Background

It is not known when Wang Yanjun was born. He was the second biological son of his father Wang Shenzhi, the first ruler of the Wang clan to use the title of Prince of Min. His mother was Wang Shenzhi's concubine Lady Huang.

During Wang Shenzhis reign

The first historical reference to Wang Yanjun was in 917, when his father Wang Shenzhi, who was then carrying the title of Prince of Min as a Later Liang vassal, had him marry the Southern Han princess Liu Hua, the Princess Qingyuan. (The traditional account in the Zizhi Tongjian described Liu Hua as the daughter of Southern Han's first emperor Liu Yan (Emperor Gaozu), but her tombstone, since discovered, indicated that she was the daughter of Liu Yan's older brother Liu Yin. At that time, Wang Yanjun was serving as a commander of his father's headquarter guards.

During Wang Yanhans reign

No further historical references were made to Wang Yanjun until after his father Wang Shenzhi died in 925—at which time his older brother Wang Yanhan took over the reins of the Min realm, initially only claiming the title of acting military governor of Weiwu Circuit (威武)—i.e., the Tang Dynasty circuit that formed Min territory—as a vassal to Later Liang's successor Later Tang. (Wang Yanhan claimed the title of King of Min in 926 without Later Tang imperial sanction, effectively declaring himself independent of Later Tang.) It was said that several months after Wang Yanhan's succession that he, who did not treat his brothers well, sent Wang Yanjun out of the capital Changle (長樂, in modern Fuzhou, Fujian) to serve as the prefect of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian). Further, Wang Yanhan carried out incessant selections of women to become his concubines and servants in his palace; when both Wang Yanjun and an adoptive brother, Wang Yanbing (who was older than Wang Yanjun) the prefect of Jian Prefecture (建州, in modern Nanping, Fujian) submitted petitions urging him to change his behavior, he became angry, and therefore his relationship with these two brothers deteriorated.

ARound the new year 927, Wang Yanbing and Wang Yanjun jointly launched an attack on Fu Prefecture (福州, i.e., Changle). Wang Yanbing arrived first, defeating Wang Yanhan's army commander Chen Tao (陳陶), causing Chen to commit suicide. Wang Yanbing then had his army scale the walls and enter the city, killing both Wang Yanhan and Wang Yanhan's wife Lady Cui on accusations that they had poisoned Wang Shenzhi. When Wang Yanjun subsequently arrived, Wang Yanbing opened the gates to welcome him in and supported him as the acting military governor of Weiwu.

As military governor of Weiwu

Shortly after Wang Yanjun took over, Wang Yanbing returned to Jian, and as he was set to depart Fu, he stated to Wang Yanjun: "Carefully guard the forefathers' foundation; do not trouble me, your older brother, into coming down again!" Wang Yanjun outwardly tried to humbly accept this statement, but his expressions changed as he did so, showing displeasure.

As Wang Yanjun's use of the acting military governor title showed resumed submission to the Later Tang regime, later in the year, Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang commissioned him as full military governor (Jiedushi); Emperor Mingzong also bestowed on him the honorary chancellor designation of acting Zhongshu Ling (中書令) and created him the Prince of Langye. In 928, Emperor Mingzong further created him the Prince of Min.

As Prince of Min

In 928, Wang Yanjun had 20,000 of his people become Buddhist monks, and it was said that from that point on, the region was full of monks.

In 930, Wang's wife Lady Liu Hua died. After Lady Liu's death, he married a Lady Jin as his wife. (However, a contradictory account indicated that his second wife was also named Liu.)

In 931, Wang Yanjun apparently was ill, and this became known to Wang Yanbing, who decided that this would be the time to take over the realm. Wang Yanbing left his second son Wang Jisheng (王繼升) in charge of Jian, while heading to Fu with his oldest son Wang Jixiong (王繼雄) to attack it together. During the siege, Wang Yanjun's general Wang Renda (王仁達)—possibly a nephew to both Wang Yanjun and Wang Yanbing—pretended to surrender to Wang Jixiong, and then ambushed and killed him. Wang Jixiong's death destroyed the morale of both Wang Yanbing himself and his army, and Wang Renda subsequently crushed his army, capturing him. Wang Yanjun initially sent messengers to Jian to try to comfort the garrison there, but Wang Yanbing's followers there killed the messengers, and then took Wang Jisheng and his younger brother Wang Jilun (王繼倫) and fled to Wuyue. Wang Yanjun subsequently executed Wang Yanbing and sent another brother, Wang Yanzheng, to Jian to comfort the people there.

Despite Wang's previously demonstrated Buddhist leanings, he also was very interested in Taoist teachings on immortality, and, exploiting this, in 931, the Taoist monk Chen Shouyuan (陳守元) and sorcerers Xue Yan (徐彥) and Xing Shengtao (興盛韜) persuaded him to build a luxurious temple, Emperor Bao Palace (寶皇宮, apparently devoted to a deity named Emperor Bao), with Chen serving as its superintendent. Later in the year, Chen further persuaded him that Emperor Bao had decreed that if he left his office for some time to devote himself to Taoism, he could be an emperor for 60 years. Late in 931, he thus had his son Wang Jipeng temporarily take over the matters of state, while he himself became a Taoist monk with the name Xuanxi and received Taoist amulets. He returned to the throne in spring 932.

Both Chen and Xue then stated to Wang Yanjun that Emperor Bao had further decreed that he would become a god after being emperor for 60 years. This caused Wang to become very arrogant. He sent a petition to Emperor Mingzong, demanding to be given the titles, in light of the recent deaths of Qian Liu the King of Wuyue and Ma Yin the King of Chu, of Prince of Wuyue and Shangshu Ling (尚書令, a title that Ma held). When the Later Tang government gave no response, Wang cut off his tributes to Later Tang.

As Emperor of Min

In 933, after his subjects claimed to have seen a dragon, Wang Yanjun declared himself Emperor of Min after receiving blessings at Emperor Bao's Palace. He also changed his name to Wang Lin. However, instead of the usual seven ancestral temples for his ancestors, he only built five. (As stated in his biography in the Zizhi Tongjian, he had ambivalent in his feelings about declaring himself emperor, and this might have been a sign of the ambivalence.) He made his official Li Min (李敏) and his son Wang Jipeng chancellors, and his close associate Wu Xu (吳勗) his chief of staff (Shumishi). At that time, it happened that Later Tang emissaries Pei Jie (裴傑) and Cheng Kan (程侃) were arriving. Wang Lin sent Pei back to the Later Tang imperial court, but refused to send Cheng back despite Cheng's pleas. Despite claiming imperial title, however, Wang Lin was said to be cognizant that his state was small and weak, and therefore tried to maintain cordial relations with his neighboring states, allowing peacefulness for his realm. He subsequently made Wang Jipeng the Prince of Fu and the director of Emperor Bao's Palace. After an earthquake later in the year, he also left the throne again briefly and had Wang Jipeng serve as regent, before returning to the throne. However, it was also said that he was building luxurious palaces, going against the example of his father Wang Shenzhi, who was frugal. He honored his mother Lady Huang as empress dowager.

Later in the year, another officer, Xue Wenjie, had become a chief of staff as well. Xue was known for gathering wealth for Wang Lin by means of falsely accusing rich people of crimes, and then executing them and seizing their wealth. He also encouraged Wang Lin to find ways to reduce the Wang clan members' power. It was said that Wang Lin's nephew Wang Jitu (王繼圖) became so incensed that he considered a coup. When Wang Jitu's plans were discovered, he was executed, and more than 1,000 people were executed with him. Later in the year, Xue also falsely accused Wu of treason, and Wu was also executed. Later in 933, at Wang Lin's own initiative, Wang Renda was also executed.

When Xue also tried to falsely accuse Wu Guang (吳光), whose clan was a prominent one at Jian Prefecture, however, Xue's plans backfired, as Wu took his clan and other followers, over 10,000 in total, and fled to Min's northwest neighbor Wu. Wu Guang subsequently tried to encourage Wu to attack Min, and the Wu general Jiang Yanhui (蔣延徽) the prefect of Xin Prefecture (信州, in modern Shangrao, Jiangxi), decided to attack without first getting approval from the Wu imperial government. Wang Lin was forced to seek aid from Wuyue. Before Wuyue could react to his request, however, Jiang had already put Jian Prefecture under siege. Wang Lin sent his general Zhang Yanrou (張彥柔) and his brother Wang Yanzong (王延宗) to try to save Jian. On the way, however, their army refused to advance any further, stating that they would not fight unless they took possession of Xue. When this news arrived at Changle, Empress Dowager Huang and Wang Jipeng persuaded Wang Lin to turn Xue over, and Xue tried to plead for himself. Wang Lin took no initial reaction, but appeared to implicitly approve when Wang Jipeng then seized Xue and delivered him to the army, where the soldiers killed him and ate his flesh, and then advanced on Jian. With Wuyue forces also advancing on Jian, and Jiang's own campaign undermined by the Wu regent Xu Zhigao (who was apprehensive that Jiang might support one of the Wu imperial princes, Yang Meng, in opposing Xue), Jiang had to withdraw with heavy losses inflicted by pursuing Min troops.

It was said that while Wang Lin's wife Lady Jin was beautiful and virtuous, he did not favor her, and he never created her empress. Rather, he favored his concubine Consort Chen Jinfeng, who had been a servant girl or concubine of his father Wang Shenzhi's, despite her appearance being said to be ugly, apparently on account of her licentiousness. In 935, he created Consort Cheng empress.

However, it was also said that in his later years, Wang Lin was impotent after suffering a stroke. He had favored the close associate Gui Shouming (歸守明), and Gui thus was allowed to enter the palace freely. Empress Chen began an affair with him, and also with another associate, Li Keyin (李可殷). As Li Keyin had falsely accused the officer Li Fang (李倣), and Empress Chen's clansman Chen Kuangsheng (陳匡勝) had disrespected Wang Jipeng, both Li Fang and Wang Jipeng became resentful of the situation. When Wang Lin's conditions grew worse in winter 935, Wang Jipeng thought that he was going to inherit the throne, and therefore was happy. Meanwhile, as Li Fang believed that Wang Lin would not recover, he had Li Keyin killed. However, when Wang Lin's conditions subsequently became better, Empress Chen informed him of Li Keyin's death, and he ordered an investigation. Li Fang, in fear, started an uprising and took his soldiers into the palace. The soldiers wounded Wang Lin, who was suffering tremendously from his wound. His palace servants, not wanting to see him suffer further, killed him. Li Fang and Wang Jipeng then killed Empress Chen, Chen Kuangsheng, another Chen clansman Chen Shou'en (陳守恩), Gui, and Wang Jipeng's younger brother Wang Jitao (whom Wang Jipeng also disliked). Wang Jipeng then took the throne (as Emperor Kangzong).

Personal information

• Father

　• Wang Shenzhi, Prince Zhongyi of Min, later further posthumously honored Emperor Taizu

• Mother

　• Lady Huang, later honored empress dowager and then grand empress dowager

• Wives

　• Liu Hua (896-930), Southern Han's Princess Qingyuan, daughter of Liu Yin, Lady Minghui of Yan

　• Lady Jin

　• Empress Chen Jinfeng, originally concubine of Wang Shenzhi's (created and killed 935)

• Children

　• Wang Jiyan (王繼嚴), known for some time as Wang Jiyu (王繼裕) (changed 939) but later name changed back to Wang Jiyan, the Prince of Jian (poisoned by Wang Yanxi 941)

　• Wang Jipeng (王繼鵬), later name changed to Wang Chang (王昶), the Prince of Fu (created 933), later Emperor Kangzong

　• Wang Jigong (王繼恭), the Prince of Linhai (created 936, killed by Lian Chongyu 939)

　• Wang Jitao (王繼韜) (killed 935)

　• Wang Jirong (王繼鎔)

　• At least two daughters

Notes and references

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 134.

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 68.

• Spring and Autumn Annals of the Ten Kingdoms (十國春秋), vol. 91.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 270, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279.

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生平

王延鈞是太祖王審知的次子，也是嗣王王延翰之弟。王延翰繼位後，任王延鈞為泉州刺史，並在福州四處尋找民女，納入宮中為妾，王延鈞與建州刺史王延稟為此上書勸諫，王延翰大怒。王延稟與王延翰一向不睦，便與王延鈞聯軍攻打福州。王延稟自建州順流而下，於天成元年（926年）十二月初八（陽曆927年1月14日）先攻破福州，殺王延翰。不久王延鈞亦至，被王延稟推戴為武威留後。夏五月，後唐明宗任命王延鈞為威武軍節度使守中書令，封琅琊王。十一月，王延鈞遣使，向後唐進貢犀牛、香藥、海味。天成三年七月，後唐又遣吏部郎中裴羽、右散騎常侍陸崇，進封王延鈞為閩王。十二月，奉國節度使知建州王延稟向後唐上表稱疾，後唐任命其子王繼雄為建州刺史。

長興二年（931年），王延稟誤信王延鈞患重病，命次子王繼昇為建州留後，與王繼雄一起率水軍攻打福州。王延稟攻西門、王繼雄攻東門。王延鈞派樓船指揮使王仁達拒戰於南臺江。王仁達把士兵藏在船中，自己假裝出降。王繼雄登船撫慰，被王仁達殺死，梟首示眾於西門。王延稟正在放火攻城，見其子首級，不禁慟哭，軍心大亂。王仁達趁機發起攻擊，將其擒獲。王延鈞將王延稟斬於市，恢復其原名周彥琛，又派使者前去建州招撫其餘黨。王延稟之子王繼昇、王繼倫得知後出奔吳越。王延鈞便派弟弟都教練使王延政去鎮守建州。

當時福建僧侶眾多。王延鈞在位期間，下令丈量土地，分為三等，上等賜給僧侶，中等授予土著百姓，下等給流寓之人耕種。閩國的科舉之法模仿唐朝，但兩稅卻被加重。他喜好神仙之術，寵信左道巫者徐彥、樸盛韜、陳守元等人，還建造寶皇宮給陳守元居住，稱其為宮主。當時福州有王霸壇、煉丹井。壇旁皂莢木枯萎已久，一日突然長出枝葉來。井中又有白龜浮出。掘地，得石銘，有「王霸裔孫」之文。王延鈞便認為這在自己身上應驗了，便在壇旁建造宮殿，極盡奢華。

長興二年十二月，陳守元假借寶皇之命，建議王延鈞「避位受道，當為天子六十年。」於是王延鈞遜位給長子威武軍節度副使王繼鵬，成為道士，取道號玄錫。翌年春三月復位，要求後唐仿吳越錢鏐、南楚馬殷之例，封自己為尚書令。後唐不答，王延鈞遂斷絕雙方關係。

後唐長興四年（933年），黃龍現于真封宅，王延鈞下令改宅為龍躍宮，又建東華宮。當年正月，王延鈞在寶皇宮受冊稱帝，國號大閩，改元龍啟，改名王鏻，立五廟，追謚王審知為太祖，封高蓋山為西嶽。王延鈞自知國土狹小，土地偏僻，因此謹慎與四鄰相處，境內還算安定。

王延鈞的元配是南漢清遠公主劉德秀，十分美麗，但早逝。繼室金氏賢而無寵。王延鈞相當寵愛淑妃陳金鳳，築水晶宮于福州西湖旁，在湖中造彩舫數十，每舫置宮女二十餘人，自乘大龍舟與陳金鳳同游。後又築長春宮，與陳金鳳居于其中，每晚歡宴，燃金龍燭數百，使宮女擎金玉、瑪瑙、琥珀、水晶之杯盤進饌，酒酣時裸體追逐嬉笑為樂。陳金鳳本是王審知的婢女，有才藝又十分淫蕩。因王延鈞晚年得風疾，陳金鳳遂與王延鈞的男寵歸守明、李可殷私通，閩人都很痛恨他們。

閩國永和元年（935年），陳金鳳被立為后。同年，王延鈞病重，王延鈞之子王繼鵬與皇城使李倣欲聯手提前了結陳后之勢力。李倣派兵進宮，殺死皇后陳金鳳及其黨羽。王延鈞躲到為他特製的九龍帳下，變軍刺了幾下後才出去。王延鈞重傷未死卻痛不欲生，宮女不忍見其受苦，遂殺死王延鈞。王延鈞死後，為王繼鵬諡為齊肅明孝皇帝，廟號惠宗，唯《新五代史》則作廟號太宗，諡號惠皇帝。

后妃

• 明惠皇后劉華，南漢清遠公主

• 廢后金氏，被廢

• 皇后陳金鳳

子嗣

王延鈞有子可考者五人，皆嫡出，只有王繼鏞是陳金鳳所生，其餘四位均為劉華親生的：

• 建王 王繼嚴（939年改名王繼裕），劉華所生。941年被王延羲毒殺

• 康宗 王繼鵬，劉華所生

• 臨海郡王 王繼恭，劉華所生，939年被連重遇所殺

• 福王 王繼韜，劉華所生，935年被殺

• 六軍諸衛事王繼鎔(王繼鏞)，陳金鳳所生

女兒，史書無載，根據劉德秀墓誌，知其生有兩女。

注釋