Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, was the middle son of Emperor Wen of Han. His birth mother was Empress Dowager Dou. When Emperor Wen was in charge of the state of Dai, his previous queen had three sons. After Empress Dowager Dou gained favor, the former queen passed away, and her three sons also died one by one, allowing Emperor Jing to inherit the throne.
In the first year of the Yuan era (156 BCE), on the day of Yi Mao in April, a general amnesty was declared throughout the empire. On the day of Yi Si, every household’s head was granted an elevation in rank. In May, an edict was issued to reduce land rents by half. Emperor Wen’s ancestral temple was built, and officials were instructed not to attend the ceremony or pay tribute. That year, the Xiongnu invaded the Dai region, and the court reached an agreement with them for a peace marriage.
In the second year (155 BCE), during the spring, the grandson of former Chancellor Xiao He, Xiao Xi, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wuling. A decree was issued that all men at the age of twenty would be listed for labor service. In April, Empress Dowager Bo, the mother of Emperor Wen, passed away. Emperor Jing’s sons, Prince Guangchuan Liu Pengzu and Prince Changsha Liu Fa, returned to their respective fiefdoms. Chancellor Shentu Jia died. In August, Marquis Tao Qing of Kaifeng was appointed Chancellor. A comet appeared in the northeastern sky. In the autumn, hail fell in the Hengshan region, with the largest hailstones having a diameter of five inches and the deepest reaching two feet. Mars moved in reverse towards the North Star. The Moon passed through the sky of the North Star. Jupiter moved in reverse through the Taiwei region. A decree was issued to establish three new counties, Naling, Neishi, and Duixu.
In the third year (154 BCE), on the day of Yi Si in the first month, another general amnesty was declared. A meteor appeared in the west. A heavenly fire destroyed the Eastern Palace hall and the city walls of Luoyang. Kings Liu Bi of Wu, Liu Wu of Chu, Liu Sui of Zhao, Liu Ang of Jiaoxi, Liu Biguang of Jinan, Liu Xian of Zichuan, and Liu Xiongqu of Jiaodong rebelled and marched westward. Emperor Jing, in order to pacify the rebellious feudal lords, executed Chao Chuo and sent Yuan Ang to announce the rebellion to the seven kingdoms, but the rebels did not stop and continued their march westward, surrounding the Kingdom of Liang. Emperor Jing then sent General Dou Ying and Grand Chancellor Zhou Yafu to quell the rebellion. The revolt was suppressed. On the day of Yi Hai in June, a decree was issued to pardon the scattered fugitive rebels, including Liu Yi, the son of King Chu Yuan, who had participated in the conspiracy. General Dou Ying was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wei Qi. Liu Li, the son of King Chu Yuan, was made the King of Chu. Emperor Jing’s sons Liu Duan and Liu Sheng were made the Kings of Jiaoxi and Zhongshan, respectively. Liu Zhi was re-enfeoffed as the King of Zichuan, Liu Yu as the King of Lu, and Liu Fei as the King of Jiangdu. Kings Liu Jianglu of Qi and Liu Jia of Yan both passed away.
In the fourth year (153 BCE), during the summer, the Crown Prince was established. Liu Che, Emperor Jing’s son, was made the King of Jiaodong. On the day of Jia Xu in June, a general amnesty was declared. In the intercalary ninth month, the name of Yiyang was changed to Yangling. New checkpoints were established on major land and water routes, and only those with valid passes were allowed to enter. In winter, the state of Zhao was reorganized into the Handan Commandery.
In the fifth year (152 BCE), in March, construction of Yangling and Weiqiao was initiated. In May, 200,000 coins were allocated to recruit people to move to Yangling. A storm from the west hit Jiangdu, damaging a 12-zhang section of the city wall. On the day of Ding Mao, Emperor Jing made his sister, the Princess,’s son Chen Miao the Marquis of Longlu. Liu Pengzu, the Prince of Guangchuan, was re-enfeoffed as the King of Zhao.
In the sixth year (151 BCE), during the spring, the middle officer Wei Wan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Jianling, and Jiangdu’s chancellor Cheng Jia as the Marquis of Jianping. The governor of Longxi, Gong Hunxie, was made the Marquis of Pingqu, the chancellor of Zhao, Su Jia, as the Marquis of Jiangling, and the former general Luan Bu was made a marquis. Kings of Liang and Chu both passed away. In the intercalary ninth month, the trees along the royal roads were chopped down, and the Lan Pool was filled in.
In the seventh year (150 BCE), during the winter, Crown Prince Liu Rong was deposed and made the Prince of Linjiang. On the last day of November, a solar eclipse occurred. During the spring, the prisoners and slaves who had worked on the construction of Yangling were pardoned and released. Chancellor Tao Qing was removed from office. On the day of Yi Si in February, Grand Chancellor Zhou Yafu was appointed as Chancellor. On the day of Ding Si in April, the mother of the King of Jiaodong was made Empress, and Liu Che, the King of Jiaodong, was made Crown Prince.
In the first year of the Zhongyuan era (149 BCE), the grandson of former Grand Inspector Zhou Ke, Zhou Ping, was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Sheng, and the grandson of former Grand Inspector Zhou Chang, Zhou Zuo, was made the Marquis of Anyang. On the day of Yi Si in April, a general amnesty was declared, and every household head was granted an elevation in rank. Laws were abolished that prohibited merchants and sons-in-law from holding office, and those who had committed crimes were also banned from re-entering government service. An earthquake occurred. Hail fell in Hengshan and Yuandu, with the largest hailstones reaching a diameter of 18 inches.
In the second year of the Zhongyuan era (148 BCE), in February, the Xiongnu invaded the Yan region, and the court terminated the peace marriage agreement with them. In March, an order was issued to summon the Prince of Linjiang Liu Rong to the capital to answer for his crimes. Liu Rong, fearing punishment, committed suicide at the residence of the middle officer Zhi Du. During the summer, Crown Prince Liu Yue was made the Prince of Guangchuan, and Liu Ji was made the Prince of Jiaodong. Four new marquises were appointed. On the day of Jia Xu in September, a solar eclipse occurred.