琰 Yǎn

Yan, Prince of Li, was first made Prince of Zeng in the second year of Kaiyuan, enfeoffed at the same time as the two Princes of E and Juan. Later his princedom was moved to Di, and he held the posts of Governor of Taiyuan and Grand Military Commissioner of the Armies North of Taiyuan. Early in Tianbao he was made Area Commander-in-chief of Wuwei Commandery, with charge of the military administration of Hexi and Longyou. It happened that his consort, Lady Wei, had been put in separate quarters for some fault, and two concubines, quarrelling over his favour, had a shaman secretly put a charm in Yan's shoe to win his affection. An enemy reported that Yan was using sorcery against the emperor. The emperor waited until he came to court and had someone take his shoe and look at it, and it was true. The emperor angrily rebuked Yan, and Yan knocked his head on the ground and apologised, saying, "My crime deserves death. But my wife and I have not seen each other for two years, and two concubines are vying for first place; I fear these three people did it." When it was looked into, this proved true. Even so the emperor still suspected Yan and his anger did not abate. The Crown Prince and everyone below him pleaded for Yan, and he was then imprisoned in the Hawk and Hound Ward, where he died of grief. His consort, the daughter of Wei Tao, had no son and returned to her own family. Yan had fifty-five sons in all, of whom four became princes: Zhuan was Prince of Runan Commandery, Qiao of Yidu, Jun of Jinan and An of Shunhua. Liao was Chief Minister of the Court of the Imperial Stud, Xia Chancellor of the Directorate of Education, Ren Director of the Palace Administration and Ai Director of the Palace Library. In the first year of Baoying an edict restored Yan's princely title. Edit