Ma Xisheng facts for kids

Ma Xisheng (traditional Chinese: 馬希聲; simplified Chinese: 马希声; pinyin: Mǎ Xīshēng; 899 – August 15, 932) was an important ruler in ancient China. He was known by his courtesy name Ruona (若訥). After his death, he was given the title Prince of Hengyang (衡陽王). He was the second leader of the Ma Chu kingdom. This kingdom was one of the many states during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China. Ma Xisheng ruled for a short time, from 930 to 932, after his father passed away.

Early Life and Family

Ma Xisheng was born in the year 899. This was during the time of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang. He was the second son of a powerful leader named Ma Yin. At that time, Ma Yin had just taken control of a place called Tan Prefecture. This area is now known as Changsha in Hunan province.

Ma Xisheng's mother was Lady Yuan. She was a favorite of his father, Ma Yin. Ma Yin had many sons, at least 35! Ma Xisheng and his younger brother, Ma Xifan, were born on the same day. Ma Xisheng was born earlier that day.

Becoming the Next Ruler

Ma Yin, Ma Xisheng's father, slowly made his kingdom bigger over the years. He was given the title of Prince of Chu. Later, he was even called the King of Chu. This happened in 927, given by the emperor of the Later Tang dynasty.

In 929, Ma Yin made Ma Xisheng a very important official. Ma Xisheng was put in charge of the military. He also became a type of chancellor. This meant that all important decisions had to go through Ma Xisheng first. This made it clear that Ma Xisheng was chosen to be the next ruler.

Ma Xisheng's older brother, Ma Xizhen, was usually expected to be the next leader. This was because he was the oldest son of Ma Yin's main wife. But Ma Xisheng was chosen because his mother, Lady Yuan, was Ma Yin's favorite. To avoid any problems, Ma Xizhen decided to become a Taoist monk. He left the royal court.

Dealing with Gao Yu

After Ma Xisheng took charge, he became suspicious of a long-time advisor named Gao Yu. Gao Yu was a strategist for his father. Ma Xisheng's wife, Lady Yang, had a relative who wanted Gao Yu's job. This relative often said bad things about Gao Yu to Ma Xisheng.

Ma Xisheng accused Gao Yu of wasting money and talking to other kingdoms. He asked his father, Ma Yin, to remove Gao Yu from his military role. Ma Yin did not want to kill Gao Yu, but he did take away his military command. Gao Yu was unhappy about this. He made a remark that made Ma Xisheng very angry.

Ma Xisheng then falsely announced that Gao Yu had committed treason. He had Gao Yu and his family executed without telling his father first. When Ma Yin heard this, he was very sad, but he did not punish Ma Xisheng.

Ma Yin's Death

In 930, Ma Yin became very ill. He sent a message to the Later Tang emperor, asking for Ma Xisheng to take over his titles. The emperor thought Ma Yin had already died. So, he issued an order for Ma Xisheng to become the military governor of Wu'an. He also gave Ma Xisheng an honorary title.

About a month later, Ma Yin truly passed away. He left a will for his sons. It said that after his death, the next ruler of Chu should be a brother. He even left his sword in the royal hall. He said, "Those who go against my order will be killed!"

At first, the generals wanted to keep Ma Yin's death a secret. They wanted to make sure the borders were safe. But an official named Huang Sun said that a new ruler was taking over. He said there was no need to cause alarm. So, they announced Ma Yin's death and Ma Xisheng became the new ruler.

Ma Xisheng's Rule

After Ma Xisheng became the ruler of Chu, he said that his father, Ma Yin, did not want him to claim the title of king. So, Ma Xisheng only used the title of military governor of Wu'an. This showed he was still a loyal leader under the Later Tang emperor. The emperor then gave him more titles. He became the military governor of Jingjiang Circuit, which Chu also controlled.

Ma Yin was not buried for about a year after he died. During this time, Ma Xisheng was supposed to be in a period of mourning. However, Ma Xisheng loved eating chicken. He would eat as many as 50 chickens every day! This was seen as not proper during a time of mourning. He also did not show much sadness.

In late 931, Ma Yin was finally going to be buried. Ma Xisheng was supposed to escort the funeral procession. Before leaving, he ate many plates of chicken. An official named Pan Qi saw this. He made a joke about it, comparing Ma Xisheng to a wise man from the past.

During Ma Xisheng's time as ruler, there was a very bad drought in the Chu kingdom. Ma Xisheng believed that the gods were responsible. So, in the fall of 932, he ordered the closing of temples dedicated to the god of Mount Heng and other gods. But the drought did not stop. Ma Xisheng died not long after this. His generals then chose his brother, Ma Xifan, to become the next ruler.