That year, he was commissioned the military governor (Jiedushi) of Wuning Circuit (武寧, headquartered in modern Xuzhou, Jiangsu).
Empress Dowager Li issued an edict naming Liu Yun the successor to the throne, and sent the senior official Feng Dao, along with other officials Zhao Shangjiao (趙上交) and Wang Du (王度) to Wuning's capital Xu Prefecture (徐州) to welcome him to the capital.
[3] (Feng, speculating that Guo did not really want to support Liu Yun to succeed to the throne, spoke to him, "Are you, Lord, acting sincerely?"
[3] By this time, Liu Yun had reached Song Prefecture (宋州, in modern Shangqiu, Henan), with the imperial guard general Zhang Lingchao (張令超) escorting him.
When Guo's allies at Kaifeng, Wang Jun and Wang Yin (王殷) heard of what happened at Chan, they sent the imperial guard general Guo Chongwei with 700 cavalry soldiers to Song, to stop Liu Yun from further advancing toward the capital.
When Guo Chongwei arrived at Song and displayed his soldiers outside the mansion where Liu Yun was housed, Liu Yun was surprised, and he closed the gates and ascended a tower, to inquire what Guo Chongwei was intending to do.
Guo Chongwei thereafter entered the mansion, and Liu Yun held his hands and wept.
Liu Yun's assistant Dong Yi (董裔) suggested to him:[3] I observed Guo Chongwei's eyes and gestures, and I believe he must be intending treachery.
For Your Imperial Majesty to continue to proceed deeper into his territory would surely bring disaster.
When Feng went to bid him goodbye, Liu Yun stated: "Why we had the confidence to come is that you, Lord, has been chancellor for 30 years, and therefore we do not suspect you.
Liu Yun's officer Jia Zhen (賈貞) gazed at Feng and considered killing him.
Guo Chongwei thereafter moved him to a side mansion, and killed several of his close associates, including Dong, Jia,[3] Liu Fu (劉福), and Xia Zhaodu (夏昭度).
[5] Shortly after, Empress Dowager Li issued an edict, demoting Liu Yun from the emperorship that he had not yet formally taken, to be the Duke of Xiangyin.
Guo wrote Liu Yun, asking him to encourage them to surrender, promising that they would not only be spared, but would be given prefectships.
Subsequently, Xu fell to the Later Zhou siege army, commanded by Wang Yanchao (王彥超), and Gong and Yang were killed; no reference was made to what happened with Consort Dong.