Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/453

434 (see Wu Hou) and kept in confinement until 705, when he was set again upon the throne. He was now entirely in the hands of his wife Wei Hou and her favourite Wu San-ssttf the result being bad government, power in the hands of women and eunuchs, and extravagance. In 707 the Heir Apparent rose against Wu and slew him, only to perish himself. Affiurs did not now improve. Palace ladies sold official commissions which were recognised by the government; frontier officers took bribes from the enemy; and all was confusion. In 710 the Empress, seeing that her husband suspected her, poisoned him and set up his fourth son, who was a mere youth. The Emperor's nephew, Li Lung-chi, organised a conspiracy; the Empress and her partisans were sUdn, and the Emperor's brother was placed upon the throne. Canonised as l|l

Li Hsien ^ ^ originally Li Ch'eng-oh'i ^ J|£ |^ - Died A.D. 731. Son of Li Tan. In 684 he was appointed Heir Apparent by the Empress Wu Hou; but when in 690 his father was degraded to the rank of Heir Apparent to the Empress herself, he was likewise reduced in rank. Upon the accession of his father to the throne in 710, he resigned his claim to his younger brother Li Lung-chi, under whom he served faithfully in various important capacities and by whom he was generously canonised as ^| ^ ^ the Emperor who Declined.

Li Hsien ^^ (T. jg ^). A.D. 1408-1466. A native of Hupeh, who graduated as chin shih in 1433 and rose by 1454 to be Vice President in the Board of War. Later on he presented his ^ "^ ^, a record of twenty- two Emperors worthy of imitation* The Emperor Ying Tsnng, on his restoration in 1457, maintained him against Shih H^ng and Ts^ao Chi-hsiang. He was cautious is his dealings with Shih, but managed to check his warlike schemeB and in 1460 he contrived his downfall. A year later I^^ao and Ub