Sun Liang 孫亮

Sun Liang 孫亮 (r. 252-258 CE), courtesy name Ziming 子明, was the second ruler of the Wu dynasty 吳 (222-280). He was a younger son of Sun Quan 孫權 (Emperor Wu Dadi 吳大帝, r. 222-252) and Empress Pan 潘皇后.

Sun Liang was an intelligent boy and was therefore the beloved son of Sun Quan. In 250, the emperor deposed the heir apparent, Crown Prince (taizi) Sun He 孙和 (224-253) and nominated Sun Liang heir apparent. General-in-chief (da jiangjun 大將軍) Zhuge Ke 諸葛恪 (203-253) was appointed Grand Mentor (taifu 太傅).

When Sun Liang mounted the throne after the death of his father he was only 10-sui-old. Zhuge Ke therefore acted as his regent. In 253 Sun Liang's consort Lady Quan 全皇后 was officially appointed empress.

In 253, general Sun Jun 孫峻 (219-256), a relative of the imperial house, killed Zhuge Ke and made himself Counsellor-in-chief (chengxiang 丞相) and General-in-chief (da jiangjun 大將軍). The various princes and ministers several times tried to kill Sun Jun, but the powerful general was able to survive until he died in 256. His brother Sun Chen (Sun Lin) 孫綝 (231-259) then took over the reins of the empire.

Only in 257, Sun Liang personally took over regency and built up a child army of 3,000 boys with whom he entertained himself. In 258 Chamberlain for Ceremonials (taichang 太常) Quan Shang 全尚 (d. 258) and general Liu Cheng 劉承 (231-259) planned to kill Sun Lin, but the mighty prince found out about their scheme and had them executed. He thereupon deposed Sun Liang and made him Prince of Guiji 會稽 and made Sun Quan's son Sun Xiu 孫休, Prince of Langya 琅邪, emperor of the Wu empire (known as Emperor Jing 吳景帝, r. 258-264).

In 260, Sun Lin again demoted Sun Liang to Marquis Hougong 候官侯 "Expecting an office" and forced him to commit suicide or probably poisoned him. The posthumous title of Sun Liang is "Deposed Emperor" Feidi 吳廢帝.