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卷一百十九 列傳第七 諸王四

Volume 119 Biographies 7: Princes 4

Chapter 119 of 明史 · History of Ming
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Chapter 119
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1
Biographies of the Princes, Part Four: Sons of Emperor Renzong
2
The Prince of Zheng, Zhan Fei (Prince of Lujiang, Zai Yan))〉 The Prince of Yue, Zhan Yong; the Prince of Qi, Zhan Yin; the Prince of Xiang, Zhan Fan (Prince of Zaoyang, You Si))〉 The Prince of Jing, Zhan Kan; the Prince of Huai, Zhan Ao; the Prince of Teng, Zhan Kai; the Prince of Liang, Zhan Ji; the Prince of Wei, Zhan Yan — Sons of Emperor Yingzong
3
The Prince of De, Jian Lin; the Prince of Xu, Jian Chun; the Prince of Xiu, Jian Shu; the Prince of Chong, Jian Ze; the Prince of Ji, Jian Jun; the Prince of Xin, Jian Zhi; the Prince of Hui, Jian Pei — Son of Emperor Jing
4
Crown Prince Huai Xian, Jian Ji — Sons of Emperor Xianzong
5
Crown Prince Dao Gong, You Ji; the Prince of Qi, You Lun; the Prince of Yi, You Bin; the Prince of Heng, You Kai (Prince of Xinle, Zai Xi))〉 The Prince of Yong, You Ting; the Prince of Shou, You Chu; the Prince of Ru, You Bing; the Prince of Jing, You Qian; the Prince of Rong, You Shu; the Prince of Shen, You Kai — Son of Emperor Xiaozong
6
The Prince of Wei, Hou Wei
7
Emperor Renzong had ten sons. Empress Zhao bore Emperor Xuanzong, the Prince of Yue Zhan Yong, and the Prince of Xiang Zhan Fan. Consort Li the Worthy bore the Prince of Zheng Zhan Fei, the Prince of Qi Zhan Yin, and the Prince of Huai Zhan Ao. Consort Zhang the Compliant bore the Prince of Jing, Zhan Kan. Consort Guo the Honored bore the Prince of Teng Zhan Kai, the Prince of Liang Zhan Ji, and the Prince of Wei Zhan Yan.
8
Prince Jing of Zheng, Zhan Fei, was Emperor Renzong's second son. He was enfeoffed in the tenth month of Yongle 22. When Emperor Renzong died, the empress ordered him and the Prince of Xiang to supervise the realm until Xuanzong arrived. In Xuande 1, when the emperor marched against Le'an, the two princes were again left to hold the capital. In the fourth year he took up his fief at Fengxiang. In Zhengtong 8 an edict transferred his fief to Huaiqing. He stayed at his residence in the capital and went to his princedom the following year. Zhan Fei was brutal and tyrannical, and many died under his beatings. Emperor Yingzong appointed the censor Zhou Ying as his chief steward, and the prince was somewhat curbed. He died in Chenghua 2. His son Qi Rang, Prince Jian, succeeded him. While Qi Rang was still heir apparent, the Prince of Xiang came to the capital and passed through Xinxiang. Qi Rang did not ask leave but sent his chief steward out to receive him. Emperor Yingzong was displeased when he heard of it and sent a letter of rebuke. After he succeeded to the title he committed many unlawful acts and showed little kindness to his heir. His chief steward Jiang Wancheng remonstrated with him and was abused for it; Jiang reported the matter to the throne. The emperor sent the Duke of Ying, Zhang Mao, and the eunuch Wang Yunzhong with an edict to admonish him, and only then did he submit a letter of apology. He died in Hongzhi 8. The heir Jian Zi's mother, Consort Han, was ill-treated by Qi Rang; brooding over it, Jian Zi died before his father. His son You Si, Prince Kang, succeeded him and died in Zhengde 2. He had no son, so his younger cousin You Lin, Prince Yi, succeeded; he died in the sixteenth year. His son Hou Wan, Prince Gong, succeeded him.
9
祿 使 使 西
When Emperor Shizong traveled to Chengtian, Hou Wan met him at Xinxiang and was granted an additional three hundred shi of stipend. He memorialized the court on his mother Grand Consort Yan's chaste and filial conduct. An edict ordered the account sent to the Historiography Office. Later, when the emperor held fasting rituals, the princes competed to send envoys with incense offerings, but Hou Wan alone sent none. In the seventh month of Jiajing 27 he submitted a memorial urging the emperor to cultivate virtue and study, presenting his four admonitions 《Dwelling in Reverence》, 《Exhausting Principle》, 《Overcoming the Self》, and 《Preserving Sincerity》, together with ten chapters of 《Linked Pearls》, using the emperor's pursuit of immortals and building projects as his pointed warnings. His language was blunt and unsparing. The emperor was furious and threw his envoy into prison. An edict declared: "Before, when kinsmen of the imperial house slandered the throne, they were left unpunished; now he follows their bad example again. Prince, you are the Duke of the West of our day — do as you please." Two years later came the affair of You Fu, and Hou Wan was condemned.
10
輿 祿
Earlier, Qi Rang had ten sons: the heir Jian Zi; next Jian Yin, Prince of Mengjin; next Jian Bin, Prince of Dongyuan. Jian Yin's mother was favored by Qi Rang and plotted to displace the heir, but failed; she stole the heir's golden patent and fled. Qi Rang pressed the search hard; nursing a grudge, Jian Yin stopped attending court, and his conduct grew ever more lawless. Qi Rang reported him to Emperor Xianzong, who stripped him to commoner rank. When Prince Kang died childless, Jian Yin's son You Fu would have succeeded, but was passed over because of his father's crime; You Lin, son of the Prince of Dongyuan, was enthroned instead. By then You Fu was petitioning to have his commandery-prince rank restored. Angry that Hou Wan would not speak for him, he seized on the emperor's wrath, compiled forty charges against Hou Wan, and accused him of treason. An edict ordered imperial sons-in-law and palace eunuchs to investigate immediately. They reported back that treason could not be substantiated, though his residence did use names and titles reserved for the imperial carriage. The emperor raged: "Hou Wan has slandered my person; in his princedom he is arrogant and insolent — a capital offense." His title was stripped and he was imprisoned at Fengyang. In Longqing 1 his princely title was restored and his stipend increased by four hundred shi. From youth to old age Hou Wan dressed in plain cloth and ate sparingly.
11
祿 使
The heir Zai Yin was a devoted scholar of deep filial feeling. Grieved that his father had been imprisoned without just cause, he built a hut of earth outside the palace gate and lived alone on a straw pallet for nineteen years. Only when Hou Wan returned to his residence did Zai Yin enter the palace. Hou Wan died in Wanli 19. Zai Yin said: "In the succession of the house of Zheng, the line of Mengjin is senior. The former Prince Jian Yin has already been given a posthumous title and had his rank restored; the title should pass to Mengjin." He later submitted repeated memorials earnestly declining the succession. The ritual officials said: "Although Zai Yin is deeply committed to yielding, the line of the Prince of Zheng has already passed three generations without a break in the middle; Zai Yin's son Yi Xi ought to succeed." Zai Yin persisted in his memorials as before. Thereupon You Fu's grandson Zai Xi was made heir, while Zai Yin and Yi Xi were granted heir and heir's-son stipends for life; their descendants were still enfeoffed as Princes of Dongyuan. In the first month of the twenty-second year, Zai Yin memorialized that all imperial clansmen be allowed to wear scholar's robes and sit for the examinations, without regard to inner or outer appointments, and that those who passed be employed according to talent and merit. An edict approved the proposal. The following year he submitted his methods for calendrical calculation and the precession of the equinoxes, together with his 《Treatise on Musical Temperament》; his scholarship was meticulous, and experts praised it. At his death he was posthumously titled Duan Qing, Upright and Pure. During the Chongzhen reign, Zai Xi's son Yi Zhong was sentenced to death for his crimes, and the princedom was abolished.
12
The Prince of Lujiang, Zai Yan, was a great-grandson of Prince Jian. In the second month of Chongzhen 17, when rebels took Huaiqing, Zai Yan straightened his cap and robes and sat upright in the hall. When the rebels came he was seized and they tried to force him to submit. He shouted: "I am a prince of the Celestial Dynasty — would I bow to rebel bandits like you!" He cursed them without yielding and was killed. The rebels seized his eldest son Yi Lin and marched him north. In the third month, passing through Dingxing, he wrote a final poem at an inn and starved himself to death.
13
Prince Jing of Yue, Zhan Yong, was Emperor Renzong's third son. He was enfeoffed at Quzhou in Yongle 22. Before he took up his fief, Emperor Xuanzong granted him estate lands at Changping. He died in Zhengtong 4. Consort Wu died with him and was posthumously titled Zhen Hui, Chaste and Kind. He left no heir.
14
Prince Xian of Qi, Zhan Yin, was Emperor Renzong's fourth son. He was first enfeoffed as Prince of Jingle. He died in Yongle 19 and was posthumously titled Zhuang Xian. When Emperor Renzong took the throne, his title and posthumous honors were conferred retroactively. He left no heir.
15
Prince Xian of Xiang, Zhan Fan, was Emperor Renzong's fifth son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. Solemn and dignified in bearing, he enjoyed an excellent reputation. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Changsha. In Zhengtong 1 his fief was moved to Xiangyang. When Emperor Yingzong was captured on the northern campaign, Zhan Fan was the eldest and most worthy among the princes, and public hope largely turned to him. The empress dowager ordered the golden tally of Xiang brought to the palace, but in the end he was never summoned. Zhan Fan memorialized the throne, urging that the eldest imperial son be named heir, that the Prince of Cheng supervise the realm, and that brave and capable men be enlisted to recover the emperor. By the time the memorial reached court, the Jing Emperor had already reigned for several days. After returning to the capital and settling in the Southern Palace, the Ying Emperor again wrote to the Jing Emperor, urging him to attend daily to his elder brother's meals and welfare, to lead the ministers in paying respects on the first and fifteenth of each month, and never to neglect his filial duty.
16
便殿使
After Yingzong regained the throne, Shi Heng and others falsely accused Yu Qian and Wang Wen of plotting to install an outer feudatory prince, and the emperor grew somewhat suspicious of Zhan Fan. In time two memorials Zhan Fan had submitted were recovered from within the palace, and the Xiang princedom's golden tally was still secure in the empress dowager's cabinet. An edict-letter was then sent summoning Zhan Fan, likening the two memorials to the "Golden Coffer" chapter. When he came to court, a banquet was held in the informal hall. He rose from his seat and said, "When I passed through Bian, the local elders blocked the road and told me that Surveillance Commissioner Wang Xian had been thrown into the edict prison on a false charge. I beg Your Majesty to look into this." The emperor immediately released Gai and appointed him Director of the Court of Judicial Review. An edict established the Xiangyang Guard and ordered officials to prepare the prince's tomb. When he took leave to return, the emperor personally escorted him outside the Meridian Gate, clasped his hand, and wept as they parted. Zhan Fan hesitated and bowed again. The emperor asked, "What did you wish to say, Uncle?" He kowtowed and said, "The realm longs for good government as for food and water. I hope Your Majesty will reduce punishments and lighten taxes." The emperor bowed with folded hands and replied, "I respectfully accept your counsel." He watched until Zhan Fan passed through the Duan Gate before returning. Four years later he came to court again. He ordered all officials to attend the prince at his residence and commanded the prince to go to Changping to pay homage at the Three Tombs. When he took leave to return, the courtesies of escort were heightened, and he was further edicted that he and his sons might leave the city each season to hunt—an exceptional privilege. Six years later he was summoned again but declined on account of old age. Seasonal inquiries were sent, and the honors shown him exceeded anything any princedom had known. He died in Chenghua 14.
17
使
He was succeeded by his son, Prince Ding Qi Yong, who died in Hongzhi 1. Prince Jian Jian Shu succeeded him and died three years later. He was succeeded by Prince Huai You Cai. Fond of falconry and hunting dogs, he kept fine horses and could cover the eight-hundred-li journey to Nanyang and back in a single day, arriving before mid-afternoon. His consort's father, Jing Hai, goaded him into ordering killings. Emperor Xiaozong reprimanded him and banished Hai and his associates to military service on the frontier. You Cai cultivated Daoist practices, lavished gifts without limit, and once disputed boundaries with the Prince of Xing's household, embroiling over seventy families in a lawsuit that dragged on for years. Chief minister of justice Wang Lun mediated twice before the dispute could finally be settled. He died in the seventeenth year of the reign. His younger brother Prince Kang You Zhi succeeded him and was likewise devoted to Daoist practices. He died in Jiajing 29. With no direct heir, the title passed from the Prince of Yangshan to his clansman's son Prince Zhuang Hou Feng, a great-grandson of Prince Ding.
18
祿殿
A fire had recently destroyed the princely residence, wiping out the family's accumulated wealth. Hou Feng adopted a humble and austere manner, diverted part of his stipend to support frontier troops, and contributed gold toward rebuilding the Three Halls. The throne rewarded him twice with written commendations and gifts. He was renowned for his devotion to his stepmother, Grand Consort Wang, and his birth mother, Grand Consort Pan. When Grand Consort Pan died, he had her coffin placed in the eastern side-hall. Grand Consort Wang said: "Your mother bore the heir on whom the realm depends; do not refuse the main chamber on my account." Hou Feng wept and replied: "I cannot treat my mother with any breach of ritual propriety." At the funeral he walked fifty li barefoot alongside the coffin. Every scholar-official who passed through Xiang became his friend, often in the plain dress of mourning. He died in the forty-fifth year of the reign. He was succeeded by Prince Jing Zai Yao, who died in Wanli 23. Yi Ming succeeded him. In Chongzhen 14, when Zhang Xianzhong captured Xiangyang, the prince was killed.
19
使紿
When Grand Secretary Yang Sichang took command of the campaign, he made Xiangyang his headquarters, strengthened its walls and moat, and stockpiled funds from five provinces along with arms and gunpowder weapons. In the second month that year, Xianzhong ambushed and killed Yang Sichang's courier, seized his official credentials, and tricked his way into Xiangcheng with a few dozen riders. Fire erupted at midnight, and at dawn the rebel army poured in. They seized Yi Ming on the south gate tower; Xianzhong offered him a cup of wine and said: "You are innocent, but when you die, Sichang will owe you a life in return." They then killed the prince and Prince of Guiyang Chang Fa, torched the gate tower, and burned the bodies. After the rebels withdrew, only a few inches of skull remained to be recovered; forty-three of his consorts and concubines were slain. Prince of Fuqing Chang Cheng and Prince of Jinxian Chang Gan managed to flee. The emperor was stricken with grief on hearing the news and ordered a full state funeral; the prince was posthumously titled Loyal. When Yang Sichang called on Prince of Hui at Jingzhou, an attendant brushed him off: "His Highness graciously receives you, but he asks that you visit Xiangyang first." The rebuff implied that the blame for Xiangcheng's fall lay with Sichang. In the seventeenth year Chang Cheng inherited the title of Prince of Xiang, took refuge at Jiujiang, and later relocated to Tingzhou; his ultimate fate is unknown.
20
祿使
Prince of Zaoyang You Si, a great-grandson of Prince Xian, combined martial prowess with literary talent and was widely read in astronomy, medicine, and divination. Early in the Jiajing reign he memorialized the throne, requesting proper enshrinement for Emperor Xingxian. The Shizong Emperor praised him, holding that a proposal from within the imperial clan itself would better satisfy court and public opinion. He further urged abolishing princely stipends so that clansmen would earn their livelihood as ordinary farmers, artisans, merchants, and scholars, with the ablest competing through the regular examination system. The proposal was shelved and never enacted. At the time Prince of Xiang You Zhi was bedridden and inactive; his chief attendant Shao Heng abused his authority, going so far as to beat the Prince of Zhenning's uncle to death. You Si lured Shao Heng in and had his eyes put out. The emperor sent Vice Minister Yuan Zongru of the Court of Judicial Review, along with eunuchs and Imperial Guard officers, to conduct an inquiry. Shao Heng was condemned to death, while You Si was stripped of his princely rank. On a visit to Chengtian, the emperor remembered You Si's earlier petition and restored his rank.
21
Prince Xian of Jing, Zhan Ju, was Emperor Renzong's sixth son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Jianchang. A gigantic serpent dwelt in the palace, slithering down from the beams to the floor and sometimes curling upon the prince's throne. Terrified, Zhan Ju petitioned to be moved elsewhere. In Zhengtong 10 his fief was transferred to Qizhou. In Jingtai 2 he memorialized the throne, asking permission to pay homage to the retired emperor. The request was denied. He died four years later. He was succeeded by Prince Jing Qi Hao, who died in Tianshun 5. Jian Si succeeded him.
22
紿 西 西 使
The Jing prince had three sons: the eldest, Jian Si; next, Prince Du of Liang, Jian Pu; and the Fanshan prince, Jian Hong. Jian Si and Jian Pu had the same mother. Resenting that she had hidden Jian Pu, he confined her, stripped her of food and clothing, and she died; her coffin was placed in a side room. He summoned Jian Pu into the rear garden and beat him to death. He deceived Princess He into entering the palace and raped her. His cousin Prince of Duchang Jian Tan had a beautiful wife, Lady Mao; he sought an affair with her. Jian Tan's mother Lady Ma guarded her strictly. Jian Si shaved Lady Ma's head and flogged her, suffocated Jian Tan under sacks of earth, and shackled Princess Mao and brought her into the palace. He would gather ruffians, ride lightly in plain dress, cross the Han River, and abduct women. Fearing he would be next, Jian Hong secretly reported to Emperor Xiaozong, and Jian Si was summoned to the capital. The emperor presided at the Wenhua Gate and ordered court ministers to try the case together. Jian Si confessed. He was stripped of rank, reduced to commoner status, and confined in the Western Inner Palace. After two years, Jian Si from the Western Inner Palace fabricated charges against Jian Hong, falsely accusing him of plotting treason with the Prince of Yong'an of the Chu princedom. The emperor sent envoys to investigate; the accusation proved false. Jian Hong then memorialized that Jian Si had secretly made bows and crossbows and that he and his son You Bing harbored treasonous designs. When this was verified, Jian Si was ordered to die, You Na was degraded, and Jian Pu's son You Qiao succeeded as Prince of Jing. This was in Hongzhi 7. He died in the seventeenth year and was posthumously titled He.
23
祿
Prince Duan Hou Quan succeeded him. Gentle and unassuming by nature, he devoted himself to classical learning. During the Jiajing era he fell ill and asked to surrender his stipend. The court refused and instead appointed Prince of Fushun Hou Kun to represent him at official audiences. Hou Kun, second son of the Prince of He, and his younger brother Prince of Yongxin Hou Huang were celebrated poets and painters. When Hou Quan's eldest son, Prince of Yongding Zai Pei, came of age, Hou Kun voluntarily relinquished his proxy duties, a move widely admired as exemplary. Hou Quan died in Jiajing 32. Zai Pei had predeceased his father, so his son Prince Gong Yi Ju inherited the title.
24
祿 𬫌
Ever since the sons of Prince Jing, the Jing princes feuded among themselves and forfeited their family's good name. Hou Quan and his brothers, mindful of the family's earlier disgrace, taught their kinsmen courtesy and restraint. Zai Cheng, a great-great-grandson of Jian Huang, was especially humble and dutiful, and won renown for scholarship and moral character. Daughters of commandery princes customarily petitioned the court for stipends, but all four of Zai Cheng's daughters married common scholars without seeking titles or income. He once submitted two memorials, 《In Reply to the Imperial Edict》 and 《On Correct Ritual Practice》. The court never replied. Deeply versed in the 《Book of Changes》, he wrote the 《Collected Works of the Great Recluse》. His sons Yi Xi and his brothers, all accomplished poets, once shared a single tower and styled themselves the Flower-and-Calyx Society. Yi Ju held up Zai Cheng as a model of virtue for his sons to emulate. The sons refused to heed his teaching, and the heir Chang Ling was especially brutal and unrestrained. Yi Ju petitioned the throne, and Chang Ling was stripped of rank and reduced to commoner status.
25
𣵧
Yi Ju died in Longqing 4. The second son Chang Ni succeeded and died in Wanli 4. Having no son, his younger brother Prince Kang Chang You, Prince of Ancheng, succeeded and died in Wanli 25. His son Prince Ding You Fan succeeded and died in Tianqi 2. His son Ci succeeded. During the Chongzhen era the bandits Ge Liyan and Zuo Jinwang feigned surrender to the Huguang commander. Ci sought friendship with them, summoned them to a banquet, and lavishly displayed female musicians. In the first month of year 16 Zhang Xianzhong captured Qizhou; Ci had died the month before. The rebels besieged the princely palace and carried off all the musicians and courtesans they found.
26
使
Prince Huai of Huai, Zhan Ao, was Emperor Renzong's seventh son. He was enfeoffed in Yongle 22. In Xuande 4 he took up his fief at Shaozhou. In the tenth month after the Ying Emperor's accession, because Shaozhou was rife with malaria, his fief was moved to Raozhou in Zhengtong 1. He died in Zhengtong 11. He was succeeded by Prince Kang Qi Quan, who died in Hongzhi 15. The heir Jian Lian died young without issue, and the title passed to his clansman's son Prince Ding You Qi. He indulged in endless amusements while his retainers abused their authority and terrorized the countryside. Chief administrator Zhuang Dian resigned, citing his failure as tutor and adviser. The court refused to accept his resignation. Investigating magistrate Wang Wensheng repeatedly intervened in the affairs of the princely household. A man named Gu Song, deranged, entered the palace gates armed with a knife and axe; when guards seized and questioned him, he falsely claimed Wang Wensheng had sent him. Zhuang Dian reported the matter to the provincial authorities. Garrison eunuch Li An had once visited Raozhou on official business; when his mounted escort entered the Duanli Gate they were beaten, and he nursed a deep grudge against You Qi. You Qi owned a celebrated zither called "Heavenly Wind and Ringing Jade," which Prince of Ning Zhu Chenhao had sought in vain. Chenhao also demanded lakeside land and was refused. At this juncture he prompted Li An to denounce You Qi's misconduct and the frame-up of Wang Wensheng. The throne ordered the provincial governor and censor to conduct an inquiry. Li An and Chenhao conspired to arrest Zhuang Dian and the princely guards and interrogate them before any official report came back. Zhuang Dian answered defiantly; Chenhao had him flogged to death in prison, and many others were implicated as well. You Qi then petitioned the throne, charging that Li An had murdered Zhuang Dian out of personal spite while protecting Gu Song. The emperor sent Censor-in-Chief Jin Xianmin and the eunuch Zhang Qin to conduct a full investigation. You Qi was afraid of Chenhao and could not vindicate himself. Zhang Qin and his party again reported that You Qi had trusted ruffians to commit outrages and petitioned that he be sternly admonished. More than twenty officers and guards were sentenced to frontier duty, and Zhuang Dian's wrongful conviction was never overturned.
27
𨨣 𨨣 𨨣祿
You Qi died in Jiajing 3. Having no son, his younger brother Prince Zhuang You Juan succeeded and died in year 16. His son Prince Xian Hou Tao succeeded and died in year 42. His son Prince Gong Zai Tai succeeded and died in Wanli 5. His younger brother Prince Shun Zai Jian succeeded and died in year 23. His son Yi Ju succeeded. Before Yi Ju became prince, he was intimate with the courtesan Wang Ai. He falsely entered her name as a concubine in the household register and brought her into the palace, and had her raise the secondary son Chang Hong as his own. Consort Chen and the heir Chang Qing both lost favor and secretly plotted to change the succession. Censor Chen Wangdao reasoned with the prince and had Wang Ai removed to an outside lodge. Chang Hong then conspired with clansman Yi Xin and others. By night they entered the princely palace and stole the registers, seals, and valuables before fleeing. The provincial commander reported the matter. Wang Ai was sentenced to death, Chang Hong was compelled to take his own life, Yi Xin and the others were struck from the clansman's register and permanently confined, and four years of Yi Ju's stipend were confiscated. After some time he died. His son Chang Qing succeeded. When the dynasty fell, his final fate was unknown. Prince Huai of Teng, Zhan Kai, was Emperor Renzong's eighth son. In Yongle 22 he was enfeoffed at Yunnan but never went to his fief. He died in Hongxi 1. He left no descendants.
28
Prince Zhuang of Liang, Zhan Ji, was Emperor Renzong's ninth son. He received his princely title in the twenty-second year of Yongle. Early in Xuande, the throne ordered that the Princes of Zheng, Yue, Xiang, Jing, and Huai each receive fifty thousand strings of paper money annually, but the Prince of Liang was allotted twice that amount. In the fourth year he took up his fief at Anlu, which had been the seat of the Prince of Ying. When the Prince of Xiang, Zhan Fan, relocated from Changsha to Xiangyang, he traveled by way of Anlu and lingered with Zhan Ji, unwilling to part. As they were about to separate, Zhan Ji wept and said, "We brothers shall never see each other again -- what can be done!" Those around them all burst into tears. In the first year of Zhengtong he reported that his residence was low-lying and damp and asked to be moved to drier, more open ground. The emperor replied that the Ying region had suffered poor harvests that year and that the matter should wait until a better season. In the end nothing was done. He died in the sixth year of the reign. He left no son, and the princely line was extinguished. The Prince of Liang had originally held the fields, estates, gardens, and lakes of the Ying fief, but these were later all granted to the Prince of Xiang. When Emperor Ruizong was granted Anlu, he received all the lands of the Ying and Liang establishments to support the ancestral rites of the two princes.
29
祿 使
Prince Gong of Wei, Zhan Yan, was Emperor Renzong's tenth son. In Yongle 22 he was enfeoffed at Huaiqing. From youth he was prone to illness. Emperor Xuanzong cherished him, and he never went to his fief. At the seasonal tomb observances he was always ordered to officiate in proxy. Filial, careful, and fond of learning, he was known for his virtue. He died in Zhengtong 3. Consort Yang followed him in death and was granted the posthumous title Zhenlie. Having no son, the enfeoffment was abolished. Emperor Yingzong had nine sons. Empress Dowager Zhou bore Emperor Xianzong and Prince Chong Jian Ze. Consort Wan Chen bore Prince De Jian Lin as well as the imperial sons Jian Shi, Prince Ji Jian Jun, and Prince Xin Jian Zhi. Consort Wang Hui bore Prince Xu Jian Chun. Consort Gao Shu bore Prince Xiu Jian Shu. Consort Wei De bore Prince Hui Jian Pei. Prince Zhuang of De, Jian Lin, was Emperor Yingzong's second son. His original name was Jian Qing. In Jingtai 3 he was enfeoffed as Prince of Rong. In the third month of Tianshun 1 the Eastern Palace was restored; on the same day the four princes De, Xiu, Chong, and Ji were enfeoffed, each with an annual stipend of ten thousand shi. Initially his fief was at Dezhou; it was later changed to Jinan. In Chenghua 3 he went to his fief. He requested the idle fields of Dongchang and Yanzhou left by the two deposed commoners of Qi and Han, as well as the lands of the three lakes Baiyun, Jingyang, and Guangping. Emperor Xianzong granted all of it. He again requested to exploit Nanwang Lake, but because of the Grand Canal this was refused. He again requested the former horse pasture of the deposed Han commoner. Prefect Zhao Huang said the land had long reverted to the populace and supplied taxes and corvée, and should not be seized. The emperor accepted this advice. At the beginning of Zhengde an edict fixed the levy on princely estate fields at three fen of silver per mu, to be collected annually as a permanent rule. Jian Lin memorialized, "In earlier years the De princedom's fields in Yanzhou yielded twenty sheng per mu annually. For Qinghe County alone, during Chenghua Vice Minister Song Min's proposal was adopted, reducing it to five sheng per mu. If the new edict is applied, your subject will have no means to support himself." The Ministry of Revenue insisted that in Shandong floods and droughts had followed one upon another and the people were destitute, and that the edict should be followed. The emperor said, "Why should the prince worry about poverty! Do not grant this." He died in year 12. His son Prince Yi You Rong succeeded. During Jiajing the Ministry of Revenue deliberated on auditing the hills, ponds, and marshes requested by princely houses, holding that all granted from Xuande onward should revert to the state. An edict approved its implementation. Thereupon Shandong Grand Coordinator Shao Xi reported that all the De princedom's estate fields were among those slated for abolition. He and You Rong exchanged accusatory memorials, and Xi pressed the matter all the harder. The ceremonial guard office had an authorized complement of 1,700 soldiers; deserters were to be replaced with surplus households. Xi held this was not according to regulation and sent a dispatch to Jinan Prefect Yang Fu ordering that those registered as replacements receive no rations. The military officers and guards raised a great outcry and destroyed the princely gate. An edict ordered the arrest and interrogation of chief administrators Yang Gu and Yang Mengfa, and the banishment of ceremonial guard deputy Xue Ning and military officer Tao Rong. The prince was admonished to maintain restraint and not indulge petty men to stir up trouble. Commentators held that Xi had deliberately provoked their crimes and did not wholly reflect You Rong's faults. This was a matter of the eighth month of the eleventh year. By the eighteenth year the Princes of Jing and Hui again requested restoration of their abolished estate fields, and You Rong cited this precedent in his own petition. An edict restored the three lakes lands, allowing him to collect the dues himself. That year he died. His grandson Prince Gong Zai Peng succeeded and died in Wanli 2. His son Prince Ding Yi Guan succeeded and died in year 16. His son Chang Jie succeeded and died in Chongzhen 5. The heir You Shu succeeded. In the first month of year 12 Qing troops captured Jinan and he was taken prisoner.
30
Jian Shi was Emperor Yingzong's third son. He died in childhood. After Yingzong's restoration to the throne, no further posthumous honors were conferred on him.
31
西
Prince Dao of Xu, Jian Chun, was Emperor Yingzong's fourth son. He was enfeoffed in the third year of Jingtai. He died the following year. The ministers of rites requested a funeral according to the full rites for an imperial prince. The emperor, considering how young the prince had been, scaled back the prescribed rites. Prince Huai of Xiu, Jian Shu, was Emperor Yingzong's fifth son. Born in the Southern Palace, he was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun. In the sixth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Runing. Chief steward Liu Cheng presented the 《Records for Days of a Thousand Autumns》, which Jian Shu recited every morning and evening. When he departed for his fief, fearing that the procession would burden the people along the way, he ordered that the entire journey be completed in a single day. His residence was cramped, and his attendants proposed relocating the Confucian temple to enlarge it. Jian Shu refused and said, "Living beside the academy, I can always hear the sounds of strings and recitation from the students -- is that not a delight!" When their discussion of the 《Book of Documents》 reached the chapter 《King Wu's Campaign against Li》, Chief Steward Liu Cheng took the Wu-school view and said: "The conqueror of Li was King Wu." Right chief steward Zhao Rui held to the Kong-school view and said, "It was in fact an act of King Wen." They argued until both men flushed with anger. Jian Shu said, "The classics admit no final verdict on this point; there is no shame in debating back and forth. To quarrel like this now is not what the late emperor intended when he chose you two as teachers." He died in the eighth year of Chenghua. He left no son, and the princely line was extinguished.
32
耀 耀 𨰜
Prince Jian of Chong, Jian Ze, was Emperor Yingzong's sixth son. Born in the Southern Palace, he was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun. In the tenth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Runing, which had been the seat of the Prince of Xiu. In the seventh month of the eighth year of Hongzhi, the empress dowager, now elderly, longed to see the prince once more, and the emperor issued a special summons. Minister of Rites Ni Yue argued, "In recent years the departures of three princes for their fiefs have drained the people dry with provisioning along every road. To summon the prince back now would impose the cost and hardship of another round trip, and with floods, drought, and locusts abroad, every route by land and water may bring unforeseen dangers. Although princes have occasionally attended court in the past, such visits have been rare since the Xuande reign. When Emperor Yingzong regained the throne, the Prince of Xiang came to court by edict; though that visit strengthened fraternal ties, it was really meant to close off suspicion and slander, not to set a precedent." Grand Secretary Xu Pu made the same argument. Unwilling to override the empress dowager's wishes, the emperor would not consent. Soon censorial officials submitted a stream of memorials on the subject, and the summons was canceled. He died in the eighteenth year of the reign. His son, Prince Jing, You Si, succeeded him and died in the sixth year of Zhengde. His son, Prince Gong, Hou Yao, succeeded him. All three princes enjoyed reputations for virtue, and Prince Jing was especially noted for filial piety and brotherly affection. Hou Yao died in the sixteenth year of Jiajing. His son, Prince Zhuang, Zai Jing, succeeded him and died in the thirty-sixth year of the reign. His son, Prince Duan, Yi Yue, succeeded him and died in the thirty-eighth year of Wanli. His grandson You Ku succeeded him. In the intercalary eleventh month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng captured Runing, took You Ku prisoner, gave him the bogus title Marquis of Xiangyang, and ordered him to urge the remaining prefectures and counties to submit. You Ku refused, and Li Zicheng had him executed in Biyang. His younger brother, Prince of Heyang You Cai, the heir Cihui, and others were all killed as well.
33
Prince Jian of Ji, Jian Jun, was Emperor Yingzong's seventh son. He was born in the Southern Palace. He was enfeoffed in the first year of Tianshun, when he was only two. In the thirteenth year of Chenghua he took up his fief at Changsha, had the 《Illustrations of the Ancient Sage》 and the 《Book of Documents》 carved at Yuelu Academy, and used them to teach students. He died in the sixth year of Jiajing. His grandson, Prince Ding, Houyang Mao, succeeded him. He petitioned to have Xiangtan's commercial taxes added to his princely income, but the request was denied. He died in the eighteenth year of the reign. His son, Prince Duan, Zai Jun, succeeded from the line of the Prince of Guanghua and died in the fortieth year of the reign. His son, Prince Zhuang, Yi Zhen, succeeded him and died in the fourth year of Longqing. He left no son, so his elder half-brother, Prince Xuan, Yi Luan, succeeded from the line of the Prince of Longyang and died in the forty-sixth year of Wanli. His grandson You Dong succeeded him and died in the ninth year of Chongzhen. His son Cihui succeeded him. In the sixteenth year, Zhang Xianzhong invaded Hunan; Cihui fled with the Prince of Hui to Hengzhou and then on into Guangdong. After the dynasty collapsed, he died in Burma.
34
Prince Mu of Xin, Jian Zhi, was Emperor Yingzong's eighth son. He was enfeoffed in the second year of Chenghua. Before he could take up his fief, he died in the eighth year of the reign. He left no heirs.
35
使
Prince Zhuang of Hui, Jian Pei, was Emperor Yingzong's ninth son. He was enfeoffed in the second year of Chenghua. In the seventeenth year of the reign he took up his fief at Junzhou. The princely service bureau had been appointing its own officials; Left provincial administration commissioner Xu Ke abolished the practice, and Jian Pei reported the matter to the throne. Emperor Xianzong wrote to the prince, "Appointing officials on your own authority is not permitted by statute; Xu Ke is not at fault." He died in the first year of Zhengde. His son, Prince Jian, You Tai, succeeded him and died in the fourth year of Jiajing. His son, Prince Gong, Houyang Jue, succeeded him and died in the twenty-ninth year of the reign. His son, Prince of Pucheng Zai Kun, succeeded him.
36
Early on, Houyang Jue was devoted to the zither; when a lute maker fell out with Prefect Chen Ji, Houyang Jue shielded the craftsman, impeached Chen Ji, and had him thrown into the imperial prison. Censor-in-Chief Luo Ang and investigating censor Wang Sanpin declared that Chen Ji had been wronged. The emperor flew into a rage and had them all arrested; Luo Ang was beaten to death, while Wang Sanpin and Chen Ji were both banished to the frontier. Public opinion did not side with Houyang Jue. At the time the Daoist adept Tao Zhongwen enjoyed Emperor Shizong's favor, and Houyang Jue cultivated a close alliance with him. Tao Zhongwen repeatedly praised the prince's loyal and devout service to the Way. Delighted, the emperor ennobled Houyang Jue as Perfected Man of Great Clarity, Assistant to the Origin and Spreader of Transformation, and granted him a gold seal. When Zai Kun succeeded to the princely title, he curried favor with the emperor all the more through religious devotion and was ordered to keep his father's seal as a perfected man. Liang Gaofu of Nanyang claimed to know techniques of breath cultivation and elixir consumption; Zai Kun used his methods to compound drugs and had Gaofu present them to the emperor through Tao Zhongwen. Liang Gaofu was ennobled Recluse of Penetrating Wonder, and Zai Kun was made Perfected Man of Pure Subtlety, Assistant in Teaching, Supporter of Transformation, and Embodiment of Loyalty and Filial Piety. Zai Kun then grew ever more reckless, tearing down commoners' homes to build terraces, pavilions, gardens, and pleasure grounds. Treasury officer Wang Zhang tried to dissuade him and was flogged to death. He once traveled incognito to Yangzhou and Fengyang, was caught by patrol guards, held for three months, and then escaped home.
37
輿 西使
By then Liang Gaofu had the emperor's favor and no longer kept close ties with Zai Kun, who resented him bitterly. When the emperor later needed elixirs and could not obtain them, he asked for Zai Kun's old stock; Zai Kun refused him but gave the drugs to Tao Zhongwen instead. Liang Gaofu hated this and seized his chance to accuse Zai Kun of secretly traveling south and of other misconduct. The emperor grew suspicious and revoked his seal as a perfected man. Tao Zhongwen saw that the breach was beyond repair and dared not intervene. In the thirty-fifth year a commoner named Geng An petitioned that Zai Kun had abducted his daughter, and the case was referred for investigation. The investigating officials then uncovered a string of his illegal acts. Once the case was complete, he was stripped of rank, reduced to commoner status, and imprisoned within high walls. Zai Kun remained inside the palace under tight guard and never learned what the investigation had found. Only when the emperor sent palace eunuchs along with provincial investigators did he finally panic. He climbed a tower, saw a red palanquin waiting behind the Dragon Pavilion, and sighed: "If I cannot clear my name, what point is there in living on?" He then hanged himself. Consort Shen and secondary consort Lin fought over the silk cord and hanged themselves as well. His sons Prince of Anyang Yi Qi and Prince of Wanshan Yi Fang were both stripped of rank; his unenfeoffed children were relocated to Kaifeng under the Prince of Zhou's supervision, and the fief was abolished. Emperor Jing had one son: Crown Prince Huai Xian, Jian Ji. His mother was Consort Hang. He had originally been heir to the Prince of Cheng. When the Ying Emperor was captured on the northern campaign, the empress dowager named Xianzong crown prince and had the Prince of Cheng supervise the realm. After the Prince of Cheng took the throne, he wanted to replace the crown prince with Jian Ji but could not bring himself to act; Empress Wang also strongly opposed the move, and he wavered for a long time. Eunuchs Wang Cheng and Shu Liang plotted on the emperor's behalf, bribing Grand Secretaries Chen Xun and Gao Gu with a hundred taels of gold each and half that to Vice Ministers Jiang Yuan, Wang Yining, and Xiao Zan and Academician Shang Lu to buy their silence, yet the emperor still held back. It happened that Huang Zeng, a native-official commander in Guangxi, killed his younger brother Siming Prefect Gang in a private vendetta and wiped out his household; the case was reported to court. Fearing punishment, Huang Zeng urgently sent chiliarch Yuan Hong to the capital with a memorial urging the emperor to settle the succession in secret with trusted ministers, install a new heir apparent, unify court and country, and forestall any bid for the throne. The Jing Emperor was delighted, immediately ordered a court conference, pardoned Huang Zeng, and promoted him to commander-in-chief. This was the fourth month of Jingtai 3.
38
西耀使
The day after the memorial was circulated, Minister of Rites Hu Ying and Vice Ministers Sa Qi and Zou Gan convened the full civil and military court for deliberation. The assembled officials looked at one another in silence; no one dared speak first. Only supervising secretaries Li Kan and Lin Cong and censor Zhu Ying declared the move unacceptable. Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi also looked deeply troubled. Director of Ceremonies eunuch Xing An said sharply: "This must be done. Whoever objects need not sign; there will be no fence-sitting." The ministers all murmured agreement and signed the proposal. Thereupon Hu Ying and the others, together with Duke of Wei Xu Chengzong, Marquis of Ningyang Chen Mao, Marquis of Anyuan Liu Pu, Marquis of Wuqing Shi Heng, Marquis of Cheng'an Guo Sheng, Marquis of Dingxi Jiang Wan, Commandant of Horse Xue Huan, Count of Xiangcheng Li Jin, Count of Wujin Zhu Ying, Count of Pingxiang Chen Fu, Count of Anxiang Zhang Ning, commanders Sun Tang, Zhang Yu, and Yang Jun, vice commanders Tian Li, Fan Guang, Guo Xing, and Wei Ying, assistant commanders Zhang Er, Liu Shen, Zhang Tong, Guo Ying, Liu Jian, and Zhang Yi, Embroidered Uniform Guard assistant commanders Bi Wang and Cao Jing, guard assistant commander Lin Fu, Minister of Personnel Wang Zhi, Minister of Revenue and Grand Secretary of the Hall of Literary Depth Chen Xun, Minister of Works and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion Gao Gu, Minister of Personnel He Wenyuan, Minister of Revenue Jin Lian, Minister of War Yu Qian, Minister of Justice Yu Shiyue, Censors-in-Chief Wang Wen, Wang Ao, and Yang Shan, Vice Ministers of Personnel Jiang Yuan, Yu Shan, and Xiang Wenyao, Vice Ministers of Revenue Liu Zhongfu, Shen Yi, and Xiao Zi, Vice Minister of Rites Wang Yining, Vice Minister of War Li Xian, Vice Minister of Justice Zhou Xuan, Vice Ministers of Works Zhao Rong and Zhang Min, Transmission Commissioner Li Xi, transmission officials Luan Yun and Wang Fu, Adviser Feng Guan, Court Ministers Xiao Weizhen, Xu Bin, Jiang Shouyue, Qi Zheng, and Li Bin, Vice Ministers Zhang Gu, Xi Jiayan, Li Zongzhou, Wei Neng, Chen Cheng, Huang Shijun, Zhang Xiang, and Qi Zheng, Court Directors Li Mao, Li Xi'an, Chai Wang, Li Yong, Yang Xun, and Wang Yi, Hanlin Academician Shang Lu, Supervising Secretaries of the Six Offices Li Zan, Li Kan, Li Chun, Su Lin, Lin Cong, and Zhang Wenzhi, and Censors of the Thirteen Circuits Wang Zhen, Zhu Ying, Tu Qian, Ding Taiheng, Qiang Hong, Liu Ju, Lu Hou, Yuan Jie, Yan Shu, Shen Yi, Yang Yi, Wang Ji, and Zuo Ding submitted a memorial: "Your Majesty has received Heaven's clear mandate and revived the state and house; the transmission of the imperial line ought to return to the sacred son. Huang Zeng's memorial is correct." The rescript read: "Approved. The Ministry of Rites was ordered to prepare the rites and report the chosen date." That same day the Eastern Palace staff was appointed, with tutors and attendants fully in place.
39
西
In the fifth month Empress Wang was deposed, Consort Hang was made empress, the former crown prince was demoted to Prince of Yi, and Jian Ji was installed as crown prince. The edict proclaimed: "Heaven blesses the people and sets over them a ruler, that peace may reach the four seas; a father who holds the realm passes it to his son, so that the foundation may stand for ten thousand years." A general amnesty was proclaimed; officials were ordered to attend the crown prince on the first and fifteenth of each month; princes, princesses, frontier garrisons, and the whole civil and military establishment received gifts; and Chen Xun, Gao Gu, Jiang Yuan, Wang Yining, Xiao Zan, and Shang Lu each received an additional fifty taels of gold. On the yimwei day of the second month in the fourth year, the crown prince underwent the capping ceremony. In the eleventh month, on censor Zhang Peng's recommendation, tutors and lecturers for the Eastern Palace were appointed. Four days later the crown prince died; he was posthumously titled Huai Xian and buried at the Western Hills. In Tianshun 1 he was demoted to heir Huai Xian, and all who had advocated changing the succession were punished. Emperor Xianzong had fourteen sons. Consort Wan bore the emperor's first son. Consort Bo Xian bore Crown Prince Daogong You Ji. Empress Dowager Ji bore Emperor Xiaozong. Empress Dowager Shao bore Emperor Xingxian You Yuan, Prince Qi You Lin, and Prince Yong You Cong. Consort Zhang De bore Prince Yi You Bin, Prince Heng You Yang, and Prince Ru You Bing. Consort Yao An bore Prince Shou You Chu. Consort Yang Gong bore Prince Jing You Fen and Prince Shen You Kai. Consort Pan Duan bore Prince Rong You Shu. Consort Wang Jing bore the emperor's tenth son. The first son and the tenth son both died in infancy without receiving names.
40
Crown Prince Daogong You Ji was Emperor Xianzong's second son. He was named crown prince in Chenghua 7 and died in the same year.
41
Prince Hui of Qi You Lin was Emperor Xianzong's fifth son. In Chenghua 23 he was enfeoffed on the same day as the Princes of Yi, Heng, and Yong. In Hongzhi 8 he took up his fief at De'an. He died in the fourteenth year of the reign. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
42
祿
Prince Duan of Yi You Bin was Emperor Xianzong's sixth son. In Hongzhi 8 he took up his fief at Jianchang, the former seat of the Prince of Jing. Frugal by nature, he wore his caps and robes until they had been washed twice and ate only one vegetarian meal a day. He loved books and history, treated the people and scholars with respect, and never harassed his domain. He died in Jiajing 18. His son Prince Zhuang Hou Ye succeeded him; plain and unworldly by nature, he cared nothing for luxury. He died in the thirty-fifth year of the reign. With no direct heir, his younger brother Prince Gong Hou Xuan succeeded and lived even more austerely, declining two thousand shi of stipend. He died in Wanli 5. His grandson Prince Xuan Yi Yin succeeded; addicted to patronage, he spent the entire princely treasury entertaining followers and exchanging envoys with other fiefs until the stores were empty within a few years. He died in the thirty-first year of the reign. His son Prince Jing Chang Qian succeeded and died in the forty-third year of the reign. His son You Ben succeeded; when the dynasty fell he fled into Fujian.
43
祿
Prince Gong of Heng, You Kai, was Emperor Xianzong's seventh son. In Hongzhi 12 he went to his fief at Qingzhou. He died in Jiajing 17. His son Prince Zhuang Hou Kai succeeded. He once declined five thousand shi of stipend to support the clansmen, and the kindred were grateful to him. He died in Longqing 6. His son Prince Kang Zai Gui succeeded and died in Wanli 7. Having no son, his younger brother Prince An Zai Feng succeeded and died in year 14. His son Prince Ding Yi Huo succeeded and died in year 20. His son Chang Ni succeeded. Prince of Xinle Zai Xi was a grandson of Prince Gong. Learned and elegant and skilled in literary composition, he sought out compilations from the various princedoms, obtained several dozen works, and had them printed and circulated. He also wrote works such as "Odes to the Sage Governance of the Hongwu Reign" and "Essentials of Imperial Governance of the Great Ming," many of which were worth preserving. His father's younger cousins Prince of Gaotang Hou Ying and Prince of Qidong Hou Bing were both famed for broad learning and upright conduct. During the Jiajing reign he was twice granted edicts of commendation and encouragement.
44
殿
Prince Jing of Yong You Cong was Emperor Xianzong's eighth son. Initially enfeoffed at Baoning, he took up his fief at Hengzhou in Hongzhi 12. The site was low and damp, the palace buildings were rotting and uninhabitable, strange occurrences plagued the residence, and he petitioned to be moved to Dongping in Shandong. Court ministers argued that building a new residence would waste public funds; they proposed moving him to the former Prince of Shen's residence at Xuzhou in Sichuan. The throne approved the proposal. The move was never carried out because the distance proved too great. In Zhengde 2 the earth split open, the palace collapsed, and the prince died. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
45
簿
Prince Ding of Shou You Zhi was Emperor Xianzong's ninth son. In Hongzhi 4 he was enfeoffed on the same day as the Princes of Ru, Jing, Rong, and Shen. In the eleventh year he took up his fief at Baoning. In Zhengde 1, after the Prince of Qi's line died out, he was moved to the former Qi residence at De'an. Palace guards bullied townspeople; Prefect Li Zhong checked them and was memorialized for arrest. Anlu commoner Liu Peng followed Li Zhong to the Court of Judicial Review to face the charges; Li Zhong did not recognize him and was astonished. Liu Peng said: "Our prefect is benevolent and accepts punishment for the people's sake; we would all die for him without needing to know him first!" Li Zhong was finally cleared of the charges. You Zhi heard of this and repented; he later won a reputation for virtue. He died in Jiajing 24. With no heir, the fief was abolished.
46
祿 沿
Prince An of Ru, You Bing, was Emperor Xianzong's eleventh son. In Hongzhi 14 he went to his fief at Weihui. In Zhengde 15 he requested ten years' salt ration in advance for marriage expenses. An edict granted separately two thousand yin of Changlu salt while his regular salt allotment continued unchanged. When Emperor Shizong made his southern tour, You Bing met him on the road with great courtesy. He was granted an additional five hundred shi of stipend and bestowed gold and silks. He died in Jiajing 20. Having no son, the enfeoffment was abolished. Prince Jian of Jing, You Qian, was Emperor Xianzong's twelfth son. In Hongzhi 15 he went to his fief at Yizhou. He died in Jiajing 16. His son Hou Quan died before receiving a title. Having no son, the enfeoffment was abolished. Prince Zhuang of Rong, You Shu, was Emperor Xianzong's thirteenth son. In early Zhengde he still remained at his capital residence and requested the fields of Xin'an Township in Bazhou, the former pasture lands. Ministry officials said, "In the Yongle reign pasture grounds were established to breed horses and supply military readiness. By the Chenghua reign favorites first petitioned to have them converted into private estates. Later the Qi and Shou princedoms followed suit, and no one corrected the practice. When Emperor Xiaozong attended to military affairs, he reclaimed and restored garrison colonies, refusing to sacrifice public interest to private gain. Now that the Prince of Rong has a fixed date to go to his fief, this request should not be granted." In year 3 he went to his fief at Changde. You Shu's appearance resembled the founding emperor, and in his princedom he was somewhat proud and unrestrained. Emperor Shizong edicted that the river-lake taxes of Yuanjiang Xigang, Tianxin, and Tuanping be paid into the princely residence. He died in Jiajing 18. His grandson Prince Gong Zai Jin succeeded and died in Wanli 23. His son Yi Qin succeeded and died in year 40. His son Chang Ying succeeded and died. His son Prince Xian You Xiao succeeded and died. His son Ci Zhao succeeded. When Zhang Xianzhong entered Hunan, he fled with his mother Consort Yao to Chenxi; his final fate is unknown.
47
Prince Yi of Shen You Kai was Emperor Xianzong's fourteenth son. Enfeoffed at Xuzhou, he never took up his fief. He died in Hongzhi 16. With no heir, the fief was abolished. Emperor Xiaozong had two sons. Emperor Wuzong and Prince Wei Hou Wei were both sons of Empress Zhang.
48
Prince Dao of Wei, Hou Wei, was Emperor Xiaozong's second son and died at the age of three. His title and posthumous honors were conferred retroactively.
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