emperor Wen against sent Pei as an emissary to Ashina Rangan to comfort him and his troops; upon return to Chang'an, Pei was made deputy to the prime minister Yang Su. In 601, when Emperor Wen's wife Empress Dugu Qieluo died, there were few written regulations about an empress' funeral, so new regulations were written by Pei and Niu Hong . Emperor Wen subsequently made him the minister of civil service affairs, and Pei was considered capable at that position.
In 604, Emperor Wen died -- a death that traditional historians mostly believe to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang, although they admitted a lack of direct evidence -- and was succeeded by Yang Guang . Emperor Yang soon started the reconstruction of Luoyang to serve as the eastern capital, and he put Pei Ju in charge of building the governmental offices, which Pei completed in nine months.
Meanwhile, there was a substantial central Asian merchant trade with Sui at Zhangye , and Emperor Yang put Pei in charge of the merchant operations there. Pei knew that Emperor Yang had great ambitions of territorial expansion, and when he met with central Asian merchants, he would get information from them as to the geographical features and customs of their states. He wrote a three-volume work entitled the ''Maps of and Notes About the Western Regions'' , and he submitted it to Emperor Yang, urging reopening of relations with and subjugation of Xiyu states. Emperor Yang summoned Pei to discuss with him, and Pei further convinced him that Xiyu was full of treasure and that the large nearby state, Tuyuhun, could be easily conquered. Emperor Yang was enticed, and he put Pei in charge of planning the subjugation of Xiyu states and conquest of Tuyuhun.
In 608, Pei persuaded the Tiele to attack Tuyuhun. Tuyuhun's khan Murong Fuyun initially sought aid from Sui, but when Emperor Yang sent his cousin Yang Xiong the Prince of Ande and Yuwen Shu the Duke of Xu toward Tuyuhun, Murong Fuyun distrusted them and fled. Sui forces then attacked him, greatly defeating him and forcing him to flee further, seizing Tuyuhun territory and putting it under Sui control. Later that year, when Emperor Yang was set to offer sacrifices to the spirits of , Pei persuaded emissaries from 27 Xiyu states, headed by Qu Boya the King of Gaochang and Ashina Tutun , the Western Tujue general in charge of Yiwu , to pay homage to him and to assist in offering sacrifices. Emperor Yang was greatly pleased by this and greatly awarded both Pei and all of the Xiyu emissaries. Around the same time, Emperor Yang made Pei Ju, along with Yu Shiji, Niu Hong, Su Wei, Yuwen Shu, Zhang Jin , and Pei Yun in charge of selecting and promoting officials, and they were known as the "seven nobles of officialdom." However, it was said that the actual selective powers were in Yu's hands, and that Yu became exceedingly corrupt, making recommendations based on the amount of bribes that he received. Pei Ju, however, was known and praised for not accepting bribes.
In 610, when Emperor Yang visited the headquarters of Ashina Rangan -- who had, by this point, with Sui support, become the ruler of Eastern Tujue -- the emissary from Goguryeo happened to be at Ashina Rangan's headquarters as well, and Ashina Rangan had him meet with Emperor Yang. Pei then suggested to Emperor Yang that Goguryeo should be subjugated -- pointing out that Goguryeo territory was formerly ruled by Han Dynasty and . Emperor Yang was enticed, and he issued an edict, to be taken back to Goguryeo's king Gao Yuan , in which he ordered King Yeongyang to visit him at Zhuo Commandery in 611 or face consequences. King Yeongyang, in fear, began to prepare for war, as did Emperor Yang, believing that conquest would be easy.
In 611, after Western Tujue's Ashina Daman similarly refused to visit Emperor Yang, Pei suggested forming an alliance with Ashina Daman's subordinate Ashina Shekui, who had been requesting to marry a Sui princess. Emperor Yang agreed, and subsequently, Ashina Shekui attacked Ashina Daman, defeating him and forcing him to flee to Gaochang. Emperor Yang then sent Pei to Gaochang to persuade Ashina Daman to come to Sui, and Ashina Daman did; he subsequently stayed in China and did not return to his own land. Emperor Yang, pleased with this development, awarded Pei with a sable coat and jewels that Ashina Daman offered as tribute.
Meanwhile, another strategy offered by Pei to keep Eastern Tujue divided and controlled backfired. Pei had become apprehensive that Ashina Rangan's son and successor the Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi was becoming strong and difficult to control, and therefore had suggested that Emperor Yang offer to marry a princess to Ashina Duojishi's brother Ashina Chiji , but Ashina Chiji, in fear, declined. This already brought resentment from Ashina Duojishi, when Pei tricked Ashina Duojishi's strategist Shishuhu into meeting him at Mayi and then killed Ashina Duojishi, claiming that Shishuhu was planning to rebel against Ashina Duojishi. Ashina Duojishi, realizing that the accusation was false, became resolved to rebel against Sui. In 615, when Emperor Yang was visiting Yanmen , Ashina Duojishi launched a surprise attack, putting Yanmen under siege. Emperor Yang put Yu and Pei in charge of planning the military counteroffensive, but eventually was only able to get the siege lifted when he, following the advice of Xiao Yu , sent messengers to Princess Yicheng ; she falsely informed Ashina Duojishi that Tujue was under attack from the north, and so Ashina Duojishi lifted the siege. After the end of the siege, Pei accompanied Emperor Yang back to Luoyang, and was subsequently in charge of receiving a delegation led by Ashina Shekui's son.
In 616, Emperor Yang, despite the fact that most of his territory was engulfed by agrarian rebellions, went from Luoyang to Jiangdu . Pei accompanied him, but when Pei subsequently warned him about agrarian rebellions -- which he did not wish to hear about -- he ordered Pei back to Chang'an to be in charge of again receiving Xiyu emissaries, an effective banishment, although he did not push the issue when Pei subsequently claimed illness. In 617, when news that the general had rebelled at Taiyuan and was attacking Chang'an, having defeated and captured the major general Qutu Tong , Emperor Yang was alarmed, and Pei suggested returning to Luoyang. Emperor Yang, while not listening to Pei, restored him to his posts. Pei, seeing that Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army , which Emperor Yang had taken to Jiangdu with him, had its soldiers deserting due to their missing their northern homes, treated the Xiaoguo officers with respect while suggesting that the soldiers be given wives in Jiangdu. Emperor Yang agreed, and Xiaoguo soldiers were given wives .
In spring 618, Xiaoguo officers nevertheless rose in a coup, led by Yuwen Huaji . They killed Emperor Yang and a large number of high level officials, but as Pei was kind to them, they spared Pei. Yuwen Huaji declared Emperor Yang's nephew the Prince of Qin emperor, and began to head back north with the Xiaoguo Army.
Yuwen Huaji made Pei Ju the co-head of the executive bureau of the government . After he poisoned Yang Hao and declared himself emperor of a state of Xu later in 618, he created Pei the Duke of Cai. He was subsequently captured and executed by another rebel ruler, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, in 619. Dou, as his government was then unorganized, had Pei draft the governmental organization and continue to serve as ''Pushe'' in his government, often inquiring Pei as to Sui governance and other related matters.
In 621, with attacking Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, Dou, believing that if Tang destroyed Zheng, his own Xia state would be cornered, went to Wang's aid, but was defeated by Li Shimin at the Battle of Hulao and captured. His wife and a number of generals fled back to the Xia capital Ming Prefecture and considered supporting an adoptive son of Dou Jiande as Prince of Xia and continuing to resist Tang, but at the urging of the official Qi Shanxing , Xia forces were disbanded. Qi, Pei, and Empress Cao's brother Cao Dan then escorted her and surrendered to Tang.
Emperor Gaozu created Pei Ju the Duke of Anyi and had him serve as the head of his son and crown prince Li Jiancheng's household. He also had Pei and Yu Shinan draft regulations on various ceremonies, and the regulations were described as appropriate and praised by scholars. In 624, he was made acting ''Shizhong'' -- the head of the examination bureau of the government and a post considered one for a .
In 625, Western Tujue's Yehu Khan Ashina Tong requested a marriage with a Tang princess. Emperor Gaozu consulted Pei, who believed that such a benefit would be beneficial to Tang, and Emperor Gaozu therefore agreed. Later in 625, Pei was no longer ''Shizhong'' and therefore apparently no longer chancellor.
In 626, Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, then in an intense rivalry with Li Jiancheng and fearing that Li Jiancheng would kill him, ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother who supported Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, at and killed them. After Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's deaths, their troops nevertheless continued to battle Li Shimin's, and Li Shimin asked Pei to appear before them and encourage them to disband, which they did. When Li Shimin then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince and then reorganized the government, Pei was made the minister of census.
Pei Ju continued to serve as minister of census after Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne to Li Shimin in winter 626 . Also in winter 626, Pei suggested that a small amount of silk be distributed per household for the people who had been adversely affected by Tujue incursions -- a suggestion that Emperor Taizong rejected as impractical, pointing out that households had various sizes, instead ordering that the silk be distributed by household size. However, later that year, Pei received approval from Emperor Taizong, when he counseled Emperor Taizong not to execute a low level official who had received a bribe in a sting operation -- pointing out the inequity in executing someone for falling trap to a sting operation. Pei died in 627 and was posthumously honored.
Background
Pei Ju's clan was originally from Hedong Commandery . His grandfather Pei Tuo was an official for Northern Wei, and his father Pei Nazhi served as an official during Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei and Eastern Wei's successor state Northern Qi. Pei Nazhi died when Pei Ju was young, and Pei Ju was raised by his uncle Pei Rangzhi , himself a famed official during the time.
In his youth, Pei Ju was known for his knowledge and intelligence. He served on the staff of Gao Zhen the Prince of Beiping and then of Gao Renying the Prince of Gaoping, both sons of Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi. After Northern Qi was destroyed by rival Northern Zhou in 577, it was said that Pei was stuck at his position. When the Northern Zhou general served as the commandant at Ding Province , he invited Pei to serve as his secretary. Pei later left Yang Jian's service when his mother died, to observe a mourning period. In 580, Yang Jian seized power as regent over the young Emperor Jing of Northern Zhou. He sent messengers to summon Pei, and Pei served on his staff as a secretary.
During Emperor Wen's reign
In 581, Yang Jian had Emperor Jing yield the throne to him, ending Northern Zhou and establishing Sui Dynasty as its Emperor Wen. Pei Ju became a mid-level official in the new dynasty's government. In 589, when Emperor Wen sent forces to conquer the rival Chen Dynasty and to unite China, Pei Ju served as a secretary to Emperor Wen's son the Prince of Jin, the commander for the overall operation. After Chen's capital Jiankang fell and the emperor Chen Shubao was captured, Yang Guang had his assistant Gao Jiong and Pei collect the Chen archives. In 590, Pei was ordered to head to the Lingnan region to comfort the people there, but while he was still traveling there, nearly all of former Chen territory, with the people unfamiliar with and resenting Sui laws, erupted into rebellion. Emperor Wen initially recalled Pei, but Pei requested permission to continue, and Emperor Wen allowed him. He gathered several thousand soldiers at Nankang and defeated and killed the rebel general Zhou Shiju , who served under Wang Zhongxuan . He then approached Guang Province , where Wang was stationed, and Wang's forces, in fear, collapsed. In all, Pei pacified more than 20 provinces, commissioning governors and county magistrates in Emperor Wen's name. After he returned to Chang'an, Emperor Wen was pleased and praised Pei greatly. He created Pei the Duke of Wenxi and awarded him a large cache of silk. He also made Pei the assistant minister of census, and then ''Neishi Shilang'' , the deputy head of the legislative bureau of the government .
At that time, one of the major threats that Sui was facing was from Eastern Tujue, to the north, particularly because its Dulan Khan Ashina Yongyulü had married Northern Zhou's Princess Qianjin, who hated Yang for destroying Northern Zhou's imperial Yuwen clan. In 593, Pei Ju served as a Sui emissary to Eastern Tujue, and he revealed to Ashina Yongyulü that Princess Qianjin had been committing adultery, and then further persuaded Ashina Yongyulü's nephew and subordinate khan Ashina Rangan that if he was able to get Princess Qianjin killed, Sui would be willing to let him marry a Sui princess. Ashina Rangan therefore convinced Ashina Yongyulü that Princess Qianjin should be killed, and Ashina Yongyulü killed Princess Qianjin. Later, Ashina Rangan was in fact allowed to marry Sui's Princess Anyi, and this led to a break between him and Ashina Yongyulü. Emperor Wen put Ashina Rangan under Sui protection, created him Qimin Khan, and, after Princess Anyi's death, gave him Princess Yicheng in marriage. He also launched armies against Dulan Khan and the subordinate Ashina Dianjue, to protect Ashina Rangan. In one of those attacks, commanded by Shi Wansui the Duke of Taiping, against Ashina Dianjue, Pei served as Shi's assistant, and they achieved a great victory, but once they returned to Chang'an, Shi was falsely accused of being an adherent of the crown prince Yang Yong, with whom Emperor Wen was already displeased and executed, and Pei was given no rewards. Soon, Emperor Wen against sent Pei as an emissary to Ashina Rangan to comfort him and his troops; upon return to Chang'an, Pei was made deputy to the prime minister Yang Su. In 601, when Emperor Wen's wife Empress Dugu Qieluo died, there were few written regulations about an empress' funeral, so new regulations were written by Pei and Niu Hong . Emperor Wen subsequently made him the minister of civil service affairs, and Pei was considered capable at that position.
During Emperor Yang's reign
In 604, Emperor Wen died -- a death that traditional historians mostly believe to be a murder ordered by Yang Guang, although they admitted a lack of direct evidence -- and was succeeded by Yang Guang . Emperor Yang soon started the reconstruction of Luoyang to serve as the eastern capital, and he put Pei Ju in charge of building the governmental offices, which Pei completed in nine months.
Meanwhile, there was a substantial central Asian merchant trade with Sui at Zhangye , and Emperor Yang put Pei in charge of the merchant operations there. Pei knew that Emperor Yang had great ambitions of territorial expansion, and when he met with central Asian merchants, he would get information from them as to the geographical features and customs of their states. He wrote a three-volume work entitled the ''Maps of and Notes About the Western Regions'' , and he submitted it to Emperor Yang, urging reopening of relations with and subjugation of Xiyu states. Emperor Yang summoned Pei to discuss with him, and Pei further convinced him that Xiyu was full of treasure and that the large nearby state, Tuyuhun, could be easily conquered. Emperor Yang was enticed, and he put Pei in charge of planning the subjugation of Xiyu states and conquest of Tuyuhun.
In 608, Pei persuaded the Tiele to attack Tuyuhun. Tuyuhun's khan Murong Fuyun initially sought aid from Sui, but when Emperor Yang sent his cousin Yang Xiong the Prince of Ande and Yuwen Shu the Duke of Xu toward Tuyuhun, Murong Fuyun distrusted them and fled. Sui forces then attacked him, greatly defeating him and forcing him to flee further, seizing Tuyuhun territory and putting it under Sui control. Later that year, when Emperor Yang was set to offer sacrifices to the spirits of , Pei persuaded emissaries from 27 Xiyu states, headed by Qu Boya the King of Gaochang and Ashina Tutun , the Western Tujue general in charge of Yiwu , to pay homage to him and to assist in offering sacrifices. Emperor Yang was greatly pleased by this and greatly awarded both Pei and all of the Xiyu emissaries. Around the same time, Emperor Yang made Pei Ju, along with Yu Shiji, Niu Hong, Su Wei, Yuwen Shu, Zhang Jin , and Pei Yun in charge of selecting and promoting officials, and they were known as the "seven nobles of officialdom." However, it was said that the actual selective powers were in Yu's hands, and that Yu became exceedingly corrupt, making recommendations based on the amount of bribes that he received. Pei Ju, however, was known and praised for not accepting bribes.
In 610, when Emperor Yang visited the headquarters of Ashina Rangan -- who had, by this point, with Sui support, become the ruler of Eastern Tujue -- the emissary from Goguryeo happened to be at Ashina Rangan's headquarters as well, and Ashina Rangan had him meet with Emperor Yang. Pei then suggested to Emperor Yang that Goguryeo should be subjugated -- pointing out that Goguryeo territory was formerly ruled by Han Dynasty and . Emperor Yang was enticed, and he issued an edict, to be taken back to Goguryeo's king Gao Yuan , in which he ordered King Yeongyang to visit him at Zhuo Commandery in 611 or face consequences. King Yeongyang, in fear, began to prepare for war, as did Emperor Yang, believing that conquest would be easy.
In 611, after Western Tujue's Ashina Daman similarly refused to visit Emperor Yang, Pei suggested forming an alliance with Ashina Daman's subordinate Ashina Shekui, who had been requesting to marry a Sui princess. Emperor Yang agreed, and subsequently, Ashina Shekui attacked Ashina Daman, defeating him and forcing him to flee to Gaochang. Emperor Yang then sent Pei to Gaochang to persuade Ashina Daman to come to Sui, and Ashina Daman did; he subsequently stayed in China and did not return to his own land. Emperor Yang, pleased with this development, awarded Pei with a sable coat and jewels that Ashina Daman offered as tribute.
Meanwhile, another strategy offered by Pei to keep Eastern Tujue divided and controlled backfired. Pei had become apprehensive that Ashina Rangan's son and successor the Shibi Khan Ashina Duojishi was becoming strong and difficult to control, and therefore had suggested that Emperor Yang offer to marry a princess to Ashina Duojishi's brother Ashina Chiji , but Ashina Chiji, in fear, declined. This already brought resentment from Ashina Duojishi, when Pei tricked Ashina Duojishi's strategist Shishuhu into meeting him at Mayi and then killed Ashina Duojishi, claiming that Shishuhu was planning to rebel against Ashina Duojishi. Ashina Duojishi, realizing that the accusation was false, became resolved to rebel against Sui. In 615, when Emperor Yang was visiting Yanmen , Ashina Duojishi launched a surprise attack, putting Yanmen under siege. Emperor Yang put Yu and Pei in charge of planning the military counteroffensive, but eventually was only able to get the siege lifted when he, following the advice of Xiao Yu , sent messengers to Princess Yicheng ; she falsely informed Ashina Duojishi that Tujue was under attack from the north, and so Ashina Duojishi lifted the siege. After the end of the siege, Pei accompanied Emperor Yang back to Luoyang, and was subsequently in charge of receiving a delegation led by Ashina Shekui's son.
In 616, Emperor Yang, despite the fact that most of his territory was engulfed by agrarian rebellions, went from Luoyang to Jiangdu . Pei accompanied him, but when Pei subsequently warned him about agrarian rebellions -- which he did not wish to hear about -- he ordered Pei back to Chang'an to be in charge of again receiving Xiyu emissaries, an effective banishment, although he did not push the issue when Pei subsequently claimed illness. In 617, when news that the general had rebelled at Taiyuan and was attacking Chang'an, having defeated and captured the major general Qutu Tong , Emperor Yang was alarmed, and Pei suggested returning to Luoyang. Emperor Yang, while not listening to Pei, restored him to his posts. Pei, seeing that Emperor Yang's elite Xiaoguo Army , which Emperor Yang had taken to Jiangdu with him, had its soldiers deserting due to their missing their northern homes, treated the Xiaoguo officers with respect while suggesting that the soldiers be given wives in Jiangdu. Emperor Yang agreed, and Xiaoguo soldiers were given wives .
In spring 618, Xiaoguo officers nevertheless rose in a coup, led by Yuwen Huaji . They killed Emperor Yang and a large number of high level officials, but as Pei was kind to them, they spared Pei. Yuwen Huaji declared Emperor Yang's nephew the Prince of Qin emperor, and began to head back north with the Xiaoguo Army.
Under Yuwen Huaji and Dou Jiande
Yuwen Huaji made Pei Ju the co-head of the executive bureau of the government . After he poisoned Yang Hao and declared himself emperor of a state of Xu later in 618, he created Pei the Duke of Cai. He was subsequently captured and executed by another rebel ruler, Dou Jiande the Prince of Xia, in 619. Dou, as his government was then unorganized, had Pei draft the governmental organization and continue to serve as ''Pushe'' in his government, often inquiring Pei as to Sui governance and other related matters.
In 621, with attacking Wang Shichong the Emperor of Zheng, Dou, believing that if Tang destroyed Zheng, his own Xia state would be cornered, went to Wang's aid, but was defeated by Li Shimin at the Battle of Hulao and captured. His wife and a number of generals fled back to the Xia capital Ming Prefecture and considered supporting an adoptive son of Dou Jiande as Prince of Xia and continuing to resist Tang, but at the urging of the official Qi Shanxing , Xia forces were disbanded. Qi, Pei, and Empress Cao's brother Cao Dan then escorted her and surrendered to Tang.
During Emperor Gaozu's reign
Emperor Gaozu created Pei Ju the Duke of Anyi and had him serve as the head of his son and crown prince Li Jiancheng's household. He also had Pei and Yu Shinan draft regulations on various ceremonies, and the regulations were described as appropriate and praised by scholars. In 624, he was made acting ''Shizhong'' -- the head of the examination bureau of the government and a post considered one for a .
In 625, Western Tujue's Yehu Khan Ashina Tong requested a marriage with a Tang princess. Emperor Gaozu consulted Pei, who believed that such a benefit would be beneficial to Tang, and Emperor Gaozu therefore agreed. Later in 625, Pei was no longer ''Shizhong'' and therefore apparently no longer chancellor.
In 626, Li Shimin the Prince of Qin, then in an intense rivalry with Li Jiancheng and fearing that Li Jiancheng would kill him, ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother who supported Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, at and killed them. After Li Jiancheng's and Li Yuanji's deaths, their troops nevertheless continued to battle Li Shimin's, and Li Shimin asked Pei to appear before them and encourage them to disband, which they did. When Li Shimin then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to create him crown prince and then reorganized the government, Pei was made the minister of census.
During Emperor Taizong's reign
Pei Ju continued to serve as minister of census after Emperor Gaozu yielded the throne to Li Shimin in winter 626 . Also in winter 626, Pei suggested that a small amount of silk be distributed per household for the people who had been adversely affected by Tujue incursions -- a suggestion that Emperor Taizong rejected as impractical, pointing out that households had various sizes, instead ordering that the silk be distributed by household size. However, later that year, Pei received approval from Emperor Taizong, when he counseled Emperor Taizong not to execute a low level official who had received a bribe in a sting operation -- pointing out the inequity in executing someone for falling trap to a sting operation. Pei died in 627 and was posthumously honored.
Li Tai
Li Tai , courtesy name Huibao , nickname Qingque , formally Prince Gong of Pu , was an imperial prince of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Tai, who carried the title of Prince of Wei, was favored by his father, , for his literary talent and studiousness. His older brother Li Chengqian was crown prince, but Li Tai and his associates had design on that position, eventually pushing Li Chengqian to plot treason in 634. After Li Chengqian's plot was discovered, Li Chengqian was deposed, and Emperor Taizong agreed to create Li Tai the new crown prince. However, Emperor Taizong soon saw that Li Tai had pushed Li Chengqian toward rebellion by machination and further appeared to bear ill intentions toward their younger brother the Prince of Jin, and so Emperor Taizong created Li Zhi crown prince instead. Li Tai was reduced in rank and briefly put under house arrest, and then exiled. He died in exile in 652.
The Buddhist statues in the Main Wall of Bingyang South Cave of the Longmen Caves was dedicated by Li Tai to his deceased mother Empress Zhangsun.
Li Tai was the fourth son of , then the Prince of Qin under his father Emperor Gaozu of Tang. His mother was Li Shimin's wife , who had given birth to his older brother Li Chengqian previously and would have one other son later and three daughters . In 620, he was created the Prince of Yidu, at the same time that Li Chengqian and another older brother, Li Ke were also created princes. In 621, he was created the Prince of Wei and posthumously adopted into the line of his uncle Li Xuanba , who had died early without issue.
In 626, Li Shimin, in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince, ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother who supported Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, at and killed them. He then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him . He created Li Tai's mother Princess Zhangsun empress and Li Tai's older brother Li Chengqian crown prince. In 628, Li Tai's title was changed to Prince of Yue, and he was made the commandant at Yang Prefecture , but was not sent to Yang Prefecture, remaining at the capital Chang'an instead. In 633, he was made the commandant at Fu Prefecture , but also appeared to not have been sent there, and in 634 he became the prefect of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture .
In 636, Li Tai's title was changed to Prince of Wei , and he was made the commandant at Xiang Prefecture , but again, he was not sent there, but remained at Chang'an. By this point, Emperor Taizong had begun to favor Li Tai greatly for his literary talent, he permitted Li Tai to retain a staff of scholars, and also, because Li Tai was obese, allowed him to ride a litter into the palace rather than walk. When rumors reached him that the high level officials dishonored Li Tai, he grew angry at them, but relented after the Wei Zheng pointed out that, in fact, according to Confucian ceremonies, those high level officials were in fact supposed to be higher in rank than Li Tai. In 637, Emperor Taizong made the senior official Wang Gui, a one-time chancellor, Li Tai's teacher, and he ordered Li Tai to honor Wang as if he were honoring his own father. Li Tai did so, and Wang accepted this. In 640, Emperor Taizong personally visited Li Tai's mansion, and to celebrate the occasion, Emperor Taizong pardoned the minor criminals of Chang'an, exempted Li Tai's neighborhood of its taxes for one year, and gave awards to Li Tai's staff members and the seniors in Li Tai's neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Li Tai's staff member Su Xu suggested to him that, like the talented princes in past dynasties, he should commission a major literary work, so Li Tai commissioned a work to be called the ''Journal of Geography'' and retained the officials Xiao Deyan , Gu Yin , Jiang Yaqing , and Xie Yan to head the project. Initially, the work was drafted at Chang'an, and his staff scholars received so many visitors among the noble youths that they were distracted from their work. Li Tai saw that their time was not being productive, and so sent them out to the field -- the various prefectures -- to collect data and write. It took four years for Li Tai's scholars to complete the work, which had 550 volumes. The work was completed in 642, and Emperor Taizong rewarded Li Tai with a large supply of silk. By this point, Li Tai's staff was growing so large that the imperial stipend to Li Tai exceeded that to Li Chengqian. The official Chu Suiliang suggested to Emperor Taizong that this was improper, and Emperor Taizong agreed -- but rather than reducing Li Tai's stipend, he removed all limits on Li Chengqian's spending, which led to Li Chengqian, who was already wasteful in his lifestyle, to be even more wasteful. Emperor Taizong also had Li Tai move to Wude Palace , next to Li Chengqian's palace -- an action that Wei Zheng considered inappropriate, and so Emperor Taizong reversed.
Meanwhile, Li Chengqian was losing favor with Emperor Taizong over his wastefulness and favor for games rather than study. He also suffered from a foot illness that the nature was not specified in historicla accounts. Li Tai began to have ambitions on displacing his older brother as crown prince, and a number of officials, seeing this as an opportunity, began to congregate around Li Tai, causing the government to divide into Li Tai's faction and Li Chengqian's faction. In 642, in order to dispel rumors that he was about to replace Li Chengqian with Li Tai, Emperor Taizong made Wei Zheng, then ill, Li Chengqian's senior advisor, but that failed to stop the rumors. Meanwhile, Li Tai's chiefs of staff, Wei Ting and Du Chuke , were making plans for Li Tai to enhance his reputation and defame Li Chengqian, and the public began to perceive Li Chengqian negatively.
By 643, Li Chengqian was so fearful that Emperor Taizong was about to depose him that he conspired with a number of officials, including the major general Hou Junji, Emperor Taizong's brother Li Yuanchang the Prince of Han, the imperial guard commander Li Anyan , his cousin Zhao Jie , and Du Chuke's nephew Du He , to overthrow Emperor Taizong. That summer, however, Li You the Prince of Qi, a younger brother to both Li Chengqian and Li Tai, resentful of the head of his household, Quan Wanji , killed Quan and then rebelled. Li You was soon defeated and captured, and when Emperor Taizong investigated Li You's co-conspirators, Li Chengqian's associate Gegan Chengji , who had been an assassin for Li Chengqian and was involved in his conspiracy, was arrested and sentenced to death. Gegan, in order to save himself, revealed the plot. Emperor Taizong, in shock, convened the senior officials Zhangsun Wuji , Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, and Li Shiji, as well as officials from the supreme court, the legislative bureau, and the exmaination bureau, to investigate, and the extent of the plot was revealed. When Emperor Taizong requested opinions on what to do with Li Chengqian, Lai Ji suggested sparing him, and Emperor Taizong agreed. He deposed Li Chengqian and reduced him to commoner rank, while ordering Li Yuanchang to commit suicide. Hou and the other conspirators were all executed.
After Li Chengqian was arrested, Li Tai visited Emperor Taizong everyday, and Emperor Taizong promised to create him crown prince -- an idea that was also suggested by the officials Cen Wenben and . However, Zhangsun Wuji suggested that Li Zhi, also favored by Emperor Taizong, be created crown prince. In order to persuade Emperor Taizong to create him crown prince, Li Tai told Emperor Taizong that he would agree to kill his own son and make Li Zhi crown prince should he be allowed to inherit the throne. However, the statement backfired, as Chu Suiliang pointed out that the statement could not possibly be an honest one, and that in effect, there was the potential that, if Li Tai were created crown prince, the situation between Li Chengqian and Li Tai might repeat itself. Li Tai, meanwhile, made comments to Li Zhi that he should be worried in light of his friendship with Li Yuanchang -- comments that Li Zhi told Emperor Taizong, who then began regreting promising Li Tai the crown prince position. Further, when Emperor Taizong visited Li Chengqian to rebuke him, Li Chengqian accused Li Tai of machinations against him, causing him to plot treason. Depressed over the actions of Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li You, and Li Yuanchang, Emperor Taizong summoned Zhangsun, Fang Xuanling, Li Shiji, and Chu to a private meeting, during which he told them his intent to create Li Zhi crown prince instead. Later that day, when Li Tai tried to enter the palace to visit Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong put him under house arrest, and the next day created Li Zhi crown prince.
Several days later, Li Tai was removed from his official posts and reduced in rank to Prince of Donglai. Emperor Taizong exiled his close associates and reduced Du Chuke to commoner rank. Two months later, Li Tai was created the Prince of Shunyang instead. In fall 643, Emperor Taizong exiled both Li Chengqian and Li Tai -- in Li Tai's case, to Jun Prefecture . Emperor Taizong was gut-wrenched about the decision, and he stated:
:''The love between father and son is a natural one. It is difficult for me to separate from Li Tai, and I cannot bear this. However, I am the lord of all under heaven, and as long as the people can be safe, I can cut off my personal love.''
He also showed Li Tai's well-written submissions in the past to his close officials and stated:
:''Li Tai is exceedingly talented. I miss him, and all of you know this. However, for the sake of the empire, I have to cut off my relationship with him with righteousness. I let him live far away to try to make everyone safe.''
In 647, Li Tai's title was upgraded to Prince of Pu. After Emperor Taizong died in 649, Li Zhi succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong. Later that year, Emperor Gaozong did permit Li Tai to again retain a staff, and ordered that he be supplied with high quality supplies of wagons, food, and clothing. Li Tai died in 652. His son Li Xin inherited his title.
Li Tai, who carried the title of Prince of Wei, was favored by his father, , for his literary talent and studiousness. His older brother Li Chengqian was crown prince, but Li Tai and his associates had design on that position, eventually pushing Li Chengqian to plot treason in 634. After Li Chengqian's plot was discovered, Li Chengqian was deposed, and Emperor Taizong agreed to create Li Tai the new crown prince. However, Emperor Taizong soon saw that Li Tai had pushed Li Chengqian toward rebellion by machination and further appeared to bear ill intentions toward their younger brother the Prince of Jin, and so Emperor Taizong created Li Zhi crown prince instead. Li Tai was reduced in rank and briefly put under house arrest, and then exiled. He died in exile in 652.
The Buddhist statues in the Main Wall of Bingyang South Cave of the Longmen Caves was dedicated by Li Tai to his deceased mother Empress Zhangsun.
Early life
Li Tai was the fourth son of , then the Prince of Qin under his father Emperor Gaozu of Tang. His mother was Li Shimin's wife , who had given birth to his older brother Li Chengqian previously and would have one other son later and three daughters . In 620, he was created the Prince of Yidu, at the same time that Li Chengqian and another older brother, Li Ke were also created princes. In 621, he was created the Prince of Wei and posthumously adopted into the line of his uncle Li Xuanba , who had died early without issue.
In 626, Li Shimin, in an intense rivalry with his older brother Li Jiancheng the Crown Prince, ambushed Li Jiancheng and another brother who supported Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji the Prince of Qi, at and killed them. He then effectively forced Emperor Gaozu to first create him crown prince and then yield the throne to him . He created Li Tai's mother Princess Zhangsun empress and Li Tai's older brother Li Chengqian crown prince. In 628, Li Tai's title was changed to Prince of Yue, and he was made the commandant at Yang Prefecture , but was not sent to Yang Prefecture, remaining at the capital Chang'an instead. In 633, he was made the commandant at Fu Prefecture , but also appeared to not have been sent there, and in 634 he became the prefect of the capital prefecture Yong Prefecture .
As Prince of Wei
In 636, Li Tai's title was changed to Prince of Wei , and he was made the commandant at Xiang Prefecture , but again, he was not sent there, but remained at Chang'an. By this point, Emperor Taizong had begun to favor Li Tai greatly for his literary talent, he permitted Li Tai to retain a staff of scholars, and also, because Li Tai was obese, allowed him to ride a litter into the palace rather than walk. When rumors reached him that the high level officials dishonored Li Tai, he grew angry at them, but relented after the Wei Zheng pointed out that, in fact, according to Confucian ceremonies, those high level officials were in fact supposed to be higher in rank than Li Tai. In 637, Emperor Taizong made the senior official Wang Gui, a one-time chancellor, Li Tai's teacher, and he ordered Li Tai to honor Wang as if he were honoring his own father. Li Tai did so, and Wang accepted this. In 640, Emperor Taizong personally visited Li Tai's mansion, and to celebrate the occasion, Emperor Taizong pardoned the minor criminals of Chang'an, exempted Li Tai's neighborhood of its taxes for one year, and gave awards to Li Tai's staff members and the seniors in Li Tai's neighborhood.
Meanwhile, Li Tai's staff member Su Xu suggested to him that, like the talented princes in past dynasties, he should commission a major literary work, so Li Tai commissioned a work to be called the ''Journal of Geography'' and retained the officials Xiao Deyan , Gu Yin , Jiang Yaqing , and Xie Yan to head the project. Initially, the work was drafted at Chang'an, and his staff scholars received so many visitors among the noble youths that they were distracted from their work. Li Tai saw that their time was not being productive, and so sent them out to the field -- the various prefectures -- to collect data and write. It took four years for Li Tai's scholars to complete the work, which had 550 volumes. The work was completed in 642, and Emperor Taizong rewarded Li Tai with a large supply of silk. By this point, Li Tai's staff was growing so large that the imperial stipend to Li Tai exceeded that to Li Chengqian. The official Chu Suiliang suggested to Emperor Taizong that this was improper, and Emperor Taizong agreed -- but rather than reducing Li Tai's stipend, he removed all limits on Li Chengqian's spending, which led to Li Chengqian, who was already wasteful in his lifestyle, to be even more wasteful. Emperor Taizong also had Li Tai move to Wude Palace , next to Li Chengqian's palace -- an action that Wei Zheng considered inappropriate, and so Emperor Taizong reversed.
Struggles with Li Chengqian
Meanwhile, Li Chengqian was losing favor with Emperor Taizong over his wastefulness and favor for games rather than study. He also suffered from a foot illness that the nature was not specified in historicla accounts. Li Tai began to have ambitions on displacing his older brother as crown prince, and a number of officials, seeing this as an opportunity, began to congregate around Li Tai, causing the government to divide into Li Tai's faction and Li Chengqian's faction. In 642, in order to dispel rumors that he was about to replace Li Chengqian with Li Tai, Emperor Taizong made Wei Zheng, then ill, Li Chengqian's senior advisor, but that failed to stop the rumors. Meanwhile, Li Tai's chiefs of staff, Wei Ting and Du Chuke , were making plans for Li Tai to enhance his reputation and defame Li Chengqian, and the public began to perceive Li Chengqian negatively.
By 643, Li Chengqian was so fearful that Emperor Taizong was about to depose him that he conspired with a number of officials, including the major general Hou Junji, Emperor Taizong's brother Li Yuanchang the Prince of Han, the imperial guard commander Li Anyan , his cousin Zhao Jie , and Du Chuke's nephew Du He , to overthrow Emperor Taizong. That summer, however, Li You the Prince of Qi, a younger brother to both Li Chengqian and Li Tai, resentful of the head of his household, Quan Wanji , killed Quan and then rebelled. Li You was soon defeated and captured, and when Emperor Taizong investigated Li You's co-conspirators, Li Chengqian's associate Gegan Chengji , who had been an assassin for Li Chengqian and was involved in his conspiracy, was arrested and sentenced to death. Gegan, in order to save himself, revealed the plot. Emperor Taizong, in shock, convened the senior officials Zhangsun Wuji , Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, and Li Shiji, as well as officials from the supreme court, the legislative bureau, and the exmaination bureau, to investigate, and the extent of the plot was revealed. When Emperor Taizong requested opinions on what to do with Li Chengqian, Lai Ji suggested sparing him, and Emperor Taizong agreed. He deposed Li Chengqian and reduced him to commoner rank, while ordering Li Yuanchang to commit suicide. Hou and the other conspirators were all executed.
Exile and death
After Li Chengqian was arrested, Li Tai visited Emperor Taizong everyday, and Emperor Taizong promised to create him crown prince -- an idea that was also suggested by the officials Cen Wenben and . However, Zhangsun Wuji suggested that Li Zhi, also favored by Emperor Taizong, be created crown prince. In order to persuade Emperor Taizong to create him crown prince, Li Tai told Emperor Taizong that he would agree to kill his own son and make Li Zhi crown prince should he be allowed to inherit the throne. However, the statement backfired, as Chu Suiliang pointed out that the statement could not possibly be an honest one, and that in effect, there was the potential that, if Li Tai were created crown prince, the situation between Li Chengqian and Li Tai might repeat itself. Li Tai, meanwhile, made comments to Li Zhi that he should be worried in light of his friendship with Li Yuanchang -- comments that Li Zhi told Emperor Taizong, who then began regreting promising Li Tai the crown prince position. Further, when Emperor Taizong visited Li Chengqian to rebuke him, Li Chengqian accused Li Tai of machinations against him, causing him to plot treason. Depressed over the actions of Li Chengqian, Li Tai, Li You, and Li Yuanchang, Emperor Taizong summoned Zhangsun, Fang Xuanling, Li Shiji, and Chu to a private meeting, during which he told them his intent to create Li Zhi crown prince instead. Later that day, when Li Tai tried to enter the palace to visit Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong put him under house arrest, and the next day created Li Zhi crown prince.
Several days later, Li Tai was removed from his official posts and reduced in rank to Prince of Donglai. Emperor Taizong exiled his close associates and reduced Du Chuke to commoner rank. Two months later, Li Tai was created the Prince of Shunyang instead. In fall 643, Emperor Taizong exiled both Li Chengqian and Li Tai -- in Li Tai's case, to Jun Prefecture . Emperor Taizong was gut-wrenched about the decision, and he stated:
:''The love between father and son is a natural one. It is difficult for me to separate from Li Tai, and I cannot bear this. However, I am the lord of all under heaven, and as long as the people can be safe, I can cut off my personal love.''
He also showed Li Tai's well-written submissions in the past to his close officials and stated:
:''Li Tai is exceedingly talented. I miss him, and all of you know this. However, for the sake of the empire, I have to cut off my relationship with him with righteousness. I let him live far away to try to make everyone safe.''
In 647, Li Tai's title was upgraded to Prince of Pu. After Emperor Taizong died in 649, Li Zhi succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong. Later that year, Emperor Gaozong did permit Li Tai to again retain a staff, and ordered that he be supplied with high quality supplies of wagons, food, and clothing. Li Tai died in 652. His son Li Xin inherited his title.
Du Huan
Du Huan was a travel writer born in Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty. He was one of a few Chinese captured in the Battle of Talas along with artisans Fan Shu and Liu Ci and fabric weavers Le Wei and Lu Li, as mentioned in his writings. After a long journey through Arab countries, he returned by ship to Guangzhou in 762. There he wrote his ''Jingxingji'', a work which was almost completely lost. A few extracts survived in Tongdian under volume 192 and 193, an encyclopaedia compiled in 801 by one of his relatives, Du You. In the 8th century, Du You's encyclopaedia quoted Du Huan himself on Molin :
We also went to Molin, southwest of Jerusalem. One could reach this country after having crossed the great desert of and having travelled 2,000 '''' . The people there are black, and their customs are bold. There is little rice and cereals, with no grass and trees on this land. The horses are fed with dried fish, and the people eat ''Gumang''. ''Gumang'' is a . Subtropical diseases are widespread. After crossing into the inland countries there is a mountainous country, which gathered a lot of confessions here. They have three confessions, the Arab , Byzantine and Zimzim . The Zimzim practise incest, and in this respect are worst of all the barbarians. The followers under the confession of Arab have a means to denote in law, while not entangling the defendant's families or kins. They don't eat the meat of pigs, dogs, donkeys and horses; they don't respect either the king of the country, nor their parents; they don't believe in supernatural powers, perform only sacrifice to heaven and to no one else. According to their customs, every seventh day is a holiday , on which no trade and no currency transactions are done, whereas when they drink alcohol, and behave in a ridiculous and undisciplined way during the whole day. Within the confession of the Byzantines, there are beneficent medical doctors who know diarrhea; they could either recognize the disease before its outbreak, or .
We also went to Molin, southwest of Jerusalem. One could reach this country after having crossed the great desert of and having travelled 2,000 '''' . The people there are black, and their customs are bold. There is little rice and cereals, with no grass and trees on this land. The horses are fed with dried fish, and the people eat ''Gumang''. ''Gumang'' is a . Subtropical diseases are widespread. After crossing into the inland countries there is a mountainous country, which gathered a lot of confessions here. They have three confessions, the Arab , Byzantine and Zimzim . The Zimzim practise incest, and in this respect are worst of all the barbarians. The followers under the confession of Arab have a means to denote in law, while not entangling the defendant's families or kins. They don't eat the meat of pigs, dogs, donkeys and horses; they don't respect either the king of the country, nor their parents; they don't believe in supernatural powers, perform only sacrifice to heaven and to no one else. According to their customs, every seventh day is a holiday , on which no trade and no currency transactions are done, whereas when they drink alcohol, and behave in a ridiculous and undisciplined way during the whole day. Within the confession of the Byzantines, there are beneficent medical doctors who know diarrhea; they could either recognize the disease before its outbreak, or .
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