Feng Yu

Feng Yu (died 952/953?), courtesy name Jingchen , was a Chinese politician of the Later Tang, Later Jin, and the Liao dynasties of China. He was powerful during the reign of Later Jin's second emperor Shi Chonggui, as Shi's Empress Feng was his sister, and he became both chancellor and chief of staff (Shumishi). After Shi was defeated and taken captive by Liao's Emperor Taizong, Feng was taken to Liao as well and died there.

Family background It is not known when Feng Yu was born. His family was from Ding Prefecture (定州, in modern Baoding, Hebei), but it is (based on his father's career) unclear whether he was born there. His father Feng Meng was the liaison officer for Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered at Ding) to the Later Tang court early during the reign of the second Later Tang emperor Li Siyuan. Feng Meng was described to be intelligent but wicked, and he gained the favor of Li Siyuan's powerful chief of staff An Chonghui, and was eventually promoted to be the deputy defender of Yedu (鄴都, in modern Handan, Hebei). When Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang later became the defender of Yedu in 928, he became friendly with Feng Meng, and decided to take Feng Meng's daughter as the wife for his younger brother Shi Chongyin, whom he had adopted as a son. Shi Chongyin died early, however, and Lady Feng became widowed. as did her biography in the New History of the Five Dynasties; )

During Later Tang and/or early Later Jin It was said that Feng Yu took the imperial examinations in the Jinshi class multiple times, but was unable to pass. When Feng Yun served as the military governor (Jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), he invited Feng Yu to serve as his secretary. Feng Yu later served as an imperial censor with the title of Jiancha Yushi ; he later served as Libu Langzhong , a supervisory official at the ministry of rites (禮部, Libu); and then as an assistant to the director of salt and iron monopolies. As the empress' brother, Feng Yu's power also rose quickly, as he became Zhongshu Sheren and became in charge of drafting imperial edicts. However, as he himself lacked the necessary skills to do so, he often had another Zhongshu Sheren, Yin Peng , draft the edicts for him. Apparently in short order, he became the military prefect (團練使, Tuanlianshi) of Ying Prefecture (潁州, in modern Fuyang, Anhui), In fall 945, the chancellor He Ning was removed from his post, and Feng was given the additional designations of chancellor (同中書門下平章事, Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi) and Zhongshu Shilang . It was said that because he was particularly capable of pleasing the emperor, he became even more powerful, such that on an occasion when he was on leave due to illness, Shi stated to the other chancellors, "For all posts that are at the prefect level or greater, wait until Feng Yu returned to fill them." Feng used the emperor's trust for personal benefit, such that those who wanted posts all went to his mansion to bribe him, leading to a degradation of the Later Jin governance. (Yin, as a close associate of Feng's, also took many bribes.)

In winter 945, after Feng accused Sang of wanting to use Shi's then-illness to replace him with Shi Jingtang's biological son Shi Chongrui and Sang's other political enemies Li Yantao and Li Shouzhen compounding the accusations, Shi Chonggui deposed Sang and made him the mayor of the capital Kaifeng. (When Feng Yu's associates tried to argue to him that being mayor of the capital, with many minute responsibilities, was an inappropriate post for someone with Sang's accomplishments and that he should be given a military governorship, Feng stated that he was fearful that Sang might rebel. When they pointed out that Sang was a civilian and could not rebel, Feng stated, "Even if he did not rebel himself, he might encourage someone else to do so," alluding to Sang's having encouraged Shi Jingtang to rebel.) After Feng arrived at the Liao court, he was given the honorary title of Taizi Taibao . In either 952 (according to the Old History of the Five Dynasties) or 953 (according to the New History of the Five Dynasties), by which time the Central Plains was under the rule of Later Zhou, Feng Yu's son Feng Jie fled from Liao and defected to Later Zhou. Feng, in fear, died not long after.

Notes and references

Old History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 89. New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 56. Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 283, 284, 285, 286.