Case of He Ayong's Conviction for Seditious Speech in Dingzhou during the Jinglong Era

During the Jinglong era (707-710 AD) of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, He Ayong, a resident of Dingzhou, was accused of “seditious speech” (yaoyan). Records state he told people, “The realm will soon descend into chaos, and a sage shall arise.” These words were deemed a dangerous prophecy undermining the imperial authority. He was reported to the local authorities, arrested, and tried. Without a named accuser or presiding judge in extant sources, the Dingzhou prefectural government convicted him. He Ayong was publicly executed by decapitation in the marketplace, reflecting the severe punishment for speech crimes under Empress Wei’s faction. The case stands as a stark example of how vague yaoyan charges were used to silence voices perceived as threats, reinforcing the climate of fear in late Tang political life.

He Ayong was found guilty of yaoyan and sentenced to death by beheading, carried out at a public market.

Whether He Ayong’s remarks, which merely predicted chaos and a sage’s emergence, constituted the crime of yaoyan (seditious speech) warranting capital punishment; whether the conviction was based on substantive threat or merely on ambiguous words, and whether due process was observed given the absence of recorded legal defense.

The case illustrates the oppressive atmosphere under Empress Wei’s influence, where speech crimes were broadly interpreted to eliminate dissent and instill fear. It reinforced the practice of punishing thought and expression rather than actions, contributing to political instability. Later historians and legal scholars cited such cases to critique the misuse of yaoyan statutes, and it remains a significant example of the dangers of criminalizing speech in imperial China, echoing in discussions about freedom of expression throughout Chinese legal history.