Sui and Tang · Official

Wu Xiang 吳湘

Wú Xiāng

Died AD 841

Passages: 10
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Wu Xiang was an official.

Life and dates

Death

AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時
Execution · Authority Shen (紳)
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passage 113

Attested activity

AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passages 111, 113

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Father of Wu Runa
father 父 · paternal line
Strongly inferred · New Book of Tang 181, passage 111
Spouse of Daughter of Yan Yue (顏悅女)
taken as wife 娶…女
married 娶 · Marriage
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 112
Sibling of Wu Runa (吳汝納)
younger brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 111

Career and standing

captain of Jiangdu 江都尉
AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時 · Held
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passage 111
Accused of corruption and improper marriage
AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時 · Prosecution
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passage 112
Sentenced to death
AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時 · Execution
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passage 113

Places and affiliations

Polity Tang 唐 · Relation Served
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 111

Events and relationships

Buried immediately without return
Burial · Deceased · Mode allegation Speaker Wu Runa (吳汝納)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 120
Tried and executed
AD 841 to AD 846 會昌時 · Legal · Defendant · With Wei Yin (魏铏)
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 181, passage 113

Assessments and attributes

Assessment misused transport-grain funds; charge of marrying a commoner's daughter false · Mode named-source-report Source Person Id Cui Yuanzao (崔元藻)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 115
Assessment upright by nature and slandered; tortured; bride-price counted as stolen goods; offenses did not warrant death; killed in midsummer contrary to autumn-equinox practice · Mode allegation Speaker Wu Runa (吳汝納)
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passages 118-123

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 181, passage 111

References in the histories

Search passages

History

10 passages

New Book of Tang, Chapter 181Volume 181 Biographies 106: Chen, Three Li's, Cao, Liu · 10 passages

會昌時，為永寧尉，弟湘為江都尉。 During the Huichang reign he was captain of Yongning; his brother Xiang was captain of Jiangdu.

部人訟湘受贓狼籍，身娶民顏悅女。 People in the district accused Xiang of rampant corruption and of marrying the daughter of Yan Yue, a commoner.

紳使觀察判官魏铏鞫湘，罪明白，論報殺之。 Shen had Wei Xing, judicial reviewer for the observation commission, interrogate Xiang. His guilt was clearly established, and Xiang was sentenced to death.

諫官屢論列，詔遣御史崔元藻覆按，元藻言湘盜用程糧錢有狀，娶部人女不實，按悅嘗為青州衙推，而妻王故衣冠女，不應坐。 Remonstrance officials protested repeatedly until Censor Cui Yuanzao was sent to reinvestigate; he found Xiang had misused transport funds, that the charge of marrying a commoner's daughter was false—Yue had been a Qingzhou yamen officer and his wife Wang came from an official family and was not liable.

崔鉉等久不得誌，導汝納使為湘訟，言：「湘素直，為人誣蔑，大校重牢，五木被體，吏至以娶妻資媵結贓。」 Cui Xuan and others, long thwarted, coached Runa to sue for Xiang, claiming: "Xiang was upright but slandered; he was thrown into a commander's dungeon, tortured with the five punishments, and officials even counted his bride-price as stolen goods."

且言：「顏悅故士族，湘罪皆不當死，紳枉殺之。」 They also said: "Yan Yue was of gentry stock; none of Xiang's offenses warranted death; Shen murdered him unjustly."

又言：「湘死，紳令即瘞，不得歸葬。 They also said: "When Xiang died, Shen had him buried at once and forbade return for proper interment.

湘無辜，盛夏被殺。」 yet innocent Xiang was killed in midsummer."

崔元藻銜德裕斥己，即翻其辭，因言：「御史覆獄還，皆對天子別白是非，德裕權軋天下，使不得對，具獄不付有司，但用紳奏而寘湘死。」 Cui Yuanzao, bitter at Deyu's demotion of him, reversed his story and said: "When censors return from reinvestigating cases they report findings directly to the emperor, but Deyu blocked this, withheld the full dossier from the courts, and relied solely on Shen's memorial to execute Xiang."

所至務為威烈，或陷暴刻，故雖沒而坐湘冤雲。 Everywhere he went he ruled with fierce severity, sometimes to the point of cruelty; hence even after death the injustice of Xiang's case clung to his name.