Liu Ji

Liu Ji (184–233), courtesy name Jingyu, was a Chinese politician of the state of Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was a descendant of the imperial clan of the Han dynasty and the eldest son of the minor warlord Liu Yao. Life Liu Ji was of noble descent. His ancestor was Liu Fei, the eldest son of the Han dynasty's founder, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao). His father, Liu Yao, was a minor warlord who served as the Governor of Yang Province from 194 to 198. When Liu Yao died in 198 in Yuzhang Commandery (豫章郡; around present-day Nanchang, Jiangxi), Liu Ji, then 15 years old, presided over his father's funeral. He received many condolence gifts from those who attended the funeral but he declined all of them. A year later, when the warlord Sun Ce passed by Yuzhang Commandery, he collected Liu Yao's remains, arranged a proper memorial service for Liu Yao, and treated Liu Yao's family kindly. Wang Lang also advised Sun Ce to treat Liu Ji well: "[...] The eldest son of Zhengli (Liu Yao) has great ambition. I believe there is something extraordinary about him. [...] Wouldn't it be good to treat him with kindness?" Liu Ji grew up in poverty and hardship with his two younger brothers, Liu Shuo (劉鑠) and Liu Shang (劉尚). The environment trained him to be sensible and empathetic. He often slept late and woke up early. Even his wife and concubine(s) hardly saw him. His brothers respected and feared him, and treated him like their father. He also refrained from having a wide social network, and rarely hosted guests at home.