Contents
Biography & Historical Record
Liu Xuan, courtesy name Wenheng, was the Crown Prince and designated heir apparent of the Shu Han state during the late Three Kingdoms period. Born in 224 AD in Chengdu, he was the eldest son of the Second Emperor Liu Shan (Emperor Huai) and Consort Wang. At the age of fifteen in 238 AD, Liu Xuan was formally invested as Crown Prince by imperial decree, receiving a comprehensive classical education under senior ministers Fei Yi, Dong Yun, and Qiao Zhou.
Liu Xuan was widely regarded by contemporaries as studious, polite, and devoted to Confucian propriety. Following the surrender of Chengdu to Deng Ai in late 263 AD, Liu Xuan remained in the capital while preparations were made to relocate the imperial household to Luoyang. In early 264 AD, during the chaotic mutiny of Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei’s rebellion against Wei general Deng Ai, the Wei troops mutinied in the streets of Chengdu; Liu Xuan was tragically killed in the crossfire alongside Jiang Wei and Guan Yi, marking the poignant end of the Shu Han imperial succession.
Role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
In Luo Guanzhong’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Crown Prince Liu Xuan appears during the court chapters of Shu Han and the climactic, tragic final days of the dynasty in Chengdu.
“In the spring of the first year of Yanxi, the Second Emperor invested his eldest son Liu Xuan as Crown Prince, granting a general amnesty across the Riverlands. Yet when the mountains of Yinping were crossed, dynastic destiny could not be stayed by youth or virtue.”
Liu Xuan (刘璿) — Historical Timeline
Key Relationships
Family
- Father Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện): Father; second emperor of Shu Han who surrendered Chengdu to protect his people.
- Grandfather Liu Bei (刘备, Lưu Bị): Grandfather; founding Emperor Zhaolie of Shu Han.
- Brother Liu Chen (刘谌, Lưu Thầm): Younger brother; Prince of Beidi who heroically committed suicide in the ancestral temple rather than surrender.
- Brother Liu Qian (刘虔, Lưu Kiền): Younger brother; Prince of Shangdang who relocated to Luoyang.
Friends
- Jiang Wei (姜维, Khương Duy): Grand General of Shu Han who attempted a final desperate rebellion with Zhong Hui to restore the House of Liu.
- Fei Yi (费祎, Phí Y): Grand tutor and chancellor who guided Liu Xuan’s early administrative education.
Enemies
- Deng Ai (邓艾, Đặng Ngải): Wei grand general who scaled the Yinping mountains, defeated Zhuge Zhan at Mianzhu, and forced the capitulation of Chengdu.
- Zhong Hui (钟会, Chung Hội): Wei commander whose reckless uprising and subsequent soldier mutiny caused Liu Xuan’s death in Chengdu.
Other
- Qiao Zhou (谯周, Tiêu Chu): Senior scholar and imperial counselor who advised the peaceful surrender of Chengdu.
In Novel
Chapter 102 (The Yanxi Reign & Imperial Heir Investiture)
- Liu Xuan (刘璿, Lưu Toàn): Invested as Crown Prince of Shu Han in Chengdu, surrounded by the loyal ministers who sustained Zhuge Liang’s legacy across the Riverlands.
Chapter 119 (Mutiny in Chengdu & The Death of Jiang Wei)
- Liu Xuan (刘璿, Lưu Toàn): Slain in the street skirmishes of Chengdu during the soldiers’ rebellion against Zhong Hui, dying alongside the last valiant defenders of the Han state.
In History
Summary
- Liu Xuan (刘璿, Lưu Toàn) (224–264 AD), courtesy name Wenheng (文衡, Văn Hành), was the Crown Prince of Shu Han; eldest son of the Second Emperor Liu Shan (刘禅, Lưu Thiện).
Year: 238 AD
- Invested as Crown Prince at age fifteen, studying under Fei Yi and renowned Confucian scholars of the Shu capital.
Year: 264 AD
- Killed during the chaotic street fighting in Chengdu following the failed coup of Zhong Hui and Jiang Wei.
Historical Record
- Sanguozhi (三国志), Volume 34 (Biographies of the Heirs of Liu Shan): Detailed account of his investiture, gentle character, and death in the Chengdu mutiny.
- Huayang Guo Zhi (华阳国志), Volume 7: Records the civilian casualties and imperial deaths during the Wei soldiers’ insurrection.