Liu Qumao

Biography

Imperial Lineage and Rise to Power

Liu Qumao was born around 150 BC into the imperial Liu clan. His father was Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, a son of Emperor Jing and half-brother of Emperor Wu. Prince Liu Sheng was renowned for his love of wine, music, and enormous progeny, fathering over 120 sons. Because of his distant rank in the princely house, Liu Qumao did not inherit a princely fiefdom and instead embarked on a civil career as an ordinary imperial clan official. He served prudently in local administration, eventually becoming the Magistrate of Zhuoxian and Chief Clerk. He was recognized for his thorough familiarity with Han statutes and diligent execution of administrative duties, gradually earning the favor of the aging Emperor Wu. During the late reign of Emperor Wu, escalating northern military campaigns against the Xiongnu severely depleted the empire's treasury, accompanied by heightened paranoia and political purges within the imperial court. In 92 BC, Chancellor Gongsun He was executed alongside his entire clan due to allegations of embezzlement and witchcraft. Finding a compliant and pliable successor without strong factional or maternal ties, Emperor Wu summoned Liu Qumao from Zhuoxian in 91 BC and appointed him Chancellor of Han, conferring upon him the noble title of Marquis of Peng with an estate of 2,200 households. ### The Witchcraft Crisis and the Battle of Chang'an Merely months after Liu Qumao assumed the chancellorship, the devastating Witchcraft Crisis (Wugu Incident) broke out in full fury. In the seventh month of 91 BC, the ruthless official Jiang Chong used the pretext of searching for witchcraft puppets to terrorize the inner palace and frame Crown Prince Liu Ju. Cornered and facing imminent death, the Crown Prince followed the advice of his tutor Shi De, forged imperial credentials, executed Jiang Chong, and mobilized palace guards for self-defense. When Jiang Chong's collaborator Su Wen fled to Emperor Wu's summer palace at Ganquan and falsely alleged an armed rebellion by the Crown Prince, Emperor Wu dispatched an envoy who was too frightened to enter Chang'an and confirmed the rebellion. Enraged, Emperor Wu ordered Chancellor Liu Qumao to suppress the Crown Prince with full force, scolding him for hesitation. Liu Qumao hastily fled his official residence without even retrieving the prime ministerial seal. Rallying the garrison forces of the Northern Army and convicts from the Three Capital Districts, Liu Qumao proclaimed across Chang'an that the Crown Prince was in rebellion under imperial decree. The Crown Prince opened the state armory and armed thousands of Chang'an civilians. For five straight days and nights, brutal street fighting engulfed Chang'an, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties and streets flowing with blood. Supported by regular imperial reinforcements and decree endorsements, Liu Qumao ultimately overwhelmed the Crown Prince's forces. Crown Prince Liu Ju fled the capital and subsequently took his own life in Hu County, while Empress Wei Zifu committed suicide. Liu Qumao was praised by Emperor Wu for suppressing the crisis, solidifying his authority at court. ### Succession Plot and Death at the East Market In the second month of 90 BC, Emperor Wu restructured the executive leadership, splitting the premiership into Left and Right Chancellors, with Liu Qumao appointed Left Chancellor. In the third month, when the Xiongnu raided Jiuquan and Wuyuan, Emperor Wu appointed General Li Guangli to lead an army of 70,000 across the northern desert. Following the death of the Crown Prince, the imperial succession became a volatile question. General Li Guangli was the elder brother of the late Consort Li, who had borne Emperor Wu's son, Prince Bo of Changyi. Furthermore, Li Guangli's daughter was married to Liu Qumao's son, Liu Zong, forging a tight political and marital alliance. As Li Guangli marched toward the northern frontier, Liu Qumao escorted him to Wei Bridge. Li Guangli urged Liu Qumao: "I hope the Chancellor will soon petition to have the Prince of Changyi installed as Crown Prince. If he ascends the throne, your future prosperity will be secure forever!" Liu Qumao agreed to orchestrate the succession. However, palace intrigues soon caught up with them. In the fourth month of 90 BC, Palace Attendant Guo Rang secretly reported to Emperor Wu that Liu Qumao's wife, resentful of the Emperor's harshness, had employed shamans to perform witchcraft curses against Emperor Wu's life. Guo Rang further disclosed that Liu Qumao and Li Guangli had jointly offered sacrifices and prayers to the gods, seeking divine intervention to place Prince Bo on the throne. Haunted by the trauma of the Witchcraft Crisis, Emperor Wu was incensed by the revelations. The Commandant of Justice was ordered to interrogate the shamans and household servants, who quickly confessed under torture. Emperor Wu ordered the immediate arrest and condemnation of Liu Qumao for high treason and illicit witchcraft curses. In the sixth month of 90 BC, Liu Qumao was stripped of his titles, paraded through the capital in an open kitchen cart normally reserved for slaughter animals, and executed by waist-chopping at the East Market of Chang'an. His wife was beheaded at Huayang Street, and his entire clan was exterminated. Upon receiving news of the catastrophe on the northern front, Li Guangli launched a desperate offensive to redeem himself, suffered an ambush at Mount Yanran, and surrendered to the Xiongnu, after which his remaining relatives in Han territory were also put to death.

Major Activities

Suppression of the Chang'an Rebellion

During the Witchcraft Crisis in the autumn of 91 BC, Crown Prince Liu Ju executed the instigator Jiang Chong and mobilized troops. Commanded by Emperor Wu, Chancellor Liu Qumao gathered the Northern Army and suburban troops, engaging the Crown Prince's forces in five days of intense urban warfare in Chang'an, ultimately crushing the resistance and securing the capital for the Emperor. ### Split Chancellorship and Executive Leadership In early 90 BC, Emperor Wu divided the office into Left and Right Chancellors. Liu Qumao was appointed Left Chancellor, overseeing administrative affairs, coordination of palace secretariats, and logistics for major military deployments against the Xiongnu on the northwestern frontier. ### The Wei Bridge Plot and Political Fall In 90 BC, Liu Qumao secretly conspired with his relative by marriage, General Li Guangli, to engineer the succession of Prince Bo of Changyi. However, when the court eunuch Guo Rang uncovered evidence of shamanic curses against the Emperor, Liu Qumao was impeached for high treason and executed.

Personal Relations

• Father: Liu Sheng (Prince Jing of Zhongshan, son of Emperor Jing of Han)
• First Cousin Once Removed: Liu Che (Emperor Wu of Han, 7th Emperor of Western Han)
• Son: Liu Zong (married the daughter of General Li Guangli; executed in 90 BC)
• Daughter-in-law: Lady Li (daughter of General Li Guangli)
• In-Law: Li Guangli (General of Ershi, Marquis of Haixi; later surrendered to Xiongnu)
• Political Rival / Suppressed Subject: Liu Ju (Crown Prince Li, committed suicide during the crisis)

Historical Assessment

• Book of Han (Ban Gu): "Liu Qumao rose as an imperial scion, yet lacked exceptional statesmanship. Encountering the calamitous Witchcraft Crisis, he improvised to suppress disorder and rose to prime ministerial heights. Yet captivated by demonic shamans and colluding with maternal kin to manipulate imperial succession, his doom followed without delay—a calamity brought entirely upon himself."
• Zizhi Tongjian (Sima Guang): "Liu Qumao possessed mediocre talent, depending solely on imperial kinship for promotion. Suppressing rebellion was not through his wisdom, nor was plotting succession his rightful station. His execution at the East Market was the inevitable harvest of his misdeeds."
• Du Tongjian Lun (Wang Fuzhi): "In Emperor Wu's twilight years, suspicion ran wild and Jiang Chong slandered the heir. Liu Qumao mobilized armies to butcher in the market squares, slaughtering the Crown Prince to fulfill an imperial decree, utterly erasing familial bonds. His subsequent dismemberment at the East Market was heaven's retribution, entirely inescapable."