A Probe into the Choice of His Successor in Late Years of Qiwu Emperor——On Confucianization of the Literati in Low Rank in Southern Dynasty

In the middle and late Yongming period, the administrators led by Liangwu Emperor attached importance to officials and were strict in their administration, which embodied the manners of literati in low rank who were not completely Confucianized.These literati with the Jingling Prince Ziliang as the head tended to worship Confucianism and kindness.The two groups were potentially in opposition.After the death of Prince Wenhui, due to the divergence of political ideas, Qiwu Emperor took Zhaoye as his successor instead of Ziliang.This arrangement caused the dissatisfaction from Ziliang group and led to the struggle.As a result, the auxiliary political pattern planned by the Emperor collapsed and Xiao Luan seized the throne.The characteristics of the literati’s Confucianization were the factor determining the tendency of the political situation.