沛王刘辅 / Liu Fu, Pei King (Eastern Han)

Overview

沛王刘辅 / Liu Fu, Pei King is synthesized as 光武帝刘秀’s Guo-line son whose title path begins in the 41 CE soft landing after 郭圣通’s deposition. Hanji 719 has him made Zhongshan King as part of Guo-branch compensation; Hanji 722 gives the 44 CE re-enfeoffment from Zhongshan king to Pei king; Hanji 728 later shows how Liu Fu’s favor toward 寿光侯刘李 exposes private princely households as state-security problems.

Current Profile

Hanji 719 gives Liu Fu’s earliest current title layer. After Liu Xiu deposes Guo Shengtong and makes 阴丽华 empress, he makes Liu Fu Zhongshan King and expands the settlement around that title. In this episode, Liu Fu is part of a soft landing: Guo’s branch loses empress and succession centrality but receives royal status rather than destruction.

Hanji 722 gives the next title layer. In June 44 CE, Liu Xiu changes Liu Fu from Zhongshan king to Pei king. The source identifies him as Liu Xiu’s second son by the first empress, Guo Shengtong, and reads the move alongside Liu Xiu’s continued rewards to the Guo family after Guo’s deposition.

Hanji 728 gives Liu Fu a later prince-guest-risk profile. Liu Li, son of Liu Xuan and Shouguang Marquis, is favored by Liu Fu. Because Liu Li resents Liu Penzi, he gathers guests and kills Liu Penzi’s elder brother Liu Gong. Liu Xiu becomes furious, and Liu Fu is punished by being put in the imperial prison before being released three days later.

The source then places Liu Fu among the princes sent back to their fiefs after the broader guest purge. On August 19, 52 CE, Liu Qiang, Liu Fu, Liu Ying, Liu Kang, and Liu Yan each return to their fiefs. In this bounded evidence, Liu Fu matters as a Guo-line prince whose compensated status later still needs territorial distance and household control.

Key Characteristics

• Guo-line son whose first current title layer belongs to the 41 CE compensation after Guo Shengtong’s deposition.
• Eastern Han royal prince whose Pei title is explained by a 44 CE re-enfeoffment from Zhongshan.
• Son of Liu Xiu and the first empress Guo Shengtong in Hanji 722’s bounded account.
• Favors Liu Li, whose private guests kill Liu Gong.
• Punished by brief confinement in the imperial prison after Liu Xiu becomes angry.
• Returns to his fief after the national purge of princely guests.
• Distinct from later or same-pinyin Liu Fu figures outside this source.

Evidence

• Zhongshan title layer: Hanji 719 says Liu Fu is made Zhongshan King as part of the Guo-branch settlement after the deposition.
• Re-enfeoffment: Hanji 722 says Liu Xiu changes Liu Fu from Zhongshan king to Pei king on June 19, 44 CE.
• Guo-family background: Hanji 722 identifies Liu Fu as Liu Xiu’s second son by Guo Shengtong and places the re-enfeoffment in the wider Guo-family compensation branch.
• Favor connection: Hanji 728 says Liu Li is favored by Pei King Liu Fu.
• Violent guest consequence: Hanji 728 says Liu Li gathers guests and kills Liu Gong because of resentment toward Liu Penzi.
• Imperial punishment: Hanji 728 says Liu Fu is put in imperial prison and released after three days.
• Return to fief: Hanji 728 lists Liu Fu among the princes who return to their fiefs on August 19, 52 CE, after the guest disaster.

Qualifications

This page remains a bounded profile rather than a full Liu Fu biography. Hanji 719 explains his Zhongshan role in Guo’s 41 CE soft landing, while Hanji 722 explains why the durable route is Pei King. Hanji 728 does not prove Liu Fu personally ordered Liu Gong’s killing; it shows that Liu Fu’s favor toward Liu Li made his household politically exposed after Liu Li mobilized guests. Liu Fu remains distinct from 刘馥 / Liu Fu, late Han.

What Changed

• Added Hanji 719 as Liu Fu’s earliest current title layer in the Guo-branch compensation settlement.
• Preserved Hanji 722 as the later title-origin layer for Liu Fu’s Pei route.
• Preserved Hanji 728 as the later princely guest-risk layer.

Relationships

• 郭圣通 - mother-line figure whose deposition creates Liu Fu’s compensation title context.
• 光武帝刘秀 - emperor who makes Liu Fu Zhongshan King, later changes him to Pei King, imprisons him briefly, and sends princes back to fiefs.
• 东海王刘强 - Guo-line brother whose own compensation and later fief-distance profile parallels Liu Fu’s.
• 寿光侯刘李 - favored figure whose guest-backed killing exposes Liu Fu to punishment.
• 政治婚姻联盟折价 - upstream context for why Guo’s sons receive status compensation after the original alliance loses central value.
• 私人宾客网络风险 - Liu Fu’s household is a royal-prince case where private guests create security risk.
• 亲情名分边界 - related because Liu Fu’s case shows why royal affection and residence need public limits.