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Sunday 8 December 2013

The infamous Emperor from the Zhou Dynasty (1100 -256 BC)

Compiled from Infamous Chinese Emperors

        King You was notorious as the last monarch of the Western Zhou Dynasty who brought about the downfall of the kingdom which was followed by the many states of the Spring and Autumn Period. He was greedy and indulged in sensual pleasures to the neglect of state affairs. He had a concubine by the name of Baosi who, though very beautiful, had a serious look and rarely smiled. In order to make her smile, he even endangered the security of his kingdom. King You went so far as to tease the leaders of the vassal states with beacons.
        He brought the concubine to the beacon tower on one of the fortresses and ordered the beacons to be lit one after another. Heads of the vassal states took this as a call for help and led their troops to the capital. It turned out to be a false alarm but Baosi could not help laughing at this amusing spectacle. King You was delighted to see her smile at last.

        One day, however, he was attacked by the son of a woman who was killed for the sake of pleasing Baosi. King You sent a signal for help, but the leaders of the vassal states (having been fooled before) ignored him. As a result, Baosi was captured and he was slain, bringing his kingdom to an end.

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