Fu Jian (Chinese: 苻堅; 337 –16 October 385), courtesy name Yonggu (永固) or Wenyu (文玉), also known by his posthumous name as the Emperor Xuanzhao of Former Qin (前秦宣昭帝), was the third monarch of the Di-led Chinese Former Qin dynasty, ruling as Heavenly King.

He was considered by traditional histories to be a virtuous and just ruler, who, ironically, by sparing too many of his enemies after defeating them, led to his own downfall.

It was with Li's support that Wang's position became increasingly important, eventually becoming one of prime minister status.

This was particularly the case when, around new year 358, Empress Dowager Gou, apprehensive of Fu Fa's growing authority, forced him to commit suicide.

Wang, with Fu Jian's support, established rule of law throughout the empire, and he even executed the founding emperor's honored but corrupt brother-in-law, Qiang De (強德), despite Fu Jian's desire to pardon Qiang.

Late in 364, Fu Jian tried to restore the early Jin system by permitting the dukes—his brothers, sons, and cousins—to commission their own assistants.

However, he cancelled the plans when some of the dukes retained rich merchants to serve as their assistants purely on account of their wealth.

In 365, after the Former Yan regent Murong Ke captured the important Jin city of Luoyang, he postured as if about to attack Former Qin.

He then advanced on Hu Pass (壺關, in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), defeating all Former Yan resistance on the way.

Murong Wei, hearing this, sent a messenger to rebuke him and ordering him to distribute the wealth to the soldiers, but the damage was done.

Murong Wei abandoned Yecheng and tried to flee to the old capital Helong (和龍, in modern Jinzhou, Liaoning), but was captured on the way.

Initially, Fu Jian put Wang Meng in charge of all of the conquered Former Yan territory, as viceroy.

He relocated Murong Wei and his clan, as well as a large number of his Xianbei people, to the Guanzhong region, in the heart of Former Qin.

In 372, he summoned Wang back to the capital to resume his post as prime minister, while putting Fu Rong in charge of the eastern empire.

In 373, he launched a campaign against Jin's western region, conquering modern Sichuan, Chongqing, and southern Shaanxi.

After Wang Meng's death, Fu Jian continued to carry out his campaigns to try to unite the empire.

Further, Fu Jian, who was known for thrifty living in his early years, began to spend somewhat extravagantly on palace designs.

He was, however, crushed by the general Lü Guang and captured, but Fu Jian did not kill him but only exiled him.

Also in 380, Fu Jian carried out a historically controversial decision to distribute his Di people—a small minority in his empire—to various regions of the empire, under the command of his sons and other generals.

He also summoned his brother Fu Rong back to the capital and take over posts previously held by Wang Meng.

In 383, Fu Jian sent Lü on a campaign to Xiyu (西域, modern Xinjiang and former Soviet central Asia), where some of the kingdoms had submitted to Former Qin as vassals but some had not.

After initial victories, capturing the Jin city of Shouyang (壽陽, in modern Lu'an, Anhui), the Former Qin advance troops would suffer some losses at the hands of Xie Xuan and Liu Laozhi (劉牢之), and the armies would be stalemated at the Fei River (which no longer exists, but likely flowed through modern Lu'an, near the Huai River), with the Former Qin forces to the west of the river and the Jin forces to the east.

Fu Jian himself was hit by a stray arrow, and was forced to flee to Murong Chui, whose army was one of the few that did not collapse.

Murong Chui, while not willing to resort to murder due to Fu Jian's earlier kindness to him, did decide, however, to try to reestablish Yan.

Under the pretense of wanting to calm the people of the eastern empire, he persuaded Fu Jian to allow him to lead an army northeast, despite opposition by Quan Yi.

As Murong Chui arrived at Yecheng, he and Fu Pi suspected each other but each ruled out suggestions by their respective subordinates to ambush the other.

Meanwhile, Jin also launched campaigns, and would recapture the modern Chongqing, Sichuan, and southern Shaanxi region by early 385, as well as capturing much of the Former Qin territory south of the Yellow River, although Jin forces under Xie Xuan would at times be in temporary alliance with Fu Pi against Later Yan as well.