鳳 Fèng

Prince Zhuang of Guo

Feng, Prince Zhuang of Guo, was styled Jicheng. He was first made Prince of Bin and was Prefect of Deng Prefecture. Soon his title was changed, and he served in turn as Prefect of the three prefectures of Guo, Yu and Qing, with an actual fief of a thousand households. He loved hunting and roaming and was especially insolent toward his officials. He once had a slave put on a tiger skin and so frightened his Administrator Lu Yingjun that he nearly died, and Feng laughed loudly at it for his amusement. When he died he was posthumously made Grand Minister of Education and Grand Area Commander-in-chief of Yang Prefecture, and was buried beside the Xian Mausoleum. Edit

He had seven sons. The eldest, Yi, succeeded him and was Prince of Pingyang. When Yi died, his son Yu succeeded. Yu had no son, and the title was not passed on. The second son, Maorong, was known for his courage, and in the Chuigong period he was Prefect of Shenzhou. When Zhuan, Duke of Huang, and the Prince of Yue plotted to raise troops, they counted on him to help. At that time an edict summoned the princes and dukes to the Eastern Capital, and Maorong privately asked his close friend Gao Zigong, who answered, "If you come, you will surely die." So he pleaded illness and did not attend court, waiting for the day the troops would rise. When he received the Prince of Yue's letter, he was too taken by surprise to respond; his officials urged him to report the letter, and he was promoted to Right Admonisher of the Heir Apparent. Soon after, he was named by members of the faction and executed. Edit

Zhongzong made Feng's grandson Yong succeed as prince instead. Yong married the younger sister of Empress Wei and rose through several posts to Director of the Palace Library, in charge of the stables within the guard of the three commissions of Longyou. He was moved to Prince of Bian. Not long after, the Wei clan fell, and Yong killed his wife and sent her head to the court; those who discussed it despised him. He was stripped of his title and demoted to Prefect of Qin Prefecture, where he did not attend to his duties. Later his title was restored, with two hundred households returned to him, and in due course he returned to court as Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Regalia. When he died, his son Ju succeeded. Edit

Ju was firm, keen and decisive, had some knowledge of books and histories, and liked to write. In the fifth year of Tianbao he was sent out as Governor of Xihe Commandery. For giving money to the faction of Liu Ji he was demoted to Aide of Yiyang. The next year, when Yang Shenjin, Vice Censor-in-Chief, was found guilty, his follower Shi Jingzhong was a friend of Ju's, and Ju was again dismissed from office for it and confined in Nanbin Commandery. He was then summoned and appointed Governor of Yiling Commandery. Edit

When An Lushan took the Eastern Capital, Xuanzong was choosing generals, and Zhang Ji said that Ju was a man of strategy who could be entrusted with great affairs. Ju was summoned to the capital, but Yang Guozhong, who was jealous of him, said to others, "How can a little boy be allowed to face the Son of Heaven?" For more than a month he could not get an audience. When the Emperor learned of it, he called Ju into the palace; Ju's answers pleased him, and the Emperor, delighted, ordered the chief ministers to talk with him. The talk went on so long without ending that Guozhong grew impatient and said to Ju, "Lately many men fight the rebels with their mouths; aren't you one of them?" Ju said, "And who is it that fights the rebels with his hands for Your Excellency?" Ju was then appointed Governor of Chenliu and Qiao Commanderies, acting Censor-in-chief and Military Commissioner of Henan. The next day, when he came to give thanks, the Emperor said in surprise, "Why acting?" and at once made him concurrently Censor-in-chief by edict. Ju memorialized: "In these hard times the rebels are full of tricks; if Your Majesty should summon me, how am I to know it is genuine?" So a tally was split and half given to him. Edit

Soon he was also put in overall charge of the affairs of three military commissioners: He Lüguang of Lingnan, Zhao Guozhen of Qianzhong and Lu Jiong of Nanyang. At that time Jiong had been defeated many times, and an edict demoted him to Assault-resisting Commandant and put Lai Tian in his place. Ju memorialized: "If Jiong can hold the isolated city, his merit will make up for his faults; then how should he be dealt with?" The Emperor said, "Deal with him as you see fit." When Ju reached Neixiang, the rebel general Bi Sichen lifted the siege and fled. Ju then hurried to Nanyang and demoted Jiong to serve in the army in plain clothes, and that evening, declaring an edict, restored him to his post. Edit

When the capital was recovered, Ju was appointed Regent of the capital and concurrently Censor-in-chief. The next year he was appointed Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and concurrently Governor of Henan and Investigation Commissioner of the Eastern Capital Region. He levied a toll on ox carts going in and out of the markets and set aside the proceeds to help meet expenses, but little by little he embezzled them himself. His consort was a younger cousin of Empress Zhang, and the two did not get along at home. Ju chose officials of the prefecture and counties to serve as his runners, and his consort for her part brought in young gamblers, formed her own faction and took bribes, bending the business of government. Li Zunsu, Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan, was secretly close to the Zhang family and exposed Ju's corruption, and Ju was demoted to Prefect of Suizhou. Just then Duan Zizhang rebelled and passed by Suizhou; Ju, taken by surprise and not knowing what to do, went out to greet him, and was killed by Zizhang. Edit

His son Zezhi loved learning, and when he was over fifty he was still studying the classics at the Imperial University. Gao, Prince of Cao by Succession, recommended him. In the second year of Zhenyuan he was moved from Administrator of the Prince of Mu's establishment to General-in-Chief of the Left Imperial Insignia Guard. Because he was friendly with Dou Shen, his cousin's son, he was demoted to Aide of Zhao Prefecture. Edit