<Articles>Empress Jia and Imperial Edicts during the Reign of Emperor Hui of the Western Jin Dynasty

In regards to the political history of Emperor Hui 恵帝 of the Western Jin, studies of' the what has come to be called the Wars of the Eight Princes, which broke out during the same period, have comprised the main current of scholastic interest, and scholarship devoted to the political history of Emperor Hui's reign has not been conducted. This study analyzes the political history of the first half of Emperor Hui's reign (291-300) when his empress, Empress Jia 賈后, held great influence with the aim of clarifying the relationship between Empress Jia and the imperial edicts that embodied Emperor Hui's authority and the details of Empress Jia's political maneuvers and their significance. First, I confirmed the actions of Empress Jia in the political upheaval of 291, the year after the enthronement of Emperor Hui, which served as the opportunity for the Empress to gain a grip on power and the method of the coup d'etat. Empress Jia moved troops using an imperial edicts written by Emperor Hui himself and murdered ministers Yang Jun 楊駿, Prince Liang of Ru'nan 汝南王亮 (Sima Liang)and Wei Guan 衛瓘. Edicts in the hand of the emperor himself were originally employed to admonish ministers, but after maternal relatives Yang Jun and the Empress Dowager Yang 楊太后 had seized the reins of power, imperially drafted edicts came to be used for the purpose of mobilizing troops and eliminating political foes. Empress Jia used imperial edicts to grasp political power, but the nature of the edicts (edicts in the imperial hand) was thereby altered. Next I examined the politics of Empress Jia from Yuankang 元康1 (291) through Yongkang 永康1 (300). This was not a period during which Empress Jia exercised despotic rule, and there was a significant number of court councilors like Pei Wei 裴頠in the anti-Empress Jia faction. In opposition Empress Jia promoted maternal relatives and eunuchs, and by managing the issuance of imperial edicts she was able to secure a position of relative superiority over the councilors. Empress Jia placed importance on Emperor Hui's authority and the form and political procedures for ordering the composition of edicts as necessary elements in building her political superiority. Empress Jia was deposed in the coup d'etat of Prince Lun of Zhao 趙王倫 (Sima Lun) in Yongkang 1 (300) and then murdered. Prince Lun of Zhao mobilized troops with an edict that he had forged and carried out the coup d'etat, and thereafter employed forged imperial edicts (edicts in the hand of the emperor) in conducting political affairs. The coup d'etat of Prince Lun of Zhao was the turning point after which the emperor was completely reduced to a figure of authority without power. Emphasizing this point alone, it is possible to appreciate that fact that Empress Jia secured the minimum political role and authority of Emperor Hui that was embodied in the imperial edicts, but Empress Jia had previously overridden the documentary administration by using imperial edicts and issuing orders directly to the troops, mobilizing them and carrying out a coup d'etat, and this was the cause of the trend to exploit the authority of Emperor Hui alone, as did Prince Lun of Zhao.