Liang Ji (梁冀) (died 9 September 159[1][2]), courtesy name Bozhuo (伯卓), was a Chinese military general and politician.
After his sister's death, Liang Ji was overthrown in a coup d'etat by Emperor Huan, with the support of the eunuch faction, in 159.
In 135, Emperor Shun made Liang Shang Grand Marshal (大將軍), over his own repeated objection.
He did, however, trust other capable and honest officials, and during his term of office, the political scene was a lot cleaner than before.
As Grand Marshal, Liang Ji gradually eliminated the opposition and consolidated his power, often through violent, illicit, or treacherous means.
Empress Dowager Liang appeared to be diligent in governing over the empire, and she trusted several key officials with integrity to advise her on important affairs.
In 147, for example, in conjunction with eunuchs Tang Heng (唐衡) and Zuo Guan (左悺), he falsely accused Li Gu and Prince Suan of a conspiracy to start a military rebellion.
Li, and another key official who opposed Liang Ji, Du Qiao (杜喬), were executed.
In April 150, Empress Dowager Liang died, shortly after she announced that she was returning imperial powers to Emperor Huan.
Both of them built luxurious mansions with huge gardens in the rear, and collected innumerable precious items.
Liang, further, forced commoners into slavery, and also falsely accused a large number of rich people of crimes, in order to execute them and confiscate their properties.
Liang Ji, apparently unsatisfied with his nearly limitless position, took a number of actions that were directly analogous to what Wang Mang had done prior to his usurpation of the Han throne—including ordering officials to recommend to Emperor Huan to enlarge his march to be as large as the Duke of Zhou; to grant him special dispensation, unprecedented since Xiao He, to walk slowly into the imperial meeting hall (by Han regulations, officials were required to trot into the imperial meeting hall), to carry his sword into the meeting hall, to keep his shoes on, and to have the master of ceremonies refer to him only by rank and title, not by name; to grant him rewards as great as those granted to Huo Guang; and for him to be seated above all other imperial officials.
A large number of officials were executed or deposed for close association with Liang—so many that the government was almost unable to function for some time.