Let's start by discussing the four sons of Emperor Wenxuan. These four princes are the famous Prince of Taiyuan, Li Shaode, the Prince of Fanyang, Li Shaoyi, the Prince of Xihe, Li Shaoren, and the Prince of Longxi, Li Shaolian. Next, let's talk about the six sons of Emperor Xiaozhao. They are the Prince of Leling, Li Bainian, the Prince of Shiping, Li Yande, the Prince of Chengyang, Li Yanji, the Prince of Dingyang, Li Yankang, the Prince of Ruyang, Li Yanzhong, and the Prince of Runan, Li Yanli. Finally, the twelve sons of Emperor Wucheng—what a massive lineup! They are the Prince of Nanyang, Li Chuo, the Prince of Langye, Li Yan, the Prince of Qian, Li Kuo, the Prince of Beiping, Li Zhen, the Prince of Gaoping, Li Renying, the Prince of Huainan, Li Renguang, the Prince of Xihe, Li Renji, the Prince of Leping, Li Renyong, the Prince of Yingchuan, Li Renjian, the Prince of Anyang, Li Renya, the Prince of Danyang, Li Renzhi, and the Prince of Donghai, Li Renqian. The five sons of Emperor Wenxuan had different mothers: Empress Li gave birth to the deposed emperor and the Prince of Taiyuan, Li Shaode; Lady Feng gave birth to the Prince of Fanyang, Li Shaoyi; Lady Pei gave birth to the Prince of Xihe, Li Shaoren; Lady Yan gave birth to the Prince of Longxi, Li Shaolian. The Prince of Taiyuan, Li Shaode, was the second son of Emperor Wenxuan. In the later years of Emperor Wenxuan's Tianbao reign, he was appointed as the Grand Chancellor. Later, Emperor Wucheng, angry at Empress Li, scolded Li Shaode, saying, "Why didn’t you step in when your dad was beating me?" With that, he beat Li Shaode to death with a knife handle and buried him himself in Youyu Garden. In the first year of Wuping, the emperor ordered Li Biancai, the son of Li Shaode, Prince of Fanyang, to inherit the title and succeed as the Prince of Taiyuan.
Prince Shao Yi of Fanyang was the third son of Emperor Wenxuan. He was initially granted the title of Prince of Guangyang and later became the Prince of Fanyang. He held high offices such as Shizhong (Chamberlain) and Qingdu Yin (Governor of Qingdu). He enjoyed drinking with some unsavory characters and even went so far as to kill the scholar Ren Fangrong. Emperor Wucheng once punished him with two hundred strikes and then handed him over to Empress Zhaoxin, who punished him with another hundred strikes. Later, when the Later Emperor fled to Ye City, he appointed Shao Yi as the Minister of Personnel and the Inspector of Dingzhou.
After Emperor Zhou Wudi conquered Bingzhou, he appointed the assistant minister as the governor of Beishuo. This was a strategic stronghold for Northern Qi, home to many warriors. Previously, Chief Clerk Zhao Mu and General Wang Dangwan conspired to capture the assistant minister and welcome Wang Rencheng to Yingzhou. This plan failed, and they instead welcomed Shao Yi. When Shao Yi arrived at Mayi, the assistant minister and his subordinates, including Han A and others, were all traitors of Northern Qi. The garrison from more than two hundred cities north of Sizhou followed the assistant minister, and after Shao Yi arrived, these people defected as well.
Shao Yi, along with the Inspector of Lingzhou Yuan Hong, marched south in an attempt to retake Bingzhou, but by the time they arrived in Xinxing, Sizhou had already been occupied by the Zhou Dynasty. Two of the advance troops' generals surrendered their forces to the Zhou army. The Zhou army attacked Xianzhou, capturing the Inspector Lu Qiong and conquering several cities. Shao Yi had no choice but to retreat to Beishuo. The Zhou general Yuwen Shen advanced on Mayi with his forces, and Shao Yi sent Du Mingda to resist, but faced a crushing defeat. Shao Yi said, "It's better to die fighting than to surrender!" So he fled to the Turkic tribes. He brought along three thousand families and told everyone, "Anyone who wants to go back can do so." Most people cried as they said their goodbyes.
The Turkic Chuluo Khan considered Emperor Wenxuan a heroic son of heaven and thought Shaoyi resembled him closely, which endeared him to Shaoyi. Consequently, all the Northern Qi people in the north fell under Shaoyi's command. Gao Baoning, stationed in Yingzhou, submitted a petition to recognize Shaoyi as emperor, and Shaoyi ascended the throne, changing the reign title to the first year of Wuping and also conferred the title of King of Tianshui upon Zhao Mu. Upon hearing that Gao Baoning had captured Pingzhou, Chuluo Khan rallied various tribes to rise up and march south, declaring their intention to jointly support the Wang of Fanyang as the Emperor of Qi to seek vengeance for him. Emperor Wu of Zhou assembled a large army in Yunyang, preparing to personally lead a northern campaign, but he suddenly fell gravely ill and died. Upon hearing this, Shaoyi felt it was heaven's assistance. Lu Changqi occupied Fanyang and also submitted a memorial to welcome Shaoyi.
Not long after, Zhou general Yuwen Shen defeated Lu Changqi. On that day, Shaoyi happened to arrive in Youzhou and heard that the Zhou dynasty's commander had led troops into battle, planning to take the opportunity to capture Jicheng. He raised the emperor's flag, climbed to the tomb of King Zhao of Yan, observed the enemy situation from a high vantage point, and deployed his troops. Yuwen Shen sent General Yuwen En to lead four thousand troops to support Youzhou, but half of them were killed by the Qi army. Upon hearing that Fanyang City had fallen, Shaoyi put on plain clothes to conduct a mourning ceremony, then retreated back to the Turkic territory. The Zhou dynasty offered a reward for his capture and even sent He Ruoyi to persuade him. Chuluo Khan, still unwilling to harm him, pretended to hunt with Shaoyi in the southern region, allowing He Ruoyi to seize him and subsequently exiling him to Shu. Shaoyi's wife, the daughter of the King of Bohai, Xian Wan, managed to escape from Turkic territory back to the Central Plains. Shaoyi wrote to her in Shu, saying, "The barbarians are untrustworthy; they have sent me here." Ultimately, Shaoyi passed away in Shu.
Wang Shaoren of Xihe, the fourth son of Emperor Wenxuan, was appointed as the Governor of the Three Departments during the latter years of the Tianbao era of Northern Qi. He died shortly thereafter.
Prince Shaolian of Longxi was the fifth son of Emperor Wenxuan. He was initially titled as Prince Changle but was later changed to Prince of Longxi. He had a brutal nature and once chased his brother Shaoyi wielding a knife. Shaoyi ran into the stable, closed the door, and hid. Before Shaoyi could handle government affairs as Qing Duyin, Shaolian went ahead and called out all the prisoners, releasing them indiscriminately. He had a remarkable capacity for alcohol and could drink several liters of wine at once, ultimately drinking himself to death.
Emperor Xiaozhao had seven sons: the Empress bore Prince Bai Nian of Leling; Sang Shi gave birth to Prince Liang of Xiangcheng, and another son later became Prince Jing of Xiangcheng; the other sons born to concubines included Prince Yanli of Runan, Prince Yande of Shiping, Prince Yanji of Chengyang, Prince Yankang of Dingyang, and Prince Yanzhong of Ruyang.
Prince Bai Nian, the second son of Emperor Xiaozhao, lived to be a hundred years old. When Emperor Xiaozhao first took the throne, he was still in Jinyang, and the ministers all requested the formal recognition of the Empress and Crown Prince. The Emperor humbly did not agree. Later, when the ministers requested again, he said it was the Dowager Empress's order, so he was established as the Crown Prince. Before Emperor Xiaozhao died, he bequeathed the throne to Emperor Wucheng in his will and left a handwritten note that concluded with: "Bai Nian is innocent, you may deal with it as you wish, do not follow the mistakes of your predecessors." By the time of the Daining period, Prince Bai Nian was titled as a king.
In May of the third year of the Heqing era, there were two occurrences of white rainbows circling the sun, spanning the sky horizontally without touching the ground. Red stars appeared in the sky, and the Emperor even tried to catch the starlight in a basin, which resulted in the basin cracking overnight. He attempted to suppress these omens by invoking Bai Nian's century of life. Later, a man from Boling named Jia Dezhi instructed Prince Bai Nian in writing, and Bai Nian had penned several edicts. Jia Dezhi reported the letters to the Emperor, who was enraged and commanded that Prince Bai Nian be summoned.
After being summoned, the King of Yue Ling knew he could not escape death, so he cut off the jade ornaments from his belt and left them for his wife, Hu Lu Shi. He met the emperor at Liangfeng Hall in Xuandu Yuan, where the emperor asked him to write the character "chì" to compare the handwriting with that of Jia Dezhou. Consequently, the emperor ordered the guards to beat him with clubs and had him dragged around Liangfeng Hall while they continued to beat him, leaving blood all over the floor. The King of Yue Ling, gasping for breath, pleaded, "Spare my life, I am willing to be a slave to my uncle!" But the emperor had him killed anyway and tossed into a pond, staining the water red. The emperor later personally went to the back garden to inspect his burial site. The King of Yue Ling's wife held her husband's jade ring, crying in grief, refusing to eat or drink; she died a month later, still tightly holding the jade ring in her hand, her fist clenched so tightly that it could not be pried open; she was only fourteen at the time. Her father, Hu Lu Guang, had to use great effort to pry open her hand. Later, during the reign of the Later Emperor, the nine courtyards in the palace were expanded to twenty-seven, and during the excavation, they discovered a small corpse, wearing a red robe, a golden belt, hair styled in a bun, only partially untied, and one foot still wearing a boot. People in the palace whispered and speculated, some claiming it was the King of Yue Ling, while others insisted it was Taiyuan Wang Shaode. Finally, the emperor ordered the son of King Xiangcheng, Bai Ze, to inherit the title of King of Yue Ling. After the fall of the Qi dynasty, the King of Yue Ling was exiled to Shu, where he ultimately died.
During the Wuping period, Prince Yanli of Runan was conferred the title of king and rose to the ranks of Kaifu and Qinduyin. After the fall of the Qi dynasty, he entered the pass and, according to custom, was appointed as a General of Equivalent Rank and granted the title of County. His daughter entered the palace of the Crown Prince, which ultimately saved his life. During the Kaihuang period of the Sui dynasty, he passed away while serving as the Governor of Bingzhou.
King Shiping, Yan De; King Chengyang, Yan Ji; King Dingyang, Yan Kang; King Ruyang, Yan Zhong; and King Runan were all appointed to the official position of Yitong Sansi at the same time. There is relatively little recorded about their later lives. Emperor Wu had a total of thirteen sons. Empress Hu gave birth to the Crown Prince (who later became the Later Emperor) and Prince Sima Yan of Langya. Concubine Li bore him Prince Sima Chuo of Nanyang. Other concubines gave birth to Prince Sima Kuo of Qian'an, Prince Sima Zhen of Beiping, Prince Sima Renying of Gaoping, Prince Sima Ringuang of Huainan, Prince Sima Rinji of Xihe, Prince Sima Rinyong of Leping, Prince Sima Rinjian of Yingchuan, Prince Sima Rinya of Anle, Prince Sima Renzhi of Danyang, and Prince Sima Rinqian of Donghai. These thirteen sons had varying statuses. The eldest was the Crown Prince, who was to inherit the throne; the others were also princes, but their fiefs and titles did not grant them the same power and influence as the Crown Prince. Just imagine how lively the imperial harem must have been with so many sons! Whether the brothers would have good relationships later on, or whether they would scheme against each other for power and profits, is hard to say. The power struggles within the harem and the open and covert conflicts among the brothers create a complicated dynamic. Prince Sima Chuo of Nanyang, styled Rintong, was the son of Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi. He was born on the fifth day of the fifth month at the Chen hour, and by noon, his brother, the Later Emperor of Qi, was born. Because Chuo's mother, Concubine Li, was not the principal wife, he was ranked second and was initially named Rong, styled Junming, and was granted the title of Prince of Hanyang. In the third year of Heqing, he was re-titled as Prince of Nanyang, and another Prince of Hanyang was established. When Chuo was in his teens, he stayed behind to guard Jinyang. He had a particular fondness for Persian dogs, and an official named Wei Pohu advised him against it, which infuriated Chuo, leading him to kill several dogs in a fit of rage, leaving them bloodied. Wei Pohu was so frightened that he quickly ran away and never dared to speak again.
Later, Chuo became the Minister and Governor of Jizhou. He particularly enjoyed torturing people, forcing them to strip naked and act like animals, and then releasing dogs to attack them. After being transferred to Dingzhou, he channeled well water to make a pond behind the palace, and he also took pleasure in throwing objects at people from above. He liked to disguise himself to go on secret visits, often going on endless hunts, giving in to his desires, engaging in criminal acts, and claiming to emulate the conduct of Emperor Wenxuan (Yang Jian). Once, a woman carrying a child on the road saw him and quickly hid in the bushes, but Chuo snatched her child and fed it to a Persian dog. The woman cried out, which angered Chuo even more, so he set the dog to bite the child. When the dog refused to eat, he smeared the child's blood on the child, and only then did the dog eat. When the last ruler of Qi heard about this, he ordered Chuo's arrest and sent him to the imperial court. When he arrived at the court, the emperor set him free. The emperor asked him what his happiest moment in the province was, and Chuo replied, "Catching lots of scorpions and maggots and mixing them together brings me a lot of joy."
In the evening, the emperor had someone bring a bucket of scorpions, and by dawn, they had found three to five sheng. He had these scorpions placed in a bath tub and had people lie naked in the tub, after which those individuals screamed and shouted, squirming and writhing. The emperor and Chuo watched from the side, laughing heartily, and the emperor said, "Why didn't you report such a joyful matter to me earlier?" From then on, Chuo received even more favor from the emperor and was appointed as a great general, playing with the emperor every day. Han Changluan disapproved of him and had him transferred to Qizhou as governor. When leaving, Han Changluan had one of Chuo's trusted aides falsely accuse him of treason, reporting that "he has violated national law and cannot be pardoned." The emperor, reluctant to execute him publicly, had his favored minister Hu Hewei wrestle with Chuo in the back garden, which ultimately led to Chuo's death. Chuo was buried at the Xing Sheng Buddha Temple. He was not formally interred until over four hundred days later, and his appearance and hair were just as they had been when he was alive. It was said that those born on the fifth day of the fifth month would not decay. Chuo and his brothers referred to their father as "older brother," called their stepmother "grandma," called their wet nurse "older sister," and referred to their wives as "younger sister." After the fall of the Qi dynasty, Chuo's concubine, the Zheng family, caught the eye of Emperor Wu of Zhou, and she requested to have Chuo reburied. Emperor Wu of Zhou ordered Chuo to be buried north of Yongping Tomb. Wang Yan of Langya, styled Renwei, was the third son of Emperor Wucheng. Initially, he was granted the title of King of Dongping, and later his official ranks skyrocketed; he served as a minister, imperial attendant, head of the Central Secretariat, commander of the capital region, leading general, head of the censorate, and held titles such as Minister of Works, Minister of Personnel, Great General, and Grand Marshal, with each subsequent position more prestigious than the last.
Before the Wei period, there was a rule that when the Deputy Censor-in-Chief went out, the road had to be cleared for the Deputy Censor-in-Chief. When the Crown Prince went out, he had to take a different route. Nobles and ministers had to stop their carriages from a distance, put down their yokes, and wait for the Deputy Censor-in-Chief to pass. If he kept them waiting too long, he would use a red wooden stick to hit them. Since the capital moved to Ye City, this rule gradually fell into disuse. Emperor Wu Cheng wanted to show his favor to Yan, so he allowed Yan to continue traveling according to the old rules.
Once, when Yan came out of the Northern Palace, ready to go on duty, the infantry and cavalry of the capital, military officers, and the escort teams of both the Deputy Censor and the Prime Minister were all there. The Emperor and Empress Hu set up a tent outside the east gate of the Hualin Garden, watching from behind green gauze curtains. At that moment, an eunuch was sent to urge the escort team to move faster, but he couldn't get through. The eunuch claimed to be acting on the Emperor's orders, so Yan directly smashed his saddle with a red wooden stick, scaring off the horse and rider. The Emperor laughed heartily, thinking Yan did well. He then ordered the caravan to stop, spoke for a long time, and the entire city of Ye was packed with onlookers. Yan often sat in the palace, taking care of government matters in the Hanguang Hall, and his uncles had to pay their respects to him. When the Emperor went to Bianzhou, Yan often stayed in the capital, sometimes accompanying the Emperor halfway, sometimes all the way to Jinyang before returning. Once, General Wang Shi followed the Emperor on a trip and returned late. Emperor Wu Cheng wanted to reprimand him, but Wang Shi explained, "I said goodbye to my third brother and chatted for too long, unknowingly causing the delay." Emperor Wu Cheng thought of Yan and couldn’t help but shed a tear, so he didn't pursue Wang Shi any further. Yan's clothes, objects, and decorations were all the same as the Crown Prince's, and the government provided all his necessary items.
Once, Yan returned home in anger, saying, "My brother already has some, why don't I?!" Since then, the Crown Prince always received new things first, and the officials and craftsmen responsible for supplies were all punished. The Emperor and Empress Hu felt it still wasn't sufficient. Yan frequently suffered from a sore throat and requested acupuncture from the doctor, not even flinching as the needles were inserted. He even told the Emperor, "My brother is too weak, how can he manage the people around him?" The Emperor often said, "This kid is really clever, he is sure to have a promising future." Later, due to the Crown Prince's poor performance, the Emperor considered deposing him. After Emperor Wucheng died, Yan was renamed as the Prince of Langye.
Yan noticed the extravagance and wastefulness of Shi Kai, Luo Tipo, and others, which left him feeling quite uneasy. He once said to them, "The houses you're building will eventually be finished, why is it taking so long?" Shi Kai and Luo Tipo looked at each other and said, "The Prince of Langye has sharp eyes; he can hit the mark with just a few steps. Just a brief encounter with him left us sweating; we have never been so nervous when reporting to the Emperor." From then on, they feared Yan.
In the second year of Wuping, Yan was arranged to live in the North Palace, seeing the Emperor once every five days, no longer having daily visits with the Empress Dowager as he used to. In April, the Emperor issued a decree relieving Yan of his duties as Grand Preceptor, along with his other official positions, retaining only the titles of Chief Censor and Commander of the Capital Region, in an attempt to diminish his power, since there was an arsenal in the North City and the Emperor wanted to move Yan outside the city.
The Imperial Secretary Wang Ziyi and the attendants around Yan, the Minister of Works Luo, and the Palace Attendant Liu Bijiang advised Yan, saying, "Your Highness has been alienated, all because He Shikai is causing trouble in the middle. How can you leave the Northern Palace and go to the commoners?" Yan said to the Attendant Feng Zicong, "He Shikai deserves to die a thousand deaths. I want to kill him!" Feng Zicong intended to depose the emperor and install Yan as the new emperor, so he supported his idea. Yan had Wang Ziyi submit a memorial accusing He Shikai and requesting that it be handed over to the prison for trial. Feng Zicong mixed the memorial with other documents and presented them to the emperor, who approved it without a second glance. Yan misled Commander She Difu Lian, saying, "I have received the emperor's order to lead the army to arrest He Shikai." She Difu Lian asked Feng Zicong and requested to report again. Feng Zicong said, "Prince of Langye has received the emperor's order; do you need to report again?" She Difu Lian believed it to be true, and he set an ambush with fifty men outside the Divine Beast Gate. The next morning, he arrested He Shikai and turned him over to the imperial censors. Yan sent Feng Yongluo to the execution ground to execute He Shikai. Yan originally only wanted to kill He Shikai, but as events escalated, others pressured him, saying, "Since things have come to this point, we can't back down now." So Yan led more than three thousand soldiers from the capital to camp at Qianqiu Gate.
The emperor sent Liu Taozhi to lead eighty imperial soldiers to summon Yan. Liu Taozhi bowed from a distance to Yan, but Yan ordered that Liu Taozhi be tied up and killed. The soldiers all fled. The emperor then sent Feng Zicong to summon Yan. Yan said, "Those who commit crimes deserve to die a thousand deaths. He conspired to dethrone the emperor, forced the people to shave their heads and become nuns, and gathered troops to seize Sun Fengzhen's mansion. I was ordered to put him to death. If the emperor wants to kill me, I dare not evade punishment. If the emperor spares me, I hope to send for my sister to come and get me, and I will enter the palace to see the emperor." His sister was Lu Lingxuan, and Yan intended to lure her out and kill her. Lu Lingxuan stood before the emperor and empress with a sword, trembling in fear upon hearing this news. The emperor then sent Han Changluan to summon Yan. Just as Yan was about to enter the palace, Liu Bijiang grabbed his sleeve and advised him, "If you do not kill Luo Tipomo and his son, Your Highness won't be able to enter." Prince Guangning and Prince Ande returned from the west and wanted to help Yan, saying, "Why not go in?" Liu Bijiang replied, "There are too few people." Prince Ande said, "Emperor Xiaozhao killed Yang Zunyan with only eighty men. We have thousands now. How can we say there are too few people?" The emperor, with tears in his eyes, said to the empress, "If we are destined to meet again, we will. If not, we will be separated forever." He then quickly summoned Hulü Guang, who was also summoned by Yan. Upon hearing that He Shikai had been killed, Hulü Guang clapped and laughed, saying, "The dragon's actions are truly extraordinary." He met the emperor in Yongxiang. The emperor led four hundred infantry and cavalry guards, dressed in armor, ready for battle. Hulü Guang said, "Children playing with soldiers will only create chaos. As the saying goes, 'Servants are scared to death when they see their master.' You should personally go to Qianqiu Gate, Your Majesty; Prince Langya will definitely not dare to act rashly." Pi Jinghe also agreed with this opinion, and the emperor accepted their advice. Hulü Guang went on foot, telling people to say, "The emperor is here." Yan's army scattered in fear. The emperor reined in his horse on the bridge and called out to him from a distance, but Yan stood there, too afraid to approach. Hulü Guang said to him, "The emperor's brother killed someone. What's so scary about that?" He took his hand and forcibly brought him before the emperor. Hulü Guang said to the emperor, "Prince Langya is still young and indulgent. When he grows up, he won't act so recklessly. I hope Your Majesty will forgive his transgressions." The emperor removed Yan's sword belt, tousled his hair, and finally let him go.
Shedi Fuli, Gao Sheluo, Wang Ziyi
Prince Qian of Qi, courtesy name Renhong, was the fourth son of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou. He was known for his calm demeanor and had few faults. He held various official positions such as Special Advisor, Director of Palace Affairs, Supervisor of the Three Offices, and Governor of Dingzhou.
Prince Beiping Yuwen Zhen, courtesy name Renjian, was the fifth son of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou. He was steady, kind, and compassionate. Emperor Wu often said, "This child inherits my virtues." He held the position of Governor of Sizhou, Grand Commander of the Capital, and also served concurrently as Prefect of the Masters of Writing and Director of the Imperial Secretariat. When the emperor went on tour, he was in charge of overseeing the court. After some years, the later ruler Yuwen Chan gradually grew up and started to harbor distrust towards him. Anagong was instructed to have Feng Shigan accuse Yuwen Zhen, imprisoning him and stripping him of his authority to oversee the court.
Prince of Gao Ping, Yu Wen Ren Ying, was the sixth son of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou. He was proud and unruly in behavior and held the position of governor of Dingzhou. Prince Huai Nan, Yu Wen Ren Guang, was the seventh son of Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou. He was hot-tempered and irritable and served as the governor of Qingdu. Next was Prince Xi He, Yu Wen Ren Ji, who was born with weak bones and unable to stand; Prince Le Ping, Yu Wen Ren Yong; Prince Ying Chuan, Yu Wen Ren Jian; Prince An Le, Yu Wen Ren Ya, who had a stutter since childhood; Prince Dan Yang, Yu Wen Ren Zhi; and Prince Dong Hai, Yu Wen Ren Qian. These brothers grew up in the Northern Palace. After the death of King Langya, these brothers followed court prohibitions even more strictly. In the later years of the Wu Ping era, the princes younger than Yu Wen Ren Yong were allowed to leave the palace, but their living conditions were quite austere, barely sufficient for survival. Later, as the situation of the later Emperor Yu Wen Chan grew increasingly difficult, he appointed Prince Kuo as the governor of Guangzhou, Zhen as the governor of Qingzhou, Ren Ying as the governor of Jizhou, Ren Jian as the governor of Jiaozhou, and Ren Zhi as the governor of Jizhou. Most of these brothers younger than Kuo died alongside the later Emperor in Chang'an. Only Ren Ying, due to his wild personality, and Ren Ya, due to his stutter, were spared and relocated to Shu. During the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty, Ren Ying was posthumously granted an official title, and an edict was issued allowing him to worship their ancestors alongside Xiao Cong and Chen Shubao. Shortly thereafter, Ren Ying passed away.
The later Emperor Yu Wen Chan had five sons: the young ruler born of Empress Mu, and the other sons born of concubines, including Prince Dong Ping, Yu Wen Ke, as well as three other sons: Shan De, Mai De, and Zhi Qian. Empress Dowager Hu established Yu Wen Ke as the heir to King Langya, but soon after, Yu Wen Ke died young. After the fall of Northern Qi, Emperor Wu of Zhou relocated thirty noble princes, including Ren Cheng Wang, to Chang'an and conferred titles upon them. Later, those who were not killed were exiled to the western frontier, where they ultimately perished at the border.
Speaking of which, the sons of Duke Wenxiang all had a fair amount of pride. Although in terms of literary talent, they fell a bit short compared to Xie An and Wang Tanzhi, they were top-notch in martial skills and bravery, more than capable of defending against foreign invasions. Even though they received swords in Xianyang, they ultimately faced defeat and death for reasons that can be traced. If King Lanling had lived, who knows how things might have turned out! Unfortunately, they were all killed, and their family subsequently declined, which is really a shame! King Ande kept quiet and held back due to the national crisis and the emperor's incompetence until the Battle of Pingyang, where he demonstrated his loyalty and courage. This shows he stepped up when it mattered most, and his loyalty was for the sake of the country and his family! King Dechang revolted in a desperate situation, backed by public sentiment, but ended up with a tarnished reputation, and no one could save him. King Guangning attempted to send troops from the harem but failed, mostly because King Xiaoheng wrote to Li Tong, turning down the request. After that, the emperor lost interest in King Pingyuan. The rise and fall of families can be so different; how can we even compare them?
King Wucheng is utterly inhumane! The case of King Taiyuan stemmed from suspicion and misunderstanding, originally not a major crime, but disaster struck, resulting in a tragic death linked to Zhaoxin. Sigh! It's no easy feat to ensure a family thrives for generations! Only the virtue of King Xiaozhao can guarantee the prosperity and development of future generations, but the brutal rule that plagued the last hundred years began with King Jinan. The saying "don’t repeat the mistakes of the past" really makes you think! Every parent loves their kids; don’t they get this? King Langye might not have had the knack for teaching, but he was ambitious from a young age. King Shikai lived a life of excess for years and was finally taken out in one swift move, bringing joy to the court and the people, but his demise was truly tragic! Still, he couldn't escape the consequences of his tyranny and slaughter. The emperor posthumously gave him the title "Gong," which seems a bit much, but looking at it differently, it also shows the emperor's mercy; it’s really hard to wrap your head around!
