In 91 BC, the "Wugu Affair" (a witchcraft conspiracy) plotted by the ruthless official Jiang Chong and the scheming Li family closed in on the 45-year-old Crown Prince Liu Ju. Gentle and broad-minded by nature, and unskilled in political intrigue and power struggles, Liu Ju was soon driven to a dead end and committed suicide in August of that year (This shows that honest men are unsuited for politics.) Liu Ju's two sons died alongside their father. Liu Ju's mother, Empress Wei Zifu, died even earlier than her descendants, passing away with resentment on the Gengyin day of the seventh month.
Among the two grandsons of Emperor Wu who died with Liu Ju was a man named Liu Jin, the father of the future Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun. His childhood name was "Shi Huangsun" (Grandson Shi).
—In the Han dynasty, the titles for a crown prince's consorts were divided into three ranks: the principal wife was the Crown Princess, concubines who bore sons were called Liangdi, and those without sons were called Ruzi. Liu Jin's birth mother was a Liangdi. She was from the state of Lu and surnamed Shi. Shi Liangdi did not survive the catastrophic disaster that claimed her husband and son, and she perished as well. Along with her, nearly all the female members of the Crown Prince's household, including Liu Xun's birth mother, committed suicide.
When his parents, grandparents, and great-grandmother all died violent deaths, the imperial great-grandson Liu Xun was only a few months old. Not long before, when he was born, how overjoyed everyone was—from Emperor Wu Liu Che and Empress Wei Zifu down to the officials and servants in the Crown Prince's household! But in the blink of an eye, their entire world was overturned.
At the time of his family's destruction, Liu Xun was merely an infant, a helpless lump of flesh. However, because he was the direct great-grandson of Emperor Wu Liu Che, of noble blood, the Emperor decreed that he must also be imprisoned. —Hmm, that sounds rather strange.
Without a mother, how could this infant survive? Fortunately, he was imprisoned in a jail outside the capital Chang'an and encountered a kind-hearted prison official named Bing Ji. Bing Ji could not bear to see such an innocent baby die a wrongful death, so he found two female prisoners, Zhao Zhengqing and Hu Zu, to nurse the child.
It was fortunate that he was outside Chang'an. If he had been within the city, Liu Xun might well have been killed by the sycophantic capital officials skilled in "guessing the emperor's intentions."
The prison environment was terrible, with extreme lack of nutrition and medical care. Yet, despite his noble birth, Liu Xun possessed an extremely tenacious vitality, and he grew up in prison.
When Liu Xun was five years old, an astrologer reported to his great-grandfather, Emperor Wu Liu Che: "Above the prisons in the counties surrounding Chang'an, a peculiar light belonging to an emperor is shining, shooting straight into the sky at night. Your Majesty must take precautions early."
Emperor Wu immediately became highly vigilant and ordered that all prisoners in the jails—regardless of guilt, innocence, or the severity of their crimes—be executed.
When this order reached the prison managed by Bing Ji, it was met with Bing Ji's firm and defiant resistance, even at the cost of his own life.
Bing Ji said: "Even criminals and ordinary commoners cannot be arbitrarily sentenced to death. How much more so when the Emperor's own great-grandson is imprisoned here!"
His forceful argument quickly reached Emperor Wu's ears. The old man, who had been in a murderous rage, seemed to have a bucket of cold water poured over his head upon hearing the words "imperial great-grandson." His murderous intent inexplicably deflated, and he sighed, "Perhaps Heaven is reminding me through Bing Ji's mouth!"
Thus, not only did he retract the execution order, but he also issued an edict granting a general amnesty to the entire empire.
Thanks to the noble and upright Bing Ji, the trembling Han people, caught in a bloodbath, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
On the very day the amnesty was announced, five-year-old Liu Xun walked out of the prison with the stumbling crowd, ending his life of incarceration.
However, he was still only a five-year-old child. His great-grandfather had already decided to name his younger half-brother Liu Fuling as crown prince, and thus naturally harbored suspicions toward the descendants of the eldest son, making it impossible to bring him back to the palace. In political struggles, there is no room for familial affection. Moreover, Liu Xun's birth mother, Wang Wengxu, concubine of Liu Jin, had long since died, her body unclaimed and unburied, let alone able to care for her son.
The question now was: where could this abandoned child go?
Once again, it was Bing Ji—the ordinary official who had already saved Liu Xun's life twice—who carried Liu Xun onto his carriage and sent him to live with the family of his grandmother, Shi Liangdi, in the state of Lu. Shi Liangdi's mother, Lady Zhen, deeply loved this pitiful child and, despite her old age and frail health, personally took care of his daily needs.
To avoid burdening the Shi family and to help Liu Xun regain his rightful status, Bing Ji promptly reported the news of Liu Xun's pardon to the imperial household agency (Yeting). From then on, Liu Xun's name was recorded in the Liu clan genealogy, and his living expenses were fully provided by the palace. —Precisely because he was officially recognized as a member of the imperial family, he gained the opportunity for a good education. Twelve years later, this recognition made it possible for him to ascend the throne.
Bing Ji always harbored compassion and concern for this tearful, unfortunate child.
In 74 BC, after Emperor Zhao Liu Fuling died young without an heir, Bing Ji, who had since risen to the position of Grand Master of Light, submitted a memorial to General-in-Chief Huo Guang, the de facto ruler. In the memorial, he solemnly proposed to Huo Guang that, with Emperor Zhao's early death, although there were many princes and marquises in the Liu imperial clan, none possessed outstanding scholarship or character, nor had the close bloodline essential for ascending the throne. Only Liu Xun, the eldest great-grandson of Emperor Wu Liu Che by direct descent, had a close bloodline and, having grown up among the common people, possessed both good character and knowledge. He urged Huo Guang to summon Liu Xun for a meeting, and if the impression was indeed favorable, to recommend installing Liu Xun as the new emperor.
Thus, under the loving care of Bing Ji, the bewildered Liu Xun stumbled into the position of Emperor of the Great Han. He was seventeen years old at the time.
Bing Ji was a truly noble gentleman. Not only did he repeatedly risk his life to save the young Liu Xun and thousands of ordinary citizens, but after helping Liu Xun ascend the throne, he never mentioned his enormous contribution. Even long after Liu Xun himself discovered the truth, Bing Ji still insisted on attributing the merit to others.
The newly enthroned Emperor Xun, though only seventeen or eighteen years old, had already married while living among the common people. His first wife was named Xu Pingjun. This young couple already had a son, who would later become Emperor Yuan of Han, the ruler who sent Wang Zhaojun to the frontier.