釋氏稽古略 3.395

3.395

諱亶。本名嗣源。北狄人。莊宗養以為子。從莊宗征伐。屢立大功。丙戌年正月。趙在禮反於鄴。莊宗命李嗣源討之。三月嗣源至鄴都。從馬直軍士張破敗作亂。兵逼中軍。嗣源叱問之。對曰。主上棄恩任威云克城之後盡坑魏搏之軍。我輩畏死耳。今眾議請主上帝河南。令公帝河北。嗣源泣諭之。眾軍不從。嗣源婿石敬塘曰。夫事成於果決而敗於猶豫。嗣源乃令安重誨移檄會兵。軍勢大盛。李紹榮請莊宗幸關東招撫之。駕至萬勝鎮。聞嗣源已據大梁。諸軍離叛。即命旋師歸入洛陽。四月從馬直指揮使郭從謙。不知睦王存義已死。欲奉之作亂。帥所部兵攻興教門。緣城而入。近臣宿將釋甲潛遁。獨李彥卿何福進王全斌等十餘人力戰。莊宗中流矢。鷹坊人善友扶莊宗自門樓下至絳霄殿廡下抽矢渴懣須臾殂。李彥卿等慟哭而去。左右皆散。善友焚帝尸。己丑嗣源入洛陽止于私第。拾莊宗骨于灰燼中而殯之。百官三上牋請嗣源監國許之。有司議即位禮。李紹真孔循以唐運盡宜自建國號。監國不從。吏部尚書李琪曰。若改國號則先帝遂為路人。梓官安所託乎。前代以旁支入繼多矣。宜用嗣子柩前即位之禮眾從之。監國乃於柩前即皇帝位。年已六十歲。改元天成。每夕於宮中焚香告天。願早生聖人為生民主。天成二年春正月更名亶。在位八年。壽終六十七天成（四）長興（四）。

His personal name was Dan, originally named Siyuan. He was a person of the Northern Di. Zhuangzong adopted him as his son. He accompanied Zhuangzong on military campaigns and repeatedly achieved great merits. In the first month of the bing-xu year, Zhao Zaili rebelled in Ye. Zhuangzong ordered Li Siyuan to suppress him. In the third month, Siyuan reached the capital of Ye. Soldiers of the Congmazhi Guard led by Zhang Pobai mutinied, and troops pressed toward the central camp. Siyuan rebuked and questioned them. They replied, saying, "The Sovereign has abandoned grace and relies on severity, saying that after taking the city he will bury alive all the troops of Weibo. We only fear death. Now the collective assembly requests that the Sovereign reign south of the River and that your Lordship reign north of the River." Siyuan wept and admonished them, but the army would not obey. Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang said, "Matters succeed through resolve and fail through hesitation." Siyuan then ordered An Chonghui to issue dispatches to assemble the troops, and their military power swelled greatly. Li Shaorong asked Zhuangzong to proceed in person to Guandong to pacify them. When the imperial cortege reached Wansheng Town, hearing that Siyuan had already occupied Daliang and that the various armies were defecting, he immediately ordered the troops to turn back and return to Luoyang. In the fourth month, Guo Congqian, Commander of the Congmazhi Guard, unaware that Prince Cunyi of Mu was already dead, wished to uphold him in rebellion. He led his troops to attack Xingjiao Gate and scaled the walls to enter. Close ministers and veteran generals cast off their armor and fled into hiding. Only Li Yanqing, He Fujin, Wang Quanbin, and ten-odd others fought desperately. Zhuangzong was struck by a stray arrow. Shanyou of the Falconry Quarters supported Zhuangzong from the gate tower down to the gallery of Jiangxiao Hall, pulled out the arrow, and within moments, parched and suffocating, [the Emperor] died. Li Yanqing and the others wept bitterly and departed, and all his attendants dispersed. Shanyou burned the Emperor's corpse. On the ji-chou day, Siyuan entered Luoyang and stayed at his private residence. He gathered Zhuangzong's bones from the ashes and gave them a funeral. The hundred civil officials submitted petitions three times requesting Siyuan to oversee the state, and he assented. The authorities deliberated the ceremony of accession. Li Shaozhen and Kong Xun believed that the destiny of Tang had run out and that he should establish his own state title. The Regent did not consent. Li Qi, Minister of Personnel, said, "If the state title is changed, the late emperor will become a stranger. Where then can the coffin find its resting place? In former dynasties, many collateral branches came in to inherit the line. We should employ the ceremony of the heir taking the throne before the coffin." The assembly complied. The Regent then ascended the imperial throne before the coffin, already sixty years old, and changed the reign era to Tiancheng. Every evening in the palace, he burned incense and addressed Heaven, praying that a sage would be born soon to serve as the master of the living people. In the spring of the second year of Tiancheng, in the first month, he changed his name to Dan. He reigned for eight years, ending his life at the age of sixty-seven: Tiancheng (four [years]), Changxing (four [years]).