Liu Yan

Historical Record

Liu Yan, courtesy name Junlang, was a member of the Han imperial clan. In his early years he held office in the provinces and commanderies, then resigned over the mourning for the Minister over the Masses Zhu Tian. He withdrew to Mount Yangcheng, devoted himself to learning, taught disciples, and was once recommended as "worthy, upright, and forthright." He successively held the posts of Prefect of Luoyang, Inspector of Jizhou, Administrator of Nanyang, Director of the Imperial Clan, and Grand Master of Ceremonies. ^c:8279

Toward the end of Emperor Ling's reign, government was corrupt and the royal house beset with troubles. Discerning the times, Liu Yan advised the court: "Inspectors and administrators mostly obtain office through bribery and exploit the people, leading hearts to turn away. Pure and weighty senior ministers should be chosen to serve as governors, so as to bring peace to the realm." In his heart he hoped to be made Governor of Jiaozhi, so as to avoid the troubled age. ^c:8279 But the Palace Attendant Dong Fu privately told Liu Yan: "There will be great upheaval in the capital, and the celestial aura of an emperor lies over the region of Yi Province." On hearing this, Liu Yan turned his attention to Yi Province. ^c:8279

It happened that the Inspector of Yi Province, Xi Jian, taxed and exploited harshly, and the people seethed with resentment; at the same time, the inspectors of Bing Province and Liang Province were killed in succession. This allowed Liu Yan's scheme to be carried out. He was appointed Army-Supervising Commissioner and concurrently Governor of Yi Province, enfeoffed as Marquis of Yangcheng, and ordered to proceed to Yi Province to arrest and punish Xi Jian. ^c:4715 Dong Fu also requested to be made Commandant of the Dependent State in the western part of Shu Commandery, and together with the Director of the Grand Granary Zhao Wei accompanied Liu Yan into Shu. ^c:4715

After Liu Yan took control of Yi Province, his ambition grew by the day, to the point that he secretly had made more than a thousand carriages and implements fit for an emperor's use. ^c:578 On this account the Governor of Jing Province Liu Biao memorialized the court, accusing Liu Yan of harboring rebellious designs, like Zixia doubting the words of the sage at Xihe. At that time Liu Yan's eldest son Liu Fan served as Left General of the Gentlemen-of-the-Household, his second son Liu Dan as Imperial Secretary in Charge of Documents, and his youngest son Liu Zhang as Commandant of the Equipage, all attending upon Emperor Xian at Chang'an. ^c:578 Only his son Liu Mao was with Liu Yan in Yi Province. Emperor Xian once sent Liu Zhang to Yi Province to instruct Liu Yan, but Liu Yan kept Liu Zhang and would not let him return. ^c:578

Later, the General Who Conquers the West Ma Teng garrisoned at Mei County and raised troops in revolt; Liu Yan and Liu Fan also secretly colluded with Ma Teng, intending to lead troops to attack Chang'an. But Liu Fan's plan was leaked, and he fled to Huaili, while Ma Teng was defeated and withdrew to Liang Province. Liu Fan was thereupon killed, and Liu Dan was executed soon after. ^c:578 The Court Gentleman for Consultation Pang Xi, being on good terms with the Liu Yan clan, then recruited Liu Yan's grandsons to come into Shu. ^c:578

It is worth noting that the younger sister of Liu Yan's old friend Wu Yi—later Empress Mu—because her father had old ties with Liu Yan, came into Shu with her whole family following Liu Yan. ^c:582 Liu Yan harbored rebellious designs, and hearing a skilled physiognomist say that the future Empress Mu would become greatly noble, he married her to his son Liu Mao, who attended at his side. ^c:582 After Liu Mao died, Empress Mu lived as a widow. After Liu Bei pacified Yi Province, at Fa Zheng's urging, he took Empress Mu as his lady. ^c:582

In the Novel

In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Yan's portrayal centers chiefly on his scheming before taking Yi Province and his regional rule afterward. The novel mentions in Chapter 1 that after the Yellow Turban rebellion, the court issued an edict ordering the guardians of each region to recommend the worthy, upright, and forthright for use in times of need. As a member of the imperial clan, Liu Yan advised Emperor Ling to change inspectors into governors, stationing weighty ministers in the regions so as to avoid the troubled age. ^c:8279 This basically matches the advice he gave in history, but the novel places greater emphasis on his character as one who "wished to avoid the world's troubles yet kept his heart set on the land of Yi." In the novel, Liu Yan's appearance functions more as a background figure introducing the situation of regional separatism in Yi Province; the detailed depiction of his internal governance and his conflicts with the court is relatively sparse, less full than the histories. For instance, the novel does not detail his making of more than a thousand imperial carriages and implements, nor does it mention the specifics of Liu Biao's impeaching memorial. ^c:578 In the novel, the episode of his son Liu Zhang being kept in Yi Province accords with history, ^c:578 but the detail of his sons Liu Fan and Liu Dan being killed for colluding with Ma Teng is not developed in the novel, serving more as background. On the whole, the novel's shaping of Liu Yan revolves around the character trait of "secretly plotting unusual designs," presenting him as a representative of an ambitious, far-sighted clansman in a troubled age rather than deeply depicting his actual governance of Yi Province.

Key Relationships

* Liu Zhang's faction (founded): By advising the court to change inspectors into governors and successfully securing the post of Governor of Yi Province, Liu Yan founded the basis for Liu Zhang's faction's rule in Yi Province. ^c:4715
* Liu Zhang (parent_of): Liu Yan's youngest son, who served as Commandant of the Equipage and was later kept by Liu Yan in Yi Province, inheriting Liu Yan's foundation. ^c:578
* Liu Fan (parent_of): Liu Yan's eldest son, who served as Left General of the Gentlemen-of-the-Household and was later killed when his plot with Ma Teng to attack Chang'an failed. ^c:578
* Liu Dan (parent_of): Liu Yan's second son, who served as Imperial Secretary in Charge of Documents and was executed when Liu Fan's plot was exposed. ^c:578
* Dong Fu (advisor/co-conspirator): The Palace Attendant Dong Fu disclosed to Liu Yan that Yi Province bore the celestial aura of an emperor, prompting Liu Yan to turn his sights to Yi Province, and accompanied Liu Yan into Shu. ^c:8279
* Ma Teng (ally): Liu Yan and his son Liu Fan once colluded with Ma Teng, intending to attack Chang'an. ^c:578
* Empress Mu (in-law): Liu Yan married the younger sister of Wu Yi—later Empress Mu—to his son Liu Mao. ^c:582

Iconic Scenes

* Advising the change of inspectors into governors, aiming to avoid the world and to hold a region: Liu Yan proposed to Emperor Ling to change inspectors into governors, ostensibly to bring peace to the realm but inwardly calculating to avoid the upheaval of the Central Plains and coveting the imperial aura of Yi Province. This advice ultimately brought about his taking control of Yi Province, laying the foundation for his regional separatism. ^c:8279
* Taking control of Yi Province and making imperial carriages: After Liu Yan successfully took control of Yi Province, his ambition gradually showed; he even secretly had made more than a thousand carriages and implements fit for an emperor's use, an act for which Liu Biao impeached him by memorial, fully revealing Liu Yan's rebellious designs. ^c:578
* His sons drawn into political struggle and dying at Chang'an: Liu Yan's two sons Liu Fan and Liu Dan, for colluding with Ma Teng and attempting to attack Chang'an, were finally killed when the plot failed. This affair was both a tragedy for Liu Yan's clan and a reflection of the complex political struggles of the time and the tension between Liu Yan and the court. ^c:578
* Marrying Empress Mu to his son, foreshadowing the future: Liu Yan married the younger sister of Wu Yi—later Empress Mu—to his son Liu Mao. Though Liu Mao died early, Empress Mu eventually became Liu Bei's empress, a marriage tie that inadvertently linked Liu Yan's clan with the later Shu Han regime and which obliquely bears out the far-reaching calculation of Liu Yan's "secret plotting of unusual designs." ^c:582