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| Princess Eyi 鄂邑公主 | |
|---|---|
| Died | 80 BCE Chang'an |
| Burial | |
| Son | Wen Xin (文信) |
| Clan | House of Liu |
| Father | Emperor Wu of Han |
| Alternative names and titles |
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Princess Eyi (died 80 BCE), was a Chinese princess, the daughter of Emperor Wu of Han and sister of Emperor Zhao of Han. [1] [2]
Her birth date and the identity of her mother are both lost to history. She is best known for her political involvement, and she participated in various well known conspiracies. [3]
When her younger brother Emperor Zhao ascended to the throne at only age 8, she became "siezed the seals of state" and became grand princess, a title only given to a daughter born to a empress, and was also given to her along with 13,000 Fiefs. She took guardianship of the emperor, and was a key part of the royal family, along running the imperial palaces. The emperor gave her the same respect that he should have given to his mother; Therefore, she removed and installed officials, both male and female, in the inner palace with complete freedom and authority, and controlled the entry and exit of people to the palaces, the income and expenditure of the emperor's personal treasures and the number and duty of guards. [2] [4] [5] As a result, she became influential in the world of Han court politics and no one could ignore or underestimate her, to the extent that the most powerful ministers in the government - Huo Guang and Shangguan Jie - respected and counted on her, with the latter seeking her help in his conspiracies. [3]
She was instrumental in bringing about the marriage between her brother the emperor and Grand Empress Dowager Shangguan. Lady Shangguan's father Shangguan An was a friend of Emperor Zhao's sister, Princess Eyi, and her lover, Ding Wairen (丁外人). He encouraged Ding to persuade the princess on the soundness of the marriage. He argued that the Shangguans' power would be firmer with the marriage, and that they could then help Ding legitimize his relationship with Princess Eyi. Princess Eyi agreed, and later in 84 BC the young Lady Shangguan was created an imperial consort (with the rank of jieyu). In 83 BC, she was created empress.
The Shangguans, to show their appreciation to Ding for his role in facilitating the marriage between Empress Shangguan and Emperor Zhao, wanted to have him created a marquess, but this request was rebuffed by Huo, as were their subsequent efforts to have Ding made an important official. This caused Princess Eyi to resent Huos' power and influence. The Shangguans, Princess Eyi, Prince Dan of Yan, and Vice Prime Minister Sang Hongyang (桑弘羊) (who was resentful that his monopoly system, which he felt to be the key to sound finances for the state, was being dismantled), formed an anti-Huo conspiracy. In 80 BC, Prince Dan sent a report to Emperor Zhao, accusing Huo of improperly exercising imperial authority. The conspirators' plan was that as soon as Emperor Zhao authorised an investigation, Shangguan Jie and Sang would arrest and immediately execute Huo. However, after the report was given to Emperor Zhao, the 14-year-old Emperor Zhao took no action on it. The next day, he summoned Huo to the palace and exonerated him, reasoning that the actions that Huo was accused of had happened so recently that Prince Dan, a long distance away, could not have possibly known them, and therefore the report must have been false. At this point, the anti-Huo conspiracy was not discovered, but everyone was impressed with the wisdom shown by the young emperor.
Later that year, the conspirators tried again. Their plan was for Princess Eyi to invite Huo to a feast, and then to ambush Huo and kill him. They would then depose Emperor Zhao and make Prince Dan emperor. (However, allegedly, the Shangguans conspired to have Prince Dan killed once he arrived in the capital and for Shangguan Jie to declare himself emperor.) The conspiracy was revealed by a servant of Princess Eyi, and the conspirators were arrested and executed along with their entire clans. Princess Eyi and Prince Dan committed suicide.
A section of the Juyan Bamboo Slips (Chinese :居延漢簡; pinyin :Jūyán hànjiǎn) excavated in 1970 refers to a 'senior princess', which is widely believed to denote Princess Eyi. The slips describe that Princess Eyi committed suicide in 80 BCE and that her granddaughter later became Queen of Hejian (Chinese :河間; pinyin :Héjiān). [6]
In 2014, it was reported that the Shaanxi Archaeological Research Institute had excavated a large Han tomb in Huaxu Town (Chinese :華胥鎮), Lantian County, which belonged to Princess Eyi. The burial had originally been suggested to belong to Jing Ke, who attempted to assassinate King Zheng of Qin in 227 BCE. However, wuzhu coins found in the tomb were cast in the yuanshou period (122–117 BCE) of Emperor Wu of Han, while the bricks used for the tomb interior suggested a date prior to 74 BCE. Additionally, the height of the tomb fit the specifications for a member of the Han nobility, and the terracotta figures accompanying the burial were specifically used by the imperial house. Finally, researchers examined the deceased's bones and found that they belonged to an adult female, leading them to conclude that the tomb was that of Princess Eyi. [7]
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