Emperor Hui of Han Liu Ying

  This chapter is just my personal view. As the saying goes, a thousand readers have a thousand Hamlets, and everyone's interpretation of history is also different.

  Based on this interpretation, I wrote this article. Of course, I don't think my interpretation is necessarily correct, but I believe that as long as you can make sense of the ideas in it for yourself, then that's enough.

  Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, reigned for seven years and died in 188 BC at the age of twenty-four. After his death, the officials gave him a posthumous name "Hui", which means "benevolent and gentle". This posthumous name summarized his life.

  He was the eldest son of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, and succeeded to the throne by right. He was the second emperor of the Great Han, and his mother was the first woman in Chinese history to hold great power - Empress Lü.

  Emperor Hui is a strange blank space in the history of Western Han. Before him, there was the founding emperor Liu Bang with "great talent and broad vision". After him, there was the domination by empresses, followed by the prosperous period of Wenjing, and then the most glorious period of Western Han - the reign of Emperor Wu. Later on, there was the restoration during the reigns of Emperors Zhao and Xuan.

  Then afterwards... I was done for.

  In short, among this string of resplendent and dazzling names, his name was overshadowed and dull without light.

  Even historians have intentionally or unintentionally downplayed him. Sima Qian wrote the Records of the Grand Historian, and did not even establish a separate biography for him, and in his evaluation, he intentionally or unintentionally used the phrase "benevolent but weak", which seems to be a derogatory term. The Book of Han has an independent chapter on Emperor Hui's Annals, but the events are brief, and it ends with saying that he was a magnanimous ruler, but his virtues were damaged by Empress Lü.

  I just think he's a very good person.

  He was just very sad, his mortal enemy was his mother.

  Liu Ying was not a prince who grew up in luxury. He was born when Liu Bang had not yet become wealthy, and he lived with his mother and sister in their hometown of Fengchu. When his mother and sister were busy with farm work, they would leave him on the ridge between fields.

  The baby who was once placed on a ridge in the field later became the ruler of a country. Fate is often strange and unpredictable.

  Liu Ying was not a prince who did not know the storms of human relationships. During the Chu-Han Contention, Liu Bang had been at a disadvantage for a long time. In the second year of Han, during the great war between Chu and Han, Xiang Yu sent someone to Feng Pei to capture Liu Bang's family. Six-year-old Liu Ying and his sister fled and encountered their father by chance, getting on their father's carriage. Then, as the pursuing soldiers gradually approached, Liu Bang kicked them off the speeding carriage in order to save his life. Fortunately, they were protected by loyal subordinates and did not fall into enemy hands. At that time, it was a matter of life and death.

  His father was a scoundrel with little conscience.

  Her mother was a resolute and ruthless woman who made people change color.

  Strangely enough, their son was born with a kind soul.

  All imperial families that rose from humble beginnings were mostly sincere in their emotions at the beginning. Before Li Yuan's uprising, the three brothers of the Li family had also experienced a period of brotherly love and respect, but ultimately ended up with the tragic change of the Xuanwu Gate.

  Fortunately, Liu Ying was the only legitimate son. His maternal family had made many contributions during Emperor Liu Bang's rise to power. His mother was recognized by all ministers as the main mistress. As such, his position as heir apparent seemed as stable as Mount Tai.

  Can't even defeat a father's partiality.

  After several years of war, his mother's beauty faded and his love for her waned. As he grew older, his father came to favor a younger concubine.

  Qī yì.

  Qī Yì had a son named Rúyì, and people called him the old man's darling. The father spoiled Rúyì excessively, treating him with an unusual tenderness that was beyond ordinary, and eventually harbored thoughts of making Rúyì his successor.

  Liu Ying was also unwilling. But his unwillingness compared to his mother's was so pale and powerless.

  Because of this, Mother had even more reason to be resentful.

  I was your legitimate wife, I took care of you for food and drink, I managed the household for you, gave birth to children for you, worried about you day and night, endured all kinds of hardships for you. In the end, I got what I deserved, but you actually want to hand over everything to that little vixen who has never done anything and just reaps the benefits.

  It was actually a war between women.

  Qi Yi was not intelligent, she relied only on Liu Bang's favoritism, but even emperors cannot do as they please in all matters.

  As for the ministers who had fought alongside Liu Bang to conquer the world, they naturally hoped to have a crown prince who had gone through hardships with them, rather than a child born into peace and prosperity, far removed from them.

  The crown prince can at least see Kuan Ren, but Ru Yi is just a child who has no fixed shape.

  Lü Hou was a legitimate and rightful empress, having gone through thick and thin together (with Liu Bang), while Qi Yi was just a minor concubine picked up by Liu Bang along the way, a cloistered flower in the deep palace.

  The crown prince has grown up and can handle things independently. If he supports Ruyi, in the future, it will be difficult for him to avoid trouble with Ruyi, who will have to deal with him. They are men who have been through thick and thin, how can they bow their heads and obey someone who has no experience at all, only enjoying favor in the palace?

  Under the pressure of his ministers and in front of the people's expectations, Liu Bang had no choice but to give in.

  Then he had no choice but to dance and sing with his beauty.

  At that time, Liu Bang had already seen Qi Yi's final outcome.

  When I was young, I heard people talk about the historian with great admiration. It is said that after an emperor's rebellion, he summoned a historian and asked him how to record this event. The historian wrote straightforwardly: on a certain year, month and day, someone rebelled. The emperor was furious and killed the historian. He then summoned his brother. His brother also recorded it in the same way: someone rebelled. The emperor was extremely angry and killed him too. After killing several historians, he asked the last one. That historian still wrote without changing a single word: on a certain year, month and day, someone rebelled.

  In the end, the emperor was also helpless and could only wipe his nose and forget about it.

  At that time, I had a very high respect for history.

  But as I grew older, I found it wasn't like that at all.

  Perhaps historians cannot turn black into white, but they can omit certain things, write briefly about certain things, and elaborate on others, and express their opinions to guide the reader's judgment. Especially when writing the history of the current dynasty, official historians are very careful to avoid offending those in power. Even if it is not out of consideration for avoiding offense, the historian's own political stance and attitude will lead them to be biased towards or against a particular historical figure or event, and this bias will be reflected in their writing.

  So, when we face history, how can we believe it is truly history?

  Looking at other girls' interpretation of this piece of history, "Bu Ru Bu Yu Qian Cheng Se" writes: I like Emperor Hui's close protection and consideration, as well as the little bit of human emotion that couldn't bear to wake up his younger brother that morning. Even if the world is mine, I am powerless to act, nor can I bear to look on, every step treading on the blood of loved ones. It's better to stand still on this Blue Bridge, leaning against the railing and gazing out.

  "This empire, dyed red with the blood of loved ones, can be given to the woman he wants; give her everything she desires, it's his own redemption."

  Suddenly lost in laughter, girls are like this, gently deconstructing history. Even if it's as absurd as King You of Zhou, you can still glimpse a bit of true feelings from the bright tone of playing with fire and teasing the vassals.

  As an emperor, this is naturally unqualified. So Sima Guang blamed Emperor Hui: "Abandoning the country and not worrying about it... can be said to be deeply in small benevolence but not knowing great righteousness" (Volume 12 of Zizhi Tongjian).

  But actually, I also like this kind of human touch. Because no matter what, emperors who know the greater righteousness and give up small benevolence are already too many, so emperors who value small benevolence are also very precious.

  More close to the mortal world of fireworks.

  Everyone knows that great righteousness is more important than small kindness, but from the standpoint of ordinary people, I think grasping the more tangible small kindness will make one happier.

  As for Emperor Hui's reign, Sima Qian only wrote the Basic Annals of Empress Lü and did not write a separate biography for Emperor Hui. Among them, there are very few things about Emperor Hui. He borrowed the words of Emperor Gaozu to evaluate Emperor Hui: "He is kind and weak, and does not resemble me." It also records that after Emperor Hui observed the human sacrifice, he cried loudly and fell ill, unable to get up for a year. He sent someone to ask Empress Dowager Lü: "This is not what people do. I am the son of the empress dowager, and I will never be able to govern the world." Emperor Hui indulged in drinking and pleasure every day, ignoring politics, so he became ill.

  Finally, it says that during the time of Emperor Hui and Empress Dowager Lü, the common people were relieved from the suffering of the Warring States period. Both the ruler and his ministers wanted to rest and do nothing, so Emperor Hui did not take action, and Empress Dowager Lü issued orders as the female sovereign. Politics did not go beyond the imperial court, and the world was peaceful. Punishments were rarely used, and criminals were few. The people worked hard in agriculture, and their clothing and food were abundant.

  The "Records of the Grand Historian" has a very high status among historical books, and therefore had a great influence on later people's impression of Emperor Hui. Although Empress Lü was cruel and ruthless, as an emperor, he was disheartened and depressed, "drinking every day for pleasure, not listening to politics." This is not something worth boasting about. Fortunately, Sima Qian finally gave a evaluation of "ruling by non-action", although it was only attached. The "Book of Han" by Ban Gu had a sympathetic attitude towards Emperor Hui, praising him: "Emperor Hui internally cultivated his family relationships, externally respected the prime ministers, favored Qi and Zhao, and was generous to them." When he heard Uncle Sun Tong's advice, he was afraid, but accepted Cao Shen's response and was pleased with it. He can be called a kind and benevolent ruler. Alas, Empress Lü damaged his virtues, what a pity!

  The further back in history, the more distant from the Han Dynasty, the more unattainable the truth of the matter becomes. The Great Han Empire collapsed, the honor and prestige of the Liu family were no longer, people's fear of Liu Han faded away, and their words became increasingly less courteous.

  Reading only the Records of the Grand Historian's account of Emperor Hui of Han, one gets the impression that after suffering a major psychological trauma, he became self-indulgent and did nothing. Later generations based on historical records, Sima Guang criticized Emperor Hui for "abandoning the state and not caring......can be said to be deeply entrenched in small benevolence but unaware of great righteousness" (Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 12). Some people also criticized him for being "light on the altar of the country, this is indeed a mediocre ruler of the Han dynasty, a rebellious son of Gaozu" ("On the Autocratic Rule of Empress Lü and the Incident of the Lü Clan", Journal of Political University, Issue 20, 1969). Some scholars also believe that this is the reason why Sima Qian did not establish a record for him.

  But did Emperor Wu really indulge in sensual pleasures and neglect government affairs from then on?

  According to the Records of the Grand Historian, before Xiang Yu's death in July of the second year, Emperor Hui personally visited and asked about his successor, which shows that he did not stop asking about government affairs after Yan Zhu. Later, Cao Shen drank day and night without asking about government affairs, and Emperor Hui also blamed him saying: "You are a minister, drinking every day, with no requests for matters, how can you worry about the world?" Does this look like someone who does not care about government?

  I respect Sima Qian, but the more I read Records of the Grand Historian, the more I feel that this is actually a biased and factual record. Similarly, regarding the record of Empress Lü's attempt to poison Prince Qi with poisoned wine, according to Records of the Grand Historian, Emperor Hui was unaware that it was poisoned wine and only insisted on treating Prince Qi with "family courtesy", without any obvious intention of disobeying his mother. However, according to Liu Xiang's record, Emperor Hui knew that Empress Lü wanted to poison Prince Qi and insisted on drinking the poisoned wine himself, intending to die in protest, and Empress Lü gave up as a result. (Note: New Sequence: Good Strategy. Liu Xiang was a member of the imperial family, a fourth-generation grandson of Chu Yuanwang, born about 40-50 years after Sima Qian.) Regarding the affairs of the Liu family, I generally feel that Liu Xiang's record is more credible. Sigh. Moreover, "Wéi Gōng" (Emperor Hui's reign title) does not mean "not listening to politics", nor "neglecting the people", nor "abandoning the country and not caring", but rather "governing without action". In the early Han dynasty, when the common people were suffering and the economy was in shambles, Emperor Gaozu and later Emperors Hui, Lü, Wen, and Jing all adopted the governance of Huang-Lao, governing without action. Why is it that for others, this is praised, but for Emperor Hui, it is criticized?

  In the early years of Western Han, the struggle between Liu and Lü was extremely cruel. Many people from the two most noble surnames in the Han Dynasty died. After Empress Lü's death, the Lü clan was almost exterminated. However, these internal struggles within the imperial family had little impact on the lives of the common people. The national strength of the Han Dynasty gradually developed under the policy of "rest and recuperation" upheld by several emperors, finally ushering in the peak era of Emperor Wu.

  Emperor Hui never abandoned the state, and his existence had a great restrictive effect on Empress Lü. At least during Emperor Hui's reign, except for his mother's two brothers, Empress Lü could not obtain more marquis titles for the Lü family. If Emperor Hui really didn't care about national affairs, and national affairs were all in Empress Lü's hands, would she need to wait until Emperor Hui's death to grant large fiefs to the Lü clan?

  In the early years of the Han Dynasty, what was emphasized was the family under heaven. In national affairs, Emperor Hui was a legitimate and proper emperor, and he was already an adult, so Empress Lü could not control him too much. However, in family matters, as his mother, Empress Lü had great authority. After all, Liu Ying was a very filial person, and he was not someone who had not experienced hardships from being the crown prince to becoming the emperor. He had gone through guarding with his mother and sister in the countryside of Feng and Pei, and he had gone through the life-and-death escape during the Chu-Han War. As his mother, Empress Lü did not wrong him, and she had suffered a lot during the war. After becoming the empress, she also spent a lot of thought to protect her own position as the crown prince's mother. Given Emperor Hui's affection towards his half-brother who threatened himself, how could he possibly not be filial and loving towards his own mother?

  This is the reason why Emperor Hui of Jin was controlled by Empress Lü.

  Disposing of Empress Lü is a family matter, it's the master's handling of his concubine. Zhao King Ruyi and Qi King Liu Fei are Emperor Hui's younger half-brothers, born to Empress Lü. When Emperor Hui married, he had to follow his parents' orders, all these are family matters... What state affairs did Empress Lü handle during Emperor Hui's reign? Look left, look right, nothing comes out.

  So, was Emperor Hui a qualified emperor?

  I think the answer is affirmative.

  At least it can be said that he had the ability to be a qualified emperor in his time.

  In the Han Dynasty's early years of decline, isn't it widely acknowledged by historians that a policy of "rest and recuperation" should be adopted? In such an era, a qualified emperor needs to possess three qualities: benevolence, the ability to listen to his subordinates' opinions, and the talent for discovering new talent. Of these three conditions, except for the third one which Emperor Hui didn't have time to fully demonstrate due to his short reign, I think he did well in the first two aspects. Why couldn't Liu Ying achieve what Emperors Wen and Jing did, who were able to bring about the "Wenjing Golden Age"? At least, if Han Wudi were placed in the early Han era, I reckon he would have brought disaster upon the country and its people. The national strength accumulated over several generations of emperors would have been squandered by him. Otherwise, why would there be a need for the "Zhaoxuan Revival" later on? The fact that it needed reviving means that the Western Han's national strength had declined under Emperor Wu, leaving his son and grandson to clean up the mess.

  The Emperor Hui was just a short-lived person, and his conflicts with his mother were too deep.

  What did Lv Hou really want?

  Wu Zetian killed her own son, at least she had once ascended to the highest position and did not live in vain. Moreover, it was still her descendants who finally restored the Tang Dynasty.

  What about Lü Hou?

  She was determined to fight for the Lü clan, and as a result, many people of the Liu clan were killed. In the end, she died in battle, and the Lü clan was almost completely destroyed. Even her grandson was executed on the grounds that he was not the son of Emperor Hui.

  Zhang Yan died in Beigong.

  Zhang Wan's ending doesn't seem good either.

  If so, it can almost be said that after her death, the maternal family of Lv who inherited her bloodline and all her descendants with her bloodline died out.

  The world is vast and wide.

  The Chinese have always believed that there are three unfilial acts, and having no descendants is the worst. Especially for women, their obsession with offspring is even greater than men's.

  Is this what Empress Lü wanted?

  The vast heavens and earth seem to have a soul, can she still see the marks that belong to her in this world?

  The cost is too terrible.

  I think it's not worth it.

  Does Lv Hou know what's underground, and will he regret it later?

  Still, just for that eight-year period of absolute power, was he an emperor behind the scenes?

  Or is it really true that there are so many irreconcilable contradictions between husband's family and wife's family?

  In dealing with others, the most important thing is to stand on the right stance. As a mother, for Lv Hou, the most important thing should be the well-being of her children. Whether her natal family or her son is more important, most people would choose their son, I don't know how Lv Hou chooses in her heart, but personally speaking, in a mother's heart, there are only two things that can rival her son's position: one is justice and truth, the other is herself.

  Justice and truth are not worth mentioning, she only cares about herself. So what's most important to her? Hmm, besides herself, it's her son and her natal family. Wait, I've gone back to that again. Between her son and her natal family, who is more important? Her son.

  So why bother making things so awkward with Emperor Hui?

  When one becomes an empress or even an empress dowager, it is natural to consider the interests of her natal family and give them a certain degree of respect and honor. However, this degree must always be kept in check. If things are taken too far and the power of the natal family surpasses that of one's own son, what kind of situation would that be? Alternatively, after Emperor Hui's death, Emperor Shao was still young, so if they wanted to take action, they should have done it thoroughly, either by having themselves ascend to the throne or changing the imperial surname to Lü. But even if they had ascended to the throne, the ones who would inherit the throne would still be their own children and descendants. And as for giving power to one's natal family, has anyone ever seen a ancestral temple that enshrines one's own sister?

  This is absolutely a paradox. The brutal Liu-Lu dispute in the early Western Han Dynasty was largely due to Empress Lu's stance.

  Lü Zhi may have done wrong, but what about Emperor Hui? What did he do wrong to deserve the punishment of having his descendants cut off?

  This result is too cruel.

  In fact, after Empress Lü's death, there were no more descendants of Liu Bang in the imperial clan.

  After Emperor Wen, historians compiled history. Emperor Gao was the common ancestor, and Empress Lü was at least considered Emperor Wen's stepmother, so she couldn't be openly trampled on. But what about Emperor Hui? He was a branch that had been cast aside by the imperial family.

  A solitary branch.

  Overseas orphan

  Is it worth it? Self-punishment, self-destruction, at the young age of 24, ruining one's body with drinking and revelry, in the palace.

  While you are alive, people will give face to you. Once you die, everything is gone.

  The direct line of the great ancestor was cut off from this point on.

  After a thousand years, I searched online for Liu's family genealogy data and found that others also wrote: Emperor Hui was mediocre.