Huo Guang was the minister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and he had the power to depose the emperor, and his power leaned towards the government and the opposition. However, three years after his death, the entire family was wiped out. It was his elected Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty Liu Xun (who was called sick before he was called emperor), the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the grandson of Prince Wei (known as Prince Wei after his death) born to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Empress Wei Zifu.
Why did the Huo Guang family end up like this? Was Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty crossing the river and demolishing the bridge and being ungrateful? No. The direct reason is related to Mrs. Huo Guang's extreme greed, and what she did behind Huo Guang's back laid the root for the demise of the family.
Huo Guang is the half-brother of the general Huo Quai. Their father, Huo Zhongru, worked at the house of Princess Pingyang, Hedong, the sister of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and had an affair with Wei Shao'er (who later became the sister of Empress Wei Zifu of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty), who was also working at the princess's house, and gave birth to Huo Quai. From the perspective of relatives, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was Huo Quai's great uncle.
Huo Zhongru later left Princess Pingyang's house, went home to marry a wife, and gave birth to Huo Guang. Huo Qubing didn't know who his father was at first, and later became a hussar general and led a large army to attack the Xiongnu, passing through Hedong, meeting his biological father, and buying him a lot of fields and servants when he left. When Huo Qu came back from illness, he passed through Hedong and brought his younger brother Huo Guang to Chang'an to serve in the court. Huo Guang's starting point in life is very high.
When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was dying, he appointed the 8-year-old Fu Ling (later Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty), the son born to him and Mrs. Gou Yi, as the crown prince. Huo Guang was loyal and cautious all his life, and Emperor Wu entrusted him to take care of the young emperor in his later years. In the "Book of Han", it is said that Huo Guang has been in and out of the palace for more than 20 years, has always been cautious, waiting for the emperor, and has no fault. However, his family's extravagance and lasciviousness led to the rapid collapse of the foundation he had built throughout his life.
Huo Guang himself was loyal to the Liu regime. Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty died at the age of 23 and had no descendants. Huo Guang and others established Liu He, the king of Changyi (the owner of the tomb of the Marquis of Nanchang Haiyang excavated a few years ago) as the emperor. Liu He did not cherish the opportunity, he did nothing wrong, and he was excessive, Huo Guang soon abolished him, and the great-grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the grandson of Prince Er, and the son of Liu Jin became the emperor when he became the emperor, and he was Emperor Xuan of Han, the lord of Zhongxing. Huo Guang once said to Liu He: "Chenning is the king, but he doesn't dare to lose Sheji." ”
As early as the time of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, Huo Guang was in an important position and won the trust of the emperor. Huo Guang's son Huo Yu and Huo Quai's grandson Huo Yun are both Zhonglang generals, Huo Yun's younger brother Huo Shan is the captain of Fengche and Shizhong, in charge of the armies of Hu and Yue, Huo Guang's two sons-in-law are the guards of the east and west palaces, and his brothers, sons-in-law, and grandsons all hold various official positions in the imperial court"The party is conjoined by relatives, according to the imperial court".。After Huo Guang established Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty, his power was even more prosperous. After Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, Huo Guang wanted to return to the emperor, but Emperor Xuan of Han was affected by Huo Guang's power and humbly refused to accept it. At that time, many things were consulted to Huo Guang first, and then reported to the emperor. At this time, the Huo family combined political power and military power.
Huo Guang is already a very popular minister, but his wife Huo Xian (with her husband's surname) feels that there are still regrets, if the youngest daughter Chengjun can be the queen, wouldn't this be more perfect! Mrs. Huo Guang was looking for an opportunity. There are two flowers, one on each branch. After Emperor Xuan of Han ascended the throne, he appointed his wife Xu Pingjun as empress. Xu Pingjun came from a humble background, and her father Xu Guanghan was also punished by the palace for his crimes. In Mrs. Huo's opinion, this is too disproportionate and not in line with etiquette.
So, how could a dignified emperor climb such a relative? This also starts with the tortuous fate of Emperor Xuan. Emperor Xuan of Han's grandfather was Liu Ju, the prince of Wei, who was born to Emperor Wu of Han and Empress Wei Zifu, who committed suicide because he was framed by the witch Gu incident constructed by Jiang Chong. In this incident, three sons and one daughter born to the crown prince, as well as many wives and concubines, were all killed, including Liu Jin, the father of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty. Only one person survived, that is, Liu Jinshang's infant son was sick (after becoming emperor, he changed his name to Xun). At the time of this incident, he was only a few months old and was also imprisoned as a minor prisoner. At that time, the person who tried the witch Gu case was called Bingji, and he knew that Prince Wei had no intention of rebelling, and he felt very sorry for this little baby who was born tragically, so he found two loyal maids, Hu Group and Guo Zhengqing, to feed the sick together.
A wave has not settled, and another wave has risen. At that time, a person who was good at watching the sky said that there was a heavenly weather in the sky above Chang'an Prison. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very vigilant about this, and sent people to Chang'an Prison and ordered that all prisoners should be killed, regardless of the severity of the crime. When Emperor Wu's envoy Guo Sui arrived at the place where he was already sick, Bingji refused to open the door and said to Guo Sui"The emperor's great-grandson is here, and no one else can die innocently, let alone the emperor's great-grandson?" ”Bingji confronted the messenger until dawn and refused to let him in. Guo Sui went back to report to Emperor Wu and **Bingji. At this time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also woke up a little, saying that "this is the will of heaven", and therefore granted amnesty to the world, in fact, he gave the sick a legal right to live.
Now it is speculated that it is estimated that the rumor that Prince Wei's grandson is living in prison has long been rumored, and some people want to cut down the grass and eradicate the roots, pretending to be a hopeful person. Fortunately, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty is not old and confused, and he also intends to leave a descendant of the Liu family to continue the incense of the prince, after all, there is no clear evidence that the prince fell into the witch Gu incident and rebelled. When he was old, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty knew that the prince was innocent, so he destroyed Jiang Chong's family and built a palace.
After the death of Emperor Wu, the political environment was relaxed, and the illness was included in the imperial register, and he enjoyed the treatment of the royal son, but because he was a sinner, his status and treatment were not high. At that time, there was a court ** named Zhang He, who used to be a guest of Prince Wei, and was also implicated in the witch Gu incident. His younger brother Zhang An wrote to Emperor Wu to rescue him, and Zhang He accepted the palace punishment in exchange for his life. Zhang He was still grateful to Prince Wei, sympathized with the suffering of the sick, seriously raised the sick, often gave him money and helped, and taught him to read. When he grew up, he wanted to marry his granddaughter to him.
At this time, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty was in power, and Zhang Anshi was the right general, and when he heard that his brother was going to marry his granddaughter to the sick, he was very angry and said"After the emperor's great-grandson is Prince Wei, it is not easy to get food and clothing from the royal family as an ordinary person, which is already very good, don't talk about the marriage of your granddaughter anymore." ”Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty became the emperor because of the suicide of Prince Wei, Zhang Anshi was the ** in the court of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, and Zhang He was a guest of Prince Wei. Even if Zhang Anshi doesn't think about his future, he also has to consider the situation of his illness.
There was a man named Xu Guanghan in the court, who was punished by the palace for breaking the law and was on an errand in the court. Zhang He saw that his granddaughter was getting married and things were not working, so he invited Xu Guanghan to drink, and when the wine was hot, he said to Xu Guanghan"The emperor's great-grandson is a close relative of the emperor, and at worst, he can be crowned a marquis of Guannei, and you can marry your daughter to him." ”Xu Guanghan agreed. The next day, Xu Guanghan's wife found out, but she was furious. There are unknown reasons here.
Xu Guanghan's daughter is called Pingjun, who was fourteen or fifteen years old at the time, and had already been married to a family surnamed Ouhou as a daughter-in-law. Just as she was about to get married, her fiancé died suddenly. Xu Guanghan's wife asked her daughter to calculate a hexagram, saying that her daughter had a noble life, and she was overjoyed. Now when she heard her husband say that she wanted to marry her promising daughter to a vain great-grandson of the emperor, she was naturally very angry. However, Xu Guanghan was unmoved, and re-hired someone to be a matchmaker, marrying his daughter to the sick man, and the dowry was given by Zhang He.
Long story short. Later, with the support of Huo Guang, he suddenly became the emperor, and his fate changed dramatically. Xu Guanghan's daughter Pingjun was named Jieyu. At that time, some ministers thought that Xu Pingjun's status was low, and her father had also been punished by the palace, and felt that Huo Guang's youngest daughter Chengjun was more worthy of the emperor, but he didn't say it clearly.
However, the emperor has his own opinions, and the wife of the chaff does not go to court. He was very clever and did not speak his mind directly, but simply asked people to find a sword that had been used when he was lowly. Pink for beauties, swords for heroes. The minister had a good heart, so he asked the emperor to appoint Xu Jieyu as the queen.
This was a heavy blow to Mrs. Huo, but she did not give up. In the third year of Emperor Xuan of Han's reign, Empress Xu became pregnant and had minor illnesses from time to time. Chun Yuyan, the imperial physician of the court, often entered the palace to serve the queen, and she became friends with Mrs. Huo. At that time, Chun Yuyan's husband was a janitor in the palace and asked her to visit Mrs. Huo and seek to be the administrator of Anchi. Chun Yuyan met Mrs. Huo in person and said what she asked for. Mrs. Huo felt that the opportunity had come and asked Chun Yuyan to make a deal with her. Chun Yuyan said: "What's the matter? Mrs. Huo said: "When a woman gives birth to a child, she will die for ten lifetimes." Now that the queen is about to give birth, you can take the opportunity to poison Queen Xu, and Chengjun can become the queen. After the deed is done, I will share the glory and wealth with you. "The deal was straightforward and naked!
Chun Yuyan said: "Poison is difficult to match, and you have to taste it first, how can you get it?" Mrs. Huo said, "It's all up to you." general huo rules the world , who dares to say a word ? In case there is an emergency, it can protect you, but I am afraid that you have no intention of doing it. After Chun Yuyan got Mrs. Huo's assurance, he immediately took action. She prepared the poison, brought it into the palace, and gave it to the queen. After a while, Queen Xu said, "I feel very dizzy, is the medicine poisonous?" Chun Yuyan said: "No." Empress Xu became even more dizzy and soon died.
Empress Xu died suddenly, and someone wrote to the court doctor to tell the queen that he was not satisfied with serving the queen. Emperor Xuan ordered an investigation and imprisoned all the doctors on charges of great treachery. Mrs. Huo was very scared and told Huo Guang the truth. Huo Guang was shocked and wanted to report himself, but he couldn't bear it, hesitated again and again, and finally didn't say anything, and later took an opportunity to propose to exempt Chun Yuyan from his crime. This time it was a thrill, Mrs. Huo persuaded Huo Guang to marry her daughter to the emperor, and finally her dream came true.
In the spring of 68 BC, Huo Guang died of illness. The emperor arranged a grand funeral for Huo Guang, and worshiped Huo Guang's son Huo Yu as the right general, and named Huo Shan, the grandson of Huo Guang's brother Huo Quai, as the Marquis of Leping, and gave the children of the Huo family generous treatment to repay Huo Guang's kindness. The excessive concentration of power in the Huo Guang family has already aroused the vigilance of the minister, but the time is not ripe. After Huo Guang's death, Wei Xiang, the imperial historian, wrote to the emperor, asking for a reduction in the power of the Huo family. At the same time, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty began to govern in person and made great efforts.
In 67 BC, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty made Liu Zheng the crown prince – the later Emperor Yuan. This was the first son he had with Xu Pingjun before he became emperor. Hearing the news, Mrs. Huo was so angrysaid: "This is the son he gave birth to when he was not an emperor, how can he be a prince?" If the queen has a son in the future, can she only be the king? ”So, Mrs. Huo repeated her old trick and taught Queen Huo to poison the prince. Queen Huo summoned the prince to eat many times, but the nanny tasted it first, but the poison plan was unsuccessful.
After Huo Guang's death, the Huo family was extremely luxurious from Queen Huo to ordinary slaves, doing everything, flying and domineering, and Mrs. Huo also had adultery with Feng Zi, a slave who Huo Guang favored during his lifetime. The servants of the Huo family argued with the servants of the Wei Xiang family, the master of the imperial history, but they were so angry that they kicked the door of the imperial history mansion, and the imperial history also came out to kowtow to him and apologize. The crisis is approaching, and even the Huo family can feel it.
After Emperor Xuan personally took power, he trusted Wei Xiang, the imperial historian, very much. Wei Xiang wrote to the emperor, not through Huo Shan, who was the secretary of the book at the time, but had a separate communication channel for advancement. The Huo family hated this very much. Because Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty came from a humble background, he was very familiar with the affairs of the Huo family and the governance of the officials, and he also heard rumors that the Huo family had poisoned the queen. He remained silent and began to clean up the Huo family. Within a few months, Huo Guang's sons, nephews, and sons-in-law were transferred, degraded, and power-cut, and important positions such as the army, city gates, and palace guards were arranged with their own people.
Mrs. Huo, Huo Yu, Huo Shan, Huo Yun and others were resentful when they saw that their power was constantly deprived. Huo Shan also heard the folk rumor that "the Huo family poisoned the queen", but expressed skepticism. Mrs. Huo realized that her family's situation was becoming more and more dangerous, so she told the truth. Huo Yu, Huo Shan, and Huo Yun were shocked when they heard this, and finally understood the real reason why the Huo family was deprived of power, and decided to take a risk and prepare to rebel.
Huo Shan suggested setting up a Hongmen banquet, and the empress dowager (Huo Guang's granddaughter, the empress of Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty) set up a banquet for Emperor Xuan's maternal grandmother Bo Pingjun Shi Liangdi, and summoned Prime Minister Wei Xiang and Emperor Xuan's father-in-law Pingenhou Xu Guanghan to the banquet, so that Huo Guang's two sons-in-law Fan Mingyou and Deng Guanghan would kill them at the banquet, abolish the Son of Heaven, and make Huo Yu the emperor. However, the conspiracy was discovered before it could be carried out. Huo Yun, Huo Shan, and Fan Mingyou committed suicide in fear of crime, and Mrs. Huo, Huo Yu, and Deng Guanghan** were killed. Empress Huo was deposed and committed suicide 12 years later. There are dozens of families involved in the Huo family and destroyed. The Huo family, which was built by Huo Qubing and carried forward by Huo Guang, was completely wiped out overnight.
The Book of Han records that there was a rumor among the people at that time that Emperor Xuan went to visit the high temple after he ascended the throne, and Huo Guang did a ride, and Emperor Xuan was very afraid of him, and he was like a thorn in his back. Later, when Zhang Anshi was replaced as a ride, Emperor Xuan felt very comfortable. The disaster of the Huo family's demise germinated at this time. In fact, this reason is not valid. Although Emperor Xuan of Han was very jealous and afraid of Huo Guang, and did not like Huo Guang's family to be too powerful, he still respected him. After Huo Guang's death, the grief was extremely prosperous. After Emperor Xuan came to power, he really wanted to reduce the power of the Huo Guang family, but not to exterminate the clan.
Huo Guang himself is a loyal, steady, cautious and even a little wooden person. There is one thing to illustrate. When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was old, he favored Mrs. Gouyi and wanted to make her son the crown prince. At that time, the crown prince was young, and he looked at the ministers and felt that only Huo Guang could entrust the affairs of the state. So he asked someone to draw a picture and gave it to Huo Guang, the content of which was the story of Zhou Gong carrying King Zhou Cheng behind his back to see the courtiers, that is, Huo Guang wanted to follow Zhou Gong and assist the young emperor. Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was seriously ill, and Huo Guang asked Emperor Wu, "Who can inherit the throne?" Emperor Wu said, "Don't you understand the meaning of the painting that was given to you earlier?" It is to set up a younger son, and you will do the things of Zhou Gong. ”
Later, Su Shi commented: "Fu Huo Guang is not enough and has more than enough temperament, and this Emperor Wu does what he does." ......Huo Guang is the handle of life and death with the slightest master, and he is the master of the people, and he is shocked in the world. Therefore, the three masters of the past and the end of their bodies in the world are not with the fighter, with their no other skills, and Emperor Wu also took it from it? "Maybe Huo Guang is really disciplined but not talented, maybe he is wise and foolish, and clever and clumsy.
Ban Gu commented: "Huo Guang was entrusted by the swaddling clothes, and was sent by the Han family, Kuang Guoguo, An Sheji, supporting Zhao, and Lixuan, although Zhou Gong and Ah Heng added this. However, the light does not learn and has no skills, and he is in Dali, his wife is evil, and he is the queen of his daughter, and he is overflowing with desire to increase the disaster of subversion, and he has only been dead for three years, and the clan is punished, and he is sad. ”It means that although Huo Guang is an important minister of the state, he does not know how to learn, does not know Dali, is not good at governing the family, connives, and raises carbuncles, which eventually leads to the destruction of the family and the extinction of the family. Bangu's assessment is justified.
In the sixth year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (123 BC), Huo Qu was sick and became a marquis; In the second year of Yuanzhan (121 BC), he led the cavalry to defeat the Xiongnu, returned triumphantly, and brought Huo Guang to Chang'an to serve; In the fourth year of Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty (66 B.C.), the Huo family perished. The Huo family went from prosperity to prosperity to decline in only 57 years.
In history, some prominent families only flourished for a while, and did not last long, not only because of the sinister government and frequent wars, but also because the descendants did not cultivate themselves and establish morality, were arrogant and lascivious, and acted recklessly, so that they quickly went into decline. The Huo Guang family can be used as a reference.