Family Background
Liu Bian, the future Prince of Hongnong, was born in 176, to Emperor Ling and his then-concubine, Consort He. According to traditional historians, prior to him, Emperor Ling had other sons, but they all died young. Therefore, based on the superstitutions of the time, Emperor Ling believed that his sons needed to be raised outside the palace by foster parents. Prince Bian was therefore entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao (史子眇) and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi" (based on another superstition that a lesser title of reference would ward off evil spirits). (Later, when his younger brother Liu Xie was born to Consort Wang, Prince Xie was raised by his grandmother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong.")
Due to her having given birth to Emperor Ling's oldest surviving son, Prince Bian's mother Consort He was created empress in 180. Despite this, perhaps partly again due to superstitution and partly because Emperor Ling viewed his behavior as being insufficiently solemn, Prince Bian was never created crown prince, and at times Emperor Ling seriously considered creating the younger Prince Xie crown prince.
When Emperor Ling died in 189, a powerful eunuch that he trusted, Jian Shuo, wanted to first kill Empress He's brother He Jin and then make Prince Xie emperor, and so he set up a trap at a meeting he was to have with He. He Jin discovered the plot, and preemptorily declared Prince Bian emperor. Empress He became empress dowager, and she and her brother He Jin became the key figures at court, although a number of the eunuchs remained very powerful.
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