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卷五十三 列傳第二十三 愍懷太子

Volume 53 Biographies 23: Crown Prince Minhuai

Chapter 53 of 晉書 · Book of Jin
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Chapter 53
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Crown Prince Minhuai
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殿 使 使
Sima Yu, styled Xizu, was Emperor Hui's firstborn—his mother was Lady Xie of Talented rank. Wu Di doted on the bright boy and kept him always near. During palace games Wu Di pointed out the boy to the witless Hui: 'That one is your heir.' Hui broke off his greeting. A night blaze drew Wu Di to a high gallery. Five-year-old Yu pulled his grandfather into the dark. The crown prince said, "Suddenly at night one must guard against the unexpected; one must not let firelight reveal the ruler's face." Wu Di marked him extraordinary. While watching the imperial sty he said to the emperor, "The pigs are very fat—why not slaughter them to feast the troops instead of letting them waste grain forever?" Wu Di approved and had them slaughtered. He stroked the boy's back and told Court Commandant Fu Zhi, "This child will bring prosperity to our house." He likened the heir to Sima Yi before court—reputation followed.
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使 使
Astrologers said Guangling bore an emperor's aura, so Yu was made Prince of Guangling with fifty thousand households. Liu Shi served as tutor, Meng Heng as companion, and Yang Zhun and Feng Sun as literary aides. When Hui Di took the throne, Yu was made crown prince. The court recruited eminent tutors—He Shao as Grand Tutor, Wang Rong as Grand Mentor, Yang Ji as Grand Guardian, Pei Kai as Junior Tutor, Zhang Hua as Junior Mentor, and He Qiao as Junior Guardian. In Yuankang year one he moved to the Eastern Palace, and an edict declared: "Yu is still young and inexperienced; having left the Eastern Palace he must rely on his tutors and worthy mentors for instruction. Those about him in leisure and attendance should be upright men who keep company with him and help one another improve." Thereupon Wei Guan's son Ting, Director of Works Tai's son Lue, Yang Ji's son Bi, Pei Kai's son Xian, Zhang Hua's son Yi, and Hua Gao's son Heng were sent to keep company with the crown prince and guide him.
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殿 殿 使 使 西 使
Adult Yu spurned books, slighted tutors, and played with pages. Empress Jia secretly ordered Yellow Gate eunuchs to flatter the crown prince: "Your Highness may indeed indulge every whim while still young—why bind yourself so tightly?" Whenever she saw him angry or pleased she would sigh, "Your Highness does not know how to wield awe and punishment—how will the realm ever fear and obey!" When Consort Jiang bore a son they pushed costly toys and stipends—Yu complied. He skipped audiences for back-garden games. He staged pony-cart wrecks for amusement. He thrashed servants himself. He banned builders from touching plaster or tiles—superstition. Yet he ran a palace bazaar—himself butchering, selling ale, and weighing coin. His mother's trade drew him to the stall. He peddled greens, dye seed, chicken, and flour from West Garden for cash. He drew double stipends to bankroll favorites. Jiang Tong's five memorials went unheard—see his chapter. Du Xi warned Yu to cultivate virtue—Jia was not his mother. Yu pinned needles into Du Xi's seat cushion.
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' '
Yu refused to flatter Jia Mi. He left Jia Mi cooling heels while he played inside. Household Superintendent Pei Quan remonstrated: "Jia Mi is deeply favored in the inner palace yet shows disrespectful looks—if they ever turn on you, the great enterprise is lost. You should humble yourself deeply to guard against change and broadly recruit worthy men to aid your wings." Yu ignored him. Guo Huai once pushed a Han match—Yu wanted it too. Jia Wu and the empress forced Wang Yan's younger daughter Huifeng instead. Yu resented losing Wang's elder beauty to Jia Mi. Once while playing go with the crown prince Mi quarreled over a move; Prince Chengdu of Ying saw and rebuked Mi; Mi grew more resentful and slandered the crown prince to the empress: "The crown prince buys fields wholesale, hoards private wealth, and courts petty men—all because of the Jia clan. Mi quoted Yu vowing to slaughter the Jias after Jia died. He warned Yu would purge Jia kin like the Yang coup. Better strike early, remove him, and set up someone kindly and tractable to defend ourselves." Jia adopted the plot and smeared Yu empire-wide. Everyone saw Jia meant to kill the heir. Zhao Jun urged preemptive deposition—Yu declined.
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西 使使 殿使 使 西 使 使 使
Year nine saw an omen mulberry sprout west of the halls. Twelfth month Jia feigned imperial illness to lure Yu to court. She hid him, fed him wine and dates through Chen Wu until he was drunk. Pan Yue forged spirit-prayer lines; drunk Yu copied them under Chen Wu's orders. Forgery opened: 'Father must finish this himself. Or I will finish you. The empress must settle too. Or I will kill her myself. Consort Xie and I strike together—no delay. Heaven blesses our coup—crown Daowen, empower Lady Jiang. Then sacrifice to the Northern Lord and amnesty all. So commands the spell.' Blind drunk, he traced childish strokes. Helpers patched characters before Jia showed Hui. The emperor visited Shi-Qian Hall, summoned dukes and ministers, and had Yellow Gate Chief Dong Meng display the crown prince's script with an edict on blue paper: "Yu has written thus—now sentence him to death." Silence fell until Zhang Hua and Pei Wei defended Yu. Empress Jia had Dong Meng falsely relay Princess Changguang's words to the emperor: "Matters must be settled quickly while ministers disagree—whoever disobeys the edict should face military law." Debate stalled till dusk. Jia feared delay—demoted Yu to commoner instead. An imperial train stripped Yu at Eastern Palace. Yu took the edict from the garden and rode an ox-cart out. Dan marched Wang consort and grandsons to Jinyong—executed Xie and Jiang Jun. Next New Year Jia staged a Yellow Gate confession implicating Yu. Luoyang read the staged confession. Dan convoyed Yu to Xuchang under guard. Earlier a children's rhyme ran: "Eastern Palace foals—don't plug your ears empty; come twelfth month they'll twine your chamber." Verses mocked Empress Nanfeng and Yu's childhood name.' South Wind' meant Empress Jia. 'White Sand' was Yu's boyhood sobriquet.
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' '' '便 ' '使 ' '' '便使 便 ' 使 '便' 殿 '' ' '使 '便 ' '使
Wang Yan filed for divorce the moment Yu fell. After reaching Xu he sent his consort a letter: "Though I am coarse and foolish, at heart I wished to do good and fulfill loyalty and filial piety—I harbored no rebellious evil. He claimed dutiful service to Jia despite birth. Palace rules barred him from Lady Xie. After Lady Xie's mother died no one comforted him. He mourned son Daowen's fatal illness. His plea for son's title failed. He denied malice in praying for the boy. Palace runners claimed Heaven summoned Yu. A cryptic note echoed the summons. He requested audience. He saw Hui briefly then reached Jia's halls. Chen Wu claimed Jia was sick. They parked him in an empty room. They mocked his plea for son's kingship. Jia recalled forcing wine earlier. Chen Wu forced three sheng wine and dates. Yu pleaded low tolerance. Jia taunted his earlier drinking. She tied drinking to son's health. Yu cited earlier imperial banquet. Empty stomach worried him. He feared drunken copying. Chen Wu called him unfilial. She accused refusal of hiding guilt. They compromised at two sheng plus one to go. Cornered he drank more. He blacked out—the forged edict followed. A girl delivered a case—'copy this edict.' He found white and green paper inside. Runners said the emperor waited. Chengfu added brush and yellow paper for the copy. Rush left no time to read the forgery's sense. He closed pleading filial trust and public innocence.'
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宿忿 使殿 使 使 便
Injustice against Yu enraged the capital. Right Guard Commandant Sima Ya and Attendant Commandant Xu Chao, both favorites of the crown prince, grieved deeply; they told Sun Xiu, stratagemist to Prince Zhao of Lun: "The state has no true heir—altar and grain will be imperiled; great ministers' disaster is sure to rise. They warned Sun Xiu that Jia would scapegoat Jia's allies. Why not plot first!" Sun Xiu sold the plot to Sima Lun. With the plan set, Xiu said to Lun, "The crown prince is by nature rigid and fierce; if he gains his will he will certainly give free rein to his temper. Lun was branded Jia's man. Yu would not thank Lun for a late defection. One slip and Lun's head would roll. Better delay: Empress Jia is sure to harm the crown prince; then depose Jia, avenge the crown prince—merit enough to win your will." Lun assented. Sun Xiu spread rumors of a palace plot to restore Yu. Jia panicked and had Cheng Ju mix purgative poison. Third month a fake edict sent Sun Lü to kill Yu at Xuchang. Yu had cooked for himself to avoid cup poison. Lü jailed and starved Yu; sympathizers smuggled food over walls. Sun Lü beat Yu to death in the latrine with a pestle—screams escaped. He died at twenty-three. They proposed burying him by commoner rites; Empress Jia memorialized: "Yu has unfortunately died—I mourn his confusion and error and early cutting-off; grief overwhelms me. She posed as hoping Yu could repent posthumously. She claimed thwarted maternal hopes. She asked royal burial despite his crimes. Your servant is dull and shallow, ignorant of ritual propriety, overwhelmed by utmost feeling—rashly venturing to memorialize." The court buried him as Guangling prince.
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使使 使
When Deposed Commoner Jia died, they executed Liu Zhen, Sun Lü, Cheng Ju, and others, and posthumously restored the crown prince; the edict read: "The emperor dispatches the credential-bearer, concurrent Director of Works, Commandant of the Guard Yi Ce to the spirit of the late crown prince: Alas! Hui's ghost-eulogy praised Wu Di's love and Yu's fief. Hui claimed he installed Yu by Wu Di's will. Praise for filial study. Hui likened the plot to classic wronged heirs. He credited ministers for Jia's fall. Ritual could not unkill Yu. Imperial rhetoric of inner ache. State burial at capital with ox sacrifice. If soul possesses awareness may it receive this heart." Court mourned and fetched Yu's bier from Xu.
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使
Storm shattered funeral umbrellas. They further composed a condolence text: "The emperor facing the gallery sends Groom of the Household Liu Wu to the crown prince's lying-in-state: Ah, Yu! Praise for childhood brilliance. Boyhood distinction. Wu Di's praise. Titles echoed court-wide. Heir establishment recalled. Rhetorical grief at murder. Seasonal mourning tropes. Funeral lament pause. Hui blamed himself. Women's palace crimes blamed. Body lost to murder. Parallel to Jin Prince Shen Sheng. Yu died east at Xu. Universal mourning asserted. Allusion to righteous remonstrance. Justice spans dynasties. Grandson Zang named heir. Hope for surviving line. Tomb closure comforts ghost. Procession imagery. Mourning cortège splendor. Courtiers weep together. May light reach posterity, never extinguished through ages." Canonized Crown Prince Minhuai. Buried sixth month at Xianping. Yan Zuan's plea built Son-Lament Terrace—Jiang Tong and Lu Ji wrote elegies. Three sons shared Yu's prison.
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Eldest Bin (Daowen) died Yongkang first month. Fourth month titled Prince of Nanyang.
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西 西
Second son Zang, styled Jingwen. Yongkang fourth month made Linhuai prince. On jisi day an edict stated: "Ill omens pile; crafty factions stir; Yu was driven from office and died unnaturally. Zang named grand-heir. Wang Huifeng raised him as heir consort. Staff slid from heir to grand-heir titles. Prince Zhao of Lun acted Grand Tutor to the imperial grandson-heir." May procession exited the west palace gate in Yu's old livery. Luoyang wept along Bronze Camel Street. Omen mulberry mirrored heir's fall. Yongning coup demoted Zang—murdered at Jinyong. Tai'an era canonized Ai.
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Shang, styled Jingren. In Yongkang fourth month he was made Prince of Xiangyang. In Yongning eighth month he was made imperial grandson-heir. On guimao in Tai'an third month he died; the emperor wore trimmed mourning for a year and granted the posthumous title Chong Imperial Grandson.
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姿 姿 使
Editors praise Yu's childhood gifts. Wu Di planned Yu as future pillar. The realm expected greatness. Editors blame Yu for vice after enthronement as heir. Jia kin engineered slander. Palace traps and forged prayers sealed Yu's fate. Hui's blindness and court cowardice blamed. Compared Yu's fate to ancient prince tragedies. Posthumous honors could not resurrect him.
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Verse praises innate wit. Court awaited his reign. Eastern Palace failed to mature virtue. Wasp-and-meat allusions to court intrigue. Death ended every hope of restoration.
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