Liu Zhen

Historical Record

Liu Zhen, styled Gonggan, was a man of letters of Cao Wei in the late Eastern Han and the Three Kingdoms period. His father Liu Liang, styled Manshan and also named Gong, was distinguished for his pure talent and literary attainment and once rose to the office of Magistrate of Yewang^[1]. Liu Zhen himself was richly gifted and was ranked, together with Cao Zhi, Wang Can, and Xu Gan, among the "Seven Masters of Jian'an." In his early years he was recruited by Cao Cao and served as an aide on the chancellor's staff^[1].

Liu Zhen, with his distinctive literary flair and unrestrained character, was favored by the young lords of Cao Wei. According to the Dianlue, Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, once bestowed on Liu Zhen a kuoluo sash. Later, when Liu Zhen's teacher died, he wished to borrow this sash as an offering of mourning, and Cao Pi wrote a letter mocking him, holding that objects are valued because of their owner, and that the sash in Liu Zhen's hands could not be compared with one at the side of the most exalted. Liu Zhen replied cleverly with such allusions as the unhewn jade of Mount Jing and the pearl of the Marquis of Sui, pointing out that precious things, though they at first dwell in lowly places, can yet shed their light for a thousand years and display their splendor as of old, thereby showing that what the honored wear and the noble use may also have its origin in the humble. His expression and meaning were so deft that he was thereafter all the more valued by the young lords^[1].

Liu Zhen's frank nature, however, once brought him trouble. On one occasion, the heir apparent Cao Pi held a banquet to entertain men of letters, and when the wine was flowing he ordered his consort Lady Zhen to come out and greet the assembled company. The guests present all prostrated themselves on the ground in salutation, but Liu Zhen alone looked straight ahead and did not bow. When Cao Cao learned of this, he was greatly angered and had Liu Zhen arrested; he should have been put to death, but in the end the sentence was reduced to penal labor^[1]. After the punishment was over, Liu Zhen was still appointed as a clerk, and composed several dozen literary pieces, displaying his undiminished literary talent^[1].

When Cao Zhi and Cao Pi contended for the position of heir apparent, Liu Zhen was for a time a retainer of Cao Zhi. He once wrote to remonstrate with Cao Zhi, pointing out that Xing Yong, the household steward of the Marquis of Pingyuan (Cao Zhi), was "an eminent man of the northern land, who from youth held to lofty integrity, profound and tranquil, plain and detached, sparing of words but abounding in reason, a true man of refinement." Liu Zhen held that he himself "was truly unworthy to be ranked alongside such a man and placed at his side," yet he was treated with exceptional courtesy, while Xing Yong was instead estranged and slighted. He feared that bystanders would thereby think Cao Zhi drew close to the unworthy and made light of the worthy, that he adopted the showy words of his secondary retainers yet forgot the true substance of his household steward, thus bringing slander upon Cao Zhi — a fault by no means small^[2]. This letter embodies Liu Zhen's loyalty to Cao Zhi and his frank, outspoken candor.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms gives Liu Zhen no detailed literary treatment. Compared with the rich deeds and personality recorded in the sources, Liu Zhen's presence in the novel is extremely faint, without even an independent storyline. He is mentioned merely as one of the men of letters in the Cao Wei camp, and neither his standing among the "Seven Masters of Jian'an" nor his literary contributions are fully displayed in the novel. The novel contains no specific depiction of his being punished for failing to show respect to Lady Zhen, or of his correspondence with Cao Zhi; these brilliant episodes from the histories find no expression in the novel.

Key Relationships

* Cao Zhi: Liu Zhen was a retainer of Cao Zhi and once a secondary retainer of the Marquis of Pingyuan (Cao Zhi). He once remonstrated frankly with Cao Zhi, pointing out his unfair treatment of his household steward Xing Yong and fearing that Cao Zhi would thereby bring slander upon himself^[2]. This relationship embodies Liu Zhen's loyalty and his courage to remonstrate.
* Cao Wei: Liu Zhen was an official of the Cao Wei regime, recruited by Cao Cao as an aide on the chancellor's staff; though later punished with penal labor for his disrespect, he was still appointed a clerk after his sentence^[1]. He composed many literary pieces for Cao Wei and was an important representative figure of Jian'an literature.
* Xing Yong: As Cao Zhi's household steward, Xing Yong is the central figure in Liu Zhen's letter of remonstrance. Liu Zhen praised Xing Yong as "an eminent man of the northern land," of lofty virtue, sparing of words but abounding in reason, a true man of refinement^[2]. Liu Zhen's pleading on Xing Yong's behalf also indirectly reflects his respect for the worthy.
* Cao Pi and Lady Zhen: Liu Zhen, when Lady Zhen came out to greet the company at Cao Pi's banquet, alone looked straight ahead and did not bow, and was therefore arrested by Cao Cao and had his death sentence reduced to penal labor^[1]. This event highlights Liu Zhen's unrestrained nature, free of ceremony, and also displays Cao Cao's emphasis on ritual propriety and the order of high and low.

Defining Scenes

* The letter of remonstrance to Cao Zhi: Liu Zhen wrote to remonstrate with Cao Zhi, pointing out his unfair treatment of his household steward Xing Yong and fearing that Cao Zhi would thereby bring slander upon himself. This letter displays not only Liu Zhen's literary talent but also his loyalty to Cao Zhi and his frank, outspoken character^[2].
* Punished for disrespect to Lady Zhen: At Cao Pi's banquet, when his consort Lady Zhen came out to greet the company, Liu Zhen alone looked straight ahead and did not bow, and was therefore arrested by Cao Cao and had his death sentence reduced to penal labor. This event is the most vivid embodiment of Liu Zhen's character, displaying his side of fearlessness before the powerful and acting according to his own nature^[1].
* The exchange of words with Cao Pi: Cao Pi once bestowed on Liu Zhen a kuoluo sash and later sought to take it back with words of mockery. Liu Zhen responded with deft language, expounding through allusion the deeper meaning of the value of objects, and won the affection of the young lords^[1]. This displays Liu Zhen's outstanding literary talent and his quickness in response.