Empresses and consorts selections from Chen Shou's Records of the Three States with Pei Songzhi's commentary |
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The Book of Wu: Fascicle 50
Sun Jian is thus referred to because he held the post of caitiff-smashing general
(po lu jiangjun [OMITTED]).
Wu, capital of Wu commandery, was near present-day Suzhou [OMITTED]. Qiantang,
also in Wu commandery, was near modern Hangzhou [OMITTED].
On buyu [OMITTED], translated as "unlucky" here, see Sgz jiaogu, 244. The motif
of the woman who sacrifices herself for the good of the family by marrying
a powerful but uncouth man is found elsewhere in Records of the Three States.
Lü Fan [OMITTED], a minor prefectural official, sought to marry a beautiful young
woman named Liu [OMITTED], who came from a very wealthy family. Her mother
was adamantly opposed, but the young woman replied that Lü did not look
like someone who would remain poor for long, and she married him.
Subsequently he became one of Sun Ce's most trusted supporters and rose to
grand minister of war under Sun Quan (Sgz, 56.1309-1311).
Sun Jian apparently had more than a single daughter, since Records of the Three
States refers separately to three sisters of Sun Quan. One was the younger sister
whom Sun Quan married off to Liu Bei (see Fascicle 34, note 23 above). A
second was an elder sister married to one Hong Zi [OMITTED] of Qu'e [OMITTED], a man
who is otherwise virtually unknown (Sgz, 52.1231; Wu lu cited in Sgz,
48.1165). The daughter of another elder sister, surnamed Chen [OMITTED], was
married off by Sun Quan to Pan Mi [OMITTED], who was the son of Pan Jun [OMITTED]
[OMITTED], one of Quan's loyal and high-ranking officials; Pan Jun's daughter was
married to Sun Lu [OMITTED], Quan's second son (Wu shu cited in Sgz, 61.1399).
De Crespigny assumes that this last sister was actually a half sister born of
a mother surnamed Chen (de Crespigny, Generals of the South, 86 n. 18), but
Chen was the woman's married name (Sgz cidian, 467). Given that Lady Wu
bore but one daughter, two of the three must have been half sisters. De
Crespigny is probably correct in concluding that the youngest of the three was
Sun Quan's full sister. Chen Shou describes her as being like "all her brothers"
(Sgz, 37.960). The elder sisters were married to relative unknowns, while the
youngest was used by Sun in an effort to cement an alliance against the Wei.
See Gan, Sou shen ji, 122. The incident is found in a number of other works.
Unusual dreams presaging the birth of an important person are a common
motif in Chinese literature. See, for example, the accounts of the pregnancies
of Bo, mother of Emperor Wen, and Wang Zang'er [OMITTED], empress to
Emperor Jing and mother of Emperor Wu of the Han (Sj, 49.1971, 1975;
Watson, Records of the Grand Historian: Han Dynasty, 1:326, 330), and the
account of the birth of Sun Liang in the biography of Lady Pan later in this
fascicle. Sometimes such dreams could presage unhappy results. See Js, 9.242;
Lü, "Heaven's Mandate and Man's Destiny in Early Medieval China," 35.
Concerning Sun Jian's own birth, the Record of Collected Remnants offers the
following account:
When Sun's mother was pregnant, she dreamed that her intestines
came out and wrapped themselves about her waist. A virgin carried
her around outside the Chang Gate of Wu and gave her a stalk of
alang. The virgin spoke, "This is very propitious. You will certainly
bear a talented and heroic son. Today I bestow on the mother the
land whereby to be king over the alloted fields of the Yi and Zhen
houses of the zodiac. The empire will be divided into three parts.
Within a hundred years there will be a resonance and he will bestow
an extraordinary treasure [i.e., the seal of state] on others." She
finished speaking and Sun's mother awoke. In the morning she went
to have the meaning divined. The diviner said, "The dream about
the virgin carrying the mother around the Chang Gate: this is the
spirit of Taibai [Grand White, or Venus, the star that governs generals
and military affairs], whose influence has brought this dream. The
rise of an emperor or prince must have a divine sign." The
manifestation of a white aura is the color of metal. When Wu was
destroyed and Jin succeeded, it was the confirmation of the dream.
Genre Known as Chih-kuai hsiao-shuo," 256)
This motif was not limited to the birth of great men. The Han History records
that when Madam Li was pregnant with Wang Zhengjun, she dreamed that
to Emperor Yuan and a major presence through the reigns of four emperors
(Hs, 98.4015). Earlier, when Wang Zhengjun's father, Wang Wengru [OMITTED], had
moved to the town of Yuancheng [OMITTED] in Wei commandery [OMITTED], someone
said,
In the past during the Spring and Autumn period, when Shalu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] mountain collapsed, a scribe of Jin divined the import and said,
"Yin is assuming the virility of yang, and Earth is succeeding Fire.
That is the reason Shalu collapsed. Six hundred forty-five years from
now, there should be a woman sage arising. . . . Now Wang Wengru
has moved here, and he has rectified the land, and the sun and moon
are in conjunction with it. East of the town of Yuancheng there is
Wulu [OMITTED] hill, which is the location of Shalu. Eighty years from now
there will be a noble woman who will make the empire flourish."
During the Later Han, this office could be a sinecure and the holder did not
necessarily command troops. See Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times,
29.
Danyang commandery lay along the southern bank of the Yangtze River,
extending roughly from just west of present-day Zhenjiang [OMITTED] westward to
modern Anqing [OMITTED]. It was an extremely important commandery and had
its capital at Jianye [OMITTED] (modern Nanjing [OMITTED]), the city that later became
the Wu capital.
Zhou Xin had been appointed administrator of Danyang commandery and
was an early supporter of Cao Cao in his battles with Yuan Shao. As
administrator of Danyang, he aided Cao in raising soldiers. Wu Jing attacked
Zhou on Yuan Shu's orders but failed to capture him. Wu summoned all the
peasants who had dared to follow Zhou and put them to death. Zhou
thereupon disbanded his army and returned to his home commandery (Sgz,
1.8; Xiandi chunqiu [OMITTED] [Spring and Autumn Annals of Emperor Xian],
quoted in Sgz, 51.1206, commentary).
Sun Ce was Wu Jing's nephew. Intensely disliked by Tao Qian [OMITTED],
shepherd of Xu [OMITTED] province, he took his mother and moved to Qu'e. With
Lü Fan and Sun He, he joined Wu Jing, then administrator of Danyang, and
raised several hundred soldiers (Sgz, 46.1101).
Sun He, who hailed from Wu, originally had the surname Wu. Being very
fond of him, Sun Ce bestowed the Sun surname on him and had him included
in the Sun household register (Sgz, 51.1214).
Lü Fan was a native of Ru'nan commandery, and during the turmoil at the
end of the Han he took refuge at Shouchun [OMITTED]. Sun Ce spotted him there
and was impressed by him. Lü joined Sun with a band of followers. He became
one of Sun's strongest supporters, and Sun treated him as a member of the
family (Sgz, 56.1309).
Zu Lang was the leader of a clan militia (zong shuai [OMITTED]) in Danyang
commandery. According to one account, Yuan Shu, who deeply disliked Sun
Ce, sent an agent to present Zu with a seal and to encourage him to stir up
hill bandits and attack Sun. Sun learned of the plot and personally led an attack
on Zu, managing to capture him alive. Sun told him that although Zu had
previously attacked him and cut his saddle, now he was building an army and
appointed Zu to his Bureau of Banditry (Menxia zeicao [OMITTED]; Sgz,
51.1211, Pei quoting Jiang biao zhuan [OMITTED] [Biographies from beyond the
Yangtze]). A variation of this story says that it was Chen Yu [OMITTED], administrator
of Wu commandery and general pacifying the East, who planned
to attack Sun Ce and sent an agent to present seals to Zu Lang and some other
local strongmen (Jiang biao zhuan, quoted in Sgz, 46.1107, commentary).
Liu Yao was appointed inspector of Yang province by the Han emperor. When
Yuan Shu rebelled, Liu sought to crush Yuan and his followers, including Wu
Jing. He was unsuccessful, and Yuan appointed his own inspector of Yang
province (Sgz, 49.1183-1184).
Hengjiang was on the northern bank of the Yangtze, about midway between
Dangtu [OMITTED] and Ma'an shan [OMITTED], near modern Ma'an shan southwest
of Nanjing. Fan Neng and Yu Mi were subordinates of Liu Yao.
Moling, located at modern Nanjing, had its name changed to Jianye by Sun
Quan in Jian'an 17 (212/213) and became the Wu capital. Ze Rong, a man
of questionable reliability, was administrator of Xiapei and attached himself
to Liu Yao. When Liu's troops were defeated by Yuan's followers, Ze turned
on Liu but was defeated by him and fled into the mountains, where he was
killed by the inhabitants (Sgz, 49.1184; 1185; 46.1103, Pei quoting Jiang biao
zhuan). Xue Li was administrator of Pengcheng [OMITTED], and like Ze, he became
one of Liu's followers. He was killed by Ze, apparently in error. See Sgz,
46.1103, 49.1185.
Yuzhang commandery was in modern northwestern Jiangxi province and had
its capital near modern Nanchang [OMITTED].
Shouchun, near Shouxian [OMITTED], Anhui on the Huai River, was an area of great
strategic significance because of its location on the main route from the Central
Plain to the South and because it was a very productive agricultural area.
Liu Bei had just assumed control of Xu province, thereby denying it to Yuan
Shu. Yuan attacked Liu, but Liu managed to stop him (Sgz, 32.873).
This was in 197. Yuan's support quickly dissipated, and his army met with
a series of reverses. He died a couple of years later, after trying to turn his
imperial title over to his brother, Yuan Shao. See Sgz, 6.209-210, and Chen,
Hsün Yüeh, 52-54.
In the summer of Jian'an 2 (197), the Han dispatched Wang Pu with a decree
praising Sun Ce and appointing him chief commandant of the cavalry, granting
him the hereditary title of marquis of Wucheng [OMITTED] (the seat of Wuxing
commandery), and concomitantly making him administrator of Guiji. Ce
considered the position of chief commandant beneath him because he
commanded both infantry and cavalry. He sent someone to ridicule Wang, who
had happened to receive a command bestowing on Ce the title of general who
makes brilliant the Han (ming Han jiangjun [OMITTED]; Sgz, 46.1107, Pei
quoting Jiang biao zhuan).
Zhang Zhao had been a trusted follower of Sun Ce. On his deathbed, Sun
Ce entrusted the young Sun Quan to Zhang's guidance and told Zhang that
if Quan failed to fulfill his duties, Zhang should remove him (Sgz, 52.1220;
Wu li [OMITTED] [Progress of Wu], quoted in Sgz, 52.1221, commentary).
Wei Teng was noted for being firm and upright and eschewing improper
conduct. He was apparently well respected, for once, when he seriously
offended Sun Quan, Wu Fan [OMITTED], himself noted for his uprightness, risked
death to intercede on Wei's behalf (Sgz, 63.1422-1423; Guiji dianlu, quoted
in Sgz, 63.1423, commentary).
The Jiankang shi lu [OMITTED] [True Record of Jiankang] also gives Jian'an
12 as the year of Lady Wu's death (Jksl[a], 1.9). Liang Zhangju [OMITTED] (1775-1849)
agrees and says the erroneous Jian'an 7 date derives from the subsequent
line, which states that Wu Jing died in Jian'an 8 (Sgz pangzheng, 28.6b).
Presumably Liang thought that a later copyist had "corrected" Jian'an 12 to
Jian'an 7. Since the True Record of Jiankang is a Tang text, it may simply
have been following the Forest of Resolve, which was written in the fourth
century and is known to have been consulted by the work's author. Sun Quan's
biography also gives the date as Jian'an 7 (Sgz, 7.1116). Cf. Sgz jijie, 50.2b-3a.
The True Record of Jiankang contains the following about Lady Wu:
Jian'an 12. Grand Lady Wu passed away. She was buried together
[with Sun Jian] at Gao Tumulus. Her home of record was Qiantang
in Wu commandery. Losing her mother and father early, she lived
with her younger brother Jing. Sun Jian learned of her talent and
beauty, and he sought after and married her. The lady was first
pregnant with Sun Ce, and she dreamed that the moon entered her
bosom. When she was pregnant with Sun Quan, she dreamed that
the sun entered her bosom, and she told Jian. Jian said, "The sun
and moon are the essence of yin and yang. This is a sign of extreme
nobility. May my sons and grandsons flourish!" Later Jian died, and
the lady made her home at Shu [OMITTED]. She cared for and raised the
orphaned and young, and she was severe in her maternal instruction.
When Ce took charge of the masses, the lady aided in directing
military and state affairs, and she was a great help.
Shu prefecture was in modern Anhui not far from Lujiang. Note that in the
last sentence, where the text says she was of great help to Sun Ce, in Sgz it
is Sun Quan.
It was common under the Wu for sons to inherit command of their fathers'
troops. When the son was a minor, it was recognized that he would assume
command upon attaining majority. See He, "Sun Wu bing zhi."
Sun Ba was Sun Quan's fourth son. Ba and Quan's third son, He [OMITTED], were
very close and treated each other as equals, though He was the heir apparent.
This elicited considerable criticism from those who considered it a violation
of etiquette. When Sun Quan heard of this, he prohibited the two from seeing
each other. Later, when Sun Quan fell ill and was bedridden, Sun He went
to offer sacrifices in the ancestral temple. Zhang Xiu [OMITTED], uncle of Sun He's
concubine, lived near the temple and invited He to stay with him. Princess
Quan [OMITTED] sent someone to spy on him, and she reported that Sun He was
not in the temple but was plotting with his concubine's family. She also said
that He's mother, Lady Wang, had looked happy when Sun Quan became ill.
Sun Quan became angry, causing He's mother to "die of anguish." Sun He
lost favor, and Sun Ba began to covet the position of heir apparent. Although
a faction around Sun Ba and the recriminations grew. Sun He was set aside
and replaced by Sun Liang, Sun Quan's youngest son. Sun He was made king
of Nanyang [OMITTED] and exiled to Changsha [OMITTED]. Ba was permitted to commit
suicide, and the members of his faction were executed (Sgz, 47.1148, 59.13691372;
Yin Ji [OMITTED], Tong yu [OMITTED] [Comprehensive Discourses], quoted in Sgz,
59.1369-1370 commentary).
Teng Yin's uncle and father had served under Sun Quan and both had died
early. Because of his regard for them, Sun appointed Teng Yin to a commune
marquisate. Subsequently, Teng became administrator of Danyang. When Sun
Quan died, he was made one of the regents with Zhuge Ke [OMITTED]. Teng
became involved in a factional struggle with Sun Lin [OMITTED], which he lost, and
he and his family were executed (Sgz, 48.1153; 64.1443-1444).
Wuling commandery straddled the borders of present-day Hunan, Guizhou,
and Sichuan and had its capital near Changde [OMITTED].
Xie Cheng's work now exists only in fragments first collected by Wang Wentai
[OMITTED] in Qijia Hou Han shu [OMITTED] (1882). Now see Zhou, Ba jia Hou
Han shu ji zhu, 1:1-284.
Danglikou was downstream from Hengjiang. Like Fan Neng and Yu Mi (see
Fascicle 50.1195 above), Zhang Ying was a subordinate of Liu Yao. At
the time, Yuan Shu was active in Huainan and was plotting rebellion. Liu
sent Fan, Yu, and Zhang to bivouac along the Yangtze to block him. Yuan
thereupon set up a puppet inspector of Yang province and combined forces
with Wu Jing and Sun Ben to attack them. For over a year Fan and the others
held out, and it was not until Sun Ce crossed the Yangtze and attacked them
that they were defeated and Liu Yao had to flee (Sgz, 46.1102; 48.1184).
Zhou jia [OMITTED], which we have translated as "senior provincial officials," must
refer to Liu Yao and his subordinates. See Sgz jijie, 50.4a.
Li Shu, who was from Ru'nan, was appointed administrator of Lujiang
commandery (in modern Anhui just north of Anqing) in Jian'an 5 (200/201).
Following Ce's death, Li was unwilling to serve Sun Quan, and he took in
many of those who had rebelled against Quan. When Quan wrote to ask the
reason, Li replied, "Those with virtue have people submit to them, while those
without virtue experience rebellion. I shall not submit." Quan was incensed
and sent a report to Cao Cao in which he was extremely critical of Li. He
attacked Li at Wan [OMITTED] (northeast of modern Anqing). Li fortified the city and
defended himself, seeking assistance from Cao Cao. Cao, however, did not
respond. When the supplies of grain in the city were exhausted, some of the
women made pellets from mud and ingested these. In the end, Quan was
victorious, and he slaughtered those in the city, displayed Li's decapitated head,
and exiled over thirty thousand of his personal troops (buqu [OMITTED]; see Sgz,
10.312; 46.1108; 47.1116, Pei quoting Jiang biao zhuan; 51.1214, Pei quoting
Wu shu).
Huang Zu served under Liu Biao in the fighting with the Sun family. In 193.
Sun Jian was killed by Huang's troops in an ambush. Huang in turn was killed
47.1117; Dian lüe [OMITTED] [Institutional Epitome], quoted in Sgz, 46.110011011,
commentary). It was in this last campaign that Kun was killed. Huang
Zu is also known to history as the man who ordered the death of Mi Heng
[OMITTED] (ca. 173-198), the audacious young wit best known for goading Cao
Cao and as the author of "Yingwu fu" [OMITTED] [Rhapsody on a Parrot]. See
HHs, 80B.2657-2658. See also Graham, "Mi Heng's Rhapsody on a Parrot"
and Cutter, "Mi Heng."
The reconstruction is based on Ting, Chinese Phonology of the Wei-Chin
Period. Cf. Coblin, A Handbook of Eastern Han Sound Glosses, 101, 162.
Sun Quan was appointed king of Wu in the second month of Huangchu 18
(September/October 221) by Cao Pi (Emperor Wen of the Wei), and Deng
was made his heir apparent. Then in Huanglong [OMITTED] 1 (229, a Wu reign date),
Quan declared himself emperor and made Deng heir apparent to the imperial
throne (Sgz, 2.78, 47.1121-1123, 48.1133-1135).
Sgz, 59.1365 has the following:
Deng was born of a base mother. Lady Xu deserved his gratitude for
having raised him as though she were his mother when he was young.
Later, when Lady Xu was abandoned in Wu because of jealousy, Lady
Bu was favored most. Whenever Lady Bu gave him something, [Deng]
dared not refuse but simply accepted it respectfully. A messenger came
from Lady Xu and told him that any clothing that he might be given
he must wash before wearing. When Deng was made heir apparent,
he declined, saying, " `When the foundation is established, the Way
is born.' If you wish to install an heir apparent, you must first establish
the empress." Quan enquired, "Where is your mother?" "In Wu."
Quan was silent.
1:600-601)
In this exchange, Deng employs an allusion to the Conversations: "Master You
said, `It is rare that there is someone who is filial toward his parents and
fraternal toward his brothers but disposed to be disobedient toward his ruler.
And never has there been a person ill-disposed to disobey his ruler who was
disposed to rebellion. The gentleman devotes himself to the foundation. When
the foundation is established, the Way is born. Filial piety and fraternal feeling
are the foundation of benevolence' " (Lun yu, 1.2).
Linhuai commandery was in modern Anhui, north of the Yangtze, during the
Former Han. During the Later Han, this commandery became the kingdom
of Xiapei. The use of Linhuai here and in Sgz, 52.1236 seems to be
anachronistic. Cf. Sgz jijie, 52.29a. Another translation of the entry on Lady
Bu can be pieced together from Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms,
1:601-602, 690.
Bu Zhi was one of Sun Quan's closest supporters. He was made chancellor
in Chiwu [OMITTED] 9 (246/247; see Sgz, 52.1240).
Zhou Xun was a commandant of the cavalry and died young. Quan Cong
was one of Sun Quan's closest and brightest military commanders. His father
had been commandant of the Eastern Region of Guiji (Guiji dongbu jiangjun
[OMITTED]) and was the first to submit to Sun Ce when Sun took Wu
(Sgz, 60.1381-1382). Quan Cong's biography states, "In Huanglong 1, Quan
(zuo hu jun [OMITTED]), and shepherd of Xu province. He married a princess"
(Sgz, 60.1382; cf. Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 1:690).
Zhu Ju was appointed to office by Sun Quan because he combined literary
and martial talent. During the struggle between Lady Wang and Princess Quan,
he sided with Sun He. Sun Hong [OMITTED] slandered him and, taking advantage
of Sun Quan's illness, had a decree fabricated and sent to Zhu ordering him
to commit suicide (Sgz, 57.1340).
Sgz, 47.1142 says, under Chiwu 1, "Lady Bu died. She was posthumously
granted the title of empress." Cf. Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms,
1:600.
Gu Yong was one of Quan's most trusted officials; he served as chancellor for
nineteen years. Characteristically, he did not say much, so that when he did
speak, Quan attached great weight to his words. He also did not drink, and
during banquets and celebrations those about Quan were afraid that if they
drank too much and lost control, Gu would see them. This prompted Sun Quan
to comment, "When Duke Gu is present, people are unable to enjoy
themselves" (Sgz, 52.1225-1228).
The Jiankang shi lu says: "In the second month [of Chiwu 1 (March 238),
Sun Quan] posthumously made Lady Bu empress. The empress's taboo name
was Lianshi [OMITTED], and her home of record was Huaiyin prefecture in Linhuai
commandery. She accompanied her mother to Lujiang. Lujiang was overrun
by King Huan [OMITTED] [Sun Ce], so they crossed to south [of the Yangtze]. Because
of her beauty she obtained the emperor's favor and bore two daughters, Luban
and Luyu. By nature she was not jealous and she often advanced others. As
a result she was long beloved and he made her the favorite of the rear
apartments. When the emperor acceded to the throne, on numerous occasions
he wanted to establish her as empress, but his senior ministers had their minds
set on the mother of the heir apparent, Madam Xu. So the emperor had no
choice but to put it off for more than ten years. She passed away, and he
mourned her. It was in this year that he posthumously made her empress. Later
they were buried together at Jiang Tumulus" (Jksl[a], 2.32-33). Sun Quan
was also buried at Jiang Tumulus, as were Lady Pan (see below) and Quan's
eldest son Sun Deng.
For another translation of this paragraph, see Fang, The Chronicles of the
Three Kingdoms, 1:690-691.
The Huangwu reign title was actually adopted in the tenth month of the year
(November/December 222), and was changed to Huanglong in the fourth
month of the year (May/June 229). The biography of the unfortunate Sun
He appears in Sgz, 59.1367-1371.
Sun He's biography says: "After this, Lady Wang and Princess Quan harbored
ill feelings toward each other. Sun Quan was bedridden with illness, and Sun
He offered sacrifices at the temple. Zhang Xiu, the younger paternal uncle of
He's concubine, dwelled near the temple, and he invited He to stay with him.
Princess Quan sent someone to spy. Consequently, she said that the heir
apparent was not in the temple but had gone solely to plot with the concubine's
family. She further said that when Lady Wang had seen the emperor in bed,
she had looked happy. Sun Quan was furious about this. The lady died of
anxiety, while Sun He's favor declined, and he feared demotion and dismissal"
(Sgz, 59.1369; cf. Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 1:683-684,
Huan of Changsha (Changsha Huan wang miao [OMITTED]). King Huan
of Changsha is the posthumous title bestowed on Sun Ce by Sun Quan when
he assumed the imperial title in 229 (Sgz, 47.1134).
Hao ascended the throne in 264, and despite the display of filial piety at the
beginning of his reign, he proved an arrogant and cruel ruler.
Nothing else is known about Lady Wang's father, and there is nothing to
suggest that he may have been one of the Langye Wangs who were to become
so prominent in the South during a somewhat later period.
The reign title was changed to Chiwu in the ninth month of the latter year
(August/September 238).
Sun Xiu was born in 235 or 236. He acceded to the throne in 258, when Sun
Liang was set aside. Xiu's reign was somewhat rocky, and there were attempts
to topple him. He died in 265 at the age of thirty (Sgz, 48.1155-1163).
Gongan was a remote town of some strategic importance on the Yangtze in
Jing Province, not far from the city of the same name in present-day southern
Hunan.
Cf. Zztj, 75.2385-2387; Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 2:114.
Juzhang was near present-day Ningbo [OMITTED].
The Weaving Chamber was within the palace and supplied woven goods for
imperial needs, including the imperial ancestral temple (Hs, 27A. 1330-1331).
The Qin created an Eastern Weaving Chamber and a Western Weaving
Chamber. In 28 B.C., the Former Han abolished the Eastern Weaving Chamber
and called the Western Weaving Chamber simply the Weaving Chamber (Hs,
19A.732). Women could be sent to the Weaving Chamber as a form of
punishment. For example, Bo Ji [OMITTED] (Dame Bo), a member of the harem of
Wei Bao [OMITTED], king of Wei [OMITTED], was sent to the Weaving Chamber following
Bao's capture by Cao Shen [OMITTED] during the fighting that attended the fall of
the Qin and the rise of the Han. She was discovered by the then king of Han,
Liu Bang, who had her transferred to the Inner Palace, where she was
eventually favored and became the mother of the future Emperor Wen (Hs,
4.105, 97A.3941).
Lady Pan was sent to the Weaving Chamber because of her father's crime,
and her discovery there is described here in terms similar to those used to
describe the fate of Bo Ji. Wang Jia's Record of Collected Remnants contains
a somewhat embellished description of this incident:
The father of Lady Pan, wife of the Sovereign of Wu, had been
convicted, and she had been brought to the Weaving Chamber. Her
appearance was uncommon, and in the region east of the Yangtze
her beauty was unsurpassed. More than a hundred of those who were
confined with her referred to the lady as a goddess. They showed
her respect and maintained their distance from her. Some officers
reported this to the lord of Wu, who ordered that a portrait be drawn
of her. The consort was melancholy and would not eat. She grew thin,
altering her appearance. The artist drew her as she was and submitted
it. The Sovereign of Wu saw it and was pleased. Rubbing an agate
scepter (ruyi [OMITTED]) until it broke, he sighed, "This is a goddess! If
a sorrowful appearance can so move men, how more so if she were
Chamber to take her to the rear palace. In the end, because of her
ability she was favored.
Whenever he took the lady strolling through the Terrace of Brilliant
Proclamation, he was happy and content. When they were completely
intoxicated, she would spit into a jade vase. She would have the
serving girls pour this on the ground beneath the terrace and it would
burn.
She hung all her rings on a pomegranate branch, so [the Sovereign
of Wu] had built on that spot a terrace, which he named the Ringed
Pomegranate Terrace (Huanliu tai [OMITTED]). At the time there were
remonstrators who said, "Now Wu and Shu are struggling for
supremacy. The name `huan Liu' will become an omen!" Sun Quan
then reversed the name to "Pomegranate Ring Terrace" (Liuhuan tai).
Another time he went strolling with the consort at the Angling
Terrace (Diao tai [OMITTED]) and caught a large fish. The sovereign of Wu
was greatly pleased. Lady Pan said, "In the past I have heard of `crying
over a fish.' Now it makes you happy. If there is happiness, certainly
it will make the sadness deeper."
In later years, others slandered her, and they gradually withdrew
from her. People at the time said of the consort, "Her understanding
of portents is divine." The sovereign of Wu presently ended the feasts,
and the consort was finally sent away.
Shih-i chi and Its Relationship to the Genre Known as Chih-kuai
hsiao-shuo," 258-259)
This account is obviously fictionalized. It does not agree with the account of
the relationship between Sun Quan and Lady Pan in Records of the Three
States, and Lu Bi has pointed out its unreliability (Sgz jijie, 50.7b). The anecdote
about the Ringed Pomegranate Terrace involves a pun. Liu [OMITTED] was the surname
of the ruling family of the Han dynasty, of which the ruler of Shu, Liu Bei,
was a distant member (the putative descendant of one of the sons of Emperor
Jing of the Former Han [r. 156-141 B.C.]). Huan liu (ringed pomegranate) is
nearly homophonous with "huan Liu" [OMITTED] ("bring back the Liu").
"Crying over a fish" is a reference to a story in the Zhan guo ce [OMITTED]
[Intrigues of the Warring States]: The king of Wei was fishing with his lover,
the Lord of Longyang (Longyang jun [OMITTED]). When the Lord of Longyang
had caught ten or more fish, tears began streaming down his cheeks. The king
asked why he was crying. The lord replied that when he had caught the first
fish, he had been extremely happy. But then he caught others that were even
larger, and he wanted to get rid of those he had caught earlier. This made him
think: If he displeased the king, the king would no longer sleep with him. There
were lots of pretty boys in the world, and when they heard that he had been
favored by the king, they too would pick up their skirts and come running.
The Lord of Longyang compared himself to the first fish, saying that he too
would be abandoned, so he could not help but cry (Zhan guo ce, 25.917; cf.
Hinsch, Passions of the Cut Sleeve, 32-33). It is interesting that in Wang Jia's
story Madam Pan sees nothing amiss in comparing her situation with that of
the homosexual lover of an ancient ruler. By this time Lord Longyang was
already an "icon" of homosexual love (Hinsch, Passions of the Cut Sleeve,
71).
"Her understanding of portents is divine" is an allusion to the Classic of
Changes:
The Master said: "To know the seeds [i.e., the portents], that is divine
indeed. In his association with those above him, the superior man
does not flatter. In his association with those beneath him, he is not
arrogant. For he knows the seeds. The seeds are the first imperceptible
beginning of movement, the first trace of good fortune (or misfortune)
that shows itself. The superior man perceives the seeds and
immediately takes action. He does not wait even a whole day."
Lady Pan is being credited with having foreseen her fate.
From Guiji, Sun Hong apparently was unrelated to the ruling family. He was
instrumental in eliminating some of Sun He's supporters through false decrees
that he was able to issue because of Quan's illness. He was appointed junior
tutor of the heir apparent (taizi shaofu [OMITTED]) by the dying Sun Quan.
Hong was on poor terms with Zhuge Ke, whom Quan had appointed grand
tutor (taizi dafu [OMITTED]) to the heir apparent and made regent to Sun Liang.
Sun Hong arranged to be notified the moment Quan expired so that he could
issue a forged decree eliminating Zhuge Ke. Ke learned of this, interrogated
Hong, and had him executed (Sgz, 52.1225, 57.1340, 59.1369, 1370, 61.1402,
64.1433, 1434).
Sima Guang [OMITTED] (1019-1086) says that Lady Pan was killed by her
attendants, who could not bear her tyrannical manner. Hu Sanxing [OMITTED]
(1230-1287), however, thinks this ludicrous. He writes that such people would
have encouraged her for their own benefit and believes that it was high-ranking
officials who did her in. Hu suggests that Sima Guang was misled by
embellished histories of Wu. See Zztj, 75.2394-2395; Fang, The Chronicles
of the Three Kingdoms, 2:104, 114.
Luling was in southeastern Jiangxi province near Ji'an [OMITTED] city. The account
in the True Record of Jiankang says,
[Taiyuan [OMITTED] 1], fifth month [June/July 251], Madam Pan was
established as empress. . . . [Taiyuan 2], second month [February/
March 253], a great amnesty was granted throughout the empire,
and the year was changed to Shenfeng [OMITTED] 1. Empress Pan died
violently in the inner halls.
The empress was respectful and virtuous, and she had her home
of record in Juzhang in Guiji commandery. She was summoned into
the palace from the Weaving Room and obtained favor. She often
said she dreamed that she was presented with a dragon's head and
that she received it with an apron. Subsequently she bore the Young
Emperor. The empress by nature was secretly jealous and was skilled
at charm. From beginning to end, she slandered without cease. When
she became ill, the people of the palace attended to her illness and
could not bear the fatigue. Taking advantage of her being in a deep
sleep, they together strangled her and said she died of a sudden illness.
persons were sentenced to death. (Jksl[a], 2.45)
The accounts in the Records of the Three States and the True Record of Jiankang
diverge significantly, and it is likely the latter is corrupt. Cf. Jksl (b), 2.68
nn. 67 and 68.
The connections between the Suns and the Yuan family, whose members had
held high office since the reign of Emperor Zhang, were close. Sun Jian had
commanded an army under Yuan Shu in the wars against Dong Zhuo and
Liu Biao. Following Sun Jian's death, his nephew Sun Ben took command of
his troops and was appointed inspector of Yu province by Yuan Shu. A couple
of years later, Sun Jian's son Sun Ce entered Yuan Shu's service and took
command of his father's troops, Sun Ben having returned south. Relations
between Sun Ce and Yuan Shu do not appear to have been particularly warm,
and in 197, when Yuan Shu declared himself emperor of the Zhong [OMITTED] dynasty,
Sun Ce broke with him. Yuan found himself opposed from all sides, and when
he died in 199, his power had been greatly reduced. His wife and children
took refuge with Liu Xun [OMITTED], administrator of Lujiang commandery and
a former official under Yuan. Sun Ce defeated Liu Xun, and Yuan Shu's
daughter was taken into Sun Quan's harem. Yuan's son Yuan Yao [OMITTED] was
made gentleman-of-the-palace, and his daughter was wed to Sun Quan's son
Sun Fen [OMITTED] (HHs, 75.2439-2444; Sgz 6.207-210; de Crespigny, Generals of
the South, 146-180, 189).
Since Sun Quan did not attempt to make Lady Yuan principal wife until
after the death of Lady Bu in 238, Lady Yuan must have been at least forty
years of age and may have been much older. Sun's desire to elevate her to
principal wife may have been motivated by a desire to bring order to his harem,
and her reasons for declining—aside from the fact that she had no children—
may have stemmed from a desire to remain aloof from harem machinations.
She may have understood the impact of such machinations. In his commentary,
Pei Songzhi includes the following excerpt from the Jiu zhou chunqiu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] [Spring and Autumn Annals of the Nine Provinces]:
The daughter of Director of Retainers (sili [OMITTED]) Feng Fang [OMITTED]
was a beauty of the empire. She took refuge in Yang province from
the disorder. Yuan Shu ascended the city wall, where he saw and was
smitten with her. Presently, he took her into his harem and was
extremely fond of her. The other wives were jealous of the favor
shown her and told her, "The general esteems those who have
aspirations and integrity. You should frequently weep and be
melancholy. Then you will surely be long honored." Madam Feng
believed them, and afterward, when she saw Yuan Shu, she let her
tears fall. Yuan Shu took this as a sign of her will, and he increasingly
pitied her. The other wives then strangled her and hung her from the
roof beam of the privy. Yuan Shu truly believed that she had died
because she was unable to achieve her aspirations, so he gave her
an elaborate funeral.
Sun Liang's biography offers the following background: "Sun Quan was
advanced in years, and Liang being his youngest son, Sun was especially
apparent Sun He and his mother and was apprehensive. So she took advantage
of Sun Quan's inclinations to secure her position in advance and repeatedly
praised Quan Shang's daughter, urging that she be wed to Sun Liang. In Chiwu
13 [250], Sun He was deposed, and Sun Quan appointed Liang heir apparent,
with Lady Quan as his consort" (Sgz, 48.1151; cf. Fang, The Chronicles of
the Three Kingdoms, 2:74). Quan Shang was a nephew of Quan Cong, Princess
Quan's husband.
Zhuge Dan was commander of the Wei garrison at Shouchun. In 257, he
rebelled and tried to surrender the garrison to Wu. Several members of the
Quan family, led by Quan Yi [OMITTED], were sent to assist Zhuge Dan. Two members
of the family, Quan Hui [OMITTED] and Quan Yi [OMITTED], remained in the capital at Jianye,
and because of the conflict and suits within the family, they took their mother
and several tens of families of their personal retainers, crossed the Yangtze,
and surrendered to the Wei general Sima Zhao. At the suggestion of his
advisers, Sima Zhao had Quan Hui and Quan Yi [OMITTED] write a letter to Quan
Yi [OMITTED] stating that Wu was angry with Yi [OMITTED] for being unable to take Shouchun
and planned to execute his entire family. They had, therefore, fled for their
lives. Quan Yi [OMITTED] and his followers were frightened into submitting to Sima
Zhao. They were all richly rewarded, which caused discord among the Wei
rebels, who subsequently also surrendered (Sgz, 28.786-787, 48.1154-1155,
64.1447; Js, 2.33-35; Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 2:285-286).
Lingling commandery was in present-day southwestern Hunan, in the region
now covered by Lingling county. The Quans were involved in a plot to
eliminate Sun Lin, whose arrogance and usurpation of authority had angered
Sun Liang. Sun Liang ordered Quan Ji [OMITTED] to kill Sun Lin. Quan Ji discussed
the plot with Quan Shang, who unthinkingly mentioned it to Quan Ji's mother.
She informed Sun Lin (another version says Lin was informed by a niece who
was one of Liang's concubines), who struck at the plotters, defeated them, and
then deposed Sun Liang. Quan Ji committed suicide (Sgz, 64.1448, and Pei
quoting Jiangbiao zhuan). See also Zztj, 77.2445-2447; Fang, The Chronicles
of the Three Kingdoms, 2:295-297.
Sun Jun was the great grandson of Sun Jian's younger brother Jing [OMITTED]. He
apparently had an affair with Sun Luban, Sun Luyu's elder sister and his own
lineage member. Following the death of Sun Quan, he became one of the
regents and was responsible for the death of Zhuge Ke. A number of people
tried unsuccessfully to eliminate him (Sgz, 64.1444-1445; cf. Fang, The
Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 2:313-314).
Emperor Hui married the daughter of his eldest sister (Hs, 97A.3940; Ch'ü,
Han Social Structure, 263-264). In commenting on Emperor Hui's marriage,
Xun Yue (148-209) wrote:
The match between husband and wife is a major relationship of the
way of humankind. The [Classic of] Poetry says, "His example
influenced his wife, extended to his brothers, and thereby exercised
family is put in order, the world will all be in order." To make one's
sister's child a queen brings confusion to propriety and defilement to
human emotion. It is not the way to show the entire world the
principles of being people. None of the ministers dared to criticize
[the emperor's] faults. (Hj, 5.4b)
Although Sun He and Sun Ba were on excellent terms and treated each other
as equals, parties grew up supporting one or the other for heir apparent. The
result was a bitter factionalism that threatened to divide the state. It was to
avoid such a disaster that Sun Quan changed the succession (Sgz, 59.13691370,
Pei quoting Tong yu).
This occurred in the autumn of 255. The conspirators included Sun Yi, Zhang
Yi [OMITTED], and Lin Xun [OMITTED]. Several versions say that when the plot was
discovered, Sun Yi committed suicide and the others confessed. A large number
("several tens") of conspirators lost their lives (Sgz, 48.1152, 52.1208,
64.1444-1445; Zztj, 76.2426).
Zhu Xiong and Zhu Sun were the sons of Zhu Ju, who was a follower of
Sun Quan and remained a supporter of Sun He against Sun Liang. When Sun
Quan was ill, Sun Hong fabricated a decree ordering Zhu to kill himself.
Princess Quan's accusation was false, though this was discovered too late.
Xiong and Sun were posthumously recognized for their meritorious service,
and Xiong's son succeeded his father as marquis of Yunyang [OMITTED] (Sgz,
57.1340).
Sun Jun died in 256, when he was thirty-eight, and Sun Lin came to dominate
the court in much the same way Jun had. When Sun Xiu overthrew Sun Lin
and asserted his authority, he had Jun's body exhumed and stripped of its
official seals because of his role in the death of Princess Zhu (Sgz, 64.1451).
Following Sgz pangzheng, 28.8a, we read [OMITTED] (po "to force.") for [OMITTED] (zhui "to
pursue"). Cf. Sgz jijie, 50.9b, which has [OMITTED]. Ding Tumulus was in Yu province,
south of modern Xuchang in He'nan. Sun Xiu was buried there in 265 (Sgz,
48.1163). Sgz, 48.1164 says,
In autumn, the seventh month [of Ganlu 1; i.e., August of 265], Sun
Hao forced Madam Zhu, the Empress Jing, to commit suicide. She
did not die in the main hall, and the funeral was held in a small
building in the garden. Everyone knew she had not been ill, and there
was none who did not grieve. He further sent Sun Xiu's four sons
to a small town in Wu. Shortly thereafter he had the two eldest of
them tracked down and killed.
Cf. Fang, The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms, 2:510. The True Record
of Jiankang has:
In Yongan 7, seventh month [July/August 264] Emperor Jing [Sun
Xiu] died. . . . General of the Left (zuo jiangiun [OMITTED]) Wan Yu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] formerly had been prefect of Wucheng and got on well with [Sun]
Hao. . . . He subsequently spoke with the Empress Dowager Zhu,
and he wished to make the Latter Sovereign [Sun Hao] successor. The
empress said, "I am a widow. How would I know the concerns of
state? So long as the state of Wu does not perish and the ancestral
welcome the Latter Sovereign. On a gengyin [OMITTED] day [July 26], he
acceded to the throne as emperor and changed the year to Yuanxing
[OMITTED] 1. . . . In autumn, the ninth month [October/November], [Sun
Hao] demoted the empress dowager to Empress Jing, referring to her
as the Palace of Peace and Stability. He posthumously bestowed on
his father, He, the title of Emperor Wen and reinterred him at Ming
Tumulus (Mingling [OMITTED]). He set up a park benefice of two hundred
households [to care for the tomb]. His great-grandmother Madam
Wang he made Empress of Great Virtue (da yi huanghou [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]), his mother Madam He [OMITTED] he made Empress Wen, and he
established the lady Madam Teng [OMITTED] as empress.
The empress's taboo name was Fanglan [OMITTED]. She was a third
cousin of Grand Master of Ceremonies Teng Yin. Her father was Mu
[OMITTED], who was general-of-the-household for all purposes. When the
emperor was marquis of Wucheng, he brought her in as concubine.
At this point, he named her empress and appointed [her father]
marquis of Gaomi [OMITTED]. Later she fell out of favor. Empress He
protected her and she was permanently supported in the Palace of
Ascendant Peace. In Tianji [OMITTED] 4 [280], she accompanied the
emperor when he moved northward, and she passed away at
Luoyang.
The True Record of Jiankang says that Sun Xiu died in the eighth month, falling
sick on a guiwei [OMITTED] day and expiring on a bingxu [OMITTED] day:
Eighth month, guiwei, the emperor fell ill and was unable to speak.
He wrote by hand, summoning Chancellor Puyang Xing [OMITTED] to
enter, and ordered the heir apparent Wan [OMITTED] to come out and do
obeisance to the chancellor. The emperor held Xing's shoulder and,
pointing at Wan, entrusted him [to Xing]. On bingxu the emperor
died in the inner hall. In the twelfth month he was buried at Dingling.
For a similar scene, in which the dying Emperor Ming of Wei entrusts Cao
Fang to Sima Yi, see the Wei Epitome and Sun Sheng's Wei shi chunqiu [OMITTED]
[OMITTED] [Spring and Autumn Annals of the House of Wei], quoted in Sgz, 3.114,
commentary. Both Chen Shou and Sima Guang say that Sun Xiu died on a
guiwei day, and the latter indicates that this occurred in the seventh month
(Jksl[a], 4.63; Sgz, 48.1162; Zztj, 78.2487). Since there was neither a guiwei
nor a bingxu day in the eighth month, Sun must have died in the seventh month.
If, as the True Record has it, he fell ill on guiwei and passed away on bingxu,
that would have been the twenty-fifth and twenty-eighth days respectively of
the seventh month (3 and 6 September 264; cf. Jksl[b], 3.88 nn. 30, 31; 4.115
n. 2). Sun Xiu's trust proved to have been misplaced, for Puyang Xing, believing
that circumstances called for a strong ruler, joined several other high officials
in deposing Wan in favor of Sun Hao. Subsequently, Xing was himself killed
on Sun Hao's orders (Sgz, 64.1451-1452).
The location of Gaomi is uncertain. There was a prefecture by this name
located not far from the modern city of the same name in Shandong province,
but it seems doubtful that this is the place referred to here.
The use of the title here is anachronistic. Following his surrender to the Jin
the Western Jin capital of Luoyang, where he was treated fairly leniently. He
was given the title Marquis Guiming (Marquis Who Has Submitted to the
Mandate; (see Sgz, 48.1177; Js, 3.71).
For another translation of the biography of dame He, see Fang, The Chronicles
of the Three Kingdoms, 2:160, 502. The word we have translated as "dame"
here is ji [OMITTED] (EH kjǝh in Coblin, A Handbook of Eastern Han Sound Glosses,
201). The commentator identified simply as Chen Zan [OMITTED] ("Your subject
Zan") cites two Han texts (now lost) that give the term as one of the ranks
of the harem, coming after favorite beauty and ahead of eighth rank lady. But
it is not found among the ranks given for consorts and concubines in the Han
History (Hs, 97A.3935), and in fact there are three other ranks between favorite
beauty and eighth rank lady. Yan Shigu rejects the Chen Zan explanation,
saying,
"Ji" was originally the surname of the Zhou. [Zhou women] were
more noble than the women of the many states, so in order to give
the [Zhou] wives an attractive appellation, they were addressed as
ji by them. . . . Later, one came to refer generally to all concubines
(qie [OMITTED]) as ji. The Grand Scribe's Records' statement, "When Gaozu
dwelled in Shandong, he was fond of beautiful concubines (ji)," is
an example of this. If "dame" were a title of office, then one ought
not say "favored concubine (ji) Lady Qi." Moreover, the "Wai qi
zhuan" in setting forth the various offices pertaining to empresses and
consorts does not include a position of ji.
Ru Chun says that the word was pronounced like [OMITTED] (EH rjǝï in Coblin, A
Handbook of Eastern Han Sound Glosses, 224) and was a general term to
refer to concubines. This would seem to be correct. See Hanyu da zidian, 1049.
Cf. Dubs, The History of the Former Han Dynasty, 1:221 n. 1. We have
another example in Records of the Three States of the term's being employed
to refer to several of Cao Cao's secondary wives (see Sgz, 20.579). Jurong was
near the modern place by the same name southeast of Nanjing.
Peng Zu was China's Methuselah, who supposedly lived seven hundred years.
See, for example, Yuan, Zhongguo shenhua chuanshuo cidian, 378-379.
Sun Jun availed himself of the opportunity presented by the death of Zhuge
Ke to take the royal seal from Sun He and send him to Xindu. Sun He's consort
Zhang was Zhang Cheng's daughter and Zhuge Ke's niece. When Sun He was
ordered to commit suicide, Zhang told him, "We should share bad fortune
as well as good; I'll not live out my life alone!" and killed herself (Sgz, 59.1370;
Zztj, 76.2412).
Aside from this reference and one below, nothing is known about the Palace
of Ascendant Peace, which appears to have been a home for consorts who
were no longer in favor.
Liyang was almost directly south of the capital on the present-day Anhui-Jiangsu
border near Gucheng [OMITTED] lake; Xuancheng was farther south and
to the west of the present-day city of the same name. All seem to have been
of some strategic importance, judging by their locations and by references to
the last two as having been garrisoned.
Lu Bi says Wuling should be Hulin [OMITTED] (Sgz jijie, 50.10b). Liang Zhangju
says it should be Wulin [OMITTED] (Sgz pangzheng, 28.8b).
Zhang Bu was instrumental in putting Sun Hao on the throne following the
death of Sun Xiu, and he was honored for his efforts. Once Hao was on the
throne, however, he became arrogant, violent, and debauched, and Bu
surreptitiously expressed his dissatisfaction and was slandered to Hao. For this
Hao had him executed (Sgz, 48.1163).
Feng Chao Served as commandant of the guards under Sun Liang, who was
deposed in 258. In 256, Feng was appointed commissioner for inspection of
the army (jianjun shizhe [OMITTED]) to oversee military affairs in Xu province
(Sgz, 48.1152-1153).
Sgz, 48.1170 gives supervisor of the three commanderies (sanjun du [OMITTED])
as Zhi's title. The three commanderies were Guiji, Linhai, and Jian'an, all of
which were along the coast of Yang province.
Teng Yin was a member of a faction that opposed Sun Lin after the latter
replaced Sun Jun as the dominant power at court. An effort to oust Sun Lin
failed, Teng's army was defeated by one of Sun's supporters, and Teng's family
was exterminated (Sgz, 48.1153).
Cangwu commandery was on the border between modern Guangdong and
Guangxi and was the place of exile for a great many officials.
The Yellow Gates were those to the imperial quarters. During the Han there
were several positions—including prefect of the Yellow Gates, assistant of the
Yellow Gates, and palace attendant of the Yellow Gates—that were held by
eunuchs. See Bielenstein, The Bureaucracy of Han Times, 53, and Bielenstein,
"Lo-yang in Later Han Times," 24.
This number may be an understatement. Following his conquest of Wu,
Emperor Wu of Jin ordered selection of five thousand of Sun Hao's courtesans
and concubines to be taken into the palace (Js, 3.73). Presumably not all of
these were the daughters of high officials.
The sentence comes from the Classic of Changes, Hexagram 37, "Commentary
on the Decision." Cf. Wilhelm, I Ching, 570. Thus, just as Chen Shou began
his section on the Wei empresses and consorts with a quote from this passage,
so he returns to it in his judgment of the Wu arrangements concerning consorts
and concubines.
Duke Huan gathered about himself several talented ministers, including Guan
Zhong, Baoshu Ya [OMITTED], and Xi Peng [OMITTED]. The duke had three consorts,
none of whom produced a son. But he also had six women in the inner
apartments whom be "treated as wives," and each of these produced a son.
One son was given to Duke Xiang of Song [OMITTED] to be his heir apparent.
When Duke Huan was on his deathbed, the other sons formed factions and
began to fight over the succession. After the duke died, the struggle broke into
open conflict. The palace was left with no one to encoffin the duke's corpse,
which was left unattended for over two months until "the maggots spilled out
the doorway" (Sj, 32.1493-1494; Chavannes, Mémoires historiques, 2:39-40).
| Empresses and consorts | |