Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

Emperor Wenxuan 文宣帝

Wenxuan Di

First attested AD 549; died AD 559

Passages: 8
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Emperor Wenxuan was a ruler.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	High Ancestor Wenxuan	高祖文宣皇帝	Gaozu Wenxuan Huangdi
Temple name	Weizong Jinglie Emperor	威宗景烈皇帝	Weizong Jinglie Huangdi

Life and dates

Death

AD 559 文宣崩
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 120

Attested activity

AD 549 to AD 550 文宣作相
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 104
AD 550 to AD 559 文宣帝
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 39, passages 115, 120

Career and standing

pardoned the clerks 上尋捨之
Pardon · Pardoned
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 104

Places and affiliations

Polity Northern Qi 北齊 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passages 104, 115

Works and attributed material

Letter · Author · With Prince of Pingyang Yan (平陽公淹)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 106
thief
Speech · Speaker · Direct quotation · With Zu Ting (祖珽)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 119

Events and relationships

Hinted leniency
Legal · Authority · With Zu Ting (祖珽)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 112
Ordered investigation
Judicial · Authority · With Wang Tuya (王土雅)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 106

Assessments and attributes

Assessment loved his talents despite repeated lawbreaking · With Zu Ting (祖珽) · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 115

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 104
AD 561 to AD 565 武成朝
From High Ancestor Emperor Wenxuan 高祖文宣皇帝 · To Weizong Jinglie Emperor 威宗景烈皇帝
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 39, passage 132

References in the histories

Search passages

History

8 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 39Volume 39 Biographies 31: Cui Jishu; Zu Ting · 8 passages

文宣作相，珽擬補令史十餘人，皆有受納，據法處絞，上尋捨之。 When Wenxuan was regent, Ting proposed more than ten clerk appointments, every one of them bought. By law they merited strangulation, but in the end the sovereign let them off.

事發，文宣付從事中郎王土雅推檢，並書與平陽公淹，令錄珽付禁，勿令越逸。 When the theft came to light, Wenxuan put Attendant of the Masters of Writing Wang Tuya in charge of the inquiry and wrote Prince of Pingyang Yan as well, telling him to take Ting into custody and allow no escape.

文宣以珽伏事先世，諷所司命特寬其罰，遂奏免死除名。 Wenxuan, because Ting had served the house in earlier reigns, hinted that the office should show special leniency. The memorial asked to spare his life and strike his name from the rolls.

文宣帝雖嫌其數犯憲，而愛其才伎，令直中書省，掌詔誥。 Emperor Wenxuan disliked how often Ting broke the law, yet loved his talents and kept him in the secretariat drafting edicts.

文宣每見之，常呼為賊。 Whenever Wenxuan saw him he called him "thief."

文宣崩，普選勞舊，除為寧武太守。 When Wenxuan died, in the general selection of old servants he was made administrator of Ningwu.

珽至是希旨，上書請追尊太祖獻武皇帝為神武，高祖文宣皇帝改為威宗景烈皇帝，以悅武成，從之。 Ting now played to the throne and memorialized to posthumously honor Grand Ancestor Emperor Xianwu as Emperor Shenwu and change High Ancestor Emperor Wenxuan's temple style to Weizong Jinglie Emperor. Wucheng was pleased and assented.

珽曰：「宜說主上，云襄、宣、昭帝子俱不得立，今宜命皇太子早踐大位，以定君臣。 Ting said, "Persuade the sovereign that the sons of Emperor Xiang, Emperor Xuan, and Emperor Zhao could none of them take the throne. Now the crown prince should ascend early and fix ruler and minister in their places.