Royals › Monarch / Emperor
Emperor Zhi of Han
Ninth Eastern Han emperor, enthroned at eight, who called the regent Liang Ji an overbearing general in open court and was poisoned for it in 146
In a side chamber of a palace, a yellow ceremonial robe embroidered with a dragon hangs on a wooden stand, its hem worked with waves and rocks, before a carved folding screen, while a black lacquer chest sits on a low table by a lattice window and no person is in view.
Also known as Liu Zuan
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Liu Zuan, Emperor Zhi of Han, was a great-great-grandson of Emperor Zhang and son of Liu Hong, Prince Xiao of Bohai. When the child emperor Chong died early in 145, Empress Dowager Liang and her brother, the regent-general Liang Ji, brought the eight-year-old to the palace and made him emperor, with the empress dowager still ruling for him. The History of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu) says the quick-witted boy, seeing Liang Ji's arrogance, called him an overbearing general before the court the next year. Liang Ji resented this deeply, and in the intercalary sixth month of 146 had poison put in the boy's cakes. Feeling ill, the emperor sent for the grand commandant Li Gu and said that water might save him, but Liang Ji forbade it, claiming it would make him vomit, and the boy died aged nine. Posthumously named Xiaozhi and buried at Jingling, he was succeeded by Liu Zhi, Marquis of Liwu, whom Liang Ji placed on the throne as Emperor Huan.
Life and times
Dates 138 CE–146 CE