Jian Shuo 蹇碩
| Occupation | ROther · Colonel of the Upper Army of the Western Garden NOther · Regular Palace Attendant | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | R? N? Unverified | Native place | |
| Died | R189 N(same) Unverified | Place of death | |
| Cause of death | RKilled NKilled Unverified | ||
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R3 |
Profile
Jian Shuo was a Junior Attendant of the Yellow Gate favored by Emperor Ling of the Later Han. He has no biography of his own in the Records and appears twice in the account of Zhang Yang (張楊) in the Biographies of the Two Gongsuns, Tao and the Four Zhangs in Records of Wei 8. When the realm fell into disorder in Emperor Ling's last years, the emperor made him Colonel of the Upper Army of the Western Garden and stationed troops in the capital, intending to control the four quarters, and Taizu (Cao Cao), Yuan Shao and others all became colonels under him. When Emperor Ling died, Jian Shuo was killed by He Jin. Records, Wei 8 §30–31
Chen Shou's main text does not give his courtesy name or origin, nor does it assess him. In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 1 as one of the ten men called the 'Ten Regular Attendants', and he appears in 2 of its 120 chapters, Chapters 1 and 2; no chapter has his name in its title. In Chapter 2 he advises Emperor Ling to kill He Jin first, but after He Jin sets up the Crown Prince Bian and Yuan Shao comes in to seize him, he flees into the imperial garden and is killed by the Regular Palace Attendant Guo Sheng. Records, Wei 8 §30–31Romance, Ch. 1 §6Romance, Ch. 2 §38 · 41–42
In the Records
The account of Zhang Yang in Records of Wei 8 records that Zhang Yang was a man of Yunzhong who served in Bing Province for his martial valor and became Assistant Officer for Martial Valor. When the realm fell into disorder in Emperor Ling's last years, Emperor Ling made his favorite, the Junior Attendant of the Yellow Gate Jian Shuo, Colonel of the Upper Army of the Western Garden, stationing troops in the capital to control the four quarters, and summoned the heroes of the realm to serve as subordinate and auxiliary commanders. Taizu (Cao Cao), Yuan Shao and others all became colonels under him. Ding Yuan, Inspector of Bing Province, sent Zhang Yang with troops to Jian Shuo, and Zhang Yang became an Acting Major. Records, Wei 8 §30
When Emperor Ling died, Jian Shuo was killed by He Jin. Zhang Yang, sent again by He Jin, returned to his home province to raise troops, obtained over a thousand men, and stayed on in Shangdang attacking mountain bandits. Records, Wei 8 §31
The Annals of Emperor Wu records that after Cao Cao was summoned and made Colonel Director of the Army, Emperor Ling died, the Crown Prince took the throne and the Empress Dowager presided over the court, and the General-in-Chief He Jin plotted with Yuan Shao to kill the eunuchs, but the Empress Dowager would not listen. The Biography of Yuan Shao likewise records that after Emperor Ling died, He Jin plotted with Yuan Shao to kill the eunuchs, but the Empress Dowager did not agree. Jian Shuo's name does not appear in either record. Records, Wei 1 §5Records, Wei 6 §34
In Chen Shou's main text, these two passages in the account of Zhang Yang are the only places where Jian Shuo appears. His courtesy name, his origin and how He Jin came to kill him are not recorded, and there is no assessment of him. Records, Wei 8 §30–31
In the Romance
In Chapter 1 of the Romance, when ill omens follow one after another under Emperor Ling, the Court Gentleman Consultant Cai Yong submits a memorial blaming them on the meddling of women and eunuchs in government, and through the slander of Cao Jie, who has secretly read it, he is driven back to his home village. Afterwards ten men, including Cao Jie, Jian Shuo and Guo Sheng, form a clique and commit every kind of wrong, and people call them the 'Ten Regular Attendants'. Romance, Ch. 1 §5–6
In the same chapter Cao Cao, as Commandant of the Northern District of Luoyang, hangs a dozen or so five-colored cudgels at the four gates of the county seat and flogs anyone who breaks the prohibitions, sparing not even the powerful. When the uncle of the Regular Palace Attendant Jian Shuo walks about at night carrying a sword, he is caught by Cao Cao on patrol and flogged on the spot, and after this no one inside or outside the capital dares to break the law. Romance, Ch. 1 §39–40
In Chapter 2, in the summer, in the 4th month of the 6th year of Zhongping (189), Emperor Ling falls gravely ill. Empress Dong had once urged that the imperial son Xie be made Crown Prince, and the emperor too favored Xie, and the Regular Palace Attendant Jian Shuo advises that to set up Xie, He Jin must first be killed to cut off future trouble. The emperor agrees and summons He Jin to the palace, but when He Jin reaches the palace gate the Major Pan Yin tells him that Jian Shuo is plotting to kill him. He Jin, greatly alarmed, returns home and gathers the ministers, intending to kill all the eunuchs. Romance, Ch. 2 §36–39
Pan Yin comes again to report that the emperor has already died, and that Jian Shuo and the Ten Regular Attendants have agreed to keep the death secret and summon Imperial Uncle He to the palace with a forged edict, so as to cut off future trouble and set up the imperial son Xie as emperor. He Jin gives Yuan Shao 5,000 men of the Imperial Guard, leads more than thirty ministers in one after another, and has the Crown Prince Bian ascend the throne before Emperor Ling's coffin. Romance, Ch. 2 §40–41
When Yuan Shao enters the palace to seize Jian Shuo, Jian Shuo flees in panic into the imperial garden and is killed in the shade of the flowers by the Regular Palace Attendant Guo Sheng, and the palace troops he commanded all surrender. The other eunuchs, now in danger, tell Empress He that the only one who first plotted to harm the General-in-Chief was Jian Shuo. Empress He admonishes He Jin, asking why he wants to kill all the eunuchs when the heartless Jian Shuo has already been put to death, and He Jin tells the officials that since Jian Shuo plotted to harm him, his family may be exterminated, but the rest need not be harmed recklessly. Romance, Ch. 2 §42–44
Where the Romance differs
Status: In Chapters 1 and 2 of the Romance, Jian Shuo is called a Regular Palace Attendant and is one of the ten men known as the 'Ten Regular Attendants'. Chen Shou's main text records him as a Junior Attendant of the Yellow Gate favored by Emperor Ling and does not use the term 'Ten Regular Attendants'. Romance, Ch. 1 §6Romance, Ch. 2 §38Records, Wei 8 §30
The troops of the Western Garden: In the Records, Jian Shuo stationed troops in the capital as Colonel of the Upper Army of the Western Garden, and Taizu (Cao Cao), Yuan Shao and others became colonels under him. This office does not appear in Chapters 1 and 2 of the Romance; Chapter 2 only says that after Jian Shuo's death the palace troops he commanded surrendered. Records, Wei 8 §30Romance, Ch. 2 §42
The plot to kill He Jin: In Chapter 2 of the Romance, Jian Shuo advises Emperor Ling to kill He Jin first, and Pan Yin reports that after Emperor Ling's death Jian Shuo and the Ten Regular Attendants intend to conceal the death and summon He Jin with a forged edict. Neither the account of Zhang Yang in Chen Shou's main text nor the Annals of Emperor Wu or the Biography of Yuan Shao records that Jian Shuo tried to kill He Jin. Romance, Ch. 2 §38 · 40Records, Wei 8 §30–31Records, Wei 1 §5Records, Wei 6 §34
Death: In Chapter 2 of the Romance, when Yuan Shao comes to seize him, Jian Shuo flees into the imperial garden and is killed by the Regular Palace Attendant Guo Sheng. The Records state that when Emperor Ling died, Jian Shuo was killed by He Jin. Guo Sheng does not appear in Chen Shou's main text. Romance, Ch. 2 §42Records, Wei 8 §31
His uncle: In Chapter 1 of the Romance, Cao Cao, as Commandant of the Northern District of Luoyang, catches Jian Shuo's uncle walking about at night with a sword and flogs him. The Annals of Emperor Wu in Chen Shou's main text only records that Cao Cao was appointed Commandant of the Northern District of Luoyang and then transferred to Prefect of Dunqiu, and does not mention the affair of Jian Shuo's uncle. Romance, Ch. 1 §40Records, Wei 1 §2
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total364 / 1000Rank 820 of 996 · Top 83%Romance total288 / 1000Rank 1,082 of 1,113 · Top 98%
Romance adaptation index−76Romance total − Records total
- LEA4535−10
- STR3331−2
- INT3538+3
- POL3822−16
- CHA3825−13
- VIR3815−23
- ADP3825−13
- SCH3131±0
- DIP3335+2
- DIS3531−4
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
5 similar abilities — show evidence
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (2)
AppearsNot present Chapter list →
Related events (1)
- He Jin Plots to Purge the Eunuchs 189 · Appears (Romance scene)
Includes automatic matching from Wikipedia infoboxes and source keywords (unverified).