Abstract: Multiple works by Xie Lingyun are related to Liu Yizhen, Prince Luling, constructing an image of the prince that partially aligns with and diverges sharply from his portrayal in historical records. According to historical records, Liu Yizhen was fond of "literary pursuits" and elite aristocratic culture yet lacked political competence and was unfit for important state appointments. By contrast, in Xie Lingyun’s writings, Prince Luling is portrayed as a discerning patron of talent, a lover of simplicity and antiquity, and a dreamer of reclusive mountain life, embodying the demeanor of a renowned scholar and shaped into an ideal monarch. Xie Lingyun’s account of Prince Luling’s tragic fate further endows this image with a sense of sublimity. Such divergent portrayals can be attributed to the dual cultural and political aspirations that Xie Lingyun entrusted to Prince Luling, reflecting the sense of crisis among scholar-officials during the dynastic transition and their urgency to fulfill personal values. The case of Prince Luling provides a subtle and dynamic perspective for examining the evolution of literati’s concept of an ideal monarch and the relationship between imperial power and the scholar-official class in the mid-to-late Six Dynasties.