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Sun He (224 – November or December 253),
courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
Zixiao, was an imperial prince of the state of
Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < : ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...
during the
Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period of China. He was the third son of
Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...
, the founding emperor of Wu. In 242, he became the
crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
after the death of his brother Sun Deng, the eldest son and first heir apparent of Sun Quan. In the 240s, a power struggle broke out between Sun He and his fourth brother,
Sun Ba Sun Ba (before 235 - September or October 250), courtesy name Ziwei, was an imperial prince of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the fourth son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. Life Sun Ba ...
, over the succession to their father's throne. The conflict ended in 250 when Sun Quan forced Sun Ba to commit suicide, deposed Sun He and replaced him with
Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...
. In 253, during Sun Liang's reign, the regent Sun Jun reduced Sun He to commoner status and forced him to commit suicide. In 264, one of Sun He's sons,
Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
, became the fourth emperor of Eastern Wu. After his coronation, Sun Hao honoured his father with the
posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
Emperor Wen.


Early life

Sun He was born as the third son of
Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...
, a warlord of the late
Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...
who became the founding emperor of the
Eastern Wu Wu ( Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < : ''*ŋuɑ''), known in h ...
state in the
Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...
period; he had two elder brothers, Sun Deng and
Sun Lü Sun Lü (213 – February or March 232), courtesy name Zizhi, was a noble and military general of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Eastern Wu. Life Sun Lü ...
. His mother was
Lady Wang Lady Wang (王夫人) is a character in the classic Chinese 18th century novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu (dead at the start of the novel), Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu. She is the elder sis ...
(), one of Sun Quan's concubines; she was posthumously honoured as "Empress Dayi" () in 264. As Lady Wang was Sun Quan's favourite consort at the time, Sun He also became his father's favourite son. In 237, when Sun He was only 13 years old, Sun Quan appointed some officials to serve as Sun He's personal staff and ordered
Kan Ze Kan Ze (died November or December 243), courtesy name Derun, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Kan Ze was from Shanyin County, Kuaiji Commandery, which was located southeast of present-da ...
, the Prefect of the Palace Writers, to be Sun He's personal tutor. Sun He, then a young teenager, was known for being studious and respectful. The officials who met him all praised him. In 241, Sun Quan's eldest son and heir apparent Sun Deng, died of illness. One year later, in February or March 242, Sun Quan designated an 18-year-old Sun He, his eldest surviving son, as the new
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
to replace Sun Deng. At the same time, Sun Quan also promoted Kan Ze to Crown Prince's Grand Tutor (), appointed
Xue Zong Xue Zong (died 243), courtesy name Jingwen, was a Chinese poet and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was known for his quick wit. On one occasion, when the Shu envoy Zhang Feng () made fun of t ...
as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor (), and ordered Cai Ying (), Zhang Chun (), Feng Fu (), Yan Wei () and others to serve as the Crown Prince's attendants and personal staff.


As crown prince

As Sun He was intelligent, Sun Quan favoured him and often kept him by his side. Sun Quan also treated Sun He exceptionally well; he gave Sun He new clothes, ornaments, toys and other gifts, but did not do the same for his other sons. Sun Quan's subjects also highly regarded Sun He because he was not only bright, perceptive and well-versed in literary arts, horse-riding and archery, but also respectful and courteous towards his tutors and elders. He was genuinely interested in getting to know people. In 247, Sun Quan ordered Zhuge Yi () to pretend to defect to Wu's rival state, Wei, and lure the Wei general
Zhuge Dan Zhuge Dan (died 10 April 258), courtesy name Gongxiu, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. When he held key military appointments throughout his middle to late career, h ...
into a trap. When Sun Quan personally led the Wu forces to attack Zhuge Dan, Sun He showed grave concern about his father: he could not rest and have his meals in peace, repeatedly reminded his father to be careful, and hoped that his father would win the battle. He only put aside his worries upon seeing his father return safely to Wu. During Sun Quan's reign, some Wu officials abused the system of bureaucracy and exploited loopholes to find fault with other. Sun He saw that this could potentially become a serious problem if officials continued to abuse the system for personal gain (e.g. taking petty revenge against colleagues), so he wrote a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
to the imperial court urging them to take actions to discourage and eliminate such harmful practices. On one occasion, two officials, Liu Bao () and Ding Yan (), made accusations against each other. Sun He told Ding Yan, "It's hard to find competent employees in both the civil and military sectors. If everyone starts attacking each other over trivial and petty disputes, then how can we expect to have prosperity?" He then stepped in to mediate the conflict and succeeded in helping them resolve their dispute. Sun He heard that Cai Ying (), a member of his personal staff, enjoyed playing ''
weiqi Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to ...
'' and that many of Cai Ying's subordinates also picked up the game and spent a lot of time playing. As he saw that ''weiqi'' was an unproductive activity meant to be a hobby or pastime, he became worried that Cai Ying and the others would become complacent and neglect their duties from playing too much ''weiqi''. He thus came up with an idea to subtly remind and motivate his subordinates. He called for a meeting and asked them to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of playing ''weiqi''. One of them, Wei Yao (), went home, wrote an essay on this topic and presented it to Sun He, who had copies of it distributed among his personal staff.


Succession struggle against Sun Ba and deposal

Sun He's mother,
Lady Wang Lady Wang (王夫人) is a character in the classic Chinese 18th century novel ''Dream of the Red Chamber''. She is the wife of Jia Zheng, and mother of Jia Zhu (dead at the start of the novel), Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu. She is the elder sis ...
, was not on good terms with Sun Quan's eldest daughter, Sun Luban. As a result, Sun Luban disliked her half-brother, Sun He. On one occasion, Sun Quan could not attend a ceremony at the imperial ancestral temple because he was sick, so he ordered Sun He to take his place. Zhang Xiu, an uncle of Sun He's wife Crown Princess Zhang (), lived near the imperial ancestral temple so he invited Sun He to stay at his residence during that period. Sun Luban sent her servants to spy on Sun He and reported to her father that Sun He was not in the imperial ancestral temple and was instead staying with his in-laws and plotting something. She also used the opportunity to slander Sun He's mother, Lady Wang, whom she had a feud with, by telling Sun Quan that Lady Wang expressed glee when she heard that Sun Quan was sick. Sun Quan believed his daughter and became furious with Lady Wang. Lady Wang later died in distress. Sun He also fell out of his father's favour as a result and he became worried that his father would remove him from his position as Crown Prince. Sometime in the 240s, Sun He became embroiled in a power struggle against his fourth brother, Sun Ba, the Prince of Lu, who wanted to seize the position of Crown Prince from him. In fact, it was Sun Quan himself who sowed the seeds of the conflict between his third and fourth sons. Although Sun Quan had already made Sun He the Crown Prince in 242, he also treated Sun Ba exceptionally well. After discussing among themselves, some officials strongly urged Sun Quan to ensure that Confucian rules of propriety were followed and upheld. For example, Sun He should be accorded greater honours and privileges as compared to Sun Ba because he, as the Crown Prince, was in a higher position compared to the other princes. However, Sun Quan failed to make a clear distinction between his sons, so the power struggle intensified over time as Sun He and Sun Ba started vying for their father's favour and attention. Two opposing factions also emerged from among Sun Quan's subjects: On one side,
Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...
,
Zhuge Ke Zhuge Ke (203 – November or December 253), courtesy name Yuanxun (元逊), was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Zhuge Jin, a military gene ...
,
Gu Tan Gu Tan ( 205–246), courtesy name Zimo, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Family background Gu Tan's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. Th ...
,
Zhu Ju Zhu Ju (194–250), courtesy name Zifan, was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. A son-in-law of Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan, Zhu Ju served briefly as the fifth Imperial Cha ...
,
Teng Yin Teng Yin (died 8 November 256), courtesy name Chengsi, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Teng Yin plotted the assassination of regent Sun Chen. However, Sun Chen discovered the plot, acc ...
,
Shi Ji ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...
, Ding Mi () and
Wu Can Wu Can (died 245), courtesy name Kongxiu, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life and service under Sun Ce Wu Can was from Wucheng County (烏程縣), Wu Commandery (吳郡), which is part ...
believed that Sun He was the rightful heir apparent so they supported him. On the other side,
Bu Zhi Bu Zhi (died June or July 247), courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the wa ...
,
Lü Dai Lü Dai (161 – 21 October 256), courtesy name Dinggong, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Lü Dai started his career as a minor official in his h ...
,
Quan Cong Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249), courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong ...
,
Lü Ju Lü Ju (died 12 November 256), courtesy name Shiyi, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Lü Fan, a general who served under Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu ...
, Sun Hong (), Quan Ji (), Yang Zhu (), Wu An () and Sun Qi () supported Sun Ba. Quan Ji and Yang Zhu, in particular, frequently spoke ill of Sun He in front of Sun Quan. As the power struggle intensified, Sun Quan grew tired of it and told Sun Jun that he was worried that the power struggle would end up in a civil war like the one between
Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred to ...
's sons. He wanted to end the power struggle and designate a new heir apparent, so he started taking action against some of the officials involved:
Wu Can Wu Can (died 245), courtesy name Kongxiu, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life and service under Sun Ce Wu Can was from Wucheng County (烏程縣), Wu Commandery (吳郡), which is part ...
was imprisoned and executed later;
Gu Tan Gu Tan ( 205–246), courtesy name Zimo, was an official of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Family background Gu Tan's ancestral home was in Wu County, Wu Commandery, which is present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu. Th ...
was exiled to
Jiao Province Jiaozhou (; Wade–Giles: Chiao1-Cho1; vi, Giao Châu) was an imperial Chinese province under the Han and Jin dynasties. Under the Han, the area included Liangguang and northern Vietnam but Guangdong was later separated to form the province of ...
; Yang Zhu was executed and his body dumped into the river; Quan Ji, Wu An and Sun Qi were executed. The historian
Pei Songzhi Pei Songzhi (372–451), courtesy name Shiqi, was a Chinese historian and politician who lived in the late Eastern Jin dynasty and Liu Song dynasty. His ancestral home was in Wenxi County, Shanxi, but he moved to the Jiangnan region later. He i ...
, who
annotated An annotation is extra information associated with a particular point in a document or other piece of information. It can be a note that includes a comment or explanation. Annotations are sometimes presented in the margin of book pages. For ann ...
Sun He's biography in the ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
'', drew comparisons between the Sun He–Sun Ba succession struggle and other similar conflicts such as the one between
Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred to ...
's sons and
Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...
's sons. He commented that Sun Quan was worse than Yuan Shao and Liu Biao because, unlike Yuan Shao and Liu Biao who defied traditional norms of succession and made it clear that they wanted a younger son to succeed them, Sun Quan created ambiguity and uncertainty when he favoured Sun Ba despite having already designated Sun He as his heir apparent. Pei Songzhi criticised
Bu Zhi Bu Zhi (died June or July 247), courtesy name Zishan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a scholar of humble background, he became a subordinate of the wa ...
,
Lü Dai Lü Dai (161 – 21 October 256), courtesy name Dinggong, was a military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the late Eastern Han dynasty, Lü Dai started his career as a minor official in his h ...
and
Quan Cong Quan Cong (196–247 or 198–249), courtesy name Zihuang, was a Chinese military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in present-day Hangzhou towards the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Quan Cong ...
for supporting Sun Ba because he deemed Sun Ba's claim to the succession as illegitimate. He also remarked that this incident had a huge negative impact on Bu Zhi in particular, because Bu Zhi had a reputation for being virtuous and generous. After carefully considering some time, Sun Quan ordered Sun He to be put under
house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...
. When
Zhu Ju Zhu Ju (194–250), courtesy name Zifan, was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. A son-in-law of Wu's founding emperor Sun Quan, Zhu Ju served briefly as the fifth Imperial Cha ...
, Qu Huang () and some other officials heard about it, they covered their heads in mud, tied themselves up, and came to plead with Sun Quan to release Sun He. When Sun Quan saw them, he felt angry and scolded them for creating a disturbance. Later, he had the intention of deposing Sun He and replacing him with
Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...
, his youngest son. Two officials, Chen Zheng () and Chen Xiang (), wrote a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
to Sun Quan, citing the historical example of
Shensheng Shensheng (, died 20 February 655 BCESima Qian records the day of Shensheng's suicide as the ''wushen'' day (午申; day 45) of the twelfth month according to the Jin calendar (Sima Qian, 39:1646). This was during the spring according to the Lu c ...
and
Xiqi Xiqi (, 665–651 BC) was briefly the ruler of the Jin (Chinese state), State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. He was the son of Duke Xian of Jin and his favored concubine Li Ji (concubine), Li Ji, and later replaced ...
to warn Sun Quan that changing the Crown Prince could lead to a civil war in the future. Zhu Ju and Qu Huang also repeatedly pressured Sun Quan to pardon Sun He. Sun Quan got fed up with them, so he executed Chen Zheng and Chen Xiang and had Zhu Ju and Qu Huang flogged 100 times. Qu Huang was later removed from office and sent back to his home town, while Zhu Ju was demoted and later tricked by Sun Hong (), a supporter of Sun Ba, into committing suicide. Zhang Chun (), one of Sun He's subordinates who also repeatedly begged Sun Quan to spare Sun He, was imprisoned and later executed. In September or October 250, Sun Quan deposed Sun He from his position as Crown Prince and relocated him to Guzhang County (故鄣縣; northwest of present-day
Anji County () is a county in the prefecture-level city of Huzhou in northwestern Zhejiang province, China. The county spans an area of , with a population of 461,800 as of the end of 2013. Located within the Yangtze River Delta, Anji County is a short dis ...
,
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
). He also forced Sun Ba to commit suicide. Sun He's personal staff, numbering dozens, met different fates as some were executed while others were exiled or dismissed. Many people thought that it was a grave injustice to Sun He and his personal staff. In December 250 or January 251, Sun Quan designated his youngest son,
Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...
, as the new Crown Prince to replace Sun He.


Life after being deposed

When Sun Quan became critically ill between 250 and 252, he regretted his decision to depose Sun He and thought of restoring Sun He as Crown Prince. However, Sun Luban, Sun Jun, Sun Hong () and others strongly objected to it, so he dismissed the idea. In late January or February 252, Sun Quan made Sun He the Prince of Nanyang (), with Changsha Commandery (長沙郡; around present-day
Changsha Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
,
Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to ...
) as his princedom. During his journey from Guzhang County to Changsha, Sun He saw a magpie's nest on a wall. Some people interpreted this as a sign that disaster would befall Sun He, while others thought that it was an auspicious sign since Sun He had now been restored to noble status after being deposed. After Sun Quan's death in May 252, his youngest son
Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...
succeeded him as the new emperor, with
Zhuge Ke Zhuge Ke (203 – November or December 253), courtesy name Yuanxun (元逊), was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the eldest son of Zhuge Jin, a military gene ...
serving as the regent because the emperor was still too young at the time. Zhuge Ke was a maternal uncle of Sun He's wife, the former Crown Princess Zhang. The former crown princess sent a messenger, Chen Qian (), to the imperial capital Jianye (present-day
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) to meet Zhuge Ke. Before Chen Qian left, Zhuge Ke told him, "Please tell her that in a matter of time, I'll make her greater than others." There were rumours that Zhuge Ke wanted to depose Sun Liang and put Sun He on the throne. His behaviour became even more suspicious when he floated the idea of moving the imperial capital from Jianye to Wuchang (武昌; present-day
Ezhou Ezhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,079,353, of which 695,697 lived in the core Echeng District. The Ezhou - Huanggang built-up (''or metro'') area was home ...
,
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
). In November or December 253, after Zhuge Ke was overthrown and assassinated in a ''coup d'état'', Sun Jun became the new regent for Sun Liang. Sun Jun demoted Sun He back to commoner status, had him relocated to Xindu Commandery (新都郡; around present-day
Yi County, Anhui Yi County or Yixian () is a county in the southeast of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, under the jurisdiction of Huangshan City. It has a population of and an area of . The government of Yi County is located in Biyang Town. The village ...
), and then sent an emissary to force Sun He to commit suicide. As Sun He bid farewell to his wife, the former Crown Princess Zhang, before taking his own life, she told him, "I'll accompany you through thick and thin; I won't continue living on my own." She followed suit after he committed suicide. Sun He's concubine,
Lady He The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
, asked, "If we all die, who is going to raise the children?" She did not take her own life and lived on to raise
Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
(her son with Sun He) and his three younger brothers.


Posthumous honours

In 264, after Sun He's son,
Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
, became the fourth emperor of Eastern Wu, he honoured his father with the
posthumous title A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...
"Emperor Wen" () and had him reburied at the Ming Mausoleum (), with officials and 200 households to watch over and maintain the tomb. In February or March 266, he separated nine counties from
Wu Commandery Wu Commandery was a commandery of imperial China. It covers parts of the contemporary Northern Zhejiang and Southern Jiangsu. The capital of Wu commandery was Wu (today's Suzhou). Major counties of Wu commandery include Wu (county), Yuhang county, ...
and Danyang Commandery () to form a new
commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...
, Wuxing Commandery (), with its capital at Wucheng County (烏程縣; south of present-day Huzhou,
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
). He appointed an Administrator () to govern Wuxing Commandery and put him in charge of the organising the ceremonies to honour his father every season. In August 267, Sun Hao heeded a suggestion from one of his officials to build a temple in the imperial capital, Jianye (present-day
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
), to honour his father. He then put
Xue Xu Xue Xu (died 271) was an official and military general of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Life Xue Xu's ancestral home was in Zhuyi County (竹邑縣), Pei Commandery (沛郡), which is around present-day S ...
in charge of overseeing the construction of the temple, which was named "Qing Temple" (). In January 268, he ordered Imperial Counsellor Meng Ren () and Minister of Ceremonies Yao Xin () to lead 2,000 troops to the Ming Mausoleum as part of an entourage to "escort" Sun He's spirit from the mausoleum to the temple. When the entourage reached Jianye, Sun He kept asking the priest conducting the ceremony about the condition of his father's spirit. After the priest told him that his father looked just the same as when he was still alive, Sun Hao shed tears of both sadness and joy and later rewarded his subjects. Sun Hao also ordered the Imperial Chancellor
Lu Kai Lu Kai (198 – December 269 or January 270), courtesy name Jingfeng, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in the influential Lu clan of the Wu region toward ...
to oversee the sacrificing of animals in the neighbouring villages as offerings to his father's spirit. That night, Sun Hao slept outside Jianye. The following day, Sun Hao appeared very sad when his father's spirit was being enshrined in the temple. Over the subsequent days, he kept visiting the temple – three times within seven days – to pay respects to his father's spirit, and even ordered singers and dancers to entertain his father's spirit day and night. He only stopped doing so when an official told him that the entire ceremony would lose its sacredness if he performed it excessively.


Family

Sun He had at least four sons – Sun Jun (),
Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
, Sun De () and Sun Qian (). Sun Jun was born to Sun He's wife Crown Princess Zhang (a daughter of Zhang Cheng), while Sun Hao was born to Sun He's concubine
Lady He The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Inform ...
. It is not known who the mothers of Sun De and Sun Qian were, except that they were probably Sun He's concubines. In 258, after Sun Quan's sixth son,
Sun Xiu Sun Xiu (235 – 3 September 264), courtesy name Zilie, formally known as Emperor Jing of Wu, was the third emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Early life Sun Xiu was born in 235 to Wu's founding emper ...
, replaced
Sun Liang Sun Liang (245–260), courtesy name Ziming, was the second emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the youngest son and heir of Sun Quan, the founding emperor of Wu. He is also known as the Prince of ...
as the new Wu emperor, he enfeoffed Sun He's eldest son,
Sun Hao Sun Hao (243 – January or February 284), courtesy name Yuanzong, originally named Sun Pengzu with the courtesy name Haozong, was the fourth and last emperor of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the son ...
, as the Marquis of Wucheng () with his marquisate in Xindu Commandery (新都郡; around present-day
Yi County, Anhui Yi County or Yixian () is a county in the southeast of Anhui Province, People's Republic of China, under the jurisdiction of Huangshan City. It has a population of and an area of . The government of Yi County is located in Biyang Town. The village ...
). Sun Xiu also enfeoffed Sun De and Sun Qian as the Marquis of Qiantang () and Marquis of Yong'an () respectively, and appointed Sun Jun as a Cavalry Commandant (). In 264, following Sun Xiu's death, Sun Hao succeeded him as the fourth emperor of Eastern Wu. ;Sun Jun Sun Jun had a reputation for being intelligent and bright, Sun Hao feared that he would pose a threat to him, so he found an excuse to have Sun Jun executed. ;Sun De Sun De's eventual fate remains unknown. He probably died early, or else Sun Hao might have purged him too. ;Sun Qian In late September or October 265, Sun Hao moved the imperial capital from Jianye (present-day
Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
,
Jiangsu Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, Postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an Eastern China, eastern coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China. It is o ...
) to Wuchang (武昌; present-day
Ezhou Ezhou () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Hubei Province, China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 1,079,353, of which 695,697 lived in the core Echeng District. The Ezhou - Huanggang built-up (''or metro'') area was home ...
,
Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
) and left Imperial Counsellor Ding Gu () and General of the Right
Zhuge Jing Zhuge Jing (fl. 257-284), courtesy name Zhongsi, was a Chinese military general and politician of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Though originally from Cao Wei, he was sent to Wu as a hostage during the rebellion of his ...
in charge of Jianye. During this time, due to Sun Hao's tyrannical and oppressive rule, one Shi Dan () from Wuxing Commandery (吳興郡; around present-day Huzhou,
Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiang ...
) rallied about 10,000 men and started a rebellion. The rebels took Sun Qian hostage and headed towards Jianye, where they intended to make Sun Qian the new emperor. When they were some 30 ''li'' away from Jianye, Sun Qian issued a decree to Ding Gu and Zhuge Jing, ordering them to submit to him. Zhuge Jing executed Sun Qian's messenger. When the rebels were about nine ''li'' away from Jianye, Ding Gu and Zhuge Jing led government forces from Jianye to attack them. As the rebels did not have body armour to protect themselves, they abandoned Sun Qian, who was sitting in a carriage, and fled at the sight of armoured soldiers marching towards them. Ding Gu and Zhuge Jing took Sun Qian captive but did not dare to execute him, so they sent a messenger to Wuchang to ask Sun Hao what to do with him. Sun Hao ordered Sun Qian and Sun Qian's mother to be poisoned to death. ;Sun He's daughter Sun He also had a daughter who was born to Crown Princess Zhang ( Zhang Cheng's daughter). She married
Lu Jing Lu Jing (250–280), courtesy name Shiren, was a Chinese military general and writer of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the second son of Lu Kang and a grandson of Lu Xun. Life Lu Jing's mother was ...
, who was born to Lu Kang and another daughter of Zhang Cheng; both Sun He's daughter and Lu Jing therefore were Zhang Cheng's maternal grandchildren.(景字士仁,以尚公主拜騎都尉, ... 景妻,孫皓適妹,與景俱張承外孫也。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 58.


See also

* Eastern Wu family trees#Sun He (Zixiao) *
Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms The following are lists of people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of Chinese history. Their names in Mandarin pinyin are sorted in alphabetical order. Fictional characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of ...


Notes


References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''
Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...
'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Pei, Songzhi (5th century). ''
Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms () by Pei Songzhi (372-451) is an annotation completed in the 5th century of the 3rd century historical text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', compiled by Chen Shou. After leaving his native land, Pei ...
'' (''Sanguozhi zhu''). {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, He Eastern Wu imperial princes 224 births 253 deaths People from Ezhou Suicides in Eastern Wu Forced suicides of Chinese people Executed Eastern Wu people People executed by Eastern Wu 3rd-century executions Family of Sun Quan Heirs apparent who never acceded