The Prince of Hongnong (176-190) (simplified Chinese: 弘农王; traditional Chinese: 弘農王; pinyin: Hóngnóng Wáng; also translated as "King of Hongnong"), was briefly an emperor of China during the Han dynasty. He is also known as "Emperor Han Shao" (literally "young emperor"), a name which he shares with several other emperors with brief reigns. He came to power in 189 and was deposed and then poisoned by Dong Zhuo in 190.
Liu Bian, the future Prince of Hongnong, was born in 176, to Emperor Ling and his then-concubine, Consort He. According to traditional historians, prior to him, Emperor Ling had other sons, but they all died young. Therefore, based on the superstitutions of the time, Emperor Ling believed that his sons needed to be raised outside the palace by foster parents. Prince Bian was therefore entrusted to the magician Shi Zimiao (史子眇) and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Shi" (based on another superstition that a lesser title of reference would ward off evil spirits). (Later, when his younger brother Liu Xie was born to Consort Wang, Prince Xie was raised by his grandmother Empress Dowager Dong and known by the circumspect title "Marquess Dong.")
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