Yuwen Hu
PoliticsAfter supporting Emperor Ming, he nominally returned to power, but actually still held military power. Seeing that Emperor Ming was becoming more and more popular, he sent people to poison him in 560.
Dynasties of ChinaNorthern and Southern DynastiesNorthern Zhou Dynasty
Emperor MingYuwen Yu
Wucheng · Reign 557—560
The eldest son of Yuwen Tai, a concubine, was generous and studious. He changed the king of heaven to emperor and established the reign title. He was eventually poisoned by Yuwen Hu.
IBiography
- Reign
- 3 years
- Reign era
- Wucheng
- Order of accession
- Ruler #2 · Northern Zhou Dynasty
- Life dates
- 534—560
- Titles
- Temple name: Shizong · Posthumous title: Emperor Ming · Buried at Zhaoling Mausoleum
Yuwen Yu is the eldest son of Yuwen Tai's concubine and marries Du Guxin's eldest daughter. In 557, after Yuwen Hu deposed and killed Emperor Xiaomin, he welcomed Yuwen Yu, who was the governor of Qizhou at the time, to the throne of Heaven. He was generous, sensible, and attentive to political affairs. In 559, when Yuwen Hu returned to power, he began to personally manage government affairs. In the same year, he was renamed emperor and given the title of Wucheng.
He read a lot of books, gathered more than 80 literary people to publish classics and history in Linzhidian, and compiled 500 volumes of "Genealogy". Yuwen Hu was deeply disturbed when he saw that he was becoming more and more popular. In 560, he ordered Li An, the doctor of the Ministry of Food and Drink, to poison the food. Emperor Ming dictated the imperial edict before his death, which was passed down to his fourth brother Yuwen Yong, who was twenty-seven years old.
IITimeline
During the reign · 557—560
PoliticsBe supported
In September, Yuwen Hu deposed Emperor Xiaomin and welcomed Yuwen Yu, who was the governor of Qizhou at the time, to the throne of Chang'an. The real power of the Northern Zhou Dynasty was still in the hands of Yuwen Hu.
CultureLinzhidian proofreading
More than 80 literary scholars from the public ministers and below were summoned to collate the classics and history in Linzhi Hall, and compiled 500 volumes of "Genealogy" from all the books. Yu Xin and other scribes from the Southern Dynasty to the North also participated.
PoliticsYuwen Hu returns to power
In the first month of the first month, Yuwen Hu returned to the government and Emperor Ming began to see the situation personally, but the military power was still controlled by Yuwen Hu.
PoliticsRenamed Emperor
In August, the title of Heavenly King was changed to Emperor, Yuwen Tai was honored as Emperor Wen, and the reign title Wucheng was established. The Northern Zhou system returned to the traditional imperial system.
PoliticsPassing by poison
In April, Yuwen Hu ordered Li An to poison sugar cakes. After Emperor Ming was poisoned, he realized that he could not afford it and dictated the imperial edict to his fourth brother Yuwen Yong. He died immediately at the age of twenty-seven.
IIIPeople of this reign
Yu Xin
LiteratureLiterary minister of the Liang Dynasty. In 554, he was on an envoy to the Western Wei Dynasty when Jiangling fell. He was detained in Chang'an. He was treated by the Emperor Ming and participated in the collation of books at Linzhidian. He later served in the Northern Zhou Dynasty.