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The dynastic principle that there should be only one imperial line of
descent

Probably Wang Mang's motive in removing these ladies was not merely
revenge, but also to eliminate the evil effect of imperial maternal relatives
in the court. He was not willing to yield up his power to a new clan.
The moral corruption, extravagance, and misuse of the government to
enrich themselves on the part of the Wang and Chao clans in the reign of
Emperor Ch'eng and of the Fu and Ting clans in the reign of Emperor Ai
had convinced many intelligent persons that imperial maternal relatives
were injurious to the state. When, at the death of Emperor Ai, the
Grand Empress Dowager nee Wang asked the ministers to recommend
someone to control the government, the General of the Van, Ho Wu, and
the General of the Left, Kung-sun Lu, had both become convinced that
the government should be in the hands of neither the imperial clan nor
of any imperial maternal clan. They therefore independently recommended
each other for the post of Commander-in-chief. But this policy
was contrary to the Confucian moral principle that people generally
(including the ruler) should favor their relatives, and the circumstance that
these two ministers recommended each the other proved fatal. The other
ministers all recommended Wang Mang, who was accordingly given the
position. Wang Mang had Ho Wu and Kung-sun Lu accused of plotting
to advance each other; they were dismissed and sent to their homes.
Four years later Ho Wu was arrested in connection with the affair of
Wang Yü, whereupon Ho Wu committed suicide.

Because of his unhappy experience with the Fu and Ting clans, Wang
Mang did not even allow the new Emperor's mother, the Concubine nee
Wei, nor her relatives to come to the imperial capital. The Wei clan
had previously been connected with the imperial court: it had furnished

Emperors Hsüan and Yüan each with a Favorite Beauty, who bore each a
child, as well as furnishing a concubine for Emperor Ch'eng's half-brother.
This latter girl was the mother of Liu Chi-tzu, Emperor P'ing.
Wang Mang evidently feared the power of such a clan, which knew well
the customs in the imperial court and had old connections in the capital.

Instead of allowing this Wei clan to repeat the exploits of the Fu clan,
Wang Mang had its members all kept in the kingdom of Chung-shan,
where Liu Chi-tzu had been King. His intention was to establish the
principle that there is only one imperial family, and that when, because
of the failure of a natural heir, some scion from another branch of the
imperial clan was elevated to the throne, this person should become exclusively
a member of the imperial family, so that his own close relatives
must not be considered close imperial relatives or treated as such. Thus
the number of imperial maternal relatives, who might interfere in the
government, was to be restricted (and the Wang clan continued in power
without any rivals). Emperor Ch'eng had attempted to put this principle
in force just before his death (possibly at the instigation of Wang Mang),
but Emperor Ai, through the influence of his grandmother, had rejected
and acted contrary to it.

Wang Mang appointed another scion of the imperial clan as King of
Chung-shan to act as the son of Liu Chi-tzu's father, and sent to his
mother, the Concubine nee Wei, a royal seal and cord, installing her as
the Queen of King Hsiao of Chung-shan, with a whole county as her
private estate, from which she received the income. Her uncle and
younger brother were both made Marquises of the Imperial Domain, and
her three younger sisters were given the title of Baronetess, with an
estate of two thousand households. Her first cousin was made Queen
to the new King of Chung-shan. But honor and wealth would not make
up to her for her absent son. Unlike the Concubine nee Ting, who,
without objecting, allowed her son, Emperor Ai, to be taken from her,
the Queen nee Wei was said to be disconsolate, weeping day and night
for her child, who had no near relative by him to guard or care for him.

Wang Yü, Wang Mang's eldest son, disapproved of his father's policy.
He was afraid that there would come to be a feud between the Wei and
Wang clans, which would be disastrous to the Wang clan when the new
Emperor came of age. Wang Yü secretly communicated with the Wei
clan, urging them to ask permission to come to the imperial court. Wang
Yü's clique furthermore attempted to terrify Wang Mang into acceding
to their request by playing upon his superstition with false portents (99 A:
16a, b). When the matter was discovered (A.D. 3), Wang Mang had

his son executed, together with the Wei clan and hundreds of others.
Only Liu Chi-tzu's mother was left alive, retaining her title and estate.
When Wang Mang usurped the throne, she was dismissed from her title
and made a commoner; a year or so later she died. Thus Wang Mang
was left unchallenged in control of the imperial court.