Yongzhao Emperor

Biodata

Background / History

Purge of Meng Jing and the Xiao Family

In the thirty-second year of Yongzhao, Xiao Qinglan’s father proposed recovering the northern Hequ region, with Chief Grand Secretary Meng Jing as his only strong supporter at court. Wen Hong and his allies fabricated charges against Xiao’s father, including embezzlement, concealing a military defeat, and bribing Meng Jing. The emperor reacted furiously: Meng Jing and Xiao’s father were sentenced to beheading and public display, and both clans were convicted. Wen Hong subsequently became chief grand secretary 15.

Death of the Empress

In the thirty-fourth year of his reign, the emperor ordered the empress killed while preserving her newborn son, fearing the influence of her natal family, the Zhang clan. Zhao Huiluan overheard Wen Hong praising this decision when she approached her father after her rebirth 1.

Despite that order, the emperor grieved for the wife with whom he had shared ten years of deep affection. Zhao Huiluan deliberately intensified his guilt by speaking of their loss. He then named Zhao Jin’ang crown prince, granted her the title Princess Zhenning, and assigned her Jade Balance Palace—an edict issued considerably later in her previous life 2.

Marquis Jingwu’s Household

The emperor remained suspicious of the empress’s family after her death. In Zhao Huiluan’s previous life, Zhang Yong had been imprisoned, and her plea for mercy on her uncle’s behalf provoked the only occasion on which her father had lost his temper with her 3 9.

In the reborn timeline, Zhao Huiluan secretly persuaded Tao Xuanzhi to submit an astrological warning concerning the northern frontier. The emperor subsequently withheld action on impeachment memorials against Marquis Jingwu’s household 5.

When news of a northern invasion arrived, he ordered Marquis Jingwu Zhang Tai to return to the frontier; Zhang Yong accompanied him. Zhang Yunchi remained in Yan Capital as Zhao Huiluan’s archery instructor. Zhang Tai recognized that leaving his grandson behind had made Zhang Yong’s departure possible, revealing the political importance of the arrangement 10.

Marriage and Education Decisions

At the poetry gathering following the spring examinations, the emperor praised Rong An’s poems and agreed to help Wen Hong find a husband for Wen Nihe. Zhao Huiluan interrupted by declaring that she wanted Rong An herself. He agreed only to discuss her marriage again in two years, rather than immediately granting a betrothal 19 20.

To accommodate Wen Hong, he proposed marrying Wen Nihe to third-ranked scholar Wang He. Wang He refused on the grounds that he already had a wife, leaving the emperor silent 20 21.

The emperor appointed the three highest-ranking examination graduates to teach the crown prince and later allowed Zhao Huiluan to attend those lessons. He initially resisted her subsequent wish to enter the Imperial College because it had never admitted female students, but she and other young women were eventually allowed to study there 22 27.

Withdrawal from the Imperial College

When Rong An presented Zhao Huiluan’s accomplished essay, the emperor’s expression darkened. He feared that she might resemble the empress in more than appearance, although he publicly praised her progress and promised rewards to her instructors 47.

After separately consulting the Imperial College chancellor, he decided that Zhao Huiluan would not return after Mid-Autumn. He cited her excursions, matchmaking, and prolonged absence from the palace. At her request, he allowed the other female students to remain and considered letting her leave under the pretext of practical experience 48.

He rejected Annan as unsafe, then considered sending her to Jiangnan with Wen Yan. He had already made an exception allowing Wen Yan to undertake practical service as a route into officialdom, and expected Wen Hong’s preparations for his grandson to make the journey safe for Zhao Huiluan as well 48.

Fate in the Previous Timeline

In Zhao Huiluan’s previous life, the emperor died suddenly in the forty-third year of his reign. Zhao Jin’ang had occupied the throne for barely a month when the Prince of Jin rebelled and reached Yan Capital. The ensuing overthrow left both imperial siblings imprisoned and ultimately dead 1 2.

Personality

The emperor is openly affectionate toward Zhao Huiluan, whom he calls “Jianjian.” He becomes frantic when she faints during mourning, readily indulges many of her requests, and often substitutes mild scolding for punishment. His indulgence is not absolute: after her fight with Zhang Yunchi, he sends her to visit the injured boy and encourages her to recognize the consequences of her behavior 3 7 8 17.

His tenderness coexists with deep political suspicion. He orders the death of a beloved wife and distrusts her family’s influence over his children. Although he instructs Zhao Huiluan to respect her maternal relatives, he privately agrees with her insistence on the distinction between sovereign and subject 1 3 4.

He also overestimates how well he understands his daughter. He interprets her calculated conduct as childish caprice, including her apparent wish to keep Zhang Yunchi in the capital out of spite. Rong An later suspects that the emperor would prefer Zhao Huiluan to remain ignorant and unruly; her deliberate use of academic praise to secure her departure from the Imperial College supports that reading 9 20 47.

Religious Beliefs and Longevity Practices

• Daoist devotion: He reveres the Three Pure Ones and Four Sovereigns, favors the Dao’s principle of following nature, and seeks longevity 4.
• Meditation: Tianji Hall, originally used for daily state affairs, gradually becomes his meditation altar. He also receives officials and his daughter there 5 9 17.
• Astrological advice: Tao Xuanzhi’s warning gives him reason to reconsider action against Marquis Jingwu’s household. By the fortieth year of the reign, Tao enjoys substantial imperial trust 5 33.
• Pills and imperial favor: Daoist Xuanyi is promoted to deputy director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau after presenting pills. Zhao Huiluan remembers him supplying the emperor with pills made from virgin girls’ menstrual blood and connects their ingredients to the missing-girls case 40 41.

Relationships

• The late empress — His wife of ten years and the mother of Zhao Huiluan and Zhao Jin’ang. Their celebrated affection does not prevent him from ordering her death to limit the Zhang clan’s influence 1 2.
• Zhao Huiluan / Princess Zhenning — His cherished eldest daughter. After discovering his role in her mother’s death, she conceals her distrust and uses his affection, guilt, and assumptions about her temperament to protect herself and her allies 1 2 9 47.
• Zhao Jin’ang — His son and appointed crown prince. The emperor shows him affection and briefly finds peace in watching him play with Zhao Huiluan 2 47 48.
• Wen Hong — A highly favored minister whose rise follows the destruction of Meng Jing and the Xiao family. The emperor attempts to arrange Wen Nihe’s marriage and grants Wen Yan an exceptional opportunity for practical service in recognition of Wen Hong’s years of service 15 20 48.
• Zhang Tai and Zhang Yong — His father-in-law and brother-in-law, respectively. He treats them courteously in audiences while remaining wary of their family’s political and military influence 3 4 10.
• Zhang Yunchi — The Zhang grandson permitted to remain in Yan Capital as Zhao Huiluan’s archery instructor. His presence helps secure permission for his father to return to the frontier 9 10.
• Consort Jing — Entrusted with looking after Zhao Huiluan after her collapse and involved in the princess’s early education 3 22.
• Rong An — An examination champion whose literary talent he praises and whom he appoints to teach the crown prince. He later blames Rong An for failing to restrain Zhao Huiluan’s activities 19 22 43.
• Duan Siqi — His seal-bearing eunuch, who reports palace affairs and helps interpret and carry out his wishes 3 4 5 43.

Notable Quotes

“From now on, Father will cherish and love you with your mother’s love as well as his own. My Jianjian will be the most exalted princess in all of Great Yin.” 1

“Mind your temper, or the censors’ brushes won’t spare you.” 8