Early life of Gaozu of Liang
With the short biography of his mother, Zhang Shangrou. (From LS01 and LS07)
[LS01]
The Exalted Founder [gaozu], the Martial [wu] August Emperor, taboo Yan, courtesy name Shudai, child name Lian'er, was a native of Zhongdu Village in Nanlanling. He was a descendant of Han's Chancellor of State, He. He begat Marquis Ding of Zan, Yan. Yan begat the Attendant-at-Centre Biao. Biao begat Excellency office staff member Zhang. Zhang begat Hui. Hui begat Yang. Yang begat the Grand Tutor to the Heir-Apparent, Wangzhi. Wangzhi begate the Brilliantly Blessed Grandee Yu. Yu begat the Central Assistant to the Steering Clerk, Shao, Shao begat the Superintendent of the Brilliantly Blessed, Hong. Hong begat the Grand Warden of Jiyin, Chan. Chan begat the Grand Warden of Wu commandery, Bing. Bing begat the Chancellor of Zhongshan, Bao. Bao begat the Broad Scholar Zhou. Zhou begat the Chief of Sheqiu, Jiao. Jiao begat the provincial Assistant Officer, Kui. Kui begot Filial and Upright, Xiu. Xiu begat the Assistant of Guangling Commandery, Bao. Bao begat the Grand Centre Grandee Yi. Yi begat the Prefect of Huaiyin, Zheng. Zheng bgeat the Grand Warden of Jiyin, Xia. Xia begat the provincial Arranger-at-Centre Fuzi. Fuzi begat the Arranger of Documents for the Southern Tower, Daoci. Daoci begat the August Father, taboo Shunzhi, he was Emperor Gao of Qi's younger clansman. He took part in preparations and aiding the mandate, and was ennobled Marquis of Linxiang County. He held successive office as Attendant-at-Centre, Commandant of Guards, Intendant of Affairs to the Heir-Apparent, General who Leads the Army, and Governor of Danyang. He was posthumously conferred General who Quells the North.
Gaozu in Xiaowu of Song's 8th Year of Daming [464 AD], a jiachen year, was born at the Sanqiao Residence, Tongxia Village, Moling County. At birth he was yet remarkable and unusual. His two hips had paired bones, the top of his head was high and raised, and there was a pattern in his right hand which said “martial” [武]. When the Emperor reached adulthood, he studied broadly and very thoroughly, was fond of devising strategies, and had talent and capacity for civil and martial matters. At the time those of flowing fame all pushed him forward and acknowledged him. At the houses where he resided, often if there was a cloud or vapour, for those people who sometimes passed by, their bodies immediately paid their respects.
He started his career as the Acting Army Advisor on the Board of Law of the Central Gentlemen of the South to the King of Baling. He moved to Libationer of the Eastern Pavilion to the General of Guards, Wang Jian [NQS23]. Jian once saw him, and deeply assessed and appreciated his unusualness. He spoke to He Xian of Lujiang, saying:
This Gentleman Xiao within thirty [year] will make Attendant-at-Centre, and if he sets out from here, his worth will be impossible to describe.
When the King of Jingling, Ziliang, opened his Western Mansion and summoned the students of literature, Gaozu together with Shen Yue [LS13], Xie Tiao [NQS47], Wang Rong, Xiao Chen [LS26], Fan Yun [LS13], Ren Fang [LS14], Lu Chui [LS27] and others all roamed with him, they were referred to as the Eight Friends. Rong was exceptional and vivacious, his understanding and perceptiveness exceeded other people. He particularly respected and found unusual Gaozu. Always when speaking of him to his friends, he said:
The steward who will order Under Heaven is surely this person.
He amassed to move to Consultant Army Advisor for Quelling the West to the King of Sui. Soon after he left his post due to the August Father's hardship.
[LS07]
The Changes says:
There was heaven and earth, afterwards there were the ten thousand things. There were the ten thousand things, afterwards there was man and woman. There were man and woman, afterwards there was husband and wife.
The propriety of husband and wife is the highest!
In the Rites of Zhou the King established the Queen's Six Palaces, with three Ladies, nine Concubines, twenty-seven Wives, and eighty-one Spouses, so as to heed Under Heaven's interior arrangements. For that reason the Marriage Propriety states:
The Son of Heaven and the Empress are like the sun and the moon, yin and yang, they are necessary to each other and complete.
Han in the beginning followed Qin's designations and titles. The Emperor's mother was called the August Empress-Dowager, the empress was called the August Empress, and they added to them the categories of Beautiful Lady, Good Lady, Eight Sons, and Seven Sons. Reaching Xiaowu, he regulated the favoured beauties and the likes in altogether fourteen grades. Coming down to Wei and Jin, for the titles of mothers and empresses both followed the Han rules. From Lady and downwards, [each] generations added and subtracted from them.
Gaozu swept away chaos and turned back to correctness. He deeply perceived extravagant and uninhibited, had bad clothes and meagre food, and applied himself to the previous modest frugality. His virtuous pairing ended early, Prolonger of Autumn was an empty position, and to the numbers of concubines and ladies nothing was changed or created. Taizong and Shizu set out from being the heirs-presumptive, yet the Consorts in both cases had passed previously, and they also did not establish pepper quarters. The present compilation only speaks of a provided for vacancy.
The Grand Founder's [taizu] Dedicated [xian] August Empress, Ms. Zhang, taboo Shangrou, was a native of Fangcheng in Fanyang. Her grandfather Cihui was Song's Grand Warden of Puyang. The Empress' mother, Ms. Xiao, was Emperor Wen's paternal aunt. [Emperor Wen is Emperor Wu's father, Xiao Shunzhi, posthumously elevated to emperor]
The Empress in the middle of Song's Yuanjia era [424 – 453] was given in marriage to Emperor Wen. She gave birth to King Xuanwu of Changsha, Yi and King Zhao of Yongyang, and next gave birth to Gaozu.
Earlier, the Empress was once within her room when she suddenly saw sweet-flag grass blooming in front of the courtyard with a brilliant hue shining bright like nothing out of the world. The Empress was startled at the sight, and spoke to her attendant, saying:
Do you see it, or not?
[The attendant] replied, saying:
Do not see it.
The Empress said:
[I] once heard those who see will be rich and honoured.
Following that she quickly took and swallowed it. That month she give birth to Gaozu. At the night she was about to give birth, the Empress saw inside the courtyard as if there were clothes and caps piled up and laid out therein.
She next gave birth to King Xuan of Hengyang, Chang, and Princess Zhao of Yixing, Ling. Song's 7th Year of Taishi [471 AD], she passed at a house in Tongxia Village in Moling County. She was buried at a mountain in Dongcheng Village in Wujin County. 1st Year of Tianjian, 5th Month, jiachen [6 August 502], she was retroactively elevated to the venerated title as August Empress. Her posthumous title was Dedicated [xian].
