Prince Shensheng (?-656 BCE) (Chinese: 申生; pinyin: Shēnshēng), was the eldest son of Duke Xian of Jin and the crown prince of the State of Jin during the reign of Duke Xian of Jin before he was replaced by his half-brother Prince Xiqi (奚齊).
Prince Shensheng was the son of Qi Jiang (齊姜), the first wife of Duke Xian of Jin. Because Duke Xian of Jin favored Li Ji (驪姬), he gave the position of crown prince to Li Ji's son, Prince Xiqi.
Once, Li Ji's hair was smeared with some honey and bees were chasing her. She sought the help of Prince Shensheng to shoo the bees away, purposely wanting Duke Xian of Jin to see it. When Duke Xian of Jin saw it, he thought that Prince Shensheng was molesting Li Ji. In rage, he nearly stabbed Prince Shensheng to death with a ji, a form of Chinese halberd, yet Prince Shensheng was speechless.
In 656 BC, the Li Ji Rebellion started with the scheme that caused the suicide of Prince Shensheng. The scheme first caused Prince Shensheng came back to Quwo, modern Quwo County in Shanxi, to offer sacrifices to his deceased mother, Qi Jiang (齊姜). Prince Shensheng sent some of the food blessed by the gods to Duke Xian of Jin. Li Ji had secretly placed poison in the food in order to frame Prince Shensheng for murder. Before Duke Xian of Jin began eating, he gave a part of the food to a dog to check for poison whereupon the dog immediately collapsed. Discovering the poison in the food, Duke Xian of Jin killed Shensheng's master Du Yuankuan (杜原款) sent men to Quwo to arrest Prince Shensheng.
Prince Shensheng was visited by his half-brother Prince Chonger who then advised Prince Shensheng to defend himself in front of Duke Xian of Jin by revealing Liji's plot. Prince Shensheng replied that he wouldn't like to break his father's heart by revealing Liji's plot. When Prince Chonger advised him to escape, he replied that if he escaped, then it would look like he really planned to kill his father. He said that no one in the world would protect him then. Prince Shensheng then hanged himself on the 7th day of the second month of 656 BC.
Later generations admired the filial piety and loyalty of Prince Shensheng that they nicknamed him "Gong Taizi" (恭太子) or "Gong Shizi" (恭世子), both meaning "the respectful crown prince".
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Duke Hui of Jin disrespectfully transferred Shensheng's burial to another place which made the spirit of Shensheng angry. The spirit of Shensheng then appeared in front of the Jin official Hu Tu (狐突) and told him that Shensheng has pleaded to the heavenly god to let the State of Qin conquer the State of Jin as a punishment. After persuasions made by Hu Tu, Shensheng replied that the heavenly god has allowed that Duke Hui of Jin be defeated in battle at the land of Han as a punishment. After that, the spirit disappeared.