 | THE HISTORY OF THE FORMER HAN DYNASTY The history of the former Han dynasty |  |
Lack of an heir induces the Emperor to change his Empress and distribute
his favors
The events that throw the most light upon the age, upon conditions
within the forbidden apartments of the imperial palace, and upon Emperor
Ch'eng's character are connected with his doing away of his two
natural sons for the love of a woman, so that he was left without a natural
heir. Such a deed would seem almost unbelievable, but, after his sudden
death, an industrious Director of the Retainers, whose duty it was to
investigate the actions of the officials at the capital, ferreted out the facts
and memorialized the depositions of eye-witnesses: certain eunuchs,
slave-women in the imperial palace, and chamberlains to the Brilliant
Companion née Chao. This sensational memorial is quoted in the
"Memoir of the Imperial Relatives by Marriage."
Emperor Yüan's mother had been assassinated soon after the birth of
her first child and Emperor Yüan sorrowed at that fact. Hence he
selected the daughter of her first cousin to be the consort of his Heir-apparent.
This girl later became the Empress née Hsü. She was intelligent
and accomplished and good at the clerkly style of writing. When
she was married, the future Emperor Ch'eng was delighted with her,
which overjoyed his father. From the time that she was married until
Emperor Ch'eng ascended the throne, she was continually favored by
the Heir-apparent, and he rarely approached his concubines. But her
children all died in infancy. She had a son who died young; after her
husband ascended the throne, she bore him a daughter, but this babe
died also.
One of the prime duties of a filial son, especially of an emperor, according
to Confucian teaching, is to have a son. The Emperor's mother and
her clan were worried at the lack of an heir, for, if another line came to
the throne, their power would be gone. The Confucian explainers of
visitations, especially the famous Liu Hsiang4 and Ku Yung, blamed the
visitations upon the imperial harem. Thus the Emperor's conscience,
his mother and relatives, and outstanding Confucians combined to urge
him to cease favoring only his beloved wife. In economizing government
expenses, he reduced the allowance for the Empress's apartments and for
replied, citing the portents alleged to have been directed against her.
Thus a coolness developed.
The Emperor's first new favorite was a great-aunt of Pan Ku, a well-educated
woman who understood the Odes and the admonitory writings
for women. She had been selected for the imperial harem when he first
ascended the throne. She first became a Junior Maid, the eleventh rank
among the imperial concubines, but in a little while the Emperor took
quite a fancy to her and made her a Favorite Beauty, the second rank.
She was installed in the Residence of Increasing Perfection, the third hall
in the imperial harem. She remained his prime favorite for some years,
and bore him two children, one of whom was a boy, who died when a few
months old. Once when the Emperor was going on an excursion to a
country lodge, he wanted this Favorite Beauty née Pan to ride in the
same chariot with him, but she refused, saying that according to the
histories, sage princes always kept famous subjects by their sides; only
decadent princes spent most of their time with concubines. Emperor
Ch'eng approved highly of her reply; it also commended her to the
Empress Dowager.
After 20 B.C., Emperor Ch'eng planned to spread his favors among
many concubines in order to secure an heir, and so the Favorite Beauty
née Pan introduced to him a maid of hers, Li P'ing. This girl was also
favored and made a Favorite Beauty. She had risen from humble
station, and so Emperor Ch'eng gave her the surname Wei, in memory
of Emperor Wu's famous Empress née Wei, who likewise rose from humble
people. Through his evil precedents, such as his selection of a singing
girl to be his Empress and his bestowal of high positions upon relatives,
Emperior Wu ultimately ruined his dynasty.
About this time, when Emperor Ch'eng was one day traveling incognito,
he passed by the residence of the Imperial Princess of Yang-o.
The Princess had music performed for him. (The ancient `music'
included dancing.) There he first saw the later famous beauty, Chao
Fei-yen. This girl had originally been a Palace Maid, one of a class of
slave-girls, aged seven and over, who were reared in the imperial palaces
to work there. She came from a very humble family, which was so poor
that when she was born, the family decided to abandon her. But the
babe was still alive on the third day, so she was reared. When she was
grown, she was put into the household of the Princess of Yang-o, and
studied singing and dancing, so that she came to be called Fei-yen, lit.,
"flying swallow." When Emperor Ch'eng saw this girl dance, he was
delighted with her and summoned her to his harem, where she became
and favored. Both sisters were made Favorite Beauties.
The Empress née Hsü had now lost the Emperor's favor, and naturally
tried every means of regaining it and of securing an heir. Her widowed
sister performed magical rites to attract the Emperor to the Empress and
to injure his concubines who were with child, especially a Beauty née
Wang, who was pregnant, and also to injure the Wang clan, which the
sisters regarded as having been responsible for the portents that had
caused the Emperor to turn away from the Empress. In 18 B.C., Chao
Fei-yen accused the Empress of having performed magical rites and of
having even pronounced imprecations against the Emperor. The
Empress Dowager née Wang was infuriated that a girl of her own clan
should have been injured; her eldest brother, Wang Feng, had died just
a few years previously, and now black magic was probably suspected to
have caused his death. The accused ladies were examined; the Empress's
sister and a few others were executed. The Empress was herself probably
guiltless, for she was merely dismissed and sent to live in a separate
palace. Her relatives, the Hsü clan, were all banished from the capital.
Chao Fei-yen had also accused the Favorite Beauty née Pan, but the
latter replied that life and death are fated; wealth and honor are bestowed
by Heaven. She said she had lived an upright life but had not yet been
blessed with the greatest happiness (a living imperial son). If now she
had done evil and tried to get the spirits and gods to aid her, if they had
knowledge of human activities, how could she hope not to be accused by
them of disloyalty to her lord; whereas if they had no knowledge, what
good would it have done her to appeal to them? Hence she said she had
not participated in any magical rites. Emperor Ch'eng was so delighted
with her reply that he gave her a hundred catties of actual gold.
It is noteworthy that there were no such general excitement and wholesale
executions at this time as in the time of the black magic and witchcraft
case near the end of Emperor Wu's reign. The difference is probably
due to the increased influence of Confucianism (which was sceptical
of magic and spirits), and to the higher degree of civilization then attained
in court circles. The reply of the Favorite Beauty née Pan, who came of
a highly educated family, indicates the attitude of the best people at this
time.
The Favorite Beauty nevertheless saw that eventually she might be
injured by the clever Fei-yen, so she asked for permission to withdraw
from the harem and devote herself to caring for the Empress Dowager.
Her request was granted, and she retired from the intrigues of the court.
Emperor Ch'eng's infatuation with the clever singer and dancer
continued, and he now wanted to make her his Empress. But his mother
circumstances. Emperor Ch'eng, however, had his boon companion,
who was also his mother's nephew, Shun-yü Chang, smooth matters
over, and finally secured his mother's consent. At last, in 16 B.C.,
Fei-yen was made Empress and her father was made a marquis.
| THE HISTORY OF THE FORMER HAN DYNASTY The history of the former Han dynasty | |