Liu Zheng (1129–1206), courtesy name Zhongzhi and posthumous name Zhongxuan, was a Southern Song official who rose to the post of left chancellor. He was a native of Yongchun in Quanzhou (present-day Yongchun, Fujian); Jinjiang is also given as his place of origin. His father was Liu Zhu, whose first wife was of the Zheng family and whose later wife, Liu Zheng's mother, was of the Liu family. Liu Zhu settled at Guishan (present-day Huizhou, Guangdong), where Liu Zheng was born; he studied at the prefectural school, kept to hard study in poverty, and married a daughter of the local man Xu Dunshi, settling his family in Huizhou. His sixth-generation ancestor Liu Congxiao served Emperor Taizu of Song as military commissioner of Qingyuan and was enfeoffed as Duke of E; his great-grandfather was Liu Yaoqing and his grandfather Liu Shi.
Life
In 1160, the thirtieth year of the Shaoxing era of Emperor Gaozong, he passed the jinshi examination and was appointed county defender of Yangjiang in Nan'en prefecture and judge of the Qinghai military commission. Summoned to an imperial audience on a recommendation, he won the admiration of Emperor Xiaozong and advanced through the offices of qiju sheren, zhongshu sheren with concurrent duty as expository lecturer, acting zhongshu sheren, and acting minister of personnel. Because he argued that the chancellors were failing to support the great plan of recovery, he was sent out in 1175, the second year of Chunxi, as prefect of Shaoxing fu with the title of direct academician of the Xianmo Pavilion; he later governed Ganzhou (Xunzhou in one account) and Longxing fu. He was promoted to academician of the Longtu Pavilion and to Sichuan military commissioner concurrently prefect of Chengdu fu, and while in Sichuan he recruited Chen Qi as a confidential aide. For his success in pacifying the Qiang he was advanced to academician of the Fuwen Pavilion and then to academician of the Duanming Hall. His other posts included kaogong langzhong, sinong sicheng, qiju lang, vice minister of war, minister of rites, shumi fushi and jishizhong.
In 1186, the thirteenth year of Chunxi, he became signatory of the Bureau of Military Affairs and was soon appointed assistant councillor concurrently associate commissioner of military affairs; in 1189, the sixteenth year, he became right chancellor. In 1190, the first year of Shaoxi under Emperor Guangzong, he advanced to left chancellor. In office he was careful in law and sparing of honours, and he brought forward Zhao Ruyu, Huang Shang and others, so that his contemporaries called him a man who had got the right men. When Emperor Xiaozong fell gravely ill he repeatedly asked the emperor to visit the retired emperor's palace, and as Emperor Guangzong long held no court he worked in concert with Hu Jinchen, associate commissioner of military affairs; he also impeached Jiang Teli. Zhu Xi, Wang Yan and Zeng Sanpin all wrote letters to him.
In 1194, the fifth year of Shaoxi, Emperor Xiaozong died and Emperor Guangzong, being ill, could not carry out the mourning rites; Liu Zheng repeatedly asked that the position of the crown prince be settled early and, disagreeing with Zhao Ruyu, then director of the Bureau of Military Affairs, fled the capital by sedan chair. On the accession of Emperor Ningzong he retired with the honorary rank of guanglu dafu; one account has him going out at that time to govern Jiankang fu before being dismissed. Later, at odds with Han Tuozhou and having several times offended the emperor, he was stripped of office, and his former rank was afterwards restored. In 1201, the first year of Jiatai, he was enfeoffed as Duke of Wei and restored to the offices of junior preceptor and academician of the Guanwen Hall; his noble titles also included Duke of E (鄂國公) and Duke of Wei (衛國公). In the seventh month of 1206, the second year of Kaixi, he died at the age of seventy-eight; he was posthumously appointed grand preceptor and given the posthumous name Zhongxuan. His sons included Liu Gong, Liu Yun, Liu Shuo, Liu Duan and Liu Bing.
Works
He compiled the Shouhuang shengzheng (壽皇聖政), and his poetry, memorials and drafts of edicts ran to twenty juan, now lost; three of his poems survive. A separate work, the Huangsong zhongxing liangchao shengzheng (皇宋中興兩朝聖政), is also associated with him.
References
- CBDB Liu Zheng (10927)
- 搜韵 留正 (30502)
- Wikidata Liu Zheng (Q16906305)