History of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms

Chapter 865 All Good Things Must Come to an End 1
Shi Shouxin and others were forced to surrender their military power under coercion and inducement, and allowed Zhao Kuangyin to manipulate and deal with them. So how did Zhao Kuangyin deal with them?
According to the agreement with the "Yidai meritorious officials", Zhao Kuangyin promised them that they could enjoy endless wealth and glory for the rest of their lives, and promised to marry them so that their descendants would also be able to win easily.

Zhao Kuangyin basically fulfilled his original promise:
1. Shi Shouxin:

He was promoted to Shizhong and Zhongshu Ling, and was granted the title of Weiguo Gong (he was demoted for making some minor mistakes during this period, and was later promoted again). He died of illness in the ninth year of Taipingxingguo (984) at the age of 57. He was posthumously awarded Shangshu Ling, posthumously named Weiwu Junwang, and given the posthumous title "Wu Lie".

Shi Shouxin had indeed accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. He was a military governor, devoted to accumulating wealth, and was corrupt. When he was the governor of Luoyang, he recruited workers to build Chongde Temple, but he "forced them to work very hard" and did not pay them, which made the people of Luoyang "suffer a lot". The court did not turn a blind eye to this, but closed its eyes and ears.

What bad intentions could Shi Shouxin have? He just wanted to make a little more money.

Shi Shouxin had three sons: Shi Baoxing, Shi Baoji and Shi Baocong.

The third son, Shi Baocong, died early. The eldest son, Shi Baoxing, made great contributions in the subsequent wars against Liao and Western Xia, and was promoted to the Defense Commissioner of Chanzhou. The second son, Shi Baoji, became the son-in-law of the emperor as agreed, and married Zhao Kuangyin's daughter, Princess Yanqing.

Shi Shouxin's grandchildren:

Shi Yuansun, the son of Baoxing, participated in the war between the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty. He was defeated and captured in the famous "Battle of Sanchuankou". He was first promoted by the Song Dynasty as a combat hero and a martyr, but was later manipulated by public opinion to be a "traitor" and was nearly executed. He experienced ups and downs in his life;

Baoji's son Shi Yisun was the Chongyi Envoy, but was dismissed due to an incident; Shi Xiaosun was the Xijing Zuozangku Envoy.

2. Wang Shenqi:

He was first sent to Shouzhou Zhongzheng Army for eight years, and then transferred to Xuzhou Zhongwu Army, and was given the title of Tongpingzhangshi. The governor of Xuzhou Zhongwu Army was only a remote commander, and Zhao Kuangyin gave him a mansion in the capital and allowed him to stay in Beijing. Of course, on the surface, it was the emperor's great favor and generous favor, but in reality it was a nearby surveillance, because Wang Shenqi had just made great contributions in the war against the Northern Han.

In the seventh year of Kaibao (974), Wang Shenqi died of illness at the age of 50. He was granted the title of Zhongshu Ling, posthumously named Langya Jun Wang, doubled his pension, suspended court for one day, and later posthumously named Qin Wang, and given the posthumous title "Zhengyi".

Wang Shenqi had many sons, nine of whom were recorded in historical records. Among them, his eldest son, Wang Chengyan, married Zhao Kuangyin's daughter, Princess Zhaoqing (Princess Yanqing's sister from the same mother). Most of Wang Shenqi's sons got a stable job in the country thanks to their father's connections. Especially Wang Chengyan, who was a descendant of a noble family and married the beloved daughter of Emperor Taizu, was extremely wealthy.

Wang Chengyan, the son-in-law of the emperor, served as the governor of Hezhong Prefecture, the governor of the Huguo Army, and the inspector of the Grand Commandant. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of Zhongshu Ling and the posthumous title of "Gongsu". Regarding the year of Wang Chengyan's death, the "History of Song" records contradictory things. In his biography, it says that he died in the "sixth year of Xianping" (1003), but in the "Records of Funeral Rites" in the same book, it is recorded that he was buried in the "first year of Xianping" (998). Moreover, the details are very detailed, saying that the funeral was small in scale, "the procession and drums were not prepared", because Emperor Taizong had just passed away, and everything was kept simple (because it was a taboo for Emperor Taizong);

The second son, Wang Chenggan, was appointed as the "Xianju Envoy" at the age of 12, and was given a purple robe and a golden belt. When he grew up, he served as the military supervisor, provincial governor, prefect, and temporary governor. When he entered the court, he served as the Six House Envoy, the Zhuangzhai Envoy, and the General of the Left Guard. Coincidentally, Wang Chenggan was born in Shouzhou (Wang Shenqi was in charge of Shouzhou at that time) and died in Shouzhou (Wang Chenggan was the prefect of Shouzhou at that time), "everyone was surprised";
His other sons, Chengde, Chengyou, Chengjun, Chengwei, Chengzhen, Chengjin and Chengxiu, all held official positions and are not listed one by one.

Let’s look at Wang Shenqi’s grandchildren:

Wang Chengyan had four sons:

The eldest son, Wang Shi'an, served as the Deputy Envoy of Chongyi and Tongshi Sheren; the second son, Wang Shilong, was born to Princess Zhaoqing and was therefore the most favored by the royal family. He served successively as the Envoy of Luoyuan and the Envoy of Liuzhai, and was the Governor of Pingzhou. After his death, he was posthumously awarded the title of Defense Envoy of Taizhou. After Wang Shilong's death, Song Zhenzong summoned his three sons: he gave them the names Keji, Kexu, and Kezhong, and incorporated them into the system on the spot (all of them were appointed as honorific officials in person). The three little babies who had not yet had time to be named, one had just wet the kang, one was sucking his fingers, and the other was breastfeeding. They became official civil servants before they graduated from kindergarten, and their administrative level was still the ceiling for small town test-takers;
The third son, Wang Shixiong, was promoted to the position of Inner Palace Chongban;

The fourth son, Wang Shirong, served as the Inner Palace Supervisor.

Wang Chenggan has two sons:

The eldest son, Wang Shijing, was promoted to the position of gatekeeper.
The second son, Wang Shiwen, was promoted to the highest rank in the Inner Palace.

Like their sons and nephews, historical books only record the descendants of Wang Chengyan and Wang Chenggan.

Let’s look at Wang Shenqi’s great-grandchildren:

Wang Shian's son, Wang Kezheng, was promoted to the position of Palace Secretary.

Wang Shilong's sons Wang Keji and Wang Kezhong were both deputy envoys of the Western Dyeing House and attendants of the Cabinet. Wang Kexu was promoted to the position of Inner Palace Engineer. His youngest son Wang Keming was promoted to the position of deputy envoy of the Western Upper Cabinet.

Wang Kechen had ups and downs in his official career, and finally died as a scholar of Longtu Pavilion and Taizhong doctor at the age of 76. The history books only said that he was the grandson of Wang Chengyan and Princess Zhaoqing, without specifying who his father was.

Let’s look at Wang Shenqi’s great-great-grandchildren:

When it came to this generation, the record was concise and clear, with only one person recorded, Wang Kechen's son Wang Shiyue. Because Comrade Wang Shiyue married the eldest daughter of Emperor Yingzong of Song, Princess Xuguo, he also became the son-in-law of the emperor.

One more thing, if you search for "Wang Shenqi" on Baidu, you will find Wang Shiyue in the "great-grandson" of "relatives". In his character profile, Baidu seriously said that Wang Shiyue's wife was Princess Xuguo, the daughter of Song Shenzong. Song Shenzong did have a daughter named "Princess Xuguo", but Shenzong's Princess Xuguo married Pan Yi, the great-grandson of Pan Mei, and Wang Shiyue married the daughter of Yingzong. Baidu often makes mistakes. Mr. Yin's son is called Xin Dan.

Wang Shiyue and Princess Xuguo of Emperor Yingzong of Song had a son named Wang Shu, who served as the Surveillance Commissioner of Langzhou.

Wang Shu was already the "grandson" of Wang Shenqi, or in layman's terms, the son of the grandson of Wang Shenqi's grandson, with a long history. Moreover, the court's care for Wang Shu was no longer a reward for Wang Shenqi, a founding hero. Historical books did not shy away from saying that Wang Shiyue was favored because he was the son-in-law of the emperor, and Wang Shu was favored because he was born to a princess.

In short, we have witnessed the favor the Northern Song Dynasty court showed to Wang Shenqi's family and the super reproductive ability of Mr. Wang next door.

(End of this chapter)