Five Dynasties · King of Min

Wang Xi 王曦

Wáng Xī

First attested AD 892; died AD 944

Passages: 21
Chapters: 2
Histories: 1

Overview

Wang Xi was a king of Min.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Posthumous name	Sovereign Jing	景宗

Life and dates

Death

AD 944 永隆六年三月
Pulled onto a horse and killed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 159

Attested activity

AD 944 永隆六年三月
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 159
AD 892 to AD 946 王氏七主五十五年
Dated from the passage context · New History of the Five Dynasties 71, passages 50-51

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Sibling of Wang Yanzheng (王延政)
brother 弟 · Full siblings
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 145
Parent of Daughter of Wang Xi (曦女)
daughter 女
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 141
Child of Wang Shenzhi (王審知)
descendant 子孫
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 160
Sibling of Sister of Wang Xi (曦姊妹)
sister 姊妹 · Full siblings
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 152
Parent of Wang Yacheng (王亞澄)
son 子
Strongly inferred · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 157
Parent of Wang Jirou (王繼柔)
son 子
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 154
Spouse of Lady Li (李氏)
wife 妻
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 151
Spouse of Lady Shang (尚氏)
worthy consort 賢妃 · Secondary marriage
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 151

Kinship Role clansmen · Quantity many executed
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 145

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Sovereign Jing 景宗
Granted posthumously
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 159

Places and affiliations

Min 閩
Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 71, passage 50
Polity Min 閩 · Relation Ruled
Directly stated · New History of the Five Dynasties 68, passage 138

References in the histories

Search passages

History

21 passages

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 68Volume 68: Hereditary House of Min · 20 passages

泉州刺史余廷英嘗矯曦命掠取良家子，曦怒，召下御史劾之。 Quanzhou prefect Yu Tingying had forged Xi's orders to seize daughters of respectable families. Xi was furious and ordered the censors to prosecute him.

廷英進買宴錢千萬，曦曰：「皇后土貢何在？」 Tingying offered ten million cash to buy his way out of prosecution. Xi demanded, "Where is the empress's tribute?"

曦嘗嫁女，朝士有不賀者笞之。 When Xi married off a daughter, any court official who failed to offer congratulations was flogged.

御史中丞劉贊坐不糾舉，將加笞，諫議大夫鄭元弼切諫，曦謂元弼曰：「卿何如魏鄭公，乃敢強諫！」 Censor-in-Chief Liu Zan was charged with failing to impeach the offenders and was about to be flogged. Remonstrance Counselor Zheng Yuanbi protested sharply. Xi told him, "What makes you think you are Duke Wei of Zheng that you dare remonstrate so boldly?"

曦喜，乃釋贊不笞。 Xi was amused and spared Zan the flogging.

曦弟延政為建州節度使，封富沙王，自曦立，不葉，數舉兵相攻，曦由此惡其宗室，多以事誅之。 Xi's brother Yanzheng, military governor of Jianzhou and Prince of Fusha, had been at odds with him since Xi's enthronement and repeatedly marched against him. Xi came to hate his own clan and executed many kinsmen on one pretext or another.

諫議大夫黃峻舁櫬詣朝堂極諫，曦怒，貶峻漳州司戶參軍。 Remonstrance Counselor Huang Jun carried his own coffin into court and remonstrated to the limit. Xi was enraged and demoted him to registrar in Zhangzhou.

校書郎陳光逸上書疏曦過惡五十餘事，曦命衛士鞭之百而不死，以繩系頸，掛於木，久而乃絕。 Proofreader Chen Guangyi submitted a memorial listing more than fifty of Xi's crimes. Xi ordered guards to flog him a hundred strokes without killing him, then bound a rope around his neck and hung him from a tree until he finally died.

國計使陳匡范增算商之法以獻，曦曰：「匡範人中寶也。」 National Revenue Commissioner Chen Kuangfan proposed heavier merchant taxes. Xi declared, "Kuangfan is a treasure among men."

其後知其借於民也，剖棺斷屍，棄之水中。 When Xi later learned the deficit had been covered by forced loans from the people, he had Kuangfan's coffin opened, the corpse dismembered, and the remains thrown into the river.

曦性既淫虐，而妻李氏悍而酗酒，賢妃尚氏有色而寵。 Xi was by nature lewd and cruel. His wife Lady Li was fierce and a heavy drinker, while the Worthy Consort Lady Shang was beautiful and held his favor.

李仁遇，曦甥也，以色嬖之，用以為相。 Li Renyu, Xi's nephew, won favor through his beauty and was made chancellor.

曦常為牛飲，群臣侍酒，醉而不勝，有訴及私棄酒者輒殺之。 Xi often held drinking contests in which ministers had to keep pace. Anyone who became too drunk to continue, or was reported to have secretly discarded wine, was executed on the spot.

諸子繼柔棄酒，並殺其贊者一人。 When his son Jirou poured away wine, Xi also executed one of the attendants who had urged him to drink.

曦心疑之，常以語誚重遇等，重遇等流涕自辨。 Xi grew suspicious of them and often taunted Chongyu and his allies, who wept as they protested their loyalty.

李氏妒尚妃之寵，欲圖曦而立其子亞澄，乃使人謂重遇等曰：「上心不平於二公，奈何？」 Lady Li, jealous of Worthy Consort Shang, plotted to overthrow Xi and install her son Yacheng. She sent word to Chongyu and his allies: "The emperor's heart has turned against you—what will you do?"

六年三月，曦出遊，醉歸，重遇等遣壯士拉於馬上而殺之，謚曰景宗。 In the third month of the sixth year Xi went out on an excursion and returned drunk. Chongyu and his allies sent bravos to pull him onto a horse and kill him. He was posthumously titled Sovereign Jing.

曦立，為淫虐，延政數貽書諫之。 After Xi took the throne and ruled with cruelty and debauchery, Yanzheng repeatedly sent letters of remonstrance.

曦怒，遣杜建崇監其軍，延政逐之，曦乃舉兵攻延政，為延政所敗。 Xi was furious and sent Du Jianchong to supervise Yanzheng's army. Yanzheng expelled him, and when Xi marched against him he was defeated.

明年，連重遇已殺曦，集閩羣臣告曰：「昔太袓武皇帝親冒矢石，遂啟有閩，及其子孫，淫虐不道。 The following year, after Lian Chongyu had killed Xi, he gathered the ministers of Min and declared: "Long ago the founding Martial Emperor braved arrows and stones and opened rule in Min. Yet his descendants have been lewd, cruel, and without the Way.

New History of the Five Dynasties, Chapter 71Volume 71: Timeline for the Hereditary Houses of the Ten Kingdoms · 1 passage

王氏世次，曰潮、曰審知、曰延翰、曰璘、曰昶、曰曦、曰延政，凡七主。 The Wang clan succession runs: Chao, Shenzhi, Yanhan, Lin, Chang, Xi, and Yanzheng—seven rulers in all.