Li Ru ( 189–192),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

Wenyou, was an official serving under the warlord

Dong Zhuo Dong Zhuo () (died 22 May 192), courtesy name Zhongying, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. At the end of the reign of the Eastern Han, Dong Zhuo was a general and powerful minist ...

during the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

of China.

Life

Li Ru was from Heyang County (), Zuopingyi (), which is in present-day

Heyang County Heyang County (, ) is a county in Shaanxi Province, China, bordering Shanxi Province to the east across the Yellow River. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Weinan. History Heyang County dates to at least the early H ...

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see § Name) is a landlocked province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichuan (SW), Gansu (W), N ...

. He served as Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace of Hongnong Kingdom () when

controlled the Han central government and the figurehead Emperor Xian between 189 and 192. In 190, Dong Zhuo sent Li Ru to poison

Liu Bian Liu Bian (176 – 6 March 190), also known as Emperor Shao of Han and the Prince of Hongnong, was the 13th emperor of the Eastern Han dynasty in China. He became emperor around the age of 13 upon the death of his father, Emperor Ling, and rul ...

(the deposed Emperor Shao). After Dong Zhuo's death in 192, he served under Li Jue, a former subordinate of Dong Zhuo. In the winter of 192, Li Jue recommended Li Ru to be a Palace Attendant (), but Emperor Xian refused to endorse the recommendation and said: "(Li) Ru was formerly a Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace under the Prince of Hongnong (Liu Bian). He killed my elder brother and ought to be punished." In defence of Li Ru, Li Jue said, "It was not Li Ru's intention to follow Dong Zhuo's order. We should not punish the innocent."(儒前為弘農王郎中令，迫殺我兄，誠宜加罪。) '' Hou Han Ji'' vol. 27.

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

Li Ru has a greater role as a minor character in the 14th-century historical novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

'', which romanticises the events before and during the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period. In the novel, he is not just a trusted adviser of Dong Zhuo, but also a son-in-law of the warlord. As Dong Zhuo's advisor, he has a strong influence over many of the key decisions Dong Zhuo makes. For example, among other things, he advises Dong Zhuo to induce

Lü Bu Lü Bu () (died 7 February 199), courtesy name Fengxian, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty of Imperial China. Originally a subordinate of a minor warlord Ding Yuan, he betr ...

into defecting to his side, replace Emperor Shao with Emperor Xian, and relocate the imperial capital from

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyan ...

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

. When Dong Zhuo falls for the "beauty's trap" involving him,

and

Diaochan Diaochan was one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Although based on a minor historical personage, she is mostly a fictional character. She is best known for her role in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', ...

, Li Ru tries to warn Dong Zhuo about it but Dong Zhuo fails to heed his advice. After Dong Zhuo meets his end at the hands of Lü Bu in 192, Li Ru is arrested and executed for being an accomplice to Dong Zhuo's "crimes".

References

* Fan, Ye (5th century). ''

Book of the Later Han The ''Book of the Later Han'', also known as the ''History of the Later Han'' and by its Chinese name ''Hou Hanshu'' (), is one of the Twenty-Four Histories and covers the history of the Han dynasty from 6 to 189 CE, a period known as the Lat ...

'' (''Houhanshu''). * Luo, Guanzhong (14th century). ''

'' (''Sanguo Yanyi''). * Sima, Guang (1084). ''

Zizhi Tongjian ''Zizhi Tongjian'' () is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084 AD during the Northern Song dynasty in the form of a chronicle recording Chinese history from 403 BC to 959 AD, covering 16 dynast ...

''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Ru Dong Zhuo and associates Han dynasty politicians from Shaanxi Politicians from Weinan

Life

In ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References