元軌 Yuánguǐ

Prince of Huo

Yuangui, Prince of Huo, was first made Prince of Shu in the sixth year of Wude, enfeoffed at the same time as the Princes of Bin and Han; later he was moved to Prince of Wu. He had many talents and accomplishments, and Gaozu loved him. Edit

Taizong once asked his officials, "Which of my younger brothers and sons is the most worthy?" Wei Zheng said, "In my foolishness I do not know all their abilities, but the Prince of Wu has often talked with me, and I have never failed to feel myself outdone." The emperor said, "I too think highly of him; but whom in former ages would you compare him with?" He replied, "In classical learning and cultivation, he is like the Princes of Hejian and Dongping of the Han. As for filial conduct, even Zeng Shen and Min Sun could not surpass him." From then on the emperor treated him with still greater favour, and by edict he took Wei Zheng's daughter as his consort. Once, following the emperor on a hunt, they came upon a herd of boars, and the emperor had him shoot them; not one arrow he drew was wasted, and the boars were all killed. The emperor patted him on the back and said, "Your skill surpasses other men's, but now there is nowhere to use it. Had the empire still been unsettled, how could a man like you have gone unused?" Edit

In the seventh year of Zhenguan, he was Prefect of Shouzhou. When Gaozu died, he left office and was terribly wasted with grief; when the mourning ended, he ate vegetables and wore plain cloth for the rest of his life, and on the anniversary of the death he would go without food for days on end. In the tenth year, his princedom was moved, and he served in turn as Prefect of the three prefectures of Jiang, Xu and Ding, with his real fief reaching a thousand households. Wherever he went, he shut his door and read, leaving the business of government to his Administrator and Adjutant. He was modest and careful and never came into conflict with anyone. He often received the recluse Liu Xuanping, and they were friends as commoners are. Someone asked Xuanping what the prince's strong points were. He answered, "He has none." The questioner did not understand, and Xuanping said, "When a man has shortcomings, his strong points stand out. Since the prince lacks nothing, what is there for me to praise?" Edit

When the Turks raided Ding Prefecture, Yuangui had the city gates opened and the banners lowered. The barbarians suspected a trap, dared not enter, and fled in the night. Li Jiayun, a man of the prefecture, had secretly been in league with the raiders, and an edict ordered all his confederates to be hunted down and put to death. Because the raiders were near and strong and people were uneasy, Yuangui killed only Jiayun and questioned none of the rest, and then impeached himself for it. The emperor was pleased and said, "I had in fact regretted that order. But for the prince's wisdom, Ding Prefecture would almost have been lost." Edit

A man named Wang Wencao fought the raiders and was defeated; his two sons, Feng and Xian, each in turn shielded their father with their own bodies, so that he survived, and the two sons died. The county kept the matter down and did not report it, but Yuangui found out, sent an envoy and officers to make offerings to them, and reported the matter to the throne. By edict Feng and Xian were posthumously made Gentlemen for Court Service, and their village gate was marked with honour. Edit

Each time Yuangui came to court, he submitted memorials setting out what was right and wrong in government, and much was corrected by them. The emperor respected him, and when there were great matters he often consulted him secretly by post-horse. When the emperor died, Yuangui and Liu Qixian, Director of the Chancellery, were jointly in charge of the funeral and the mausoleum. Yuangui was steeped in the precedents, and Qixian sighed, "This is beyond the likes of us!" He once sent the Director of his princely estate to oversee the collection of the rents of his fief, and the Director asked to trade with them for profit. He answered, "You ought to keep me upright, and instead you tempt me with profit?" He would not allow it. He was promoted to Grand Minister of Education, and went out as Prefect of the two prefectures of Xiang and Qing. When the Prince of Yue was defeated, Yuangui was charged with having been party to his plot and was banished to Qian Prefecture; he was carried in a cage cart, and died on reaching Chencang. Edit

He had six sons. Xu was made Prince of Jiangdu and Chun Prince of Anding; the rest were all given the rank of duke. Xu had a good name and was Prefect of Jinzhou; he was put to death. Early in the Shenlong period, their offices and ranks were all restored, and Xu's grandson Hui was made Prince by Succession; in the Kaiyuan period he was Supernumerary General of the Left Personal Guard. Edit