琨 Kūn

Kun served under Empress Wu as prefect of six prefectures in turn, and was well known in all of them. In the Shengli years he was Commissioner for Summoning and Pacifying Lingnan, and he settled the rebellious Lao very fittingly. When he died he was posthumously made Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Regalia. At the start of Shenlong he was posthumously made Prince of Zhangye Commandery. In the Kaiyuan years, because his son Yi had risen high, he was posthumously enfeoffed as Prince of Wu. Edit

Yi had high aims from his youth. He served his stepmother with care and brought up his half-brother Zhi, and was praised for his brotherly love. When he was due to inherit the fief, he firmly yielded it to Zhi. Zhongzong commended his intention and specially enfeoffed him as Prince of Jiang by Succession, to carry on the line of Xiao. In the Kaiyuan years, as an heir from a collateral line, his fief was also changed to Prince of Xin'an Commandery. He served as prefect of several prefectures and governed strictly and capably. He was promoted to Minister of Rites and Military Commissioner of Shuofang. Edit

Earlier, the Tibetans had seized the fortress of Shibao and raided the frontier many times, and an edict ordered Yi to plan its capture with Hexi and Longyou. When he reached the camp, he chose a day to advance. Someone said: "The fortress is strong and the enemy prizes it; they will certainly hold it firmly. If our troops go deep and do not win, our army will certainly flee. Better to be cautious and watch how the enemy stands." Yi said: "Does a subject's duty allow him to fear danger and not advance? If we are truly outnumbered, I shall follow it up with my death." He then divided his troops to block the enemy's routes and urged his generals forward at double speed, and so took the fortress. From then on the armies of Hexi and Longyou patrolled and raided freely, and the land was extended by a thousand li. Xuanzong was pleased and renamed the fortress the Zhenwu Army. When the Khitan headquarters officer Ketuyu rebelled, an edict appointed the Prince of Zhong Field Marshal of Hebei Circuit to suppress him, with Yi as his deputy. The prince did not go, so Yi led Pei Yaoqing and the other generals by separate routes out north of Fanyang, attacked the two tribes and defeated them, and returned with their chieftains captive; the rest of their people fled and hid. He was given the additional title Commander Unequalled in Honor and made Commissioner for Supplies, Military Colonies, Inspection and Disposition of Guannei, and his two sons were given office. Yi's achievements were many, but those in power were jealous of him, and his rewards did not match his merit, which people of the time regretted. Some time later he was promoted to Minister of War and Grand Military Commissioner of Shuofang. Over some matter he was demoted to Prefect of Qu Prefecture. He served in the two prefectures of Hua and Huai. At the start of Tianbao he retired as Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. The next year he was promoted to Grand Preceptor, but died before taking up the post. Yi ran his household strictly and taught his sons by rule, so Huan, Yi and Xian all rose to eminence. Edit

Huan was plain and sincere by nature and had a fine name in every office; as a prince's grandson he was enfeoffed as Duke of Zhao. When Yang Guozhong threw the government into disorder, he pushed out all who would not attach themselves to him. Huan was moved from Director of the Bureau of Merit Assessments to Governor of Suiyang, and was rated first among the governors for his honesty and simplicity. He was about to go to court with his accounts when Xuanzong went to Shu, and he hurried to the emperor's traveling court. He was appointed Vice Minister of War and concurrently Censor-in-chief. Soon he was appointed Governor of Shu Commandery and Military Commissioner and Investigation Commissioner of Jiannan. When Guo Qianren rebelled, he and Chen Xuanli suppressed him together. When the Retired Emperor returned to the capital, Huan was promoted to Minister of Revenue and his fief was changed to Yue. In the first year of Qianyuan, holding the imperial tally, he became Commander-in-chief and Military Commissioner, Pacification Commissioner and Surveillance Commissioner of Jianghuai. The title Commander-in-chief began with Huan. The next year Liu Zhan, Prefect of Songzhou, harbored disloyal plans. An edict appointed Zhan Military Commissioner of Huainan, and a secret edict ordered Huan and Deng Jingshan, Administrator of Yang Prefecture, to deal with him. Zhan was strong and overbearing; on receiving the edict he took all his troops across the Huai. Huan and Jingshan opposed him and fought at Shouchun, but were defeated, and Huan fled to Danyang. An edict demoted him to Administrator of Yuan Prefecture, and he died in office. He was posthumously made Grand Area Commander-in-chief of Yang Prefecture. His younger brother Xian has a biography of his own. Edit

Zhi was enfeoffed as Prince of Wu by Succession and went out as Governor of Dongping. When An Lushan rebelled and Henan, Chenliu, Xingyang and Lingchang fell one after another, Zhi raised troops to resist the rebels, and Xuanzong admired his courage. He rose to Governor of Chenliu and, holding the imperial tally, Military Commissioner and Investigation Commissioner of Henan Circuit. He served as Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud and Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan. In the Dali years of Daizong, Zhi, by then an elder of the imperial clan, served as Adviser to the Heir Apparent and Attendant in the Academy of Scholarly Worthies. At that time great officials of merit and repute who had no duties were all allowed to await edicts in the Academy, and were given money for meals and official lodgings to honor them generously; thirteen men, from Pei Mian the Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs down, held this position. His son Yan was given office of the fifth rank by inheritance privilege. When Zhi died, his elder brother Hu had been found guilty of a crime, so Yan succeeded as Prince by Succession. He rose to Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan and Acting Minister of Justice. When he died he was posthumously made Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He was upright and unbending by nature and would point out people's faults to their faces. He was clean in every office, and his house could not keep out wind and rain. He took in and cared for his nephews, with a kindness beyond that of other men. His family had no savings, and only when the high officials joined in giving funeral gifts could he be buried. Jing was enfeoffed at the start of Shenlong as Prince of Guizheng Commandery and served as Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Clan; implicated in Qianli's affair, he was demoted to Administrator of Nan Prefecture. Edit