Liu Rong ( Chinese: ) (died 148 BC) was the eldest son of Emperor Jing of the

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 ...

. His mother was Lady Li (栗姬). He was made

crown prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wife ...

of the empire under the formal title Crown Prince Li () in 153 BC, but demoted three years later to

Prince of Linjiang A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

. He had the dubious honor of becoming the first deposed crown prince in Chinese imperial history. It was recorded that the reason for his demotion was the ill-will between his mother and Princess Liu Piao, Emperor Jing's older sister. Liu Piao had attempted to matchmake her daughter

Chen Jiao Empress Chen of Wu (孝武陳皇后), was empress#China, empress of the Han dynasty and the first wife of Emperor Wu of Han (Liu Che). She was also known as Chen Jiao () or as her milk name Chen A'Jiao (陈阿娇). She was born to Chen Wu (Weste ...

with Liu Rong, but was rebuffed by Lady Li; Lady Li herself was displeased with the princess for her frequently recommending beautiful women to Emperor Jing. Incensed, Liu Piao then turned her attention towards Wang Zhi (then a concubine with the rank of ''meiren''); eventually, Chen Jiao was married to Wang Zhi's son Liu Che, the later

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), formally enshrined as Emperor Wu the Filial (), born Liu Che (劉徹) and courtesy name Tong (通), was the seventh emperor of the Han dynasty of ancient China, ruling from 141 to 87 BC. His reign ...

. Liu Piao then began frequently defaming Lady Li in front of Emperor Jing, while promoting Wang Zhi at the same time. Emperor Jing himself grew displeased with Lady Li after a particular incident: while being seriously ill, Emperor Jing had asked Lady Li to look after the other concubines and their sons after his death. Lady Li not only refused to do so, but was also immensely rude to Emperor Jing in the process. After his recovery, Emperor Jing began to reconsider the positions of Lady Li and Liu Rong. Knowing the precarious situation Lady Li was in, Wang Zhi then encouraged an official to formally propose to Emperor Jing that since Liu Rong was now crown prince, Lady Li should be made empress. This move infuriated Emperor Jing, who had the official put to death, and demoted Liu Rong to

. He was imprisoned in 148 BC for trespassing on the grounds of the temple of Emperor Wen (his grandfather) while building walls for his own palace. He was ultimately forced to commit suicide by the official Zhi Du (). His grandmother, the Dowager Empress Dou, later had Zhi Du executed for a minor offense.

References

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Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese his ...

'', volume 49, volume 59 {{china-hist-stub Prince of Linjiang 148 BC deaths Suicides in the Han dynasty Heirs apparent who never acceded