Fu Sheng - Before Reign

Before Reign

Pu Sheng was born to Pu Jiàn in 335, as his third son, by his wife, the later Empress Qiang. At that time, both Pu Jiàn and his father Pu Hong (蒲洪) were generals for Later Zhao. Pu Sheng was born blind in one eye (though some accounts said that he lost his eye to an eagle while trying to get eagle eggs). Once, his grandfather Pu Hong teased him, "I heard that you, my blind boy, only shed tears from one eye; is that true?" Pu Sheng, in anger, stabbed his blind eye and exclaimed, "This is the other eye shedding tear!" Pu Hong, shocked at his reaction, whipped him and told him, "You are only deserving to be a slave!" He responded, "That is fine; I'll just be like Shi Le(a slave who became an emperor)." Pu Hong became concerned at his behavior, which was also manifested by lack of discipline, and told Pu Jiàn that he should consider killing his son, lest that his family be destroyed by him. Pu Jiàn considered it, but was dissuaded from it by his brother Pu Xiong (蒲雄). As Pu Sheng grew, he became known for his strength and ferocity in battle, as he was strong enough to battle wild beasts, and was skillful in horsemanship and use of weapons. After his father (who had by then changed the family name from Pu to Fu) established Former Qin in 351, he was created the Prince of Huainan.

In 354, when the Jin general Huan Wen launched a major attack against Former Qin, nearly destroying it, Fu Sheng was one of the generals that Fu Jiàn commissioned to lead the army against Huan. Fu Sheng was personally successful in battles, killing many, but was not particularly successful as a general. Eventually, Huan was forced to withdraw when his food supplies ran out, but Fu Sheng's older brother Fu Chang (苻萇) the Crown Prince suffered an arrow wound during the campaign, and died in winter 354. Initially, his mother Empress Qiang wanted to create his younger brother Fu Liu (苻柳) the Prince of Jin crown prince, but Fu Jiàn, reading a prophecy that contained the phrase "three goats shall have five eyes," believed that the prophecy indicated that Fu Sheng should succeed him (because one of his eyes was blind), and therefore created Fu Sheng crown prince. After a failed coup by his cousin Fu Qing (苻菁) the Prince of Pingchang to take over in 355, Fu Sheng succeeded to the throne when his father died thereafter. He honored his mother Empress Qiang as empress dowager, and created his wife Princess Liang empress.