Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official

Feng Zicong 馮子琮

Féng Zǐcóng

Attested AD 560 - AD 576

Passages: 21
Chapters: 4
Histories: 1

Overview

Feng Zicong was an official.

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 565 天統元年
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 28
AD 565 後主踐祚
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 83
AD 571 武平二年七月
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 50, passages 94, 96
AD 560 to AD 561 肅宗除官
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 23
AD 570 to AD 576 馮子琮子慈明
Dated from the passage context · Book of Northern Qi 38, passage 169

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Descendant of Feng Ba (馮跋)
descendant 之後
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 19
Parent of Eldest daughter of Feng Zicong (子琮長女)
eldest daughter 長女
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 45
Child of Feng Lingshao (馮靈紹)
father 父
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 20
Parent of Feng Ciming (馮慈明)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 38, passage 169
Parent of Feng Cizheng (馮慈正)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 57
Spouse of Wife of Feng Zicong (子琮妻)
wife 妻
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 25

Kinship Role sons and younger brothers · Quantity plural unspecified
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 55

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Attendant Gentleman of the Yellow Gate 給事黃門侍郎
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 30
Chief Commander of Imperial Clothing 主衣都統
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 30
governor of Zhengzhou 鄭州刺史
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 43
law staff in general-in-chief's office 領軍府法曹
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 23
minister of personnel 吏部尚書
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 45
right vice director of the masters of writing 尚書右僕射
Appointed
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 48

Show 1 more source-backed claim

Yellow Gate attendant 黃門
Held
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 83

Places and affiliations

Northern Qi 齊
Relation Served
Strongly inferred · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 28
At Xindu 信都
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 19

Works and attributed material

Speech · Addressee · With Emperor Wucheng (武成帝)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 29
Speech · Speaker · With Emperor Wucheng (武成帝)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passages 33-34

Events and relationships

Managed memorials with Changcan
Political · Colleague
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 48, passage 83
Supervised construction of Daming Palace
Construction · Supervisor · At Jinyang 晉陽
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passages 31-32
Took part in killing He Shikai; strangled him
Political · Participant · With He Shikai (和士開)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 52
Urged announcement of mourning
Political · Participant · With He Shikai (和士開)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passages 37, 41-42
Relation Brother in law of · Person Empress Hu (胡皇后)
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passage 43

Assessments and attributes

Assessment promoted unworthy men; indulged sons and brothers; traded marriages for offices · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passages 53-56
Assessment wife took bribes for appointments; Zicong did not restrain it · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Northern Qi 40, passages 46-47

References in the histories

Search passages

History

21 passages

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 38Volume 38 Biographies 30: Xin Shu; Yuan Wenyao; Zhao Yanshen · 1 passage

時馮子琮子慈明、祖珽子君信並相繼居中書，故時語云：「馮、祖及趙，穢我鳳池。」 At the time Feng Zicong's son Ciming and Zu Ting's son Junxin took the secretariat in turn, so people said, "Feng, Zu, and Zhao — they're fouling the phoenix pool."

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 40Volume 40 Biographies 32: Yu Jin (Northern Qi); Feng Zicong; Helian Ziyue; Tang Yong; Bai Jian · 18 passages

尉瑾馮子琮赫連子悅唐邕白建 Yu Jin; Feng Zicong; Helian Ziyue; Tang Yong; Bai Jian

馮子琮，信都人，北燕主馮跋之後也。 Feng Zicong came from Xindu and was descended from Northern Yan's ruler Feng Ba.

子琮性聰敏，涉獵書傳。 Zicong was clever by nature and read widely in books and records.

肅宗曾閱簿領，試令口陳，子琮闇對，無有遺失。 Gao Yan once reviewed ledgers and tested Zicong by having him recite them aloud. Zicong answered from memory without missing a single entry.

世祖御正殿，謂子琮曰：「少君左右宜得正人，以卿心存正直，今以後事相委。」 Shizu sat in the main hall and told Zicong, "The young lord should have upright men around him. Because your heart is upright and true, I now entrust later affairs to you."

世祖在晉陽，旣居舊殿，少帝未有別所，詔子琮監造大明宮。 When Shizu was at Jinyang, he occupied the old palace, while the young emperor had no separate residence, so he ordered Zicong to supervise construction of the Daming Palace.

子琮對曰：「至尊幼年，纂承大業，欲令敦行節儉，以示萬邦。 Zicong replied, "The sovereign is young and has inherited the great enterprise; I wanted him to practice sincere frugality as a model for the realm.

子琮問士開不發喪之意。 Zicong asked He Shikai why he had not announced the mourning.

時太尉錄尚書事趙郡王叡先恒居內，預帷幄之謀，子琮素知士開忌叡及領軍臨淮王婁定遠，恐其矯遺詔出叡外任，奪定遠禁衛之權，因答云：「大行，神武之子，今上又是先皇傳位，群臣富貴者皆是至尊父子之恩，但令在內貴臣一無改易，王公已下必無異望。 At the time grand mentor and recorder of the masters of writing affairs, Prince of Zhao commandery Rui, had long lived inside the palace and shared counsel at the curtain. Zicong knew He Shikai resented Rui and general-in-chief of the guards Prince of Linhuai Lou Dingyuan and feared they might forge the final edict to send Rui out on provincial duty and strip Dingyuan of the guard command. He answered, "The late emperor was Gao Huan's son, and the present sovereign too received the throne from his predecessor. Every minister's wealth came from the sovereign father and son. Leave the great men inside the court unchanged, and the princes and dukes below will surely have no other wish.

元文遙以子琮太后妹夫，恐其獎成太后干政，說趙郡王及士開出之，拜鄭州刺史，即令之任。 Yuan Wenyao, because Zicong was the empress's brother-in-law, feared he would encourage her to meddle in government. He persuaded Prince of Zhao commandery and He Shikai to send him out, made him governor of Zheng, and ordered him to take up the post at once.

子琮除州，非後主本意，中旨殷勤，特給後部鼓吹，加兵五十人，並聽將物度關。 Zicong's provincial appointment was not what the Later Sovereign had first intended; the central edict was warm and earnest, and he was specially given rear guard musicians, fifty more troops, and leave to bring goods across the passes.

至州未幾，太后為齊安王納子琮長女為妃，子琮因請假赴鄴，遂授吏部尚書。 Not long after he reached the province, the empress dowager took Zicong's eldest daughter as consort for Prince of Qi'an. Zicong asked leave to go to Ye and was then made minister of personnel.

守宰除授，先定錢帛多少，然後奏聞，其所通致，事無不允，子琮亦不禁制。 For prefects and magistrates the price in cash and silk was fixed first and only then reported upward. Whatever they sought through him was granted, and Zicong did not restrain them.

和士開居要日久，子琮舊所附托，卑辭曲躬，事事諮稟。 He Shikai had long held power; Zicong had once relied on him, spoke humbly, bowed low, and consulted him on every matter.

士開弟休與盧氏婚，子琮檢校趨走，與士開府僚不異。 He Shikai's younger brother Xiu married into the Lu clan; Zicong hurried about at the wedding no differently from He Shikai's own staff.

是時內官除授多由士開奏擬，子琮旣恃內戚，兼帶選曹，自擅權寵，頗生間隙。 At the time many inner appointments came from He Shikai's proposals. Zicong, relying on inner kinship and also holding the selection office, monopolized favor and power, and friction grew between them.

瑯邪王儼殺士開，子琮與其事，就內省絞殺之。 Prince of Langye Yan killed He Shikai; Zicong took part in the affair and strangled him inside the inner secretariat.

子琮微有識鑒，及位望轉隆，宿心頓改。 Zicong had some discernment, but as rank and renown rose his old intent suddenly changed.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 48Volume 48 Biographies 40: Imperial Affines · 1 passage

後主踐祚，長粲被勑與黃門馮子琮出入禁中，專典敷奏。 When the Later Sovereign ascended, Changcan was ordered, together with Yellow Gate attendant Feng Zicong, to enter and leave the palace precincts and handle the presentation of memorials.

Book of Northern Qi, Chapter 50Volume 50 Biographies 42: Favored by Nobles · 1 passage

瑯邪王儼惡之，與領軍庫狄伏連、侍中馮子琮、禦史王子宜、武衛高舍洛等謀誅之。 Prince Yan of Langye hated him and, with Army Director Kudie Fulian, Attendant Feng Zicong, Censor Wang Ziyi, Martial Guard Gao Shelou, and others, plotted his death.