Throughout the ages, there have been many people with the same name and surname, for example, during the reign of Wang Mang, there were at least two people in the world named Liu Xiu! One is the well-known founding emperor of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the other is also very powerful, he is a famous classical scholar in ancient China, and he also has deep achievements in astronomy, calendar, and mathematics! We are talking about the second Liu Xiu, who helped Wang Mang usurp the throne, but was forced to commit suicide.
This Liu Xiu, whose original name was Liu Xin, was born in the Western Han Dynasty and was the fifth grandson of Liu Bang, the younger brother of Liu Bang and the king of Chu Yuan. Don't look at the royal family, but Liu Xin's family is called the Shuxiang Mendi, and his father is Liu Xiang, the editor of the Warring States Policy and the originator of bibliography. Under the influence of his father, Liu Xin was familiar with the Book of Poetry and the Book of Books from an early age, and was later summoned by the Hancheng Emperor and was given the title of Huangmenlang. It was at this time that Liu Xin met Wang Mang, who also served as Huang Menlang, and the two saw each other as they were.
Wang Mang and Liu Xin were both very obsessed with "ancient classics", and they fantasized about using the revitalization of "ancient classics" as a theoretical guide, and then changing the turbulent society at that time, so the two people came together. During the period of Emperor Cheng of Han and Emperor Ai of Han, although Liu Xin wrote many works for the imperial court, his career was not smooth. Wang Mang had become the Grand Sima during the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, and although he briefly left his post during the reign of Emperor Han, he regained power with the death of Emperor Han.'
As soon as Wang Mang came to power, he co-opted and promoted his good friend Liu Xin, who was first made the Right Cao Taizhong Doctor and then promoted to lieutenant colonel. Among the core members of the Wang Mang Group, "Wang Shun and Wang Yi are the hearts, Zhen Feng and Zhen Handan are the main strikers, Ping Yan consuls, Liu Xindian articles, and Sun Jian are minions", Liu Xin is mainly responsible for "theoretical" work. Wang Mang wanted to usurp the throne, but he did not want to bear the infamy, so Liu Xin was responsible for creating public opinion for the usurpation.
By 9 CE, Wang Mang usurped the throne and established a new dynasty, appointing four of the most important officials, named Sifu, including Liu Xin (劉歆), whose title was Guoshi (国師) and the title of Duke of Jiaxin (嘉新公). The reason why Liu Xin supported Wang Mang was that the two were like-minded, they were both keen on ancient literature and scripture, Liu Xin was responsible for theoretical research, and Wang Mang was responsible for practical work after becoming emperor. It was in this context that Wang Mang, with the help of Liu Xin, carried out a togu reform.
But it didn't take long for the relationship between Wang Mang and Liu Xin to change. The following year, a spell incident occurred, implicating Liu Xin's two sons, and Wang Mang did not spare his subordinates, but executed them, after which Liu Xin was not reused. Later, Wang Mang's daughter-in-law, Liu Xin's daughter, was also given death by Wang Mang. In this case, Liu Xin wanted revenge, "complaining about killing his three sons, so he conspired with the chancellor."
With the outbreak of the Green Forest and Chimei Uprisings, Wang Mang's rule was in jeopardy, and there were many contradictions within the ruling clique. Ximen Junhui, a protégé of the Wei general Wang Shi, believed that "Xingbao swept the palace room, liu shi was revived, and the name of guoshi gong (referring to Liu Xin, who changed his name to Liu Xiu) was also." Wang Shi also agreed, so he co-opted Liu Xin, Dong Zhong, Sun Ling, and others, planning to kidnap Wang Mang and defect to the Green Forest Army that originated in Nanyang, led by the Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu's brothers.
However, no one expected that Sun Ling would inform Wang Mang, resulting in the failure of the plan. In the end, Liu Xin and Wang Shi were forced to commit suicide, and because of the special identities of the two people, Wang Mang did not disclose this rebellion. A few months later, the Green Forest Army invaded Chang'an City, and Wang Mang died in the rebellion. Liu Xin did not help Wang Mang for fame and fortune, because he was a Confucian idealist, but in the end his ideals were shattered and his family was destroyed.
References: 1. Book of Han; 2. Zizhi Tongjian