King Xiao of Liang was the son of Emperor Xiao Wen of the Han Dynasty and the maternal brother of Emperor Jing of Han. Their mother was Empress Dowager Dou. Emperor Xiao Wen had a total of four sons: the eldest was the Crown Prince, who later became Emperor Jing of Han; the second was Wu; the third was Can; and the fourth was Sheng. Two years after Emperor Xiao Wen ascended the throne, he made Wu the Prince of Dai, gave the Prince of Taiyuan's lands to Can, and made Sheng the King of Liang. Two years later, he moved Wu of Dai to Huaiyang, so Wu remained the Prince of Dai. Can was Prince of Taiyuan for seventeen years, dying two years after Emperor Xiao Wen, and was given the posthumous title of King Xiao. His son, Deng, succeeded to the throne as the Prince of Dai. Deng served as the Prince of Dai for twenty-nine years and passed away in the second year of Han Yuanguang, succeeded by his son Yi as the Prince of Dai. Nineteen years later, the Han Dynasty established Guangguan in Changshan and moved the Dai fiefdom to Qinghe. The King of Qinghe was relocated in the third year of Han Yuanding.
Wu was Prince of Huaiyang for ten years when King Sheng of Liang passed away, posthumously titled King Huai of Liang. King Huai was the youngest son, and Emperor Xiao Wen especially favored him above his other sons. The following year, Wu of Huaiyang was moved to the Kingdom of Liang as king. King Liang became king in the twelfth year of Emperor Xiao Wen's reign, having already been a prince for eleven years.
King Liang reigned for fourteen years before going to court to pay his respects to the emperor. In the seventeenth and eighteenth years, he went to court for two consecutive years, staying for a period of time before returning to the Kingdom of Liang the following year. In the twenty-first year, he went to court again. In the twenty-second year, Emperor Xiao Wen passed away. In the twenty-fourth year, he made another visit to the capital. In the twenty-fifth year, he visited the capital again. At that time, the Han Dynasty had not yet appointed a Crown Prince. Over drinks, the Emperor casually told King Liang, "You'll inherit the throne." King Liang quickly declined. Although he knew the Emperor's words were not sincere, he was still quite happy. Empress Dowager Dou agreed.
In that spring, Wu, Chu, Qi, Zhao, and three other states rebelled. The Wu and Chu armies first attacked the strategically important city of Jíbì in Liang State, killing tens of thousands of people. King Xiaowang of Liang defended Suiyang City and appointed Han Anguo, Zhang Yu, and others as generals to resist the Wu and Chu coalition forces. Liang State repelled the Wu and Chu armies, who dared not continue westward, confronting Han Dynasty Taishi Yafu on the battlefield for three months. The rebellion of Wu and Chu was suppressed, and Liang and the Han Dynasty shared equally in the spoils of war. The following year, the Han Dynasty established a crown prince. Thereafter, due to its close relationship with the court, Liang State made great contributions, and its already important position was further enhanced. The northern border of Liang State is Mount Tai, reaching Gaoyang in the west, with more than forty cities and counties, all with large populations.
King Xiaowang was the youngest son of Empress Dowager Dou, who loved him very much and rewarded him countless times. So King Xiaowang built the Dongyuan, covering an area of more than three hundred *li*; expanded Suiyang City, with city walls seventy *li* long; and carried out extensive construction of palaces, building a corridor from the palace to the platform extending more than thirty *li*. He even used banners and flags reserved for the emperor and followed the emperor in a magnificent procession of thousands of chariots and horses when traveling. He hunted far and wide, with a grandeur similar to that of the emperor, accompanied by a large entourage when traveling and strict security when entering the palace. He recruited talents and strategists from all over the world, especially attracting talents from Shandong, such as Yang Sheng, Gongsun Gui, and Zou Yang from the State of Qi, who all came to join him. Gongsun Gui was very cunning and was rewarded with a thousand gold as soon as he met King Xiaowang, rising to the rank of a high-ranking official. In Liang State, he was known as General Gongsun. As a result, Liang State produced hundreds of thousands of pieces of weaponry, including a variety of crossbows, spears, and arrows, and indeed, Liang's treasury overflowed with over a million pieces of gold and silver, with its collection of jewels and jade surpassing even that of the capital.
In October of his twenty-ninth year on the throne, Prince Liang entered the capital. Emperor Jing sent envoys in a four-horse imperial carriage to meet Prince Liang at Hangu Pass. After the audience, Prince Liang wrote a letter requesting to stay in Chang'an, citing his close relationship with the Empress Dowager. During his stay in Chang'an, Prince Liang rode with Emperor Jing, hunted together, and even bagged some game in the imperial hunting grounds. Liang's officials—attendants, court officials, and envoys—had free run of the palace, much like eunuchs in the Han Dynasty.
In November, Emperor Jing deposed Crown Prince Li, and Empress Dowager Dou favored Prince Liang as her heir. However, ministers like Yuan Ang advised against it, and Empress Dowager Dou, for various reasons, ultimately did not bring up the matter of making Prince Liang the crown prince again. The whole thing was kept very quiet; nobody outside the court knew a thing. So, Prince Liang bid farewell and returned to his country.
In the following year, in April, Emperor Jing appointed the Prince of Jiaodong as the crown prince. Prince Liang resented Yuan Ang and the other ministers who'd opposed him, so he secretly instructed Yang Sheng, Gongsun Gui, and others to assassinate Yuan Ang and over a dozen other ministers. The court investigated, but the assassins vanished into thin air. Later, the emperor discovered that the assassination was indeed orchestrated by Prince Liang. Therefore, the emperor sent many envoys to Liang to investigate and arrest Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng. Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng hid in Prince Liang's harem. The envoys pressured Liang's officials. Prime Minister Xuanqiu Bao and Minister Han Anguo persuaded Prince Liang to hand over Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui. The two men were forced to commit suicide, and their bodies were delivered. The emperor was even angrier with Prince Liang. Afraid, Prince Liang sent Han Anguo to apologize to the Empress Dowager through Princess Chang, getting off scot-free.
The emperor calmed down a bit, and Prince Xiao of Liang requested to return to court. When they reached Hangu Pass, Mao Lan spoke kindly to the Empress Dowager, allowing Prince Xiao to enter the pass discreetly in a plain carriage with two horses, and he was hidden in the Princess's garden. Emperor Jing sent people to welcome Prince Xiao, but he had already entered the pass, with the carriage and horses waiting outside, not knowing where Prince Xiao was. The Empress Dowager wailed, "That boy's murdered my son!" Emperor Jing was scared stiff and in a right panic. At this time, Prince Xiao knelt on the steps of the palace, holding an axe, threatening to kill himself, which made the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jing happy again. Mother and son embraced, weeping, and all was forgiven. Then, all the officials who came with Prince Xiao also entered the pass. However, Emperor Jing became more and more distant from Prince Xiao, no longer riding in the same carriage with him.
After thirty-five years, one winter, Prince Xiao returned to court again. He requested to stay in Chang'an, but the emperor did not agree. After returning to his country, he always felt depressed. Once, while hunting on Liang Mountain, someone presented a cow with legs growing on its back, which Prince Xiao found ominous. In mid-June, he came down with a fever, and six days later he passed away, given the posthumous title of "Prince Xiao."
Prince Xiao was very filial to his mother. Every time he heard that the Empress Dowager was ill, he couldn't eat or sleep, always wanting to stay in Chang'an to serve her. The Empress Dowager also loved him very much. When she heard the news of Prince Xiao's death, Empress Dou wailed, refusing food and drink, saying, "The emperor did kill my son!" Emperor Jing was both scared and sad, not knowing what to do. He and the Princess talked it over and decided to divide the Liang Kingdom into five small kingdoms, granting titles to Prince Xiao's five sons and giving his five daughters to them as well. They told the Empress Dowager, who finally calmed down and even sent the Emperor an extra dish.
Liáng Xiàowáng's eldest son, Mài, was made Liáng Wáng, later known as Liáng Gòng Wáng; his son Míng was made Jǐchuān Wáng; his son Pénglí was made Jǐdōng Wáng; his son Dìng was made Shānyáng Wáng; and his son Bùshí was made Jǐyīn Wáng. While Xiàowáng was alive, the family wealth was unimaginably vast. After his death, there were still over 800,000 pounds of gold in the treasury, with other treasures piled up like mountains. Gòng Wáng reigned for three years before dying when Emperor Jǐng passed away. After ruling for seven years, his son Xiāng succeeded him, becoming Liáng Píng Wáng.
In the fourteenth year of Liáng Wáng Xiāng's reign, his mother was Empress Chén, his grandmother was Empress Lǐ, who was Liáng Wáng's maternal grandmother. Liáng Wáng's wife, Rén, known as Empress Rén, was greatly favored by him. Before Xiàowáng passed away, he had a set of exquisite wine utensils worth a fortune, which he specifically instructed his descendants to keep and never give away. When Empress Rén heard about this, she coveted the wine utensils. Empress Lǐ, Liáng Wáng's grandmother, said, "The late king left instructions that these wine utensils must never be given away. As for other things, even if they are worth millions, you can do as you please." Empress Rén then gave up the idea. However, Liáng Wáng Xiāng unexpectedly ordered the treasury to be opened and gifted the wine utensils to Empress Rén. Empress Lǐ was furious! Coincidentally, envoys from the Han Dynasty arrived, and Empress Lǐ wanted to complain, but Liáng Wáng Xiāng and Empress Rén blocked her and shut the door. Empress Lǐ even struggled with them at the door, injuring her hand, but she still did not see the Han Dynasty envoys.
Empress Lǐ had secret affairs with the palace chef and the imperial physician Yǐn Bà behind closed doors. Liáng Wáng and Empress Rén spread rumors about this, tarnishing Empress Lǐ's reputation, claiming that she had a loose moral compass, and the matter was settled. Later, Empress Lǐ fell ill and passed away. When she was sick, Empress Rén didn't even bother to ask about her condition; after Empress Lǐ died, Empress Rén didn't even bother with the funeral arrangements.
During the Yuanshuo period, a man named Lei'an (雷安) in Suiyang rebelled because his father was insulted. At that time, he was riding in a carriage with a guest of the Huaiyang Prefecture. When the guest got off the carriage, Lei'an took the opportunity to kill his enemy inside the carriage and then fled. The prefect was very angry and blamed the two thousand stone officials (high-ranking officials) of Liang for the incident. In order to quickly quell the rebellion, these officials arrested the relatives of the rebels. As a result, the rebels learned some secrets within Liang and reported them to the court, detailing the conflict between the Prince of Liang and his grandmother over the drinking vessels to the emperor. This matter was known to all ministers below the Prime Minister, who wanted to take this opportunity to strike at the officials of Liang, so they reported it to the emperor. The emperor sent people to investigate and found that the matter was true. The court ministers all requested the removal of Prince Xiang of Liang and asked that he be reduced to commoner status. The emperor said, "The Liang King's grandmother has immoral conduct, and Prince Xiang of Liang did not have good teachers to assist him, which led to these unjust actions." Therefore, eight cities of Liang were confiscated, and Queen Ren was executed in the bustling market. Liang was left with ten cities. Prince Xiang of Liang died after a reign of thirty-nine years and was posthumously named King Ping. His son Wushang succeeded him as King of Liang.
Jichuan Wang Ming, son of King Xiaowang of Liang, was made Jichuan Wang during the sixth year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign. When he was seven years old, he shot and killed a military officer, and officials of the Han Dynasty requested his execution. However, the emperor, unable to bear it, stripped him of his title and moved him to Fangling, which was later designated as a county by the Han Dynasty.
So, there was this Prince of Jidong, Peng Li, the son of King Xiaowang of Liang. In the sixth year of Emperor Jing of Han, he became Prince of Jidong. By the twenty-ninth year of Emperor Jing, Peng Li acted like no prince should, becoming arrogant and lawless. He, along with a bunch of his flunkies and thugs—dozens of them—secretly went out to rob and kill people, hoarding the loot like it was gold. The bodies of those he killed, later discovered, numbered over a hundred. The whole country was terrified; nobody dared go out after dark. The families of the victims petitioned the court. Officials suggested executing him, but the Emperor, having a soft spot, couldn't bear to kill him, so he stripped him of his title, demoted him, and banished him to Shangyong. His lands became part of the Han Dynasty, forming Dahai Commandery.
Next was King Ai of Shanyang, another son of King Xiaowang of Liang, who was made King of Shanyang in the sixth year of Emperor Jing of Han. Nine years later, he died without an heir, and his kingdom became Shanyang Commandery. Similarly, King Ai of Jiyin, also a son of King Xiaowang of Liang, was made King of Jiyin in the sixth year of Emperor Jing of Han, and died a year later without leaving a son. His kingdom also became Jiyin Commandery.
Sima Qian said: Although King Xiaowang of Liang was the Emperor's favorite and got rich lands, it was during a time when the Han Dynasty was strong and the people were wealthy, so he got filthy rich, built himself fancy palaces, and dressed like the Emperor himself. However, this could also be considered getting a bit above himself.
Chu said: When I was a small official, I heard the old officials in the palace talking privately, and they all felt that the whole Liang Xiaowang thing was worth discussing. I reckon the reason why King Liang Xiaowang resents and wants to do bad things is because of this matter. Now the Empress Dowager calls the shots at home, because she loves her youngest son and wants Liang Wang to become the crown prince. Those ministers never said a thing, only brown-nosing for favors, not a loyal bone in their bodies! If they were like Marquis Wei Qi Hou Dou Ying, daring to speak frankly and advise, we wouldn't have had all this trouble later. I remember one time, Emperor Jing and King Liang were pouring drinks for the Empress Dowager, and Emperor Jing said, "In the future, after countless generations, the throne will be passed to King Liang." The Empress Dowager didn't look pleased to hear this. Dou Ying stood up directly and said, "The Han Dynasty always passed the throne down to sons and grandsons; how can the emperor pass the throne to his younger brother? That goes against what the first emperor laid down!" As a result, Emperor Jing didn't say a word, and the Empress Dowager's face fell. It is said that when King Cheng was young, he was playing under a tree with his younger brother, and he gave his brother a paulownia leaf, saying, "I appoint you as king!" When Duke Zhou heard about this, he hurried to see King Cheng and said, "The king appointing land to his brother is really great!" Cheng said, "I was only messing with him." Duke Zhou said, "As an emperor, every word and action must be careful; you can't make jokes. If you say it, you must do it." So King Cheng really appointed his brother to Ying County. Since then, King Cheng never dared to joke again; he did what he said. The "Classic of Filial Piety" says, "Do not speak words that are not the right way, do not do things that are not the right way." That's how a wise man acts! The Emperor shouldn't speak well of King Liang now. With the Empress Dowager backing him, King Liang's become a real tyrant, often hearing Emperor Jing promise him that he will inherit the throne in the future, but that ain't ever gonna happen.
Furthermore, when the feudal lords come to see the Emperor in Chang'an, according to Han Dynasty protocol, there are a total of four meetings. Upon their first arrival in Chang'an, there is a simple meeting; on the first day of the first month, they must present New Year's tribute of leather, jade, and other goods; three days later, the Emperor hosts a banquet and rewards them with gold and silver; two days later, there is a simple farewell meeting, which is the fourth meeting. The total time spent in Chang'an will not exceed twenty days. These brief audiences are simple meetings inside the palace, a banquet in the palace, not something ordinary people can participate in. Now, the Prince of Liang has come to pay court, but has stayed for nearly half a year! He rides with the Emperor, giving the impression of great intimacy, but in reality, he has not gained much benefit. This will only make the Prince of Liang resentful and plot rebellion. Isn't your concern a bit excessive? If you ain't got the wisdom, you gotta know when to back down. In the current customs of the Han Dynasty, the New Year congratulations meeting is usually attended by one prince and four marquises together, and it happens every ten years. But the Prince of Liang comes to the capital every year and stays for a long time. Like they say, "spoiled kids don't turn out right," and this is not an exaggeration. Therefore, the feudal lords should have wise advisors and loyal ministers who'll speak truth to power, like Ji An and Han Changru, who dare to speak frankly, and that's the only way to avoid a royal mess!
So, King Liang goes to the capital for an audience with Empress Dowager Dou, joining Emperor Jing in a private chat with the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager said to Emperor Jing, "I heard that the Yin Dynasty values family ties, and the Zhou Dynasty values respecting elders. In fact, the principles are the same. This time, we’re making a big fuss over King Liang to set him up as the heir." Emperor Jing quickly knelt down and replied, "Yes." After the banquet, Emperor Jing called Yuan Ang and other ministers who understood history and classics, asking, "What did the Empress Dowager mean by what she just said?" The ministers all replied, "The Empress Dowager intends to make King Liang the Crown Prince." Emperor Jing further inquired about the specifics, and Yuan Ang explained, "The Yin were more straightforward. Family came first, so brothers were next in line. The Zhou valued tradition and order. The eldest son inherited, plain and simple. In the Zhou system, if the Crown Prince died, the eldest grandson would take over. In the Yin system, if the Crown Prince died, a brother took over."
Emperor Jing asked, "What are your thoughts?" The ministers replied, "The Han Dynasty still used the Zhou system back then. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was not allowed to appoint a brother as the heir; it should be the son. Therefore, the chronicles criticized Duke Xuan of Song. Duke Xuan of Song died without appointing his son as the heir and instead appointed his brother. After his brother inherited the throne and died, the throne was passed on to the brother's son. His brother's son, believing himself the rightful heir, murdered the emperor's son. As a result, the country fell into chaos, and the mess continued endlessly. The chronicles say: 'A ruler should always do the right thing; the chaos in Song was caused by Duke Xuan of Song.' We went to see the Empress Dowager and explained all this to her." Yuan Ang and the others entered the palace to see the Empress Dowager and said, "If Prince Liang dies, who do you plan to appoint next?" She said she'd appoint the Emperor's son. Yuan Ang and the others used the example of Duke Xuan of Song not appointing his legitimate son, which led to a five-generation disaster, to persuade the Empress Dowager, illustrating that neglecting small matters can lead to great disasters. After listening to their persuasion, the Empress Dowager finally got it and sent Prince Liang home.
Prince Liang learned that this was the idea of Yuan Ang and his fellow ministers, and he was very resentful, so he sent someone to kill Yuan Ang. The assassin stabbed Yuan Ang, then dropped his sword and fled. Yuan Ang inspected the sword and found that it was newly sharpened. He asked the sword-sharpeners in Chang'an City, and one of them said, "One of Prince Liang's sons came to sharpen this sword." That's how they found out the truth, and people were sent to pursue the assassin. Prince Liang had plotted to kill more than ten ministers, and the officials investigated and found signs of rebellion from him. The Empress Dowager was inconsolable, refusing food and drink and weeping constantly. Emperor Jing was very worried and asked the court officials, who believed that ministers well-versed in history and classics should be sent to handle the matter in order to resolve the issue. Therefore, Tian Shu and Lu Ji were sent to deal with it. Both of them were knowledgeable in history and classics and understood the rites. They returned and burned all the evidence of Prince Liang's rebellion at the Baochang station, coming back empty-handed to report to Emperor Jing. When the Emperor asked what happened, they replied, "It wasn't Prince Liang, but his favorites, Yang Sheng and Gongsun Gui, who were responsible. They have already been executed, and Prince Liang is unharmed." Emperor Jing was very pleased and said, "Go quickly and tell the Empress Dowager." Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately got up to eat, and her mood calmed down. So, you gotta know your history and traditions to be a top official or close advisor to the Emperor. Otherwise, you're just looking at the world through a straw.
