During Tang Dynasty

It is not known when Wang Zhaozuo was born. His family had controlled Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei, the later basis for the Zhao state) for generations, by the time of his birth. As of 900, during the reign of Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, when Wang Zhaozuo's father Wang Rong was serving as Chengde's military governor (Jiedushi), Wang Zhaozuo was serving as the deputy military governor, the traditional position for the military governor's successor. That year, Chengde came under the attack of the major warlord Zhu Quanzhong the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), Wang Rong sued for peace by offering a large tribute of colored silk to Zhu, and also offered Wang Zhaozuo and the sons or brothers of key Chengde officers as hostages to show his intent to submit to Zhu. Zhu accepted the tribute and the hostages, and after taking Wang Zhaozuo back to his capital Bian Prefecture (汴州), gave one of his daughters to Wang Zhaozuo in marriage.

After Tang Dynasty

For years after that, there were no historical references made to Wang Zhaozuo himself. In 907, when Zhu Quanzhong forced Emperor Zhaozong's son and successor Emperor Ai to yield the throne to him, ending Tang Dynasty and starting a new Later Liang with him as its Emperor Taizu, Wang Zhaozuo's wife would have been created as Princess Puning. Meanwhile, the new Later Liang emperor also created Wang Rong the Prince of Zhao. (By this point, Chengde Circuit had been renamed Wushun, to observe naming taboo, as Emperor Taizu's father was named Zhu Cheng (朱诚 — not the same character as "Cheng" (成) in Chengde, but a homophone.)

At some point, Wang Zhaozuo and Princess Puning must have returned to Wushun, as, while no historical references were made to him, historical references were made to her presence in 910. That year, Emperor Taizu, suspicious of whether Wang Rong and Wang Chuzhi the military governor of neighboring Yiwu Circuit (义武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei), who had submitted to him but remained in de facto control of their circuits, would remain permanently submissive to him, decided to try to seize control of both circuits by force. He thus had his attendants Du Tingyin (杜廷隐) and Ding Yanhui (丁延徽) seize Wushun's Shen (深州) and Ji (冀州, both in modern Hengshui, Hebei) Prefectures by trick and commissioned the major general Wang Jingren to prepare a full attack on the two circuits to seize them. When Wang Rong was unable to retake Shen and Ji himself, he and Wang Chuzhi sought aid from Li Cunxu, the prince of Later Liang's archenemy Jin. When Li Cunxu, against the advice of some of his generals, decided to aid Wang Rong, he dismissed Princess Puning's presence there (which the generals opposing the action cited as possibly showing that Wang Rong was intending trickery on Later Liang's behalf) as inconsequential. After Li Cunxu successfully helped Wang Rong in repelling Wang Jingren, Wang Rong's domain effectively became an independent Zhao state, and the Wushun name was changed back to Chengde.

In 920, Wang Rong, who had become accustomed to luxurious living, alienated his army by spending too much time at his vacation home in the mountains west of Zhao's capital Zhen Prefecture. The soldiers mutinied and killed Wang Rong's favorite eunuch Shi Ximeng (石希蒙), and in response, Wang Rong killed the eunuch Li Honggui (李弘规) and the officer Li Ai (李蔼), whom he blamed for inciting the mutiny, and slaughtered Li Honggui's and Li Ai's families. He transferred Li Honggui's and Li Ai's authorities to Wang Zhaozuo (who was then still serving as deputy military governor) and Wang Zhaozuo's adoptive brother Wang Deming. Wang Rong continued to pursue those whom he considered to be Li Honggui's and Li Ai's associates, and many were killed. Wang Deming, who by this point had formed the ambition to overthrow his adoptive father, falsely informed the guards that Wang Rong was intending to slaughter them all, causing a general panic in the guard corps. In spring 921, the guards mutinied and killed Wang Rong. They offered the leadership of the circuit to Wang Deming. Wang Deming accepted, and changed his name back to Zhang Wenli. He captured Wang Zhaozuo the next day, and had Wang Zhaozuo decapitated in front of the army camp. He then slaughtered Wang Rong's clan, sparing only Princess Puning, hoping that this would open the possibility of Later Liang assistance, as Later Liang was then ruled by Emperor Taizu's son and Princess Puning's brother Zhu Zhen. (However, the Later Liang assistance would never come, and, after Zhang Wenli himself died shortly after, Li Cunxu was able to defeat and execute Zhang Wenli's son and successor Zhang Chujin, absorbing the Zhao lands into Jin.)

Notes and references

• History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 54.

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 39.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 262, 271.

唐朝年间

王昭祚生年不详。他出生时，他的家族控制后为赵国基础的成德军已数代。王熔为成德军节度使，任王昭祚为由继任节度使担任的副大使。唐昭宗光化三年（900年），大军阀宣武军节度使朱全忠攻成德，王熔以文缯二十万犒军求和，派王昭祚和其他大将主事梁公儒、牙将李弘规等的儿子和弟弟为人质以示归顺朱全忠。朱全忠接受犒军和人质，将王昭祚带回军部汴州，把一个女儿嫁给王昭祚。

唐朝灭亡后

天佑四年（907年），朱全忠迫唐哀帝禅位，代唐称帝，建立后梁，就是后梁太祖。封王昭祚妻为普宁公主。封王熔为赵王。当时为避太祖父朱诚讳，成德军已被改名武顺军。

开平四年（910年），太祖怀疑虽然已归顺自己但实质仍割据本镇的王熔和义武军节度使王处直是否能永久服从自己，决定试图武力夺取两镇。他派遣供奉官杜廷隐、丁延徽领魏博兵三千使诈取得深州、冀州，命北面行营都指挥招讨使王景仁准备全面攻取两镇。王熔无力自己收复深州、冀州，就和王处直求援于后梁大敌晋国王李存勖。部分将佐认为王熔有诈而反对，李存勖不顾，决定帮助王熔，认为普宁公主与王昭祚的婚姻并不重要。当时王昭祚夫妇已回到武顺军。李存勖成功帮助王熔击退王景仁后，王熔辖区实质成为独立的赵国，武顺军也改回成德军。

天佑十一年（914年），王熔为纪念自己就任节度使之日，与王昭祚和次子王昭诲奉觞为李存勖上寿。

十七年（920年），已习惯奢侈的生活的王熔在赵国都城镇州西面的山里设馆且花很多时间在那里游玩，疏远了军队。牙兵兵变杀死王熔最宠爱的宦官石希蒙，王熔为报复，归咎李弘规和行军司马李蔼诱导兵变，遣时任副大使王昭祚与养子防城使王德明率兵围二人宅，族诛之，连坐数十家，把二人的权力交给王昭祚。王昭祚傲慢固执，养名持重，坐享富贵，得到大权后，朝夕想取代父亲，继续清算他认为的李弘规和李蔼的党羽，又族灭多人。王德明则已萌推翻养父之志，对亲军诈称王熔想要屠尽他们，引发恐慌。次年（921年）二月，亲军兵变杀王熔，推王德明为帅。王德明接受推戴，改回本名张文礼。次日索得王昭祚，斩于军门。灭王熔族，不出十日又杀王熔妻赵国夫人李氏（是否王昭祚生母待考）。当时后梁皇帝为普宁公主的兄弟朱瑱，张文礼仅为了保留得到后梁支持的可能而放过了普宁公主，派人走小路对梁称王氏一族死于乱军而普宁公主无恙。但梁不曾相救，不久张文礼去世，李存勖败杀张文礼之子和继承人张处瑾，将赵地并入晋国。

据《王熔墓志》，王昭祚生前为守侍中。

注释及参考文献