The Fragile Throne: Emperor Cheng’s Inherited Challenges

When Emperor Cheng ascended the Han throne in 33 BCE, he inherited an empire that appeared stable but contained dangerous undercurrents. The Western Han dynasty had reached its cultural zenith under his predecessors, yet the imperial court had become increasingly dominated by the powerful Wang clan through his mother, Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun. This maternal influence would shape much of Emperor Cheng’s troubled reign.

The young emperor faced three immediate challenges: the overbearing influence of his uncles from the Wang family, the need to establish his own authority separate from his mother’s regency, and growing administrative corruption that had taken root during his father Emperor Yuan’s reign. Historical records from the Yang Pass bamboo slips reveal how provincial governance had already begun deteriorating before Emperor Cheng’s accession.

The Wang Clan’s Stranglehold on Power

Wang Feng, Emperor Cheng’s uncle and the first among the “Five Marquis of the Wang Family,” established the pattern of Wang dominance during the emperor’s early reign. On his deathbed in 22 BCE, Wang Feng made the calculated decision to recommend his cousin Wang Yin as successor rather than his own brother Wang Tan, demonstrating the clan’s internal power plays. This moment marked a critical juncture where familial loyalty trumped state interests.

The Wang clan’s extravagance became legendary, with historical accounts detailing how:
– Wang Shang diverted the city wall’s defenses to create private waterways
– Wang Gen built estates rivaling imperial palaces
– The family collectively flouted sumptuary laws meant to maintain social hierarchy

When Emperor Cheng finally confronted their excesses in 18 BCE, his weak reprimand only emboldened them further, revealing his inability to curb their power.

The Emperor’s Personal Failures and Court Intrigues

Emperor Cheng’s reign became notorious for his personal indulgences and poor governance choices. His habit of “incognito travels” (微服出行) through the capital with favorites like Zhang Fang reflected both his detachment from governance and growing decadence. The 19 BCE “pheasant incident,” where auspicious pheasants appeared at government offices, became an occasion for Wang Yin to deliver scathing criticism of the emperor’s behavior through cosmological warnings.

The emperor’s romantic entanglements proved particularly damaging to court stability. His infatuation with the Zhao sisters – Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede – led to:
– The 18 BCE false accusation and deposition of virtuous Empress Xu
– The persecution of the talented Ban Jieyu
– The 16 BCE controversial installation of Zhao Feiyan as empress despite her low birth
– Subsequent failure to produce an heir amid rumors of Empress Zhao’s infidelity

Natural Disasters and Administrative Failures

The reign witnessed several catastrophic events that contemporaries interpreted as heavenly displeasure:
– The 17 BCE Yellow River floods that devastated 31 counties
– Multiple meteor sightings (22 BCE, 19 BCE) seen as cosmic warnings
– The 14 BCE ironworker revolts in Yingchuan and Shanyang

Emperor Cheng’s handling of the Yellow River floods proved particularly telling. He accepted Li Xun’s dubious proposal to let the river find its own course rather than repair breaches, prioritizing short-term cost savings over long-term solutions – a decision that exacerbated suffering in flood regions.

The Rise of Wang Mang and Seeds of Dynastic Collapse

Amidst this decline, Wang Mang began his calculated rise. Unlike his profligate relatives, Wang Mang cultivated an image of Confucian virtue:
– Simple living despite noble birth
– Careful attention to ritual propriety
– Strategic patronage of scholars
– The famous incident where he gifted a concubine to another official

Historian Ban Gu later noted how Wang Mang’s “humility and frugality” masked tremendous ambition, qualities that would eventually enable his usurpation.

Intellectual Responses to Crisis

The reign produced significant intellectual responses to these crises:
– Liu Xiang’s 16 BCE Biographies of Exemplary Women (列女传) offered moral instruction through historical examples
– Mei Fu’s 14 BCE memorial advocated returning to meritocratic recruitment
– Gu Yong’s fearless critiques of imperial misrule (20 BCE, 15 BCE) became models of Confucian remonstrance

These works articulated growing concerns about dynastic decline while attempting to steer the emperor toward reform.

The Abandoned Mausoleum: Symbol of a Reign

The decade-long (20-15 BCE) debacle of the Changling mausoleum project encapsulated Emperor Cheng’s governance failures:
– Initial construction under dubious advice from Chen Tang
– Massive resource expenditure and forced relocations
– Engineering failures due to poor site selection
– Eventual abandonment in 15 BCE after wasting immense resources

Liu Xiang’s critique connected this folly to broader patterns of misrule, invoking historical examples from the Qin dynasty’s excesses.

Legacy of Emperor Cheng’s Reign

Emperor Cheng’s 26-year rule (33-7 BCE) marked a turning point for the Western Han:
– Accelerated decline of centralized authority
– Growth of powerful consort families
– Failure to produce an heir leading to succession crises
– Economic strains from natural disasters and mismanagement

The Book of Han summarized his reign as one where “the ruler’s virtue declined and maternal relatives dominated,” setting the stage for Wang Mang’s eventual usurpation. Emperor Cheng’s inability to balance personal desires with governance responsibilities, to control powerful relatives, or to address structural state problems left the dynasty vulnerable to the crises that would unfold in the following decades.