Wei Zhao

Historical Record

Wei Zhao, styled Hongsi, was originally named Zhao but changed his given name in his style to avoid the Jin taboo. He came from Yunyang in Wu commandery, loved learning from his youth, and excelled at composition.^[1] On first entering office, he rose from Aide to the Chancellor to be appointed Prefect of Xi'an county, and was later recalled to court to serve as Gentleman of the Imperial Secretariat, and promoted to Steward to the Heir Apparent. While serving in the household of the Heir Apparent, Wei Zhao, by order of the Heir Apparent Sun He, composed a piece refuting Cai Ying's indulgence in gaming, holding that it was of no benefit to self-cultivation.^[1]

After Sun He was deposed, Wei Zhao was transferred to be a Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. After Sun Liang ascended the throne, with Zhuge Ke as regent, Wei Zhao was memorialized to be Grand Astrologer and was charged with directing the compilation of the Book of Wu. Hua He, Xue Ying, and others all took part in this work.^[2] After Sun Xiu ascended the throne, Wei Zhao was appointed Gentleman of the Secretariat and Libationer of the Erudites, and ordered to follow the precedent of Liu Xiang's collation of texts, charged with collating and arranging the classics. Sun Xiu had originally intended to summon Wei Zhao into the palace to lecture, but the General of the Left Zhang Bu, because he was close to the sovereign and his conduct was often improper, feared that Wei Zhao's status as a Confucian lecturer and his exacting character would lead him to remonstrate with Sun Xiu through historical events ancient and modern and thereby expose his own faults, and so strove with all his might to obstruct it. Although Sun Xiu was deeply displeased by this, Wei Zhao in the end was unable to enter the palace to lecture.^[2]

After Sun Hao ascended the throne, Wei Zhao was enfeoffed as Marquis of the Pavilion of Gaoling, promoted to Vice Director of the Secretariat, and later changed to Palace Attendant, long concurrently holding the post of Left Historian of the State.^[3] At that time officials everywhere submitted memorials about auspicious omens, and Sun Hao questioned Wei Zhao about them. Wei Zhao replied dismissively: "These are nothing but ordinary things from the baskets and boxes of common households." Sun Hao also wished to compose an "annals" biography for his father Sun He, but Wei Zhao insisted that, since Sun He had never ascended the throne, he should be recorded in the form of a "biography." Disagreements of this kind were more than one or two, and Wei Zhao thus gradually incurred Sun Hao's reproach and displeasure.^[3]

Wei Zhao grew increasingly anxious and fearful over this, and once pleaded his age and infirmity, asking to resign his posts of Palace Attendant and State Historian in the hope of completing the history he was then compiling. But Sun Hao never granted it. Wei Zhao at the time was ill, yet was still kept under strict watch by medical officers and not allowed to leave. Whenever Sun Hao held a banquet, it often lasted a whole day, with each person required to drink seven sheng of wine; even those who could not finish had to pour it all out. Wei Zhao had never had much capacity for wine and ordinarily drank no more than two sheng. At first, when Sun Hao still treated him with courtesy, he would often reduce his measure for his sake, or privately grant him tea in place of wine. But as the favor waned, Wei Zhao was not only forced to drink but often convicted of offenses on that account.^[3]

Sun Hao also often, after drinking, directed his attendants to harass the nobles and high ministers, taking pleasure in mocking, affronting, and exposing the private matters of others. At times, if the nobles and ministers were the least bit careless in their words, or inadvertently violated Sun Hao's taboos, they would at once be arrested or even put to death. Wei Zhao held that this conduct of "outwardly maiming and inwardly nurturing resentment" was unfavorable to harmony between sovereign and minister, and so he merely offered verbal rebuttal by way of discussing the meaning of the classics. Sun Hao, however, held that Wei Zhao did not comply with his decrees and was disloyal at heart, and so unleashed all the accumulated grudges and resentments of past and present together, arresting Wei Zhao and casting him into prison. This event occurred in the second year of Fenghuang.^[3]

In the Novel

(No novel material)

Key Relationships

* Eastern Wu: Wei Zhao served the Eastern Wu regime throughout his life, through four sovereigns—Sun He, Sun Liang, Sun Xiu, and Sun Hao. He composed for the Heir Apparent Sun He, later compiled the Book of Wu for Sun Liang, collated texts for Sun Xiu, and in the end was convicted for his words under Sun Hao.^[1],^[2],^[3]
* Sun He: Wei Zhao served as Steward to the Heir Apparent under Sun He, and by his order composed a piece refuting Cai Ying's fondness for gaming.^[1]
* Zhuge Ke: After Sun Liang ascended the throne, during Zhuge Ke's regency, Zhuge Ke memorialized to make Wei Zhao Grand Astrologer, enabling him to direct the compilation of the Book of Wu.^[2]
* Hua He, Xue Ying: The two took part with Wei Zhao in the compilation of the Book of Wu.^[2]
* Zhang Bu: The General of the Left Zhang Bu, fearing that Wei Zhao's lecturing would lead him to remonstrate with Sun Xiu through historical events ancient and modern and thereby expose his own faults, strove with all his might to obstruct Sun Xiu's summoning Wei Zhao into the palace to lecture. Zhang Bu's obstruction in the end prevented Wei Zhao from entering the palace.^[2]
* Sun Hao: Under Sun Hao, Wei Zhao rose to be Palace Attendant and Left Historian of the State, but because he differed with Sun Hao over matters such as auspicious omens and the annals for his father, and was unwilling to yield at the banquets, he was in the end arrested and imprisoned by Sun Hao.^[3]

Signature Scenes

* Refuting gaming: While serving as Steward to the Heir Apparent, Wei Zhao, by order of the Heir Apparent Sun He, composed a piece refuting Cai Ying's indulgence in gaming, displaying his traits of loving learning from youth and excelling at composition.^[1]
* Directing the compilation of the Book of Wu: Under Sun Liang, Wei Zhao was appointed Grand Astrologer and directed the compilation of the Book of Wu, completing this important work of history together with Hua He, Xue Ying, and others, embodying his diligent love of antiquity and wide reading of the classics.^[2]
* Collating texts: After Sun Xiu ascended the throne, Wei Zhao was ordered, following the precedent of Liu Xiang, to collate the various texts, once again displaying his talent and learning in the ordering of documents.^[2]
* Speaking frankly on auspicious omens and the annals: Faced with Sun Hao's inquiry about auspicious omens, Wei Zhao spoke frankly that "these are nothing but things from the baskets and boxes of common households"; when Sun Hao wished to compose an "annals" for his father, Wei Zhao insisted it should be recorded in the form of a "biography" rather than an "annals." These scenes embody his character of fearing no power and adhering to historical truth and principle, but for which he also gradually incurred Sun Hao's displeasure.^[3]
* Resistance at the banquet and imprisonment: At Sun Hao's banquets, Wei Zhao, because of his poor capacity for wine and his unwillingness to yield to Sun Hao's forced drinking, and because he held firmly to his views in speech, was in the end imprisoned as Sun Hao unleashed his accumulated grudges. This is the concentrated embodiment of the clash between his upright character and Sun Hao's tyrannical rule, and the end of his tragic fate.^[3]