Fu Liang 傅亮

Fu Liang 傅亮 (374-426), courtesy name Jiyou 季友, was a writer and high official of the Eastern Jin 東晉 (317-420) and the Liu-Song 劉宋 (420-479) dynasties. Fu hailed from Niyang 泥陽 in the commandery of Beidi 北地 (today's Yaoxian 耀縣, Shaanxi). He is a descendant of the famous poet Fu Xian 傅咸 (239-294).

In 405, Fu was appointed as an cavalier attendant-in-ordinary without portfolio (yuanwai sanji changshi 員外散騎侍郎), responsible for drafting imperial edicts on behalf of the emperor. In 411, he was promoted to Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate (zhongshu huangmen shilang 中書黃門侍郎). In early 415, General Liu Yu 劉裕 (the eventual Emperor Wu Wu 宋武帝, r. 420-422) launched a military campaign against Sima Xiuzhi 司馬休之, the regional inspector (cishi 刺史) of the province of Jingzhou 荊州, and Fu joined the expedition. In 417, he followed Liu Yu in a northern campaign against the empire of the Later Qin 後秦 (384-417) in the Guanzhong region 關中, entered Chang'an 長安 (today's Xi'an 西安, Shaanxi), and captured the Later Qin ruler Yao Hong 姚泓 (r. 415-417). In 418, Fu returned south with Liu Yu to Pengcheng 彭城, and was promoted to Director of the Palace Secretariat (zhongshu ling 中書令).

When Emperor An 晉安帝 (r. 396-418) passed away, Liu Yu intended to usurp the throne and establish his own dynasty. Understanding Liu Yu's ambitions, Fu Liang returned to the capital Jiankang 建康 (present-day Nanjing 南京, Jiangsu) and urged Emperor Gong 晉恭帝 (r. 418-419) to abdicate in favour of Liu Yu, who founded a new dynasty. Newly enthroned, Emperor Gong recognized that Liu Yu's power was too great to resist, so he summoned Liu Yu back to the capital and voluntarily ceded the throne to him (shanrang 禪讓). Thus, the Eastern Jin dynasty came to an end, and the Liu-Song dynasty was established.

After Liu Yu ascended the throne, he invested Fu Liang as the Districe Duke of Jiancheng 建城縣公 and appointed him as Household Administrator of the Heir Apparent (taizi zhanshi 太子詹事), with plans to make him Director of the Palace Secretariat. In 421, Fu was transferred to serve as Left Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat (shangshu zuo puye 尚書左僕射).

The following year, when Liu Yu became gravely ill, he summoned Fu Liang and two others to jointly receive his final instructions, entrusting them with the responsibility of assisting Hair Apparent Liu Yifu 劉義符 (the Infant Emperor 宋少帝, r. 422-424) in succeeding the throne. When the young Emperor Liu Yifu ascended, Fu Liang was, as a regent, promoted to Palace Secretariat Supervisor (zhongshu jian 中書監) and Director of the Imperial Secretariat (zhongshu ling 尚書令).

In 424, Fu was also appointed as General of the Imperial Guards (hujun jiangjun 護軍將軍). He summoned generals Tan Daoji 檀道濟 (394-436) and Xie Hui 謝晦 (390-426) to lead troops into the capital, deposed the young emperor, and sent assassins to have Liu Yifu killed. Fu then led court officials to Jiangling 江陵 to welcome Prince Liu Yilong 劉義隆 to the capital and install him as emperor.

However, the new emperor, Liu Yilong (known as Emperor Wen 文皇帝, r. 424-453), resented Fu Liang and the other regents for their autocratic behavior and intended to eliminate them. He promoted Fu Liang to high-ranking honorary positions — cavalier attendant-in-ordinary (sanji changshi 散騎常侍), Left Grand Master for Splendid Happiness (zuo guanglu dafu 左光祿大夫), and Minister of the Palace with Equal Rank to the Three Excellencies (kaifu yitong sansi 開府儀同三司) — and elevated his title to Commandery Duke of Shixing 始興郡公. In 426, Emperor Wen summoned Fu to the palace, but Fu, aware of the emperor's true intentions, made excuses to avoid the audience and attempted to flee. He was pursued, captured en route, and executed.

Fu Liang's poetry is in Zhong Rong's 鐘嶸 (c. 468-518) Shipin 詩品 rated as of mediocre quality. A Ming-period 明 (1368-1644) collection of his writings compiled by Zhang Pu 張溥 (1602-1641), Fu Guanglu ji 傅光祿集 (part of the collection Han Wei Liuchao baisanjia ji 漢魏六朝百三家集), includes a prose essay, Yanshen 演慎, the rhapsody Ganwu fu 感物賦 and three poems. Fu's prose writings included in the anthology Wenxuan 文選, mainly instrutions (jiao 教), are masterpieces of applied prose writings. An original collection of 31 juan, Fu Liang ji 傅亮集, is lost.