The reason why Emperor Cao Pi of Wei did not kill Liu Xie, the Emperor of Han Xian, after receiving Zen, was not because Cao Pi was benevolent, nor was it because Liu Xie was Cao Cao's uncle and Cao Pi's own brother-in-law, emperor of Wei, for two main reasons:
▲ Portrait of Cao Pi, Emperor Wen of Wei
Ancient style is particularly true
As we all know, when Zhou Tianzi divided the world in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, he not only crowned a large number of disciples with the surname Ji and heroes with different surnames such as Taigongwang as princes, but also sealed the brother of Emperor Xin of shang in song, and at the same time as Weizi Qi, he was also crowned as the descendants of the Yellow Emperor, Tang Yao, Yu Shun, and Xia Yu. These princes could serve in the temple of the former Emperor within the feudal kingdom, and they could not be subject to Zhou Tianzi, and Zhou Tianzi was treated as a guest, which is the so-called "two kings and three ke".
Although the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty were relatively far away from the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty, this so-called "two kings and three ke" ancient style was still preserved to some extent. In the consciousness of the time, this is a matter of course. Killing the abdicated emperor and destroying the ancestral temple of the previous dynasty is not normal. Therefore, it is not that Cao Pi does not want to kill Liu Xie, and the social atmosphere is so.
Reality requires it
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the solidification of social classes was already quite serious. Later, the so-called "Shangpin No Cold Gate" was used in the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although Cao Pi changed dynasties, it was still those people who could be used above the court. These people are inextricably linked to the Han Dynasty and the old Liu family, and Cao Pi's hasty killing of Liu Xie is likely to cause psychological pressure to these people, and it is not known whether they will take risks recklessly... Since Liu Xie was already a canary in the cage, why did Cao Pi kill him and add unnecessary trouble?
Then there is the existence of the two families of Sun and Liu, Cao Pi is not the emperor of the Great Unification Empire, in addition to him, there is also an emperor surnamed Sun and an emperor surnamed Liu. The only source of cao pi's imperial legitimacy is the Han Xiandi Emperor, which is also where Cao Pi was able to command and carve the "Great Wei by the Han Dynasty Seal" on the jade seal of the country. Once Liu Xie was killed, Cao Wei's legitimacy would be wiped out, which was obviously not what Cao Pi wanted to see. Therefore, before the unification of the world, Cao Pi must keep Liu Xie, the "mascot"! Because he was the only source of Cao Wei's legitimacy.
More importantly, there is also a Cao Zhang! Cao Cao's front foot had just died, and Cao Zhang's back foot came back with a heavily armed army to "run for mourning", and its intention was self-evident. In order to surrender the soldiers without fighting, Cao Pi thought of his brother-in-law Liu Xie, and forced Liu Xie to accompany him to stage a Zen drama. In this way, Cao Pi's throne did not come from his father Cao Cao, but from the "gift" of his brother-in-law Liu Xie. What else can Cao Zhang do? It was a big deal that Cao Pi gave him Cao Cao's title, and anyway, as the emperor's brother, Cao Zhang was also going to be crowned king. If Cao Zhang is restless again, it will not be a brotherly struggle for the throne, but a rebellion! And Liu Xie is the "mascot" who can "town" Cao Zhang. Once Cao Pi killed Liu Xie, he was a "chaotic thief" and just gave Cao Zhang's mouth. Therefore, before Cao Zhang was completely taken care of, Cao Pi could not kill Liu Xie no matter what.
In turn, Liu Xie was well aware of the ambitions of his brother-in-law, and Cao Pi wanted to accompany himself to act, and it was enough to accompany him. From beginning to end, Liu Xie was quite cooperative. On the contrary, Cao Pi's sister, Liu Xie's empress Cao Jie, was full of hostility towards Cao Pi. This actually gave Cao Pi some good feelings, his brother-in-law was a "instigator" and not enough to be afraid, and he did not need to bear the notoriety of usurping the throne for him. Therefore, after Liu Xiechan ascended the throne, Cao Pi made him the Duke of Shanyang Commandery, and allowed him to enshrine Liu Hanzong's temple in the fiefdom, use Tianzi costumes and flag ceremonies, and treat Wei as a courtesy, which is a typical "two kings and three kei ceremonies". In this way, Liu Xie died Cao Pi in Jiaozuo, Henan, and lived peacefully to the end of his life, and the dukedom of Shanyang was passed to his descendants. After Liu Xie's death, the Wei Ming Emperor Cao Rui ordered him to be buried as an emperor in Chanling, and the title of "Emperor Xiaoxian" was derived from this.