The explanation of the term "curse of the witches" generally refers to the disaster that occurred in the first year of the Han Dynasty and brought crisis to the rule of the Han Dynasty.
The so-called witchcraft is the use of superstitious ideas to make puppets that symbolize real people and bury them in the ground, asking wizards to curse and harm others with witchcraft. According to Deng Qiyao's explanation in the book "Investigation of Chinese Witchcraft", paper people, straw people, puppets, clay figurines, bronze statues and even jade people are used as stand-ins for their people, and their names or birthday characters are engraved, or the hairs, nails and even clothes on their bodies are obtained, and the practice is to curse or bury them in the soil, or stab them with needles and nails. It is said that the person who is cast will have the same reaction, and the part of the idol that stabs the idol will be affected by induction damage. The caster often nailed iron nails to idols to torture the enemy, and finally nailed the heart with giant nails, causing the other party to die.
Witchcraft was one of the usual ways for ancient women to vent their anger when they hated each other. The plague of wu during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty began in the fifth year of Yuan Guang (130 BC). After Emperor Wu succeeded to the throne, Empress Dowager Dou's granddaughter Chen Ajiao (Emperor Jing's mother) was made empress. After Empress Dou's death, Emperor Wu favored Wei Zifu, who was of humble origin, and the angry Empress Chen cursed wei zifu with witchcraft in an attempt to assassinate Wei Zifu, which was known to Emperor Wu. In order to eliminate Empress Dou's power in the palace, Emperor Wu used the title to play a role and ordered the attendant Shi Zhang Tang to investigate. After Zhang Tang was appointed to "deeply conquer the party" ("Book of Han, vol. 59 • Zhang Tang's Biography"), daxing witches and witches in prison, in addition to Empress Chen was sentenced to the crime of rebellion and no way, as many as 300 people were killed for the crime of rebellion.
The second plague of witchcraft occurred in the first year of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (92 BC), and first began in the family of Gongsun He. Gongsun He's wife Wei Junru was the sister of Empress Wei Zifu, so Gongsun He was favored and succeeded Shi Qing as chancellor. When Gongsun He's son Gongsun Jingsheng was a servant, he was arrogant and lawless, embezzled 19 million yuan of the Northern Army's military expenses without authorization, and was arrested and imprisoned after the matter was exposed.
At this time, the imperial court was ordering all over the country to arrest Zhu Anshi, the great hero of Yangling, so Gongsun He asked himself to hunt down Zhu Anshi to atone for his son Gongsun's sins, and was approved by Emperor Wu. After that, Gongsun He did arrest Zhu Anshi. After Zhu Anshi learned that Gongsun He had arrested him as atonement for his son's sins, he wrote a whistle-blowing letter from prison, accusing Gongsun Jingsheng of having an affair with Princess Yangshi, and burying a puppet on tianzi's path to Ganquan Palace, cursing Tianzi. At the same time, he also denounced Gongsun He for many illegal things.
In the spring of the second year of Zhenghe (91 BC), Gongsun He was arrested and imprisoned, and after investigation, the charges were true, both father and son died in prison, and the family was condemned. At the same time, Princess Yangshi and Princess Zhuyi (both daughters of Emperor Wu and her birth mother unknown) and Empress Wei's younger brother Wei Qing's eldest son Wei Ling (衛伉) were also implicated, all of whom were killed. However, this disaster did not end because of this [Note: The Tang Chu Yan Shigu Commentary on the Book of Han says that Princess Yangshi and Princess Zhuyi were the daughters of Empress Wei. In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, Sima Zhen's "History of Suoyin" referred to Princess Shiyi and Princess Zhuyi as the daughters of Empress Wei. The two men's accounts contradict each other, and both are isolated evidence. The only daughter of Empress Wei that can be determined in the Records of History and the Book of Han is Princess Weichang.
(Empress Wei film and television image)
Empress Wei was born as a slave and had no roots in the court. His father's name is unknown, but his mother's surname was Wei Mi (衛媪), a maid of honor in the Cao Shou Mansion of marquis Cao Shou of Pingyang [Note: The Book of Han, Vol. 55 • Wei Qinghuo's Biography of illness contains Wei Mi as a domestic servant, that is, a slave maid. The Chronicle of History, Vol. 111, And the Biography of the Wei General Hui Riding Column refers to Wei Mi as the marquis concubine of Pingyang. Cao Shou was the grandson of Cao Shan, a hero of the early Han Dynasty, and married Emperor Wu's sister Princess Yangxin (i.e. Princess Pingyang). Wei Zifu has a brother and two sisters, the eldest brother Wei Changjun, the eldest sister Wei Junru, the second sister Wei Shao'er, and Wei Shao'er has a son name Huo to go to the disease. Wei Zifu also had three half-brothers, namely Wei Qing, Wei Bu, and Wei Guang. When Wei Zifu was young, he was sent to Cao Shou Mansion to teach singing and dancing, and became a singer of the HouFu.
In March of the second year of Jianyuan (139 BC), Emperor Wu went to Bashang to worship his ancestors and pray for blessings and disasters. When he returned to the palace, he stopped by to visit the Duke of Yang nobunaga at the residence of the Marquis of Pingyang at the capital of the Capital Division. The singers of the Hou Mansion sang in the hall, and Wei Zifu was also among them, and was favored by Emperor Wu at a glance. In the spring of the first year of yuan shuo (128 BC), Wei Zifu gave birth to a male, whose name was based on it. In March, Wei Zifu was made empress. In the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (122 BC), Liu Zhao was made crown prince and called Prince Wei.
Empress Wei started by hue, and later faded, plus her brother Wei Qing and nephew Huo Fu had died of illness, but at this time, her brother-in-law Gongsun He was also cursed for witchcraft, which made her even more lonely in the court.
Jiang Chong, real name Qi, Zi Ciqian, Zhao Guo Handan people. Because his sister was good at drumming and singing, she married Dan, the prince of Zhao, and was able to become a guest of Liu Pengzu, the king of Zhao. After a long time, Prince Dan suspected him of making a small report, and told king Zhao of his "secret (secret and unspeakable matter)", the two had a bad friendship, and made the officials arrest him, Jiang Chong escaped, and Prince Dan arrested Jiang Chong's father and brother and killed him.
(Jiang Chong film and television image)
After Jiang Chong fled, he ran to Chang'an and reported to the imperial court that Prince Dan had committed adultery with his sister and concubine of King Zhao, and that "the state of Jiaojun was arrogant, and the attack was adulterous, and the officials could not be forbidden." Emperor Wu was furious and sent emissaries to besiege the Zhao Palace, arrest Prince Dan, and sentence him to death in the Wei County Prison. Liu Pengzu, the King of Zhao, who was Emperor Wu's half-brother, wrote to exonerate Crown Prince Dan, saying that Jiang Chong was just a small official who had been arrested and fled, and now he was playing treacherous, hoping to use the majesty of the Son of Heaven to repay his personal grievances, and expressed his willingness to choose the warriors of the Zhao Kingdom, "to attack the Xiongnu from the army, to the utmost death, to atone for Dan's sins" (Book of Han, vol. 45 • Biography of Ku Wu Jiang Shifu). Emperor Wu pardoned Crown Prince Dan for his death penalty and deposed him as crown prince.
Later, Emperor Wu summoned Jiang Chong at Inudai Palace (上林園中). Jiang Chong was dressed in a woven silk Zen robe, the costume had a little feminine meaning, the silk hat was made of bird feathers, and when he walked, he shook his crown and flew, and his figure was large and majestic, and his appearance was magnificent, and Emperor Wu "saw and varied", and said to the people left and right: "Yan Zhao Duoqishi." (Book of Han, vol. 45, Biography of Ku Wu Jiang Shifu). I also asked about political affairs, and the answer was also quite satisfactory.
Soon, Emperor Wu ordered Jiang Chong to send envoys to the Xiongnu, and when he returned, he was made an emissary of the embroidered clothes, responsible for supervising the capture of thieves in the territory of Sanfu (Jingzhao, Zuo Fengyi, and Right Fufeng in the vicinity of Chang'an, whose jurisdiction was equivalent to the area of present-day central Shaanxi) and "forbidden to inspect and over-extravagance". At that time, "the noble relatives and courtiers were more extravagant and arrogant" ("Book of Han, Vol. 45 • Biography of Ku Wu Jiang Shifu"), Jiang Chong reported impeachment one by one, asked for the confiscation of these people's carriages and horses, and escorted these people to the Northern Army to wait for the army to go out to attack the Xiongnu. The sons and daughters of the nobles were terrified, and they all went to the emperor to prostrate their heads and plead, expressing their willingness to pay for their sins. Emperor Wu then ordered them to pay money to the Northern Army according to their respective ranks, and the imperial court received tens of millions of dollars for atonement. From then on, Emperor Wu believed that Jiang Chong was loyal and upright, did not follow the law, and spoke in line with his own wishes.
And Jiang Chong, who was favored by Emperor Wu, also began to soar. Once, when Jiang Chong was out, he came across the car of Emperor Wu's aunt, Princess Tao Chang, driving on the road, and went forward to inquire. The princess replied that she had been ordered by the Empress. Jiang Chong said that the princess car can drive on the road, but the entourage car cannot ride. The entourage was punished and the carriages and horses were confiscated. Jiang Chong accompanied Emperor Wu to Ganquan Palace, and happened to meet the crown prince's courtiers sitting in a carriage and horse in the chi road, and Jiang Chong did not say a word and arrested the officials for disposal. After the crown prince learned of this, he sent someone to intercede with Jiang Chong and said: I am not reluctant to ride and ride horses, but I am really afraid that the emperor will know that I will not be able to blame me for not teaching left or right, and I hope that I will not be able to set an example. Jiang Chong ignored it and went straight to the game. Emperor Wu was very happy about this and said: This should be the case as a subject! After that, Jiang Chong "Dami Credit, Wei Zhen Jingshi" (Book of Han, Vol. 45 , Biography of Ku Wu Jiang Shifu)."
Soon, Jiang Chong was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant of Shuiheng. At that time, when the Yangling grand hero Zhu Anshi exposed the father and son of Gongsun He and Wu Jiao, emperor Wu was recuperating at Ganquan Palace, and Jiang Chong talked nonsense, saying that Emperor Wu's illness was caused by Wu Qi, and Emperor Wu put Jiang Chong in charge of reviewing the matter. Jiang Chong led the Hu people to dig everywhere, searching for puppets buried in the ground, and arrested people who prayed at night and pretended to be ghosts. They also sent people to sprinkle blood stains on some places, fake prayers and blessings, in order to falsely accuse others of witchcraft, and then arrested and treated, and tortured them with "iron tongs burning" to force them to confess their guilt. In this way, everyone framed each other, implicating tens of thousands of victims.
However, Jiang Chong did not stop there, because his real purpose had not yet been achieved. The Book of Han, Vol. 45, And the Biography of Ku Wu Jiang Shifu says: "Shangxing Ganquan, sick, seeing the elderly, feared that after driving yan, he would be cursed by the prince, because he was adulterous." "That is to say, Jiang Chong's real purpose is to use witchcraft to bring down the prince." At that time, the spring and autumn were high, and the doubts were all cursed and cursed", Emperor Wu was old and sick, and always suspected that someone was engaged in witchcraft to harm him, and this abnormal psychology was just used by Jiang Chong. So Jiang Chong said to Emperor Wu, "If there is a cunning in the palace, first rule Lady Xixing of the harem, and then follow the empress", "Then dig up the deception in the tai womb and get the Tongmu people".
Yan Shigu's ancient commentary said: According to the "Three Auxiliary Old Things", this "Tongmu man" was jiang chong who instructed the Hu people to "do it and bury it". Jiang Chong used this as evidence that the crown prince witch cursed Emperor Wu, so the prince was terrified and afraid that he would not be able to explain it clearly, so he took the initiative to take Jiang Chong and personally supervise the beheading.
The Book of Han, Volume 63, And the Biography of Wu Wuzi has a detailed record of Jiang Chong and others digging clams in the tai womb and the crown prince beheading Jiang Chong, which says: When Jiang Chong and others went to the tai womb to dig up clams, Emperor Wu sent Hou Han to assist Jiang Chong according to The Dao Hou Han, Yu Shi Zhanggan, and Huangmen Suwen (eunuchs). When Jiang Chong dug up the Tongmu people, Emperor Wu was ill and went to Ganquan Palace to escape the summer, and only the empress and the crown prince were in the palace. The crown prince summoned young Fu Shide and asked him what to do. Shi De was afraid of being executed together because of his relationship with the prince's teacher, so he said to the prince: Gongsun He's father and son, the two princesses, and the Wei family were all implicated in this matter and died, and now that evidence has been found, I don't know whether the wizard deliberately put it there, or if it really existed, we can no longer explain clearly, we can falsely pass on the edict to arrest Jiang Chong and others and imprison them, "poorly cure their treachery." Moreover, Tianzi was recuperating in Ganquan Palace, and the empress and the crown prince repeatedly sent people to ask for greetings without getting a reply, "the survival of the emperor is unknown", and now that this kind of thing is happening again, doesn't the prince remember the murder of Fu Su, the prince of the former Qin Dynasty?
The prince was anxious to think that Shi De was right. Thus, on the ninth day of the seventh month of the second year of Zhenghe (91 BC), the crown prince sent a messenger to impersonate an emissary and arrest Jiang Chong and others. According to Hou Han, who was more clever, suspected that the emissary was deceitful, and refused to accept the edict, the doorman killed Han. Yushi Zhanggan was slashed and fled to Ganquan Palace.
The crown prince also sent his attendants to enter the Changqiu Gate of Weiyang Palace at night, and informed Empress Wei of what had happened through the Long Imperial Lady Official Yihua. Then he sent a vehicle-mounted archer from the Zhongshe (Yan Shigu Note: 中 stable, where the Empress's carriage and horse were located), opened the arsenal to take out the weapons, dispatched the guards of the Changle Palace, and ordered the hundred officials to say that Jiang Chong was plotting rebellion. Therefore, he beheaded Jiang Chong and burned Hu Wu in the Shanglin Garden, "the guests of the ministry were generals, and they fought with the chancellor Liu Quyi and others." There was chaos in Chang'an City.
(Prince Liu according to the film and television image)
The Book of Han, Volume 66, and the Biography of Yang Cai Chen, the Prince of Gongsun Liu Tian, records in detail the battle between the crown prince Liu Zhao and the chancellor Liu Quyi, which says: After the prince killed Jiang Chong, he led his troops into the Palace of The Prince, and Liu Quyi escaped, forgetting to bring the seal of the prince. Emperor Wu was taking refuge in The Ganquan Palace, and Shi Kuaima, the governor of the Imperial Household, went straight to the Ganquan Palace to play to Emperor Wu. Emperor Wu asked, "What is the chancellor doing?" Chang Shi replied: The prime minister is blocking the news and does not dare to send troops. Emperor Wu said: The matter has been publicized to such an extent, and what news is blocked. Therefore, He gave Liu Qu the Seal of the Seal: "Catch and kill the rebels... Keep the gates of the city closed, and do not let the rebels come to terms. ”
When the crown prince sent troops, he told the civil and military officials that Tianzi was trapped in Ganquan Palace due to illness, suspecting that something might have happened, and the traitors wanted to take the opportunity to rebel. Therefore, Emperor Wu then returned from Ganquan Palace to Jianzhang Palace in the west of Chang'an City, and sent soldiers from all counties near Chang'an in the Sanfu area, and the officials below the middle two thousand stones were dispatched by the chancellor. The crown prince also sent a false edict to pardon the prisoners in the various official palaces in Chang'an City, recruited the soldiers guarding the arsenal, and ordered the young Fu Shide and the doorman Zhang Guang to lead them separately. He also sent Hu Riders, such as Hou Zhijie, who dispatched Changshui and Xuanqu, to assemble in Chang'an City. The attendant Ma Tong was sent by Emperor Wu to Chang'an, and upon learning of this, he chased after Ruhou and arrested him, telling the Hu people that "there is deception in the festival, do not listen to it", and led Hu to ride into Chang'an. He also recruited the ship's soldiers and handed them over to the command of Dahong Shang Qiu Cheng. The runes of the Han Dynasty were red, and because the prince held red runes, Emperor Wu added yellow tassels to the runes he issued to show the difference.
The crown prince wanted to dispatch the Northern Army, but Ren An (ren Shaoqing, who was known for exchanging letters with Sima Qian), returned to the military camp to close the military gates and did not listen to the dispatches. The crown prince had to forcibly arm about tens of thousands of people in the four cities of Chang'an, and when he reached the west of Changle Palace, he encountered the army led by the chancellor Liu Quyi, and the two sides "fought together for five days, tens of thousands of dead, and blood flowed into the ditch." Because there were rumors in Chang'an City that the prince was plotting rebellion, the people did not depend on the prince, but Liu Quyi's forces were constantly strengthening. The prince was defeated, and "Lamphun covered the city gates of The City Gate, and came out".
That night, Tian Ren (田仁), who assisted Him in reporting an illegal official, was guarding the city gate. Tian Ren let the crown prince escape from the city, Liu Quyi wanted to kill him, and Yushi Dafu said violently: Si Zhi is a member of the imperial court of two thousand stones, and he wants to be beheaded, when he first asks Tianzi, how can he kill without authorization. Liu Quyi released Tian Ren. When Emperor Wu heard this, he was furious and made people rebuke Him for the rebellion: Si Zhi Tian Ren let the rebels go, and Xiang Xiang killed him according to law, so why did you stop Xiang Xiang without authorization? Suicide in fear of victory. Ren An, an emissary of the Northern Army, was "seated by the Prince (Dispatching Soldiers)", and the imperial court suspected that he had two hearts and wanted to sit and watch the success or failure, and see who won the victory and belong to whom, so he and Tian Ren were beheaded together. Ma Tong captured Ru Hou Li Shougong and was given the title of Marquis of Chonghe; Jing Jian, a man from Chang'an, followed Ma Tong and captured The Young Fu Shide and Feng Dehou; and the Dahong Shangqiu Chengli Battle, Feng Zhi (dù) Hou. All those who have ever entered or left the palace gate will be beheaded; those who follow the prince to rebel are the whole family.
Subsequently, Emperor Wu issued an edict and sent Zongzheng Liu Chang and Liu Dare, who were in charge of imperial affairs, to take back the empress's seal and ribbon with an edict, and Empress Wei committed suicide. Huangmen Suwen and Yao Dinghan put empress Wei's corpse "in a small coffin, buried in the city of Nantong (Pavilion) of yì." Wei Shi Xi extinguished" (Book of Han, vol. 97, Biography of Foreign Relatives).
After the prince fled, he "went east to the lake (county) and hid in the spring of Jiuli" . The master's family was poor and sold shoes to provide for the prince. The prince had a deceased man in Hu County, and he heard that he was still very rich, so the prince asked people to call him, and the news leaked, and the local officials brought people to search for him. Estimating that it would be difficult for the prince to escape, the prince returned to the house, closed the door, and hanged himself. Among the soldiers who came to search for him, there was a Shanyang man named Zhang Fuchang who kicked open the door with his foot, and Shi Lishou of Xin'an County ran forward to hold the body of the prince and untied the rope. The owner of the family died in a fight to protect the prince, and the two imperial grandchildren who accompanied the prince were also killed. These events occurred more than twenty days after the crown prince fled Chang'an, and Emperor Wu still added a reward for Shen Xin's use of the world, and made Li Shou the Marquis of Qiu (yú) and Zhang Fuchang the Title Marquis ("Book of Han, Volume 63 • Biography of Wu Wuzi" and "Book of Han , Volume 65 • Gongsun Liu Tian Wang Yang Cai Chen Zheng Biography").
There are also sober-minded people in the scourge of witchcraft. When the crown prince was defeated and escaped from Chang'an, Emperor Wu was furious, the courtiers were worried, and there was nothing to do, the three elders of Huguan (the three elders refer to the township officials in charge of the education) ordered Gu Mao (recorded as Zheng Mao in the "Story of Han Wu") to sing the grievances of Emperor Wu for the crown prince, saying that "Jiang Chong, the man in cloth clothes" was just a lowly official in the folk township, but tianzi respected and used him, causing him to gather a group of treacherous villains, to deceive the prince, to persecute and frame the prince, and to block the relationship between father and son, "the prince is not allowed to see it, and if he retreats, he is trapped in the chaotic subjects" (Book of Han · Volume 63 • Biography of wu wuzi"), who was wronged alone and had nowhere to complain, he could not bear to rise up in anger and killEd Jiang Chong, and he was afraid that the Son of Heaven would surrender his sins and was forced to flee. The prince stole the army, but it was just to save himself and avoid being framed by others, not to rebel. After the recital was handed over, Emperor Wu was moved and began to wake up. After a period of time, the incidents of mutual accusations of witches and deceitful people were mostly found to be untrue after investigation. Emperor Wu also knew that the crown prince was afraid because he was persecuted by Jiang Chong, so he raised an army to kill Jiang Chong, and had no other intentions.
In September of the third year of Zhenghe (90 BC), Che Qianqiu (Tian Qianqiu), the Lang official guarding emperor's temple, once again appealed for the crown prince's grievances, and Emperor Wu appointed Che Qianqiu as the Great Hongqiu [大洪胪: An official in charge of foreign affairs, one of the Nine Secretaries.] In the first year of Emperor Wu's reign (104 BC), he was renamed Dahongxu (大洪胪), and soon after he was appointed as a chancellor. He also destroyed Jiang Chong's entire family and burned the eunuch Su Wen on the Hengmen Wei Bridge. The man who stabbed the prince with the sword was initially given the title of Northern Taishou (北地太守), and later he was also exterminated by the clan. Emperor Wu, distraught that the prince had died without guilt, built the Si Womb and built the Platform of Hope and Thought in HuXian County, which meant to look forward to the return of the prince's soul. The people were saddened by what they heard.
The people who were implicated in this witchcraft plague continued to be imprisoned for several years, until February of the second year of the Later Yuan Dynasty (87 BC), when Emperor Wu was going back and forth between Changyang and Wuzuo Palaces before his death, and the Fangshi who was looking forward to qi said that there was Tianzi qi in Chang'an Prison, and Emperor Wu sent someone to copy the prisoners of Zhongdu Guan Prison one by one, no matter how serious the crime was, and executed them all.
Bing Ji, Zi Shaoqing, a native of Luguo. Originally a prison history, due to hard work, he was slowly promoted to the right prison of the court lieutenant, and later lost his official position due to breaking the law, and returned to the state to engage. After the scourge of the witchcraft, Bingji was recruited to cure the witch prison as the former court lieutenant. It happened that the infant grandson of Crown Prince Liu Zhaoshang was also imprisoned for the scourge of witchcraft, and Bing Ji saw it and pitied him, so he selected several cautious and kind female prisoners and ordered them to be properly raised. In the second year of the Later Yuan Dynasty, Emperor Wu sent people to the prison to copy the prisoners because of the words of Tianzi qi in Chang'an Prison, and prepared to execute them all. Guo Yong was ordered to go to the prison under the jurisdiction of Bing Ji to deal with the prisoners, and Bing Ji closed the prison door and did not allow Guo Yong to enter until dawn, and said: The emperor's great-grandson is here, and it is not allowed for others to be killed without guilt, and it is the emperor's own great-grandson.
Guo Yong had no choice but to report back to Emperor Wu and take the opportunity to impeach Bingji. At this time, Emperor Wu also understood that it was wrong to do so, so he pardoned the world. Therefore, Shi Zai prison prisoners "relied on Ji Desheng alone, grace and the four seas" (Book of Han, vol. 74 • Wei Xiang Bingji Biography). The emperor's great-grandson fell ill and faced death, and Bingji ordered the nursing mother to ask for medical medicine and provide food and clothing with her own belongings, and treated the emperor's great-grandson very kindly. The child that Bing Ji saved was the later Han Xuan Emperor Liu Yiji.
(Biography of the Ancient Sages)
After Emperor Han Zhao's succession, Bingji was first appointed as the che general Junshi Ling,and then as the general Changshi, and the general Huo Guang valued him very much. After Emperor Zhao's death, there was no heir, and Huo Guang sent Bingji to meet Liu He, the king of Changyi. After Liu He succeeded to the throne, he was emperor for only twenty-seven days, and he was deposed for sexual immorality. Huo Guang consulted with the che general Zhang Anshi and other ministers to succeed him, and when he could not find a suitable candidate, Bingji wrote to Huo Guang and said: I privately visited the people, listened to the people's discussions, and learned that those princes of the clan had no reputation in the people. The great-grandson of the emperor named Liu Yiji is still in the homes of the people outside the palace, "eighteen or nineteen, through the scriptures, with beautiful materials, and peace and tranquility." May the general discuss in detail" (Book of Han, Vol. 74, Biography of Wei Xiang Bingji), if it is inconvenient to make him noble, you can first let him enter the palace to serve the empress dowager, so that the people know her virtues, and then decide on a great strategy.
After Huo Guang saw Bingji's recital, he decided to honor The Emperor's great-grandson Liu Yiji. In the autumn and July of the first year of Emperor Zhao's reign (74 BC), Liu Yi had entered Weiyang Palace to meet the empress dowager, who succeeded him to the throne as Emperor Xuan of Han.
Bing Ji was a generous man and did not like to show off himself, since Emperor Xuan succeeded to the throne, he never mentioned the past, so no one in the court knew that he had saved Emperor Xuan from his infancy. It was not until the fourth year of the Dijie (66 BC) that a maid named Ze, who served the concubines, asked her commoner husband to go to Emperor Xuan, claiming that she had the merit of protecting Emperor Xuan.
Emperor Xuan sent a decree to the court and asked him to inquire about the matter. The maid named Ze told Ye Ting Ling that the previous Lord Bing Ji knew what was going on, so Ye Ting Ling took her to the Imperial Master's Mansion to let Bing Ji see if it was true. Bingji knew the maid and said to her, "Aren't you the one who was punished with flogging for raising the emperor's great-grandson imprudently?" How can you say you have credit? Only Hu Group of Weicheng and Guo Zhengqing of Huaiyang had merit. Emperor Shuxuan of Bingji recounted the labor of Hu And others who had previously provided for the emperor. Emperor Xuan ordered Bingji to look for Hu Ju and Guo Zhengqing, both of whom had died, and only their descendants were still alive, and they were both rewarded. Emperor Xuan also pardoned Ze as a commoner and rewarded her with 100,000 yuan.
In this way, Emperor Xuan knew that Bingji had been very kind to him in the past, but he never said it. Emperor Xuan was very grateful, and feng Bingji was made the Marquis of Boyang, with 1,300 households. In March of the third year of the shenjue (59 BC), Wei Xiang died. In April, Bing Ji succeeded Wei Xiang as chancellor. On the twenty-sixth day of the first month of the third year of Wufeng (55 BC), Bingji died, and his posthumous title was Dinghou.
The original spearhead of the Scourge of the Witches was directed at the Wei Empress family and the crown prince Liu Zhao. After Empress Wei and the crown prince committed suicide, the scourge of witchcraft should have ended here, but what people did not expect was that from the scourge of witchcraft, another case within a case was drawn, so the scourge of witchcraft further developed.
In March of the third year of zhenghe (90 BC), the second year after the death of the crown prince and empress Wei, Emperor Wu sent the general Li Guangli (李廣利率) to attack the Xiongnu at Wuyuan, Shang Qiucheng (尚丘成) out of the West River, and Hou Matong (合合侯馬通) out of Jiuquan to attack the Xiongnu. When Li Guangli led the army on the expedition, Liu Quyi, as a chancellor, went with Li Guangli as a son and daughter to send them off. When it was time to bid farewell to Weiqiao, according to the "Book of Han, Volume 66, The Biography of Yang Cai, the King of Liu Tian, Yang Cai, and Chen Zheng":
Guangli (to Liu Quyi) said: "May the prince invite king Of Changyi (Liu He) as crown prince." If he is established as an emperor, why should the prince worry? Qu Yi promised. King of Changyi, the daughter of the second division general, Lady Li's son. The second master's daughter is The wife of Qu Yizi, so they want to establish a common heart.
This account shows that after the death of the crown prince Liu Zhao, Li Guangli, who was the highest military general at the time, colluded with the chancellor Liu Quyi in a vain attempt to establish his nephew as the crown prince. This was illegal conspiracy at the time. Just as the two were dreaming, another amazing thing happened:
At that time, when the witch was in a hurry, the insider ordered Guo Yong to tell Lady Xiang to accuse the lady of the temple of the emperor, so that the witch (teacher) ancestral hall (sacrifice) society (land god), wishing the lord a curse, having evil words, and praying with the second master, hoping to make the king of Changyi the emperor. There is a si song to ask for a case to be tested, and the crime is not against the truth ("Book of Han, Volume 66, Gongsun Liu Tian Wang Yang Cai Chen Zheng Biography").
The gist of this passage is that at that time, the matter of witchcraft was very closely investigated, and the inquisitor ordered Guo Yong to report that Liu Quyi's wife had been reprimanded by the emperor many times because Liu Quyi had been reprimanded by the emperor, so he instructed the shaman to curse the emperor with vicious language when sacrificing the land god, and prayed with Li Guangli to pray to the gods and wish the king of Changyi the emperor. After the case was verified to be true, he was sentenced to the crime of great rebellion.
(Liu Quyi film and television image)
Because witchcraft is a very superstitious activity, after a period of time after the death of the prince, it has been unbelieved by ordinary people, coupled with how the inquisitor Made Guo Rang learn of such a secret matter in the family of The Minister Liu Quyi, and the situation of denouncing it has not been clearly explained, so some scholars believe that Guo Yong is a false accusation and cannot be trusted. But if we carefully analyze the whole process of the scourge of witchcraft, what Guo Rang denounced is likely to be true. Here's why:
First, at that time, people were very superstitious, many people believed in witchcraft, and Emperor Wu also believed, otherwise the disaster of witchcraft would not be so great.
2. Since Empress Wei and Crown Prince Liu Had committed suicide, Li Guangli and Liu Quyi had already had conspiracies to make King Lichangyi the crown prince, so when Emperor Xiang was rebuked several times, Lady Xiang went to curse Emperor Wu, and also collaborated with Li Guangli to pray to the gods to bless King Changyi as emperor at an early date during the sacrifice. It was precisely because they had already had activities in this area that when Li Guangli left Chang'an on the expedition against the Xiongnu, he would say to Liu Quyi, who was sending off, "May the prince ask the king of Changyi to be the crown prince early, such as making him emperor" Yunyun.
Third, Li Guangli and Liu Quyi had the conditions to engage in such a conspiracy. Li Guangli was the highest general in the military, and Liu Quyi was the chancellor, and if the opinion of The Prince of Lichangyi was proposed as the crown prince, the courtiers did not dare to oppose it. And Emperor Wu was old and sick, and if he nodded, this conspiracy would immediately become a reality. This is their wishful thinking. Moreover, the Book of Han makes a detailed record of this conspiracy, and there is no historical data to overturn this record, so it cannot be arbitrarily and subjectively denied.
(Li Guangli film and television image)
At the same time, the Book of Han also records that after the failure of the conspiracy of the two men, in June of that year, Liu Quyi was beheaded by his waist in Dongshi, and his wife was taken to Huayang Street; Li Guangli's wife was arrested and imprisoned, Li Guangli surrendered to the Xiongnu on the front line, was exterminated, and his brother Li Yannian, the governor of the Concord, was also reprimanded. Wang Chuanshan said: "Liu Qu's attack on the crown prince is not fruitful because of the words and deeds of the Zhou Gong and Cai Zhi (evil behavior) also ... This desire is the ear of the king of Changyi. The prince is cursed, and the king is subordinate to the world, and passers-by know it. ("Reading through the Commentary• Volume III• Emperor Wu") is very reasonable.
After Shang Qiu Cheng's meritorious service in attacking the crown prince with a great hong, he was promoted to the rank of Imperial Grand Master. The Book of Han, Vol. 6, And the Chronicle of Emperor Wu reads: "In the first year of the Later Yuan Dynasty (88 BC) ... In The summer of June, The Imperial Master Shang Qiu cheng was guilty and committed suicide. The Book of Han, Volume XVII, Jingwu Zhao, Xuanyuan Chenggong Table, says that he was "a temple of filial piety, a drunken song hall, and a person who was depressed and depressed', and committed suicide with great disrespect." The Zizhi Tongjian Volume 22 Han Dynasty XIV. The First Year of Emperor Wu's Reign reads: "In The summer of June, Shang Qiu cheng committed suicide by sitting on a congratulatory curse. ”
The two books seem contradictory, but what they actually say is the same thing. When Emperor Wu rehabilitated the crown prince Liu Zhao, and Liu Quyi, who attacked the crown prince, was killed again, the merits he made when he attacked the crown prince naturally became a crime. In order to vent his dissatisfaction, during the sacrifice at the Temple of Emperor Wen, he used drunken songs to insult the royal family, and the Book of Han recorded it as "Great Disrespect, Suicide", and the Tongjian recorded as "Suicide by Sitting on a Blessing Curse". It's one thing.
The above facts show that in the further development of the scourge of witchcraft, those who had meritorious deeds in attacking the prince, such as Liu Quyi, the imperial chancellor Shang Qiucheng, and the general Li Guangli of the Second Division, were also killed for engaging in witchcraft and crimes related to this.
After the end of the witch plague, rebellions continued to occur. Some are directly the product of the scourge of witchcraft, and some are the result of this event. Here are two:
1. The assassination of Maholo and his brother Ma Tong. The Book of Han records that in June of the first year of the Later Yuan Dynasty (88 BC), the same month that Shang Qiu cheng committed suicide, "the servant Mang He Luo conspired with his brother Hou Chonghehou to rebel". Mang He Luo is Ma He Luo, note Meng Kang's explanation, in the early Eastern Han Dynasty, the Guangwu Emperor Ma Empress changed her surname to "Mang" because of Ma He Luo's rebellion.
The Book of Han, Volume 68, The Biography of Huo Guangjin Ribao has a detailed account of this incident: ma Heluo, a servant in the service, initially had a good relationship with Jiang Chong, Jiang Chong framed the crown prince, and Ma Tong fought hard to defeat the prince and conferred the title of Marquis of Chonghe. Later, when Emperor Wu learned that the crown prince had been wronged, he accused Jiang Chong's clan and henchmen, and the Maholo brothers were afraid of himself and himself, so he thought of rebellion. Sensing that the Ma brothers were abnormal, kim Il-seok (dī) began to secretly observe and pay attention to their movements, and went in and out of the palace with them. Maholo also felt that Kim Il-seok was paying attention to him, so he didn't do anything for a long time.
At this time, Emperor Wu arrived at the Lin Guang Palace next to the Ganquan Palace, and Jin Ilju rested in the palace Zhilu (the attendant's duty place) because of a minor illness. Ma Heluo then ordered Ma Tong and his younger brother Ma Ancheng to go out at night and send troops to rebel, thinking that they were external responses, and entered the palace himself to prepare to assassinate Emperor Wu. MaHo Luo had planned to work at night, but because the palace was heavily guarded, he did not enter until early in the morning. It just so happened that Kim Il-seok had slightly reduced his illness and went to the temple to sit down. As soon as he sat down, he saw Ma Heluo break in with a knife and go straight to Emperor Wu's bedroom, and Jin Il-ri hugged him and shouted, "Ma Heluo is anti." Emperor Wu was alarmed, and the left and right guards drew their swords to kill Ma Heluo, and Emperor Wu was afraid of accidentally injuring Jin Ilju and immediately stopped it. Kim Il-seok grabbed MaHoLo by the neck and threw him toward his highness, and the guards grabbed Ma Ho Lo and tied him up. Emperor Wu ordered Huo Guang, the governor of Che, and Shangguan Jie (上官桀, a lieutenant of The Qidu Commandery) to go to Nama Tong and Ma Ancheng.
The Book of Han, Volume XVII, Jingwu Zhaoxuanyuan's Successful Minister's Table of Successful Subjects records that The overlapping Hou Matong "sat on the soldiers and the Wei Wei and other rebels, and the waist was beheaded"; when he was the prince, he fought hard and meritoriously, and the Dehou Jingjian, who had made great achievements in the battle, jointly conspired with "Mang to conspire against and beheaded at the waist". That is to say, in addition to the Ma Heluo brothers, there were also Wei Weifu, Jing Jian, and others who participated in the rebellion this time. There is no record of how many troops they "sent" and what plans they had after assassinating Emperor Wu. Judging from the leading figures who participated in the rebellion, there were Hou Matong and Marquis Jingjian of De, as well as Ma Heluo and Wei Weifu, all of whom were meritorious servants of Prince Xue and close attendants of Emperor Wu. According to the Book of Han, Vol. 68, The Biography of Huo Guangjin Ribao, after this rebellion, Emperor Wu fell ill and left a will before his death, making Jin Riqiu the Marquis of Qi, Shangguan Jie the Marquis of Anyang, and Huo Guang the Marquis of Bolu.
2. Gongsun Yong and Hu Qian plotted rebellion. The Book of Han, Volume 6, And the Chronicle of Emperor Wu of Wu contains: "In September, the rebels Gongsun Yong and Hu Qian discovered that they were all guilty of guilt. This rebellion, which occurred the year after the suicide of Liu Zhao, the crown prince, may have been a manifestation of the opposition provoked by the scourge of witchcraft.
The Book of Han, Volume 90, Biography of The Cool Official has a more detailed record of this rebellion: Tian Guangming, Zi Zigong, and a native of Zheng County. With Lang Guan as Sima tianshui. Because of his merits, he moved to Henan Duwei, and later moved to Huaiyang Taishou. In the past few years, the former Chengfu County ordered "Gongsun Yong and Kehu Qian and others to rebel". Hu Qian falsely claimed to be Doctor Guanglu, rode dozens of cars with his entourage, was ordered to come to inspect the thieves, and lived in the hostel of Chen Liu's station... Later, Tian Guangming learned the true identity of Hu Qian and others, so he "sent troops to hunt and kill."
Gongsun Yong, dressed in embroidered clothes, dressed himself as an emissary of the imperial court, and "took a carriage to Yuan (County)". The county magistrate ordered the minor officials to wait for them and discovered their true identities. Shou Wei (acting county lieutenant) Wei Bujian, together with Jiang De (the township official) and Wei Shi Suchang, captured Gongsun Yong and his gang. Emperor Wu made Wei the Marquis of Dangtu, Jiang De the Marquis of Jiyang, and Su Chang the Marquis of Pu.
After being enthroned, a small official whispered to His Highness, and Emperor Wu asked him: What are you talking about? The young official replied: Can those who have been made marquises go back to kanto? Emperor Wu asked him: Do you want to go back? I also give you a knighthood. What's the name of your hometown? The little official replied: "It is called the township." Emperor Wu said, "It's as if you're going to be repatriated." Therefore, he gave the title of Marquis of Guannei and had a fief of six hundred households in the township.
Because Tian Guangming captured the great thief one after another, Emperor Wu recruited him as a great hongxu, and promoted Tian Guangming's brother Tian Yunzhong to take over as the Taishou of Huaiyang. During the reign of Emperor Zhao, Tian Guangming led an army to attack Yizhou, gave him the title of Marquis of Guannei, was transferred to wei wei, and later served as Zuo Fengyi. When Emperor Xuan had just succeeded to the throne, Tian Guangming succeeded Cai Yi as the Imperial Grand Master, and because of his meritorious service in the discussion of zuo Feng Yi, he was given the title of Marquis of Changshui. More than a year later, Tian Guangming led an army to attack the Xiongnu for general Qi Lian and arrived at the surrendered city. Shortly after the death of the surrendered city lieutenant, the coffin containing the corpse was still parked in the spirit hall, and Tian Guangming summoned his widowed wife to commit adultery. Later, due to the loss of time, he returned empty-handed, so he was detained and interrogated in prison, and soon committed suicide and was removed from the fiefdom.
The scourge of the witchcraft was a vicious political event, without any positive effect, and could be said to be a catastrophe for the Han Dynasty. The empress and the crown prince committed suicide; two ministers, Gongsun He and Liu Quyi, were cursed; two imperial masters, Gong Shengzhi and Shang Qiucheng, one committed suicide and the other was killed; the general Li Guangli of the Second Division surrendered to the Xiongnu, and the entire Han army led by him was destroyed; Jiang Chongzhi was tortured to extract confessions, "tens of thousands of people before and after the death of the dead", Liu Quyi and the crown prince led an army in chang'an, and tens of thousands of people died. Terror envelops society, and everyone endangers themselves. The country suffered heavy losses. Later scholars have discussed the reasons for the events, and combined these discussions to state their personal views.
First, the sharp expression of contradictions within the ruling clique. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty suffered greatly from the four foreign affairs, the internal affairs, and the economic policies and usages related to them, which caused the people to suffer, and the courtiers were divided into two factions. The Zizhi Tongjian Vol. XXII Han Dynasty XIV Emperor Zhenghe II of the Han Dynasty contains:
Emperor Shang (Emperor Wu) used strict law and appointed many profound officials (most of them were harsh and cruel officials); the prince was generous and rehabilitated (often dismissed some things that he thought were too heavy punishments), although he won the hearts of the people, and the ministers of the law were not pleased. The empress is afraid of being guilty for a long time, and every precept (often admonishes) the prince should keep the upper intention (should pay attention to obedience to the emperor's will), and should not indulge in it (should not condone forgiveness without authorization). It is said that it is the prince and not the empress (thinking that the prince is right, and the queen is wrong). The generous elders of the group are attached to the prince, and those who are cruel to the law are destroyed (and the ministers who use the harsh method all slander the prince); the evil ministers have many parties and (because most of the treacherous courtiers form parties), so the prince's reputation is less and more ruined (so fewer people say good things for the prince, and more bad things about him).
Based on historical facts and the research results of his predecessors, Mr. Tian Yuqing discussed Emperor Wu's transformation from foreign affairs to "Shouwen" and pointed out: "Jiang Chong acted as a representative of the cruel use of the Law and the ministers... Relying on the advantages of the party henchmen and using extraordinary means to destroy the 'Shouwen' political forces represented by Prince Wei may be the essence of the prison of witchcraft. (Tian Yuqing's "On the Wheel of Taiwan") This analysis is very profound. Emperor Wu attached great importance to the rule of law, appointed cool officials with profound usage, and created many unjust cases, and the prince was lenient, often taking some things that were too severely punished from light, "although he won the hearts of the people, the ministers of the usage were not pleased." Why should the "cool user" not be happy? Obviously, if the prince redresses the unjust case, the crimes and mistakes of some cool officials will be exposed. Emperor Wu had reached his old age, and if the crown prince came to power, they still had any future to speak of. Therefore, starting from their selfish interests, it is inevitable to get rid of the prince, and Jiang Chong is one of the representatives. Jiang Chong had a gap with the empress and the crown prince, and fearing that the prince would be reprimanded after he took power, he used the power of curing witches to frame and overthrow the prince.
Quoted above in the "Zizhi Tongjian", it is said that "all the generous elders of the group are attached to the prince", so who are these "generous elders" around the prince? Emperor Wu created him crown prince in the first year of the reign (122 BC) and selected Shi Qing as crown prince among his subjects. According to the Book of Han, Volume XIX, and The Table of Hundred Officials and Secretaries of State, Shi Qing was the Imperial Historian in the second year of Yuan Ding (115 BC) and the fifth year of Yuan Ding (112 BC) as a chancellor. At the time of the curse of the witches, it was Shi Qing's son Shi Deren the Crown Prince. After the crown prince sent troops, Shi De and his guest Zhang Guang led the troops to fight against the chancellor Liu Quyi, and was later captured by Ma Tong and Jing Jian. Shi Qing and Shi De's father and son, whether in their relationship with the prince or from the ideological system, are undoubtedly among the "generous elders" who attach themselves to the prince.
Shi Qing was Huang Lao's "rule by doing nothing", and when he was the Minister of Qi, he "ruled the State of Qi without rule" (Book of Han, Vol. 46, Wanshi Wei Zhi Zhou Zhang Biography), and the State of Qi was his "Standing Stone Ancestral Hall", and he was a "generous elder". He had asked Emperor Wu to deal with the Ku officials who were loyal and Xianxuan, but he was unsuccessful, and he "suffered his transgressions" (the Records of History, Volume 30, Ping Zhuanshu, and the Book of Han, Volume 90, Biography of Cool Officials) contain the deeds of Youzhong and Xianxuan). Shi Qing had several sons, but he liked Shi De the most. In the third year of the first year of the Taichu Dynasty (102 BC), Shi De was dismissed from office and later a young fu, and was killed in the scourge of witchcraft. People like Shi Qing and Shi De, who were closely attached to the crown prince, fought against people such as Suo Zhong, Xian Xuan, and Jiang Chong, reflecting the struggle between two different ideas and different ideas among Emperor Wu's ministers. On the side of the prince were also "guest Zhang Guang", "shedding people without and", "Chang'an prisoner like Hou", etc., but the deeds of these people are not recorded.
Second, Emperor Wu's mistakes on the issue of the crown prince. According to the Book of Han, Vol. 63, And the Biography of wu wuzi, Liu Zhao, who was seven years old in the first year of the Yuan Dynasty (122 BC), was made crown prince, and "(Emperor Wu) was a member of the Libo Wangyuan, and from his favor, he was mostly a heretic." The Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 22, Han Ji XIV, Emperor Wu Zhenghe ii Nian, also says that "therefore, many guests are heretical", and there is Sima Guangyue under it: "Husbands are upright and difficult to kiss, and it is easy to be easy to reconcile, this ... The common feelings of man should not end up with the prince. This is a criticism of Emperor Wu's lax education of the prince, allowing him to interact with guests on his own, acting according to his interests, and causing heresies to advance, which led to the serious problem that the prince could not end well[ Note: The original meaning of heresy is an abnormal sign, and by extension, it is the name of the mainstream ideas and ideologies of society for dissident thoughts and theories. In ancient China, the dominant Confucians often referred to other doctrines and schools other than Confucianism as heretics.
The Tongjian also records that Emperor Wu's fortunate wife gave birth to a son Liu Hong, Li Ji gave birth to a son Liu Dan and Liu Xu, Lady Li gave birth to a son Liu Qi, and the empress and crown prince's favor declined (gradually decreased), often with the intention of not being at ease. Emperor Wu noticed this and said to the general Wei Qing:
The Han family was initially created (many things were still in their early stages), JiaSiyi invaded China, and the system could not be changed, and future generations could not; the world was uneasy without a division of conquest; for this reason, those who had to work for the people had to work. If the hereafter does what I did (but if my descendants do the same, it will be a sign of the fall of Qin. The prince will be able to settle the world and not worry about it. If you want to be the Lord of The Keepers of Literature, an you are wise enough to be a prince! Hearing that the empress and the prince are uneasy, is there any evil (is this really the case)? You can understand it (you can convey my meaning to them) [Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 22, Han Ji XIV, Emperor Wu's Zhenghe and the Second Year].
Emperor Wu's words showed that the crown prince was his ideal successor, or it could be said that Liu Zhu was the best choice for his successor.
However, things are not so simple. According to the Book of Han, Vol. 97, and the Biography of Foreign Relatives, in the third year of the First Tai Dynasty (94 BC), Lady Zhao Yi of Hook Yi became pregnant and gave birth to her fourteenth-month-old son Fuling (i.e., Emperor Zhao of Han). Emperor Wu said, "Wen Xiyao was born in the fourteenth month, and the same is true of The Present Hook Yi." So the gate of the palace where the child was born was called "Yaomu Gate." Emperor Wu compared Lady Hook Yi to "Yao Mu" here, so where did he put the empress? Comparing Liu Fuling to Yao, where is the crown prince? Was this a hint made by Emperor Wu to depose the crown prince, or was he always showing his flamboyant style and had no other intentions? This kind of problem is really difficult to explain clearly.
(Zhao Jieyu film and television image)
However, it was true that there was a contradiction between the crown prince and Emperor Wu. The crown prince "kept the text" and "was well-wanted", and Emperor Wu had many desires. The contradiction between Emperor Wu's appointment of people punished by cool officials and the prince's leniency, and the inaccurate signal sent by Emperor Wu actually played a role in encouraging his subordinates to oppose the prince and the empress. The General Commentary records:
Wei Qingxue, who had no basis for his subordinates to return to his foreign home (some courtiers believed that the prince no longer had the patronage of his mother's mother's family), competed to construct (trap) the prince. Shang and Zhu Zishu (Emperor Wu and the princes were rarely together), and Empress Xide (and the empress also rarely met). The crown prince tasted the empress (the prince once entered the palace to meet the empress), and the sun moved out (it took a long time to come out). Huang men Su's proclamation said: "The prince plays with the palace people. "The Shangyi Imperial Palace was full of two hundred people (Emperor Wu increased the number of palace ladies in the palace to two hundred). The crown prince knew about it, and his heart was attached to Wen (his heart hated Huang Wen). Wen and Xiaohuangmen Changrong, Wang Bi, and others often served the crown prince (Su Wen and Xiaohuangmen Changrong, Wang Bi, etc. often secretly probed the prince's faults), and added Bai Zhi (and then added fuel and vinegar to Emperor Wu's prayers). The empress cut her teeth (hated), made the crown prince Bai Xuewen and others (let the crown prince Yuming emperor kill Su Wen and others)... On the taste of small unevenness (Emperor Wu once felt a little uncomfortable), so that Chang Rong summoned the prince, Rong said "the prince has joy", Shang Hey Ran. And the crown prince, looking up at his appearance, there are weeping places (see the prince's face has tear marks), and pretending to laugh (but forcing him to pretend to have a smile), shangweizhi (Emperor Wu felt very strange); more subtle questions (and then secretly inquiring), knowing his feelings, is a curse. The empress was also good at self-defense (the empress herself was also cautious), avoiding suspicion, and although she had not been favored for a long time (although she had not been favored for a long time), she was still treated with courtesy (but she was also able to make Emperor Wu treat him with courtesy) [Zizhi Tongjian, Vol. 22, Han Ji XIV, Emperor Wu Zhenghe and the Second Year]].
This shows that after the death of Wei Qing in the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty (106 BC), some courtiers actually wanted to frame the prince, and the slaves who handled the affairs also wantonly fabricated lies between the emperor and the prince and the empress, provoking right and wrong, and the prince and empress would fall into the trap and be in a dangerous situation if they were not careful. Fortunately, Emperor Wu saw through the frame and killed the eunuch Chang Rong. This is undoubtedly another message to the subordinates, framing the prince and the empress, and the crime is beyond reproach.
However, at the beginning of the first year of Zhenghe, not only was the gongsun he family of gongsun he killed, but even emperor Wu's two daughters were also killed. Since even a biological daughter can be put to death, what else cannot be abandoned? This is equivalent to passing on another message to the subordinates, and if the prince and empress engage in witchcraft, they can also be abandoned. This gave Jiang Chong the opportunity to carry out a conspiracy, and he took the power to cure the witches from Emperor Wu and killed tens of thousands of people by torturing him to extract confessions; he also obtained the right to enter the palace to dig up the deceptions from Emperor Wu with the idea that "there is deception in the palace", so that the prince and empress committed suicide unjustly. From the above facts, it is not difficult to see that Emperor Wu's wavering attitude on the issue of the crown prince was an important reason for the occurrence of the scourge of witchcraft.
Third, the limitations of the feudal autocracy. The characteristics of Chinese feudal absolutism are that the emperor has supreme power, even absolute power: the decision-making power is in the hands of the emperor, the opinions of the subjects can be listened to or not listened to, let alone scientific and democratic decision-making; the emperor is not supervised, can do whatever he wants, and it is a lifelong and hereditary system. Under such circumstances, if the emperor makes serious mistakes in decision-making and insists on going his own way, it will cause great disasters to the country and the nation.
Qin Shi Huang made serious mistakes on this issue, and Emperor Wu of Han was no exception. He made a lot of efforts in foreign affairs and internal affairs, causing "the world to be wasted, and the household registration to halve" ("Book of Han, Volume VII, And Chronicle of Emperor Zhao"), and small groups of peasants revolted one after another, to the point where they had to change their course and become more open, but he just couldn't turn the corner. Finally, the "Shouwen" faction represented by the crown prince and the foreign affairs siyi and the harsh use of foreign affairs and harsh usage were formed. The two factions are constantly fighting, and the latter cannot accommodate the former. This was not only manifested in Emperor Wu's constant hearing of rumors and slanders against the prince and empress from his courtiers and eunuchs, but also in the wavering and unpredictable attitude of Emperor Wu toward the prince. In the end, it finally led to the occurrence of the scourge of witchcraft that caused great disasters to the country. In this sense, the limitations of China's feudal autocracy are the institutional root causes of the scourge of witchcraft. It is worth noting that at the beginning of his succession to the throne, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty summed up historical experience and made great efforts to improve this system. In the end, however, he himself was unable to escape the mistakes caused by the flaws of the system.
(Film and television image of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty)