Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Ruler

the Last Emperor 後主

Houzhu

Born AD 553

Passages: 51
Chapters: 6
Histories: 1

Overview

The translated histories identify the Last Emperor as a poet, royal family member, and ruler. This record brings together 51 passages from 6 chapters across 1 history, with names, dates, relationships, offices, and events preserved as source-backed claims.

Names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Personal	the Last Emperor	後主	Houzhu
Title	crown prince	太子
Title	Emperor Houzhu	後主
Title	Houzhu	後主
Title	Last Emperor	後主
Title	Last Ruler	後主
Title	the Last Emperor	後主	Houzhu
Title	the Last Emperor	後主
Title	the Later Lord	後主

Identity

Historicity: Historical
Identification: Title only
Sex: Male

Sex: male
Strongly inferred · chenshu:007:s0013, chenshu:036:s0008, chenshu:036:s0050
Sex: male
Explicit · chenshu:010:s0128, chenshu:014:s0121, chenshu:025:s0077, chenshu:032:s0034

Roles

Poet
Royal Family Member
Ruler

Life and dates

Birth

Place: Jiangling / 江陵 · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 承聖二年 · Regnal Year: 2 · Western Year: AD 553
Explicit · chenshu:007:s0092

Attested activity

Source Date: Text: 承聖二年 · Regnal Year: 2 · Western Year: AD 553
Explicit event contextual date · chenshu:007:s0092
Source Date: Text: 叔陵之叛 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0051
Source Date: Text: 天嘉三年 · Western Year: AD 562
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0009
Source Date: Text: 太建十一年 · Western Year: AD 579
Explicit · chenshu:010:s0128
Source Date: Text: 後主即位 · Western Interval: Start: AD 583 · End: AD 589
Explicit · chenshu:032:s0034
Source Date: Text: 後主即位 · Western Year: AD 582
Explicit · chenshu:007:s0121
Source Date: Text: 禎明元年 · Western Year: AD 587
Explicit · chenshu:025:s0083, chenshu:025:s0084
Source Date: Text: 至德元年 · Western Year: AD 583
Explicit · chenshu:010:s0129
Source Date: Text: 臺城陷 · Western Year: AD 589
Explicit · chenshu:014:s0121

Family

Immediate source-linked family. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select a person to open their record.

Spouse of Zhang Lihua (張麗華)
Kinship Term: appointed noble consort / 拜为贵妃 · Union Category: secondary-marriage
Sibling of Shuling (叔陵)
Kinship Term: brothers / 兄弟 · Shared Parentage: paternal-half
Kin of Pan (盼)
Kinship Term: emperor's maternal uncle / 帝舅 · Line: maternal
Child of Emperor Xuan (高宗)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of Chen Xu (陳頊)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Parent of Crown Prince Shen (太子深)
Kinship Term: father / 父 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: father · Object Role: son
Child of Liu Jingyan (柳敬言)
Kinship Term: gave birth to / 生 · Parentage: biological · Subject Role: mother · Object Role: son
Spouse of Shen Wuhua (沈婺華)
Kinship Term: made empress / 立为皇后 · Union Category: marriage

Career and standing

Status: hostage · Action: held
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0008

Places and affiliations

Polity: Chen / 陳 · Relation: associated-with
Explicit · chenshu:007:s0121
Polity: Chen · Relation: associated-with
Explicit · chenshu:025:s0077
Polity: Chen · Relation: served
Explicit · chenshu:010:s0128

Works and attributed material

Work: forty-character inscription after the epitaph / 銘後四十字 · Relation: author
Explicit · chenshu:025:s0095
Kind: edict · Role: author · Quoted: true · Other Person Id: Cheng Wenji (程文季) · Date Context: Source Date: Text: 至德元年 · Western Year: AD 583
Explicit · chenshu:010:s0130, chenshu:010:s0131, chenshu:010:s0132, chenshu:010:s0133, chenshu:010:s0134
Kind: edict · Role: author · Quoted: true
Explicit · chenshu:036:s0082, chenshu:036:s0083, chenshu:036:s0122, chenshu:036:s0123, chenshu:036:s0124, chenshu:036:s0125
Kind: poem · Role: author
Explicit · chenshu:025:s0096, chenshu:025:s0097, chenshu:025:s0098, chenshu:025:s0099, chenshu:025:s0100

References in the histories

Open any source group to read the Chinese and English passage in context.

Book of Chen, Chapter 7Volume 7: Empresses and Consorts · 29 passages

世祖性恭儉，而嬪嬙多闕，高宗、後主內職無所改作。 Emperor Wen was respectful and frugal, and many concubines' posts still went unfilled; Emperor Xuan and the Last Emperor changed nothing in the inner offices.

承聖二年，后生後主於江陵。 In Chengsheng year 2 (553), the empress gave birth to the Last Emperor at Jiangling.

明年，江陵陷，高宗遷于關右，后與後主俱留穰城。 The next year Jiangling fell and Emperor Xuan was moved west of the passes, while the empress and the Last Emperor remained at Rangcheng.

天嘉二年，與後主還朝，后為安成王妃。 In Tianjia year 2 (561), she returned to court with the Last Emperor and became Princess of Ancheng.

高宗崩，始興王叔陵為亂，後主賴后與樂安君吳氏救而獲免，事在叔陵傳。 When Emperor Xuan died, Prince Shuling of Shixing rebelled. The Last Emperor escaped only because the empress and Lady Wu of Le'an rescued him; the affair is told in Shuling's biography.

後主即位，尊后為皇太后，宮曰弘範。 When the Last Emperor came to the throne, he honored the empress as empress dowager; her palace was called Hongfan.

當是之時，新失淮南之地，隋師臨江，又國遭大喪，後主病瘡不能聽政，其誅叔陵、供大行喪事、邊境防守及百司红務，雖假以後主之命，實皆決之於后。 At the time Huainan had just been lost, Sui forces were on the Yangzi, and the state was in mourning. The Last Emperor was ill with sores and could not hear government, so the execution of Shuling, the late emperor's funeral, frontier defense, and all the business of the offices were formally done in the Last Emperor's name but in fact decided by the empress.

後主瘡愈，乃歸政焉。 When the Last Emperor recovered, she returned the government to him.

後主即位，以帝舅加散騎常侍。 When the Last Emperor succeeded, as the emperor's uncle by marriage he was made scattered-cavalry regular attendant.

後主即位，稍遷至散騎常侍、纫尉卿。 When the Last Emperor came to the throne, Zhuang gradually rose to scattered-cavalry regular attendant and minister of the guards.

後主皇后沈婺華 Last Emperor Empress Shen Wuhua

[6]後主即位，立為皇后。 [6] When the Last Emperor came to the throne, she was made empress.

初，後主在東宮，而后父君理卒，后居憂，處於別殿，哀毀逾禮。 Earlier, while the Last Emperor was still in the Eastern Palace, the empress's father Junli died. She observed mourning in a separate hall and wasted herself with grief beyond the rites.

後主遇后既薄，而張貴妃寵傾後宮，後宮之政嵭歸之，后澹然未嘗有所忌怨。 The Last Emperor treated the empress coldly, while Noble Consort Zhang dominated the harem in favor and all inner-palace affairs passed to her. The empress remained calm and never showed jealousy or resentment.

陳亡，與後主俱入長安。 When Chen fell, she was taken to Chang'an with the Last Emperor.

及後主薨，后自為哀辭，文甚酸切。 When the Last Emperor died, the empress herself composed a lament, deeply sorrowful in its wording.

禎明中，與蕭瓛、蕭巖率红叛隋歸朝，後主擢為太子詹事。 In the Zhenming era he and Xiao Kan and Xiao Yan led their men in defecting from Sui back to Chen; the Last Emperor made him grand mentor of the heir apparent.

君公博學有才辯，善談論，後主深器之。 Jun Gong was learned, eloquent, and skilled in debate; the Last Emperor prized him highly.

後主貴妃張麗華 Last Emperor Noble Consort Zhang Lihua

後主為太子，以選入宮。 When the Last Emperor was crown prince, she was selected to enter the palace.

是時龔貴嬪為良娣，貴妃年十歲，為之給使，後主見而說焉，因得幸，遂有娠，生太子深。 At the time Honored Consort Gong was liangdi, and the noble consort, then ten, served her. The Last Emperor saw and liked her, so she gained his favor, became pregnant, and gave birth to Crown Prince Shen.

後主即位，拜為貴妃。 When the Last Emperor came to the throne, she was appointed noble consort.

後主每引貴妃與賓客遊宴，貴妃薦諸宮女預焉，後宮等咸德之，競言貴妃之善，由是愛傾後宮。 Whenever the Last Emperor brought the noble consort to feasts with guests, she recommended other palace women to take part. The women of the harem were all grateful and competed to praise her goodness, so affection throughout the harem turned toward her.

又好厭魅之術，假鬼道以惑後主，置淫祀於宮中，聚諸妖巫使之鼓舞，因參訪外事，人閒有一言一事，妃必先知之，以白後主，由是益重妃，內外宗族，多被引用。 She also delighted in spells and enchantment, using ghostly arts to delude the Last Emperor. She set up illicit sacrifices in the palace, gathered shamans and witches to drum and dance, and used them to inquire into outside affairs. Whenever some word or event arose among the people, the consort always knew it first and reported it to the Last Emperor. Because of this he valued her still more, and many of her relatives inside and outside the palace were brought into office.

及隋軍陷臺城，妃與後主俱入于井，隋軍出之，晉王廣命斬貴妃，牓於青溪中橋。 When the Sui army took Taicheng, the consort and the Last Emperor hid together in a well. Sui soldiers brought them out, and Guang, Prince of Jin, ordered the noble consort beheaded and displayed at the middle bridge over Qingxi.

史臣侍中鄭國公魏徵考覽記書，參詳故老，云後主初即位，以始興王叔陵之亂，被傷臥于承香閣下，時諸姬嵭不得進，唯張貴妃侍焉。 The historiographer, palace attendant and Duke of Zheng, Wei Zheng, examined the records and consulted elders and wrote: When the Last Emperor first succeeded, he was wounded in the disorder of Prince of Shixing Shuling and lay ill below the Hall of Accepting Fragrance; none of the palace women could enter—only Noble Consort Zhang attended him.

後主自居臨春閣，張貴妃居結綺閣，龔、孔二貴嬪居望仙閣，嵭復道交相往來。 The Last Emperor lived in the Linchun Pavilion, Precious Consort Zhang in the Jieqi Pavilion, and Honored Consorts Gong and Kong in the Wangxian Pavilion, with skyways connecting them for constant visits.

後主每引賓客對貴妃等遊宴，則使諸貴人及女學士與狎客共賦新詩，互相贈答，採其尤豔麗者以為曲詞，被以新聲，選宮女有容色者以千百數，令習而哥之，[8]分部迭進，持以相樂。 Whenever the Last Emperor feasted with guests and the Precious Consort, he had the ladies and female academicians join familiar companions in new verse, trading lines; the finest were set as lyrics to new music, and hundreds or thousands of comely palace women were drilled to sing them—[8] sections took turns performing for the revel.

是時，後主怠於政事，百司啟奏，嵭因宦者蔡脫兒、李善度進請，[9]後主置張貴妃於膝上共決之。 The Last Emperor had grown slack in rule; memorials from every office came only through eunuchs Cai Tuo'er and Li Shandu—[9] and he set Precious Consort Zhang on his knee to decide them with him.

Book of Chen, Chapter 10Volume 10: Zhou Tiehu; Cheng Lingxi · 2 passages

後主是時既與周絕，不之知也。 The Later Lord had already broken with Zhou and did not yet know.

至德元年，後主始知之，追贈散騎常侍。 In Zhide year one the Later Lord learned of his fate and posthumously made him scattered-cavalry regular attendant.

Book of Chen, Chapter 14Volume 14: Chen Chang; Chen Tanlang · 1 passage

及臺城陷，與後主俱入關。 When the capital fell he was taken to the north with the Last Emperor.

Book of Chen, Chapter 25Volume 25: Pei Ji; Sun Yang · 5 passages

後主嗣位，復除通直散騎常侍，兼起部尚書。 When the Last Emperor succeeded he was again made direct-communication scattered-cavalry regular attendant and concurrent minister for founding works.

後主頻幸其第，及著詩賦述勳德之美，展君臣之意焉。 The Last Emperor often visited his house and wrote poems and rhapsodies praising his merit, showing the warmth between throne and subject.

後主臨哭盡哀，贈護軍將軍，侍中如故，給鼓吹一部，朝服一具，衣一襲，喪事量加資給，諡曰桓子。 The Last Emperor came in person to mourn with deepest grief. He was posthumously made general who guards the army, palace attendant as before, with pipes and drums, court robes, and a suit of garments; funeral costs were generously supplied; his posthumous title was Huanzi.

及卒，尚書令江總為其志銘，後主又題銘後四十字，遣左民尚書蔡徵宣敕就宅鐫之。 When he died, Secretariat Director Jiang Zong wrote his epitaph. The Last Emperor added forty characters of his own and sent Left Household Minister Cai Zheng with an edict to carve them at Yang's house.

今按：瑒初封定襄縣侯，太建十二年坐疆埸交通抵罪免，後主嗣位，又復侯爵，此作「子」不合，張說是。 Present review: Yang was first made marquis of Dingxiang; in Taijian year 12 he lost his title for frontier dealings; when Houzhu succeeded he regained the marquisate—so writing "zi" here is wrong; Zhang is right.

Book of Chen, Chapter 32Volume 32: Filial Piety · 6 passages

後主即位，加給事中。 When Houzhu came to the throne, Buhai was additionally made attendant-in-ordinary.

後主仍詔貞入掌中宮管記，遷南平王友，加招遠將軍，掌記室事。 Houzhu then had Zhen enter to manage the inner-palace records, made him friend to the Prince of Nanping, added recruit-the-distance general, and put him in charge of recorder affairs.

府長史汝南周確新除都官尚書，請貞為讓表，後主覽而奇之。 The establishment's chief recorder Zhou Que of Runan had newly been made director of the capital offenses bureau in the Secretariat and asked Zhen to draft his letter of declination; Houzhu read it and marveled.

後主因敕舍人施文慶曰[2]：「謝貞在王處，未有祿秩，可賜米百石。」 Houzhu thereupon ordered attendant Shi Wenqing [2], "Xie Zhen at the prince's establishment has no salary or rank; grant him one hundred piculs of grain."

後主問察曰：「謝貞有何親屬？」 Houzhu asked Cha, "What kin does Xie Zhen have?"

後主因敕舍人施文慶曰「慶」原本訛「憂」，各本不訛，今改正。 On "Houzhu thereupon charged palace attendant Shi Wenqing": the base text wrongly wrote you for qing in Wenqing; other editions are correct; now emended.

Book of Chen, Chapter 36Volume 36: Chen Shuling, Prince of Shixing; Chen Bogu, Prince of Xin'an · 8 passages

高宗之還也，以後主及叔陵為質。 On Emperor Gaozong's return, the Last Ruler and Shuling were held as hostages.

天嘉三年，隨後主還朝，封康樂侯，邑五百戶。 In Tianjia year 3 he followed the Last Ruler home to court and was made Marquis of Kangle with a fief of five hundred households.

及高宗不豫，太子諸王並入侍疾。 When Emperor Gaozong fell ill, the crown prince and all princes came in to attend him.

高宗崩于宣福殿，翌日旦，後主哀頓俯伏，叔陵以剉藥刀斫後主中項。 Emperor Gaozong died in the Hall of Extending Blessings; at dawn the next day, as the Last Ruler lay prostrate in grief, Shuling struck him in the back of the neck with a medicine knife.

後主乳媼吳氏，時在太后側，自後掣其肘，後主因得起。 The Last Ruler's wet nurse, Lady Wu, stood beside the empress dowager and pulled his elbow from behind, so the Last Ruler was able to rise.

叔陵仍持後主衣，後主自奮得免。 Shuling still clutched the Last Ruler's robe, but the Last Ruler wrenched free.

時吳媼已扶後主避賊，叔堅求後主所在，將受命焉。 By then Lady Wu had helped the Last Ruler escape; Shujian looked for the Last Ruler to receive orders.

後主初在東宮，與伯固甚相親狎，伯固又善嘲謔，高宗每宴集，多引之。 When the Last Ruler was still crown prince in the Eastern Palace, he and Bogu were very close. Bogu was also skilled at banter, and Emperor Gaozong often summoned him to feasts.