He Shikai
He Shikai (Chinese:
Background
He Shikai was born in 524 and from Northern Qi's capital Yecheng. His ancestors were described as merchants from the Western Regions (Xiyu) and originally carried the family name Suhe (
Prior to Emperor Wucheng's reign
After Gao Huan's son Gao Yang seized the throne from Emperor Xiaojing in 550 and established Northern Qi as its Emperor Wenxuan, he created his younger brother Gao Zhan the Prince of Changguang. He Shikai served on Gao Zhan's staff. As Gao Zhan liked the gambling game Shuo (槊) and He Shikai was a good Shuo player, they befriended each other. They also shared common interests, including a non-Han version of the instrument pipa. They were so close that once, when he complimented Gao Zhan, "Your royal highness is no heavenly person, but in fact will be a heavenly emperor," Gao Zhan responded, "You are no earthly person, but are an earthly god." However, Emperor Wenxuan disliked He Shikai for his frivolousness, and at one point removed him from his post and exiled him to the northern border. Later, after much begging by Gao Zhan, Emperor Wenxuan allowed He Shikai to return to Yecheng and to serve again as an official.
During Emperor Wucheng's reign
After Gao Zhan became emperor in 561 (as Emperor Wucheng), He Shikai began to be promoted in earnest. When his mother Lady Liu died, Emperor Wencheng wept and sent the general Lü Fen (
Emperor Wucheng suffered from a form of asthma that was particularly aggravated by drinking—and yet still drank. He Shikai often urged him to stop drinking, and on one occasion, when Emperor Wucheng was having breathing problems but nevertheless was about to drink, He Shikai wept heavily and was unable to speak. Emperor Wucheng responded, "You are making a speechless correction of me." He then stopped drinking. He Shikai had become so favored and trusted by Emperor Wucheng that Emperor Wucheng could not bear not seeing him, often requiring him to stay at the palace. Whenever He Shikai would go home, Emperor Wucheng would soon summon him to the palace again, and he rewarded He Shikai with great wealth. They participated in what were described as "immoral games" together, lacking boundaries between emperor and subject. He Shikai later started an affair with Emperor Wucheng's wife Empress Hu. However, one occasion at which Emperor Wucheng did not listen to He Shikai was in summer 562, when Emperor Wucheng's mother Empress Dowager Lou Zhaojun died, and he refused to wear the white mourning clothes and continued to feast and play music. When He Shikai requested that the music be stopped, Emperor Wucheng was displeased and slapped He Shikai.
He Shikai once stated to Emperor Wucheng:
- Ever since ancient times, all kings and emperors have turned to dust. What difference is there between Emperors Yao and Shun [two mythical kind emperors] and Jie of Xia and King Zhou of Shang [two legendary cruel kings]? your Imperial Majesty should, while you are still young and strong, enjoy life as much as possible and do whatever you wish. One day of extraordinary happiness is as great as one thousand years of ordinary living. Entrust the affairs of the state to the high-level officials, and do not worry that they would not be done. Do not mistreat yourself and make yourself unable to do anything.
Emperor Wucheng, persuaded, entrusted the civil service system to Zhao Yanshen (
Around 565, the official Zu Ting persuaded He Shikai that his fortunes were tied to the emperor's—and that if the emperor shall die, he would be in a desperate situation—and that he could solve this by suggesting Emperor Wucheng to pass the throne to his son, Gao Wei the Crown Prince, so that both the crown prince and Empress Hu would be grateful to him as well. He Shikai agreed, and both he and Zu offered the suggestion to Emperor Wucheng—stating to him that astrological signs indicating that the imperial position would be changed was a sign that he should pass the throne, particularly because it would be even more honored to be the father of an emperor than to be an emperor. Emperor Wucheng agreed, and in summer 565, he passed the throne to the eight-year-old Crown Prince Wei. Emperor Wucheng took the title Taishang Huang (retired emperor). (Zu subsequently had a falling out with He Shikai in 567, as he tried to have He Shikai, Zhao Yanshen, and Gao Wenyao removed, but in doing so offended Emperor Wucheng, and was imprisoned in a dungeon, where he lost his eyesight due to smoke from the Chinese cabbage seeds used for lighting.)
In spring 568, Emperor Wucheng suffered a major illness, and the official Xu Zhicai (
After Emperor Wucheng's death
He Shikai initially kept the news of Emperor Wucheng's death secret, worried that the high-level officials might conspire in light of the retired emperors' death; rather, he wanted to gather the officials before announcing it. Empress Hu's brother-in-law Feng Zicong (馮子琮) persuaded him that by not announcing the news of the retired emperor's death, he might in fact be fostering what he was trying to avoid, and He Shikai announced the news.
Gao Wei honored Retired Empress Hu as empress dowager. At that time, the important matters were ruled on by a collective leadership of eight officials—He Shikai, Lou Dingyuan (婁定
By spring 571, however, He Shikai was having conflicts with both Feng Zicong and Empress Dowager Hu's favorite son and Gao Wei's brother, Gao Yan the Prince of Langye. He moved Gao Yan out of the palace and disallowed him from having access to Empress Dowager Hu at all times. He further considered making Gao Yan a provincial governor and removing him from military commands. Gao Yan consulted Feng, and they formed a plot to kill He Shikai. Gao Yan had his associate Wang Ziyi (
Notes and references
- ^ geng'wu day of the 7th month of the 2nd year of the Wu'ding era, per vol.8 of Bei Qi Shu. He Shikai's biography in the same work indicate that he was 48 (by East Asian reckoning) when he died.
- ^ However, when Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei changed Xianbei names to Han names in 496, Suhe was one of the Xianbei names mentioned and was in fact changed to He, which may cast doubt on the assertion from the Book of Northern Qi that the Suhe/He family was of central Asian origin.
- Book of Northern Qi, vol. 50 [1].