Fei Di Yin, styled Zhengdao, was the eldest son of Emperor Wenxuan, whose mother was Empress Li. In the first year of the Tianbao era, he was appointed Crown Prince at the age of six. He was an exceptionally bright and clever child. When he first started learning antonyms, he annotated the character "迹" with "self-opposite." The attendants serving him at the time did not understand the meaning, so the Crown Prince explained, "The character '迹' has '足' next to it, which also represents '迹'; isn't this 'self-opposite'?" Once at the Northern Palace banquet, he purposely did not allow the Prince of Hejian to attend. When asked why by his attendants, the Crown Prince said, "The site of Emperor Shizong's assassination—how could the Prince of Hejian possibly be there?" Emperor Wenxuan often remarked that the Crown Prince possessed the qualities of the Han Dynasty emperors, unlike himself, and wanted to depose him and appoint Prince Taiyuan as the Crown Prince. Initially, Emperor Wenxuan appointed Imperial Academy Scholar Li Baoding as the Crown Prince's teacher. After Li Baoding passed away, the Imperial Academy Scholar Xing Zhi was appointed to teach the Crown Prince. Despite his young age, the Crown Prince was gentle, generous, cheerful, and open-minded, exuding the demeanor of an emperor, was well-read, took an interest in state affairs, and earned a stellar reputation. In the winter of the seventh year, Emperor Wenxuan hosted a banquet in the palace for court officials, scholars, and officials of ritual studies, where they engaged in debates using the classics, while he listened attentively. The Crown Prince's performance in the debate was exceptional, marked by eloquent speech and insightful answers, leaving everyone in awe. In the ninth year, while Emperor Wenxuan was in Jinyang, the Crown Prince served as regent, summoning Confucian scholars to expound on the "Classic of Filial Piety."
Now Yang Yin conveys the will of Emperor Wen Xuan and asks the assistant instructor at the Imperial Academy, Xu Sanchou, "Sir, how do you support yourself?" Xu Sanchou replied, "I have avoided women since childhood, focusing solely on studying, and I don't even realize that I am getting older. I just want to live this way for my whole life." The Crown Prince listened and said, "Yan Hui lived in a simple house to maintain his integrity, and Liu Xiaohui remained faithful, but they are not as good as this old gentleman who has never married in his life!" So he rewarded him with one hundred pieces of silk. Later, Emperor Wen Xuan ascended the Golden Phoenix Terrace and let the Crown Prince personally execute the prisoners. The Crown Prince was very sad; he looked distressed and couldn't bring himself to do it several times. Emperor Wen Xuan was very angry and struck the Crown Prince three times with a riding crop, resulting in the Crown Prince experiencing palpitations, a stutter, and fluctuating mental health.
In October, ten years had passed, and Emperor Wen Xuan passed away. On the Guimao day, the Crown Prince ascended the throne in the Xuan De Hall in Jinyang and became the emperor. A general amnesty was declared nationwide, all officials were promoted by one rank, and those who had lost their positions and titles were reinstated. On the Gengxu day, the emperor conferred the title of Grand Empress Dowager on the Empress Dowager and that of Empress on the Empress. He also ordered that all soldiers over seventy years old be given honorary positions, and all military officials over sixty or those who were disabled and unable to serve were dismissed. All civil engineering projects, including those dealing with gold, silver, copper, and iron, were halted.
On the Yimao day in November, the emperor implemented a significant personnel reshuffle: he appointed Prince Xianyang Hulv Jin as the Left Prime Minister, Prince Changshan Yan as the Grand Tutor, Prince Changguang Zhan as the Grand Commandant, Duan Shao as the Minister of Works, Prince Pingyang Yan as the Minister of War, Prince Gaoyang Shi as the Left Supervisor of the Secretariat, Prince Hejian Xiaowan as the Governor of Sizhou, and Yan Zixian as the Right Supervisor of the Secretariat. On the Wuyou day, the emperor dispatched envoys to inspect different regions of the country, evaluate the effectiveness of governance, investigate the customs and traditions of the people, and gather information about the hardships faced by the common people. This was certainly a significant initiative!
On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth month of the year of Wuxu (戊戌年), the emperor changed the titles of some kings: Shao Ren, the King of Shangdang, was changed to the King of Yuyang; Shao Yi, the King of Guangyang, was changed to the King of Fanyang; Shao Lian, the King of Changle, was changed to the King of Longxi. This was the first year of Wucheng during the reign of Emperor Wu of Zhou.
In the first year of Qianming, on the first day of spring in the Gengchen year, the emperor changed the era name. On the day of Jiwei, the emperor ordered a reduction in corvee and taxes. On the day of Guihai, the King of Gaoyang, Shi, passed away. In that month, the emperor's chariot returned from Jinyang.
In the second month, on the twenty-fifth day, the emperor appointed Wang Yan, the Prince of Changshan, as the Grand Preceptor, in charge of the affairs of the Ministry; appointed Wang Zhan, the Prince of Changguang, as the Grand Marshal, also in charge of the affairs of the Ministry; appointed Wang Guiyan, the Prince of Pingqin, as the Minister of Works; appointed Wang Rui, the King of Zhaojun, as the Deputy Minister of the Secretariat. The emperor ordered the release of all prisoners who had been confiscated into the palace or given to others. On the day of Jiachen, the emperor went to Fanglin Garden to personally hear the cases of the prisoners, and those with sentences below death were either reduced or pardoned based on the circumstances. On the day of Yisi, the Grand Preceptor, Wang Yan, unlawfully issued an imperial edict and killed the Prefect of the Secretariat, Yang Yin; the Deputy Minister of the Secretariat, Yan Zixian; the Chief General of the Army, Zhu Hantianhe; the Palace Attendant, Song Qindao; and the Cavalier Attendant, Zheng Zimo. On the day of Wushen, the emperor appointed Wang Yan, the Prince of Changshan, as the Grand Chancellor, in charge of the national army and the affairs of the Ministry; appointed Wang Zhan, the Grand Marshal, as the Grand Preceptor, responsible for the defense of the capital region; appointed Duan Shao, the Minister of Works, as the Grand General; appointed the former Minister of Works, Wang Yan, as the Grand Marshal; appointed Wang Guiyan, the Minister of Works, as the Minister of Works; appointed Wang Yu, the King of Pengcheng, as the Prefect of the Secretariat. He also appointed the Crown Prince of Goryeo, Tang, as the Commissioner with Credentials, the Colonel of Eastern Yi, the Duke of Liaodong Commandery, and the King of Goryeo. That month, Wang Lin faced defeat by the Chen Dynasty, and Xiao Zhuang retreated to Hezhou.
On the first day of March, the emperor ordered all major military and state affairs to be reported to Jinyang and to follow the instructions of the Grand Chancellor, Wang Yan. On Ren Shen day, the emperor conferred the title of Prince of Guangning on King Wenxiang's second son and the title of Prince of Lanling on his third son. On the day of April Gui Hai, the emperor ordered relief for nine provinces, including Henan, Dingzhou, Jizhou, Zhaozhou, Yingzhou, Cangzhou, Nanjiaozhou, Guangzhou, and Qingzhou, due to locust infestations and flooding that severely damaged crops. That month, Emperor Zhou Ming died. On Ren Zi day of May, the emperor appointed Liu Honghui as the Right Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. On Ren Wu day of August, the Empress Dowager ordered the emperor's deposition and declared him King of Jinan, with income limited to one county, and then passed the throne to Grand Chancellor Wang Yan. That day, the new emperor resided in a different palace. In the ninth month of the second year of Emperor Huangjian, he died in Jinyang at the age of seventeen.
The emperor was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, with a generous, kind nature, and great wisdom. He was well-regarded during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu. After inheriting the throne, he was supported by Yang Yin, Yan Zixian, Song Qindao, and others. Grand Chancellor Wang Yan held a prominent position in court and was highly respected both within and beyond its walls. Additionally, on the day Emperor Wenxuan died, the Empress Dowager originally intended to make him emperor, so Yang Yin and others held resentment against him. Grand Chancellor Wang Yan was very worried and uneasy, so he asked the Empress Dowager to execute those who were disloyal. At that time, Prince Yu Wenguiyan of Qin was also involved in this conspiracy.
In the autumn of the second year of the Huangjian reign, unusual celestial phenomena occurred. Yuwen Guiyan was dispatched to Jinyang Palace to execute King Changshan. After King Changshan's death, Emperor Xiaozhao fell ill, fearing that the ghost of Emperor Wenxuan was haunting him. Despite employing various methods, Emperor Xiaozhao's condition showed no improvement. Three months after King Changshan's death, Emperor Xiaozhao also passed away. In the second year of the Daning reign, King Changshan was buried to the northwest of Wuning and posthumously honored as King Mindao.
Initially, Emperor Wenxuan instructed Xing Shao to name the emperor Yin, with the style name Zhaodao. The emperor expressed dissatisfaction, stating, "The Yin family has many brothers, and the character 'Zheng' has only one interpretation. My son won't be able to use this name after I die." Fearing the consequences, Xing Shao requested a change. Emperor Wenxuan did not allow it, declaring, "This is the will of heaven!" He then instructed Emperor Xiaozhao, "You can take his throne, but under no circumstances are you to harm him!"
