Chapter 171 Chapter 170 Xiaoming Emperor Yuan Xu

In March of the third year of Yongping (510 A.D.), the prince Yuanxu was born in the Xuanguang Hall of the Luoyang Imperial Palace.Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Ke had several princes before, but they all died in infancy.Although Yuan Ke didn't want to believe that the deaths of the former queen Yu and her son were all rumors that the current queen Gao was murdered, he could see that Gao was indeed jealous by nature.Yuan Yi was born to Concubine Hu, and Emperor Xuanwu was very careful about Yuan Xu's upbringing.He stipulated that a reliable wet nurse should be selected to raise Yuanxu, and that Empress Gao and Concubine Hu should not be close to the prince.Yuan Xu was the only son of Emperor Xuanwu who did not die young.

At the beginning of the fourth year of Yanchang (515 A.D.), Emperor Xuanwu died of illness. Yuan Xu, who was 6 years old, became emperor, and his relatives, Gao Zhao brothers, were executed.The baby emperor was unable to preside over the government, so Yuan Xu's biological mother, Hu Shi, took charge of government affairs as the empress dowager.During the 13 years of Yuanxu's reign (515-528 A.D.), Empress Dowager Hu actually manipulated the political power of the Wei Empire for most of the time, and her final achievement was to kill the emperor's own son and make the Wei Empire Fall apart.

In the early days of Yuanxu's succession to the throne, among the Kuangfu government officials were the veteran Rencheng Wang Yuancheng who had actively participated in the reform of Emperor Xiaowen, and Qinghe Wang Yuanyi who was quite educated and loyal.Yuan Cheng was deeply worried about Empress Dowager Hu's behavior of revitalizing Buddhist temples and indiscriminately giving rewards to the people and wasting money. He wrote a letter to advise, hoping to improve politics, strengthen armaments, and encourage agricultural production, in order to enhance national power, inherit the last wishes of Emperor Xiaowen and Emperor Xuanwu, The unification of Kyushu is a great task.But the old prince's words of worrying about the country were just deaf ears to the Queen Mother Hu.She seems to have given the old prince the most honorable treatment, requiring Yuan Cheng to participate in the discussions no matter how big or small the political affairs are.But Yuan Cheng's sincere and wise advice was never accepted by her.The old prince Yuan Cheng who opposed extravagance died, but the Empress Dowager Hu held an extremely extravagant and extravagant funeral for him. She led more than 1,000 officials and sent Yuan Cheng's lingyu to the suburbs in person. Her crying moved all the mourners together Wept, and made them all envy the "extreme sorrow and glory" of the old prince's funeral.

Qinghe Wang Yuanyi is the younger brother of Xuanwu Emperor Yuanke. His knowledge and conduct are outstanding among the clan princes.Yuan Xu came to the throne, and Yuan Yi became Taifu.Yuan Yi resisted from time to time to get close to the Queen Mother Hu.Yuan Cha, who has little talent and learning, is favored because he is the brother-in-law of the Empress Dowager Hu. He is arrogant and domineering, but he is repeatedly frustrated by Yuan Yi.Although the eunuch Liu Teng was illiterate and conniving, he was especially favored by the Queen Mother because she presided over the construction of Taishanggong Temple, Taishangjun Temple and other temples to pray for the Queen Mother's dead parents.Liu Teng's seeking an official for his relatives was blocked by Yuan Yi.Therefore, Yuan Cha and Liu Teng conspired to frame Yuan Yi for attempting to poison the young master Yuan Xu and establish himself as emperor.Yuan Xu believed it was true, so he followed Yuan Cha and Liu Teng's plan to lure Yuan Yi into the court, and Yuan Cha and Liu Teng detained and killed the prince and Taifu.

Yuan Cha and Liu Teng murdered Yuan Yi, and imprisoned the Empress Dowager Hu in the Beigong, correcting the Empress Dowager's edict, claiming to return the government to the emperor.The title of this year was changed to the first year of Zhengguang (520 A.D.). In the following four or five years, Yuancha and Liu Teng monopolized internal and external powers, and seized their own positions.Yuan Cha and Liu Teng are both greedy and lustful, plundering and debauching.Liu Teng forced his neighbors to open up his own house, accepting exploitation, and earning huge income every year.Yuan Cha actually set up his own warehouse in the palace, filled with treasures and belongings.He also often sent people to hide beautiful women in food carts to enter and leave the palace for him to have fun in the palace.The government is in the hands of Yuan Cha, Liu Teng and others. Political affairs are slack, rules and regulations are not enforced, and many governors and governors of the prefectures are appointed by non-virtuous officials.

In the fourth year of Zhengguang (523 A.D.), after Liu Teng's death, Empress Dowager Hu discussed secretly with her confidants and officials, preparing to return to power.The 14-year-old little emperor is still immature and cowardly. He doesn't know who to rely on. He not only participated in the secret discussion of his mother, the empress dowager, who attempted to regain power, but also conveyed the empress dowager's plot and his own fear to his uncle Yuan. Cha cried and said something, but Yuan Cha didn't care.Empress Dowager Hu finally conspired with the prime minister and high minister Wang Yuanyong to remove all military and political powers in Yuancha.In the first year of Xiaochang (525 A.D.), Empress Dowager Hu re-regency, she continued to promote the decay of the Wei Empire even more vigorously.

At the beginning of the first year of Wutai (528 A.D.), Yuanxu's concubine Pan Chonghua gave birth to a daughter. Empress Dowager Hu declared that Concubine Pan had given birth to a prince, so she amnesty and changed Yuan to celebrate.The 19-year-old Xiaoming Emperor Yuanxu was dissatisfied with the Empress Dowager Hu's seizure of power, and secretly ordered the warlord Er Zhurong stationed in Jinyang (now Taiyuan, Shanxi) to lead his troops to Luoyang to threaten the Empress Dowager, but the news leaked unexpectedly.Empress Dowager Hu was deeply disturbed. She did not want her adult son to deprive her of the power to monopolize the government, so she conspired with her lovers Zheng Yan and Xu He to poison her only biological son Yuanxu.After Yuanxu's death, he was posthumously called "Emperor Xiaoming" and the temple name "Suzong" and was buried in Dingling.