University of Virginia Library

Tung Hsien2a's meteoric rise and fall

The rise of Tung Hsien2a shows how far a completely worthless person
could go by imperial favor. He was merely a handsome and pliable lad
in the Heir-apparent's suite, who was made a Gentleman when Emperor
Ai came to the throne, and became the Emperor's catamite. He was
promoted from one post to another, all the while continuing in personal
attendance upon the Emperor. In the course of ten months, he had
accumulated a hundred million cash in grants and rewards. When he
did not leave the Palace on the regular days for vacation, the Emperor
arranged that Tung Hsien2a's wife might enter the palace inner apartments,
with the result that his wife and children lived there. The Emperor took
Tung Hsien2a's younger sister as a Brilliant Companion, giving her the
rank next to the Empress. Tung Hsien2a, his wife, or his sister were continually
in attendance upon the Emperor. His father was made a minister
and noble; his father-in-law and brother were given court positions;

a large and splendid residence was built for him just outside the palace
portal and a splendid burial place was prepared beside the imperial tomb.
Jewels and weapons were given him from the palace workshops, even
better ones than those the Emperor secured. By an imperial forgery, he
was given a marquisate and an estate. When Wang Chia1a opposed this
proposed enfeoffment. he was removed and finally executed.

The Emperor's maternal uncle, Ting Ming, was Commander-in-chief,
and he too disapproved of Tung Hsien2a. Emperor Ai dismissed this
minister and also retired Fu4 Yen, the imperial great-uncle. Thus the
Emperor's infatuation with a boy led him to break with both his own
maternal clans. He was thus left without any loyal followers in the
court except the Tung clan. The latter clan contained no one of ability.
It seems not to have been interested in politics except to enrich itself.
Tung Hsien2a was finally made Commander-in-chief, the controlling position
in the ministry, although he was only in his twenty-second year.
His younger brother was given Tung Hsien2a's former position and the
whole Tung clan were made Palace Attendants, Division Chiefs, etc.,
receiving greater favors than had even been bestowed upon the Emperor's
maternal clans. The Emperor seems even to have come to believe that
the Han dynasty, because of the succession of the elements, must inevitably
be soon succeeded by a different dynasty (cf. Ku Chieh-Kang,
Ku-shih-pien, V, 465-77). Once, at a feast, the Emperor even calmly
talked about resigning the throne to his favorite. Wang Hung, a cousin
of Wang Mang, happened to be in attendance. He immediately remonstrated,
telling the Emperor that the empire was no plaything, for it had
been received from his ancestors and must be transmitted to his descendants,
thus invoking the Confucian exaltation of filial piety. Emperor Ai
was plainly displeased, at which circumstance the imperial attendants
were frightened and Wang Hung left the room. Thus imperial infatuation
was carried to the extreme.

When Emperor Ai died suddenly without an heir and without having
appointed a successor, his mother and grandmother had previously died
and his maternal relatives had been deprived of their positions, possibly
because the Emperor continued to hope that Tung Hsien2a would inaugurate
a new dynasty. But the latter was wholly incapable of doing so,
even though he possessed the imperial seals of office. The imperial
authority naturally reverted to the Grand Empress Dowager nee Wang,
the senior of the two surviving Empress Dowagers. During his last
years, after Emperor Ai had broken with his maternal clans, he had begun
recalling the Confucians whom he had displaced from their positions when
he took the throne. At this time Wang Mang had been praised by those

who took the civil service examinations, so that he had been recalled to
the capital and had been there during the last year of Emperor Ai's
reign, without however being given a post.

On the day of the imperial death, the Grand Empress Dowager, who
probably had previously been instructed what to do, immediately went
to the emperor's palace and collected the imperial seals of state. Thereby
she took to herself the imperial authority. She then asked Tung Hsien2a
about the regulations for imperial mourning, which he, as the highest
minister, would be required to conduct. The young man was distraught
and in all likelihood completely ignorant of such matters, so could only
beg her pardon. She remarked that Wang Mang had previously conducted
the mourning for Emperor Ch'eng and sent a messenger galloping
to summon him.

Wang Mang, like most of the other courtiers, could not endure Tung
Hsien2a. The latter was now impeached for negligence in caring for the
Emperor and imprisoned in the palace. He had no influential friends
outside of his own clan. Wang Mang then told the Grand Empress
Dowager that public opinion disapproved of the favorite. The day after
the emperor died, Wang Mang had her order Tung Hsien2a dismissed
from his position and sent to his residence. The latter and his relatives
were so frightened that, on the same day, both he and his wife committed
suicide in order to save the rest of their clan. The two were buried that
same night. The whole Tung clan were dismissed from their positions
and exiled, and their wealth sold. It amounted to 4,300,000,000 cash.
Tung Hsien2a's body was exhumed, stripped, and reburied meanly. Thus
the imperial favorite received his reward.