Dynasties of ChinaWestern HanWestern Han lineage
Jianping · Yuanshou · Reign 7–1 BCE
He succeeded as a vassal king. He wanted to cheer up but favored Dong Xian. He restricted the land and slaves and could not let it go. He died young after six years of reign.
Liu Xin is the grandson of Emperor Yuan and the son of King Gong Liu Kang of Dingtao. He was appointed Prince of Dingtao at the age of three. He is good at literature and law. Emperor Cheng had no children, and his grandmother Futaihou made many friends with Zhao Feiyan and Wang Gen. He was made Crown Prince in 8 BC and ascended the throne in 7 BC. At the beginning of his accession to the throne, he was very ambitious, dismissed Yuefu, and adopted the suggestions of Shi Dan, Kong Guang and others to implement the restriction of land and slaves. However, he was shelved by the opposition of his relatives and favored ministers.
He respected his grandmother Fu and his biological mother Ding as the emperor's wife and empress dowager. The Ding and Fu families fought for power with the Wang family, and Wang Mang was sent back to the feudal country for a time. He doted on the young Dong Xian and made him the Grand Sima at the age of twenty-two. He even expressed his intention to imitate Yao and imitate him at the banquet. He was weak and sick, so he listened to the alchemist's advice and changed his name to "receive the order", which lasted for more than a month. He died of illness the year before and had no children. On the same day, the Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun took back the seal and summoned Wang Mang to resume his post as Grand Sima.
Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty was very thoughtful when he came to the throne. He stopped Yuefu and discussed land restrictions, trying to reverse the decline since Emperor Cheng. However, he lacked opinions and his decrees were influenced by his relatives and favored ministers. His early death allowed Wang Mang to return to power, and Western Han came to an end.
CultureAbolition of Yuefu
In June, an edict was issued, thinking that Zheng Wei's voice was obscene, and ordered the Yuefu to be abolished. Only the music of suburban sacrifices and classic ancient military and martial arts music were retained, and were transferred to other government offices. More than half of the original music staff of Yuefu were eliminated.
EconomyLimited land and limited slaves
Shi Dan suggested restricting land occupation, and Kong Guang and He Wu formulated a method: from the princes to the officials and people, the land occupation should not exceed thirty hectares, and the slaves were limited to 200 to 30 people according to their status, and the term was three years. Due to the objections of Ding, Fu Qi, Dong Xian and others, the edict stated that "it must be done later" and was ultimately shelved.
PoliticsWang Mang returns to the country
Wang Mang resigned from the post of Grand Sima after Emperor Ai came to the throne. Five years ago, he was sent back to Nanyang Xindu to seal the country for offending Futaihou. He stayed behind closed doors in the feudal country. His second son, Wang Huo, killed his slave and Wang Mang forced him to commit suicide in order to gain reputation.
Politics"Again"
The alchemist Xia Heliang said that the Han Dynasty's energy had declined and that it should receive the destiny again. Emperor Ai was sick and believed it to be true. In June, he changed his name to Taichu Yuan Jiang and named himself "Emperor Chen Sheng and Liu Taiping". His condition did not improve for more than a month, and in August another edict was issued to abolish it, and Xia Heliang was executed.
SocietyThe Queen Mother of the West
There was a severe drought in the spring of this year, and the people in Guandong ran around in fear, handing straws and hemp stalks to each other. This was called the "Edict of the Queen Mother of the West", which passed through twenty-six counties and reached the capital. In summer, they gathered in lanes to worship the Queen Mother of the West.
CultureYi Cun teaches scriptures
According to "Wei Lue·Xirong Biography" cited by Pei Songzhi in "Three Kingdoms", in this year Jing Lu, a Ph.D. disciple, received the "Buddha Sutra" orally from Yi Cun, the envoy of King Dayuezhi. This is one of the earliest records with a date range for the introduction of Buddhism into China.
Lasting legacyIn 1998, the Chinese Buddhist community held an event to commemorate the two thousand years since Buddhism was introduced into China.
PoliticsDong Xian was appointed as Da Sima
In December, Dong Xian, who was only 22 years old, was appointed as General Sima Wei, ranking first among the three princes. His father and brothers also occupied prominent positions. Previously, Prime Minister Wang Jia was imprisoned for enforcing an imperial edict to increase the number of Dongxian towns. He went on a hunger strike and vomited blood and died.
PoliticsDied of illness without heirs
He died of illness in Weiyang Palace in June at the age of twenty-five and had no heirs. The Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun rushed to Weiyang Palace that day to take back the seal and summoned Wang Mang to be reinstated as Grand Sima. Dong Xian committed suicide with his wife after he was dismissed. Emperor Ai was buried in Yi Ling.
A native of Yunyang, he was favored by Emperor Ai for his good looks, and was rewarded with a huge reward. He was appointed Grand Sima at the age of twenty-two. According to the "Book of Han", the two slept together. When Emperor Ai got up, he couldn't bear to wake up Dong Xian who was pressing his sleeves, so he cut off his sleeves and stood up, which was later known as "the cut sleeve". Emperor Ai was dismissed after his death and committed suicide.
Fu Zhaoyi of Emperor Yuan, mother of Dingtao King Gong Liu Kang, and grandmother of Emperor Ai. After Emperor Ai came to the throne, she was first honored as the Queen of the Emperor, and later changed to the Queen of the Emperor. She was arrogant and interfered in politics, ostracizing the Wang family. After his death, he was buried in Weiling with Emperor Yuan. After Wang Mang came to power, his tomb was dug up and reburied.
A native of Langye Dongwu, Emperor Ai was the Tutor when he was the Crown Prince. After he came to the throne, he served as Grand Sima and Grand Sikong. He was the first to advocate the restriction of land and slaves, and opposed the naming of Futaihou and Empress Dowager Ding. He was resented by the Fu family and was dismissed from office.
A native of Pingling, he was an upright person. When he was the prime minister, he repeatedly advised Emperor Ai not to favor Dong Xian too much, and also issued an edict to increase Dong Xian's fiefdom. He was imprisoned for the crime of "losing his country and neglecting his superiors". He went on a hunger strike for more than 20 days and died of vomiting blood.