Ministers › Statesman / Official
Ren An
Official under Emperor Wu who, as overseer of the Northern Army, took the crown prince's tally but stood aside during the witchcraft crisis and was cut in two; recipient of Sima Qian's famous letter.
In the courtyard of a district government hall, a line of petitioners waits before a raised bench with a long table and document boxes; a blue umbrella stands beside it, a large drum stands at the gate where a few people wait, and a lake with sailboats lies beyond.
Also known as Zi Shaoqing · Ren Shaoqing
- Roles
- Statesman / Official
Ren An, courtesy name Shaoqing, came from Xingyang. Orphaned and poor in youth, he began as a retainer of the general Wei Qing and was later promoted by Emperor Wu, serving as inspector of Yizhou and as overseer of the Northern Army. In the witchcraft crisis of 91 BCE the crown prince handed him a tally to raise troops; he accepted it but kept his camp shut, and the emperor, judging him a fence-sitter, had him cut in two at the waist. He had once written urging Sima Qian to recommend worthy men, and Sima Qian's reply is the celebrated Letter in Reply to Ren An.
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–91 BCE