Refusing the Seat - Anonymous painter during the Song dynasty

Yuan Ang ( Chinese: , ''Yuán Àng''; died 148 BC) was a Han minister who served the

emperors An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

Wen Wen, wen, or WEN may refer to: * WEN, New York Stock Exchange symbol for Wendy's/Arby's Group * WEN, Amtrak station code for Columbia Station in Wenatchee, Washington, United States * WEN, ICAO airline designator for WestJet Encore * Wen (surnam ...

and Jing. His biography appears in the ''

Records of the Grand Historian ''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 his ...

'' and a parallel one is included in the ''

Book of Han The ''Book of Han'' or ''History of the Former Han'' (Qián Hàn Shū,《前汉书》) is a history of China finished in 111AD, covering the Western, or Former Han dynasty from the first emperor in 206 BCE to the fall of Wang Mang in 23 CE. ...

''. During the

Rebellion of the Seven States The Rebellion of the Seven States or Revolt of the Seven Kingdoms () took place in 154 BC against the Han dynasty of China by its regional semi-autonomous kings, to resist the emperor's attempt to centralize the government further. Background ...

, he had advised Emperor Jing to execute

Chao Cuo Chao Cuo (, ca. 200–154 BC) was a Chinese philosopher, politician, and writer. He was a political advisor and official of the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), renowned for his intellectual capabilities and foresight in martial and politic ...

, with whom he was at loggerheads with. He was assassinated in 148 BC when his suggestions irritated Emperor Jing's powerful brother Liu Wu, the Prince of Liang, by assassins sent by Prince Wu. Yuan had advised against making Prince Wu Emperor Jing's successor.

Story about Yuan Ang

Yuan Ang was a minister under Emperor Wen of the Han dynasty. He was honest and outspoken, but was often vilified by the eunuch Zhao Tan who, thanks to his knowledge of

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

, had found favor with the emperor. Yuan Ang was upset. "You need to humiliate the eunuch in public," his nephew suggested. "Then the emperor will stop listening to his slanders." One day the emperor was going out and the eunuch Zhao Tan was seated by his side in the royal carriage. Yuan Ang came across them at the gate of the palace. "It's a great honor to ride with Your Majesty," he said. "Only those who have outstanding merits and abilities should be given such honor. But we don't have many such people. I wonder why Your Majesty allows a eunuch to sit by your side." Emperor Wen chuckled and ordered Eunuch Zhao Tan to get off his carriage. The latter was so humiliated, he was on the edge of tears. Since then, no matter how he bad-mouthed Yuan Ang, the emperor turned a deaf ear to his words.

References

*''

'', volume 101 Han dynasty politicians 148 BC deaths Assassinated Chinese politicians Year of birth unknown {{China-politician-stub