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The virtual regency of Ho Kuang

This short period of only thirteen years (87-74 B.C.) was primarily a
time of recuperation from the excessive drains made upon the country
during the reign of Emperor Wu. The chief events of the period were
the virtual regency of Ho Kuang, the attempt to overthrow him led by
the Shang-kuan clan, and his relief of the people from many of the exactions
made by Emperor Wu.

Emperor Wu, moreover, was an excellent judge of character; when
his death was approaching, he selected his youngest son as his heir
and picked Ho Kuang to control the government. There was no constitutional
provision for a regency, except for one by the close relatives
of an infant ruler. Precedents for such a form of regency were to be
found in the acts of the ideal rulers and ministers recounted in ancient
and recent history, especially in the Book of History, and in the deeds of
Confucius' hero, the Duke of Chou. These precedents found in ancient
and recent history composed the virtual constitution of the Chinese state,
and the Erudits (together with the graduates of the Imperial University
entitled Authorities upon Ancient Matters) were expected to be able to
advise the ruler or the officials, concerning these constitutional precedents.
The First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty had proscribed and burned the
Book of History because he, an autocrat, would not follow ancient

practises. Emperor Wu had distrusted his own clan, and so had kept its
members from any power in the imperial government; one of Ho Kuang's
first deeds, after he came to power, was to appoint members of the
imperial clan to government positions. Emperor Wu had made Ho
Kuang Commander-in-chief and General-in-chief (one of the three highest
ministers) and gave him a testamentary edict directing him to assist the
young emperor. He was not made regent, but merely assistant to the
young ruler. A regent not only controlled the government, but also
performed many of the rites permitted to a Son of Heaven. Ho Kuang
remained, in rank, merely a minister, for he was not even distantly related
to the throne. [When previously there had been virtual regency, the
Empress of the Kao-tsu had seated herself upon the throne and ruled, but
she was not entitled a regent. As a woman, she could not take the place
of a man. She was merely ruling for the Emperor in the capacity of his
mother. The first titular regent in Han times was Wang Mang, who in
February, A.D. 6, was given an edict allowing him to perform the rites
allowed to a Son of Heaven (99 A: 25b).]

Ho Kuang was a legitimate son of Ho Ch'ü-ping's father, and had
probably been a close attendant upon Emperor Wu for more than twenty
years. He was the ideal person for the position—quiet, steady, careful,
methodical, and reliable. He is said to have had a particular place in
which to stand in court and not to have varied one foot from his usual
position. In addition to his other titles, he became Intendant of Affairs
of the Masters of Writing, and controlled the government through
this latter office.