Wang Yanjun (Chinese: 王延鈞) (died November 17, 935[5][2]), known as Wang Lin (王鏻 or 王璘) from 933 to 935, also known by his temple name as the Emperor Huizong of Min (閩惠宗), used the name of Xuanxi (玄錫) while briefly being a Taoist monk, was the third monarch of Min during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of China, and the first ruler of Min to use the title of emperor.
[9] The first historical reference to Wang Yanjun was in 917, when his father Wang Shenzhi, who was then carrying the title of Prince of Min as a Later Liang vassal, had him marry the Southern Han princess Liu Hua, the Princess Qingyuan.
[9][10][11] At that time, Wang Yanjun was serving as a commander of his father's headquarter guards.
[10] No further historical references were made to Wang Yanjun until after his father Wang Shenzhi died in 925—at which time his older brother Wang Yanhan took over the reins of the Min realm, initially only claiming the title of acting military governor of Weiwu Circuit (威武)—i.e., the Tang dynasty circuit that formed Min territory—as a vassal to Later Liang's successor Later Tang.
It was said that several months after Wang Yanhan's succession that he, who did not treat his brothers well, sent Wang Yanjun out of the capital Changle (長樂, in modern Fuzhou, Fujian) to serve as the prefect of Quan Prefecture (泉州, in modern Quanzhou, Fujian).
Wang Yanjun outwardly tried to humbly accept this statement, but his expressions changed as he did so, showing displeasure.
[4] As Wang Yanjun's use of the acting military governor title showed resumed submission to the Later Tang regime, later in the year, Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang commissioned him as full military governor (Jiedushi); Emperor Mingzong also bestowed on him the honorary chancellor designation of acting Zhongshu Ling (中書令) and created him the Prince of Langye.
[13] Despite Wang's previously demonstrated Buddhist leanings, he also was very interested in Taoist teachings on immortality, and, exploiting this, in 931, the Taoist monk Chen Shouyuan (陳守元) and sorcerers Xue Yan (徐彥) and Xing Shengtao (興盛韜) persuaded him to build a luxurious temple, Emperor Bao Palace (寶皇宮, apparently devoted to a deity named Emperor Bao), with Chen serving as its superintendent.
He sent a petition to Emperor Mingzong, demanding to be given the titles, in light of the recent deaths of Qian Liu the King of Wuyue and Ma Yin the King of Chu, of Prince of Wuyue and Shangshu Ling (尚書令, a title that Ma held).
)[8] He made his official Li Min (李敏) and his son Wang Jipeng chancellors, and his close associate Wu Xu (吳勗) his chief of staff (Shumishi).
At that time, it happened that Later Tang emissaries Pei Jie (裴傑) and Cheng Kan (程侃) were arriving.
He subsequently made Wang Jipeng the Prince of Fu and the director of Emperor Bao's Palace.
Before Wuyue could react to his request, however, Jiang had already put Jian Prefecture under siege.
On the way, however, their army refused to advance any further, stating that they would not fight unless they took possession of Xue.
[1] It was said that while Wang Lin's wife Lady Jin was beautiful and virtuous, he did not favor her, and he never created her empress.
However, when Wang Lin's conditions subsequently became better, Empress Chen informed him of Li Keyin's death, and he ordered an investigation.