Liu An, the Prince of Huainan during the Han Dynasty and grandson of Emperor Gaozu, deeply resented Emperor Wu's policy of "banning all schools of thought and revering only Confucianism." To counter this, he gathered his advisors Su Fei and Li Shang to devise a strategy. The result was the monumental 200,000-character work *Huainanzi*, which included timeless myths like "Chang'e Flies to the Moon," "Houyi Shoots the Suns," and "Nüwa Repairs the Sky." Using anecdotes and legends from the Qin and Han periods, they championed Daoist philosophy, directly challenging the emperor's authority. Knowing that "touching the dragon's scales" or "defying the imperial will" could mean death, Liu An and his followers faced Emperor Wu's wrath. Enraged, the emperor accused them of plotting rebellion and sent guards to arrest them.
Liu An, known for his devotion to Taoist practices, had studied under eight elderly masters, learning alchemy and cultivation techniques in hopes of achieving immortality. As luck would have it, just as Emperor Wu of Han was preparing to send troops to arrest him, Liu An succeeded in refining the elixir of immortality. Hearing of the emperor's impending punishment, Liu An grew frantic, believing his doom was sealed. He rushed to the eight masters and pleaded, "What can I do to escape this fate?"
The old Taoists sat in a circle. Seeing Liu An's face full of worry, they said to him, "Though your situation is now very dangerous, it is of no concern. As long as you swallow these immortal pills from the furnace, you can become an immortal."
Liu An was overjoyed and immediately asked, "Can I bring my closest relatives and friends to heaven as well?" The Taoist elders replied, "Yes."
So Liu An and his family and close friends ascended to heaven together. As they were about to rise, they scattered the leftover elixir pills across the courtyard, and the chickens and dogs that ate them also ascended into the celestial realm.
In truth, Liu An never became an immortal. The tale of his ascension after consuming an elixir was a myth concocted after his death. He had offended Emperor Wu by writing the book *Huainan Honglie*, and the emperor had him arrested. Ultimately, Liu An was forced to commit suicide, and thousands of people were implicated and killed in the purge.
"The idiom 'When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven' later came to describe how when someone gains power, all their associates benefit along with them."
Source: Ge Hong (Eastern Jin Dynasty), *Biographies of Immortals*, Chapter "Liu An"
Meaning of the Idiom: Later, the Chinese idiom "一人得道，鸡犬升天" came to describe how when someone gains power, all their associates benefit along with them.