Gao Yun (Northern Wei)
Encyclopedia
Gao Yun (390–487), courtesy name Bogong (伯恭), formally Duke Wen of Xianyang (咸陽文公), was an official during the reigns of five emperors of the Chinese
/Xianbei
dynasty Northern Wei
.
, Hebei
) was under Later Yan
rule, and his father Gao Tao (高韜) served as a low-level official in the administration of Later Yan's founding emperor Murong Chui
. After Northern Wei's Emperor Daowu
seized most of Later Yan territory in 397, he commissioned Gao Tao as an official, but Gao Tao soon died. Gao Yun took the caskets of his grandfather Gao Tai (高泰) and his father Gao Tao back to Bohai Commandery and, after giving his inheritance to his two younger brothers, briefly became a Buddhist monk with the name Fajing (法淨), but soon thereafter gave up the monastical lifestyle. He studied astronomy and astrology, as well as the Spring and Autumn Annals
. He served as a commandery official as well.
In 430, when he was already 40, Gao Yun served on the staff of Emperor Taiwu
's uncle Duguhun Chao (獨孤渾超) the Prince of Yangping, and he became known for his honesty in judging criminal matters. In 431, he was summoned to the capital Pingcheng (平城, in modern Datong
, Shanxi
), and he then served successively on the staffs of Emperor Taiwu's brothers Tuoba Fan (拓拔範) the Prince of Le'an and Tuoba Pi (拓拔丕) the Prince of Leping. It was after assisting Tuoba Pi in a campaign that he was created the Baron of Wenyang. Around 440, the powerful prime minister Cui Hao
added Gao to his staff, as he began to compile a history of the Northern Wei state. It was also around this time that he had a debate about astrology with Cui, and while Cui, himself an astrology scholar, initially disagreed with Gao's opinions, he eventually came to accept Gao's opinions.
What Cui did not accept Gao's opinions on was how Cui was approaching his relationship with Emperor Taiwu's crown prince
Tuoba Huang
, as Cui, against Crown Prince Huang's opinion, was recommending a large number of people to be commandery governors, over those that Crown Prince Huang believed should be promoted. When Gao heard this, he stated, "It will be difficult for Cui Hao to avoid disaster. How will he be able to afford to oppose those more powerful than he, just to satisfy his own desires?"
Further, In 450, at the suggestion of his staff members Min Dan (閔湛) and Chi Biao (郗標), Cui carved the text of the histories that he was the lead editor of onto stone tablets, and erected the tablets next to the altars to Heaven outside of Pingcheng. The tablets were said to have revealed much about Emperor Taiwu's ancestors, and the Xianbei were very angry, accusing Cui of revealing the ancestors' faults and damaging the image of the state. Emperor Taiwu, in anger, arrested Cui.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Huang, wanting to spare Gao, brought him into the palace, and asked Gao to blame all of the writing on Cui. Gao, instead, ascribed the authorship of the various parts of histories as such:
Emperor Taiwu was initially going to put Gao to death as well, but then was said to be impressed by Gao's admission and spared him, also at Crown Prince Huang's urging. He then summoned Cui, and Cui was said to be so fearful that he was not able to respond. Emperor Taiwu then ordered Gao to draft an edict for him, ordering that Cui and Cui's staff—128 men in total—be executed, along with five family branches each. Gao refused—stating that not even Cui should be executed. Emperor Taiwu, in anger, was going to put Gao to death as well, but Crown Prince Huang again pleaded for Gao, and Gao was again spared, and in fact, Emperor Taiwu reduced the number of people to be executed. However, Emperor Taiwu still ordered a great slaughter of people related to Cui. Cui's staff members themselves were executed, although not their families.
After Cui's death, Gao continued to serve in the imperial administration, and he appeared to serve on Crown Prince Huang's staff. Crown Prince Huang was described to be high observant, but trusting of his associates and also spending much effort on managing orchards and farms, to earn money from them. Gao Yun tried to advise him against engaging in commercial ventures and in overly delegating authorities, but he did not listen. Rather, in 451, he became embroiled in a conflict with the eunuch Zong Ai
, whose corruption he had found out and whom he disliked immensely. Zong, apprehensive that Crown Prince Huang's trusted associates Chouni Daosheng (仇尼道盛) and Ren Pingcheng (任平城) would accuse him of crimes, acted preemptorily and accused Chouni and Ren of crimes. In anger, Emperor Taiwu executed Chouni and Ren, and many other associates of Crown Prince Huang were entangled in the case and executed as well. In fear, Crown Prince Huang became ill and died. Gao became greatly saddened, and when he met with Emperor Taiwu, he could say nothing but wept. In 452, after Emperor Taiwu began to regret the events leading to Crown Prince Huang's death, Zong became apprehensive and assassinated Emperor Taiwu, making Emperor Taiwu's youngest son Tuoba Yu
the Prince of Nan'an emperor. Later that year, however, he assassinated Tuoba Yu as well, and then was overthrown and killed by the officials Dugu Ni (獨孤尼), Yuan He
, Baba Kehou (拔拔渴侯), and Buliugu Li
, who made Tuoba Huang's son Tuoba Jun
emperor (as Emperor Wencheng). It was said that Gao was involved in their plot as well, but unlike the others, his role was hidden and he went unrewarded, and he did not reveal his role during his lifetime, either.
became emperor, but the power was controlled by the dictatorial official Yifu Hun
, who killed a large number of other officials. In 466, Emperor Wencheng's wife Empress Dowager Feng
staged a coup and overthrew Yifu, taking over herself as regent
. She engaged Gao Yun, along with Gao Lü (高閭) and Jia Xiu (賈秀) to be part of her decision-making circle. Later that year, based on the proposal of Gao Yun and Li Xin (李訢), schools began to be set up at the commandery level to promote learning.
Emperor Xianwen assumed full imperial powers in 467, at the age of 13. Gao continued to be in an honored position, and in 471, when Emperor Xianwen considered yielding the throne to his uncle Tuoba Zitui (拓拔子推) the Prince of Jingzhao, Gao was one of the officials whose opinions he consulted, and contrary to the other officials, who used harsh words in opposing the idea and instead proposing the idea of Emperor Xianwen yielding the throne to his son and crown prince Tuoba Hong
, Gao spoke in more philosophical terms:
Emperor Xianwen took this to be a suggestion to pass the throne to his son as well, and accepted it. The four-year-old Crown Prince Hong became emperor (as Emperor Xiaowen), although Emperor Xianwen continued to be control of the government as Taishang Huang
(retired emperor).
and northwestern Hebei
). He requested to be retired in 478, but briefly he was recalled back to the capital Pingcheng, where he was given the special privilege of being allowed to ride a wagon into the palace and not having to bow to the emperor due to his old age. As of 479, he was said to be still of clear mind and was involved in a major reorganization of the laws. Because Emperor Xiaowen felt that Gao was poor materially and had little entertainment, he sent the imperial musicians to Gao's house every five days to entertain him, and supplied Gao with food and clothing. Whenever Gao would meet with the emperor, the emperor also prepared a cane and a small table to help him. Gao was said to have been healthy throughout his life, and in 487, after a very brief illness, he died. It was said that the imperial awards given at his death were unprecedented.
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
/Xianbei
Xianbei
The Xianbei were a significant Mongolic nomadic people residing in Manchuria, Inner Mongolia and eastern Mongolia. The title “Khan” was first used among the Xianbei.-Origins:...
dynasty Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
.
Service under Emperor Taiwu and Tuoba Yu
Gao Yun was born in 390, while his home commandery of Bohai (勃海, roughly modern CangzhouCangzhou
Cangzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. Cangzhou's urban center has a population of approximately 514,074 at the 2010 census which correspond to the built up area), while the prefecture-level administrative region in total has a population of 7,134,053...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) was under Later Yan
Later Yan
The Later Yan was a Murong-Xianbei state, located in modern day northeast China, during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China.All rulers of the Later Yan declared themselves "emperors". Later Yan fell to the Goguryeo dynasty.-Rulers of the Later Yan:...
rule, and his father Gao Tao (高韜) served as a low-level official in the administration of Later Yan's founding emperor Murong Chui
Murong Chui
Murong Chui , courtesy name Daoming , formally Emperor Wucheng of Yan was a great general of the Chinese/Xianbei state Former Yan who later became the founding emperor of Later Yan...
. After Northern Wei's Emperor Daowu
Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei
Emperor Daowu of Northern Wei , personal name Tuoba Gui , né Tuoba Shegui , was the founding emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was the grandson of the last prince of Dai, Tuoba Shiyijian, and after the fall of the Dai state to Former Qin in 376 had been presumed to be the...
seized most of Later Yan territory in 397, he commissioned Gao Tao as an official, but Gao Tao soon died. Gao Yun took the caskets of his grandfather Gao Tai (高泰) and his father Gao Tao back to Bohai Commandery and, after giving his inheritance to his two younger brothers, briefly became a Buddhist monk with the name Fajing (法淨), but soon thereafter gave up the monastical lifestyle. He studied astronomy and astrology, as well as the Spring and Autumn Annals
Spring and Autumn Annals
The Spring and Autumn Annals is the official chronicle of the State of Lu covering the period from 722 BCE to 481 BCE. It is the earliest surviving Chinese historical text to be arranged on annalistic principles. The text is extremely concise and, if all the commentaries are excluded, about 16,000...
. He served as a commandery official as well.
In 430, when he was already 40, Gao Yun served on the staff of Emperor Taiwu
Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei
Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei , personal name Tuoba Tao , nickname Foli , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
's uncle Duguhun Chao (獨孤渾超) the Prince of Yangping, and he became known for his honesty in judging criminal matters. In 431, he was summoned to the capital Pingcheng (平城, in modern Datong
Datong
Datong is a prefecture-level city in northern Shanxi Province of North China, located a few hundred kilometres west by rail from Beijing with an elevation of...
, Shanxi
Shanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
), and he then served successively on the staffs of Emperor Taiwu's brothers Tuoba Fan (拓拔範) the Prince of Le'an and Tuoba Pi (拓拔丕) the Prince of Leping. It was after assisting Tuoba Pi in a campaign that he was created the Baron of Wenyang. Around 440, the powerful prime minister Cui Hao
Cui Hao
Cui Hao , courtesy name Boyuan , was a prime minister of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. Largely because of Cui's counsel, Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei was able to unify northern China, ending the Sixteen Kingdoms era and, along with the southern Liu Song, entering the Southern and...
added Gao to his staff, as he began to compile a history of the Northern Wei state. It was also around this time that he had a debate about astrology with Cui, and while Cui, himself an astrology scholar, initially disagreed with Gao's opinions, he eventually came to accept Gao's opinions.
What Cui did not accept Gao's opinions on was how Cui was approaching his relationship with Emperor Taiwu's crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
Tuoba Huang
Tuoba Huang
Tuoba Huang , formally Crown Prince Jingmu , later further formally honored as Emperor Jingmu with the temple name Gongzong by his son Emperor Wencheng, was a crown prince of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, as Cui, against Crown Prince Huang's opinion, was recommending a large number of people to be commandery governors, over those that Crown Prince Huang believed should be promoted. When Gao heard this, he stated, "It will be difficult for Cui Hao to avoid disaster. How will he be able to afford to oppose those more powerful than he, just to satisfy his own desires?"
Further, In 450, at the suggestion of his staff members Min Dan (閔湛) and Chi Biao (郗標), Cui carved the text of the histories that he was the lead editor of onto stone tablets, and erected the tablets next to the altars to Heaven outside of Pingcheng. The tablets were said to have revealed much about Emperor Taiwu's ancestors, and the Xianbei were very angry, accusing Cui of revealing the ancestors' faults and damaging the image of the state. Emperor Taiwu, in anger, arrested Cui.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Huang, wanting to spare Gao, brought him into the palace, and asked Gao to blame all of the writing on Cui. Gao, instead, ascribed the authorship of the various parts of histories as such:
- The biography of Emperor Daowu was written by Deng Yuan.
- The biographies of Emperor Mingyuan and Emperor Taiwu were written jointly by Cui and Gao, but Gao said that he actually wrote about two thirds.
Emperor Taiwu was initially going to put Gao to death as well, but then was said to be impressed by Gao's admission and spared him, also at Crown Prince Huang's urging. He then summoned Cui, and Cui was said to be so fearful that he was not able to respond. Emperor Taiwu then ordered Gao to draft an edict for him, ordering that Cui and Cui's staff—128 men in total—be executed, along with five family branches each. Gao refused—stating that not even Cui should be executed. Emperor Taiwu, in anger, was going to put Gao to death as well, but Crown Prince Huang again pleaded for Gao, and Gao was again spared, and in fact, Emperor Taiwu reduced the number of people to be executed. However, Emperor Taiwu still ordered a great slaughter of people related to Cui. Cui's staff members themselves were executed, although not their families.
After Cui's death, Gao continued to serve in the imperial administration, and he appeared to serve on Crown Prince Huang's staff. Crown Prince Huang was described to be high observant, but trusting of his associates and also spending much effort on managing orchards and farms, to earn money from them. Gao Yun tried to advise him against engaging in commercial ventures and in overly delegating authorities, but he did not listen. Rather, in 451, he became embroiled in a conflict with the eunuch Zong Ai
Zong Ai
Zong Ai was a eunuch who briefly came to great power in the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei in 452 after assassinating Emperor Taiwu and making his son Tuoba Yu emperor.Little is known about Zong's career prior to 451...
, whose corruption he had found out and whom he disliked immensely. Zong, apprehensive that Crown Prince Huang's trusted associates Chouni Daosheng (仇尼道盛) and Ren Pingcheng (任平城) would accuse him of crimes, acted preemptorily and accused Chouni and Ren of crimes. In anger, Emperor Taiwu executed Chouni and Ren, and many other associates of Crown Prince Huang were entangled in the case and executed as well. In fear, Crown Prince Huang became ill and died. Gao became greatly saddened, and when he met with Emperor Taiwu, he could say nothing but wept. In 452, after Emperor Taiwu began to regret the events leading to Crown Prince Huang's death, Zong became apprehensive and assassinated Emperor Taiwu, making Emperor Taiwu's youngest son Tuoba Yu
Tuoba Yu
Tuoba Yu , formally Prince Yin of Nan'an , was briefly an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. He was placed on the throne by the eunuch Zong Ai after Zong assassinated his father Emperor Taiwu in spring 452, and Zong was largely in control of the regime during his reign...
the Prince of Nan'an emperor. Later that year, however, he assassinated Tuoba Yu as well, and then was overthrown and killed by the officials Dugu Ni (獨孤尼), Yuan He
Yuan He
Yuan He , né Tufa Poqiang , formally Prince Xuan of Longxi , was a high level official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
, Baba Kehou (拔拔渴侯), and Buliugu Li
Buliugu Li
Buliugu Li , more commonly known in historical accounts as Lu Li , formally Prince Jian of Pingyuan , was a high level official for the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei who served mostly during the reign of Emperor Wencheng.Buliugu Li's father Buliugu...
, who made Tuoba Huang's son Tuoba Jun
Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei
Emperor Wencheng of Northern Wei , personal name Tuoba Jun , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
emperor (as Emperor Wencheng). It was said that Gao was involved in their plot as well, but unlike the others, his role was hidden and he went unrewarded, and he did not reveal his role during his lifetime, either.
Service under Emperor Wencheng
During Emperor Wencheng's reign, Gao Yun appeared to gradually gain power, and one characteristic that Emperor Wencheng stated that he appreciated Gao for was that he often counseled Emperor Wencheng—sometimes harshly—in private, and Emperor Wencheng said that by counseling in private, he avoided embarrassing the emperor while giving the emperor good advice. In 458, after successfully persuading Emperor Wencheng to stop palace construction projects that Emperor Wencheng's attendant Guo Shanming (郭善明) had encouraged the emperor to carry out, Gao was promoted to the high level position of Zhongshuling (中書令), and after Buliugu Li alerted Emperor Wencheng to the fact that Gao's household was poor (because at the time, the Northern Wei officials were not given salaries, and Gao, unlike most other Northern Wei officials, was not corrupt), gave Gao a large stipend. Further, honoring Gao's position as a senior official, Emperor Wencheng referred to him as "Lord Ling" (令公, where Ling was shortened from Zhongshuling) rather than by name.Service under Emperor Xianwen
After Emperor Wencheng's death in 465, his son Emperor XianwenEmperor Xianwen of Northern Wei
Emperor Xianwen of Northern Wei , personal name Tuoba Hong, was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei...
became emperor, but the power was controlled by the dictatorial official Yifu Hun
Yifu Hun
Yifu Hun , more commonly known in historical accounts as Yi Hun , was a high level official of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei, who effectively briefly served as the regent for Emperor Xianwen.Little is known about Yifu Hun's background despite his one-time...
, who killed a large number of other officials. In 466, Emperor Wencheng's wife Empress Dowager Feng
Empress Feng (Wencheng)
Empress Feng , formally Empress Wenming was an empress of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei. Her husband was Emperor Wencheng...
staged a coup and overthrew Yifu, taking over herself as regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
. She engaged Gao Yun, along with Gao Lü (高閭) and Jia Xiu (賈秀) to be part of her decision-making circle. Later that year, based on the proposal of Gao Yun and Li Xin (李訢), schools began to be set up at the commandery level to promote learning.
Emperor Xianwen assumed full imperial powers in 467, at the age of 13. Gao continued to be in an honored position, and in 471, when Emperor Xianwen considered yielding the throne to his uncle Tuoba Zitui (拓拔子推) the Prince of Jingzhao, Gao was one of the officials whose opinions he consulted, and contrary to the other officials, who used harsh words in opposing the idea and instead proposing the idea of Emperor Xianwen yielding the throne to his son and crown prince Tuoba Hong
Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei
Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei , personal name né Tuoba Hong , later Yuan Hong , was an emperor of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei....
, Gao spoke in more philosophical terms:
- I dare not speak more, but I bless Your Imperial Majesty in this way: consider the important responsibilities that the ancestors gave you, and also consider the precedence of the Duke of ZhouDuke of ZhouThe Duke of Zhou played a major role in consolidating the newly-founded Zhou Dynasty . He was the brother of King Wu of Zhou, the first king of the ancient Chinese Zhou Dynasty...
assisting the young King Cheng of ZhouKing Cheng of ZhouKing Cheng of Zhou or King Ch'eng of Chou was the second sovereign of the Chinese Zhou Dynasty. The dates of his reign are 1042-1021 BC or 1042/35-1006 BC King Cheng was young when he ascended the throne...
.
Emperor Xianwen took this to be a suggestion to pass the throne to his son as well, and accepted it. The four-year-old Crown Prince Hong became emperor (as Emperor Xiaowen), although Emperor Xianwen continued to be control of the government as Taishang Huang
Taishang Huang
Retired Emperor, Grand Emperor, or Emperor Emeritus is a title occasionally used throughout East Asian feudal regimes for former emperors who had abdicated voluntarily to their sons. This title appeared in the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam...
(retired emperor).
Service under Emperor Xiaowen
After Emperor Xiaowen took the throne, Gao Yun resumed the work on Northern Wei's history that Cui Hao had started, although he did not expend his full effort on the matter. He later recommended Gao Lü to succeed him in the matter. Meanwhile, for his contributions, he was created the Duke of Xianyang and made the governor of Huai Province (懷州, modern northeastern ShanxiShanxi
' is a province in Northern China. Its one-character abbreviation is "晋" , after the state of Jin that existed here during the Spring and Autumn Period....
and northwestern Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
). He requested to be retired in 478, but briefly he was recalled back to the capital Pingcheng, where he was given the special privilege of being allowed to ride a wagon into the palace and not having to bow to the emperor due to his old age. As of 479, he was said to be still of clear mind and was involved in a major reorganization of the laws. Because Emperor Xiaowen felt that Gao was poor materially and had little entertainment, he sent the imperial musicians to Gao's house every five days to entertain him, and supplied Gao with food and clothing. Whenever Gao would meet with the emperor, the emperor also prepared a cane and a small table to help him. Gao was said to have been healthy throughout his life, and in 487, after a very brief illness, he died. It was said that the imperial awards given at his death were unprecedented.