Friends who have watched the classic TV series "Emperor Wu of Han" may know that the name of the Han Wu Emperor Liu Che in the play when he was a child was called "Liu Yan (彘 means pig)", so the Han Wu Emperor Liu Che has a nickname on the Internet called "Wild Boar". So was the name of Emperor Wudi of Han Liu Che really "Liu Yan" when he was a child?
In the more reliable historical books (such as the "Records of History", "Book of Han", and "Zizhi Tongjian"), there is no record that the name of The Han Wu emperor Liu Che when he was a child was "Liu Yan". According to the Records of History and the Book of Han, Emperor Wu of Han's name was already Liu Che when he was three years old.
The only history book that says that emperor Liu Che's childhood name was "Liu Yan" is called "Han Wu Story". The specific time of writing of the book can no longer be verified, but it will not be earlier than the Three Kingdoms and Two Jin Dynasties. In addition to the late completion of the book, the history book "The Story of Han Wu" has at least the following three problems:
First, the main content of the history book "The Story of Han Wu" is basically the story of Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty seeking immortality and pursuing immortality, and there is an evaluation of "mixed with demonic words". The content of "Han Wu Story" full of "strange forces and chaotic gods" does not conform to the principle of revision of history, and is more like a collection of fictional novels.
For example, the "Story of Han Wu" records that a minister named Gongsun Xiong was killed because he angered Emperor Wu of Han, but there were as many as a dozen ministers during the period of Emperor Wu of Han, but none of them were named Gongsun Xiong, not even senior officials.
For example, the "Story of Han Wu" records that Li Shaoweng, an alchemist during the time of Emperor Wu of Han, once cast a spell to let Emperor Wu of Han see Lady Li who had died. However, according to the records of the "Records of History" and the "Zizhi Tongjian", the object of Li Shaoweng's soul was Lady Wang, and Li Shaoweng died earlier than Lady Li.
It can be seen that the "Story of Han Wu" is a novel with low historical value, and the record of Emperor Wu of Han's childhood called "Liu Yan" is not very reliable. According to scholars, "Che" and "彘" were homophones in the Han Dynasty, and the Han Wu Story may have used this to fictionalize the name of Emperor Wu of Han when he was a child.