Liu Sheng (Chinese: 劉晟; 920–958), born Liu Hongxi (劉弘熙), possibly nicknamed Jun (雋),[5] also known by his temple name as the Emperor Zhongzong of (Southern) Han ((南)漢中宗), was the third emperor of the Southern Han dynasty of China during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
He succeeded his brother, Liu Bin (Emperor Shang), whom he had ordered assassinated to allow himself to take the throne.
Even though he was still within the mourning period for his father Liu Yan, he often drank and played music, and often took prostitutes on night out-of-palace excursions.
With the assistance of general Chen Daoxiang (陳道庠) and five others, Liu Hongxi had his older brother killed after an arm-wrestling match at the palace on 15 April 943.
He also put four of Chen's coconspirators to death, and forced the high-level official Wang Lin (王翷), whom he believed had supported Liu Hongchang's succession, to commit suicide.
"[9] (It was said that Liu Sheng's killing of his brothers was encouraged by and planned in conjunction with his trusted eunuch Lin Yanyu.
[11] In 950, Liu Sheng commissioned his ladies in waiting Lu Qiongxian (盧瓊仙) and Huang Qiongzhi (黃瓊之) as "female Shizhong" and had them officially participate in the governance of the state.
It was also said that by this point, prominent members of the imperial Liu clan and officials with past accomplishments had largely been executed, so eunuchs such as Lin Yanyu were very powerful.
[13] By 951, Chu, weakened by the internecine struggles between the Ma brothers, had fallen to its northeastern neighbor Southern Tang.
I have launched an army to head toward you by both water and land, and I will surely let you, Uncle Chancellor, always have a military command and always control territory.Ma Xiyin considered surrendering to Southern Han, but could not decide immediately.
Wu was thereafter able to take over not only Gui but the rest of Jingjiang, allowing Southern Han to possess all of the Lingnan region.
Later in the year, Liu further sent the generals Pan Chongche (潘崇徹) and Xie Guan (謝貫) to capture Chen Prefecture (郴州, in modern Chenzhou, Hunan) from Southern Tang.
When Liu Hongmiao reached Xiongwu, he tried to ward of suspicion by entrusting the governance to others, instead spending his days drinking and praying to the gods and the spirits.
There were nevertheless accusations of treason made against him, and Liu Sheng sent Lin Yanyu to Xiongwu to force him to commit suicide.