家世

冯贇生年不详，太原人。父冯璋，或作冯章，为未来的后唐皇帝李嗣源的看门人。冯贇儿时通达聪明，李嗣源很喜欢他。后来李嗣源事养弟晋王和后来称后唐皇帝的李存勖为节度使，冯贇成为他的进奏官。

李嗣源年间

同光四年（926年）四月，李存勖在当时后唐都城洛阳的一场兵变中被杀。先前已叛变李存勖的李嗣源很快到达洛阳，称帝。以冯贇为内客省使、宣徽北院使。

天成三年（928年）四月，李嗣源任他最年长的在世儿子李从荣为河东节度使、北都（太原）留守，以冯贇为副留守实际主事。李从荣年少骄傲，不亲政务。十二月，李嗣源不得不派左右中一个素日与李从荣友善的人（身份失载）前去为其幕僚，意在引导他。这位左右对李从荣说：「你弟弟李从厚声誉比你高，你应该自我策励，不要声誉反在其下。」李从荣不悦，以告步军都指挥使杨思权。杨思权恐吓李嗣源的这位左右，称其是在帮李从厚越李从荣而立。该左右害怕，告诉冯贇。冯贇密奏李嗣源。李嗣源召回杨思权，切断他和李从荣的联系，但也因李从荣之故没有处罚杨思权。次年正月，冯贇回朝复为宣徽使、判三司，对宰相们说：「李从荣为人严酷而轻浮，需要有德之人辅佐。」四月，李从荣被召回任河南尹、判六军诸卫事，先前曾任这两个官职的李从厚则被任为河东节度使、北都留守，实际取代了李从荣。

长兴元年（930年）七月，冯贇以宣徽南院使、行右卫上将军、判三司被任为左卫上将军、北都留守，亦任河东节度使。赴任时，冯母去宫中辞别，李嗣源对冯母说：「吾辈老矣。冯贇以前还是趋走在我左右的小孩，现在就有气力，我以前在太原为偏将，觉得做节度使富贵极了，当时我不敢奢望为山河之主，何况冯贇呢？如今冯贇为留守、节度使，您更应该训导他安抚我乡里生民。」当日赐以金缯。冯贇到任后，李嗣源每每趁中使去河东的机会慰问他。当月，奏诸蕃部三千馀的帐幕地近振武军，请求增兵控御。十月，冯贇谢恩赐其母衣服银器。辟考进士不中的冯玉为推官。先前河东军以相堂为使院，后以为乐营，群吏簿籍无可安置；又取太原县为军营县，以潜玄观为治所。冯贇到后询问旧制，重新以相堂为使院，太原仍归旧县。二年（931年）九月前卸任河东节度使，十月，任忠武军节度使。三年（932年）八月，李嗣源受册尊号，赐冯贇绢三百匹、银器百两、鞍辔马一匹。十一月，复回京充宣徽南院使，判三司。十二月，奏称奉圣旨赐内外臣僚节料羊计支三千口，李嗣源认为多了。四年（933年）九月，李嗣源准备拜冯贇为宰相，加同中书门下平章事，但这就犯了冯贇父冯章的名讳。宰相们误引典故，于是李嗣源将同中书门下平章事改为同中书门下二品，授冯贇，以为宰相，充三司使，依前检校太傅。十月，枢密使范延光与冯贇奏：「金、商州每年上供绢不过六百匹，臣西北卖马的诸胡人往来很多，日月绢五千匹，计耗国用十分之七，请委边境戍所择取诸胡所卖良马，上报具体数字。」李嗣源从之。十一月朱弘昭、冯贇奏：「臣等自受任以来，估计国力不足，是因为赏军无算、买马太多的弊端。若不早为节限，以后难以为继，应该严敕西北边镇遵守。」

先前，李嗣源的枢密使范延光、赵延寿都为秦王李从荣所怨恨，想离职以避免与其冲突。李嗣源不悦，以为他们是见自己病了就弃自己而去，但还是先允许赵延寿离任，为宣武军节度使，代以朱弘昭；当月，再允许范延光离任为成德军节度使，十一月，代以冯贇。先前冯贇为北京留守，奏龙敏为副，冯贇做了枢密使，引龙敏为吏部侍郎。

当月，李嗣源病笃。大臣很少能与之相见，宣徽使孟汉琼和王淑妃用事，大事都由他们和朱弘昭、冯贇四人决定。李从荣与朱弘昭、冯贇入广寿殿问起居，李嗣源无知觉。李从荣出宫后以为李嗣源病亡，担心自己不得为嗣，想强行进宫控制宫禁，派都押牙马处钧前去问朱弘昭和冯贇：「吾欲率领牙兵入宫中侍疾，且备非常，应该住在哪？」二人答：「王自己选择。」然后秘密对马处钧说：「主上万福，王应该竭心忠孝，不可妄信他人浮言。」李从荣怒，又派马处钧对二人说：「公等不吝惜家族吗？何敢拒我！」二人以为患，入告王淑妃和孟汉琼，都说要靠亲军都指挥使康义诚才能应对。康义诚的儿子在秦王府，康本人首鼠两端，只说不敢议论此事，听凭调遣。李从荣随后发本部军队试图夺取宫禁，又派马处钧到冯贇府上说：「吾今日决意入宫，将要居住在兴圣宫。公辈各自都有宗族，处事也应该平正允当，祸福在须臾。」冯贇骑马进入右掖门，见朱弘昭、康义诚、孟汉琼及冯贇所举荐的三司使孙岳正坐在中兴殿阁门外议事。冯贇说了马处钧的话，责怪康义诚：「秦王说『祸福在须臾』，其事可知，公不要因为儿子在秦府，就左右顾望。主上拔擢吾辈，自布衣至将相，一旦秦王兵得入此门，置主上于何地？吾辈还能有遗种吗？」康义诚不及回答，监门报称李从荣兵已在端门外，孟汉琼拂衣而起，声言愿意舍命率兵拒李从荣，此刻当入宫护驾而离去，朱弘昭、冯贇跟随他，康义诚不得已也跟随。禁军在朱弘昭和冯贇命令下抵抗，败李从荣，李从荣随后被杀。先前朱弘昭、冯贇担心李从荣傲慢暴厉，孙岳极力对他们言说祸事之端、李从荣必败，康义诚恨孙岳，于是乘乱秘密派骑士将其射杀。众官议李从荣官属判官任赞之罪，因冯贇力争，这些人多没有被杀，任赞等十七人被流贬。李嗣源决定派孟汉琼从天雄军召还宋王李从厚，实际立他为储，由孟汉琼权知天雄军府事。李从厚未到，李嗣源崩，李从厚到洛阳，朱弘昭和冯贇拥立他为帝。

李从厚年间

朱弘昭自认为立李从厚是自己之功，想专朝政。应顺元年（934年）正月，朱弘昭、冯贇献钱助作山陵。李从厚最亲信者之一天雄左都押牙宋令询在李从厚左右，当月，朱弘昭不顾李从厚不悦，出其为磁州刺史。他和冯贇都忌恨侍卫马军都指挥使、宁国节度使安彦威、侍卫步军都指挥使、忠正节度使张从宾，将他们分别出为护国节度使和彰义节度使，代以捧圣马军都指挥使朱洪实和严卫步军都指挥使皇甫遇。又举荐皇甫立为保大军节度使。

李从厚加朱弘昭、冯贇、姐夫河东节度使兼侍中石敬瑭三人高级宰相衔兼中书令。但冯贇认为自己升官太快，坚辞不受，于是诏改兼侍中，封邠国公。

朱弘昭和冯贇又都因李从厚养兄凤翔节度使兼侍中潞王李从珂和石敬瑭长期随李嗣源征伐，有功名，得众心，而疑忌二人。潞王长子李重吉为控鹤都指挥使，朱、冯出他为亳州团练使。潞王有女李惠明，在洛阳一庙中为尼姑，也被召入宫中控制。这使得李从珂很疑惧。

二月，朱、冯决定不让石敬瑭久居河东，又想召回孟汉琼。他们以枢密院名义下令召回孟汉琼，徙成德节度使范延光为天雄节度使，徙李从珂为河东节度使兼北都留守，徙石敬瑭为成德节度使。虽然命令很严肃，却非皇帝下诏，他们还派使者监视这几位节度使赴任。李从珂害怕这些举动是针对他的，于是反叛，派掌书记李专美作檄书传给诸军镇：「朱弘昭、冯贇趁明宗（李嗣源）病，杀秦王而立愍帝。帝年少，小人用事，离间骨肉，我要问罪于朝！」当月，正丁母忧的冯贇被起复。朝廷派西都留守王思同为西面行营马步军都部署统军讨凤翔，起初王思同围攻其军府凤翔府，几乎使其陷落，似将获胜。但羽林指挥使杨思权率领的军兵叛投李从珂，导致朝廷军队瓦解，大部分投降了李从珂。李从珂率军进军洛阳，称只要投降，除了朱弘昭、冯贇两族外，都可赦免。李从厚恐惧，想让位给李从珂，朱、冯不知所为。时为河阳节度使、判六军诸卫兼侍中的康义诚也秘密想叛投李从珂，于是请求率残馀的侍卫诸军对抗李从珂。李从厚同意了。同时，李重吉和李惠明也被诛杀。李从珂发书信告谕洛阳文武士庶，只不赦朱弘昭、冯贇两族，其馀勿忧。

康义诚军还未遇见李从珂行进中的军队，士兵已开始逃跑和投降李从珂。康义诚本人也如此。李从厚闻讯，召朱弘昭问如何打算。朱弘昭以为召他是要怪罪他的错误，投井自杀。京城巡检安从进听闻朱弘昭已死，将冯贇杀死在家中，灭其族，将朱、冯的首级送到陕州给李从珂。李从厚逃离洛阳，石敬瑭也拒绝支持他，后来四月，被李从珂派去的使者杀死。冯贇母新亡，与冯贇的尸体都被弃于道路。冯贇妻儿都被杀，除了一个三岁的儿子得故吏张守素藏匿得以幸免。宰相中书侍郎冯道、刘昫、李愚等入朝，到端门才得知朱、冯已死，李从厚已北逃，便出迎李从珂。四月，李从珂登基称帝，下诏声言冯贇及朱弘昭、孟汉琼、王思同、原静难节度使药彦稠等结党兴兵、离间君臣、几乎亡国之罪，陈其尸，削夺官爵。后又下诏许其归葬，但亲属部旧仍流放。

后晋出帝开运三年（946年），复冯贇官爵。后汉高祖即位后，于天福十二年（947年）闰七月赠冯贇中书令。

注释及参考文献

Background

It is not known when Feng Yun was born, but it is known that he was from Taiyuan. All that was recorded in history about his origins was that his father Feng Zhang — given variously as 冯璋 or 冯章 — was the doorkeeper for Li Siyuan, the future Later Tang emperor. In Feng Yun's childhood, he was understanding and intelligent, and Li Siyuan liked him greatly. Later, when Li Siyuan served as a military governor (Jiedushi) under his adoptive brother Li Cunxu — unclear whether referring to a commission while Li Cunxu still used the Tang Dynasty-bestowed title of Prince of Jin or after Li Cunxu claimed imperial title as emperor of Later Tang — Feng became his liaison officer at the imperial court.

During Li Siyuans reign

In 926, Li Cunxu was killed in a mutiny at then-Later Tang capital Luoyang. Li Siyuan, who had earlier rebelled against Li Cunxu, quickly arrived at Luoyang thereafter and claimed imperial title. Sometime after Li Siyuan took the throne, he made Feng Yun a protocol officer (中门使, Zhongmenshi) and director of palace affairs (宣徽使, Xuanhuishi).

In 928, when Li Siyuan made his then-oldest-surviving son Li Congrong the military governor of Hedong as well as the defender of its capital Taiyuan, he made Feng the deputy defender of Taiyuan, apparently in actual command. It was said that Li Congrong was arrogant in his youth and not paying proper attention to governance. Li Siyuan felt compelled to send, among his own associates, a man whom he believed Li Congrong respected (the man's identity is lost to history) to serve on Li Congrong's staff to try to positively influence him. The man informed Li Congrong that his younger brother Li Conghou had a much better reputation and that he should better himself so that his reputation can at least match Li Conghou's. Li Congrong was displeased by the advice, and informed this to his officer Yang Siquan. Yang subsequently threatened the man, claiming that man was helping Li Conghou to overtake Li Congrong in succession. The man, in fear, informed the threat to Feng. Feng informed Li Siyuan, and Li Siyuan called Yang to his presence in order to disassociate him from Li Congrong, but, on Li Congrong's account, did not punish Yang. When Feng was subsequently recalled to the imperial government to again serve as the director of palace affairs, he warned the key officials in charge of government that Li Congrong had a harsh character and was acting frivolously, and needed good counsel. Shortly after, Li Congrong was recalled from Hedong to serve as the mayor of Henan Municipality (i.e., the Luoyang region) and the commander of the imperial guards, and Li Conghou, who previously held both titles, was made the military governor of Hedong, effectively swapping positions with Li Congrong.

In 930, Feng was made the defender of Taiyuan, and apparently also the military governor of Hedong. He later served as the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Xuchang, Henan). In late 932, he was recalled from Zhongwu to again serve as director of palace affairs, and was also made the acting director of the three financial agencies (taxation, treasury, and salt and iron monopolies). In 933, Li Siyuan was prepared to make him a chancellor — usually, with the designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi — but as this would violate naming taboo for Feng (as his father was named Feng Zhang), Li Siyuan gave him the unusual designation Tong Zhongshu Menxia Erpin as chancellor, and also made him full director of the three financial agencies.

By that time, Li Siyuan's chiefs of staff, Fan Yanguang and Zhao Yanshou, both were apprehensive of Li Congrong, and wanted to leave their posts to avoid confrontations with him. Despite Li Siyuan's displeasure (as he felt that they were abandoning him in his illness), he first allowed Zhao to leave to become the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered in modern Kaifeng, Henan), replacing him with Zhu Hongzhao; and later also allowed Fan to leave to serve as the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei), replacing him with Feng.

Shortly after, Li Siyuan became deathly ill. Li Congrong wanted to forcibly enter the palace and take control, but his overtures to Zhu and Feng, asking them to go along with his plans, were rebuffed. He subsequently launched his troops and tried to seize control of the palace, but the imperial guards, under orders from Zhu and Feng, resisted and defeated Li Congrong, who was subsequently killed. Li Siyuan then decided to summon Li Conghou back from Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), effectively designating him as heir. Before Li Conghou could arrive, Li Siyuan died, and when Li Conghou arrived at Luoyang, Zhu and Feng supported him to be emperor.

During Li Conghous reign

As Zhu Hongzhao believed himself to be the person most instrumental to Li Conghou's enthronement, he tried to dominate the court scene. That caused him to eject Li Conghou's most trusted follower, Song Lingxun (宋令训), out of Li Conghou's proximity, to be the prefect of Ci Prefecture (磁州, in modern Handan), despite Li Conghou's displeasure. He and Feng Yun similarly distrusted the imperial guard generals An Yanwei (安彦威) and Zhang Congbin, and An and Zhang were sent out to be the military governors of Huguo and Zhangyi (彰义, headquartered in modern Pingliang, Gansu), respectively, and replaced with Zhu Hongshi (朱洪实) and Huangfu Yu (皇甫遇).

In spring 934, Li Conghou bestowed on Feng (as well as Zhu and Li Siyuan's son-in-law Shi Jingtang the military governor of Hedong) the greater chancellor title Zhongshu Ling (中书令). Feng, however, tried to decline it as he claimed to be unworthy of it, and so was instead given the slightly less prestigious title of Shizhong (侍中).

Meanwhile, Zhu and Feng also distrusted Li Conghou's older adoptive brother, Li Congke the Prince of Lu, who was then serving as the military governor of Fengxiang, and Shi Jingtang, as Li Congke and Shi had long served as generals under Li Siyuan and were respected by the imperial army. Due to their distrust of Li Congke, they ejected Li Congke's son Li Chongji (李重吉), who was at that time an officer in the imperial guard corps, to be the military prefect of Bo Prefecture (亳州, in modern Bozhou, Anhui), and ordered Li Congke's daughter Li Huiming (李惠明), who had previously become a Buddhist nun in a temple at Luoyang, to live in the palace so that they would have control over her. These actions caused Li Congke to become very apprehensive.

Shortly after, Zhu and Feng decided that they did not want to allow Shi to remain at Hedong for too long, and they also wanted to recall the eunuch Meng Hanqiong, who had been overseeing the governance of Tianxiong ever since Li Conghou was recalled from Tianxiong. They thus issued a series of orders as chiefs of staff, recalling Meng, and moving Fan Yanguang from Chengde Circuit to Tianxiong, Li Congke from Fengxiang to Hedong, and Shi from Hedong to Chengde. Despite the seriousness of these orders, no edicts were issued by the emperor. Li Congke, fearing that these moves were targeted toward him, rebelled. The imperial government sent the general Wang Sitong to command the operations against Fengxiang, and initially, it appeared that Wang would prevail, as his siege against Fengxiang's capital Fengxiang Municipality almost caused it to fall. However, at that time, a group of soldiers, led by Yang Siquan, defected to Li Congke, causing the imperial army, to collapse, with most of the army surrendering to Li Congke. Li Congke then took his army and headed for Luoyang, announcing that all who surrendered to him would be forgiven, except Zhu and Feng. Upon hearing this news, Li Conghou panicked and considered surrendering the throne to Li Congke, and Zhu and Feng were not sure how to react. The imperial guard general Kang Yicheng (康义诚), however, who was secretly considering defecting to Li Congke as well, offered to command the remaining imperial forces against Li Congke. Li Conghou agreed. (Meanwhile, Li Chongji and Li Huimin were executed.)

Even before Kang's army could meet Li Congke's advancing forces, however, the soldiers began to desert and surrender to Li Congke. Kang himself then did so as well. Upon hearing this, Li Conghou summoned Zhu to try to think of what to do next. Zhu, however, interpreted the command summoning him to be a sign that Li Conghou intended to punish him for his wrong advice, and committed suicide by jumping into a well. The imperial guard general An Congjin then killed Feng and delivered Zhu's and Feng's heads to Li Congke. (Li Conghou fled Luoyang, and was subsequently killed by Li Congke's emissaries after Shi also refused to support him.) Feng's mother had recently died, and both her body and his were abandoned on the road. Feng's wife and children were also killed, except a three-year-old son, who was hidden by his former subordinate Zhang Shousu.

Notes and references

• New History of the Five Dynasties, vol. 27.

• Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 275, 276, 277, 278, 279.