After the grandees of Persia had raised Shiruiah to the royal throne, they represented to him that they had deposed Parviz on account of his evil deeds, and that they now intended to kill him; moreover, that in case Shiruiah refused to grant his assent, they would deliver Parviz from captivity, and would surrender Shiruiah into his power. The king asked for delay, and sent a man to his father to enumerate his transgressions, and to bring a reply, if he had any to make; the intention of Shiruiah being to adduce evidence for exculpating him. The messenger returned with answers calculated to silence the accusers; but as the amirs and nobles were obstinate, they proved of no avail, and Khosru was slain.
The sentence was executed as follows: The grandees waited successively on Shiruiah, and reiterated their desire that he should issue orders for the murder of his father. He assented, but everyone whom he asked to commit the act demurred. At last Shiruiah beckoned to the son of Mardanshâh, whose father had been unjustly slain by Khosru, and commanded him to take his revenge. The son of Mardanshâh obeyed, and had an interview with Khosru, who said: ‘I have killed thy father without a cause, and whoever spares the murderer of his own father is an unnatural son.’ Then the son of Mardanshâh slew Khosru, and reported the matter to Shiruiah, who scratched his face, tore his hair, lamented and groaned, but afterwards attended with his grandees and nobles at the funeral of Khosru. After he had, however, returned from the cemetery, he immediately issued orders for the execution of the son of Mardanshâh, saying: ‘Whoever spares the murderer of his father is an unnatural son.’
Shiruiah was a just prince, who loved his subjects; but according to tradition, he killed at least fifteen of his brothers—all of whom were distinguished by knowledge and education—at the instigation of his wazir Firuz. On that occasion [of slaughter?] the plague broke out, and carried off countless numbers of the people.
It is related that on the second day after the slaughter of the descendants of Kesra, Purândukht and Azarmidukht, the sisters of Shiruiah, said to him: ‘Greediness for power had induced thee to murder thy father and brothers. No doubt God will avenge them on thee.’ When Shiruiah heard these words, he wept, and throwing his diadem on the ground, became depressed and melancholy. At last a mortal disease befell him, and he was in the sixth month of his reign gathered to his fathers and brothers.