Book of Jin 59: Biography of Sima Wei
Think about rage for this one.
(Where’s my check, Creative Assembly?)
楚隱王瑋，字彥度，武帝第五子也。初封始平王，曆屯騎校尉。
Sima Wei, styled Yandu, was the fifth son of Emperor Wu (Sima Yan). His posthumous title was Prince Yin of Chu.
Originally, Sima Wei was appointed as Prince of Shiping and Colonel of Camped Cavalry.
太康末，徙封于楚，出之國，都督荊州諸軍事、平南將軍，轉鎮南將軍。武帝崩，入為衛將軍，領北軍中候，加侍中、行太子少傅。
Near the end of the Taikang reign era (~289), Sima Wei was transferred to be Prince of Chu. He was sent out to his fief, and appointed as Commander of military affairs in Jingzhou and General Who Pacifies The South. His rank was soon changed to General Who Guards The South.
After Emperor Wu (Sima Yan) passed away, Sima Wei returned to the capital to serve as Guard General and acting Middle Marquis of the Northern Army. He was further appointed as Palace Attendant and as acting Lesser Tutor to the Crown Prince.
楊駿之誅也，瑋屯司馬門。
During the coup against Yang Jun, Sima Wei camped his soldiers at the Sima Gate.
瑋少年果銳，多立威刑，朝廷忌之。汝南王亮、太保衛瓘以瑋性很戾，不可大任，建議使與諸王之國，瑋甚忿之。長史公孫宏、舍人岐盛並薄於行，為瑋所昵。瓘等惡其為人，慮致禍亂，將收盛。盛知之，遂與宏謀，因積弩將軍李肇矯稱瑋命，譖亮、瓘于賈后。而后不之察，使惠帝為詔曰：「太宰、太保欲為伊、霍之事，王宜宣詔，令淮南、長沙、成都王屯宮諸門，廢二公。」夜使黃門齎以授瑋。瑋欲覆奏，黃門曰：「事恐漏泄，非密詔本意也。」瑋乃止。遂勒本軍，復矯詔召三十六軍，手令告諸軍曰：「天禍晉室，凶亂相仍。間者楊駿之難，實賴諸君克平禍亂。而二公潛圖不軌，欲廢陛下以絕武帝之祀。今輒奉詔，免二公官。吾今受詔都督中外諸軍。諸在直衛者皆嚴加警備，其在外營，便相率領，徑詣行府。助順討逆，天所福也。懸賞開封，以待忠效。皇天后土，實聞此言。」又矯詔使亮、瓘上太宰太保印綬、侍中貂蟬，之國，官屬皆罷遣之。又矯詔赦亮、瓘官屬曰：「二公潛謀，欲危社稷，今免還第。官屬以下，一無所問。若不奉詔，便軍法從事。能率所領先出降者，封侯受賞。朕不食言。」
Although he was still young, Sima Wei was stalwart and fierce, and he did much to establish his might and power, so the court was wary of him. The Prince of Runan, Sima Liang, and the Grand Guardian, Wei Guan, felt that Sima Wei had a despicable nature, and they did not grant him any high office. They even proposed sending him and the other princes away to their fiefs. Sima Wei thus greatly resented them.
Now Sima Wei had greatly favored his Chief Clerk, Gongsun Hong, and his retainer Qi Sheng, both of whom had originally been lowly fellows. Wei Guan and the others hated them, and since they were worried that they might stir up chaos and disaster, they were about to arrest Qi Sheng. When Qi Sheng learned of this, he and Gongsun Hong hatched a plot. They arranged for the General Who Amasses Crossbows, Li Zhao, to report to the Empress, Jia Nanfeng, with a pretend order he had from Sima Wei, slandering Sima Liang and Wei Guan. Jia Nanfeng did not look closely into the matter, but immediately had Emperor Hui write a decree stating, "The Grand Governor and the Grand Guardian seek to follow the examples of Yi Yin and Huo Guang. Let the royal will hereby be made known. The Princes of Huainan (Sima Yun), Changsha (Sima Ai), and Chengdu (Sima Ying) are ordered to camp their armies at the palace gates, and remove the two lords from office."
That night, Jia Nanfeng sent a eunuch from the Yellow Gate to deliver the edict to Sima Wei. Sima Wei wanted to first send a petition back in response to the edict, but the eunuch told him, "We fear if you did that, the plot might leak out. Letting that happen would go against the wishes expressed by the edict." So he decided against it.
Sima Wei gave orders to his own army while forging an edict summoning the thirty-six armies. He hand-wrote an order to them stating, "Disaster has fallen upon the royal house of Jin, and confusion and chaos are springing up all around. It was thus that Yang Jun attempted to seize power, but thankfully the various lords were able to put down his attempt and restore order. Yet now the two lords, Sima Liang and Wei Guan, are making plots and acting without discipline. They wish to depose His Majesty and thus sever the lineage of Emperor Wu. I have just received an edict ordering me to remove these two lords from office. As of now, I have been granted authority as Commander over all military affairs. I hereby order the soldiers to place the roads under strict order, and make all needed preparations to maintain order. Those bodies of men who are not engaged in keeping order shall march to secure the government offices. By aiding those who are obedient and punishing those who are not, you will receive Heaven's blessings. Great rewards and noble titles await your loyal service. Oh august Heaven and spirits of Earth, hear these my true words."
Sima Wei also forged an edict ordering Sima Liang and Wei Guan to surrender their seals and tassels as Grand Governor and Grand Guardian, and their sable headdresses as Palace Attendants, and to proceed to their fiefs. Their officials and subordinates were ordered to leave them and disperse. He forged yet another edict pardoning these subordinates, stating, "It was the two lords who, by secretly plotting, wished to bring danger to the fortunes of state. For that reason, they are now being stripped of office and sent to their estates. No fault is to be held against their subordinates. If there is any of them who refuses to accept the imperial edict, then those people are to be dealt with according to military law. But whomever among them will be the first to come and surrender shall receive noble titles and be granted rewards. I do not eat my words."
遂收亮、瓘，殺之。
Sima Wei arrested Sima Liang and Wei Guan and killed them.
岐盛說瑋，可因兵勢誅賈模、郭彰，匡正王室，以安天下。瑋猶豫未決。會天明，帝用張華計，遣殿中將軍王宮齎騶虞幡麾眾曰：「楚王矯詔。」眾皆釋杖而走。瑋左右無復一人，窘迫不知所為，惟一奴年十四，駕牛車將赴秦王柬。帝遣謁者詔瑋還營，執之于武賁署，遂下廷尉。詔以瑋矯制害二公父子，又欲誅滅朝臣，謀圖不軌，遂斬之，時年二十一。其日大風，雷雨霹靂。詔曰：「周公決二叔之誅，漢武斷昭平之獄，所不得已者。廷尉奏瑋已伏法，情用悲痛，吾當發哀。」瑋臨死，出其懷中青紙詔，流涕以示監刑尚書劉頌曰：「受詔而行，謂為社稷，今更為罪，托體先帝，受枉如此，幸見申列。」頌亦歔欷不能仰視。公孫宏、岐盛並夷三族。
Qi Sheng urged Sima Wei that, since he now had so much military strength, he ought to execute Jia Mi and Guo Zhang in order to bring justice to the royal house and settle the realm. But Sima Wei was hesitant and could not decide.
Meanwhile, the following day, Emperor Hui heeded Zhang Hua's plan and sent the General of the Palace Halls, Wang Gong, to send his soldiers out among the various armies while streaming the Zouyu Banners. They told the posted soldiers, "The Prince of Chu forged the edict." So Sima Wei's soldiers all cast down their weapons and dispersed. Sima Wei was left without anyone to support him, and he no longer knew what there was left he could do. Only a young slave about thirteen years old stayed with him. They fled in an ox-cart, planning to take refuge with the Prince of Qin, Sima Jian. But Emperor Hui sent his envoys to distribute decrees ordering Sima Wei to return to his camp. They arrested Sima Wei at the camp of the Guards Rapid As Tigers and handed him over to the Minister of Justice.
An edict was issued accusing Sima Wei of having unjustly claimed the authority to execute the two lords and their sons, and that he wanted to execute and exterminate the court ministers. For plotting such wicked things, he was beheaded. He was twenty years old.
That same day, there was a great wind, and a thunderstorm suddenly broke out. An edict was issued stating, "The Duke of Zhou was compelled to execute his two uncles, and Emperor Wu of Han was forced to pass judgment against Zhao Ping, yet their sorrow at having to announce such sentences still does not compare with mine. The Minister of Justice has announced that Sima Wei has already submitted to his sentence, and I cannot help but feel bitter anguish. Let us conduct mourning for him."
Before his death, Sima Wei produced the green sheet of the edict from within his bosom, and wept as he showed it to the execution overseer and Master of Writing, Liu Song. Sima Wei said, "When I accepted this edict and acted, I was told I was acting for the good of the state. Yet now I have been condemned as a criminal. I was fortunate enough to have been entrusted by His Late Majesty, yet now I endure such unjust treatment as this. Can I not defend myself?" But Liu Song only sighed and wept, unable to meet his gaze.
Gongsun Hong and Qi Sheng both had their clans exterminated to the third degree.
瑋性開濟好施，能得眾心，及此莫不隕淚，百姓為之立祠。賈后先惡瓘、亮，又忌瑋，故以計相次誅之。永寧元年，追贈驃騎將軍。
Sima Wei had had an open and generous nature, and he was able to win the hearts of the people over to him. Thus when he was executed, there was no one who did not shed a tear, and the common people raised shrines to his memory.
Jia Nanfeng had both been wary of Wei Guan and Sima Liang and suspicious of Sima Wei. So she had first used Sima Wei as her pawn against the first two, then disposed of him in turn.
In the first year of Yongning (301), Sima Wei was posthumously appointed as General of Agile Cavalry.
封其子范為襄陽王，拜散騎常侍，後為石勒所害。
Sima Wei's son Sima Fan was appointed as Prince of Xiangyang and Cavalier In Regular Attendance. He was later killed by Shi Le (in 311).