Ah, it's about the story of Crown Prince Sima Yu of Minghuai. This crown prince, whose style name is Xizu, is the eldest son of Jin Huidi Sima Zhong, and his mother was Consort Xie. He had been clever and intelligent since he was a child, and his grandfather Jin Wudi especially liked him, always having him by his side. Once, he was playing with several imperial brothers in the palace when Jin Huidi came to court. One by one, he held the hands of the princes, and when it came to the crown prince, Jin Huidi said, "This is my son!" and then stopped, demonstrating his fondness for him.
Another time, a fire broke out in the palace at night, and Jin Wudi ran upstairs to see. At that time, the crown prince was only five years old, but he tugged at his grandfather's sleeve and took him to a dark place. Jin Wudi asked him why, and the crown prince said, "It's late at night, the situation is critical; we should be prepared and not let others see the emperor!" Jin Wudi realized this child was exceptional. Another time, he accompanied Jin Wudi to the pigsty, and he said to Jin Wudi, "These pigs are so fat, why not slaughter them to reward the soldiers instead of wasting food?" Jin Wudi appreciated his insight and immediately had the pigs slaughtered. Then he patted his back and said to Tingwei Fu Zhi, "This child will surely prosper our Sima family in the future!" He frequently praised the crown prince before the ministers, saying he resembled Emperor Xuan, so the crown prince had a good reputation nationwide.
It is said that fortune-tellers claimed that Guangling had the aura of an emperor, so Jin Wudi appointed him as the King of Guangling, granting him a fief of fifty thousand households. He studied under Liu Shi, was good friends with Meng Heng, and Yang Zhun and Feng Sun were his teachers, teaching him literature. Later, when Jin Huidi ascended the throne, he appointed him as the crown prince. Huidi also meticulously selected a group of esteemed individuals to be the crown prince's teachers, with He Shao serving as Grand Preceptor, Wang Rong as Grand Tutor, Yang Ji as Grand Protector, Pei Kai as Junior Preceptor, Zhang Hua as Junior Tutor, and He Qiao as Junior Protector.
In the first year of Yuankang, the Crown Prince moved to the Eastern Palace. Emperor Hui also issued a decree saying, "The Crown Prince is still young; now that he has moved to the Eastern Palace, his education depends entirely on his teachers and wise ministers. Those around him should be upright and dependable, able to support one another and grow together." Therefore, he appointed Grand Preceptor Wei Guan, Minister of Works Tai, Crown Prince's Tutor Yang Ji, Crown Prince's Tutor Pei Kai, Crown Prince's Attendant Zhang Hua, and Prefect of the Masters of Writing Hua Yi to accompany him, studying and living together, helping each other.
When he grew up, he didn't apply himself to his studies and instead just played with those around him, showing little respect for his teachers and caretakers. Empress Jia, envious of the Crown Prince's good reputation, secretly ordered eunuchs to flatter him, saying, "Your Highness, now that you're in your prime, you should enjoy life to the fullest. Why do you always restrain yourself?" Every time they saw the Crown Prince angry or happy, the eunuchs would sigh and say, "Your Highness, if you don't learn to wield authority and discipline, how will anyone come to respect you?"
The crown prince's favored concubine gave birth to a son for him. The eunuchs said he should reward generously and provide more toys for the crown prince, so the crown prince took their advice. As a result, the crown prince became more and more indulgent, sometimes skipping court sessions and always playing in the back garden. He liked small cars and horses, letting people ride and intentionally breaking the saddles and reins, finding amusement in watching them fall to the ground. If someone made him unhappy, he would strike them himself. He was petty and calculating, forbidding any repairs to the walls, roofs, or even tiles. However, he unexpectedly established a market in the palace, where people slaughtered pigs and sold alcohol. He personally weighed the goods, ensuring every ounce was accounted for. His mother used to sell pork, which is why the crown prince was so fond of it. He also had the West Garden sell vegetables, flowers, chicken, noodles, and then collected profits. The Eastern Palace used to receive a monthly salary of 500,000 coins for various expenses, but the crown prince consistently took two months' worth of funds to indulge his favorites. Minister Jiang Xingmaji once advised the crown prince on five issues, but the crown prince did not listen at all, and these events were recorded in the "Jiang Tong Chuan." The scholar Du Xi was quite concerned because the crown prince was not born to Empress Jia and had a violent temper. He often advised the crown prince to cultivate his character and stay away from evil people. The crown prince was angry and had people hide needles in his usual seat cushion to prick him. The crown prince was strong-willed and knew that Jia Mi relied on the empress's power, so he did not want to have a good relationship with him. When Jia Mi visited the Eastern Palace, he sometimes ignored the crown prince and went to the harem to play. The Chamberlain Pei Quan advised the crown prince, saying, "Jia Mi is currently favored by the empress, but his attitude towards you is not good. If one day they conspire against you, it will be a big problem! You should be more humble, cautious, and recruit more talents to find a backer for yourself." The crown prince ignored his advice.
At the beginning, Guo Huai, the mother of Jia Hou, wanted to marry Han Shou's daughter off to the Crown Prince to be his Crown Princess, and the Crown Prince also wanted to marry a daughter from the Han family to strengthen his own position. However, both Han Shou's wife, Jia Wu, and the Empress opposed this, so in the end, the Crown Prince married Wang Yan's youngest daughter, Wang Huifeng. The Crown Prince heard that Wang Yan's eldest daughter was beautiful, but she was married off to Jia Mi by Jia Hou, which left him feeling disgruntled, and he often grumbled about it. One time, while playing chess, Jia Mi and the Crown Prince got into an argument over their moves. Chengdu Wang Ying saw this and criticized Jia Mi, which only added to Jia Mi's frustration. So he went to the Empress to complain about the Crown Prince, saying, "The Crown Prince has been buying a lot of land and accumulating a lot of private money, trying to win over some bad people, all to deal with the Jia family. I secretly heard him say, 'If the Empress dies, I will take care of them!' Not only that, if the Empress passes away and he becomes the Emperor, he will follow the Yang family and kill us ministers, imprison the Empress in Jin Yong City, which would be a piece of cake for him. It would be wise to act quickly and install a virtuous Empress to prevent this from happening." The Empress bought his story and began spreading rumors about the Crown Prince far and wide, and everyone in the court knew that the Empress was going to deal with the Crown Prince. General Zhao Jun suggested that the Crown Prince depose the Empress, but the Crown Prince did not agree.
In June 291 AD, a mulberry tree suddenly grew in the west wing of the palace, growing over a foot tall in a day, but it withered a few days later. This was quite the odd occurrence!
In December, Jia Nanfeng wanted to depose the Crown Prince Sima Yu, so she pretended there was a rift between the Emperor and the Crown Prince and tricked the Crown Prince into coming to the palace. When the Crown Prince got to the palace, Jia Nanfeng was nowhere in sight, and he was locked in a remote room. Then a palace maid named Chen Wu brought him wine and dates, and she quickly got him drunk.
Next, Jianan Feng asked the Yellow Gate Minister, Pan Yue, to write a draft that resembled a prayer to heaven purportedly written by the Crown Prince himself. The Crown Prince was completely unaware of what was happening, so he blindly copied the draft. The letter stated: "Your Majesty, you should take matters into your own hands; if you do not take matters into your own hands, I will make the decision for you. Empress, you should also act quickly; if you do not make the decision yourself, I will make the decision for you. You and Concubine Xie should quickly set a date to commit suicide together; don’t hesitate; otherwise, you’ll leave future troubles. I will endure great hardship and implore heaven to remove the calamities, support Daowen as king, and let Jiang Shi become the inner master. If my wish can be fulfilled, I will offer sacrifices to the Northern Lord and grant amnesty to the world. This matter must be executed swiftly, just like a decree." The Crown Prince was very drunk and had no idea what he was writing; the handwriting was messy. Later, Jianan Feng had someone complete the writing and presented it to the Emperor. The Emperor summoned the ministers in the Shiqian Hall and ordered the Huangmen Commander Dong Meng to read the letter written by the Crown Prince and a decree written on blue paper, stating: "This is the letter written by the Crown Prince; now he is sentenced to death!" The Emperor showed this to all the ministers, and no one dared to speak; only Zhang Hua and Pei Wei defended the Crown Prince. Jianan Feng had Dong Meng falsely relay to the Emperor on behalf of Princess Changguang: "This matter must be resolved quickly, as the ministers are divided in their opinions; if anyone disobeys the imperial edict, they should be dealt with by military law!" By evening, no resolution had been reached. Jianan Feng was afraid of trouble, so he petitioned to remove the Crown Prince from his position and allow him to live as a commoner. The Emperor agreed.
Therefore, the Minister of the Interior and Yu were dispatched with ceremonial staffs to serve as deputy envoys, along with Grand General Liang Wang, General of the East Huainan Wang Yun, former General Duke of Dongwu Dan, Prince Zhao Lun, and Grand Preceptor He Shao. Together, they went to the Eastern Palace, deposed the Crown Prince, reducing him to the status of a commoner. On that day, the Crown Prince was playing in Xuan Garden. Upon hearing that the envoys had arrived, he quickly changed his clothes, came out from the Chongxian Gate, knelt to receive the edict, then walked to the Chenghua Gate and got on a regular ox cart to leave. Dan led soldiers to escort the Crown Prince's consort, Wang Shi, and three imperial grandsons to Jin Yong City, and also investigated Imperial Concubine Xie and the Crown Prince's forest keeper Jiang Jun.
In the second month of the following year, Jia Nanfeng had the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate confess again, claiming to conspire with the Crown Prince. The Emperor showed the Gentleman of the Yellow Gate's confession letter to the ministers. Dan was then sent with a thousand soldiers to escort the Crown Prince, detaining him at a remote location in Xuchang Palace, and Liu Zhen, the Imperial Censor, was assigned to guard him.
Earlier, popular nursery rhymes circulated among the common people, stating: "The horseman of the Eastern Palace, don’t play dumb, your turn is coming in December." There were also nursery rhymes saying: "The southern wind stirs up white sand, from afar the towering peaks of Lu come into view, the thousand-year-old skeleton sprouts teeth." The "southern wind" refers to Jia Nanfeng, while "sands" is the Crown Prince's childhood nickname.
At first, the Crown Prince was deposed, and the Crown Prince's father-in-law, Wang Yan, submitted a request to divorce the Princess. When the Crown Prince arrived in Xuchang, he wrote a letter to the Princess saying, "I may be foolish, but I genuinely wish to do good and fulfill my duties of loyalty and filial piety, without any malicious intent. Although I am not born of the Empress, I have served her as if she were my own mother. Since I became the Crown Prince, I have been forbidden to see my mother. Since the Marquis of Yicheng passed away, I have received no condolences and have been sitting alone in an empty room. Last December, Daowen (the Crown Prince's son) fell seriously ill, and both of us were in great pain, sharing our suffering. At that time, I asked the Emperor to bestow a title on Daowen, but it was not approved. When Daowen was seriously ill, I asked for mercy on his behalf, with no ill intentions. Since Daowen fell ill, the Empress sent someone to visit me three times, saying, 'The Emperor wishes to see you.' On the evening of the 28th, a short letter arrived, with 'Letter from the Eastern Palace' written on it, saying, 'The Emperor wants to see you.' I promptly requested to enter the palace. On the morning of the 29th, I entered the palace to see the Emperor, and was soon taken to see the Empress. Chen Wu, the Empress's servant, came over to inform me, 'The Empress vomited this morning and is not feeling well.' She told me to wait in an empty room. After a while, Chen Wu came again to convey the Empress's message: 'I heard you requested the Emperor to confer the title of King on Daowen, but he cannot be made a King; he can only be made a Duke.' The Empress shouted from afar to Chen Wu, 'I ordered wine and dates to be sent to the Crown Prince yesterday.' So, Chen Wu brought me three liters of wine and a large plate of dates, asking me to drink and eat. I don’t usually drink, so I told Chen Wu to let them know that I couldn’t handle three liters of wine. The Empress shouted from afar, 'You are usually happy to drink in front of the Emperor; why don’t you drink now? This wine is a gift from heaven; it can help Daowen recover.' I responded to the Empress, 'The wine given by the Emperor yesterday, so I dare not refuse, but I can't drink three liters of wine in one day. And I haven’t eaten yet, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it. Besides, I haven’t seen His Highness yet, and drinking wine may make me dizzy.' Chen Wu conveyed again, 'You are truly unfilial! Heaven has given you wine to drink, but you refuse to drink; do you have something to hide?' So, I reluctantly drank two liters, leaving one liter, planning to take it back to the Eastern Palace to finish. They forced me to do so, and I drank another liter. After finishing the wine, I felt lightheaded and disoriented. After a while, a maid brought a sealed box and said, 'The edict requires you to write this.' I was startled when I opened it to find a white paper and a blue paper inside. They urged me, saying, 'The Emperor is waiting.' Another maid brought ink and yellow paper, asking me to write. I wrote in a hurry, without time to read, not knowing if what I wrote was appropriate. How could I ever suspect my parents or relatives? That’s how it unfolded; I was truly wronged, and I hope everyone can understand.
Second paragraph: Parents are the closest of kin; there's no doubt about that. The situation is as follows: I am indeed wrongfully accused. I hope everyone can understand. The Crown Prince's removal from his position was not his fault at all. Many people are outraged and furious. Sima Ya, the commander of the right guard, is a distant relative of the royal family. He and Xu Chao, who often accompanied the Crown Prince, were highly regarded by him. Both were deeply troubled and went to see Zhao Wang Lun's adviser, Sun Xiu, saying, "There is no suitable heir to the country now, and the stability of the state is in jeopardy. The ministers are bound to cause chaos among themselves. You currently serve the Empress and maintain a close relationship with Jia Hou. Regarding the Crown Prince's removal, it is said that you anticipated it. If things spiral out of control, disaster will inevitably affect you as well! Why don't you think of a solution in advance?" Sun Xiu told Zhao Wang Lun about this matter, and Zhao Wang Lun agreed very much. After the plan was finalized, Sun Xiu said to Zhao Wang Lun again, "The Crown Prince has a strong personality. If he gains power in the future, he will definitely seek revenge. You usually have a close relationship with Jia Hou, and it is rumored in the streets and alleys that you are a supporter of the Jia family. Even if you seek to gain favor with the Crown Prince now, even if he can bear his previous grievances, he will not reward you generously. Instead, he will think that you are forcing the people to do so; for self-preservation, he may turn his back on you. Even if you have no obvious faults, you will inevitably be executed. It would be wiser for us to bide our time. Jia Hou will definitely harm the Crown Prince, and then we can remove Jia Hou, avenge the Crown Prince, and achieve our goals." Zhao Wang Lun thought it made sense. Sun Xiu deliberately spread rumors that the people in the palace wanted to remove Jia Hou and support the Crown Prince. Upon hearing this, Jia Houx was terrified and instructed the imperial physician Cheng Ju to prepare Ba Dou Xing Ren Wan (Croton Seed and Apricot Kernel Pills).
In March, Empress Jia forged an edict and sent the eunuch Sun Lü to Xuchang to assassinate the Crown Prince with poison. Originally, the Crown Prince was afraid of being poisoned, so he always cooked his own meals himself. Sun Lü informed Liu Zhen of this, and Liu Zhen moved the Crown Prince to a small room, not allowing him to eat anything. The palace staff could only hand food to the Crown Prince through the wall. Sun Lü forced the Crown Prince to take the poison, but the Crown Prince refused, so he went to the bathroom. Sun Lü used a pestle to beat the Crown Prince to death while he was in the bathroom. The Crown Prince shouted loudly, and his cries were heard outside. At that time, the Crown Prince was only twenty-three years old. Initially, they planned to bury him according to commoner rites, but Empress Jia submitted a memorial stating: "Yuan has unfortunately died young, his confused mistakes have ended with his early death, and my grief is hard to contain. I had hoped he would deeply reflect and reconsider his duties of filial piety, kowtow to the late Emperor in apology, and restore his title. This wish went unfulfilled, which only deepened my sorrow. Although Yuan's sins were great, he was after all a descendant of the royal family, and it is truly pitiful to bury him with the etiquette of common people. I specially request the grace of heaven to grant him the burial rites of a prince. I am but a simple person, lacking knowledge of proper etiquette, unable to control my emotions, and humbly present this to the Emperor." So the Emperor ordered the Crown Prince's burial according to the rites of the Prince of Guangling.
After Jia Shuren died, the emperor ordered the execution of Liu Zhen, Sun Lu, Cheng Ju, and others. Then, the emperor issued a decree to restore the prince's identity, saying: "The emperor sent envoys holding tokens and serving as Sikong and Weiwei to pay respects to the spirit of the late prince, saying: 'Oh! You were talented from a young age, held in great favor by the late emperor, expanded the territory and took control of the Huailing region. I fulfill the late emperor's last wish by naming you as the prince to honor our ancestors. You are of noble character, always listened to the teachings of your nurses and teachers, served your parents with filial piety, and had no faults in etiquette. However, I foolishly fell prey to villains, causing you to suffer unfortunate disasters, leading to the tragedies of Shensheng and Xiaoji repeating in our time. Thanks to the sagacity of the prime minister, the people and spirits felt resentment, which made me realize and punish those criminals accordingly. But how can this compensate for your wrongful death? Therefore, I am deeply sorrowful and regretful, my heart is heavy with grief. Now, I will hold a funeral for the deceased prince, bury you again in the capital region, and sacrifice to you with the highest sacrificial offerings. If your spirit is aware, I hope you understand my intentions.'" The emperor dressed the prince in the heaviest mourning attire, known as Zhan Shuai, for a son mourning his father, and the officials all wore mourning attire. The emperor also sent the Shangshu and Yu to lead the officials of the East Palace to welcome back the prince's coffin from Xuchang in accordance with the ceremonial rites.
The emperor personally ordered the execution of the murderers who killed the crown prince, then bestowed posthumous honors upon him and expressed profound regret. The imperial decree not only affirmed the crown prince's virtues during his lifetime but also reflected deeply on his own mistakes and expressed profound sorrow for the wrongful death of the crown prince. The emperor personally mourned for the crown prince and solemnly welcomed back his coffin, demonstrating his profound guilt and yearning for the crown prince. The entire ceremony was marked by solemnity and dignity, reflecting the seriousness with which he addressed this miscarriage of justice. Alas, the crown prince is no more. On the day of the funeral, the wind howled fiercely, thunder boomed, and lightning streaked across the sky, and even the tents were torn asunder.
Then, someone else wrote a eulogy, probably stating this: "The emperor in the palace sent stableman Liu Wu to send the prince off. The eulogy states: 'Prince! You have been outstanding since childhood, noble in character and exceptionally talented. You showed extraordinary talent at a young age, exceeding in intelligence and wisdom. Your grandfather, the emperor, greatly appreciated you, and your reputation spread far and wide. Therefore, you were established as the heir to inherit the throne. But how did such a disaster occur? This calamity came so suddenly! Heaven and earth mourn, all things grieve together. Alas, what a pity! Your downfall is entirely my fault; the chaos in the harem ultimately led to this tragedy. You have left, who else will see your face? Just like the ancient Shen Sheng, dying unjustly, unable to seek justice. Now you die unjustly, which brings great sorrow! The ruler of Huguan realized his mistake only after a thousand years; you and I share the same fate; the past and present are intertwined. Your grandson, Qi Jian, will continue your lineage; even though you passed away young, your descendants will thrive. Your tomb has been built; may your soul rest in peace.' " The funeral was extremely solemn, the grand procession moved slowly forward amidst the thunder and lightning, and everyone involved was heartbroken. Finally, the prince's posthumous title was "Minghuai," and he was buried on the day of Jimo in the sixth month at Xianping Tomb. The emperor was profoundly influenced by Yan Zong's counsel and built Sizi Terrace in front of the prince's tomb. Ministers Jiang Tong and Lu Ji also composed elegies and poems in his honor. The prince had three sons: Qin, Zang, and Shang, all of whom were imprisoned in Jinyong City along with their father. Prince Qin, whose courtesy name was Daowen, passed away in the first month of the first year of Yongkang. In April, he was posthumously appointed as the King of Nanyang.
Zang Jingwen was appointed as the Prince of Linhuai in April of the first year of Yongkang. On the same day, the emperor issued a decree: "Disasters have come one after another, with treachery and chaos. I mourn for the Crown Prince who was forced to abdicate and sadly passed away. Now, Zang is appointed as the Grand Crown Prince, the Wang consort is honored as the Grand Crown Princess, and the Crown Prince's officials have all been reassigned to serve the Grand Crown Prince. Zhao Wang Lun is appointed as the Grand Crown Prince's Grand Tutor." In the fifth month, Zhao Wang Lun and the Grand Crown Prince went to the Eastern Palace together. The Grand Crown Prince came out from the West Yezimen, with the same entourage and attire as the late Crown Prince. Upon reaching Tongtuojie, the palace attendants were weeping uncontrollably, the entourage was choked with emotion, and bystanders wiped their tears. The mulberry tree in the West Chamber withered after the Grand Crown Prince's deposition. In January of the first year of Yongning, Zhao Wang Lun usurped the throne, deposed Zang and made him the Prince of Puyang, and both were relocated to Jinyong City, where they were soon murdered. In the first year of Taian, Zang was posthumously honored as the Mourning Prince.
Shang Jingren was appointed as the Prince of Xiangyang in April of the first year of Yongkang. In the eighth month of Yongning, he was appointed as the Grand Crown Prince. He passed away on Guimao day in the third month of the first year of Taian. The emperor mourned for three months dressed in mourning attire and posthumously honored him with the title of Crown Grand Prince.
The historian commented: The Crown Prince was endowed with exceptional intelligence and displayed extraordinary talent from a young age. The Emperor doted on him and meticulously arranged for his succession; people everywhere held high hopes for him, believing that he would achieve greatness in the future. However, when he took the throne and oversaw the Eastern Palace, he neglected his studies and often skipped court, and though he had an imposing presence, his character deteriorated. He trusted deceitful individuals, rejected upright officials, indulged in trivial amusements, and reveled in the pleasures of the garden, truly exemplifying the saying "begun but never completed." Later on, the Empress, who was ruthless, had long sought to harm him, while the relatives flattered him while spreading slander; the plot to frame him was carefully orchestrated, and the defamatory rumors had already circulated. The Emperor lacked the wisdom to see through the conspiracy, and the court officials did not dare to speak the truth. This led to an injustice greater than that of the founding of the State of Chu, and a cruelty that surpassed the tragedies of Liyuan. Though a grand funeral was later held for him, the Emperor was deeply saddened, but how could that ever make up for the suffering he endured?
Praise: The Crown Prince was exceptionally bright, truly a gift from above. The Emperor cherished him dearly, and the court officials eagerly anticipated his reign. Although the Eastern Palace had just been established, his character never shone. Deceitful individuals intervened, leading to a catastrophic outcome. He ultimately suffered cruel persecution, left only to hope in vain for a comeback.
