Dynasties of ChinaWestern HanWestern Han lineage
Reign 180–157 BCE
He succeeded to the throne as King Dai, practiced frugality, lightened corvee and reduced taxes, abolished corporal punishment, and created the "Rule of Wen and Jing".
Liu Heng is the fourth son of Liu Bang, and his mother Bo Ji is not favored. After Liu Bang pacified Chen Xi in 196 BC, he made eight-year-old Liu Heng the acting king. Mother and son stayed away from court disputes in the border areas, and they were safe and sound when Empress Lü was in power. In 180 BC, Zhu Lu was executed. Zhou Bo, Chen Ping and other ministers believed that Dai Wang was the elder among the Gaozu disciples, a filial and generous man, and his mother's Bo family was cautious and kind, so they welcomed him as emperor. He was hesitant at first, but after Lieutenant Song Chang persuaded his uncle Bo Zhao to go to Beijing to find out the situation, he set off. In the ninth month of the leap year, he entered Chang'an and ascended the throne.
After taking the throne, he governed the country with the skills of Huang Laowei, abolishing harsh laws such as the adoption of concubines and slander, and abolished corporal punishment. He attached great importance to farming and mulberry farming, and reduced or exempted land rent many times. In 167 BC, he was even free of land rent. Externally, he made peace with the Xiongnu. Although the border was repeatedly invaded, he still focused on defense. He used letters to appease South Vietnam and asked Tuo to take the title of emperor. During his twenty-three years in power, there were no more palaces, gardens, chariots, and uniforms. He once gave up building a terrace because it would cost a hundred gold, equivalent to the property of ten households of a middle-class family. His favorite concubine, Mrs. Shen, did not even touch the floor.
But he was too tolerant to the princes and kings. King Liu Bi of Wu claimed to be ill and did not go to court and minted coins privately. Instead, he gave him a few sticks to appease him, which laid hidden dangers for the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms during the Emperor Jing. He also favored Deng Tong and gave him the Yandao Tongshan of Shu County to mint coins. He died of illness in Weiyang Palace in 157 BC. He was buried in Ba Ling with a short funeral edict and a short funeral. The rule of him and his son Emperor Jing was collectively known as the "Rule of Wen and Jing" by later generations.
Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty was famous for his benevolence and frugality. During his reign, he relaxed corvee, reduced taxes, and abolished harsh laws, which led to the continuous recovery of the social economy in the early Han Dynasty. Together with Emperor Jing, he created the "Rule of Wen and Jing" praised by historians, and was regarded as a model of ancient virtuous monarchs. However, he indulged the princes and kings blindly, and allowed the people to mint money, so that the king of Wu and others became powerful; he could only passively defend against the intrusion of the Huns. These problems were left to the later Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu to solve.
PoliticsConfessed as acting king
After Liu Bang put down Chen Xi's rebellion, he appointed the eight-year-old prince Liu Heng as acting king to rule the northern border areas. He and his mother Bo Ji stayed away from Chang'an and were able to survive the years of Empress Lü's dictatorship.
PoliticsSuccession into the great system
The envoys from the ministers came to greet them. On behalf of the king, Lieutenant Commander Zhang Wu and others suspected fraud, and Lieutenant Song Chang urged them to go ahead. When he arrived at Weiqiao, Zhou Bo asked to speak privately, and Song Chang replied, "What you say is public, let the public speak; what you say is private, the king will not keep it private." King Dai entered Weiyang Palace that night and ascended the throne.
SocietyExcept for the birth of an infant
An edict was issued to abolish the law of "taking in children and sitting together", which required that if a person committed a crime, his parents, wife and brothers would be forced to live together as official slaves. He believes that the law is intended to prohibit violence and protect good people, but it is unfair for innocent relatives to be punished together.
DiplomacySouth Vietnam goes to Emperor Hao
During the Empress Lü period, the sale of ironware to South Vietnam was prohibited, so Zhao Tuo called himself Emperor Wu of South Vietnam. Emperor Wen repaired the Zhending ancestral tomb for Zhao Tuo, treated his brothers favorably, and sent Lu Jia to bring him a written letter. Zhao Tuo was deeply moved, resigned from the imperial title, and wrote a letter to declare himself a minister.
PoliticsExcept for the crime of defamation and lies
The edict pointed out that in ancient times, the imperial court set up a "slander tree" to attract remonstrances. Nowadays, the crime of slandering evil makes officials dare not say anything, and the emperor has no way of knowing the fault, so this crime is abolished. In the same year, due to a solar eclipse, an edict was issued to recommend virtuous and upright people who could speak out and give advice.
EconomyFarming one's own land
In the first month of the first month, an edict was issued to open up the land, and the emperor personally led the cultivation. The harvest was dedicated to the ancestral temple, which showed that agriculture was the basis. In the same year, the people of the world were given half of the land rent for that year.
PeopleJia Yi was relegated to Changsha
Jia Yi, who was in his twenties, moved to Taizhong in the first year of the Super League. He suggested Gai Zhengshuo, Yi Fuse and Ling Liehou to return to the feudal state. He was rejected by Zhou Bo, Guan Ying and other veterans and became the king's tutor of Changsha. When he was passing through the Xiangshui River, he wrote "Ode to Diao Qu Yuan" to describe Qu Yuan's own situation.
EconomyFree the people and mint money
The four-baht coin was recast, and the law prohibiting private coinage was repealed, allowing the private sector to mint it according to standards. Jia Yi wrote a letter to object, believing that it would lead to monetary chaos and farmers abandoning their farming. Wu King Liu Bi and his favored minister Deng Tong were both richer than the emperor because of their coinage, and "Wu and Deng's money" spread all over the world.
PoliticsDeath of King Huainan
Emperor Wen's brother Liu Chang, King of Huainan, was arrogant and lawless. In 174 BC, he colluded with the Xiongnu and Minyue to rebel. He was deposed from the throne and was escorted to Shu County in a prison car. He died on a hunger strike on the way. Later, a folk song was written: "A foot of cloth can be sewed; a bushel of millet can be pounded. The two brothers cannot get along."
EconomyPaying homage to Nasu
Adopting the suggestions of Chao Cuo's "On Precious Millet", the people were ordered to transport grain to the frontier fortress, and they could be awarded titles or redeemed according to the quantity. After the grain reserves in the border areas were sufficient, the commanders and counties were ordered to export millet, and an edict was issued to grant farmers half of the year's land rent.
SocietyTiying saves her father and uses her flesh to punish her
Taicang of the Qi Dynasty ordered Chunyu Yi to be punished corporally if he was convicted. The young girl Tiying followed her father to the capital and submitted a letter, willing to serve as an official and serve as a slave to atone for her father's sins. Emperor Wen issued an edict to abolish corporal punishments such as tattooing, toe-cutting, and toe-cutting, and replaced them with forced labor and flogging. However, cutting off the right toe was replaced by abandonment of the market. Excessive flogging often resulted in death.
EconomyFree of land rent
The imperial edict was held that agriculture was the foundation of the world, but those who worked hard at farming had to pay taxes, which was no different from those who were engaged in low-income farming, so the country was exempted from land rent. It is generally believed that the tax was not levied for more than ten years after that, and it was not until the first year of Emperor Jing that the tax was resumed according to thirty-one taxes.
MilitaryXiongnu enters Xiaoguan
Chanyu, the elder of the Xiongnu, led 140,000 cavalry into Chaona and Xiaoguan, killing the northern captain. The reconnaissance cavalry went deep into Yongxian and Ganquan areas. Emperor Wen wanted to conquer the territory himself, but Empress Dowager Bo blocked it, so she sent Zhang Xiangru and others to lead troops to repel the Huns.
PoliticsNiiguanping case
The alchemist Xinyuan Ping was favored for his qi-gaining skills, and he made people present jade cups engraved with "the Lord prolongs his life". He also said that the sun would reach the zenith again, so Emperor Wen changed the name of the following year to the first year of the Houyuan Dynasty. Soon his fraud was exposed, and the three tribes of Aragaki were wiped out. From then on, Emperor Wen became less interested in restructuring and things involving ghosts and gods.
MilitaryXiliu Laojun
The Xiongnu's 60,000 cavalry divided their routes and invaded Shangjun and Yunzhong. Emperor Wen sent Zhou Yafu to defend Xiliu and other places, and went to Laojun himself. We drove straight into the Bashang and Thorny Gate camps, but the gates of the Xiliu camp were tightly closed and could not be opened unless ordered by the general. Emperor Wen praised Zhou Yafu as "a true general."
PoliticsThe edict and the burial are sparse
He died of illness in Weiyang Palace in June. The imperial edict stated that life and death are the common principles of heaven and earth, and there is no need to be overly sad. It made the officials and people in the world weep and wear clothes after three days, and they were not allowed to marry, offer sacrifices, drink alcohol and eat meat;
Lasting legacyIn 2021, archeology confirmed that the Jiangcun Tomb on Bailuyuan in Xi'an was the tomb of Emperor Wen Ba of the Han Dynasty, denying the "Phoenix Mouth" theory that had been followed for hundreds of years.
A native of Peixian County, he made a living by weaving silkworm foil and playing the flute for funerals in his early years. He joined the army with Liu Bang and made many military exploits. After the death of Empress Lü, he captured the Northern Army, killed all the Lus, and appointed Emperor Wen as the right prime minister. He was later falsely accused of treason and imprisoned, but was released after Empress Dowager Bo interceded.
A native of Luoyang, he was famous for his literary talent as a young man. He wrote "On the Passage of Qin" to summarize the lessons of Qin's fall, and "Political Policy" advocated "building more princes but less power" to weaken the kingdom. When he was serving as the Taifu of King Huai of Liang, King Huai of Liang fell from his horse and died. He injured himself and neglected his duties. He died of depression more than a year later at the age of thirty-three.
A native of Duyang, he enforced the law impartially when he was Tingwei. Someone surprised Emperor Wen's chariot and horse, but he only imposed a fine according to the law; someone stole the jade ring from a high temple, and Emperor Wen wanted to destroy his clan, but he insisted on sentencing him to abandon the market in accordance with the law, advocating that "the rule of law belongs to the common people of the world."
A native of Yingchuan, he studied the art of Shen Shang Xing Ming, served as the Crown Prince's family magistrate, and was known as the "think tank". Emperor Wenshi's "On Military Affairs", "Guarding Borders and Encouraging Farmers", and "On Precious Millets" advocated emigration to the border areas and emphasis on agriculture and millets, which were mostly adopted and later became the main promoter of Emperor Jing's reduction of vassals.
The son of Zhou Bo, he managed the army well during the Xiliu Tun Army. Emperor Wen told the Crown Prince before his death, "Now that there are urgent matters, Zhou Yafu can really serve as a general." Emperor Jing used his status as Taiwei to put down the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.
A native of Guanjin, Qinghe, she was granted the title of acting king by Empress Lü as a palace maid, and gave birth to Emperor Jing and Liang King Xiao. She liked Huang Lao's words and asked Emperor Jing and Zhu Dou to read "Laozi". Until the early years of Emperor Wu, she still suppressed Confucianism with the respect of the Empress Dowager.