the gengshi emperor's governance would in fact immediately be challenged by a major pretender in winter 23. a fortuneteller in handan named wang lang claimed to be actually named liu ziyu (劉子輿) and a son of emperor cheng. he claimed that his mother was a singer in emperor cheng's service, and that empress zhao feiyan had tried to kill him after his birth, but that a substitute child was killed instead. after he spread these rumors around the people, the people of handan began to believe that he was a genuine son of emperor cheng, and the commanderies north of the yellow river quickly pledged allegiance to him as emperor. liu xiu was forced to withdraw to the northern city of jicheng (modern beijing). after some difficulties, however, liu xiu was able to unify the northern commanderies still loyal to the gengshi emperor and besiege handan in 24, killing wang lang. the gengshi emperor put liu xiu in charge of the region north of the yellow rivera and created him the prince of xiao, but liu xiu, still aware that he was not truly trusted and secretly angry about his brother's death, secretly planned to peel away from the gengshi emperor's rule. he began to strip other imperially-commissioned generals of their powers and troops, and concentrated the troops under his own command.