During the reign of Emperor Hui of Jin, Wang Yan grew popular among the court for his mastery in Qingtan and for being a patron of Xuanxue.
After Yue died in April 311, Wang Yan led his funeral procession but was ambushed and later executed by the Han-Zhao general, Shi Le at Ningping City (寧平; in modern Zhoukou, Henan).
Though a bright scholar, Wang Yan was often associated by traditional historians as one of the root causes for Western Jin's demise due to his influential beliefs.
It was then when Wang Yan decided to focus less on worldly affairs and dedicate his time on studying Qingtan or "pure conversations".
[3] Wang Yan eventually left Luoyang to take up the post of Prefect of Yuanxiang (苑鄕, in present-day Hebei and Beijing).
By 297, during the reign of Emperor Hui, Wang Yan held the office of Prefect of the Masters of Writing, holding a significant amount of power in court at this time.
He still regularly discussed Qingtan and further delved himself into Zhengshi era Xuanxue, particularly the teachings of the Cao Wei minister He Yan and his inner circle.
However, his ideas supposedly had a negative effect on the court, as many of the ministers began neglecting their duties in favour of committing excessive and absurd acts.
A group of ministers submitted a petition accusing him of refusing to help Sima Yu in order to save his own life, and Wang Yan was barred from the government.
Sima Yue sent Wang Bin (王斌) while the Inspector of Liangzhou, Zhang Gui sent his general Beigong Chun to reinforce the capital.
However, Shi Le told him, "You have supported the court ever since you were young; your fame spreads throughout the Four Seas, and you occupy a very important office.
Due to his refusal to take responsibility, Shi Le ordered that Wang Yan be executed by pushing a wall to crush him to death rather than by the sword.
Before his death, Wang Yan was recorded to have lamented, "Though I am inferior to the ancients, had I not favoured vanity and devoted myself to bettering the state, I would not have suffer today.
The Jin general, Yu Yi wrote a letter to Yin Hao asking him to quit his life as a hermit and join the government.
In it, he brings up Wang Yan who he criticized for neglecting government responsibilities in favour of philosophical discussions and failing to make a positive name for himself, much like what Yin Hao was doing at the time.
[17] During his 2nd northern expedition in 356, the Jin commander Huan Wen reportedly said, "For causing the Sacred Lands to fall into the hands of the enemies and lay it in ruins for a hundred years, Wang Yifu and his followers must bear this burden!
The Confucianist scholar, Fan Ning, made a very critical assessment against Wang, denouncing him of distorting the orthodox teachings of Confucius which in turn brought disaster to his dynasty.
This hostile sentiment was shared by the Book of Jin and various famous writers from different dynasties such as Wei Yuanzhong,[20] Su Shi,[21] Wang Fuzhi[22] and more.