Background and Career As The Prince of Changyi
It is not known when Prince He was born, though it is often thought to have been in or around 92 BC. His father, Liu Bo (劉髆), Prince Ai (i.e., the lamented) of Changyi died in 86 BC, and he inherited his father's principality. (Historical records discussing him implies that he was at youngest a teenager at that time.) Prince Bo's father was Emperor Wu, whose death in 87 BC predated Prince Bo's by only one year.
(Note: the below description of Prince He's life as Prince of Changyi are based on description of him written after he was deposed, and may very well be biased or fabricated.)
When Emperor Wu died, Prince He was supposed to be in a period of mourning, but he continued to hunt incessantly. The mayor of the principality's capital, Wang Ji (王吉) offered honest criticism of him when this happened, and urged him to be more studious and humble. Prince He appreciated Wang's report and rewarded him, but did not change his ways. Similarly, when Prince He associated with people with ill reputation who engaged in vulgarity and engaged in wasteful spending, he was begged by the commander of his guards, Gong Sui (龔遂) to change his ways, and Prince He agreed—but soon after chased away the solemn guards that Gong had recommended and brought his prior companions back, and Gong could do nothing about it.
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