21 Facts About Wang Shuwen

Wang Shuwen was a Chinese economist and politician during the Tang dynasty.

Wang Shuwen was a close associate of Emperor Shunzong while Li Song was crown prince under his father, Emperor Dezong, and was powerful during Emperor Shunzong's brief reign in 805, when Shunzong was severely ill.

However, he offended the powerful eunuchs and further lost power when he was forced to leave governmental service due to his mother's death, and after Emperor Shunzong yielded the throne to his son Xianzong, Wang was ordered to commit suicide.

The scholars all praised Li Song, but Wang Shuwen, who was present did not say anything.

Wang Shuwen's associates were said to be praising each other and comparing each other to such great historical figures as Yi Yin, the Duke of Zhou, Guan Zhong, and Zhuge Liang.

Meanwhile, Wang Shuwen, believing that the key to getting the support from the soldiers and the people to affirm their power was control over the imperial treasury, had himself made the deputy director of finances, serving under the senior chancellor Du You.

Meanwhile, though, Wang Shuwen had begun to draw the displeasure of the powerful eunuch Ju Wenzhen.

In summer 805, when Wang Shuwen, wanting to strip the control of the imperial Shence Army from the eunuchs, had the general Fan Xichao made the commanding general of the Shence Army soldiers at the western frontier with Han Tai as his deputy, the eunuchs were alarmed.

Wang Pi tried to intercede, but was only able to have Wang Shuwen allowed to visit Hanlin Institute once every three to five days to continue to look over the matters of state.

Meanwhile, the eunuchs, believing that Wang Shuwen was intending them harm by giving Fan the command, instructed the Shence Army officers not to yield to Fan's orders.

When Han Tai reported this to Wang Shuwen, Wang Shuwen became distressed but was unable to think of anything further to do.

For example, when Yang Shi'e, a messenger from Xuanshe Circuit, and Liu Pi, a messenger from Xichuan Circuit, made demands on behalf of their superiors, Wang Shuwen angrily wanted to execute both of them, but Wei opposed, and Yang was only exiled, while Liu Pi fled back to Xichuan.

Meanwhile, Wang Shuwen's mother had become seriously ill to the point of near death.

Wang Shuwen, anticipating that he would have to leave governmental service to observe a period of mourning for her, held a banquet and invited the other imperial scholars, as well as Li Zhongyan, Ju, and another powerful eunuch Liu Guangqi, to try to defend his actions with these eunuchs, including his attempts to have Yang and Liu Pi executed and his attempts to reform the economic regulations.

Ju was thoroughly dismissive, and it was said that as Wang Shuwen made each point, Ju would rebut each point.

Wang Pi submitted petitions to have Wang Shuwen recalled to governmental service and be made a chancellor, but none of Wang Pi's petitions were acted on.

Wang Shuwen Pi, seeing that the situation was hopeless, feigned a stroke himself and resigned.

In 806, Emperor Xianzong ordered Wang Shuwen to commit suicide.

The official histories of Tang Dynasty, the Old Book of Tang and the New Book of Tang, both charactered Wang Shuwen as conniving, power-hungry, and insolent.

The only positive characteristic that they attributed to Wang Shuwen was a sense of duty and a desire to improve the imperial government structure.

However, as observed by such historians as the Qing Dynasty historian Wang Mingsheng, Wang Shuwen was trying to reform the imperial government in such a way as to strip power from powerful eunuchs and warlords and restore it to the emperor.