The river of time flows endlessly, and history continues to develop. Let the editor of History Encyclopedia take you through the fog of history, back to the era of swords and shadows, and see the story of Liu Jing.
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang rose up from Haozhou and marched southward. After attacking Jinhua, Zhu Yuanzhang sent people with generous gifts to Qingtian and invited the famous Liu Ji to come out of the mountains. Liu Ji, also known as Bowen, is a renowned scholar from eastern Zhejiang province with exceptional talent. However, Liu Bowen did not initially accept Zhu Yuanzhang’s invitation.
Why didn’t Liu Bowen accept Zhu Yuanzhang’s invitation? The first reason was that the world was in chaos at that time, and Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhang Shicheng, Fang Guozhen, and others tried to invite Liu Bowen to serve them. The situation was not clear, and Liu Bowen was unwilling to go rashly. Secondly, Liu Bowen did not have much knowledge about Zhu Yuanzhang. It was not until Zhu Yuanzhang sent an official named Sun Yan to Liu Bowen’s home for the second time and explained Zhu Yuanzhang’s aspirations in detail to Liu Bowen that Liu Bowen agreed to accept the invitation and came to Nanjing. From then on, Zhu Yuanzhang was like a fish in water, and Liu Bowen offered advice and suggestions to Zhu Yuanzhang, making remarkable contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.
Liu Bowen had two sons in total, the eldest son Liu Lian, who died after falling into a well due to a conflict with Hu Weiyong. The second son Liu Jing, also known as Mengguang, committed suicide in prison after Zhu Di ascended the throne.
Liu Jing is a genius, very much like his father Liu Bowen. Liu Jing has been familiar with classics and history since childhood, and has a special interest in strategic planning. He is also handsome and talented. In the 14th year of the Hongwu reign, Liu Jing accompanied Tang Shengzong, the Marquis of Yan’an, to the battlefield for the first time. Liu Jing’s military strategy and tactics on the battlefield greatly impressed Tang Shengzong. Upon learning of this, Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and said, “Liu Jing is truly the son of Liu Bowen.” In his later years, Zhu Yuanzhang had a strong sense of suspicion, and Liu Jing took the initiative to request assistance from the Valley King Zhu Hao to become the Chief Historian of the Valley King in Xuanhua, Hebei Province. It was not until the death of Zhu Yuanzhang that Liu Jing returned to the capital.
The Battle of Jingnan broke out, and Liu Jing urgently contributed sixteen suggestions, which Emperor Jianwen did not listen to. Liu Jing took the initiative to request to join Li Jinglong in the campaign against Zhu Di, but unfortunately, in the military, Li Jinglong was arrogant and did not trust Liu Jing. Liu Jing’s military suggestions were not adopted. Later, Li Jinglong suffered a great defeat, and Liu Jing entered the capital with illness. In response to the current situation, he sent a ten thousand word letter to Emperor Jianwen, but it was still not taken seriously.
Liu Jing, as the second son of Liu Bowen, was talented and knowledgeable, but did not receive much recognition. I applied for resignation and returned to my hometown. During his time in his hometown, Liu Jing kept an eye on the court situation and remained loyal to the court, waiting for its call. Unfortunately, until the end of the Jingnan War, Emperor Jianwen still did not remember the character Liu Jing. After Zhu Di ascended the throne, Liu Jing was finally remembered, but the person who remembered Liu Jing was not Emperor Jianwen, but Zhu Di.
In 1402 AD, Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, ascended to the throne. Unlike Emperor Jianwen, Zhu Di was well aware of Liu Bowen’s strength, so he dared not underestimate Liu Bowen’s son. After Zhu Di ascended to the throne, he quickly sent people to Qingtian to invite Liu Jing to the capital, but Liu Jing refused to go due to illness. Zhu Di sent people several times to invite him, but Liu Jing refused to show face. Soft things don’t work, Zhu Di can only come hard and send someone to forcibly “invite” Liu Jing to Nanjing.
The day when Liu Jing left Qingtian was just the day before the Loong Boat Festival. The local gentry packed Zongzi in advance to see Liu Jing off. A friend who has a good relationship with Liu Jing said, “Your Majesty (referring to Zhu Di) today has the same great talent as Emperor Taizong of Tang. As long as you promise to be a Wei Zheng, you will be highly valued and have the opportunity to showcase your talents.” After listening to this, Liu Jing sneered, “Why should I learn Wei Zheng? I’m going to Nanjing now, and my life and death are already predetermined
In mid May, Zhu Di held a banquet in the palace and specifically invited Liu Jing. Zhu Di was thirsty for talents, and he wished that Liu Jing could join his team and be loyal to him. Before and after Liu Jing arrived in front of Zhu Di, he immediately knelt down. Zhu Di was very pleased and thought that Liu Jing was a person who knew the times. But what Zhu Di didn’t expect was that Liu’s first two words made him furious. Liu Jing said, “Your Highness, why did you summon Liu Jing to Beijing?” The words “Your Highness” sounded very harsh to Zhu Di. Zhu Di has already proclaimed himself emperor, and his subjects should call him ‘Your Majesty’, but Liu Jing insists on calling him ‘His Highness’. Obviously, in Liu Jing’s mind, he only recognized Zhu Di as a feudal lord and did not acknowledge Zhu Di’s imperial status. How could Zhu Di not be angry?
The “Annals of Ming History” records:
Jing spoke to the superior and still referred to him as’ Your Highness’, but he disobeyed the order and was imprisoned. One night, braided hair committed suicide.
That is to say, Liu Jing angered Zhu Di by calling him “His Highness” and was imprisoned by Zhu Di. Zhu Di greatly appreciated Liu Jing. He had originally planned to imprison Liu Jing for a few days and wait for him to change his mind. However, that evening, Liu Jing used her own hair as a hanging rope in prison and hanged herself.
The Ming Dynasty was a strange dynasty, and most talented people had mediocre outcomes. Liu Bowen, Song Lian, Jie Jin, Yang Shen and other great talents are all like this. As the genius son of Liu Bowen, Liu Jing is full of strategic ideas. If he meets the recognition of the wise master, he will definitely be able to make a career. Emperor Jianwen did not favor Liu Jing, and Liu Jing remained loyal to Emperor Jianwen. Zhu Di valued Liu Jing, but Liu Jing was unwilling to choose Zhu Di.
The death of Liu Jing is worthy of respect from future generations in the traditional concept of loyalty and filial piety. But Liu Jing hanged himself, and his talent was lost forever, which was a great pity for the Ming Dynasty.
