"Killing the innocent is called Li." This was the posthumous title the court officials bestowed upon the King of Jiujiang.
Liu Qi naturally could not receive a superior posthumous title, but either a middle or an inauspicious one was possible. It depended entirely on the angle from which his life was interpreted. Liu Che had originally wanted to give him a middle posthumous title to demonstrate his own benevolence. After all, the man was dead; there was no need to keep harping on it.
At the same time, Liu Che wanted to test the waters through this matter, and, just as expected, he encountered tremendous resistance.
The court officials believed that Liu Qi had been deposed precisely because he had killed the Crown Prince of King of Jiaodong and the Duke of Qi's son without cause, perfectly fitting the posthumous designation "killing the innocent."
"Your Majesty, apart from Yi, Xi, and a few others, most middle posthumous titles carry a note of sympathy. Does the King of Jiujiang deserve sympathy?
"If he deserves sympathy, then did the Crown Prince of King of Jiaodong and the Duke of Qi's son, who died so horribly beneath his chessboard, deserve to die?
"Your final judgment upon the King of Jiujiang concerns more than him alone. It is also an answer to the King of Jiaodong and the Duke of Qi.
"Everyone under heaven is watching you, watching how you deal with the King of Jiujiang. If you truly give him a middle posthumous title, would that not wound the bonds of affection within the imperial clan and the hearts of the nobles of Qi Land?
"The Thorough Marquises who resisted to the death this time, the officers and soldiers who helped suppress the rebellion, and those who died among the mountains and rivers