In the nineteenth year of the Eastern Han Dynasty, that is, in 43 AD, the Guangwu Emperor Liu Xiu issued a decree to honor Emperor Xuan of Han of the Western Han Dynasty as his grandfather and Emperor Yuan of han as his father, and to personally worship him when holding sacrifices. As we all know, although Liu Xiu was born in the Western Han Dynasty, he was relatively distant from the blood of Emperor Xuan of Han and Emperor Yuan of Han, so why did he not respect his own father, but instead recognized two people he had never seen as grandfathers and fathers?
First, the origin of the Guangwu Emperor
According to historical records, Liu Xiu was the ninth grandson of Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, and a descendant of Liu Qi, the Emperor jing of Han. Among the sons of Emperor Jing of Han, two were more famous, one was Liu Che, the Emperor of The Han Dynasty, and the other was Liu Sheng, the King of Jing in Zhongshan. Liu Sheng became famous because he had more than a hundred heirs, and there were also figures like Liu Bei among his descendants. And Emperor Jingdi of Han also had a son, who was Liu Fa, the ancestor of Liu Xiu's lineage and was crowned the King of Changsha!
According to Emperor Wu of Han's tuien order, after Liu Fa, the King of Changsha, his eldest son Liu Yong succeeded to the throne, and the rest of his sons were given the title of Marquis of Lie, including one named Liu Mai who was given the title of Marquis of Lingling. After Liu Mai's death, the title of Marquis of Lingling was given by his son Liu Xiongqu, and the other sons lost their titles, including one named Liu Wai, who served as the Taishou of Yulin. Liu Wai's son was named Liu Hui, and one of Liu Hui's sons was named Liu Qin, and Liu Xiu was Liu Qin's third son.
Second, ZTE and etiquette
In the second year of Jianwu, Liu Xiuxia aimed to build a temple in Luoyang to enshrine the emperors of the Western Han Dynasty. The following year, Liu Xiu again decreed that a pro-temple should be set up in Luoyang to enshrine "Nan Dunjun (referring to Liu Qin) and above to the Marquis of Lingling (Liu Mai)". That is to say, Liu Xiu honored both the emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and his own ancestors. However, Liu Xiu's behavior was opposed by Confucian officials, who seemed to be inconsistent with the etiquette system, but at that time the world was not yet unified, so there was no time to discuss the issue.
By the nineteenth year of Jianwu, the war in the world was over, so the five-sense Zhonglang general Zhang Chun and the servant Zhu Fu first proposed to Emperor Guangwu to remove the temple. In the eyes of these officials, the Guangwu Emperor"
Shi Tong Chuang Ge, and the name zhongxing, should serve the former emperor, and honor the sacrificers also
”。 This means that although Liu Xiu was actually a founder of Kaiji, he nominally held up the banner of "Zhongxing Han Room", so he should honor the emperor of the Western Han Dynasty.
Emperor Ling IV, the monarch and the courtiers were juxtaposed, and it was not in line with etiquette
”。
Third, Liu Xiu's compromise
This was simply the Ming Dynasty's version of the "Great Ritual Proposal", but Liu Xiu did not act arbitrarily like the Jiajing Emperor, but left the issue to the courtiers to discuss. Grand Situ Dai shi and Grand Sikong Dou Rong finally proposed a plan, they believed that "
Emperor Xuan and Emperor Yuan were revered as ancestors and fathers, and could be personally enshrined in the ancestral hall, and below the emperor, there was a division to act
”。 Since Liu Xiu and Emperor Hancheng were of the same generation, he had to honor Emperor Yuan of Han as his father and worship him personally, and as for the later emperor of Emperor Hancheng, Heji was responsible.
In order to take care of Liu Xiu's feelings, Dai Shi and Dou Rong proposed that "do not set up an imperial examination temple for Nan Dunjun (referring to Liu Qin), and its sacrifices are as high as the Marquis of Lingling, and the Qunchen worship the temple." This means that at the same time, the Imperial Examination Temple was set up for Liu Xiu's father, and at the same time, the ancestors who had not been emperors were sacrificed by the courtiers. After all, Liu Xiu had studied in Taixue and could still follow the Confucian etiquette system, so he finally adopted this plan.
Resources:
1. Book of the Later Han Dynasty; 2. Zizhi Tongjian