廷美 Tíngměi

Yan Mi had first served Tingmei; when the emperor came to the throne he was made a Palace Duty Officer but remained attached to the Prince of Qin's household; he was arrogant and lawless, and his talk was often full of censure. Wang Jixun was especially trusted by Tingmei; sent once to seek out singing girls, he used his master's power to extort goods, and was notorious for corruption. Fan Deming had long kept company with Zhao Bai, and Duoxun used him to make contact with Tingmei. Tingmei also sent Zhao Huailu to summon privately his half-brother by the same mother, the Vice Commissioner of the Arsenal Zhao Tingjun, to talk with him. Yan Huaizhong once went on Tingmei's behalf to Qian Chu, Prince of Huaihai, to ask for a belt of rhinoceros horn and jade and for gold wine vessels, and Huaizhong himself accepted from Qian Chu a private gift of a hundred taels of silver, gold vessels, silk fans and other things. Tingmei also once sent Huaizhong with silver bowls, brocades and coloured silks, mutton and wine to the camp of his father-in-law Pan Lin of Kaifeng, Chief Army Head of the Loyal Assistant Cavalry before the Throne, to feast the officers there. Now all of them confessed their guilt. Edit

An edict ordered the regular court officials, civil and military, to assemble and deliberate in the court hall. Wang Pu, Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent, and seventy-three others memorialised: "Duoxun and Tingmei watched for their chance and uttered curses: this is great treason and impiety. They should be put to death and their families exterminated, to uphold the laws. Zhao Bai and the others should be beheaded." An edict stripped Duoxun of office and rank and exiled him with his family to Ya Prefecture; Tingmei was ordered back to his private residence; Zhao Bai, Yan Mi, Wang Jixun, Fan Deming, Zhao Huailu and Yan Huaizhong were all beheaded outside the gate of the capital and their property confiscated. An edict said: "The sons and daughters of Tingmei, Prince of Qin, should have their titles set right: Degong, Defence Commissioner of Guizhou, and the others are to be styled nephews of the emperor; the emperor's niece who married into the Han family loses the title Princess of Yunyang; the General of the Right Gate Guard Han Chongye is demoted to Commandant of the Right Qianniu Guard Command of the Heir Apparent, and also loses the title of Commandant-escort: all are to be sent to the Western Capital to live with Tingmei." In the fifth month, Yan Ju, Administrative Assistant to the Regent of the Western Capital, was demoted to Revenue Manager of Fu Prefecture, and Sun Yu, former Judicial Officer of Kaifeng, to Revenue Manager of Rong Prefecture; both had been officials of Tingmei, Prince of Qin, and were punished for having failed to guide him properly. Edit

Zhao Pu considered it unsafe for Tingmei to be living in banishment at Western Luo [Luoyang], and again had Li Fu, Administrator of Kaifeng Prefecture, say in a memorial: "Tingmei does not repent and harbours resentment; I ask that he be moved to a distant commandery to guard against other trouble." An edict demoted Tingmei to Duke of Fuling County and placed him under supervision in Fang Prefecture. His wife, the Lady of Chuguo of the Zhang family, was stripped of her title. The Commissioner of Chongyi Yan Yanjin was ordered to be Prefect of Fang Prefecture (acting), and the Investigating Censor Yuan Kuo to be its Vice Prefect, each granted three hundred taels of silver. In the first month of the eighth year, the mother of Tingmei, Duke of Fuling County, the Lady of Chenguo of the Geng family, died. In the first year of Yongxi, Tingmei, at Fang Prefecture, fell ill from grief and fear and died, aged thirty-eight. When the emperor heard of it he sobbed and shed tears, and said to the grand councillors, "Tingmei was headstrong from his youth, and grew more vicious as he grew up. Because he was my own brother, of the same blood, I could not bear to bring him to justice, and had him live at Fangling, hoping he would reflect on his faults. Just as I was about to extend favour and restore him to his former state, he has suddenly died. How painful this is!" He then wept with grief, moving all those around him, and issued an edict posthumously enfeoffing Tingmei as Prince of Fu, with the posthumous name Dao, and announced mourning and put on mourning dress for him. Edit

Afterward, Taizong said to the grand councillors at leisure: "Tingmei's mother, the Lady of Chenguo of the Geng family, was my wet-nurse; later she married into a Zhao family and bore Tingjun. For Tingmei's sake I had Tingjun carry a bow case in attendance at my side, and Tingjun leaked palace matters to Tingmei. Recently, when the Western Pool was dug and the Water's Heart Hall was completed, before the bridges were ready, I meant to go there by boat. Tingmei plotted with his followers to strike at that moment; when it did not come off, he pretended to be ill at his residence, waiting for me to come and visit him so as to make his move then. Someone reported the affair; had I ordered the officials to investigate it to the end, death would not have been punishment enough for Tingmei's crime. I did not wish to publicise his disgrace, and when his dealings with Lu Duoxun came to light I only had him serve as regent at Western Luo. But Tingmei did not repent; he grew more resentful and spoke insolently, and only then did I order him moved to Fangling, so as to preserve and pardon him. As for Tingjun, I did not punish him heavily either, but only demoted and pardoned him. Toward Tingmei, I believe I have nothing to reproach myself with!" Before he had finished speaking he was moved to sorrow. Li Fang replied, "The rebellion of Fuling is known to all the realm. But the Western Pool was a palace matter; if Your Majesty had not explained it to us in detail, how should we have known of it?" Edit

Earlier, when the Empress Dowager Zhaoxian lay ill, she ordered Taizu to pass the throne to Taizong, and turning to Zhao Pu said, "You too must remember my words; they must not be disobeyed." She ordered Pu to write out a sworn agreement before her couch; at the end of the paper Pu wrote "Written by your servant Pu"; it was stored in a golden casket and placed in the keeping of careful and discreet palace women. Some say that the true intention of Zhaoxian and Taizu was that Taizong should pass the throne to Tingmei, and Tingmei in turn to Dezhao. That was why, as soon as Taizong was enthroned, he made Tingmei Governor of Kaifeng, while Dezhao was in fact styled imperial son. When Dezhao did not die a natural death and Defang died young soon after, Tingmei began to feel uneasy. Then Chai Yuxi and others reported Tingmei's plot; the emperor summoned Pu and asked him about it, and Pu answered, "Your servant wishes to take part in the central councils, to watch for treachery." After withdrawing he sent a further secret memorial: "Your servant, unworthy as he is, is an old minister, and has been thwarted by favourites in power." He then spoke of the Empress Dowager Zhaoxian's last command and of how he had pleaded his own case under the previous reign. In the palace the emperor found the memorial Pu had submitted earlier, and also opened the golden casket and found the sworn agreement, and he was greatly moved and enlightened. He summoned Pu and said to him, "Who is without faults? I have not had to wait until fifty to know all the wrongs of my forty-nine years." On the day xinhai, Pu was made Grand Minister of Education and concurrently Chancellery Director. Another day, Taizong asked Zhao Pu about his intentions for the succession, and Pu said, "Taizu already made one mistake; how can Your Majesty allow yourself to make another?" Thereupon Tingmei was condemned. Everything that brought about Tingmei's condemnation was Pu's doing. Edit

At the beginning of Zhidao, the Vice Director of the Gate Bureau Sun Pin was ordered to be instructor to the emperor's nephews and grandsons, and those of Tingmei's sons who were in the capital studied under him. When Zhenzong came to the throne, he posthumously restored the emperor's uncle Tingmei, Prince of Fu, as Regent of the Western Capital, Acting Grand Preceptor and concurrently Secretariat Director, Governor of Henan and Prince of Qin; and Lady Zhang as Lady of Chuguo. In the intercalary third month of the second year of Xianping, an edict chose ground between Ru and Deng, and he was reburied at Xinfeng Township, Liang County, Ru Prefecture. When Renzong came to the throne, he was posthumously made Grand Preceptor and Director of the Department of State Affairs. When Huizong came to the throne, he was re-enfeoffed as Prince of Wei. Edit

He had ten sons: Degong, Delong, Deyi, Deyong, Dejun, Deqin, Derun, Dewen, Deyuan and Decun. By precedent, when a member of the imperial clan enfeoffed as a prince died, the eldest member of his branch was enfeoffed as a duke, and the others received fiefs in turn thereafter. Accordingly Chengjian, son of Dejun, being the eldest of the line, succeeded as Duke of Xu, and rose to Acting Military Commissioner of the Baokang Army; he was posthumously made Military Commissioner of the Zhanghua Army and Prince of Anding Commandery, with the posthumous name Heyi. After Chengjian died, Chengliang, son of Deyong, succeeded as Duke of Chang; when Shenzong came to the throne, he was appointed Military Commissioner of the Gande Army and re-enfeoffed as Duke of Rong. Edit

In the second year of Xining, an edict ordered that for each son of Xuanzu, Taizu and Taizong, one descendant be chosen as head of the line and enfeoffed as duke generation after generation to carry on his sacrifices, and that the favour and ceremony shown them should not be diminished because the degrees of mourning kinship had run out. In the third year the Ritual Academy of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said: "The recent rule of this dynasty has been that, among the descendants of the princes, the eldest member of each branch is enfeoffed as duke and succeeds. Last year's edict, that one descendant of each son of the ancestral emperors be chosen as head of the line and enfeoffed as duke generation after generation, differs from the old rule. According to the ritual texts, princes, dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts and barons are all succeeded by the son or grandson who carries on the principal line. If there is no principal son, or he has committed a crime or is disabled by illness, the principal grandson is set up; if there is no principal grandson, then in order the full younger brother of the principal son; if there is no full younger brother, a son by a secondary wife; if there is no son by a secondary wife, the full younger brother of the principal grandson; if there is no such brother, a grandson by a secondary wife. For great-grandsons and below, the same rule applies. The succession should follow the ritual statutes and pass down the principal line." An edict approved this. Chengliang was then made Duke of Qin to carry on the sacrifices of Tingmei, Prince of Qin. He died the next year and was posthumously made Prince of Leping Commandery, with the posthumous name Gongjing. His son Keyu succeeded him. When Keyu died, his son Shuya succeeded. In the third year of Yuanfu the title was changed to the present one. Edit