誦 Sòng
Biography
順宗
順宗至德弘道大聖大安孝皇帝諱誦，德宗長子也。母曰昭德皇后王氏。始封宣城郡王，大曆十四年六月，進封宣王。十二月乙卯，立為皇太子。
為人寬仁，喜學藝，善隸書，禮重師傅，見輒先拜。從德宗幸奉天，常執弓矢居左右。郜國公主以蠱事得罪，太子妃，其女也，德宗疑之，幾廢者屢矣，賴李泌保護，乃免。後侍宴魚藻宮，張水嬉綵艦，宮人為櫂歌，眾樂間發，德宗驩甚，顧太子曰：「今日何如？」太子誦詩「好樂無荒」以為對。及裴延齡、韋渠牟用事，世皆畏其為相，太子每候顏色，陳其不可。故二人者卒不得用。
貞元二十年，太子病風且瘖。
二十一年正月，不能朝。是時，德宗不豫，諸王皆侍左右，惟太子臥病，不能見，德宗悲傷涕泣，疾有加。癸巳，德宗崩。丙申，即皇帝位于太極殿。
二月癸卯，朝羣臣于紫宸門。辛亥，吏部侍郎韋執誼為尚書左丞、同中書門下平章事。甲子，大赦。罷宮市。民百歲版授下州刺史，婦人郡君；九十以上上佐，婦人縣君。乙丑，罷鹽鐵使月進。
三月庚午，放後宮三百人。癸酉，放後宮及教坊女妓六百人。癸巳，立廣陵郡王純為皇太子。
四月壬寅，封弟諤為欽王，諴珍王；進封子建康郡王經郯王，洋川郡王緯均王，臨淮郡王縱漵王，弘農郡王紓莒王，漢東郡王綱密王，晉陵郡王緫郇王，高平郡王約邵王，雲安郡王結宋王，宣城郡王緗集王，德陽郡王絿冀王，河東郡王綺和王；封子絢為衡王，纁會王，綰福王，紘撫王，緄岳王，紳袁王，綸桂王，繟翼王。戊申，以冊皇太子，降死罪以下，賜文武官子為父後者勳兩轉。
七月辛卯，橫海軍節度使程懷信卒，其子執恭自稱留後。乙未，皇太子權句當軍國政事。太常卿杜黃裳為門下侍郎，左金吾衞大將軍袁滋為中書侍郎：同中書門下平章事。鄭珣瑜、高郢罷。
永貞元年八月庚子，立皇太子為皇帝，自稱曰太上皇。辛丑，改元。降死罪以下。立良娣王氏為太上皇后。
元和元年正月，皇帝率羣臣上尊號曰應乾聖壽太上皇。是月，崩于咸寧殿，年四十六，謚曰至德大聖大安孝皇帝。大中三年，增謚至德弘道大聖大安孝皇帝。
贊
贊曰：德宗猜忌刻薄，以彊明自任，恥見屈於正論，而忘受欺於姦諛。故其疑蕭復之輕己，謂姜公輔為賣直，而不能容；用盧𣏌、趙贊，則至於敗亂，而終不悔。及奉天之難，深自懲艾，遂行姑息之政。由是朝廷益弱，而方鎮愈彊，至於唐亡，其患以此。憲宗剛明果斷，自初即位，慨然發憤，志平僭叛，能用忠謀，不惑羣議，卒收成功。自吳元濟誅，彊藩悍將皆欲悔過而効順。當此之時，唐之威令，幾於復振，則其為優劣，不待較而可知也。及其晚節，信用非人，不終其業，而身罹不測之禍，則尤甚於德宗。嗚呼！小人之能敗國也，不必愚君暗主，雖聰明聖智，苟有惑焉，未有不為患者也。昔韓愈言，順宗在東宮二十年，天下陰受其賜。然享國日淺，不幸疾病，莫克有為，亦可以悲夫！
校勘記
漢東郡王綱密王 「綱」，下文憲宗紀、本書卷七０下宗室世系表、卷八二十一宗諸子傳及舊書卷一四順宗紀皆作「綢」。
Shunzong
Shunzong (posthumous title: Zhide Hongdao Dasheng Da'an Xiao Huangdi) was named Song, and was the eldest son of Dezong. His mother was Empress Zhaode, of the Wang clan. He was first enfeoffed as Prince of Xuancheng Commandery, and in the sixth month of the fourteenth year of Dali he was advanced to Prince of Xuan. On yimao of the twelfth month, he was made Heir Apparent. Edit
He was generous and kind by nature, fond of learning and the arts, and skilled in clerical script. He treated his teachers with respect and honour, and whenever he saw them he bowed to them first. When he accompanied Dezong to Fengtian, he always kept by his side carrying bow and arrows. When the Princess of Gao was found guilty in an affair of sorcery, Dezong suspected the Heir Apparent, since the Heir Apparent's consort was her daughter, and several times came close to deposing him; he escaped only through the protection of Li Mi. Later, when he was attending a banquet at the Yuzao Palace, water entertainments were set out with painted boats, the palace women sang rowing songs, and many kinds of music played by turns. Dezong was delighted, and turning to the Heir Apparent asked, "How is today?" The Heir Apparent answered by reciting the line from the Odes, "Love pleasure, but without excess." When Pei Yanling and Wei Qumou held power, everyone feared they would become chief ministers, and the Heir Apparent, each time watching for the right moment in the emperor's looks, set out why they should not be. So in the end neither man was made chief minister. Edit
In the twentieth year of Zhenyuan, the Heir Apparent suffered a stroke and lost his voice. Edit
In the first month of the twenty-first year, he could not attend court. At that time Dezong was unwell, and the princes were all in attendance at his side; only the Heir Apparent, lying ill, could not see him. Dezong grieved and wept, and his illness grew worse. On guisi, Dezong died. On bingshen, the Heir Apparent took the imperial throne in the Taiji Hall. Edit
On guimao of the second month, he received the assembled officials at the Zichen Gate. On xinhai, Wei Zhiyi, Vice Minister of Personnel, became Left Assistant Director of the Department of State Affairs and Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. On jiazi, there was a general amnesty. The palace market was abolished. Commoners of a hundred years were given honorary appointments as prefects of lower prefectures, and women honorary titles as Commandery Mistresses; those of ninety and over as senior aides of prefectures, and women as County Mistresses. On yichou, the monthly presentations of the Salt and Iron Commissioner were stopped. Edit
On gengwu of the third month, three hundred women of the rear palace were released. On guiyou, six hundred women of the rear palace and women entertainers of the Music Office were released. On guisi, Chun, Prince of Guangling Commandery, was made Heir Apparent. Edit
On renyin of the fourth month, his younger brothers E and Xian were enfeoffed as Prince of Qin and Prince of Zhen; his sons were advanced: Jing, Prince of Jiankang Commandery, to Prince of Tan; Wei, Prince of Yangchuan Commandery, to Prince of Jun; Zong, Prince of Linhuai Commandery, to Prince of Xu; Shu, Prince of Hongnong Commandery, to Prince of Ju; Gang, Prince of Handong Commandery, to Prince of Mi; Zong, Prince of Jinling Commandery, to Prince of Xun; Yue, Prince of Gaoping Commandery, to Prince of Shao; Jie, Prince of Yun'an Commandery, to Prince of Song; Xiang, Prince of Xuancheng Commandery, to Prince of Ji; Qiu, Prince of Deyang Commandery, to Prince of Ji; and Qi, Prince of Hedong Commandery, to Prince of He; and his sons Xuan, Xun, Wan, Hong, Gun, Shen, Lun and Chan were enfeoffed as Prince of Heng, Prince of Hui, Prince of Fu, Prince of Fu, Prince of Yue, Prince of Yuan, Prince of Gui and Prince of Yi. On wushen, because of the investiture of the Heir Apparent, sentences of death and below were reduced by one degree, and sons of civil and military officials who were their fathers' heirs were granted two grades of merit rank. Edit
On xinmao of the seventh month, Cheng Huaixin, Military Commissioner of the Henghai Army, died, and his son Zhigong proclaimed himself Acting Military Commissioner. On yiwei, the Heir Apparent was given provisional charge of military and state affairs. Du Huangshang, Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, became Vice Director of the Chancellery, and Yuan Zi, General-in-Chief of the Left Imperial Insignia Guard, Vice Director of the Secretariat, both Joint Managers of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. Zheng Xunyu and Gao Ying were dismissed. Edit
On gengzi of the eighth month of the first year of Yongzhen, he set up the Heir Apparent as emperor and styled himself Retired Emperor. On xinchou, the era name was changed. Sentences of death and below were reduced by one degree. The Good Companion, Lady Wang, was made Empress of the Retired Emperor. Edit
In the first month of the first year of Yuanhe, the emperor led the assembled officials in presenting the honorific title Retired Emperor Yingqian Shengshou. That month, he died in the Xianning Hall, aged forty-six, and was given the posthumous title Zhide Dasheng Da'an Xiao Huangdi. In the third year of Dazhong, the title was enlarged to Zhide Hongdao Dasheng Da'an Xiao Huangdi. Edit
Appraisal
The appraisal says: Dezong was suspicious, jealous and harsh, and relied on his own strength and intelligence; he was ashamed to give way to upright argument, yet failed to see that he was being deceived by the wicked and the flattering. So he suspected Xiao Fu of slighting him, called Jiang Gongfu one who made a show of his outspokenness, and could not bear them; he employed Lu Qi and Zhao Zan, which brought ruin and disorder, and to the end he did not repent. After the troubles at Fengtian, he took the lesson so deeply to heart that he went over to a policy of indulgence. From then on the court grew ever weaker and the regional commanders ever stronger, and down to the fall of Tang the trouble came from this. Xianzong was firm, clear-sighted and decisive. From the moment he took the throne, he was roused to indignation and set his mind on putting down the usurpers and rebels; he could use loyal counsel and was not led astray by the clamour of opinion, and in the end he succeeded. After Wu Yuanji was put to death, the powerful provinces and fierce generals all wished to repent their faults and offer their submission. At that time the authority and commands of Tang were all but restored, so which of the two was the better needs no comparison. But in his last years he trusted the wrong men, did not finish his work, and himself met with an unforeseen calamity, which was worse even than Dezong. Alas! For petty men to ruin a state, the ruler need not be stupid or benighted; even one intelligent, sagely and wise, if he is once misled, never fails to come to grief. Han Yu once said that Shunzong was in the Eastern Palace for twenty years, and the empire quietly received his favours. Yet his reign was short, and by misfortune he fell ill and could accomplish nothing. That too is sad! Edit
Collation notes
Gang, Prince of Handong Commandery, to Prince of Mi: for "Gang", the Annals of Xianzong below, the Table of the Genealogy of the Imperial Clan in juan 70B of this book, the Biographies of the Sons of the Eleven Emperors in juan 82, and the Annals of Shunzong in juan 14 of the Old Book all have "Chou". Edit
The English was translated from the original by an AI, not checked sentence by sentence by a person, and is for reference; where it differs from the original, the original is right. Names are in pinyin. If a sentence is wrong, use “Edit” after the paragraph to correct it - no need to sign in.
Source: 新唐书 卷七 本纪第七 德宗 顺宗 宪宗 (New Book of Tang, juan 7, Annals 7: Dezong, Shunzong, Xianzong)
Wikipedia: Emperor Shunzong of Tang · Chinese Wikipedia: 唐顺宗 · Baidu Baike: 唐顺宗 (an article of the same name, not checked to be him)
Source
From the historical record: the notes below say where · tang-zongshi-00035
Notes (2)
- [Source] 新唐书 卷七 本纪第七 德宗 顺宗 宪宗 New Book of Tang, juan 7, Annals 7: Dezong, Shunzong, Xianzong
- [Collation note] 本纪：「順宗至德弘道大聖大安孝皇帝諱誦，德宗長子也。」 The annals: “Shunzong (posthumous title: Zhide Hongdao Dasheng Da'an Xiao Huangdi), personal name Sòng, was the eldest son of Dezong.”