Sui and Tang · Ruler

Emperor Xuanzong 天子

Attested AD 713 - AD 756

Passages: 5
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Emperor Xuanzong was a ruler.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 713 to AD 756 開元
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 134, passage 241

References in the histories

New Book of Tang, Chapter 134Volume 134 Biographies 59: Yuwen, Wei, Yang, Wang · 5 passages

贊曰：開元中，宇文融始以言利得幸。 The commentary says: In the Kaiyuan era, Yuwen Rong first won the emperor's favor by preaching profit.

於時天子見海內完治，偃然有攘卻四夷之心，融度帝方調兵食，故議取隱戶剩田，以中主欲。 The emperor then saw the realm fully at peace and complacently turned his mind to pushing back the four barbarians. Rong judged that he was just then marshaling troops and supplies, so he proposed uncovering hidden households and surplus land to satisfy the ruler's desire.

利說一開，天子恨得之晚，不十年而取宰相。 Once the gospel of profit was opened, the emperor regretted not having heard it sooner; within ten years Rong had risen to the chancellorship.

雖後得罪，而追恨融才有所未盡也。 Though Rong later fell from grace, the emperor still regretted that his talent had never been fully exhausted.

於是韋堅、楊慎矜、王鉷、楊國忠各以裒刻進，剝下益上，歲進羨緡百億萬為天子私藏，以濟橫賜，而天下經費自如，帝以為能，故重官累使，尊顯烜赫。 Then Wei Jian, Yang Shenjin, Wang Hong, and Yang Guozhong each rose by ruthless extraction, squeezing the people to enrich the throne. Each year they forwarded tens of billions in surplus coin into the emperor's private hoard to fund lavish gifts, while ordinary state expenses seemed untouched. The emperor took this for competence and heaped offices and commissioner posts on them until they blazed with rank and power.