He is also known as the Prince of Kuaiji or (less frequently) Marquis of Houguan (候官侯), which were his successive titles after he was deposed in November 258 by the regent Sun Chen and is sometimes known as the Young Emperor.
[28] In 255 Sun Lin sought to intervene in a rebellion by the Wei generals Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin against the Wei controller Sima Shi, but though they would take in Wen Qin, Sun Jun withdrew after Sima Shi quickly put down the rebellion.
[25] Sun Jun's death would not bring an end to the court intrigue, as the northern families would continue to be forced out by southern magnates.
Sun Chen seeing off some powerful opponents, including senior minister Teng Yin and the General Lü Ju,[31] within the court and become extremely arrogant.
[32] Wu did have to send an envoy Diao Xuan (刁玄) to their allies Shu-Han to explain the recent troubles at court[33] In 257, at the age of 14, Sun Liang began to personally handle some important matters of state.
In the Wuli, by contemporary Hu Chong who served Wu and had access to the imperial archives,[39] tells of Sun Liang asking for honey to go with his plums but when it was brought to him, there were rat droppings in it.
Sun Liang interrogated the eunuch assigned to bring the honey and the official in charge of managing the storehouse, both denied responsibility.
Rather than have them both arrested and a full investigation start, the young Emperor broke open the droppings and, on seeing they were dry inside, knew they had only recently been added, and it was the eunuch to blame.
[40] Liu Song historian Pei Songzhi notes that had the eunuch added feces to the honey then it would have got wet anyway so the story isn't realistic but to display Sun Liang's intelligence.
Zhuge Dan's rebellion failed in 258 with a major opportunity lost,[25] and the Eastern Wu forces suffered a series of setbacks, the famed general Zhu Yi was executed by Sun Chen after retreating when supplies ran out,[45] members of Quan clan surrendered to Sima Zhao[46] and Wen Qin was executed by Zhuge Dan.
[49] Sun Liang was not happy with his overpowerful minister's handling of the campaign, disrespectful attitude, refusing to follow orders or answer summons.
[56][57] During the evening of 9 November 258,[58] Sun Chen moved quickly, his men captured Quan Shang and killed Liu Cheng and by daybreak, the regent had the palace surrounded.
Of seizing women for his harem and men for his guard core who became unruly with armaments destroyed, creating fear by such actions and the inappropriate killing of the Zhu brothers.
He also accused Sun Liang of ignoring warnings that Quan Shang was in the service of the rival Cao Wei dynasty.
[71] After the civil war, during the Taikang era (280-289) of the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, the former Minister Zai Yong buried Sun Liang.
[75] Sun Liang appears in two scenes during the Records of the Three Kingdoms in Plain Language, a work published in the 13th century, as part of a series of historical fiction.
Following his removal from the throne, he gets a poem bemoaning the unjust removal of a wise lord while the editor Mao Zonggang notes the parallel of Sun Liang's fall due to the in-laws with Han Emperor Xian's failed Girdle Decree plot against his controller Cao Cao.