dynasty, who with her sister, T'ai-p'ing Kung-chu, acquired under the weak rule of their father considerable political power. She was married in the first instance to a relative of the Empress Wu Hou, 武崇訓 Wu Ch'ung Hsün, who was shortly afterwards executed for treason. In 710 she married his brother, 武延秀 Wu Yen-hsiu, and joined her mother, the Empress 韋 Wei, in the conspiracy against her father, and his ultimate murder (see Li Hsien); for which she was put to death by the young Prince, her nephew, afterwards known as the Emperor Ming Huang.
11An Lu-Shan 安祿山. Died A.D. 757. A native of Lukchak, of Turkic descent, whose original name was 康 K'ang. His mother was a witch, and prayed for a son on the 軋窂 Ya-lao mountains, whence he is sometimes known as Ya-lao-shan. At his birth, a halo was seen around the house, and the beasts of the field cried aloud. The authorities sent to have the child put to death, but he was successfully concealed by his mother. His father dying while he was still young, his mother married a man named An; whereupon he changed his surname, and took the name as above. He grew up to be a tall, heavily-built, clever fellow, and a good judge of character. He spoke the various frontier dialects well; a point which once saved his head when condemned to death for sheep-stealing. He began to be employed in repressing the raids of the Kitan Tartars, in which occupation he made quite a name for himself, and was at length brought to the capital by Li Lin-fu. The Emperor Ming Huang took a great fancy to him, and Yang Kuei-fei called him her adopted son, making him do obeisance to her first and to the Emperor afterwards, on the ground that such was the Turkic custom. Despatched upon an expedition against the Kitans, he was so successful that he was ennobled as Duke. Then, inflated with pride and ambition, he rebelled, and added to the general confusion which was surrounding the wretched Ming Huang,
