釋氏稽古略 2.10

2.10

Shao was the eldest son of Emperor Yuan. He was intelligent and wise from his youth. When he was a few years old, an envoy happened to arrive from Chang'an, and the emperor thereupon asked him, "Which do you say is closer, the sun or Chang'an?" He replied, "Chang'an is closer. I have only heard of people coming from Chang'an, not of anyone coming from beside the sun." Emperor Yuan marveled at this. The next day, feasting his various officials, he asked him again, and he replied, "The sun is closer." Emperor Yuan changed countenance and said, "Why is this different from what you said the other day?" He replied, "When I raise my eyes I immediately see the sun, but I do not see Chang'an." On account of this, [the emperor] marveled at him all the more and installed him as crown prince. By nature he was exceedingly filial and possessed literary and military talent and strategy. He honored the worthy, loved guests, and had an elegant fondness for literary composition. The famous ministers of that time, from Wang Dao, Yu Liang, Wen Qiao, Huan Yi, Ruan Fang, and others, were all treated with intimacy by him. He practiced martial arts and was good at caring for his generals and soldiers. At that time, the Eastern Palace was filled with talent, and those near and far set their hearts on him. In the spring of the first year of the Yongchang era (322 CE), in the first month, Wang Dun submitted a memorial from Wuchang enumerating the crimes of Diao Xie and Liu Wei. Emperor Yuan urged Xie and Wei to avoid the disaster. As Xie traveled, he was killed by others, who sent his head to Dun. Wei fled to Shi's Later Zhao, where his rank reached grand tutor to the crown prince before he died. Dun advanced his troops and occupied Shitou. Emperor Yuan made Dun chancellor. Dun plotted to depose the crown prince but did not succeed; he then did not have an audience with the Son of Heaven and returned to Wuchang. In the eleventh month, Emperor Yuan fell ill from anxiety and indignation and died. The crown prince ascended the throne and changed the reign era to Taining. In the third month [of Taining 2], Wang Dun plotted to usurp the throne and again raised troops. The emperor sent an army out to punish Dun. In the fifth month of the second year (324 CE), Dun became gravely ill. Wang Han was defeated in battle, and Dun soon died. Dun's faction kept the mourning secret and did not announce it, wrapping the corpse with a mat, coating the outside with wax, and burying it in the hall of the Jiangning government office. Once Dun's faction was pacified, the authorities excavated Dun's burial, took out the corpse, burned its robes and caps, knelt it up, and decapitated it. The emperor was on the throne for three years and lived to the age of twenty-seven. The emperor venerated vegetarian fasts and generated merit, building two monasteries: the Huangxing and the Daochang (Yichu liutie). Taining: three [years].