Late Reign
The late reign of Emperor Jing was marked by an incident for which he was much criticized—the death of Zhou Yafu, who had been instrumental in the victory against the Seven States. Zhou, later as prime minister, offended virtually every powerful figure around Emperor Jing—his brother Prince Liu Wu and his mother Empress Dowager Dou (for refusing to save Liang first when Liang was sieged by Wu and Chu forces), and his wife Empress Wang and her brother Wang Xin (王信), whom Emperor Jing wanted to create a marquess but whose candidacy was rebuffed by Zhou. By 143 BC, he was retired when his son, in anticipation of his death, purchased retired armor and weapons from the imperial armory to serve as burial decorations. Zhou's son refused to pay the delivery workers, and the delivery workers, in retaliation, accused the Zhous of treason. Emperor Jing had Zhou Yafu arrested and interrogated, and the interrogator, when told by Zhou that the armor and weapons were for burial purposes, accused him of "underground treason" -- i.e., ready to commit treason against the spirits of the emperors after he himself dies. Zhou committed suicide in prison.
Emperor Jing died in 141 BC and was buried in the Han Yangling pyramidal mausoleum in Chang'an. He was succeeded by Crown Prince Che (as Emperor Wu).
Read more about this topic: Emperor Jing Of Han
Famous quotes containing the words late and/or reign:
“Notwithstanding the unaccountable apathy with which of late years the Indians have been sometimes abandoned to their enemies, it is not to be doubted that it is the good pleasure and the understanding of all humane persons in the Republic, of the men and the matrons sitting in the thriving independent families all over the land, that they shall be duly cared for; that they shall taste justice and love from all to whom we have delegated the office of dealing with them.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Nature seemed to have adorned herself for our departure with a profusion of fringes and curls, mingled with the bright tints of flowers, reflected in the water. But we missed the white water-lily, which is the queen of river flowers, its reign being over for this season.... Many of this species inhabit our Concord water.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)