Dynasties of ChinaWestern HanWestern Han lineage
Yuanshi · Reign 1 BCE–5 CE
When he came to the throne at the age of nine, Wang Mang took the title of Grand Sima Bingzheng and was given the title Anhan Gong. He died of illness at the age of fourteen. One theory is that he was poisoned by Wang Mang.
Liu Kan's original name was Liu Ji Zi. He was the grandson of Emperor Yuan and the son of King Xiao Liu Xing of Zhongshan. He became the Prince of Zhongshan at a young age and was frail and sickly since childhood. Emperor Ai died childless one year ago, and the Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun and Wang Mang welcomed him as emperor at the age of nine. The Empress Dowager came to the court, and Wang Mang took charge of the secretarial affairs as the Grand Sima. In order to prevent his relatives from fighting for power, Wang Mang only named his biological mother Wei Ji the Queen of Zhongshan King, and did not allow the Wei clan members to enter the capital. Emperor Ping's mother and son were not allowed to see each other from then on.
Wang Mang held great power during the Emperor Ping period. He was granted the title of Anhan Gong, prime minister, and Jiuxi, and made his daughter the queen. He built Mingtang and Piyong, expanded Imperial College, and won over Confucian scholars, and his reputation grew. Emperor Ping died of illness in December of the fifth year of the Yuan Dynasty at the age of fourteen. The "Book of Han" records that Wang Mang once prayed for Emperor Ping and was willing to take his own life. However, when Zhai Yi, the governor of Dongjun, raised troops to attack Wang Mang, he called Emperor Ping poisoned by Wang Mang in his memorial.
PoliticsAscended to the throne at the age of nine
After the death of Emperor Ai, Wang Mang resumed his post as Grand Sima, and he and the Empress Dowager welcomed Liu Ji Zi, the Prince of Zhongshan, who ascended the throne in September. Wang Mang then demoted Zhao Feiyan and Emperor Ai to common people, and they committed suicide. Dong Xian's party was also eliminated from the court.
PoliticsNo. Anhan Gong
Wang Mang hinted that the barbarians outside the Yizhou Great Wall offered white pheasants, and the officials said that their merits were comparable to those of the Duke of Zhou, and asked the Empress Dowager to grant him the title "Dong Anhan". Wang Mang pretended to refuse again and again before accepting, and took the opportunity to reward the clan and descendants of meritorious officials, which won the hearts of the people.
SocietyHousehold registration in the second year of Yuanshi
"Hanshu Geography" records the national household registration of this year: 103 counties, 1,587 county-level administrative districts, more than 12.23 million households, and more than 59.59 million people, which is the highest population record in Western Han.
Lasting legacyThis is the earliest complete national household registration statistics available in China and is often used as a benchmark for studying ancient population.
PoliticsWang Yu incident
Wang Mang's eldest son, Wang Yu, objected to isolating the Wei family. Together with his teacher Wu Zhang and his wife's brother Lu Kuan, they sprinkled blood on Wang Mang's house at night, hoping to persuade him to return to the Wei family through strange events. When the incident was revealed, Wang Mang forced Wang Yu to commit suicide by taking poison. Almost everyone in the Wei clan was killed except Emperor Ping's biological mother, and hundreds of people died.
PoliticsMake the king Mangnu the queen
In February, Emperor Ping made Wang Mang's daughter his queen. Wang Mang was also given the title "Prime Minister", ranking above the princes and kings. His mother and son were also given titles, and their power reached its peak.
CultureBuild a Mingtang to Piyong
Wang Mang asked for the construction of Mingtang, Piyong, and Lingtai, and built ten thousand dormitories for Tai students. He also recruited thousands of people from all over the world who were proficient in ancient scriptures, astronomy, prophecies, Zhonglu, and the art of war to come to the capital.
PoliticsWang Mang receives Jiuxi
In May, the imperial court gave Wang Mang a gift of nine tins for his outstanding merits, including carriages and horses, clothes, musical instruments, Zhuhu, Nabi and other nine kinds of utensils. From then on, accepting Jiuxi became a common step for powerful ministers before usurping the throne.
PoliticsEmperor Ping died of illness
In December, Emperor Ping died of illness in Weiyang Palace. He was only fourteen years old and had no children. Wang Mang then selected Liu Ying, who was only two years old from Emperor Xuan's great-great-grandson, as his heir, named "Infant Emperor", and he himself lived in Shejianzuo in the name of "Emperor Photo".
The nephew of Wang Zhengjun, he earned a reputation for being humble, thrifty, and courteous. During the reign of Emperor Ping, he monopolized the affairs of the state. He gradually obtained the title through talismans and petitions from ministers, and on 8Date range Han Dynasty proclaimed himself emperor and established a new dynasty.
Emperor Ping’s biological mother. After Emperor Ping came to the throne, he was kept in Zhongshan Kingdom by Wang Mang. He was not allowed to enter the capital and cried day and night. The Wei family was almost wiped out due to Wang Yu's incident, but she was the only one who was saved. Emperor Ping could not see his mother until his death.
The son of Liu Xiang, he collated the book with his father and compiled "Qi Lue". During Emperor Ai's reign, he strived to establish a doctorate for ancient Chinese classics, which triggered a dispute between modern and ancient Chinese classics; during Emperor Ping's time, "Zuo Zhuan" and "Mao Shi" were finally established as academic officials. In the new dynasty, he was a national counselor. In the 23rd year of his reign, he planned to kill Wang Mang and committed suicide.