Emperor Shun of Han

Emperor Shun of Han, 漢順帝;, 漢顺帝, . hàn shùn dì, . Han Shun-ti, was an of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the seventh emperor of the Eastern Han period. He reigned from 125 AD to 144 AD.

Emperor Shun was the only son of Emperor An of Han and after Emperor An died in 125, the was childless but yearning to hold on to power, forced Prince Bao to give up the throne in favour of Liu Yi, the Marquess of Beixiang. Liu Yi died after reigning less than 7 months and eunuchs loyal to Prince Bao, led by Sun Cheng, carrying out a successful coup d'etat against the Empress Dowager, Prince Bao was finally declared emperor at age 10.

The people had great expectations for Emperor Shun, whose reign followed his incompetent and violent father. However, while Emperor Shun's personality was mild, he was just as incompetent as his father in general, and corruption continued without abatement among eunuchs and officials. He also overly entrusted government to his wife Empress Liang Na's father Liang Shang -- a mild-mannered man with integrity but little ability -- and then Liang Shang's son Liang Ji -- a corrupt and an autocratic man. In general, Emperor Shun's reign was still somewhat of an improvement over his father's, but this minor improvement was unable to stem Eastern Han Dynasty's continued degradation.

Emperor Shun died at the age of 30 after reigning for 19 years. He was succeeded by his son .

Family background

Then-Prince Bao was born to and his concubine in 115, apparently shortly after Emperor An had created his favorite empress. Empress Yan herself was sonless, and in jealousy, she poisoned Consort Li to death, an act that went unpunished. Empress Yan would continue to hold a grudge against Prince Bao, despite his youth.

In 120, Emperor An created Prince Bao crown prince, as he continued to be Emperor An's only son.

Removal as crown prince and enthronement

In 124, some of the people trusted by Emperor An -- eunuchs Jiang Jing and Fan Feng and his wet nurse Wang Sheng , for reasons no longer known, falsely accused Crown Prince Bao's wet nurse Wang Nan and chef Bing Ji of unspecified crimes. Emperor An executed Wang and Bing and exiled their families. The nine-year-old crown prince was greatly saddened. Jiang and Fan, fearful of reprisals later, entered into a conspiracy with Empress Yan to falsely accuse Crown Prince Bao and his servants of crimes. Emperor An believed them, and demoted Crown Prince Bao to be the Prince of Jiyin.

In 125, Emperor An died suddenly while on a trip to Wancheng . Empress Yan, although Prince Bao was Emperor An's only son and therefore logical heir, resolved to make someone younger to be the emperor so that she could better control him. She therefore made Liu Yi , the Marquess of Beixiang, emperor. The 10-year-old Prince Bao was excluded not only from succession but even from the official mourning for his father. Empress Dowager Yan and her brothers dominated the political scene.

Later that year, the young emperor was gravely ill. The eunuch Sun Cheng, loyal to Prince Bao, entered into a conspiracy with Prince Bao's head of household Changxing Qu and other eunuchs to restore Prince Bao. After the young emperor died, Sun and 18 of his fellow eunuchs made a surprise attack on the palace, killing Jiang and forcing Jiang's colleague Li Run to join them. They then welcomed Prince Bao to the palace and declared him emperor. For several days, the eunuchs' forces battled with the empress dowager's forces, finally defeating the empress dowager and her brothers. The Yan clan was slaughtered, while Empress Dowager Yan was confined to her palace until her death in 126.

Early reign

At the start of Emperor Shun's reign, the people were hopeful that he would reform the political situation from the pervasive corruption under the Yans. The teenage emperor proved to be a kind but weak ruler, however, and while he trusted certain honest officials, he also trusted many corrupt eunuchs, who quickly grabbed power. In 126, Sun tried to encourage the young emperor to carry out extensive reforms, but was instead removed from the capital for his audacity, although Sun was recalled to the capital in 128, but continued to lack actual influence to affectuate reforms. Another major influence on Emperor Shun was his wet nurse Song E , who was described as a kind woman who, however, also lacked abilities, and as she was effectively in the stead of an empress dowager, she was influential but not much of an actual help for Emperor Shun.

Early in Emperor Shun's reign, Ban Chao's son Ban Yong was able to effectively restore Han suzerainty over Xiyu kingdoms, but in 127, Ban Yong was falsely accused of being late in a military action and removed from his office. After Ban Yong's removal, the situation in Xiyu gradually deteriorated.

Other than these, however, the time of Emperor Shun was generally one during which the empire rested from previous periods of political turmoil. Although the emperor lacked capability, and corruption continued to run unchecked, his personal kindness allowed the people a measurement of peace.

In 131, Emperor Shun was going to create an empress, and not wanting to play favorites, he considered drawing lots before gods to determine who should be the empress. After his officials discouraged him from this action, he finally selected one of his consorts, , as the one he considered most virtuous and most rational, and he created her empress in 132. She was 16 and he was 19. Her father Liang Shang became an honored official and was gradually promoted to increasingly important posts.

Late reign

In 135, two major political changes occurred -- eunuch-marquesses began to be allowed to pass their marches to their adopted sons, and Liang Shang became the commander of the armed forces and effectively the most powerful individual in the imperial government. Neither of these developments appeared at the time to be major, but had great implications; the former demonstrated that the power of the eunuchs was becoming systemic, and the latter led to the start of the Liangs controlling the imperial government for several administrations.

Liang Shang was, much like his son-in-law, a kind man who lacked real political abilities, even though he himself appeared to be honest and clean. For example, in 138, when there was a conspiracy by some eunuchs to undermine him that Emperor Shun discovered, he advocated leniency, and while Emperor Shun did not completely agree with him, Liang's intercession clearly saved many lives. However, both he and Emperor Shun trusted his son Liang Ji who, unlike his father, was corrupt and violent.

In 136 to 138, there were a number of native rebellions in various parts of southern China. While these were generally put down with relative ease , these would foreshadow the much more serious rebellions that would come in the next few decades. Further, in 139, the Qiang again rebelled, and this time the rebellion would not be put down easily and would plague Emperor Shun for the rest of his reign. Indeed, in 141, the Qiang forces annihilated a Han force led by Ma Xian and set fire to the tomb-gardens of a number of Western han emperors in the Chang'an region. Further, eventually, the agrarian rebellions started again in Jing and Yang Provinces and would not be pacified for the rest of Emperor Shun's reign.

Also in 141, Liang Shang died. Inexplicably, Emperor Shun gave his post to his son Liang Ji and gave Liang Ji's post to his younger brother Liang Buyi . Liang Ji proceeded to seize power at every opportunity, and even though Liang Buyi tried to encourage his brother to be moderate in behavior, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

In 144, apparently already ill, Emperor Shun created his only son Liu Bing , born of his concubine Consort Yu in 143, crown prince. Later that year, Emperor Shun died, and Crown Prince Bing succeeded him as . Empress Dowager Liang served as regent, and while she personally appeared capable, her trust in her brother Liang Ji would lead to a major decline of Eastern Han.

Era names

* ''Yongjian'' 126-132
* ''Yangjia'' 132-135
* ''Yonghe'' 136-141
* ''Hanan'' 142-144
* ''Jiankang'' 144

Personal information

* Father
** Emperor An of Han
* Mother
**
* Wife
** Empress Liang Na
* Major Concubines
** Consort Yu, mother of Emperor Chong and Princess Sheng
* Children
** Liu Bing , the Crown Prince , later Emperor Chong of Han
** Liu Sheng , the Princess Wuyang
** Liu Chengnan , the Princess Guanjun
** Liu Guang , the Princess Ruyang

Emperor Chong of Han

Emperor Chong of Han, 漢冲帝, . hàn chōng dì, . Han Ch'ung-ti, was an of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the eighth emperor of the Eastern Han period.

Emperor Chong was the only son of . He ascended the throne at the age of one and reigned less than six months. During his reign, and her brother Liang Ji presided over all government affairs. While the empress dowager herself appeared to be open-minded and honest, she overly trusted her corrupt brother, and this led to corruptions and as a result the peasants suffered greatly.

Emperor Chong died in 145. He was less than three years old.

Family background

Then-Prince Bing was born to and his concubine Consort Yu in 143. He was Emperor Shun's only son.

In 144, Emperor Shun, apparently already ill, created Prince Bing crown prince. Less than four months later, Emperor Shun died, and Crown Prince Bing, at the age of one, ascended the throne as Emperor Chong.

Brief reign

As Emperor Chong was only a toddler, Emperor Shun's wife served as regent. She apparently was fairly diligent and open-minded in her duties, but her major fault was in trusting her corrupt and violent brother Liang Ji , who was the most powerful official in the administration. When the young and capable official Huangfu Gui submitted a report that, in circumspect language, suggested that Liang Ji and his brother Liang Buyi be humble and live more thriftly, Liang removed Huangfu from his post and tried several times to falsely accuse him of capital crimes.

During Emperor Chong's reign, agrarian revolts, which were already a problem late in Emperor Shun's reign, became more serious -- and even the tomb of Emperor Shun was dug up by bandits.

Early in 145, Emperor Chong died. Empress Dowager Liang was initially going to keep Emperor Chong's death a secret until she would decide on who the successor would be, but she listened to the key official Li Gu and decided to properly and publicly announce Emperor Chong's death immediately. She summoned Emperor Chong's third cousins Liu Suan , the Prince of Qinghe, and Liu Zuan , the son of Liu Hong , Prince Xiao of Bohai, to the capital, and considered the two of them. Liu Suan was apparently an adult and was described as solemn and proper, and the officials largely favored him. However, Liang Ji wanted a younger emperor so that he could remain in absolute control longer, and he persuaded Empress Dowager Liang to make the seven-year-old Prince Zuan as emperor .

Emperor Chong, having died in young childhood, was buried in his father's tomb complex in order to save costs.

Long after Emperor Chong's death, in 175, bestowed on Emperor Chong's mother Consort Yu a more elevated imperial consort title than her original title in recognition of her status as an emperor's mother.

Era name

* ''Yongxi'' 145

Personal information

* Father
** Emperor Shun of Han
* Mother
** Consort Yu

Emperor Zhi of Han

Emperor Zhi of Han was an of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was a great-great-grandson of . His reign was dominated by Liang Ji, the brother of , who eventually poisoned the young emperor.

Emperor Zhi ascended the throne when he was seven when his third cousin, two-year-old died, and although he was still a child, Emperor Zhi was remarkably intelligent and he knew and was offended by the immense power Liang Ji had over the government -- leading to him once commenting that Liang Ji was "an arrogant general." This act of defiance angered Liang Ji, who proceeded to poison the emperor. Emperor Zhi was only eight when he died.

Family background and ascension to the throne

Liu Zuan, the future Emperor Zhi was born to Liu Hong , the Prince of Le'an, and his wife Consort Chen, in 138. Prince Hong was a great-grandson of . Other than these facts, virtually nothing else is known about Prince Hong or his wife.

In 145, when the two-year-old died, he had no close male relative to inherit his throne. His stepmother therefore summoned two of his third cousins -- Liu Suan , the Prince of Qinghe, and Liu Zuan, then seven-years-old, to the capital, to examine them as potential heir to the throne. Liu Suan was apparently an adult and was described as solemn and proper, and the officials largely favored him. However, Empress Dowager Liang's autocratic and violent brother Liang Ji wanted a younger emperor so that he could remain in absolute control longer, and he persuaded Empress Dowager Liang to make the seven-year-old Zuan as emperor. To avoid having a person without an official title becoming emperor directly, he was first created the Marquess of Jianping, and then the same day he ascended the throne as Emperor Zhi.

Brief reign

Empress Dowager Liang served as Emperor Zhi's regent, and while she overly trusted her brother Liang Ji, who was violent and corrupt, she herself was diligent and interested in governing the country well -- in particular, entrusting much of the important matters to the honest official Li Gu . For example, the agrarian rebellions that started during Emperors Shun and Chong's reigns were largely quelled in 145, after she selected the right generals to lead the armies. She also encouraged the young scholars from over the empire to come to the capital Luoyang to study at the national university.

Emperor Zhi, as young as he was, was keenly aware of how much Liang Ji was abusing power , and on one occasion, at an imperial gathering, he blinked at Liang Ji and referred to him as "an arrogant general." Liang Ji became angry and concerned. In the summer of 146, he poisoned a bowl of pastry soup and had it given to the emperor. After the young emperor consumed the soup, he quickly suffered great pain, and he summoned Li immediately and also requested water, believing that water would save him. However, Liang immediately ordered that the emperor not be given any water, and , the young emperor immediately died. Li advocated a full investigation, but Liang was able to have the investigation efforts suppressed.

After Emperor Zhi's death, Liang Ji, under pressure by the key officials, was forced to summon a meeting of the officials to decide whom to enthrone as the new emperor. The officials were again largely in favor of Prince Suan, but Liang Ji was still concerned about how he would be difficult to control. Rather, he persuaded Empress Dowager Liang to make the 14-year-old Liu Zhi , the Marquess of Liwu, a great-grandson of Emperor Zhang, to whom Liang Ji's younger sister was betrothed, emperor .

Long after Emperor Zhi's death, in 175, bestowed on Emperor Zhi's mother Consort Chen the honorific title of Princess Xiao of Bohai, in recognition of her status as mother of an emperor.

Era name

* ''Benchu'' 146

Personal information

* Father
** Liu Hong , Prince Xiao of Bohai, son of Liu Chong Prince Yi of Le'an, son of Liu Kang Prince Zhen of Qiancheng, son of Emperor Zhang of Han
* Mother
** Consort Chen

Emperor Huan of Han

Emperor Huan of Han, 漢桓帝, . hàn húan dì, . Han Huan-ti, was an of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was a great-grandson of .

After Emperor Zhi was poisoned to death by the powerful official Liang Ji in 146, Liang Ji persuaded his sister, the regent to make the 14-year-old Liu Zhi, the Marquess of Liwu, who was betrothed to their sister , emperor. As the years went by, Emperor Huan, offended by Liang Ji's autocratic and violent nature, became determined to eliminate the Liang family with the help of eunuchs. Emperor Huan succeeded in removing Liang Ji in 159 but this only caused to increase the influence of the eunuchs over all aspect of government. Corruption during this period had reached a boiling point and in 166 university students rose up in protest against the government and called on Emperor Huan to eliminate all corrupt officials. Instead of listening, Emperor Huan ordered the arrest of all students involved. In all, Emperor Huan has largely been viewed as an emperor who might have had some intelligence but lacked wisdom in governing his empire, and his reign contributed greatly to the downfall of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

''Hou Hanshu'' recounted that one reached the Chinese capital Luoyang in 166 and was greeted by Emperor Huan.

Emperor Huan died in 168 after reigning for 22 years. He was 36.

Family background and ascension

Liu Zhi was born in 132, to Liu Yi , the Marquess of Liwu, and his concubine .

Liu Yi was the son of Liu Kai the Prince of Hejian , and he had initially been made the Prince of Pingyuan as the heir of his cousin Liu Sheng by , the regent for , who was impressed with his abilities. That led to rumors that Empress Deng was looking to replace Emperor An, Prince Yi's cousin, with Prince Yi. After Empress Dowager Deng died in 121, Emperor An, bearing a grudge against Prince Yi, demoted him to the rank of Marquess of Duxiang and exiled him to his father's principality. During the reign of , Prince Kai requested that he be allowed to give Liwu County, part of his principality, to his son, and Emperor Shun permitted it, so Marquess Yi became the Marquess of Liwu.

By 146, Liu Zhi had inherited his father's title, and was betrothed to , the younger sister of the regent and her violent and corrupt brother, Grand Marshall Liang Ji. That year, Liang Ji, bearing grudge against the eight-year-old for calling him an "arrogant general," murdered the young emperor by poison. The officials largely favored Emperor Zhi's first cousin Liu Suan the Prince of Qinghe, who was described as a solemn and proper man. However, Liang Ji was hesitant to yield authority to an able emperor, and, because Marquess Zhi was betrothed to his sister and relatively young, he felt that he could control him, and so insisted on making him emperor. Marquess Zhi took the throne later that year as Emperor Huan.

Early reign: under Liang Ji's shadow

After Emperor Huan's ascension at age 14, Empress Dowager Liang continued to serve as regent. However, her brother Liang Ji became more and more in effective control, even over the empress dowager. Emperor Huan posthumously honored his grandfather and father as emperors, but because the empress dowager was regent, did not honor his mother Yan Ming as an empress dowager; rather, she was given the title of an imperial consort. In 147, he married Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Ji's sister Liang Nüying and created her empress. It appeared that while the Liangs were in control, Emperor Huan was not a complete puppet -- but instead, in a bad sign of things to come, trusted eunuchs in his decision-making.

In 147 as well, Liang Ji, in conjunction with the eunuchs Tang Heng and Zuo Guan , but with Emperor Huan's clear approval, falsely accused the honest officials Li Gu and Du Qiao of conspiring to overthrow Emperor Huan and replace him with Prince Suan. Li and Du were executed, while Prince Suan was demoted to marquess status and committed suicide.

In 150, Empress Dowager Liang announced that she was retiring and returning imperial authority to Emperor Huan. Later that year, she died. Emperor Huan then honored his mother as an empress dowager. However, Liang Ji remained powerful -- and perhaps even more powerful than before, without his sister curbing his power. He became ever more violent and corrupt, stamping out all dissent with threats of death. He even threw his humble and peace-loving brother Liang Buyi out of government.

In 152, Empress Dowager Yan died. Because Emperor Huan had inherited the throne through a collateral line, he was not permitted by customs to be the mourner, but instead his brother Liu Shi the Prince of Pingyuan served as chief mourner.

In 153, the first major public confrontation between an official and a powerful eunuch occurred -- foreshadowing many to come. Zhu Mu , the governor of Ji Province had found out that the father of the powerful eunuch Zhao Zhong had been improperly buried in a jade vest -- an honor that was reserved to imperial princes, and he ordered an investigation. Zhao's father was exhumed, and the jade vest was stripped away -- an act that angered Zhao and Emperor Huan. Zhu was not only removed from his post but was sentenced to hard labor.

Coup d'etat against Liang Ji

As the years went by, Emperor Huan became increasingly disgruntled at Liang Ji's control of the government, and was also angered by Empress Liang's behavior. Because of her position as Empress Dowager Liang and Liang Ji's sister, Empress Liang was wasteful in her luxurious living, far exceeding any past empress, and was exceedingly jealous. She did not have a son, and because she did not want any other imperial consorts to have sons, if one became pregnant, Empress Liang would find some way to murder her. Emperor Huan did not dare to react to her due to Liang Ji's power, but rarely had sexual relations with her. In 159, angry and depressed that she had lost her husband's favor, Empress Liang died.

That would start a chain of events that would lead to Liang Ji's downfall later that year. Liang, in order to continue to control Emperor Huan, had adopted his wife's beautiful cousin , , as his own daughter, changing her family name to Liang. He and Sun gave Liang Mengnü to Emperor Huan as an imperial consort, and, after Empress Liang's death, they hoped that she would be eventually created empress. To completely control her, Liang Ji planned to have her mother, Lady Xuan , killed, and in fact sent assassins against her, but the assassination was foiled by the powerful eunuch Yuan She , a neighbor of Lady Xuan.

Lady Xuan reported the assassination attempt to Emperor Huan, who was greatly angered. He entered into a conspiracy with eunuchs Tang Heng, Zuo Guan, Dan Chao , Xu Huang , and Ju Yuan to overthrow Liang -- sealing the oath by biting open Dan's arm and swearing by his blood. Liang Ji had some suspicions about what Emperor Huan and the eunuchs were up to, and he investigated. The five eunuchs quickly reacted. They had Emperor Huan openly announce that he was taking back power from Liang Ji and mobilized the imperial guards to defend the palace against a counterattack by Liang, and then surrounding Liang's house and forcing him to surrender. Liang and Sun were unable to respond and committed suicide. The entire Liang and Sun clans were arrested and slaughtered. A large number of officials were executed or deposed for close association with Liang -- so many that the government was almost unable to function for some time. Liang and Sun's properties were confiscated by the imperial treasury, which allowed the taxes to be reduced by 50% for one year. The people greatly celebrated Liang Ji's death. What they did not know at that point was that this would not be an improvement of the political situation.

Late reign: empowerment of the eunuchs

After Liang Ji's death, Emperor Huan created Liang Mengnü empress, but disliked her family name, and therefore ordered her to take the family name Bo . Later, he found out that her original family name was actually Deng, and therefore had her family name restored.

The people had great expectations for Emperor Huan's administration after the death of Liang Ji. However, having been able to overthrow Liang Ji with the five eunuchs' help, Emperor Huan greatly rewarded them, creating them and several other eunuchs who participated in the coup d'état marquesses and further gave them governmental posts that conferred tremendous power. Further, the five eunuch-marquesses openly engaged in massive corruption and became extremely wealthy, with Emperor Huan's approval. A song written about four remaining eunuch-marquesses, after Dan's death, described them in this way:

:''Zuo can reverse heaven's decision. Ju sits by himself without match. Xu is a lying wolf. Tang's power is as prevalent as the falling rain.''

Emperor Huan himself was also corrupt and unwilling to accept any criticism. In 159, when the honest county magistrate Li Yun submitted a petition urging him to curb the power of the eunuchs, Emperor Huan was deeply offended that he included the phrase, "Is the emperor turning blind?" and, despite intercessions by a number of officials and even some fairly-minded eunuchs, had Li and his friend Du Zhong both executed.

In 161, apparently in reaction to spending due to renewed Qiang rebellions and new agrarian revolts, Emperor Huan issued an edict offering minor offices for sale -- including imperial guard officer positions. While Emperor Huan actually appeared to have a knack for finding good generals to suppress the rebellions or to persuade the rebels to surrender, the rampant corruption would cause new rebellions as soon as the old ones are quelled.

In 165, perhaps finally fed up with the eunuchs' excess, Emperor Huan demoted the only remaining of the five -- Ju. Several other corrupt eunuchs were also demoted or deposed. However, soon thereafter, the eunuchs' powers were restored again. For the rest of Emperor Huan's reign, there would be a cycle of rise and fall of power of the eunuchs after conflicts with officials, but inexorably the eunuchs would return, becoming more powerful than before.

Later that year, apparently tired of Empress Deng and sick of her disputes with a favorite consort of his, Consort Guo, Emperor Huan deposed and imprisoned her. She died in anger, and several of her family members were executed. He wanted to create another consort, Tian Sheng empress, but officials opposed on the basis that she was of lowly birth, and recommended that he create , the daughter of Dou Wu , a Confucian scholar and a descendant of Dou Rong , who had contributed much to the establishment of the Eastern Han Dynasty, empress. Even though he did not favor Consort Dou, Emperor Huan gave in to pressure and created her empress.

In 166, a major public confrontation between university students and eunuchs evolved into a major incident. The governor of the capital province , Li Ying, had arrested and executed a fortuneteller named Zhang Cheng , who had had his son kill a man, having predicted that a general pardon was coming. Li was arrested, and 200 some university students signed a petition requesting his release -- which further angered Emperor Huan, who had the students arrested. Only after about a year and Dou Wu's intercession were Li and the university students released, but all of them had their citizenship rights stripped. This incident was later known as the first .

In 168, Emperor Huan died without a son. Empress Dou, jealous of how he favored Consort Tian, had her immediately put to death. She conducted a survey among the members of the imperial clan, and decided on the 11-year-old Liu Hong , the Marquess of Jieduting, who then ascended the throne as Emperor Ling.

Era names

*''Jianhe'' 147-149
*''Heping'' 150
*''Yuanjia'' 151-153
*''Yongxing'' 153-154
*''Yongshou'' 155-158
*''Yanxi'' 158-167
*''Yongkang'' 167

Personal information

* Father
** Liu Yi , the Marquess of Liwu, son of Liu Kai Prince Xiao of Hejian, son of Emperor Zhang of Han
* Mother
** , Marquess Yi's concubine
* Wives
** Empress Liang Nüying , sister of Empress Liang Na and Liang Ji
** Empress Deng Mengnü
** Empress Dou Miao
* Major concubines
** Consort Guo
** Consort Tian Sheng
** Consort Feng
* Children
** Liu Hua , the Princess Yang'an
** Liu Jian , the Princess Yingyin
** Liu Xiu , the Princess Yanzhai

Emperor Ling of Han

Emperor Ling of Han, 漢靈帝;, 汉灵帝, . hàn líng dì, . Han Ling-ti, was an of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was a great-great-grandson of . The Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out during Emperor ling's reign.

Emperor Ling's reign saw yet another repetition of government domination by corrupt eunuchs. This time Zhang Rang and his accomplices succeeded in completely dominating the political scene after prevailing over 's father Dou Wu and his ally, the Confucian scholar Chen Fan in 168. Emperor Ling, even after he grew to adulthood, was not interested in governmental affairs, instead indulged himself in women and a decadent lifestyle. At the same time corrupt officials levied heavy taxes on the peasants causing public outcries and rebellions. He further exacerbated the situation by selling political offices for money.

Emperor Ling died after reigning for 21 years in 189. He was 34. As soon after his death the power fell into the hands of Dong Zhuo, who despised him, Emperor Ling was one of the rare examples of history in which an emperor whose throne was inherited by a son who received a highly derogatory posthumous name.

Emperor Ling's reign left the Eastern Han Dynasty weak and ready to crumble. After his death, the empire broke apart, and for several decades warlords battled, until eventually his son was forced to abdicate in favor of Cao Pi, ushering in the era of the Three Kingdoms period.

Family background and ascension to the throne

Liu Hong was a hereditary marquess -- the Marquess of Jieduting. His was a third generation creation, as his father Liu Chang and grandfather Liu Shu were both Marquesses of Jieduting as well. His great-grandfather was Liu Kai , the Prince of Hejian, and a son of . His mother was Marquess Chang's wife.

When Emperor Huan died in 168 without a son to be heir, his wife Empress Dou Miao became empress dowager and regent, and she examined the rolls of the imperial clan to consider the next emperor. For reasons unknown, her assistant Liu Shu recommended Marquess Hong, and after consulting with her father Dou Wu and the Confucian scholar official Chen Fan, Empress Dowager Dou made him emperor, at age 12. Empress Dowager Dou continued to serve as regent. Emperor Ling posthumously honored his father and grandfather as emperors, and his grandmother as an empress. His mother, because of Empress Dowager Dou's presence, was not honored as an empress or empress dowager, but as an imperial consort.

Early reign

The empress dowager's father Dou Wu and Chen became the most important officials in the imperial government, and they sought to purge the government of eunuch influences. Later in 168, they even proposed to exterminate all of the powerful eunuchs, a proposal that Empress Dowager Dou rejected. However, word of the plot was leaked, and the eunuchs, after kidnapping the empress dowager and taking the young emperor into custody arrested and executed Chen. Dou Wu resisted, but was eventually defeated, and he committed suicide. The Dou clan was slaughtered. The powerful eunuchs, led by Cao Jie and Wang Fu , became the most powerful individuals in the imperial government.

After the destruction of the Dou clan, in 169, Emperor Ling honored his mother Consort Dong as an empress dowager, but continued to also honor Empress Dowager Dou as an empress dowager. Members of the Dong clan began to enter government, but did not have substantial influence. Later that year, the eunuchs persuaded Emperor Ling that the "partisans" were planning a plot against him, and a large number of partisans were arrested and killed; the others had their civil liberties stripped completely, in what later was known as the second .

In 172, Empress Dowager Dou died. Despite suggestions by eunuchs to have her only buried as an imperial consort and not be honored as Emperor Huan's wife, Emperor Ling had her buried with honors due an empress dowager, with Emperor Huan. In the aftermaths of her death, a vandal wrote on the palace door:

:''All that is under the heaven is in upheaval. Cao and Wang murdered the empress dowager. The key officials only know how to be officials and had nothing faithful to say.''

The eunuchs were angered, and more than 1,000 people were arrested in the investigation to try to discover who the vandal was, but nothing eventually came of the investigation. In that year, the eunuchs also falsely accused Emperor Huan's brother Liu Li , the Prince of Bohai, of treason, and Prince Li was forced to commit suicide. His entire household, including wife, concubines, children, assistants, and principality officials, were all executed. The eunuchs continued to be corrupt, and the people received heavier and heavier tax burdens. As Emperor Ling grew in age, he not only took no remedial actions, but continued to tolerate the eunuchs' corruption, for the large part. A major defeat by the Xianbei in 177 further drained the imperial treasury.

In 178, Emperor Ling's wife , whom he created empress in 171 but did not favor, fell victim to the eunuchs. Her aunt Lady Song was Prince Li's wife, and so the eunuchs were concerned that if she became powerful, she would avenge her aunt. They, in alliance with the imperial consorts who wanted to replace Empress Song, falsely accused her of using witchcraft to curse the emperor. Emperor Ling believed them and deposed Empress Song. She was imprisoned and died in despair. Her father Song Feng and her brothers were all executed.

Middle reign

In 178, Emperor Ling carried out a plan that greatly damaged the authority of the imperial government and harmed the people even more -- he sold offices of all kinds for money. The people who purchased these offices would then become extremely corrupt while in office -- and in fact, that was what Emperor Ling contemplated, for he allowed people who did not have the money to start to set up installment payment plans after they were placed in office.

In 180, Emperor Ling created as the new empress and made her brother He Jin a key official in his government. She received the empress position because she had given birth to Emperor Ling's son .

During these years, Emperor Ling became interested in heavy spending to build imperial gardens, and to finance them he ordered the commanderies and principalities to offer tributes to him personally. This in turn created pressures for officials to be corrupt. However, he also did listen to good advice at times, but did not follow them consistently. For the more honest of his officials, it became a frustrating exercise to try to persuade Emperor Ling on points that were beneficial to the people -- because he was in fact persuadable but not usually so.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion

Sometime before 183, a major Taoist movement had emerged from Ji Province -- the Taiping Sect , led by Zhang Jiao , who claimed he had magical powers to heal the sick. By 183, his teachings and followers had spread to eight provinces -- Qing , Xu , You , Ji, Jing , Yang , Yan , and Yu . Several key imperial officials became concerned about Zhang's hold over his followers, and suggested that the Taiping Sect be disbanded. Emperor Ling did not listen to them.

Zhang in fact planned a rebellion. He commissioned 36 military commanders and set up a shadow government, and he wrote a declaration:

:''The blue heaven is dead. The yellow heaven will come into being. The year will be ''Jiazi''. The world would be blessed.''

Zhang had his supporters write ''Jiazi'' in large characters with white talc everywhere they could -- including on the doors of many imperial offices in the capital Luoyang and other cities. One of Zhang's commanders, Ma Yuanyi entered into a plan with two powerful eunuchs, and they planned to start a rebellion to overthrow the Han Dynasty from inside.

Early in 184, this plot was discovered, and Ma was immediately arrested and executed. Emperor Ling ordered that Taiping Sect members be arrested and executed, and Zhang immediately declared a rebellion. Every member of the rebellion wore a yellow turban as the symbol -- and therefore the rebellion became known for it. Within a month, Zhang controlled large areas of territory. Under suggestion by the eunuch Lü Qiang , who was sympathetic to the partisans, Emperor Ling pardoned the partisans to ward off the possibility they would join the Yellow Turbans.

Emperor Ling sent out a number of military commanders against the Yellow Turbans, and in these campaigns several of them distinguished themselves -- including Huangfu Song , Cao Cao , Fu Xie , Zhu Jun , , and Dong Zhuo . A key military development with great implications later was that the Yellow Turbans were largely combatted with battle-tested Liang Province troops, who had been accustomed to fight the Qiang rebellions. In late 184, Zhang Jiao was killed, and while the rest of the Yellow Turbans were not defeated immediately, in the following year they gradually dissipated. Because of the Liang forces' contributions to the campaign, they began to be feared and began to look down on troops from all other provinces. During and in the aftermaths of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, many people from other provinces, in order to ward off pillaging by Yellow Turbans or governmental forces, also organized into military organizations, and a good number resisted government forces, and even after the Yellow Turbans were defeated, the central government's control of the provinces was no longer what it used to be.

Late reign

Even after what happened, however, Emperor Ling did not change his wasteful and corrupt ways. He continued to levy heavy taxes and continued to sell offices. As a result, the agrarian and other military rebellions multiplied.

In 188, under the suggestions of Liu Yan , Emperor Ling greatly increased the political and military power of the provincincial governors and selected key officials to serve as provincial governors.

In 189, as Emperor Ling grew ill, a succession issue came into being. Emperor Ling had two surviving sons -- Liu Bian, the son of Empress He, and , the son of Consort Wang. Because Emperor Ling had, earlier in his life, frequently lost sons in childhood, he later believed that his sons needed to be raised outside the palace by foster parents. Therefore, when Prince Bian was born, he was entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi." Later, when Prince Xie was born, he was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong." Prince Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered creating Prince Xie crown prince, but hesitated and could not decide.

When Emperor Ling died later that year, a powerful eunuch that he trusted, Jian Shuo, wanted to first kill Empress He's brother He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He. He found out, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor .

Era names

*''Jianning'' 168-172
*''Xiping'' 172-178
*''Guanghe'' 178-184
*''Zhongping'' 184-189

Personal information

* Father
** Liu Chang , the Marquess of Jieduting, son of Liu Shu the Marquess of Jieduting, son of Liu Kai Prince Xiao of Hejian, son of Emperor Zhang of Han
* Mother
**
* Wives
**
** , mother of the Prince of Hongnong
* Major concubines
** Consort Wang, mother of Emperor Xian
* Children
** Liu Bian , later emperor
** Liu Xie , initially the Prince of Bohai , later the Prince of Chenliu , later Emperor Xian of Han
** The Princess Wannian

Prince of Hongnong

The Prince of Hongnong , was briefly an during the Han dynasty. He is also known as "Emperor Shao" , a name which he shares with several other emperors with brief reigns. He came to power in 189 and was deposed and then poisoned by Dong Zhuo in 190.

Family background

Liu Bian, the future Prince of Hongnong, was born in 176, to and his then-concubine, . According to traditional historians, prior to him, Emperor Ling had other sons, but they all died young. Therefore, based on the superstitutions of the time, Emperor Ling believed that his sons needed to be raised outside the palace by foster parents. Prince Bian was therefore entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi" .

Due to her having given birth to Emperor Ling's oldest surviving son, Prince Bian's mother Consort He was created empress in 180. Despite this, perhaps partly again due to superstitution and partly because Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn, Prince Bian was never created crown prince, and at times Emperor Ling seriously considered creating the younger Prince Xie crown prince.

When Emperor Ling died in 189, a powerful eunuch that he trusted, Jian Shuo, wanted to first kill Empress He's brother He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and so he set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He. He Jin discovered the plot, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor. Empress He became empress dowager, and she and her brother He Jin became the key figures at court, although a number of the eunuchs remained very powerful.

Brief reign

A confrontation quickly brewed. In the summer of 189, He Jin, plotting with Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, as well as a number of other young officials, planned to act against Jian. Jian tried to persuade his fellow powerful eunuchs, including Zhao Zhong and Song Dian , to go along with his plan to arrest and kill He Jin. However, Zhao and Song were persuaded by another eunuch, Guo Sheng -- a friend of the Hes -- to turn down Jian's suggestions. He Jin then arrested Jian and executed him, taking over the forces under his control.

The Hes then had a confrontation with yet another power center. Emperor Ling's mother, , and her nephew Dong Chong were displeased at the Hes' power grab, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong often argued with Empress Dowager He, once threatening to have Dong Chong decapitate He Jin. He Jin took preemptive action and had Empress Dowager He issue an edict exiling her mother-in-law back to Hejian , where her husband's fief was and Dong Chong arrested. Dong Chong committed suicide, and Grand Empress Dowager Dong died soon thereafter -- with most historical accounts concluding that she died from fear, but some suggested that she committed suicide. This event caused the Hes to be very unpopular among the people.

In autumn 189, Yuan Shao suggested to He Jin that the eunuchs be slaughtered -- a proposal that Empress He immediately rejected, as the plan would have required that Empress He interact with normal men on a regular basis, a requirement that she found offensive and inmodest. Empress Dowager He's mother Lady Xian and brother He Miao also opposed the plan, reasoning that they owed much to the eunuchs. He Jin was therefore hesitant to carry out his plan, and he and Yuan Shao hatched an alternative plan that would later prove disastrous -- instructing generals outside the hospital to declare rebellions and demanding that the eunuchs be slaughtered, in order to force Empress He to do so. One of the generals that He Jin so instructed was Dong Zhuo, then in command of the battle-tested Liang Province forces -- not remembering that Dong Zhuo had previous records for disobeying direct orders and undue harshness.

As Dong approached the capital with his forces, Empress Dowager He was forced to order the powerful eunuchs to leave the palace and return to their marches. However, after the eunuchs' leader, Zhang Rang pleaded with his daughter-in-law , Empress Dowager He relented and summoned them back to the palace. The eunuchs then found out that He Jin in fact planned to exterminate them, and they tricked He Jin into falling into an ambush and getting killed. He Jin's associates, led by Yuan Shao, then surrounded the palace, and the eunuchs took Empress Dowager He, the young emperor, and Prince Xie hostage, although Empress Dowager He soon escaped. Meanwhile, Yuan Shao had the other eunuchs mass-executed, and also killed He Miao for not having cooperated with He Jin.

Two days later, the several eunuchs holding the emperor and Prince Xie hostage, knowing that they were in desperate straits, took the emperor and the prince and fled north toward the river. With government officials and Min Gong on their heels, the eunuchs, led by Zhang Rang, released the emperor and Prince Xie and committed suicide by jumping into the Yellow River. As Min and Lu were escorting the emperor and the prince back to the capital Luoyang, they were intercepted by Dong Zhuo's forces. As Dong came up to meet them, the young emperor was so shocked that he spoke incoherently and could not answer Dong Zhuo's questions. The younger Prince Xie, however, had no such difficulty in describing the events. Dong became impressed by the younger prince, and, because he shared the same name with the late Grand Empress Dowager Dong, began to consider deposing the emperor and replacing him with Prince Xie.

Dong quickly took over the capital by using his forces to intimidate others. Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, then in command of the palace guards, saw that they could no longer control their forces, which had been so intimidated by the stronger Liang Province forces that they were not following orders, fled the capital. Dong then ordered the young emperor deposed , and Empress Dowager He was forced to agree. Prince Xie was declared emperor . The Prince of Hongnong's mother Empress Dowager He was soon poisoned to death by Dong.

Death

For months, it appeared that Dong, now in complete control of the central government, was going to leave the former emperor alone. That would not last, however. In early 190, after a coalition of provincial officials and exiles, led by Yuan Shao, rebelled against his authority, Dong became weary of keeping the Prince Bian alive. Less than a month after the rebellion started, Dong ordered his subordinate Li Ru to force the prince to drink poison wine, although Li did permit the prince to say farewell to his wife Consort Tang and his concubines before doing so. He was buried in the tomb originally intended for the late eunuch Zhao Zhong and given the posthumous name Prince Huai.

Era name

* ''Zhaoning'' 189

Personal information

* Father
** Emperor Ling of Han
* Mother
**
* Wife
** Consort Tang, later given honorific title of Princess of Hongnong

Emperor Xian of Han

Emperor Xian of Han was the last of the Chinese Han Dynasty. He was forced to abdicate in favor of Cao Pi and was given the title of Duke of Shanyang .

Emperor Xian was the son of and was the brother of Emperor Liu Bian . He was placed on the throne in 189 after Dong Zhuo removed his brother from the throne. This act was seen as a sign to all the other lords that Dǒng was in full control of the empire. However, after Dong Zhuo was assassinated in 192, Emperor Xian became first a puppet and then was stranded in Luoyang with the warlords formally acknowledging him but giving him no aid. Eventually, Emperor Xian came under the control of Cao Cao in 196, and Cao used Emperor Xiàn as a titular ruler effectively, issuing edicts beneficial to him in Emperor Xian's name, greatly helping him in his quest to reunify the empire, which appeared inevitable until Cao's defeat by Sun Quan at the Battle of Red Cliffs, leading to Sun and Liu Bei's entrenchment in their territories. In 220, the Han dynasty was finally overthrown by Cao Cao's son Cao Pi, ending more than 400 years of Han dynastic rule and ushering in the era of the Three Kingdoms.

Although Emperor Xian was demoted to a rank of nobility , he lived in comfort and enjoyed preferential treatments. Emperor Xian died in 234, 14 years after the fall of his dynasty. He was 53.

Family background

The future Emperor Xian was born in 181, to and his concubine Consort Wang. During her pregnancy, Consort Wang, fearful of Emperor Ling's powerful empress , had taken drugs that were intended to induce an abortion, but was not successful in her attempt. Soon after she gave birth to Prince Xie, the jealous Empress He poisoned her by putting poison in her rice porridge. Emperor Ling was enraged and wanted to depose her, but the eunuchs pleaded on her behalf, and she was not deposed. Prince Xie was raised personally by Emperor Ling's mother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong." Prince Bian was born of the empress and was older, but Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn and therefore considered creating Prince Xie crown prince, but hesitated and could not decide.

When Emperor Ling died in 189, a powerful eunuch that he trusted, Jian Shuo, wanted to first kill Empress He's brother He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and therefore set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He. He found out, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor. Later that year, the young emperor created Prince Xie the Prince of Bohai, and later changed his title to the Prince of Chenliu.
Emperor Xian was the 15th generation of Liu Bang, founder of the Han Dynasty.

''See'' --

Ascension to the throne and collapse of the Han regime

:''For more details about the collapse of the Han regime -- which happened largely during Emperor Xian's reign but for which he had little, if any, responsibility -- see End of Han Dynasty.''

Rise of Dong Zhuo

After Prince Bian became emperor, He Jin became the most powerful official at court, and he and his advisor Yuan Shao quickly entered into a conspiracy to exterminate the powerful eunuchs. They were, however, rebuffed by Empress Dowager He, and they hatched the plan to secretly order a number of generals to advance on the capital Luoyang to force Empress Dowager He to agree to their demands. One of these generals was the generally disobedient Dong Zhuo, who saw this as an opportunity to control the central government.

He Jin's plan was discovered by the eunuchs, who lay a trap for him and killed him. Yuan then led his forces into the palace and killed the majority of the eunuchs. The remaining eunuchs initially took the young emperor and Prince Xie hostage, but eventually were forced to commit suicide when the battle turned against them. When Dong then arrived on scene, he, impressed with his own power and unimpressed with the nervous young emperor, forced the young emperor to yield the throne to Prince Xie , who then ascended the throne as Emperor Xian. Dong Zhuo then murdered Empress Dowager He and the young former emperor, and became firmly in control of the political scene.

Forced relocation west and the death of Dong Zhuo

In the spring of 190, a number of local officials, loosely led by Yuan Shao, quickly rose up against Dong. Even though they still feared Dong's military power and did not directly advance on Luoyang, Dong was also fearful of their collective strength, and therefore determined to move the capital west -- to the old Western Han capital Chang'an, closer to his power base in Liang Province . On April 9 190, he forced Emperor Xian to relocate to Chang'an and set fire to Luoyang, leaving it largely in ruins.

After the revolting coalition collapsed, a number of officials, led by Wang Yun and Dong's adopted son Lü Bu, assassinated Dong in May 22 192. For a while, it appeared that the Han regime might return to normal, as Wang quickly established relatively friendly relations with the local officials resisting Dong but by this time acting more as local warlords. However, due to Wang's failure to pacify Dong's former subordinates, they rose in revolt and killed Wang. Any possibility of return to normality was shattered.

Return to Luoyang's ruins

Dong's former subordinates, led by Li Jue and Guo Si, held Emperor Xian and the imperial officials. However, Li and Guo did not have serious ambitions, and their incompetence in governance furthered the breakdown of the empire into warlord realms. In 195, Li and Guo had a major fallout, and Li took Emperor Xian hostage while Guo took the imperial officials hostage as they battled. Later in the year, after peace talks between Li and Guo, they agreed to allow Emperor Xian to return to Luoyang -- but as soon as Emperor Xian departed Chang'an, they regretted this and chased him with their troops. While they were never able to capture him, Emperor Xian's court was rendered poor and unable to fend for itself, and once it returned to Luoyang, it lacked even the basic essentials of life. Many imperial officials starved to death. At this time, Yuan Shao's strategist Ju Shou suggested that he welcome Emperor Xian to his province so that he could effectively be in control of the imperial government, but the other strategists Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong opposed -- under the faulty logic that if he did, he would have to yield to Emperor Xian on key decisions. Yuan listened to Guo and Chunyu and never again considered welcoming Emperor Xian. The implementation of Ju's strategy would have to wait for a man more capable than Yuan.

Tight control by Cao Cao

What Yuan Shao would not do, Cao Cao did. Cao was at this time a relatively minor warlord, as the governor of the small Yan Province , with his headquarters at Xu . He saw the strategical advantage in having the emperor under his control and protection, and in 196 he marched west to Luoyang and, after securing an agreement with Emperor Xian's generals Dong Cheng and Yang Feng, convincing them of his loyalty, he entered Luoyang and technically shared power with Dong and Yang, but was in fact in command. Unlike the situation with Dong Zhuo, though, Cao knew how to assuage the other generals and nobles, and while he gave them little power, he made sure that they remained honoured, so minimal opposition against him developed at the imperial court. He then moved the capital to Xu to affirm his control over the imperial government, and while Yang opposed him, he defeated Yang and was able to move the capital.

Cao then began to issue imperial edicts in Emperor Xian's name -- including a harshly-worded edict condemning Yuan Shao for taking over nearby provinces -- even though it still bestowed Yuan with the highly honorific post of commander of the armed forces as well as a march. Yuan and the other warlords finally saw Cao's advantage of having control of the emperor, but it was too late. Cao would not, for the rest of his life, let Emperor Xiàn out of his grip. Cao and Emperor Xian had a superficially cordial relationship, but this did not prevent two major confrontations involving Cao and other figures of the imperial court.

In or before 199, as Cao was facing a major military confrontation against Yuan, Dong Cheng claimed to have received a secret edict issued by Emperor Xian , and he entered into a conspiracy with Liu Bei, Zhong Ji , and Wang Fu to assassinate Cao. Late in 199, Liu started a rebellion and waited for Dong to act in the capital, but in 200, Dong's conspiracy was discovered, and he, along with Zhong and Wang, were killed. Liu was later defeated by Cao and forced to flee to Yuan's camp. Dong's daughter, an imperial consort, was pregnant, and Emperor Xian personally tried to intercede for her, but Cao had her executed anyway. This would precipitate the next major incident.

Emperor Xian's wife, Empress Fu Shou, angry and fearful about how Consort Dong died, wrote her father Fu Wan a letter accusing Cao of cruelty, and implicitly asking Fu to start a new conspiracy against Cao. Fu Wan was fearful of Cao and never acted on the letter, in 214, her letter was discovered. Cao was extremely angry and forced Emperor Xiàn to have Empress Fu deposed. Emperor Xiàn was hesitant, and Cao sent his forces into the palace to force the issue. Empress Fu hid inside the walls, but was finally discovered and dragged out. As she was led away, she cried out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response was that he could not even know what would happen to him. She was killed, along with her two sons and family. Emperor Xian was not, but his status as a puppet was by now fully exposed. Cao soon forced Emperor Xian to create his daughter , then an imperial consort, empress.

Abdication and death

In March 15 220, Cao Cao died. Cao Cao's heir, Cao Pi, soon forced Emperor Xian to abdicate the throne in favor of himself, ending the Han Dynasty. Cao Pi established a new dynasty known as Cao Wei , and he named Emperor Xian the Duke of Shanyang. The former emperor died in 234 and was buried with honors due an emperor, using Han ceremonies, and then-emperor of Wei Cao Rui was one of the mourners. His grandson Liu Kang inherited his dukedom, which lasted for 81 more years and two more dukes until the line was exterminated by invading barbarians during the .

Era names

*''Yonghan'' 189
*''Chuping'' 190-193
*''Xingping'' 194-195
*''Jianan'' 196-220
*''Yankang'' 220

Personal information

* Father
** Emperor Ling of Han
* Mother
** Consort Wang
* Wives
** Empress Fu Shou
** Empress Cao Jie , daughter of Cao Cao
* Major Concubines
** Consort Dong , daughter of Dong Cheng
** Consort Cao Xian , daughter of Cao Cao and older sister of Empress Cao
** Consort Cao Hua , daughter of Cao Cao and younger sister of Empress Cao
* Children
** Liu Feng , the Prince of Nanyang
** LIu Xi , the Prince of Jiying
** Liu Yi , the Prince of Shanyang
** Liu Miao , the Prince of Jibei
** Liu Dun , the Prince of Donghai
** two sons by Empress Fu, may be same as two of the above princes
** two daughters who became Cao Pi's concubines