During Emperor Wen's Reign
Emperor Wen tried to pacify the officials who made him emperor by giving them greater titles and fiefs, and he tried to create Wang the Duke of Jian'an (a commandery, as opposed to the county that he was the duke of), but Wang insisted on refusing both that title and greater offices that Emperor Wen conferred on him.
Emperor Wen, angry that Xu, Fu, and Xie had, immediately after they deposed Emperor Shao, assassinated both Emperor Shao and another brother of his, Liu Yizhen (劉義真) the Prince of Luling, had Xu and Fu arrested and killed in 426, and declared Xie, then the governor of Jing Province (荊州, modern Hubei) a renegade. Believing that neither Tan nor Wang was involved in the plot to depose and kill Emperor Shao (perhaps because Wang Hong's brother Wang Tanshou (王曇首) was a trusted advisor of his and presumably told him about Wang Hong's lack of involvement in the plot), he summoned them to the capital, and he made Wang Hong prime minister and the governor of the capital region Yang Province (揚州, modern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu). Later that year, Tan, who was put in charge of the army, defeated Xie.
In 428, Wang Hong, believing that the powers that he and his brother Wang Tanshou possessed were too great and that this would bring jealousy and disaster, recommended to Emperor Wen that he recall his brother Liu Yikang the Prince of Pengcheng to the capital to share the responsibility. Emperor Wen agreed, and Wang Hong then offered to resign. Emperor Wen did not accept his resignation but did transfer some of Wang Hong's responsibilities to Liu Yikang. However, Liu Yikang later grew increasingly impatient, complaining in particular that Wang Hong was frequently ill and cannot govern from his sickbed. Wang was able to placate Liu Yikang by transferring some of his staff members to Liu Yikang's staff. Wang Hong died in 432, and Liu Yikang took over the prime minister post officially thereafter.
Historians commented that Wang Hong was intelligent and open-minded, but was also often arrogant and frivolous, and this hurt his reputation. Consistent with what he did with his father's promissory notes, Wang left his household with relatively little property, and upon hearing this, Emperor Wen awarded his family a large grant.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Wang, Hong |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | Liu Song Dynasty prime minister |
| Date of birth | 379 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | 432 |
| Place of death | |
Read more about this topic: Wang Hong
Famous quotes containing the words emperor, wen and/or reign:
“Even the emperor has straw-sandaled relatives.”
—Chinese proverb.
““Wotever is, is right, as the young nobleman sveetly remarked wen they put him down in the pension list ‘cos his mother’s uncle’s vife’s grandfather vunce lit the king’s pipe vith a portable tinder-box.””
—Charles Dickens (1812–1870)
“In order to prove a friend to one’s guests, frugality must reign in one’s meals; and, according to an ancient saying, one must eat to live, not live to eat.”
—Molière [Jean Baptiste Poquelin] (1622–1673)