Five Dynasties · Ruler

Zhu Yougui 朱友珪

First attested AD 912; died c. AD 913

Passages: 14
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Zhu Yougui was a ruler.

Life and dates

Death

c. AD 913 二月
Cause Ordered Feng to kill him after failed flight · With Feng Ting'e (馮廷諤)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 184

Attested activity

AD 912 to AD 913 友珪大懼…廢友珪為庶人
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passages 161, 179, 185

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Taizu of Later Liang (梁太祖)
father 父 · paternal line
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 167
Spouse of Lady Zhang, wife of Yougui (友珪妻張氏)
wife 妻 · Primary marriage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 162

Career and standing

Degraded
Commoner
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 185
enthroned before the bier 柩前即皇帝位
AD 912 乾化二年六月既望
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 179
struck down to commoner 廢友珪為庶人
c. AD 913 末帝即位
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passage 185

Works and attributed material

Edict · Forger · Direct quotation · Mode forged-document Speaker Zhu Yougui (朱友珪)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passages 172-177

Events and relationships

Murdered Taizu and usurped
Political · Regicide · With Taizu of Later Liang (梁太祖)
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passages 165, 168, 179

Assessments and attributes

Assessment denied a Basic Annals as a son who murdered his father · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 13, passages 194-195, 200

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 13Volume 13: The Later Liang Imperial Family · 14 passages

太祖素剛暴，既病，而喜怒難測，是時左降者，必有後命，友珪大懼。 Taizu had always been brutal; in illness his moods were unpredictable, and a demotion now always meant worse to come. Yougui was terrified.

左右勸友珪曰：「事急計生，何不早自為圖？」 His attendants urged him: “Desperate times call for desperate measures—why not strike first?”

友珪乃易衣服，微行入左龍虎軍，見統軍韓勍計事，勍夜以牙兵五百隨友珪，雜控鶴衞士而入。 Yougui changed clothes, slipped into the Left Dragon-Tiger Army, and plotted with its commander Han Qing. That night Han Qing accompanied Yougui with five hundred personal guards, mixed them among the Control Crane guards, and entered the palace.

友珪親吏馮廷諤以劍犯太祖，太祖旋柱而走，劍擊柱者三，太祖憊，仆於床，廷諤以劍中之，洞其腹，腸胃皆流。 Yougui’s henchman Feng Ting’e ran him through with a sword; Taizu circled a pillar while the blade bit the wood three times, then collapsed on the bed. Feng drove the point into his belly and spilled his guts.

友珪以裀裖裹之寢中，祕喪四日。 Yougui swaddled the corpse in the bedchamber and hid the death for four days.

昨二日夜，甲士突入大內，賴友珪忠孝，領兵剿戮，保全朕躬。 Two nights ago armored rebels broke into the inner palace; thanks to Yougui’s loyalty and filial devotion, he led troops to kill them and preserved my person.

友珪克平兇逆，厥功靡倫，宜委權主軍國。」 Yougui crushed the traitors; none equals his service. Let him rule army and state.”

乾化二年六月既望，友珪於柩前即皇帝位，拜韓忠武軍節度使，以末帝為汴州留後，河中朱友謙為中書令。 On the full moon of the sixth month of Qianhua 2, Yougui was enthroned before the bier; Han became military governor of Zhongwu, the Last Emperor was left as acting governor of Bian, and Zhu Youqian of Hezhong was named Secretariat Director.

三年正月，友珪祀天於洛陽南郊，改元曰鳳歷。 In the first month of his third year Yougui offered to Heaven at Luoyang’s southern altar and proclaimed the era Fengli.

二月，象先以禁兵入宮，友珪與妻張氏趨北垣樓下，將逾城以走，不果，使馮廷諤進刃其妻及己，廷諤亦自殺。 In the second month Xiangxian entered with the guard; Yougui and Zhang fled to the north wall and tried to scale it in vain. He ordered Feng Ting’e to kill them both; Feng then took his own life.

末帝即位，復友文官爵，廢友珪為庶人。 The Last Emperor restored Youwen’s honors and struck Yougui down to commoner rank.

或問：「梁太祖以臣弒君，友珪以子弒父，一也。 Someone asked: “Taizu of Liang slew his sovereign as a subject; Yougui slew his father as a son—the same crime.

與弒即位，逾年改元，《春秋》之法，皆以君書，而友珪不得列於本紀，何也？ A usurper who reigns a year and changes the era is still written as “lord” in the Spring and Autumn—but Yougui is denied a place in the Basic Annals. Why?

予於友珪之事，所以伸討賊者之志也。」 In what I write of Yougui, I mean to vindicate the will to punish the regicide.”