生平

立为太子

刘子业于元嘉二十六年正月十七日（449年2月25日）出生，四年后就发生了太子刘劭弑宋文帝夺位的事件，因为孝武帝起兵讨伐刘劭，刘子业被刘劭囚于侍中下省。同年，孝武帝即位，于翌年孝建元年（454年）立了子业为皇太子。不过，子业一直居于永福省，在大明二年（458年）才出居东宫。子业在东宫多有犯错，而孝武帝亦宠爱殷淑仪以及和她生下的皇子刘子鸾，于是一度有了废子业，立子鸾的想法，但时为侍中的袁顗称赞子业好学，天天进步，终也保住了其太子之位。

诛杀大臣

大明八年闰五月廿三日（464年7月12日），孝武帝去世，同日子业以皇太子继位，是为宋前废帝。孝武帝死前指定了江夏王刘义恭、柳元景、颜师伯、沈庆之及王玄谟五人为顾命大臣，分掌朝事以及军旅之事。不过，前废帝即位后朝事其实仍继续由孝武帝宠臣越骑校尉戴法兴及中书通事舍人巢尚之掌握，义恭等虽录尚书事仍只守空名。前废帝即位后不久获尊为皇太后的生母王宪嫄病重，遂派人召废帝前来，但废帝却说：「病人房间里有很多鬼，太可怕了，这怎么能去呢？」竟拒绝探望母亲，不久太后便过世。而前废帝的命令和活动此时亦受戴法兴所约束，意愿常常被法兴压下，法兴甚至多次对废帝说：「你这样的作为，想成为营阳王吗？」这令废帝很不满，于是与痛恨戴法兴的宦官华愿儿勾结诬陷法兴，终于永光元年八月初一（465年9月6日）赐死了戴法兴。

前废帝又为了削弱时任尚书仆射的颜师伯的权力，故意重设左右仆射，以王彧为右仆射，更加夺其兼丹阳尹之职，令师伯深感不安。而前废帝日渐显露的狂悖行径亦令柳元景、刘义恭等人十分忧心，于是义恭与元景、师伯等人密谋废帝而立义恭，但久未有决定，又尝试寻求沈庆之支持，但庆之却向废帝告发。永光元年八月十三日（465年9月18日），废帝亲领禁军宿卫去搜捕柳元景，就地将其杀害；又领兵到义恭府第杀害义恭，更下令肢解义恭，甚至将义恭眼晴挖出来浸在蜜糖中，称之为「鬼目粽」。二人皆被夷灭三族，颜师伯、刘德愿等亦被诛杀。

沈庆之因与义恭并不亲厚，又与师伯有私憾，遂告发了图谋，废帝亦以沈庆之为太尉以褒赏他。袁顗当日在孝武帝面前保废帝太子之位，废帝本亦感其恩德，加上沈庆之亦念在袁顗提拔之恩，袁顗遂得以在义恭等人被杀后入为吏部尚书，与庆之、徐爰领选事。然而，很快袁顗就因不合废帝心意而获罪，白衣领职，袁顗在恐惧之下自求外任，终获授雍州刺史，远赴襄阳《宋书·袁顗传》。而留在朝中的沈庆之尽心对废帝的荒唐行为作出规劝，也令废帝很不满。废帝后来将姑姑新蔡公主刘英媚纳于后宫，向外谎称她是谢贵嫔，宣称公主已死并以一个婢女的尸体冒充，送到公主丈夫何迈那里供治丧用。何迈本亦已受猜忌，早有废立的准备，打算趁废帝出游时下手，但图谋外泄，景和元年十一月，何迈又遭废帝亲自领兵诛杀。杀何迈前，废帝深知沈庆之一定会来反对，于是命人封锁清豁诸桥以阻止其前来，年已八十的庆之无法晋见后回府，废帝及后派了与庆之有过节的沈攸之送药赐死他。

逼害宗室

新安王刘子鸾一度危及废帝太子之位，废帝在诛除义恭等人后开始对其进行报复，景和元年九月十一日（465年10月16日），就下令赐死子鸾，同为殷淑仪所生的十二皇女以及刘子师都一同被赐死，并开挖殷淑仪的墓穴，又怪罪写了《宋孝武宣贵妃诔》的谢庄，甚至想掘开父亲陵墓景宁陵，只因太史劝阻而不成事，不过仍然用粪便弄污陵墓《南史·卷二》：「帝自以为昔在东宫，不为孝武所爱，及即位，将掘景宁陵，太史言于帝不利而止。乃纵粪于陵，肆骂孝武帝为『齇奴」。』」。另一方面，前废帝亦忌惮一众叔父威胁他的地位，其中九叔义阳王刘昶早在孝武一朝就有谋反的传言，到废帝在位年间就更盛，废帝亦常对旁人称他即位以来未试过戒严，有所不快。刘昶在义恭等人被杀后上表入朝，废帝就向陪使者入都的刘昶典签籧法生宣称刘昶与义恭合谋反叛，入朝正好，但又斥责法生没有通报刘昶谋反的讯息。法生闻言恐惧，于是立即逃到彭城告知刘昶，而废帝就以此为由北讨，于九月己酉亲征彭城，并宣布内外戒严。刘昶试图起兵抵抗但无人支持，只好逃到北魏《宋书·文九王·刘昶传》：「昶轻訬褊急，不能祗事世祖，大明中常被嫌责，民间喧然，常云昶当有异志。永光、景和中，此声转甚。废帝既诛群公，弥纵狂悖，常语左右曰：『我即大位来，遂未尝戒严，使人邑邑。』江夏王义恭诛后，昶表入朝，袥典签籧法生衔使，帝谓法生曰：『义阳与太宰谋反，我正欲讨之，今知求还，甚善。』又屡诘问法生：『义阳谋反，何故不啓？』法生惧祸，叛走还彭城。帝因此北讨，亲率众过江。法生既至，昶即聚众起兵。纳内诸郡，并不受命，斩昶使。将佐文武，悉怀异心。昶知其不捷，乃夜与数十骑开门北奔索虏。」《宋书·前废帝纪》：「九月己酉，车驾讨征北将军、徐州刺史义阳王昶，内外戒严。昶奔于索虏。」。

剩下诸叔，废帝将他们囚于殿内殴打欺凌，其中他最忌惮较年长的十一叔湘东王刘彧、十二叔建安王刘休仁及十三叔山阳王刘休佑，因他们都很肥壮而命人用竹笼载著他们量度体重，最重的刘彧被称为「猪王」，休仁及休佑分别获得「杀王」及「贼王」之号，并时常命他们随行左右。才能差劣的八叔东海王刘褘也被称为「驴王」，只有年纪尚轻的桂阳王刘休范及巴陵王刘休若过得好点。废帝曾经脱光刘彧，将他放到坑中，并将饭菜都倒在木槽中混合，让坑中的刘彧像猪一样到木槽进食，以作娱乐；又常想杀害三王，但因刘休仁用其计策取悦废帝，废帝将就一直没有杀他们。不过，废帝却屡次逼奸宫中妃主，例如命身边官员侍从当著休仁面前逼奸休仁生母杨太妃《宋书·文九王·刘休仁传》：「时废帝狂悖无道，诛害群公，忌惮诸父，并囚之殿内，殴捶凌曳，无复人理。休仁及太宗、山阳王休佑，形体并肥壮，帝乃以竹笼盛而称之，以太宗尤肥，号为『猪王』，号休仁为『杀王』，休佑为『贼王』。以三王年长，尤所畏惮，故常录以自近，不离左右。东海王禕凡劣，号为『驴王』，桂阳王休范、巴陵王休若年少，故并得从容。尝以木槽盛饭，内诸杂食，搅令和合，掘地为坑穽，实之以泥水，裸太宗内坑中，和槽食置前，令太宗以口就槽中食，用之为欢笑。欲害太宗及休仁、休佑前后以十数，休仁多计数，每以笑调佞谀悦之，故得推迁。常于休仁前使左右淫逼休仁所生杨太妃，左右并不得已顺命，以至右衞将军刘道隆，道隆欢以奉旨，尽诸丑状。」，又曾威逼南平王妃江氏就范，在她坚拒后杀掉她的三个儿子南平王刘敬猷、庐阳王刘敬先及南安县侯刘敬渊。因著文帝及孝武帝在兄弟中皆排名第三，得入继帝位，废帝对三弟晋安王刘子勋亦很猜忌，而何迈的废立图谋都是以子勋取代废帝。何迈失败后，废帝乘此指控子勋与何迈谋反，派了使者赐死子勋，以邓琬为首的子勋属官们最终决定起兵抗命，在十一月十九日于寻阳宣布戒严。

遇刺身死

前废帝表现无道，蔡兴宗更曾经向在军中有威望的沈庆之及王玄谟明言起事推翻废帝，又曾向掌禁军的右衞将军刘道隆暗示，但都遭对方拒绝。相反，前废帝以美女财帛等东西赐给宗越、谭金、童太一及沈攸之等将领，让他们甘心为前废帝服务，为其爪牙。而湘东世子师阮佃夫见刘彧被囚于殿内，常面临被杀危机，就与王道隆、李道儿、禁中将领柳光世等人以及淳于文祖、缪方盛等前废帝身边近臣密谋废立。景和元年十一月二十九日，前废帝打算出巡荆湘二州，并欲在出发前将刘彧等三王杀害《宋书·文九王·刘休仁传》：「帝将南游荆湘二州，明旦欲杀诸父便发。其夕，太宗克定祸难，殒帝于华林园」，阮佃夫在前废帝早上出华林园时将图谋密告主衣寿寂之、细铠主姜产之等人，获得响应，其中防守华林閤的队主樊僧整也加入。当晚入夜后，废帝在竹林堂前与巫师射鬼，寿寂之就领著姜产之等人冲进去行刺废帝，废帝见寂之冲过来就用箭射他，但没有命中，于是逃跑，但被寂之追上，被杀，得年十七岁。

性格特徵

史载前废帝幼而狷急，故任太子期间屡遭孝武帝指责，如孝武帝西巡时命废帝参侍侯起居，就因为字迹差而被骂，甚至被孝武帝指他「素都懈怠，狷戾日甚，何以固乃尔邪！」废帝即位后初亦受制于戴法兴等人，但自法兴等被杀后，就没有人敢阻遏废帝行事，很多大臣都被打，人心骚动。

废帝虽然多有猜忌逼害宗室的举动，但对于同胞所生的刘子尚及山阴公主刘楚玉却相当亲近，经常一同行动，子尚性情亦有如废帝那样。废帝曾应公主的要求赐其面首三十，并命当时的美男子尚书吏部郎褚渊侍候公主十天。

不过废帝年轻时都有好学一面，故也对古事有一定认识，所作的《世祖诔》及一些杂篇都不乏有文采的地方，又曾仿效曹操设立发丘中郎将及摸金校尉两职。

逸事

• 废帝在母亲病重时不肯探望，母亲死后却在其梦中出现，并说：「汝不仁不孝，本无人君之相，子尚愚悖如此，亦非运祚所及。孝武险虐灭道，怨结人神，儿子虽多，并无天命；大命所归，应还文帝之子。」

• 废帝曾在华林园竹林堂命宫女们裸身追逐以供自己取乐，其中一名宫女不肯，废帝就杀了她。不久，废帝却梦见后堂有一女子骂他，废帝醒来后大怒，遂命人在宫中找出一个和梦中女子相貌相似的宫人，又将她杀死。就在当晚，这个宫人就在废帝梦中出现，说已经将被枉杀的事告知上帝。后巫师宣称竹林堂有鬼，才有废帝前往射鬼，遭寿寂之刺杀的事。

家庭

家世

叔父

宋明帝刘彧

后妃

• 何妃 何令婉，后追諡献皇后

• 路皇后，太皇太后路惠男之弟路道庆之女

• 刘英媚，刘子业之姑母

• 谢贵嫔

• 羊良娣

• 袁保林

子女

• 一子未命名，可能实为刘蒙之子

Background

Liu Ziye was born in 449, when his father Liu Jun was still the Prince of Wuling under his grandfather Emperor Wen. His mother Princess Wang Xianyuan was Liu Jun's wife. While his father was rotated through several provincial governorships, Liu Ziye remained at the capital Jiankang, and was imprisoned by his uncle Liu Shao after Liu Shao assassinated Emperor Wen and assumed the throne himself in 453 and Liu Jun rose to oppose him. Liu Shao considered executing Liu Ziye but did not do so. After Liu Jun defeated and killed Liu Shao later that year and took the throne as Emperor Xiaowu, Liu Ziye was rescued out of captivity, and in 454 was created crown prince.

In 456, Emperor Xiaowu married He Lingwan (何令婉), the daughter of his official He Yu (何瑀), to Liu Ziye as crown princess. In 458, Emperor Xiaowu set up a household for Crown Prince Ziye, at a separate palace as was customary for crown princes. In 460, he gave a public reading of the Xiao Jing, and in 463 he assumed adult clothing. During his years as a crown prince, he was said to be constantly making mistakes and often drew rebukes from Emperor Xiaowu, causing him to be resentful to both Emperor Xiaowu and his younger brother Liu Ziluan the Prince of Xin'an, whom Emperor Xiaowu at times considered replacing Liu Ziye with. However, the official Yuan Yi (袁顗) praised him for his studiousness, and this stopped Emperor Xiaowu from the idea of replacing Liu Ziye with Liu Ziluan. In 461, Crown Princess He died.

In 464, Emperor Xiaowu died, and Liu Ziye took the throne as Emperor Qianfei. When the official Cai Xingzong (蔡兴宗) offered the imperial seal to him, he took it with an arrogant and careless attitude, without any expression of sadness, and Cai commented to others that this was a bad sign for his reign. He honored his grandmother Empress Dowager Lu as grand empress dowager, and his mother Empress Wang as empress dowager. He also posthumously honored Crown Princess He as an empress.

Reign

Upon assuming the throne, apparently because of his resentment toward his father Emperor Xiaowu, the new emperor immediately ordered that all of Emperor Xiaowu's changes to the laws established during his grandfather Emperor Wen's reign be rescinded. Another sign of his resentment toward Emperor Xiaowu could be seen in that after he commissioned new imperial portraits for the ancestral temples, he went to look at them. Upon seeing the founder (his great-grandfather) Emperor Wu's portrait, he commented, "He was a great hero who captured several emperors." Upon seeing Emperor Wen's portrait, he commented, "He was also pretty good, but it was unfortunate he lost his head to his son." Upon seeing Emperor Xiaowu's portrait, he, displeased, made the comment, "He had such a big nose from overdrinking. Where was the nose?" and he ordered that the portrait be redrawn to exaggerate Emperor Xiaowu's nose.

Late in 464, Empress Dowager Wang grew extremely ill, and she summoned Emperor Qianfei to see her. He refused, stating that in sick people's rooms there would be ghosts, and he could not go. In anger, she told her servant girls: "Bring a sword and cut me open, to see how it is this animal came out of me!" She soon died.

In the imperial administration, his granduncle Liu Yigong the Prince of Jiangxia was the highest-ranked official, and other high-level officials included Yan Shibo (顔师伯) and Liu Yuanjing (柳元景). However, initially, actual power was held by Emperor Xiaowu's close associates Dai Faxing (戴法兴) and Chao Shangzhi (巢尚之). Dai often curbed Emperor Qianfei's impulsive actions, warning him about the fate of his granduncle Emperor Shao, who was deposed and killed because of his incompetence. In fall 465, Emperor Qianfei ordered Dai to commit suicide and relieved Chao of his posts. These actions shocked the high-level officials, and Liu Yuanjing and Yan planned to depose Emperor Qianfei and support Liu Yigong as the replacement emperor. When Liu consulted with the general Shen Qingzhi (沈庆之), Shen, who had no prior friendship with Liu Yigong and was resentful of disrespect by Yan, informed on them. As a result, just 12 days after forcing Dai to commit suicide, Emperor Qianfei personally led the imperial guards to attack and kill Liu Yigong and his four sons. Liu Yuanjing and Yan, and their sons, were all killed as well. Emperor Qianfei cut off Liu Yigong's limbs, cut his abdomen open, and pulled out the entrails to be cut to pieces. He also gouged out Liu Yigong's eyes and put them in honey, calling them "pickled ghost eyes." From this point on, the people that Emperor Qianfei trusted included Yuan Yi, Xu Yuan (徐爰), Shen, his brother Liu Zishang the Prince of Yuzhang, and his sister Liu Chuyu the Princess Kuaiji. In an action that was considered highly immoral at the time, upon Princess Chuyu's pronouncement that it was unfair that Emperor Qianfei could have thousands of concubines but she could only have one husband, Emperor Qianfei selected 30 handsome young men and gave them to her to serve as her lovers. Emperor Qianfei also, still resentful of his brother Liu Ziluan, not only forced Liu Ziluan to commit suicide, but also killed Liu Ziluan's mother Consort Yin's other two children, Liu Zishi the Prince of Nanhai and a sister of theirs.

At this time, Emperor Qianfei also stated that he wanted to get a chance to declare a state of emergency. When his uncle Liu Chang the Prince of Yiyang and governor of Xu Province (徐州, modern northern Jiangsu and northern Anhui) requested permission to return to Jiankang, he falsely accused Liu Chang of planning a rebellion, and sent Shen Qingzhi to command troops against Liu Chang. In fear, Liu Chang initially tried to resist, but when he saw he could not, fled to Northern Wei.

Meanwhile, in winter 465, Emperor Qianfei continued his killing streak. He had been carrying on an incestuous relationship with his aunt Liu Yingmei the Princess Xincai, and, resolved to keep her as a concubine, killed a lady-in-waiting and delivered her body to Liu Yingmei's husband He Mai (何迈, who was also his brother-in-law), informing him that his wife had died. He Mai knew what the truth was, and, not able to bear this humiliation, considered deposing Emperor Qianfei and making his brother Liu Zixun the Prince of Jin'an emperor. The plot was leaked, and Emperor Qianfei personally attacked He and killed him. When Shen Qingzhi tried to urge Emperor Qianfei to change his ways in light of what happened with He Mai, Emperor Qianfei had him poisoned. Meanwhile, Emperor Qianfei created Grand Empress Dowager Lu's niece Lady Lu as empress.

Emperor Qianfei was very suspicious of his uncles—that they would rebel against him—so he gathered them in Jiankang and put them under house arrest in his palace. He often battered them and treated them as less than human. He, in particular, put Liu Yu the Prince of Xiangdong, Liu Xiuren the Prince of Jian'an, and Liu Xiuyou the Prince of Shanyang, all of whom were overweight, into cages and measured their weight as if weighing pigs. He referred to Liu Yu as the Prince of Pigs, Liu Xiuren as the Prince of Murderers, and Liu Xiuyou as the Prince of Thieves. Because another uncle, Liu Hui the Prince of Donghai, was considered obstinate and unintelligent, he referred to Liu Hui as the Prince of Donkeys. He often wanted to kill Liu Yu, Liu Xiuren, and Liu Xiuyiu, but each time Liu Xiuren flattered him and caused him to change his mind. In one particular incident, he tied Liu Yu up like how a pig would be tied up, and had him delivered to the kitchen, stating, "Today is pig-killing day." Liu Xiuren, however, stated, "This is not the pig-killing day." He angrily asked Liu Xiuren why that was the case, and Liu Xiuren stated, "After your son is born, then kill the pig and take out his entrails!" Emperor Qianfei liked Liu Xiuren's joke and did not kill Liu Yu.

Fearful that he would be assassinated, Emperor Qianfei entrusted the defense of the palace to a number of fierce warriors, including Zong Yue (宗越), Tan Jin (谭金), Tong Taiyi (童太一), and Shen Youzhi.

Emperor Qianfei also saw his brother Liu Zixun as a threat—particularly because he saw that Emperor Wen, Emperor Xiaowu, and Liu Zixun were all third sons of their fathers. He therefore used the He Mai plot as an excuse, sending his attendant Zhu Jingyun (朱景云) to deliver poison to Liu Zixun to force him to commit suicide, but as Zhu approached Liu Zixun's defense post at Xunyang (寻阳, in modern Jiujiang, Jiangxi), he intentionally slowed down and leaked the news. Liu Zixun's assistant Deng Wan (邓琬) then had an opportunity to declare a rebellion, although at this stage Deng was not yet declaring Liu Zixun an emperor.

At the same time, Emperor Qianfei continued his immoral behavior. He summoned the princesses to the palace and ordered them to lie down and allow his attendants to have sexual intercourse with them. When his aunt Princess Dowager Jiang of Nanping (the wife of his deceased uncle Liu Shuo) refused, he had her whipped and had her three sons, Liu Jingyou the Prince of Nanping, Liu Jingxian the Prince of Luling, and Liu Jingyuan the Marquess of Annan put to death. He also ordered his ladies in waiting to strip and chase each other naked. When one lady in waiting refused, he beheaded her. That night, he dreamed of a woman cursing him, "You are so violent and immoral that you will not live to see the wheat harvest next year." After he woke up, he found a lady in waiting whose appearance was similar to the woman he saw in the dream, and beheaded her. He then had another dream in which the executed lady in waiting cursed him. He therefore decided to hold a ghost-killing ceremony the next night.

At the ceremony, one of Emperor Qianfei's attendants, Shou Jizhi (寿寂之), who had often been rebuked by Emperor Qianfei, who had entered into a plot with a number of people to assassinate Emperor Qianfei, unleashed his conspirators and surrounded Emperor Qianfei. Emperor Qianfei tried to flee, but was unable to, and Shou killed him. He was buried with his deceased wife, Crown Princess He. Liu Yu took the throne as Emperor Ming.

Era names

• Yongguang (永光 yǒng guāng) 465

• Jinghe (景和 jǐng hé) 465

Family

Consorts:

• Empress Xian, of the He clan of Lujiang (献皇后 庐江何氏; 445–461), first cousin once removed, personal name Lingwan (令婉)

• Empress, of the Lu clan (皇后 路氏), first cousin once removed

Ancestry