During the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei claimed to be a member of the Han family, and this identity has always been questioned. Is Liu Bei really a descendant of the Han family, or is he impersonating? If so, why is he pretending to be an identity with no real interests? If he is a real clansman, why did no one question him at that time? These questions are worth exploring.
The identity of the Han clan is difficult to impersonate
During the Eastern Han Dynasty, the imperial court was extremely strict in the management of the Han family, and it was difficult to pretend to be a family member.
At that time, the Zongshofu Office, which was in charge of managing the clan, had a special official to register the members of the clan in detail, distinguish the identities of the descendants, and draw the lineage lineage. Not only did the imperial court have Zongzheng, but even the local government also had a "grandmaster", who was responsible for instructing the children of the local clan, so it was natural to understand their background.
In addition to day-to-day management, the Eastern Han Dynasty would also organize a centralized census of clan members across the country from time to time, requiring detailed lists to be reported to check for omissions and fill in gaps. According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Emperor Yan of the Han Dynasty once issued an edict that "all the officials, counties, princes, slaves and maids surnamed Liu and tired old men are all on their names, and the order is true." "This kind of centralized census can effectively prevent impersonation and omission.
Liu Bei's family background is not inconspicuous, and there is no need to pretend at all. His great-grandfather Liu Xiong was filial piety and served as a county magistrate, and his father Liu Hong was also filial piety, but he died young. Such a family background was not humble at that time, and it was completely self-proclaiming.
Therefore, under the strict clan management system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it is difficult to pretend to be a clan member of the Han family. Liu Bei's family background is illustrious, so there is no need to pretend at all, and naturally there is no motive to impersonate.
The special situation of Liu Bei's family
Although Liu Bei's family has been a member of the Han family for generations, their family fortune has plummeted and they have fallen into extreme poverty.
Liu Bei's father, Liu Hong, although he also had filial piety, died young and had no chance to show greater achievements. After Liu Hong's death, Liu Bei's family could only live on the meager income of his mother, Mrs. Xu.
Fortunately, Liu Bei had a generous uncle, Liu Yuanqi. Although Liu Yuanqi's family was not wealthy, he still fully funded his nephew Liu Bei's studies, giving him the opportunity to study under Lu Zhi, a famous scholar at that time.
It is conceivable that without the funding of his uncle Liu Yuanqi, Liu Bei, a down-and-out Han clansman, would probably be poor and would not have the opportunity to read and write, let alone be able to be ambitious and establish a career later.
However, although Liu Bei's family fell into poverty, the big family to which they belonged did not fall into the middle. For example, Liu Bei's other uncle, Liu Yuangui, had a very solid family background, which was enough to establish a façade among the wealthy families at that time.
Another example is Liu Bei's cousin Liu Deran, who studied with Liu Bei under Lu Zhimen, and later became a famous scholar in the late Han Dynasty, and was once promoted to a lieutenant. It can be seen that even if Liu Bei's family is temporarily down, the strength of the big family they belong to has not declined.
It was with the financial support of some wealthy families in the family that Liu Bei was able to receive a good education in poverty, laying the foundation for being able to excel with his personal talents in the future. Otherwise, he would well have been obscure and forgotten by history.
The rights of the Han clan are limited
Although Liu Bei claimed to be a member of the Han family, in fact, the rights of clan members in the Eastern Han Dynasty were very limited, and they were no different from ordinary people.
According to historical records, the policy of the Eastern Han court towards the members of the clan was: "Within the five genera, if you live within the national border, if you are guilty, you will be punished by law; although the exile is within the five genera, you cannot be reinstated." ＂
The so-called "five genera" refers to the members of the clan who are related to the reigning emperor, who are exempt from forced labor in their own fiefdoms, and if they commit crimes, they must also report to the imperial court for handling. But once you leave the feudal state, even within the "five genera", you are subject to regular laws.
As for the members of the clan outside the "five subordinates", they are completely no different from ordinary people, they must serve forced labor, and if they are guilty, they will be tried according to law, and the court will not give them any special treatment.
It can be seen that the privileges of the members of the Eastern Han clan are very limited, except for the exemption from military service and the reporting of guilt in the feudal country, there is no difference between them and civilians in other aspects.
Even so, this limited privilege was limited to a very small number of clan members who were close to the emperor's blood. It is estimated that there were hundreds of thousands of clan members in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the vast majority of them belonged to the "five genera", which was no different from ordinary people.
Sometimes the imperial court would give some materials to all the clans during great occasions, but this gift was too small, and there was not much left in the hands of ordinary clan members. Not to mention, the Eastern Han Dynasty was in turmoil for many years and was financially constrained, so this kind of gift was even rarer.
Therefore, although he claimed to be a member of the Han family, Liu Bei did not actually obtain any substantial privileges and benefits because of this, and his living environment was no different from that of ordinary people.
Clan wealth depends on special conditions
Although Liu Bei claims to be a member of the Han family, it is not easy to obtain a rich status by virtue of this status. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, members of the clan needed to have some special conditions if they wanted to really make a career.
First of all, the blood relationship with the reigning emperor is crucial. For example, Liu Yu, a descendant of Emperor Guangwu, the founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, was able to obtain important positions such as Zongzheng and Da Sima because of his close blood relationship with the imperial family, while Liu Bei, as a descendant of the Western Han royal family, was relatively distant from the Eastern Han royal family.
Secondly, the family has been prominent for generations and has deep officialdom qualifications, which is also an important factor in whether the members of the clan can get ahead. For example, Yuan Shao, Yang Xiu and others are from a family background, so it is naturally easier to get a good career, while although Liu Bei's family has some prominent figures, the overall strength is not too strong.
Moreover, even if you are from a clan, if the family has been interrupted for a long time and there are no high-ranking officials and dignitaries, it will be even more difficult to rely on the status of the clan to make a fortune. At that time, some prominent clans, such as Liu Zhang, Liu Biao and others, were all awarded prestigious official positions because someone in the family had been ministers for generations.
In contrast, although Liu Bei's great-grandfather Liu Xiong also served as a county magistrate, he was only a small county official after all, and he was far from a big minister. In addition, there is no successor in the family, and it is difficult for Liu Bei to obtain any good career by virtue of his status as a clan member of the Han family.
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However, Liu Bei was able to work hard step by step with his personal talents, and finally won the world, which was really unexpected. It can be seen that for ordinary Han clan relatives, clan status is not a pass to wealth and nobility, and what really determines a person's future depends on the actual ability of the individual.