During Huang Chao's rebellion, Zhu Jian left his home area and became a subordinate of Bo Kui (柏夔) the defender of Mianchi Base (澠池鎮, in modern Sanmenxia, Henan).
Even the officer Li Fan (李璠), whom Wang favored and often depended on, could not escape severe caning for minor faults.
[3] In 899, Li started a mutiny and killed Wang Gong, and the soldiers supported him to be acting military governor.
After Emperor Zhaozong was forcibly taken by the powerful eunuchs to Fengxiang Circuit (鳳翔, headquartered in modern Baoji, Shaanxi), which was then ruled by the eunuchs' ally Li Maozhen, in 901, Zhu Quanzhong, who was allied with the chancellor Cui Yin and was trying to take Emperor Zhaozong back from the eunuchs' and Li Maozhen's control,[6] was frequently traveling through Baoyi Circuit to deal with the campaign and was treated with respect by Zhu Jian.
Subsequently, after Emperor Zhaozong's arrival in Luoyang, Zhu Jian was given the greater honorary chancellor title of acting Shizhong (侍中).
[9] Emperor Taizu moved Zhu Youqian to the more prosperous Huguo Circuit as military governor and also gave him the title of acting Taiwei (太尉, one of the Three Excellencies).
He was eventually also given the greater honorary chancellor title of Zhongshu Ling (中書令) and created the Prince of Ji.
Emperor Taizu agreed, and carved those two prefectures out of Huguo and making them, in addition to Qin Prefecture (沁州, in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), into a new Dingchang Circuit (定昌), making Hua Wenqi (華溫琪) the prefect of Jin its military governor (to reward Hua for his having earlier been successful in repelling a Jin attack).
Kang and Niu Cunjie (牛存節) the military governor of Zhongwu Circuit (忠武, headquartered in modern Weinan as well) subsequently launched an intense siege on Huguo's capital Hezhong Municipality (河中).
[11] It was said that as Zhu slept, Li Cunxu looked at him and commented, "The Prince of Ji truly has an honored physique, except for his arms being short.
[5] (Despite this continued relationship, however, Huguo troops (along with troops from Zhenguo, Ganhua, and Zhongwu Circuits) participated in a surprise attack that the Later Liang general Wang Tan (王檀) launched on the Jin capital Taiyuan in 916 while the main Jin strength under Li Cunxu was battling Later Liang forces under Liu Xun to the east, which nearly captured Taiyuan before being repelled.
)[12] In 920, Zhu Youqian launched a surprise attack on Zhongwu Circuit's capital Tong Prefecture (同州), expelling its military governor Cheng Quanhui (程全暉).
[13] Zhu Zhen reacted by ordering Liu Xun, assisted by other generals Yin Hao (尹皓), Wen Zhaotu (溫昭圖), and Duan Ning, to attack Tong Prefecture.
Zhu Youqian, however, responded:[13] In the past, the Prince of Jin personally came to attend to our emergency, lighting candles to fight in the dark.
[13] Li Cunxu, meanwhile, created Zhu Youqian the Prince of Xiping and gave him the title of acting Taiwei.
Zhu Zhen, caught by surprise and believing that defeat was inevitable, committed suicide, ending Later Liang.
"[3] Li Jilin subsequently requested that Ci (慈州) and Xi (隰州, both in modern Linfen, Shanxi), which had previously belonged to Huguo, be returned to him.
Later in the year, Emperor Zhuangzong also granted Li Jilin an iron certificate — a guarantee that he would not be put to death even if he committed death-punishable crimes — and made both Zhu Lingde and another son, Zhu Lingxi (朱令錫), military governors; further, all of Li Jilin's sons, as long as they were old enough to wear official uniforms, were given official titles.
Emperor Zhuangzong's favorite performer Jing Jin (景進) and the eunuchs used the opportunity to falsely accuse Li Jilin of preparing to rise against Emperor Zhuangzong and being in league with Guo (whom the performers and eunuchs were also falsely accusing of treason and planning to secede with the Former Shu territory).
Emperor Zhuangzong therefore issued an order moving Li Jilin from Huguo to Yicheng Circuit (義成, headquartered in modern Anyang, Henan), but that night, had his guard commander Zhu Shouyin surround Li Jilin at his mansion, chase him out of Hui'an Gate (徽安門) and kill him outside the gate.
Then, he sent Li Shaoqi (李紹奇) the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Jiaozuo, Henan) to Hezhong to slaughter Zhu Youqian's family.