Coup Against Shi Shi
As Shi Hu grew ill in 349, he intended for Shi Zun and Shi Bin to serve as co-regents for Shi Shi, disappointing Shi Shi's mother Empress Liu and Zhang Chai. Empress Liu and Zhang forged edicts sending Shi Zun to Guanzhong and executing Shi Bin. After Shi Shi took the throne shortly after Shi Hu's death, Shi Zun was offered honored titles with intent to appease him, but he was not satisfied. He, by now with the title Prince of Pengcheng (after Shi Hu claimed imperial title earlier in the year and created all of his sons princes), allied with the generals Yao Yizhong (姚弋仲), Pu Hong (蒲洪), Liu Ning (劉寧), Shi Min the Duke of Wuxing, and Wang Luan (王鸞), none of whom was particularly happy about Shi Shi's selection, marched to the capital Yecheng (鄴城, in modern Handan, Hebei), capturing it easily and killing Zhang Chai. Shi Zun then forged an edict from Empress Dowager Liu deposing Shi Shi and granting himself the throne, and then executed Shi Shi and Empress Dowager Liu. He honored his mother, the former Empress Zheng, as empress dowager, while creating his wife Princess Zhang empress. Further, he created Shi Bin's son Shi Yan (石衍) crown prince, disappointing Shi Min, his adoptive nephew, whom he had promised to make crown prince.
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