During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Southern Qi Dynasty, a hereditary noble named Xu Xiaosi, known for his dignified appearance and elegant demeanor, was favored by the emperor for his honest character and rose to the position of Minister of Personnel. Xu Xiaosi lacked independent judgment and always followed the emperor's orders, leading Emperor Wu to regard him as a loyal minister.
In 493 AD, Emperor Wu of Qi passed away, and his grandson Xiao Zhaoye ascended the throne. On his deathbed, the emperor trusted Xu Xiaosi's loyalty and entrusted him with guiding the new ruler to bring peace and stability to the realm.
The following year, the imperial prince Xiao Luan of Xichang plotted to seize the throne. Knowing that Xu Xiaosi had been entrusted with the regency and was a timid, indecisive man, Xiao Luan sent a confidant to secretly reveal his coup plan and gauge Xu's reaction. Xu Xiaosi, aware of Xiao Luan's cruel nature, dared not oppose him and offered no objection.
Xu Xiaosi's close friend Yue Yu learned of this and said to him, "Emperor Wu of Qi treated you well, promoting you to Minister of Personnel. It was because he trusted you that he entrusted you with the care of his heir. How could you conspire with Xiao Luan to rebel? Isn't this a betrayal of Emperor Wu's trust in you?"
Le Yue continued, "In the past, Chu Yuan followed Emperor Gao Xiao Daocheng in plotting to depose Emperor Shun of Song, and to this day he is still ridiculed and cursed. Do you also wish to be reviled by the world?"
Xu Xiaosi remained silent
At that moment, his subordinate announced that Xiao Luan had arrived. Xu Xiaosi dared not be negligent and quickly rose to greet him. Xiao Luan entered the inner hall, dismissed the attendants, and revealed to Xu Xiaosi the specific steps for usurping the throne, asking for his assistance. After careful deliberation, Xu Xiaosi agreed.
That day, the palace fell into an eerie silence. General Xiao Mang suddenly led his troops storming into the palace; before the palace guards could even grasp what was happening, they were cut down one after another. Soon, Xu Xiaoci and others escorted Xiao Luan into the palace. Dressed in military armor with a red robe over it, Xiao Luan was overjoyed to see his scheme succeed. Xiao Mang then led his men into the Shouchang Hall, captured Emperor Xiao Zhaoye alive, and took him to the west corridor of the Yande Hall, where he was strangled to death.
After the emperor's death, the nation could not go a single day without a ruler. Xiao Luan, fearing public outrage if he seized the throne outright, decided to use the empress dowager's authority to install the fifteen-year-old Prince of Xin'an, Xiao Zhaowen, as the new emperor, while he himself would pull the strings from behind the scenes. Xu Xiaoci then produced a pre-written imperial decree from the empress dowager, fulfilling Xiao Luan's scheme.
That same year, Xiao Luan proceeded to execute the descendants of both Emperor Gao and Emperor Wu of the Qi dynasty. Using the Empress Dowager's authority, he deposed Xiao Zhaowen once more and declared himself emperor, a reign known historically as Emperor Ming of Qi.
Four years later, Emperor Ming of Qi died, and his second son, Xiao Baojuan, ascended the throne. Xiao Baojuan was even more brutal and tyrannical than his father Xiao Luan, spending his days indulging in pleasure and neglecting state affairs, killing anyone who displeased him. No court official dared to speak out. Xu Xiaoci, by nature timid, now served as the Imperial Secretary but still refrained from remonstrating, allowing the tyrant to run amok unchecked.
Xu Xiaosi was a man of excessive caution, yet even he could not escape his fate. In 499 AD, Emperor Xiao Baojuan sent him a cup of poisoned wine, forcing him to take his own life.
At that time, Recorder Zhang Hongce commented on Xu Xiaosi, "Xu Xiaosi lacks the backbone of a pillar; he lets others lead him by the nose." Later, people used the idiom "led by the nose" to describe someone who has no opinion of their own and is easily manipulated.
Source: *History of the Southern Dynasties*, "Biography of Zhang Hongce"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "听人穿鼻" came to describe how someone has no opinion of their own and is easily manipulated.