Emperor Ming of Liu Song
| Emperor Ming of Liu Song | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th Emperor of Liu Song Dynasty | |||||||||||||||||
| Reign | 465-472 | ||||||||||||||||
| Coronation | 472 | ||||||||||||||||
| Predecessor | Former Deposed Emperor of Liu Song | ||||||||||||||||
| Successor | Latter Deposed Emperor of Liu Song | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 439 | ||||||||||||||||
| Died | 472 (aged 32–33) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Empress Wang Zhenfeng, and other concubines | ||||||||||||||||
| Issue | See Emperor Ming of Liu Song#Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Father | Emperor Wen of Liu Song | ||||||||||||||||
| Mother | Consort Shen Rongji | ||||||||||||||||
| Full name | |
|---|---|
| Chinese: Liu Yu 劉彧 | |
| Era dates | |
| Taishi (, 465-471) Taiyu (, 472) |
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| Posthumous name | |
| Emperor Ming (明帝) | |
| Temple name | |
| Taizong (太宗) |
Emperor Ming of Liu Song ((劉)宋明帝) (439–472), personal name Liu Yu (劉彧), courtesy name Xiubing (休炳), nickname Rongqi (榮期), was an emperor of the Chinese dynasty Liu Song. He became emperor after his violent and impulsive nephew Emperor Qianfei was assassinated in 465, as he was regarded as more lenient and open-minded, but he soon turned cruel and suspicious as well after becoming emperor, and during his reign, his nephews and brothers were nearly all slaughtered on his orders, greatly weakening the Liu Song state and contributing to its fall in 479, just seven years after his death.
Liu Yu was born in 439, as Emperor Wen's 11th son. His mother Consort Shen Rongji (沈容姬) was a low-ranked imperial consort with the title Meiren (美人). For reasons unknown, Wen once wanted to put her to death, but she convinced him that killing her would offend the spirit of his deceased wife, Empress Yuan Qigui, and she was spared. In 448, Liu Yu was created the Prince of Huaiyang. In 452, his title was changed to Prince of Xiangdong. Consort Shen died in 453, the same year that Emperor Wen was assassinated by his crown prince Liu Shao, who took over as emperor and subsequently put a number of his brothers, including Liu Yu, under house arrest, but Liu Yu and the other brothers were released when another older brother, Liu Jun the Prince of Wuling, defeated and killed Liu Shao and took the throne himself (as Emperor Xiaowu). Emperor Xiaowu posthumously honored Liu Yu's mother Consort Shen as Princess Dowager of Xiangdong, and Emperor Xiaowu's mother Empress Dowager Lu Huinan took over the duties of raising Liu Yu to adulthood. As he grew, as was customary for Liu Song imperial princes, he was rotated through governorships of commanderies and provinces. Liu Yu was regarded as a kind and open-minded man, with substantial literary abilities. He was also said to be grossly overweight.
In 464, Emperor Xiaowu died, and was succeeded by his son Emperor Qianfei. Emperor Qianfei was impulsive and violent, and he, after discovering and brutally suppressing a plot to depose him in favor of his granduncle Liu Yigong (劉義恭) the Prince of Jiangxia, suspected his uncles as well, and had them returned to the capital and confined. Of his uncles, he particularly suspected Liu Yu, Liu Xiuren (劉休仁) the Prince of Jian'an, and Liu Xiuyou (劉休祐) the Prince of Shanyang, since they were the oldest. (Another even older uncle, Liu Hui (劉褘) the Prince of Donghai, was considered so unintelligent that Emperor Qianfei did not view him as much of a threat.) Because these three princes were all overweight, he had them put in cages and weighed as pigs would, and because Liu Yu was the heaviest, he called Liu Yu the Prince of Pigs, Liu Xiuren the Prince of Murderers, and Liu Xiuyou the Prince of Thieves. He often humiliated Liu Yu by putting him in stables and feeding him the way that pigs would be fed. He often wanted to kill Liu Yu, Liu Xiuren, and Liu Xiuyiu, but each time Liu Xiuren flattered him and caused him to change his mind. In one particular incident, he tied Liu Yu up like how a pig would be tied up, and had him delivered to the kitchen, stating, "Today is pig-killing day." Liu Xiuren, however, stated, "This is not the pig-killing day." He angrily asked Liu Xiuren why that was the case, and Liu Xiuren stated, "After your son is born, then kill the pig and take out his entrails!" Emperor Qianfei liked Liu Xiuren's joke and did not kill Liu Yu.
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