祝 Zhù

Emperor Ai

Emperor Ai (posthumous title: Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao Huangdi) was named Zhu; he was the ninth son of Zhaozong. His mother was the Empress Dowager, of the He clan. He was first enfeoffed as Prince of Hui. After Zhu Quanzhong had murdered Zhaozong, he forged an edict making him Heir Apparent, in charge of the affairs of the army and the state. Edit

On the bingwu day of the eighth month of the first year of Tianyou, he took the throne as emperor before the coffin. The Prefect of Qu Prefecture, Chen Zhang, and the Prefect of Muzhou, Chen Xun, rebelled and went over to Yang Xingmi. Edit

On the gengwu day of the ninth month, the Empress was honoured as Empress Dowager. Edit

On the first day of the tenth month, xinmao, there was an eclipse of the sun. On the guisi day Zhu Quanzhong came to court. On the jiawu day Quanzhong killed Zhu Yougong and Shi Shucong. Edit

In the eleventh month Quanzhong took Guang Prefecture. Edit

This year the Prefect of Qian Prefecture, Lu Guangchou, died, and the headquarters officer Li Tu declared himself in charge of the prefecture. Edit

In the first month of the second year, Lu Yue took Wen Prefecture. Yang Xingmi killed the Military Commissioner of the Pinglu Army, An Renyi. On the dingchou day bandits burned the lower palace of the Qian Mausoleum. Edit

In the second month Yang Xingmi took E Prefecture, and the Military Commissioner of the Wuchang Army, Du Hong, died defending it. On the wuxu day Zhu Quanzhong killed the Prince of De, Yu, and the Prince of Di, Xu, the Prince of Qian, Xi, the Prince of Sui, Yi, the Prince of Jing, Mi, the Prince of Qi, Qi, and the Prince of Qiong, Xiang. On the jiyou day Emperor Shengmu Jingwen Xiao was buried at the He Mausoleum. Edit

On the jiazi day of the third month, Pei Shu was dismissed. On the wuyin day Dugu Sun was dismissed. The Vice Minister of Rites, Zhang Wenwei, was made Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. On the jiashen day Cui Yuan was dismissed. The Vice Minister of Personnel, Yang She, was made Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. Edit

On the yiwei day of the fourth month, because of drought, the emperor withdrew from the main hall and reduced his meals. On the gengzi day a comet appeared in the northwest; on the jiachen day it appeared in Beihe. On the xinhai day sentences of death and below in the capital region were reduced, and those doing labour on the imperial tomb were excused labour service for one year. Edit

In the fifth month Wang Jian took Jin Prefecture, and the Military Commissioner of the Rongzhao Army, Feng Xingxi, fled to Jun Prefecture. Edit

In the sixth month Xingxi retook Jin Prefecture. Yang Xingmi took Wu Prefecture and seized its prefect, Shen Xia. On the wuzi day Zhu Quanzhong killed Pei Shu and the Military Commissioner of the Jinghai Army, Dugu Sun; the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Cui Yuan; the Minister of Personnel, Lu Yi; the Minister of Works, Wang Pu; the retired Grand Minister of Works, Pei Zhi; the retired Acting Grand Minister of Works and Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, Zhao Chong; and the Vice Minister of War, Wang Zan. Edit

In the seventh month the date of the suburban sacrifice was divined. The Prefect of Yue Prefecture, Deng Jinzhong, rebelled and went over to Ma Yin. Edit

On the jiazi day of the ninth month, Zhu Quanzhong took Xiang Prefecture, and the Military Commissioner of the Zhongyi Army, Zhao Kuangning, fled to Huainan. On the bingyin day the emperor's younger brothers were enfeoffed: Ti as Prince of Ying and You as Prince of Cai. Zhu Quanzhong took Jiangling, and the Acting Military Commissioner, Zhao Kuangming, fled to Chengdu. On the yiyou day the date of the suburban sacrifice was divined again. Edit

On the bingxu day of the tenth month, Zhu Quanzhong was made Marshal of the Troops of All Circuits. Edit

On the gengwu day of the eleventh month, the date of the suburban sacrifice was divined a third time. On the gengchen day the Military Commissioner of Huainan, Yang Xingmi, died, and his son Wo was made Deputy Commissioner-in-chief of Huainan and Commander-in-chief of the Field Armies of the Eastern Circuits. On the xinsi day Zhu Quanzhong was made Chancellor of State, in charge of all the officials, and enfeoffed as Prince of Wei. Edit

On the yiwei day of the twelfth month, Quanzhong was made Marshal of the Troops of the Realm. He killed Jiang Xuanhui, the Commissioner of the Fengde Storehouse Ying Xu and the Commissioner of Imperial Food Zhu Jianwu. On the guimao day Liu Can was made Grand Minister of Works. On the wushen day Zhu Quanzhong murdered the Empress Dowager. On the xinhai day the suburban sacrifice was called off. On the guichou day Liu Can was demoted to Prefect of Deng Prefecture. On the jiayin day Can and the Chief Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, Zhang Tingfan, were killed. Edit

On the renxu day of the first month of the third year, the Huainan general Wang Maozhang rebelled with the two prefectures of Xuan and She and went over to Qian Liu. Edit

In the second month Yang Wo took Yue Prefecture. On the guisi day Wang Jian took Gui Prefecture. Edit

On the first day of the fourth month, guiwei, there was an eclipse of the sun. The Military Commissioner of the Zhennan Army, Zhong Chuan, died, and his son Kuangshi declared himself Acting Military Commissioner. Edit

In the sixth month Qian Liu took the two prefectures of Qu and Mu, and their prefects, Chen Zhang and Chen Xun, fled to Huainan. Edit

In the seventh month Yang Wo took Rao Prefecture. Edit

On the guiwei day of the eighth month, Zhu Quanzhong took Xiang Prefecture. Edit

In the ninth month Yang Wo took Hong Prefecture and seized Zhong Kuangshi. On the yihai day the Military Commissioner of the Kuangguo Army, Liu Zhijun, took Fang Prefecture and seized its prefect, Liu Yanhui. Edit

On the xinsi day of the tenth month, Yang Chongben joined the troops of Fengxiang, Jingyuan, Fuyan and Qinlong to attack Zhu Quanzhong; they fought at Meiyuan and were defeated. Edit

In the eleventh month the Military Commissioner of the Zhongguo Army, Gao Yan, died, and his son Li declared himself Acting Military Commissioner. Edit

On the wuchen day of the intercalary twelfth month, Li Keyong took Lu Prefecture, and the Military Commissioner of the Zhaoyi Army, Ding Hui, went over to Keyong. On the yihai day there was thunder and lightning, and snow fell. Edit

In the third month of the fourth year, Liu Shouguang imprisoned his father Rengong and declared himself Military Commissioner of the Lulong Army of Youzhou. Edit

On the wuwu day of the fourth month, Qian Liu took Wen Prefecture. On the jiazi day the emperor gave up the throne, was moved to Cao Prefecture and was styled Prince of Jiyin. He was murdered in the second month of the second year of Kaiping of the Liang, at the age of seventeen, and was given the posthumous name Emperor Ai. Mingzong of the Later Tang gave him the posthumous title Zhaoxuan Guanglie Xiao Huangdi, and his tomb was called the Wen Mausoleum. Edit

Appraisal

The appraisal says: Since ancient times, those who lost their states were not always foolish, mediocre or violent and cruel rulers. The coming of calamity and disorder builds up gradually, and when the great tide has already turned and a ruler happens to come at that time, then even with wisdom and courage there are things he cannot do. That may be called true misfortune, and such was Zhaozong. Zhaozong was intelligent and gifted, and at first he too was set on restoring the dynasty; but the troubles from outside had already taken shape, and within he had no worthy helpers. He did indeed long, with feeling, to find men of extraordinary talent, but he employed the wrong men and only added to the disorder. After the Tang fell, its lingering poison and cruelty went on through the Five Dynasties for more than fifty years, until the realm was torn apart and stopped only after the utmost ruin and disorder. Tracing that calamity back, how could its gradual build-up have been the work of a single morning or evening! Edit