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noted for his filial piety, and would wait on his father, a petty officer, at feasts. Canonised as ^j^-

Wang Seng.pien ^ ft ^ (T. ^ t}^ ). Died A.D. 555. The 2217

son of a high military official, who had risen to be Prefect at ^ ^ Hsin-ts^ai in Honan when Hon Ching revolted. Taking the field, he stubbornly defended Pa-ling in Hunan and so broke the rebel's power. Honours were showered upon him, and in 554 he became Commander-in-chief. He accepted the Prince known as Ch£ng-yang Hou, to the exclusion of the Emperor Ching Ti. This vacillating • policy was disapproved of by Ch*6n Pa-hsien, who surprised and put him to death, thus removing a dangerous rival. Wang Shang ^^ (T. -^ j^ ). Ist cent. B.C- A native of 2218 ^ ^ Li-wu in Chihli, who inherited a Marquisate from his father and rose to high office under the Emperor Ch^eng Ti of the Han dynasty. He was 8 feet in height, and of such* martial appearance as to strike terror into the heart of the Khan of the Hsiung-nu, who had come to Court. On one occasion there was a wild report of a great flood which was to overwhelm the empire; whereupon Wang F£ng advised the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to get on board ship at once. But Wang Shang declared that the story was only idle gossip, and as such turned out to be the case, Wang F^ng was put to shame. Wang Shang then became an object of jealousy to Wang F£ng, who after failing to establish a trivial charge, seized on the occurrence of an eclipse of the sun to impeach him for disloyalty. His seal and insignia of office were taken from him, at which he was so chagrined that he vomited blood for three days and died. Canonised as

Wang Shen-chih ^^^ (T. ^ ^). A.D. 862-925. A 2219

native of ^ ^^ Ku-shih in Honan, who in 896 succeeded his brother, an ex-chieftain of banditti, as Governor of Fuhkien. He was noted for his handsome appearance, his prominent nose and