Twenty years after the signing of the "Shaoxing Peace Treaty," it was torn up by Wanyan Liang. In September 1161, Wanyan Liang met a tragic death at Guazhou, within the territory of the Southern Song Dynasty. However, this fierce emperor of the Jin Kingdom did not fall to an enemy on the battlefield, but was killed by his own minister.
Wanyan Liang was the fourth emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the grandson of Wanyan Aguda, the dynasty's founder. Exceptionally intelligent and highly studious, he once studied under the Han Chinese teacher Zhang Yongzhi, learning chess, tea ceremony, poetry writing, and lyric composition.
Many of Wanyan Liang's poems have been passed down through the ages, revealing that he was not only exceptionally talented in literature but also highly ambitious. He once wrote: "One day I will make my name known across the land, and like a sovereign, I will don the imperial yellow." This shows his covetous desire for the throne. However, at that time, Wanyan Liang was merely a feudal prince with no legitimate claim to inherit the throne. Yet someone like Wanyan Liang would never submit to fate; even without an opportunity, he would strive to create one for himself. Moreover, in his own view, since he and the reigning Emperor Xizong of Jin were both direct grandsons of the founding emperor, if Xizong was qualified to be emperor, then he, Wanyan Liang, was certainly qualified as well.
At the age of eighteen, Wanyan Liang joined the Jin army, and his bravery and intelligence earned him continuous promotions over the following years, so that by the time he was just twenty-five, he had already become the Prime Minister of the Jin Dynasty. However, Wanyan Liang did not stop there; he was well aware of his ultimate goal. To achieve this, he skillfully navigated the Jin court, not only building close relationships with powerful ministers but also winning the deep trust of Emperor Xizong.
As Wanyan Liang's influence in the court continued to expand, Emperor Xizong began to feel threatened and, finding an excuse, demoted Wanyan Liang to serve as an official in Kaifeng. While en route to Kaifeng, Wanyan Liang suddenly received another order from Xizong, commanding him to return immediately. Why was Xizong so inconsistent? Filled with suspicion, Wanyan Liang secretly feared that Xizong might have already uncovered his plans for rebellion, and if he did not strike first, it might be too late.
However, what Wanyan Liang did not expect was that after recalling him, Emperor Xizong actually restored him to his former position. But Wanyan Liang did not become obedient as a result; he had already made up his mind to rebel. During this period, Emperor Xizong became irritable and often punished or even indiscriminately killed court officials. Many in the court harbored resentment toward Emperor Xizong, and some even developed rebellious intentions. Wanyan Liang took the opportunity to ally with high-ranking ministers such as Wudai and Tanggubian to plot the overthrow of Emperor Xizong and install a new emperor. When deciding who should be made emperor, Wanyan Liang declared, "Who else but me!"
During the preparations for rebellion, Tangkuo Bian and his associates acted suspiciously, arousing the suspicions of the senior general Wanyan Tesi. When Emperor Xizong learned of this, he had Tangkuo Bian flogged and began investigating the mastermind behind the plot. Wanyan Liang then falsely accused the emperor's brother, Wanyan Yuan, of being the ringleader. The paranoid Emperor Xizong believed this, and in his fear, he had his own brothers, Wanyan Yuan and Wanyan Chala, among others, all executed.
After this incident, everyone in the court felt insecure, and Emperor Xizong completely lost popular support. The rebel faction led by Wanyan Liang grew steadily, as many ministers who had originally been loyal to Xizong defected to Wanyan Liang's side. On December 9, 1149, Wanyan Liang led his followers into Xizong's bedchamber, assassinated the emperor, and seized the throne. To consolidate his rule, after proclaiming himself emperor, Wanyan Liang immediately executed a large number of Xizong's relatives and court officials who remained loyal to him, plunging the Jin dynasty's imperial harem and court into another wave of bloodshed and terror. While Xizong had often treated human life with reckless disregard during his reign, Wanyan Liang was even worse in comparison, which foreshadowed his eventual downfall.
Wanyan Liang reigned for twelve years, primarily focusing on rectifying official governance and implementing reforms to sinicize the Jin state. The Jurchens renamed Yanjing as Zhongdu, and after ascending the throne, Wanyan Liang moved the capital there, a move that greatly promoted the integration of the Jurchen and Han peoples. However, from the moment he took the throne, Wanyan Liang indulged in a life of extreme luxury and extravagance, launching massive construction projects to build the imperial palace.
What made Wanyan Liang most despised was his insatiable lust for women; one of his greatest ambitions in life was to "possess the most beautiful women under heaven as his wives." To this end, he pursued beauties everywhere, not even sparing the wives of his own uncles and brothers, and his actions were utterly outrageous. His cousin Wanyan Yong's wife, Wulinda, was exceptionally beautiful. When Wanyan Liang heard of this, he summoned her to the palace for an audience. Wulinda understood that this visit would likely bring disaster, but she had no choice as the imperial order could not be defied. To preserve her honor, she committed suicide on the way to the palace. Later, Wanyan Yong became the fifth ruler of the Jin Dynasty, known historically as Emperor Shizong of Jin. Emperor Shizong held deep affection for Wulinda, and during his reign, the position of empress remained vacant.
Wanyan Liang's brutal rule provoked strong discontent among court officials. Just as he tore up the "Shaoxing Peace Treaty" and launched a southern invasion, Wanyan Yong, who was stationed in the eastern capital, raised an army to rebel. However, Wanyan Liang did not halt his southern advance. A month later, he was defeated by Song forces at the Battle of Caishi. Wanyan Liang originally planned to cross the Yangtze River from Guazhou and return to the Jin state, but unexpectedly, the Zhexi Military Governor Wanyan Yuanyi suddenly staged a mutiny and killed him. Wanyan Liang was only forty years old at the time of his death, in the prime of his life.
Prior to this, Wanyan Yong had already been enthroned as emperor; he ordered Wanyan Liang to be demoted to commoner status and commanded that his escape routes be cut off. After ascending the throne, Wanyan Yong further reduced Wanyan Liang's title to Prince of Hailing Commandery. Wanyan Liang's body was originally buried in the imperial cemetery, but twenty years later it was relocated to a site forty li southwest of the imperial tombs, and he was once again demoted to commoner status.