A Chinese Biographical Dictionary/Ch'ao Ts'o
204 Ch'ao Ts'o 鼂錯 or 晁錯. Died B.C. 155. A native of Ying-ch'uan in Anhui, who rose under the Emperor Wên Ti of the Han dynasty to be chief tutor to the Heir Apparent, in which capacity he gained for himself the sobriquet of 智囊 the Wisdom-Bag. Upon the accession of his young master as the Emperor Ching Ti, he was made a Privy Councillor, and proceeded to advise the new monarch to get rid of the feudal Princes, whose animosities and treacheries threatened the stability of the empire. Ch'ao Ts'o's father, hearing of this, hurried up from Ying-ch'uan to the capital, and begged his son to withdraw from such a dangerous enterprise. Ch'ao Ts'o explained that his measure was intended to secure peace for the House of Liu; to which his father replied that it would secure anything but peace for the House of Ch'ao. And as the old man felt unable to face the coming crisis, he took poison and died. Ten days later, seven of the feudal States revolted; and as Tou Ying, secretly backed by Yüan Yang, laid the whole blame upon Ch'ao Ts'o and his unpopular measures, the Emperor gave orders for the latter to be dressed in full official robes and thus to be led forth to execution.