1
永王存霸，武皇子，莊宗第二弟，同光三年封。 莊宗敗，為軍卒所殺。 〈（《歐陽史》云：存霸曆昭義、天平、河中三軍節度使，居京師食俸祿而已。 趙在禮反，乃遣存霸於河中，莊宗再幸汜水，徙存霸北京留守。 《通鑒》云：李紹榮欲奔河中就永王存霸，從兵稍散，存霸亦率眾千人棄鎮奔晉陽。 又云：存霸至晉陽，從兵逃散俱盡，存霸削髮僧服謁李彥超：「願為山僧，幸垂庇護。」 軍士爭欲殺之，彥超曰：「六相公來，當奏取進止。」 軍士不聽，殺之於府門之碑下。）〉
Prince Yong Cunba, a son of the Martial Emperor and Zhuangzong's second younger brother, received his princely title in Tongguang 3. After Zhuangzong's defeat, he was killed by common soldiers. (The Ouyang History records that Cunba had served in turn as military commissioner of the Zhao-Yi, Tianping, and Hezhong circuits, living in the capital on stipend alone. When Zhao Zaili rose in revolt, Cunba was dispatched to Hezhong. Zhuangzong returned to Si River a second time and reassigned Cunba as Protector of the Northern Capital. The Comprehensive Mirror adds that Li Shaorong meant to flee to Hezhong to reach Prince Yong Cunba, but his followers slowly melted away, and Cunba too abandoned his command with a thousand men and fled to Jinyang. The text goes on to say that by the time Cunba reached Jinyang every one of his followers had deserted him. He shaved his head, put on monastic robes, and visited Li Yanchao, saying, "I wish only to be a mountain monk; please grant me your protection." The troops clamored to kill him, but Li Yanchao said, "The Sixth Lord has arrived; I must submit a report and await instructions." The soldiers refused to wait and killed him at the stele before the prefectural gate.)〉
2
邕王存美，武皇子，莊宗第三弟，同光三年封。 莊宗敗，不知所終。 〈（《通鑒》云：存美以病風偏枯得免，居於晉陽。）〉 薛王存禮，武皇子，同光三年封。 莊宗敗，不知所終。
Prince Yong Cunmei, a son of the Martial Emperor and Zhuangzong's third younger brother, received his title in Tongguang 3. After Zhuangzong's defeat, his fate was never learned. (The Comprehensive Mirror notes that Cunmei was spared because wind sickness had left him half-paralyzed, and he remained at Jinyang.)〉 Prince Xue Cunli, a son of the Martial Emperor, was enfeoffed in Tongguang 3. After Zhuangzong's defeat, his fate was never learned.
3
申王存渥，莊宗第四弟， 〈（《歐陽史》，存渥與存霸、存紀皆莊宗同母弟。）〉 同光三年封。 莊宗敗，與劉皇后同奔太原，為部下所殺。 〈（《通鑒》云：存渥至晉陽，李彥超不納，走至風穀，為其下所殺。）〉
Prince Shen Cunwo, Zhuangzong's fourth younger brother, (The Ouyang History adds that Cunwo, like Cunba and Cunji, was Zhuangzong's uterine younger brother.)〉 He received his princely title in Tongguang 3. After Zhuangzong's defeat, he fled toward Taiyuan with Empress Liu and was killed by his own followers. (According to the Comprehensive Mirror, Cunwo reached Jinyang but Li Yanchao refused him entry; fleeing as far as Feng Valley, he was killed by his own party.)〉
4
睦王存乂，莊宗第五弟，同光三所封。 〈（案，以下原闕。）〉 曆鄜州節度使，後以郭崇韜婿為莊宗所殺。 〈（《北夢瑣言》云：莊宗異母弟存乂，以郭崇韜女婿伏誅。 先是，郭崇韜既誅之後，朝野駭惋，議論紛然。 莊宗令閹人察訪外事，言存乂於諸將坐上訴郭氏之無罪，其言怨望。 又於妖術人楊千郎家飲酒聚會，攘臂而泣。 楊千郎者，魏州賤民，自言得墨子術於婦翁，能役使陰物，帽下召食物果實之類。 又蒱爪博必勝，人有拳握之物，以法必取。 又說煉丹乾汞，易人形，破扃鑰。 貴要間神奇之，官至尚書郎，賜紫，其妻出入宮禁，承恩用事。 皇弟存乂常朋淫於其家，至是與存乂並罹其禍。）〉
Prince Mu Cunyi, Zhuangzong's fifth younger brother, was enfeoffed in Tongguang 3. (Note: the original text below this point is missing.)〉 He had served as military commissioner of Fuzhou and was later executed by Zhuangzong for being Guo Chongtao's son-in-law. (Beimeng Suoyan records that Cunyi, Zhuangzong's half-brother, was put to death for being married to Guo Chongtao's daughter. After Guo Chongtao's execution, the court and the streets alike were shaken with horror and regret, and debate raged on every side. Zhuangzong sent eunuchs to spy on affairs beyond the palace, and they reported that seated among the generals Cunyi had argued for the Guo family's innocence in tones full of resentment. He had also been seen drinking with friends at the home of the wonder-worker Yang Qianlang, where he rolled up his sleeves and wept aloud. Yang Qianlang was a common man of Weizhou who claimed to have learned Mozi's techniques from his father-in-law and could command spirits of the yin realm: food, fruit, and other provisions would appear from under his cap. In finger-wrestling and dice games he never lost, and whatever a man clenched in his fist, Yang could always draw forth by his arts. He also boasted of alchemical mastery over cinnabar and mercury, of changing a man's shape, and of opening any lock. The great and powerful marveled at him. He rose to Gentleman of the Secretariat, was granted the purple robe, and his wife moved freely through the inner palace, enjoying imperial favor and real power. Prince Cunyi was a habitual reveler at Yang's house; now Yang and Cunyi alike fell victim to the same purge.)〉
5
通王存確，莊宗第六弟，雅王存紀，莊宗第七弟，同光三年封。 莊宗敗，並為霍彥威所殺。 〈（考《梁紀》，太祖有子廷鸞、落落； 《盧文進傳》，莊宗又有弟存矩。 《薛史宗室傳》皆不載。）〉
Prince Tong Cunque, Zhuangzong's sixth younger brother, and Prince Ya Cunji, his seventh, both received their titles in Tongguang 3. After Zhuangzong's defeat, both were killed by Huo Yanwei. (Cross-checking the Liang Annals shows that Taizu had sons named Tingluan and Luoluo; the biography of Lu Wenjin mentions another younger brother of Zhuangzong, Cunju; yet none of these appear in the imperial-family biographies of the Xue History.)〉
6
魏王繼岌，莊宗子也。 莊宗即位於魏州，以繼岌充北都留守； 及以鎮州為北都，又命為留守。 〈（《五代會要》：三年九月二十三日，封為魏王。）〉 三年，伐蜀，以繼岌為都統，郭崇韜為招討使。 十月戊寅，至鳳州，武興軍節度使王承捷以鳳、興、文、扶四州降。 甲申，至故鎮，康延孝收興州。 時偽蜀主王衍率親軍五萬在利州，令步騎親軍三萬逆戰於三泉，康延孝、李嚴以勁騎三千犯之，蜀軍大敗，斬首五千級，餘皆奔潰。 王衍聞其敗也，棄利州奔歸西川，斷吉柏津，浮梁而去。 己丑，繼岌至興州，偽蜀東川節度使宋光葆以梓、潼、劍、龍、普等州來降； 武定軍節度使王承肇以洋、蓬、壁三州符印降； 興元節度使王宗威以梁、開、通、渠、麟等五州符印送降； 階州王承嶽納符印； 秦州節度使王承休棄城而遁。 辛丑，繼岌過利州。 戊申，至劍州。 己酉，至綿州，王衍遣使上箋乞降。 丁巳，入成都。 自興師出洛至定蜀，計七十五日，走丸之勢，前代所無。 師回，至渭南，聞莊宗敗。 師徒潰散，自縊死。 〈（《太平廣記》引《王氏見聞錄》云：後唐莊宗巴子魏王繼岌伐蜀，回軍在道，而有鄴都之變。 莊宗與劉後命內臣張漢賓齎急詔，所在催魏王歸闕。 張漢賓乘驛倍道急行，至興元西縣逢魏王，宣傳詔旨。 王以本軍方討漢州，康延孝相次繼來，欲候之出山，以陳凱歌，漢賓督之。 有軍謀陳岷，比事梁，與漢賓熟，密問張曰：「天子改換，且是何人？」 張色莊曰：「我嘗麵奉宣詔魏王，況大軍在行，談何容易。」 陳岷曰：「久忝知聞，故敢諮問，兩日來有一信風，新人已即位矣，復何形跡。」 張乃說：「來時聞李嗣源過河，未知近事。」 岷曰：「魏王且請盤桓，以觀其勢，未可前邁。」 張以莊宗命嚴，不敢遷延，督令進發，魏王至渭南遇害。）〉
Prince Wei Jiji was a son of Zhuangzong. When Zhuangzong assumed the throne at Weizhou, he appointed Jiji Protector of the Northern Capital; when the seat of the Northern Capital was moved to Zhenzhou, Jiji was ordered to serve there again as Protector. (According to the Five Dynasties Institutional Essentials, he was enfeoffed as Prince of Wei on the twenty-third day of the ninth month of that year.)〉 In Tongguang 3 the court marched against Shu, with Jiji as commander-in-chief and Guo Chongtao as campaign commissioner. On wuyin in the tenth month they reached Fengzhou, where Wang Chengjie, military commissioner of the Wuxing circuit, surrendered Feng, Xing, Wen, and Fu. On jiashen they reached Gu Town, and Kang Yanxiao took Xingzhou. The Shu pretender Wang Yan was then at Lizhou with fifty thousand household troops. He sent thirty thousand foot and horse of his personal guard to meet the Tang advance at Sanquan. Kang Yanxiao and Li Yan charged with three thousand elite cavalry; the Shu force was shattered, five thousand heads were taken, and the survivors fled in disorder. Hearing of the defeat, Wang Yan abandoned Lizhou and fled west into Shu, severing the Jibo crossing and escaping over a pontoon bridge. On jichou Jiji reached Xingzhou, where Song Guangbao, the Dongchuan military commissioner of Shu, surrendered Zi, Tong, Jian, Long, Pu, and other prefectures; Wang Chengzhao of the Wuding circuit submitted the seals of Yang, Peng, and Bi; Wang Zongwei of Xingyuan sent in the seals of Liang, Kai, Tong, Qu, and Lin in submission; Wang Chengyue of Jiezhou turned over his seals; and Wang Chengxu of Qinzhou abandoned his city and fled. On xinchou Jiji passed through Lizhou. On wushen they reached Jianzhou. On jiyou they reached Mianzhou, where Wang Yan sent envoys with a written plea to surrender. On dingsi they entered Chengdu. From the army's departure from Luoyang to the pacification of Shu took only seventy-five days—a speed like a ball rolling downhill, without precedent in earlier times. On the march home the army reached Weinan and learned of Zhuangzong's defeat. His force dissolved in panic, and he hanged himself. (The Extensive Records of the Taiping, citing Wang's Records of Things Seen and Heard, relates that Zhuangzong's son Prince Wei Jiji marched against Shu and was already on the homeward road when the upheaval at Ye Capital broke out. Zhuangzong and Empress Liu dispatched the palace eunuch Zhang Hanbin with an urgent edict ordering Prince Wei to return to court at once. Zhang Hanbin raced by post relay at top speed, met Prince Wei at Xixian in Xingyuan, and delivered the imperial command. The prince's own force was still reducing Hanzhou, and Kang Yanxiao was following close behind; he wanted to wait until both columns had cleared the mountains to celebrate victory, but Hanbin pressed him onward. A staff officer named Chen Min, who had once served Liang and knew Hanbin well, asked him in private, "The throne has changed hands—who sits on it now?" Zhang's face hardened. "I received this edict in person to deliver to Prince Wei, and a great army is on the march—such talk is not to be bandied about lightly." Chen Min replied, "We have known each other a long time, which is why I dare ask. For two days reliable word has been blowing this way: the new man is already enthroned. Why keep up appearances?" Zhang then admitted, "When I set out I heard Li Siyuan had crossed the Yellow River, but I do not know what has happened since." Chen said, "Prince Wei ought to hold where he is and watch how the situation develops. He must not press forward yet." Bound by Zhuangzong's strict order, Zhang would not delay and drove the march forward; Prince Wei reached Weinan and was killed.)〉
7
繼潼、繼嵩、繼蟾、繼嶢並莊宗子，同光三年拜光祿大夫、檢校司徒，未封。 莊宗敗，並不知所終。 〈（《清異錄》：唐福慶公主下降孟知祥。 長興四年，明宗晏駕，唐室亂。 莊宗諸兒削髮為芻，間道走蜀。 時知祥新稱帝，為分主厚待猶子，賜予千計。）〉
Jitong, Jisong, Jichan, and Jiyao were all sons of Zhuangzong. In Tongguang 3 they were made Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and honorary Ministers of Education, but received no princely titles. After Zhuangzong's defeat, none of their fates was ever learned. (Records of Pure Wonders records that Princess Fuqing of Tang was given in marriage to Meng Zhixiang. In Changxing 4, when Emperor Mingzong died, the Tang court collapsed into chaos. Zhuangzong's sons shaved their heads like common monks and stole away to Shu by back roads. Meng Zhixiang had just proclaimed himself emperor; treating them as kin of the fallen house, he received Zhuangzong's sons with great favor and showered them with gifts by the thousand.)〉
8
從璟，明宗長子，性忠勇沈厚，摧堅陷陣，人罕偕焉。 從莊宗於河上，累有戰功，莊宗器賞之，用為金槍指揮使。 明宗在魏府為軍士所逼，莊宗詔從璟曰：「爾父於國有大功，忠孝之心，朕自明信，今為亂兵所劫，爾宜自去宣朕旨，無令有疑。」 從璟行至中途，為元行欽所製，復與歸洛下。 莊宗改其名為繼璟，以為己子，命再往，從璟固執不行，願死於御前，以明丹赤。 從莊宗赴汴州，明宗之親舊多策馬而去，左右或勸從璟令自脫，終無行意，尋為元行欽所殺。 天成初，贈太保。
Congjing, Mingzong's eldest son, was loyal, brave, and steady by nature; in smashing enemy lines few could stand beside him. He followed Zhuangzong on the Yellow River campaigns and won repeated victories; Zhuangzong prized him and appointed him commander of the Golden Spear Guard. When Mingzong at Weifu was seized by mutinous troops, Zhuangzong sent Congjing this command: "Your father has rendered great service to the state, and I trust his loyalty without question. He is now held by rebellious soldiers. Go yourself and proclaim my will so that no suspicion remains." Congjing had not gone far when Yuan Xingqin seized him and brought him back to Luoyang. Zhuangzong renamed him Jijing and treated him as a son, then ordered him to go again. Congjing refused outright, saying he would rather die before the throne than leave his loyalty in doubt. When Zhuangzong marched toward Bianzhou, many of Mingzong's kinsmen and old friends rode away. His attendants urged Congjing to flee on his own, but he would not budge, and soon Yuan Xingqin killed him. At the opening of Tiancheng he was posthumously enfeoffed as Grand Preceptor.
9
秦王從榮，明宗第二子也。 明宗踐阼，天成初，授鄴都留守、天雄軍節度使。 三年，移北京留守，充河東節度使。 四年，入為河南尹。 一日，明宗謂安重誨曰：「近聞從榮左右有詐宣朕旨，令勿接儒生，儒生多懦，恐鈍誌相染。 朕方知之，頗駭其事。 餘比以從榮方幼，出臨大藩，故先儒雅，賴其裨佐。 今聞此奸憸之言，豈朕之所望屯。」 鞫其言者將戮之，重誨曰：「若遽行刑，又慮賓從難處，且望嚴誡。」 遂止。
Prince Qin Congrong was Mingzong's second son. When Mingzong took the throne, in early Tiancheng Congrong was made Protector of Ye Capital and military commissioner of the Tianxiong army. In the third year he was moved to Protector of the Northern Capital and military commissioner of Hedong. In the fourth year he was appointed Intendant of Henan. One day Mingzong said to An Chonghui, "I have lately heard that men around Congrong are falsely speaking in my name, telling him not to receive Confucian scholars—scholars are too timid, they say, and might dull his ambition. I have only just learned of this, and it alarms me greatly. I sent scholars to him earlier because he was still young when he went out to govern a great circuit, and I relied on them to guide him. To hear such treacherous talk now—this is not what I wanted at all." He was about to interrogate and execute the men responsible. Chonghui said, "If you execute them at once, his staff may become impossible to manage. I would ask only for a stern warning for now." Mingzong relented.
10
從榮為詩，與從事高輦等更相唱和，自謂章句獨步於一時，有詩千餘首，號曰《紫府集》。
Congrong wrote poetry and exchanged verses with his staff officer Gao Nian and others, claiming that in his generation no one matched his lines. He compiled more than a thousand poems under the title Collected Works of the Purple Palace.
11
長興中，以本官充天下兵馬大元帥。 從榮乃請以嚴衛、捧聖步騎兩指揮為秦府衙兵，每入朝，以數百騎從行，出則張弓挾矢，馳騁盈巷。 既受元帥之命，即令其府屬僚佐及四方遊士，各試《檄淮南書》一道，陳己將廓清宇內之意。 初，言事者請為親王置師傅，明宗顧問近臣，執政以從榮名勢既隆，不敢忤旨，即奏云：「王官宜委。」 從榮乃奏刑部侍郎劉讚為王傅，又奏翰林學士崔棁為元帥府判官。 明宗曰：「學士代予詔令，不可擬議。」 衣榮不悅，退謂左右曰：「既付以元帥之任，而阻予請僚佐，又未諭製旨也。」 復奏刑部侍郎任讚，從之。 〈（《宋史·趙上交傳》：秦王從榮開府兼判軍衛，以上交為虞部員外郎，充六軍諸衛推官。 李澣、張沆、魚崇遠皆白衣在秦府，悉與上交友善。 累遷司封郎中，充判官。 從榮素豪邁，不遵禮法，好昵群小，上交從容言曰：「王位尊嚴，當修令德以慰民望。 王忍為此，獨不見恭世子、戾太子之事乎？」 從榮怒，出之。 曆涇、秦二鎮節度判官。 從榮及禍，僚屬皆坐斥。 上交由是知名。）〉 後舉兵犯宮室，敗死，廢為庶人。 〈（《通鑒·明宗紀》云：己丑，大漸，秦王從榮入問疾，帝俯首不能舉。 王淑妃曰：「從榮在此。」 帝不應。 從榮出，聞宮中皆哭。 從榮意帝已殂，明旦，稱疾不入。 是夕，帝實小愈，而從榮不知。 從榮自知不為時論所與，恐不得為嗣，與其黨謀，欲以兵入侍，先製權臣。 壬辰，從榮自河南府常服將步騎千人陳於天津橋。 孟漢瓊被甲乘馬，召馬軍都指揮使朱洪實，使將五百騎討從榮，從榮方據胡床，坐橋上，遣左右召康義誠。 端門已閉，叩左掖門，從門隙窺之，見朱洪實引騎兵北來，走白從榮，從榮大驚，命取鐵掩心擐之，坐調弓矢。 俄而騎兵大至，從榮走歸府，僚佐皆竄匿，牙兵掠嘉善坊潰去。 從榮與妃劉氏匿床下，皇城使安從益就斬之，以其首獻。 丙申，追廢從榮為庶人。 《五代會要》云：清泰元年，葬以公禮。 從之。 《五代史補》：秦王從榮，明宗之愛子。 好為詩，判河南府，辟高輦為推官。 輦尤能為詩，賓主相遇甚歡。 自是出入門下者，當時名士有若張杭、高文蔚、何仲舉之徒，莫不分廷抗禮。 更唱迭和。 時干戈之後，武夫用事，睹從榮所為，皆不悅。 於是康知訓等竊議曰：「秦王好文，交遊者多詞客，此子若一旦南面，則我等轉死溝壑，不如早圖之。」 高輦知其謀，因勸秦王托疾：「此輩須來問候，請大王伏壯士，出其不意皆斬之，庶幾免禍矣。」 從榮曰：「至尊在上，一旦如此，得無危乎？」 輦曰：「子弄父兵，罪當笞爾； 不然，則悔無及矣。」 從榮猶豫不決，未幾及禍，高輦棄市。 初，從榮之敗也，高輦竄於民家，且落發為僧。 既擒獲，知訓以其毀形難認，復使巾幘著緋，驗其真偽，然後用刑。 輦神色自若，屬聲曰：「朱衣才脫，白刃難逃。」 觀者笑之。）〉
During the Changxing era he was appointed Grand Marshal of All Armies and Horses Under Heaven while retaining his existing rank. Congrong then asked that the Yanwei and Pingsheng infantry and cavalry commands serve as his Qin Palace guard. Whenever he attended court, several hundred horsemen escorted him; when he went abroad he rode with bow strung and arrows at hand, filling the streets with his galloping retinue. After receiving the marshal's commission, he ordered his staff and visiting scholars from every quarter each to draft a Proclamation to Huainan proclaiming his intent to bring order to the empire. Earlier, officials had urged that tutors be appointed for the prince. Mingzong consulted his close advisers, but the chief ministers, knowing Congrong's power was already formidable, dared not cross him and memorialized, "Let the prince choose his own staff." Congrong then nominated Vice Minister of Justice Liu Zan as his tutor and Hanlin Academician Cui Ruan as chief administrator of the marshal's headquarters. Mingzong said, "A Hanlin academician drafts my edicts; that nomination cannot stand." Congrong was displeased. Withdrawing, he told his attendants, "I am given the marshal's command, yet my choice of staff is blocked—and no explanation of the emperor's intent is offered." He then nominated Vice Minister of Justice Ren Zan, and the emperor approved. (The Song History, biography of Zhao Shangjiao, records that when Prince Qin Congrong opened his headquarters and concurrently judged the army guards, Shangjiao was made Vice Director of the Bureau of Parks and investigating officer of the Six Armies and various guards. Li Han, Zhang Hang, and Yu Chongyuan, all commoners at the Qin Palace, became his close friends. He rose through promotion to Director of the Bureau of Seals and served as chief administrator. Congrong was by nature bold and lawless, fond of low company. Shangjiao said gently, "Your station is exalted; you should cultivate virtue to meet the people's hopes. Can you persist in this and not see what became of the Heir of Gong and the Rebellious Heir?" Congrong flew into a rage and dismissed him. He later served as military administrator of the Jing and Qin circuits. When Congrong fell, his entire staff was punished and dismissed. Shangjiao thereby won renown.)〉 Later he raised troops against the palace, was defeated and killed, and was posthumously degraded to commoner status. (The Comprehensive Mirror, annals of Mingzong, records that on jichou the emperor's illness grew grave. Prince Qin Congrong came to inquire after him, but the emperor could only bow his head and could not lift it. Consort Wang Shufei said, "Congrong is here." The emperor did not answer. Congrong left and heard weeping throughout the palace. Congrong assumed the emperor was already dead; the next morning he pleaded illness and did not attend court. That night the emperor had in fact improved slightly, but Congrong did not know. Knowing he lacked support and fearing he would not succeed to the throne, Congrong plotted with his faction to march in with troops, attend the emperor, and first overpower the powerful ministers. On renchen Congrong left Henan Prefecture in ordinary dress at the head of a thousand foot and horse and formed ranks at Tianjin Bridge. Meng Hanqiong donned armor, mounted his horse, and summoned Horse Army Commander Zhu Hongshi to lead five hundred cavalry against Congrong. Congrong was lounging on a camp chair on the bridge and sent attendants to summon Kang Yicheng. The main gate was shut; he knocked at the Left Flank Gate and peered through the crack, saw Zhu Hongshi leading cavalry northward, and ran to warn Congrong. Congrong was terrified, ordered iron breastplates brought and put on, and sat stringing his bow. Soon the cavalry arrived in force. Congrong fled to his residence; his staff scattered and hid, and his guard soldiers looted Jia Shan Ward and melted away. Congrong and his consort Lady Liu hid under a bed. Imperial City Commissioner An Congyi went in and beheaded him, presenting his head. On bingshen he was posthumously degraded to commoner status. The Five Dynasties Institutional Essentials records that in Qingtai 1 he was buried with ducal rites. The court approved. The Supplement to the History of the Five Dynasties calls Prince Qin Congrong Mingzong's beloved son. He loved poetry; as judge of Henan Prefecture he recruited Gao Nian as investigating officer. Gao Nian was himself a fine poet, and prince and officer took great pleasure in each other's company. Thereafter the famous men who passed through his doors—Zhang Hang, Gao Wenwei, He Zhongju, and others—were all received as equals in his hall. They exchanged verses back and forth. In those days, after years of war, men of the sword held power, and they disliked everything they saw Congrong doing. Kang Zhixun and others whispered among themselves, "Prince Qin loves literature and keeps company with poets. If he ever takes the throne, we shall die in the ditches. Better to move against him now." Gao Nian learned of the plot and urged the prince to feign illness: "They will come to inquire after you. Hide strong men and cut them down by surprise—that may be your only escape." Congrong said, "The emperor is still above us. To do such a thing—would it not be perilous?" Gao Nian replied, "A son who misuses his father's soldiers deserves no more than a beating; otherwise you will regret it when it is too late." Congrong wavered and could not decide. Before long disaster struck, and Gao Nian was executed in the marketplace. When Congrong fell, Gao Nian hid in a commoner's house and shaved his head to pass as a monk. Once captured, Zhixun, finding his altered appearance hard to recognize, had him dressed again in cap and scarlet robe to confirm his identity before executing him. Gao Nian's face was calm. He cried aloud, "Scarlet robes just cast off—white blades you cannot escape." The crowd laughed.)〉
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從璨，明宗諸子。 性剛直，好客疏財，意豁如也。 天成中，為右衛大將軍，時安重誨方秉事權，從璨亦不之屈，重誨嘗以此忌之。 明宗幸汴，留從璨為大內皇城使。 一日，召賓友於會節園，酒酣之後，戲登於禦榻。 安重誨奏請誅之。 詔曰：「皇城使從璨，朕巡幸汴州，使警大內。 乃全乖委任，但恣遨遊，於予行從之園，頻恣歌歡之會，仍施峻法，顯辱平人，致彼喧嘩，達於聞聽。 方當立法，固不黨親，宜貶授房州司戶參軍，仍令盡命。」 長興中，重誨之得罪也。 命復舊官，仍贈太保。
Congcan was one of Mingzong's sons. He was upright and blunt by nature, hospitable and generous, open-hearted and free. During Tiancheng he was Grand General of the Right Guard. An Chonghui then held power, and Congcan would not bow to him; Chonghui resented him for it. When Mingzong visited Bian, he left Congcan as commissioner of the inner imperial city. One day he summoned friends to Huijie Garden, and in his cups playfully climbed onto the imperial couch. An Chonghui memorialized asking that he be executed. An edict declared, "Imperial City Commissioner Congcan: when We toured Bianzhou We charged him to guard the inner palace. Yet he wholly betrayed that trust, roaming in pleasure alone. In the garden of Our traveling suite he held repeated revels of song and wine, applied harsh punishments, openly humiliated common people, and stirred uproar that reached Our ears. Law must be upheld and kinship cannot shield him. He is demoted to Army Aide of Fangzhou, and his life is forfeit." During Changxing, when Chonghui fell from power, Congcan's former office was restored and he was posthumously enfeoffed as Grand Preceptor.
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許王從益，明宗之幼子也。 宮嬪所生。 明宗命王淑妃母之，嘗謂左右曰：「惟此兒生於皇宮，故尤所鍾愛。」 長興末，封許王。 晉高祖即位，以皇后即其姊也，乃養從益於宮中。 晉天福中，以從益為二王後，改封郇國公，食邑三千戶。 其後與母歸洛陽。 守陵開運末，契丹主至汴，以從益遙領曹州節度使，復封許王，與王妃尋歸西京。 會契丹主死，其汴州節度使蕭翰謀歸北地，慮中原無主，軍民大亂，則己亦不得按轡徐歸矣； 乃詐稱契丹主命，遣人迎從益於洛陽，令知南朝軍國事。 從益與王妃逃於徽陵以避之，使者至，不得已而赴焉。 從益於崇元殿見群官。 蕭翰率蕃首列拜於殿上，群官趨於殿下，乃偽署王鬆為左丞相，趙上交為右丞相。 李式、翟光鄴為樞密使，王景崇為宣徽使，餘官各有署置。 又以北來燕將劉祚為權侍衛使，充在京巡檢。 翰北歸，從益餞於北郊。 及漢高祖將離太原，從益召高行周、武行德欲拒漢高祖，行周等不從，且奏其事。 漢高祖怒，車駕將至闕，從益與王妃俱賜死於私第，時年十七； 時人哀之。 〈（《五代史闕文》：漢高祖自太原起軍建號，至洛陽，會郭從義先入京師，受密旨殺王淑妃與許王從益。 淑妃臨刑號泣曰：「吾家子母何罪，吾既為契丹所立，非敢與人爭國，何不且留吾兒，每年寒食，使持一盂飯灑明宗陵寢。」 聞者無不泣下。）〉
Prince Xu Congyi was Mingzong's youngest son. He was born to a palace concubine. Mingzong appointed Consort Wang Shufei as his foster mother and once told his attendants, "Only this child was born in the palace itself, and so I cherish him above all." At the end of the Changxing era he was enfeoffed as Prince of Xu. When Gaozu of Jin took the throne, the empress being his elder sister, Congyi was raised in the palace. During Jin Tianfu he was made heir to the second princely rank, retitled Duke of Xun, with a fief of three thousand households. He later returned to Luoyang with his mother. While guarding the imperial tombs in late Kaiyun, the Khitan ruler reached Bian. Congyi was given titular command of Caozhou, again enfeoffed as Prince of Xu, and soon returned to the Western Capital with his consort. When the Khitan ruler died, his Bianzhou military commissioner Xiao Han planned to return north. He feared that with no ruler in the Central Plains and army and people in chaos, he himself could not withdraw at leisure; so he falsely claimed the Khitan ruler's command, sent men to summon Congyi from Luoyang, and installed him to govern the southern court's military and civil affairs. Congyi and his consort fled to Huiling to escape the summons; when the envoys arrived, he had no choice but to go. Congyi received the assembled officials in Chongyuan Hall. Xiao Han led the Khitan chiefs in ranks bowing in the hall while the officials hurried to below the steps. He falsely appointed Wang Song Left Chancellor and Zhao Shangjiao Right Chancellor. Li Shi and Zhai Guangye were made commissioners of the Bureau of Military Affairs, Wang Jingchong palace commissioner, and the remaining posts were each filled. The Yan general Liu Zuo, newly arrived from the north, was made acting commissioner of the Palace Guard and charged with capital patrol. When Xiao Han marched north, Congyi gave him a farewell feast at the Northern Suburb. When Gaozu of Han was about to march from Taiyuan, Congyi summoned Gao Xingzhou and Wu Xingde to resist him. They refused and memorialized the court. Gaozu of Han was enraged. As the imperial carriage neared the capital, Congyi and his consort were both ordered to die in their private residence. He was seventeen; and the people pitied him. (Lost Writings of the History of the Five Dynasties records that Gaozu of Han raised his army at Taiyuan and established his reign. Reaching Luoyang, he found Guo Congyi already in the capital with a secret order to kill Consort Wang Shufei and Prince Xu Congyi. Facing execution the consort wept aloud, "What crime have mother and son committed? The Khitan installed me; I never sought to contend for the realm. Why not spare my son, so that each Cold Food he may bring one bowl of rice to Mingzong's tomb?" All who heard wept.)〉
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雍王理美，末帝第二子，清泰三年封。 晉兵入，與末帝俱自焚死。 〈（《通鑒》云：洛陽自聞兵敗，眾心大震，居人四出，逃竄山谷。 門者請禁之，雍王重美曰：「國家多難，未能為百姓主，又禁其求生，徒增惡名耳。 不若聽其自便，事寧自還。」 乃出令任從所適，眾心差安。 又云：皇后積薪欲燒宮室，重美諫曰：「新天子至，必不露居，他日重勞民力，死而遺怨，將安用之。」 乃止。）〉
Prince Yong Limei, the Last Emperor's second son, was enfeoffed in Qingtai 3. When the Jin army entered Luoyang, he and the Last Emperor burned themselves to death. (The Comprehensive Mirror records that from the moment Luoyang heard of the army's defeat, panic seized the city and residents fled into the hills on every side. The gatekeepers asked to stop them. Prince Yong Chongmei said, "The state is in grave trouble and cannot yet protect its people. To forbid them to save themselves would only deepen our ill repute. Better to let them go where they will; when peace returns they will come back." He issued an order allowing people to go where they wished, and the city grew somewhat calmer. The text also records that the empress piled firewood to burn the palace. Chongmei remonstrated, "The new emperor will not live in the open air. To burn the palace would burden the people again after your death and leave only resentment. What good would that do?" She desisted.)〉
15
史臣曰：繼岌以童騃之歲，當統帥之任，雖功成於劍外，尋求死於渭濱，蓋運盡天亡，非孺子之咎也。 從審感厚遇之恩，無苟免之意，死於君側，得不謂之忠乎！ 從榮以狂躁之謀，賈覆亡之禍，謂為大逆，則近厚誣。 從璨為權臣所忌，從益為強敵所脅，俱不得其死，亦良可傷哉！ 重美聽洛民之奔亡，止母後之燔爇，身雖燼於戲焰，言則耀乎青編。 童年若斯，可謂賢矣！
The historiographer remarks: Jiji bore a commander's charge while still a child. Though he won glory beyond the Sword Gate, he soon met death on the Wei River—fortune had run its course and heaven had spoken; the fault was not that of a boy. Congshen repaid generous treatment with loyalty, refusing any easy escape, and died at his lord's side. Can this be called anything but faithful devotion? Congrong, through rash and reckless plotting, brought ruin on himself. To call it high treason comes close to slander. Congcan was destroyed by a powerful minister, Congyi was coerced by a strong enemy—neither died a natural death. How lamentable! Chongmei allowed the people of Luoyang to flee and stopped the empress from burning the palace. Though his body perished in the flames, his words shine in the annals. For one so young, he may truly be called worthy!