Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty
Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty Liu Xun (91 BC - 49 BC), whose real name was Liu Bingji, also had the courtesy name Ciqing and Mou. After he ascended the throne, he changed his name to Liu Xun, in the Western Han Dynasty The tenth emperor (reigned from 73 BC to 49 BC). The great-grandson of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and the grandson of the deposed prince Liu Zhi.
In the second year of the Zhenghe reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (91 BC), the "witchcraft disaster" broke out. Liu Bingji's grandfather, the then prince Liu Zhi, and his father, the grandson of Emperor Shi Liu Jin, were both killed because of this. Liu Bing, who was just born, was also thrown into prison. Because some people said that there was an emperor's spirit in Chang'an Prison, Emperor Wu ordered all the prisoners to be executed. Bing Ji, the Tingwei Supervisor, argued hard and saved Liu Bingji's life. Emperor Wu revoked the order the next day. Since he was still a baby, Bing Ji chose two female prisoners to be his wet nurses in prison. After Liu Ju's case was rehabilitated, Liu Bing has been living in his grandmother Shi Liangdi's natal family. In 75 BC, he married Xu Pingjun.
In the first year of Yuanping (74 BC), Emperor Zhao of Han died, and his nephew Liu He, king of Changyi, was proclaimed emperor by Huo Guang, half-brother of Huo Qubing. Liu He did 1127 ridiculous things within 21 days of taking the throne and was deposed. Bing Ji, who was the doctor of Guanglu at that time, recommended Liu Bingji to Huo Guang, so Huo Guang established Liu Bingji, who was 19 years old at the time, as emperor, which was Emperor Xuan of Han Dynasty.
When Emperor Xuan first came to the throne, political affairs depended on Guang. The court officials and the Empress Dowager Shangguan all believed that Huo Guang's youngest daughter Huo Chengjun should be made the queen. However, Emperor Xuan missed his old relationship and "ordered Wei Shi's old sword", so the officials decided to make Xu Pingjun his queen. Huo Guang's wife was obviously very angry and sent someone to kill Queen Xu (posthumously named "Queen Gongai") in the third year of this year. Huo Guang instructed Emperor Xuan not to pursue the matter; the following year, Huo Chengjun got his wish and became the queen.
Huo Guang died of illness in the second year of Dijie (68 BC). Emperor Xuan began to rule personally and gradually began to deprive the Huo family of their power. The Huo family began to feel fear. In the fourth year of Dijie, the Huo family attempted to launch a coup. The incident was exposed and the family was exterminated. Queen Huo was also deposed in the same year.
Because Emperor Xuan had lived among the people for a long time and was well aware of the sufferings of the people, during his reign, he governed the country diligently and frugally, further confirming the status of Confucianism. He also relaxed people's minds and had strict requirements for ministers, especially Emperor Xuan who was in charge. From then on, the politics of the Han Dynasty became clearer and the social economy became more prosperous. During his twenty years in power, he focused on purging officials and strengthening imperial power. Not only did he annihilate the corrupt Huo family, he also killed some high-status, corrupt officials. In order to maintain the normal operation of the law, Emperor Xuan set up a censor to review the severity of the sentencing of court officials; he set up court officials to be held in local prisons, and required the county to report the number of prisoners who were beaten to death. In addition to paying attention to the people's lives, he also strengthened the central government's supervision of local governments. control. In addition, Emperor Xuan summoned famous Confucian scholars to discuss the similarities and differences of the Five Classics in Weiyang Palace, with the purpose of consolidating imperial power and unifying thought. Others include abolishing some harsh laws, repeatedly exempting land rents and calculating taxes, recruiting exiles, and continuing Huo Guang's policies in developing agricultural production. When it comes to relations with surrounding ethnic minorities, both soft and hard tactics are used. He defeated the Western Qiang and defeated the Che division. At that time, civil strife broke out among the Xiongnu. In the third year of Ganlu (51 BC), Huhanxie Chanyu went to Wuyuan Fortress in person and asked to join the dynasty and become a vassal of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Xuan was able to complete what Emperor Wu had not accomplished with all his military strength. merit.
During the reign of Emperor Xuan, "officials were competent in their duties and the people were safe and secure", which was known as the "Zhongxing". It should be said that the reign of Emperor Xuan was the time when the Han Dynasty had the strongest military force and the most prosperous economy. Therefore, history books He greatly praised Emperor Xuan and said: "The rule of Xiaoxuan, trustworthy rewards must be punished, and civilized and martial arts can be called ZTE." His reign and that of his predecessor Liu Fuling, Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty, were collectively known as Zhaoxuan Zhongxing.
In the first year of Huanglong (49 BC), Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty passed away. He reigned for 25 years at the age of 44. His posthumous title was Emperor Xiaoxuan, and his temple name was Zhongzong. After his death, he was buried in Du in the eastern suburbs of Xi'an today. Mausoleum.
Emperor Xuan was the only emperor in Chinese history who suffered in prison before ascending the throne.
The reason why Emperor Xuan changed his name to "Xun" was that the words "ill" and "ji" were too commonly used and it was difficult for his subjects to avoid taboos.
The emotional entanglement between Emperor Xuan and Empress Xu and Empress Huo is the theme of the Yue Opera "Han Palace Grudge".
As a politician, Emperor Xuan made a famous saying when reprimanding the prince Liu Shi: "The Han family has its own system, which is originally based on the overlord's way. How can it be purely based on moral education and Zhou Zheng?"
Emperor Xuan was one of the four emperors with temple titles in the Western Han Dynasty.