法苑珠林 76.52

76.52

Empress Song of Emperor Ling of the Han was without the emperor's favor, yet occupied the primary position. The favored consorts of the rear palace joined together to slander her. Earlier, the Regular Palace Attendant Wang Fu had unjustly executed the King of Bohai, Kuai, and his consort; the consort was the empress's paternal aunt. Fu feared that the empress would resent him, so he plotted together with the Grand Master for Palace Counsel Cheng He to frame the empress for practicing heterodox arts and incantations. Emperor Ling believed them and thereupon confiscated the empress's seals and ribbons. The empress had herself committed to the chambers of punishment and died of grief. Her father and brothers were all executed. The regular palace attendants and minor palace eunuchs who were in the imperial apartments all pitied the Song family as blameless. The emperor later saw Emperor Huan in a dream, who said angrily: 'Empress Song was innocent, yet you listened to and employed heterodox favorites to end her life. The King of Bohai, Kuai, having already degraded himself, was further executed. Now Empress Song and Kuai have brought their complaint to Heaven. The High Deity is enraged; your sin is beyond salvation.' The dream was remarkably vivid. The emperor, having awakened, was frightened and questioned the Left Commander of the Forest of Plumes Xu Bing about the matter: 'What portent is this? Can it be exorcised?' Bing replied with the facts of Empress Song and the King of Bohai Kuai's innocence, stating that both should be reburied to appease their wronged spirits, the exile of the Song family recalled, and the fief of Bohai restored to ward off calamity and disaster. The emperor was unable to act upon this, and soon after he died (from the Record of Wronged Spirits).