Biography

Liu Ji'en, the son of the foot soldier Xue Zhao was originally surnamed Xue. Liu Chong, the Northern Han's founding emperor, married one of his daughters to Xue Zhao. Because Xue Zhao was a son-in-law, Liu Chong assumed personal command of him. Xue had no talents, so Liu fed and clothed him without employing him. Xue Zhao's wife often stayed with her father, Liu Chong, rarely seeing Xue. This made him discontent. While drunk, he stabbed her with his sword, injuring her, before killing himself. Liu's daughter later married into the He family, giving birth to Liu Jiyuan. After Liu's daughter and her husband had died, Liu instructed his son Liu Chengjun to adopt Liu Ji'en and Liu Jiyuan.

Once Liu Chengjun became emperor, Liu Ji'en was appointed metropolitan custodian of Taiyuan. Liu Chengjun once commented to Guo Wuwei that "Liu Ji'en is pure and filial, but he does not have the skills to save the age, and is unfit to manage family affairs, I fear." Guo did not respond. Later, as Liu Chengjun lay bedridden in the Qinzheng chambers, he summoned Guo Wuwei, and held his hand, entrusting future decisions to him.

When Liu Chengjun died, Liu Ji'en delayed his own accession to inform the Khitans of the mourning underway. Wearing a coarse outfit of mourning, he insisted on living in the Qinzheng chambers, while the officials that formerly served Liu Chengjun remained at the Taiyuan prefectural offices. In the ninth month of his reign, Liu Ji'en summoned high officials and imperial family members for banquet. Afterwards, he went to the Qinzheng chambers to rest. That night, palace services offical Hou Barong led more than ten men with daggers into the chamber, killing Liu Ji'en. Other men led by Guo Wuwei infiltrated the room using ladders and killed Hou Barong and his men.

生平

其母劉氏為劉旻之女，因此劉鈞是他的舅父；其父薛釗，本來只是士兵，早年娶劉旻之女，劉旻之兄劉知遠發跡後，薛釗就很難見到其妻，因此很不快樂，有一天乘著酒意求見，竟拿刀刺傷其妻，薛釗後來因此自盡。當時劉繼恩年紀還小，劉旻因為劉鈞無子，遂命劉鈞收養劉繼恩。

劉繼恩在劉鈞在位時任太原尹，然而他本人資質平庸，劉鈞生前也曾向郭無為說過劉繼恩不是濟世之才。北漢天會十二年（968年）劉鈞病逝，劉繼恩繼位，仍以天會為年號，不久就將郭無為的權力架空。兩個月後，劉繼恩於酒宴後被供奉官侯霸榮刺殺，死後無諡號及廟號，史家習稱其為少主。