The name of the Young Emperor is Liu Yifu, nicknamed Chebing. He is the eldest son of Emperor Wu of the Song Dynasty, Liu Yu, and his mother is Lady Zhang. In the year 406 AD, in the second year of the Yi Xi era of the Jin Dynasty, he was born in Jingkou. Emperor Wu did not have a son in his later years, so he was overjoyed at Liu Yifu's birth. At the age of ten, Liu Yifu was named Crown Prince of Yuzhang. This child was strong from a young age, excelling in horseback riding, archery, music, and other skills. After the establishment of the Song Dynasty, he was later named Crown Prince of Song. In the year 413 AD, during the first year of the Yuanxi period, he was proclaimed Crown Prince of Song. After Emperor Wu ascended the throne, he formally declared him Crown Prince. On May 21, 420 AD, Emperor Wu died, and on that day, Liu Yifu inherited the throne and became Emperor. He then issued a general amnesty and honored his grandmother with the title of Empress Dowager.
On June 30, Emperor Wen of Song appointed Fu Liang, the Minister of the Interior, as the Director of the Palace Library, with Grand Commandant Xu Xianzhi, General Xie Hui, and Fu Liang to assist the new Emperor with state affairs. On July 20, Grand Commandant and Prince of Changsha, Dao Lian, died. In the autumn, on September 9, memorial officials suggested placing the memorial tablet for Emperor Wu at the Southern Altar and that of Empress Dowager Wu Jing at the Northern Altar. In the winter, on November 30, a comet appeared near the Camp Star. On December 28, the Northern Wei forces captured Huatai.
On the first day of the first month of the following year, which was the first day of the Ji Hai year, a general amnesty was declared, and the era name was changed to Jingping. Both civil and military officials received two rank promotions. On January 20, sacrifices to Heaven and Earth were made at the Southern Altar. Unfortunately, bad news came when the enemy general Da Xiyang broke through Jinyong City and then besieged Hulao Pass. General Mao Dezhu led troops to counterattack and defeat the enemy, but the enemy continued to return, which was quite troublesome. Tuoba Mumo then sent Duke Anping to launch attacks on Qingzhou. On February 17, Henan Commandery was captured! On March 1, a comet was sighted near the Eastern Wall.
On the 2nd day of the 2nd month, the Empress Dowager passed away, sigh, how sad. The good news is, both Juqu Mengxun and Achai from the Tuyuhun sent envoys to pay tribute. On the 7th day of the 4th month, we appointed Juqu Mengxun as the General of Chariots and Cavalry and entitled him King of Hexi; Achai was appointed General of Anxi and Inspector of Shazhou, and given the title Duke of Jiahe. On the 8th day of the 8th month, Sun Faguang from Fuyang rebelled, attacked Shanyin, and the Prefect of Shanyin, Chu Danzhi, sent the Magistrate of Shanyin, Lu Shao, to suppress the rebellion, finally quelling the uprising.
On the 9th day of the 3rd month, Empress Xiaoyi was buried at Xingning Mausoleum. This month, Goguryeo also sent envoys to pay tribute. On the 1st day of the 1st month, the Inspector of Yuzhou, Liu Cui, led troops to attack Xuchang, killed the enemy Prefect of Yingchuan, Yu Long, and it was a way to vent some frustration! On the 2nd day of the 2nd month, the enemy cavalry came to harass Gaoping again. In fact, since their last defeat in Hebei, they have been requesting peace; but upon hearing of the death of Emperor Gaozu, they started to invade again, which caused panic in the Heluo region.
In April, General Tan Daoji marched north on a campaign, reaching Linqu and burning the enemy's siege equipment. On the 9th day of the 9th month, the Wei army captured Hulao Pass and captured the Inspector of Sizhou, Mao Dezhu. On the 10th day of the 10th month, a comet reappeared in the sky, passing through the Dipper, Tail, Cord, and finally reaching Dajiao, vanishing in the Constellation of Danger during the middle month and sweeping past Tiancang in the last month.
In this year, the Emperor of Wei, Tuoba Si, died, and his son, Tuoba Tao, succeeded him. On the 1st day of the 12th month, the court dissolved the three counties of Jiangyang, Jianwei, and Anshang in Ningzhou, merging them into Songchang County.
On the first day of the second month in the year 453 AD, there was a solar eclipse. The emperor demoted Liu Yizhen, the Prince of Luling (Governor of Southern Yuzhou), and exiled him to Xin'an County. Two days later, the emperor appointed his brother Liu Yigong Champion General and Governor of Southern Yuzhou. Two days later, a strong wind blew and a colorful, auspicious cloud appeared in the sky; fortune tellers claimed this was a sign of impending war. The Goryeo kingdom also sent envoys bearing tribute. Later, the court dispatched assassins to kill Liu Yizhen in Xin'an County.
In May, Wang Hong, the Governor of Jiangzhou, and Tan Daoji, the Governor of Southern Yanzhou, came to the capital. The emperor had committed many foolish acts in recent years. On the twenty-seventh day of July, the Empress Dowager issued a decree saying: the royal family is declining, calamities are falling from the heavens, and the empire that the late emperor had established is already on the verge of collapse. Emperor Yifu (Emperor Xiaowu of Song) succeeded to the throne and should have governed diligently, but he proved to be extremely cruel and tyrannical, reaching an unprecedented level of lawlessness! The late emperor had just been buried, and the entire nation was in mourning, yet he reveled in others' misfortune, showing no signs of sadness at all. He even summoned musicians, played music, sang, danced, and hosted lavish banquets that were even more extravagant than usual; he selected concubines and brought children into the palace without a hint of shame, and his scandals spread far and wide.
The Empress Dowager also said that after the death of the late emperor's empress, heaven had sent down further punishment. The emperor actually dragged the empress's coffin along with his entourage, crying and laughing, clapping and cheering; it echoed throughout the entire palace. He indulged in debauchery day and night, reveling with his lowly companions, constantly launching construction projects, squandering vast amounts of money, emptying the national treasury, and leading to the suffering of the people. The punishments were brutal, and the number of detainees continued to rise. As an emperor, he took pleasure in engaging in the antics of commoners; as the ruler, he indulged in pleasure. He personally whipped and beat people, deriving amusement from assaulting the innocent. One moment he would dig a pond, the next he would build a tower, only to tear it down later, wearing out countless craftsmen and burdening the populace. People near and far sighed; both mortals and deities resented him. With the country on the brink of collapse, how could he possibly continue as emperor and rule the realm? He should now be deposed and demoted to the Prince of Yingyang, following the example of the Changyi King of the Han Dynasty and the Haixi King of the Jin Dynasty.
General Zhendu, Prince Yidu (Liu Jun), is known for his kindness and wisdom, as well as his filial piety towards his brothers. Having displayed these admirable qualities from a young age, he is both virtuous and talented, intelligent and perceptive. He should be proclaimed emperor, in accordance with ancestral traditions, and promptly welcomed to the throne. The late emperor's widow has endured immense suffering; though she still lives, she feels as if she has died. We mourn the late emperor, and our hearts are heavy with sorrow.
At the beginning, Xu Xianzhi and Fu Liang planned to overthrow the emperor, hinting to Wang Hong and Tan Daoji to quickly enter the palace. When Wang Hong and his group arrived in the capital, they were also met by Xing Antai and Pan Sheng in the palace. That morning, Tan Daoji and Xie Hui led the troops ahead, with Xu Xianzhi and the others following behind. Taking advantage of the East Gate being open, they entered through the Yunlong Gate. Xing Antai and the others had already dispersed the guards, so no one stopped them. At that time, the emperor was running a stall in Hualin Garden, selling wine himself. He even dug a ditch and piled up dirt, pretending to dismantle a dam, and sang and rowed with the people around him, having a great time. In the evening, he went to play at Tianyuan Pool and fell asleep right on a dragon boat. The next morning, before the emperor had woken up, the soldiers rushed in, killed two attendants beside the emperor, and injured the emperor's fingers. They then helped the emperor out, took him to the East Pavilion, and took his seal and court robes. The courtiers said goodbye to the emperor and sent him to the Eastern Palace, finally imprisoning him in Wu County. That same day, the court issued a general amnesty, pardoning criminals below the death penalty. The empress dowager ordered the seal and court robes to be returned, while Tan Daoji took control of the court. On the day of June, Xu Xianzhi and the others sent Xing Antai to kill the emperor at Jinchang Pavilion. The emperor, originally brave and strong, was not subdued for a moment, even rushing out of the Changmen, but was caught up with, knocked down by the city gate, and ultimately died. He was only nineteen years old when he died.
Alas, the founding emperor, that was destined by heaven; while the ruler who maintains the country, it’s really tough! "The founding emperor is chosen by heaven; the ruler who maintains the country, how hard it is!"
