In 180 BC, Lü Hou, who controlled the Western Han Dynasty, fell ill and died, and the government was controlled by his nephews Lü Lu and Lü Chan. This caused dissatisfaction among the princes and heroes of the Western Han Dynasty, who cooperated with the outside world and launched a coup d'état to get rid of the Lü clique. After that, the ministers of the court planned to re-establish an emperor, and Liu Xiang, the king of Qi who had made meritorious contributions in this turmoil, became the first choice! However, no one thought that Liu Xiang, who had the highest voice, had "failed", why was this?
Liu Xiang's father was Liu Fei the Prince of Qi, and Liu Fei was the eldest son of Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, in other words, Liu Xiang was Liu Bang's eldest grandson. It turned out that when Liu Bang was a commoner, he had a lover, and she was Liu Fei's mother, Cao Shi. In the second year of Liu Bang's reign as emperor, when he was crowned prince of qi, he made Liu Fei the king of Qi, ruled over the seventy-three cities, and became the most powerful prince at that time, and also made Cao Shan the xiangguo of the state of Qi to assist Liu Fei in governing Qi.
After Liu Bang's death, Liu Fei was persecuted by Lü Hou and forced to sacrifice his land. In 189 BC, Liu Fei fell ill and died, and Zhang Liang, as an emissary of the imperial court, crowned Liu Xiang as the King of Qi. After that, the territory of the State of Qi was once again cut by Lü Hou, and Liu Xiang was dissatisfied with this, but he did not dare to attack, but waited for the opportunity. When the news of Lü Hou's death came, Liu Xiang immediately raised an army, threatening to "lead the army into the curse and not be the king", and aimed the spearhead of the struggle at Lü's foreign relatives.
The Western Han court sent infant irrigation to send troops to resist, but the irrigation baby did not move, and secretly interacted with Liu Xiang, the king of Qi. In the end, Zhou Bo and Chen Ping, who were living in Chang'an, launched a coup d'état, killing Lü Lu and Lü Chan and eliminating Lü's foreign relatives. When discussing the selection of a new emperor, some people proposed that "the eldest son of Emperor Gao of Qi mourning Hui, and now his concubine is the King of Qi, and it is said that Emperor Gao's eldest grandson, Ke Liye", that is to say, some people suggested that Liu Xiang, the king of Qi, be made emperor.
It is reasonable to say that Liu Xiang was the eldest grandson of Liu Bang, and he was the first clan to kill Lü's foreign relatives, and the throne was none other than him. However, some people raised objections, and this person was Liu Ze, the king of Langya! Liu Ze said, "The Qi Queen's mother's family is fierce, vicious, and the tiger and the crown are also." Fang Yi Lü's family has been in chaos in the world, and now he is the king of Qi, and he wants to restore him to Lü Shiye. Liu Ze's reason was that Liu Xiang's mother's family was also very fierce, and if Liu Xiang was made emperor, it would be equivalent to the resurrection of the Lü clan.
Then, Liu Ze recommended Liu Heng, the acting king, "The Acting Queen Mother's Bo clan, the elder gentleman, and the Acting King is also pro-Emperor Gao, who is seen in the present day, and is the longest." If the son is obedient, the good man is the minister." In the end, Liu Xiang, the King of Qi, did not become emperor, and Liu Heng became the emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, that is, Emperor Wen of Han. So why did Liu Ze oppose Liu Xiang's ascension to the throne? In fact, things were not as Liu Ze said, it turned out that Liu Xiang had offended Liu Ze after he raised an army!
Liu Ze was a half-brother of Liu Bang, who was made the Marquis of Yingling for his military exploits, and also married the daughter of Lü Hou's sister Lü Xu. In order to appease Liu Ze, Lü Hou made him the King of Langya. After Liu Xiang raised an army, he sent someone to deceive Liu Ze and said: "The King of Qi thought that he was a son, a young man, and he was not accustomed to military revolution, and he was originally the king of the State Committee. The Great King, emperor from the high emperor, also practiced war. The King of Qi did not dare to leave the army, and the envoys asked the Great King Xingzhi to see the King of Qi and put the Qi army west to quell the rebellion in Guanzhong. ”
Liu Ze was very happy, but when he came to the State of Qi, he was instead held hostage by Liu Xiang, and the army of the State of Langya was also controlled by Liu Xiang. Liu Ze held a grudge, and he also deceived Liu Xiang once, "Qi mourned the eldest son of Emperor Gao of Hui, and pushed the original words, and the eldest grandson of Emperor Gao of the Great King, Dang li." At present, the ministers are uncertain, and Ze Yu Liu is the oldest, and the ministers are waiting for Ze to decide. Now that the great king has left his subjects to do nothing, it is better to let me enter the customs and plan. Liu Xiang believed Liu Ze's words, and as a result, he did not expect to be deceived by Liu Ze. Liu Xiang lost the throne and died a year later.
References: 1. "Records of History"; 2. "Book of Han"