[5] In 941, after Shi Jingtang overthrew Later Tang and established his state of Later Jin, Liu Zhiyuan acted as the military governor of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi).
They also issued an edict in his name making Liu Chengyou the Prince of Zhou and giving him the title of Chancellor (同中書門下平章事, Tong Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi).
Before Liu Zhiyuan died, he had sent the Imperial Guard general Wang Jingchong with an army to visit Jinchang (晉昌, headquartered in modern Xi'an, Shaanxi) and Fengxiang (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi) Circuits, then governed by Zhao Kuangzan (趙匡贊) and Hou Yi (侯益) respectively.
Liu Zhiyuan had given Wang secret instructions that if Zhao and Hou had already left for Kaifeng to pay homage to the emperor by the time that he arrived, then he was not to act against them.
[7] Hou was exceedingly rich, and on arriving in Kaifeng managed to repair his political situation by giving many gifts to the chancellors and to Shi Hongzhao.
When Wang Yi and the army reached Chang'an (capital of Jinchang, now renamed Yongxing (永興)), Zhao led the soldiers in mutiny and occupied the city.
The governing officials issued an edict moving Wang Shou'en (王守恩), the military governor of Jingnan Circuit (靜難, headquartered in modern Xianyang, Shaanxi) to Yongxing, and Zhao Hui (趙暉) the military governor of Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in Sanmenxia, Henan) to Fengxiang.
[8] Liu Chengyou's government sent a force to attack the three rebellious circuits, but it foundered due to conflicts among the commanding generals.
Guo, following the advice of a senior official, Feng Dao, decided to issue many material rewards to the imperial soldiers to earn their loyalty, in the hope of inducing them to forget about Li's past command over them.
His mother, Empress Dowager Li, tried to advise him against this behavior, but he ignored both her and the official Zhang Yuan (張遠), who gave him similar advice.
The northern circuits needed better coordination in their response, and Liu's officials decided to post an overall commander in the north to oversee the defenses.
Shi Hongzhao advocated for Guo to keep his chief of staff title even while serving as commander, so that his orders to the military governors would carry greater weight.
Later, when Guo was about to leave the capital, he went to see Liu Chengyou and said:[5] The Empress Dowager had long followed the deceased Emperor, and she has experienced many things.
As far as what happens on the battlefield, I, your subject, wish to expend all of my foolish and foolhardy efforts, hopefully being worthy of your service.Liu Chengyou thanked Guo, but the tension between the officials continued.
However, Shi misunderstood the comment, thinking that Su was satirizing his wife Lady Yan, who was once a prostitute working in a drinking hall.
When Liu Chengyou heard of this, he sent the director of palace affairs, Wang Jun, to try to moderate between Su and Shi, but he could not repair the relationship.
Su considered requesting an assignment as a circuit military governor, but then decided that if he left the capital, Shi could easily destroy him.
[5] By winter 950, the imperial government was considered well-run under Yang's leadership, and Shi's oversight of the capital made it safe for the public.
However, Liu Chengyou was tired of the control his senior officials had over his government, partly because he was unable to offer powerful positions to his close associates and relatives of the empress dowager.
Both Liu Chengyou and Empress Dowager Li were supportive of this, but Yang and Shi considered the promotion inappropriate as he lacked seniority.
When Empress Dowager Li tried to intervene again, Liu Chengyou responded angrily, saying "The matters of state cannot be decided in the halls of a woman!
"[5] On December 24, 950,[2][5] as the imperial officials were arriving at the palace for a gathering, soldiers appeared and killed Yang, Shi, and Wang Zhang.
Liu Chengyou subsequently accused the dead men of treason, and told the chancellors and the other officials "Yang Bin and the others viewed us as a young child.
[5] In addition, he sent his attendant Meng Ye (孟業) to deliver secret edicts to Chan Prefecture (澶州, Zhenning's capital) and Yedu, ordering Zhenning's military governor Li Hongyi (李洪義, Empress Dowager Li's younger brother) to kill Shi's most trusted Imperial Guard general, Wang Yin (王殷), who was stationed there.
Li Ye also ordered Liu Zhu (劉銖), later the acting mayor of Kaifeng, to slaughter the families of Guo Wei and Wang Jun.
The generals wept and encouraged him to resist, using the rationale that he should clear Liu Chengyou's court of evil people rather than suffer an unjust death.
Liu Chengyou therefore planned to engage Guo's army, but sent Hou, Wu Qianyu (吳虔裕), the defender of Zheng Prefecture (鄭州, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan), and Zhang Yanchao (張彥超) the former military governor of Baoda Circuit (保大, headquartered in modern Yan'an, Shaanxi), with an army to head toward Chan.
Murong abandoned the imperial army and fled back to Taining's capital Yan Prefecture (兗州) with only a handful of his guards.
The Zizhi Tongjian states that he was killed by soldiers in the confusion and that when he died, Su Fengji, Yan Jinqing, and Guo Yunming all committed suicide.
[5] The Old History of the Five Dynasties states that Guo Yunming, knowing that the cause was lost, killed him (possibly at his request) and then committed suicide with Su Fengji.