Lü Shang, the Tai Gong Wang, was a man from the East China Sea. His ancestor had been an official of the Four Mountains, and assisted Xia Yu in governing the water, making great achievements. At the time of Shun and Yu, they were feudalized in Lü, and some of them were feudalized in Shen, with the surname Jiang. During the Xia and Shang dynasties, some of the descendants of Shen and Lv were granted to their descendants, while others became commoners, and Lu Shang was one of them. Lü Shang was originally surnamed Jiang, and was called Lü Shang because he took the name of his fiefdom as his surname.
Lü Shang was once poor and destitute. When he was old, he took the opportunity of fishing to meet with Zhou Xibo. Before going out to hunt, Xi Bo divined a fortune and said, “The prey I get is not a dragon or a chi dragon, not a tiger or a bear; the prey I get is an auxiliary minister who accomplishes the work of the king.” So Xi Bo Hou went out to hunt, and really met Taigong on the north bank of the Wei River. After talking with Taigong, Xi Bo rejoiced and said, “I have long heard Taigong, the late king of our country, say, ‘There will be a sage coming to Zhou, and Zhou will prosper.’ It is you, isn’t it? Our Taigong has been looking forward to you for a long time.” So he called Lu Shang “Taigongwang”, and the two of them rode back together and were honored as military advisors.
It was said that Taigong was a learned man who had once assisted King Zhou of Shang Dynasty. Because King Zhou was a ruthless king, Tai Gongwang left the country. He traveled around to talk to the lords of various countries, but he did not know the king he met, so he finally traveled west to join Zhou Xibo. Some people said that Lu Shang was a scholar who lived in seclusion by the sea. When Zhou Xibo was imprisoned by King Zhou in Yǒ (羑), his ministers, San Yisheng (散宜生) and Ma-te (闳)ao (闳), who knew Lü Shang, asked him to come out to the mountain. Lü Shang said the same thing: “I have heard that Xibo is virtuous and has always respected and cared for the elderly, so why don’t I go?” In order to rescue Xibo, these three searched for beautiful women and wondrous treasures and offered them to King Zhou to redeem Xibo. As a result, Xi Bo was released and returned to the Zhou. Although the legend of Lu Shang’s return to Zhou varies, the general tenor is that he was a teacher and advisor to King Wen and King Wu.
After Zhou Xibo Chang was released from the palace and returned to his country, he and Lu Shang secretly planned how to implement a benevolent government to overthrow the Shang Dynasty, in which many of them were military tactics and strange plans, so that future generations who talked about the way of military tactics and the secretive power tactics of the Zhou Dynasty honored the basic strategy of Taigong. Zhou Xi Bo was a righteous and peaceful man, especially after he had resolved the disputes between Yu and Rui, and was called the King of Wen, who had been entrusted with the mandate of Heaven. Xi Bo also crushed Chong Guo, Mishu and Inui, and built Feng Yi on a large scale. Two-thirds of the lords in the world returned to Zhou, mostly as a result of Taigong’s planning and counseling.
After the death of King Wen, King Wu assumed the throne. In the ninth year, King Wu wanted to continue the great work of King Wen, and went east to conquer Shang Zhou to see if the vassals would respond.
So the army arrived at Mangjin. There were as many as eight hundred vassals who came without being summoned. The lords all said, “We can conquer Shang Zhou now.” King Wu said, “Not yet.” He returned with his division and wrote the Oath of Tai with Taigong.
Two years later, Shang Zhou killed Prince Bi Gan and imprisoned Min Zi. When King Wu was about to conquer Shang Zhou again, he divined a fortune, and the turtle’s omen showed that it was inauspicious, and wind and rain came suddenly. The ministers were afraid, but only Taigong persuaded King Wu to march, so King Wu led his troops to go to war. On the day of the first month of the eleventh year, King Wu swore an oath at Muo Ye to march against Shang Zhou. The army of Shang Zhou completely collapsed. Shang Zhou turned back and fled, mounting a deer platform, whereupon his pursuers killed King Zhou. On the next day, King Wu stood on top of the altar of the society, his ministers held bright water in their hands, Wei Kang Shu Feng spread colored mats, Shi Shang Fu brought sacrificial animals, and Shi Yi (yì) prayed according to the Book of Strategies, reporting to the gods about the crusade against the evil Shang Zhou. He distributed the coins that Shang Zhou had accumulated in Lutai and the grain that Shang Zhou had accumulated in Kuiqiao for the relief of the poor. Build and raise the tomb of Bi Gan and release the imprisoned Min Zi. He moved the Nine Cauldrons, which symbolized the highest power in the world, to the Zhou Kingdom, repaired the Zhou Dynasty’s political affairs, and started to create a new era together with the people of the world. Most of the above things were adopted by Shi Shangfu’s plan.
At this time, King Wu had already pacified Shang Zhou and became the king of the world, so he rewarded Shi Shangfu with Yingqiu in Qi. Shi Shangfu went eastward to his own fiefdom, traveling and staying at the same time, and his speed was very slow. A man in the guest house said to him, “I have heard that timing is hard to get but easy to lose. I am afraid that this guest, who sleeps so soundly, is not going to his feudal state to take up his post.” Hearing this, Taigong dressed and set out on the road at night, and arrived at his fiefdom at dawn. He came upon Marquis Lai with his troops, who wanted to fight with Taigong for Yingqiu. Yingqiu was adjacent to the state of Lai. The people of Lai were barbarians who took advantage of the chaos of Shang Zhou while the Zhou Dynasty was just settling down and had not yet pacified the remote areas, and therefore fought with the Duke of Tai over the land.
When Taigong arrived at his own fiefdom, he cultivated the government, obeyed its customs, simplified the rituals, opened up the industry and commerce, and developed the advantages of fishery and salt industry, so that the people were mostly subordinate to Qi, and Qi became a great state. When King Cheng of Zhou was a young man and came to the throne, Uncle Guan and Uncle Cai rebelled, and Huaiyi betrayed the Zhou Dynasty. King Cheng sent Duke Zhaokang to order Duke Taigong to say, “If any of the five vassals in the area, which extends from the sea in the east to the Yellow River in the west, from Muling in the south to Wudi in the north, and all the officials in each area are guilty of any crime, I will order you to conquer them.” Qi was thus able to conquer all the countries, form a great state and set its capital at Yingqiu.
When Duke Tai died, he was more than a hundred years old, and was succeeded by his son, Duke Ding, Lü Kai (jí). When Duke Ding died, his son Duke E succeeded him. When Duke B died, his son, Duke Kui, succeeded him. When Duke Gui died, his son Duke Wu Chen succeeded to the throne.
During the reign of Duke Sao, Marquis Ji falsely accused Duke Sao to the King of Zhou, who boiled Duke Sao to death in a large cauldron, and made Duke Sao’s younger brother, Jing, the ruler of Qi, that is, Duke Hu. Duke Hu moved the capital to Pegu, which was during the reign of King Yi of Zhou.
Duke Wu’s younger brother Shan resented Duke Hu, so he and his gang led the people of Yingqiu to attack and kill Duke Hu to make himself the ruler of Qi, that is, Duke Xian. In the first year of Duke Xian’s reign, he expelled all the sons of Duke Hu and took the opportunity to move the capital from Pegu to Linzi.
In the ninth year of Duke Xian’s reign, Duke Xian died and was succeeded by his son, Duke Wu. In the ninth year of Duke Wu, King Li of the Zhou Dynasty fled and lived in ZHì (彘)邑. In the 10th year (841 BC), the Zhou royal family was in great turmoil, and the ministers presided over the state, which was called the “Republic”. In the twenty-fourth year (827 BC), King Xuan of Zhou assumed the throne.
In the 26th year (825 BC), Duke Wu died and his son, Duke Li, succeeded him. Duke Li was brutal and tyrannical, so Duke Hu’s son returned to Qi, and the people of Qi wanted to make Duke Hu’s son the ruler, so they attacked and killed Duke Li together. Duke Hu’s son was also killed in battle. The people of Qi then installed Chi, the son of Duke Li, as the ruler of Qi, who was Duke Wen, and he beheaded more than seventy people who had attacked and killed Duke Li.
Duke Wen died in the twelfth year (804 BC) and was succeeded by his son Cheng Gongtuo. Duke Cheng died in the ninth year (795 BC) and was succeeded by his son, Duke Zhuang.
In the 24th year of Duke Zhuang’s reign (771 BC), King You was killed by the Inu Rong, and the Zhou royal family moved its capital eastward to Luoyi. Qin began to be listed as a vassal. In the fifty-sixth year (739 BC), the Jin killed their ruler, Marquis Zhao of Jin.
In the sixty-fourth year (731 BC), Duke Zhuang died, and his son, Duke Lu Fu, succeeded him.
In the ninth year (722 BC), Duke Yin of Lu assumed the throne. In the nineteenth year (712 BC), Duke Huan of Lu killed his brother, Duke Yin, and made himself ruler of Lu.
In the 25th year (706 BC), the Northern Rong attacked Qi. The state of Zheng sent Prince Hu to rescue Qi, and the marquis of Qi wanted to marry his daughter to him. Prince Khu said, “The state of Zheng is small and the state of Qi is big, I am not worthy of your daughter.” He refused.
In the thirty-second year (699 B.C.), Yi Zhongnian, a half-brother of Duke Zheng, died. His son’s name was Gongsun Wuzhi, and Duke Zheng favored him, giving him the same rank and living conditions as the crown prince.
In the 33rd year (698 BC), Duke Zheng died, and Prince Zhuo’er was crowned Duke Xiang.
In the first year of the reign of Duke Xiang (697 BC), Duke Xiang, when he was still the crown prince, had fought with Ignorant, and after his accession to the throne, he lowered Ignorant’s salary, carriage, and clothes, and Ignorant was very resentful in his heart.
In the fourth year (694 BC), Duke Huan of Lu and his wife came to Qi. In the past, Duke Xiang of Qi had an affair with Mrs. Lu. Mrs. Lu was the sister of Duke Xiang, who was married to Duke Huan of Lu as his wife during the reign of Duke Zheng of Qi, and came to Qi with Duke Huan of Lu to commit adultery with Duke Xiang again. When Duke Lu found out about this, he scolded his wife and she told Duke Xiang of Qi. Duke Xiang of Qi invited Duke Huan of Lu to a banquet, made Duke Huan drunk, and sent Peng Sheng to carry Duke Huan of Lu to the car, and then broke Duke Huan’s ribs to kill Duke Huan, who was dead by the time he got out of the car. The people of Lu blamed Qi for this, and Duke Xiang of Qi killed Peng Sheng to atone for his crime to Lu.
In the eighth year (690 BC), Qi conquered Ji, which was forced to move its capital.
In the twelfth year (686 BC), Duke Xiang had earlier sent Lian Zhan and Guan Zhifu to guard Kwaiqiu, agreeing to go there in July when the melons were ripe, and to send someone to replace them when the melons were ripe in the following year. When the melon was ripe the following year, he sent someone to replace them. They had been there for a year, but the period of ripeness had passed and the Duke still did not send anyone to replace them. When some people asked Duke Xiang to replace them, he refused to do so. So the two of them got angry and planned a rebellion through Gongsun Wuzhi. Lian claimed to have a cousin in Duke Xiang’s palace who was not favored, so he asked her to spy on Duke Xiang secretly, and said to her, “After the deed is done, I’ll make you the wife of Gongsun Wuzhi.” In the winter of December, Duke Xiang traveled to Guxu (fén) and went to Peiqiu for hunting. When he saw a wild boar, his attendant said, “It’s Peng Sheng”. Duke Xiang was furious and shot it with an arrow. The boar stood up and squealed like a man. The boar stood up and squealed like a man. Duke Xiang was so frightened that he fell off his chariot and hurt his foot, and lost his shoe. When he got back, he whipped the man in charge of the shoes, 茀(fú), with 300 strokes. He was then sent out of the palace. When Wuxi, Lianzheng, and Guan Zhifu heard that Duke Xiang was injured, they led their men to attack his palace. When they met 茀, who was waiting for Duke Xiang to put on his shoes, 茀 said, “Don’t go in yet so as not to disturb the palace, and it will not be easy to attack again after disturbing the palace.” Wuxi did not believe this, but 茀he asked him to examine his wounds, and then Wuxi believed him. They waited outside the palace, letting 茀omber go in first to find out what was going on. After 茀eing in first, he immediately hid Xiang Gong behind the door of the house. After a long time, Ignorant and the others were a bit scared, so they went into the palace. Instead, 茀, the people in the palace, and Xiang Gong’s trusted officials counterattacked Wu Zhi and the others, but failed to win, and they were all killed. Ignorant went into the palace and could not find Duke Xiang. When someone saw a man’s foot under the door of the house, he opened the door and saw that it was Duke Xiang behind the door, so he killed Duke Xiang and Wuchi made himself the ruler of Qi.
In the spring of the first year of Duke Huan’s reign (685 B.C.), Wuchi, the ruler of Qi, went to Yonglin to play. Some people in Yonglin resented Wuchi, and when Wuchi went there, they attacked and killed Wuchi, and announced to the great ministers of Qi, “Wuchi killed Duke Xiang and made himself the ruler of Qi, and I have already executed him. I ask you to appoint instead the one of the other dukes who should take the throne, and I will do as I am told.”
At first, Duke Xiang killed Duke Huan of Lu by getting him drunk, committed adultery with Mrs. Lu, and also repeatedly killed and punished him improperly, indulged in female sex, and bullied his ministers many times, and several of his younger brothers were afraid of being implicated in the scourge, so Duke Xiang’s second younger brother, Duke Gaozi, fled to the state of Lu, where his mother was a daughter of the state of Lu. His mother was a daughter of Lu. Guan Zhong and Zhaohu assisted him. Duke Xiang’s third brother, Duke Xiaobai, fled to the state of Ju, where he was assisted by Bao Shuya. Xiao Bai’s mother was the daughter of the ruler of Wei, and was favored by Duke Qi. Xiao Bai grew up in friendship with Gao Wait (xī), a senior official of the state of Wei. After the Yonglin people killed Wuchi, the ministers discussed the appointment of a ruler, but the Gao and Guo clans secretly recalled Xiaobai from Ju first. Knowing that Wuchi was dead, Lu also sent troops to escort Duke Kao back to Qi, and ordered Guan Zhong to bring another army to block the passage of Ju, but Guan Zhong shot an arrow into the sash hook at Xiaobai’s waist. When Xiao Bai pretended to be dead, Guan Zhong sent someone to report to Lu. Lu’s troops escorting Duke Tang were slowed down, and it took six days for them to arrive at Qi, but Xiaobai had already entered Qi first, and Gao Wait made him the king, who was Duke Huan.
At that time, Duke Huan, after being shot in the sash hook, pretended to be dead in order to confuse Guan Zhong, and then hid in a warm car and traveled at a fast speed. Also, because of the Gao’s Guoshi’s two big clans as the inner circle, he was able to enter Qi first to assume the throne and sent his troops to defend himself against Lu’s army. In the fall, the Qi soldiers fought with the Lu soldiers at Qianshi, the Lu soldiers were defeated and fled, and the Qi soldiers cut off the retreat of the Lu soldiers. Qi wrote a letter to Lu, saying, “Zi Tang was my brother and I cannot bear to kill him with my own hands, so I ask Lu to kill him. Zhaoshu and Guanzhong are my enemies, and I ask that they be handed over to me alive, so that I can chop them into meat paste before I am satisfied. Otherwise, the Qi soldiers will besiege Lu.” The people of Lu were afraid, so they killed Zi Tang at Shengdu. Zhaoshu died by suicide, and Guanzhong asked to be imprisoned. When Duke Huan took the throne, he sent troops to attack Lu, and was going to kill Guan Zhong. Bao Shuya said, “I am honored to follow you, and you have finally become the king of the country. I can no longer help you to improve your honorable position. If you only want to govern the state of Qi, it is enough for you to have Gao Wait and me. If you want to be a king, you can’t do it without Guan Yigo. The country in which Yiwu resides will be strong, and you cannot afford to lose this talent.” So Duke Huan heeded this advice. So he pretended to recall Guan Zhong to avenge his hatred, but in reality he wanted to appoint him as the ruler. Guan Zhong understood this in his heart, so he asked to return to Qi. Bao Shuya greeted Guanzhong, and as soon as he arrived at Tangfu in Qi, he removed Guanzhong’s shackles and let him fast and bathe before Duke Huan. Duke Huan rewarded him with generous gifts and appointed Guan Zhong as the chief minister to preside over the government affairs.
After obtaining Guan Zhong, Duke Huan, together with Bao Shu, Xi (xí) Peng, and Gao Chen, repaired the political affairs of the state of Qi, implemented the military service system with five families as the basic unit, developed the advantages of commercial circulation and fishery and salt industry, which were used to provide relief to the poor, and rewarded the wise and capable people, and everyone in the state of Qi rejoiced.
In the second year of Duke Huan (684 BC), Qi conquered and destroyed the state of Tancheng, whose ruler fled to the state of Ju. Earlier when Duke Huan fled, he had visited the state of Tancan, and the ruler of Tancan had been rude to Duke Huan, so he crushed it.
In the fifth year (681 B.C.), the state of Lu was conquered, and the Lu army saw defeat. When Duke Zhuang of Lu asked for peace by offering Suiyi, Duke Huan promised to make an alliance with the people of Lu at Kodi. As they were about to take the oath, Cao Mo (huì, Hui) of Lu abducted Duke Huan of Qi at the altar with a dagger and said, “Return the usurped land of Lu!” Duke Huan agreed. Then Cao Mo threw away the dagger and returned to his position as a vassal facing north. Duke Huan regretted and tried to kill Cao Mo without returning the occupied land of Lu. Guan Zhong said, “If one agrees to someone’s request when being robbed and then reneges on his promise to kill him, one is satisfied with a small and pleasurable thing, but loses one’s credibility among the vassals and the support of the people of the world; one cannot do so.” Duke Huan then returned to Lu all the territories that Cao Mo had lost in his three defeats. When the lords heard of this, they all thought that Qi had kept its word and were willing to submit. In the seventh year (679 B.C.), the lords allied with Duke Huan of Qi at Zhendi, and Duke Huan of Qi henceforth became the overlord of the lords of the world.
In the 14th year (672), Chen Wan, the son of Duke Li of Chen, called Jingzhong, fled and came to Qi. Duke Huan of Qi wanted to appoint him as a minister, but he humbly excused himself; so he made him a minister in charge of all kinds of work. This was the ancestor of Tian Chang, the son of Tian Cheng.
In the 23rd year (663 BC), Shanrong invaded Yan, and Yan sent an emergency message to Qi. Duke Huan of Qi sent troops to save Yan, and then crushed the Shanrong, arriving at Guzhu before leaving the army. King Zhuang of Yan then sent Duke Huan into the territory of Qi. Duke Huan said, “Except for the Son of Heaven, lords do not send each other beyond their own borders, so I cannot be rude to Yan.” So he gave to Yan the territory of Qi to which the king of Yan had traveled separated by a ditch, and told the king of Yan to reestablish the rule of Duke Zao, and to pay tribute to the royal family of the Zhou, as he had done in the days of King Cheng and King Kang of the Zhou. When the lords heard of this, they all obeyed Qi.
In the twenty-seventh year (659 BC), the mother of Duke Min (mǐn) of Lu was called Mian Jiang, the sister of Duke Huan of Qi. When Qingfu killed Duke Min, she tried to make Qingfu the ruler of the state, but the people of Lu decided to make Duke Qi instead. Duke Huan recalled Mourning Jiang to Qi and killed her.
In the twenty-eighth year (658 BC), Duke Wen of Wei was invaded by the Di people and reported to Qi.
Qi led the lords to build a city in Chuchu and settled the Duke of Wei there.
In the 29th year (657 BC), Duke Heng and his wife Cai Ji took a boat trip. Cai Ji was familiar with the water and rocked the boat to bump Duke Huan. Duke Huan was afraid and ordered her to stop, but she still did not stop. After getting off the boat, Duke Huan was so annoyed that he sent Cai Ji back to the state of Cai, but did not break the marriage relationship. The king of Cai was also very angry, so he married Cai Ji to another person. When Duke Huan heard about this, he became even more angry and started an army crusade against the state of Cai.
In the spring of the 30th year (656 BC), Duke Huan of Qi led his vassals to invade Cai, and Cai was defeated. Duke Huan then attacked Chu. King Cheng of Chu led his troops to meet the enemy and asked, “Why did you enter my country?” Guan Zhong replied, “In the past, Duke Zhaokang ordered my late ruler, Taigong, to say, ‘You have the right to conquer the fifth-ranked vassals and the guardian officials in all parts of the country, so as to assist the Zhou family.’ The boundaries which my late ruler was given the right to conquer extended from the sea in the east to the Yellow River in the west, from Muling in the south to Wudi in the north. Chu came to be accountable for the failure to offer the bao mao that should have been paid in tribute, resulting in incomplete sacrificial offerings for the Son of Heaven. Once upon a time King Zhao of Zhou did not return from his southern expedition and died in the south, and therefore came to ask for accountability.” The King of Chu said, “It is indeed true that the tribute was not offered, and it is my sin that I dare not fail to offer it in the future. As for King Zhaowang of Zhou, who went away and did not return, and was not in my Chu territory, I beg you to go to the Han River to ask for the crime.” The Qi army continued to march on the defile. In summer, the king of Chu ordered Qu Wan to lead his army to resist the Qi army, which retreated to Zhaoling. Huan Gong would meet Qu Wan and boasted to him that he had a large army. Qu Wan said, “You can only be victorious if you are in harmony with justice; if not, Chu will use Fangcheng Mountain as a wall and the Yangtze and Han Rivers as a moat, so how can you attack in?” So Duke Huan of Qi concluded an agreement with Qu Wan, and then led his troops in retreat. Passing through the state of Chen, Yuan Tao Tu, a great physician of the state of Chen, deceived Duke Huan by allowing the Qi army to take the difficult road to the east, which was discovered by Qi. In the fall, Qi crushed Chen. In this year, the king of Jin killed Prince Shen Sheng.
In the summer of the 35th year (651 BC), Duke Huan made an alliance with the lords at Kwai Qiu. King Xiang of Zhou sent Zai Kong to reward Duke Huan with blessed meat sacrificed to King Wen and King Wu, bows and arrows decorated with dancers and colors, and carriages used by the Son of Heaven, and also gave Duke Huan the permission to refrain from bowing down to thank him for his kindness. Duke Huan wanted to agree, but Guan Zhong said, “No”. Duke Huan then bowed down and accepted the rewards. In the autumn, he met with the lords again in Kwai Kiu, and Duke Huan of Qi became more and more proud. The king of Zhou sent Zai Kong to attend the meeting. When the lords saw how Duke Huan was behaving, some of them became centrifuged. The king of Jin was very sick, and was late for his journey, when he met Zai Kong. Zai Kong said, “Duke Huan of Qi is proud of himself, so it doesn’t matter if you don’t go.” The king of Jin heeded this advice and did not go to the meeting. In this year, Duke Xian of Jin died, and Rik killed Xi Qi and Zhuo Zi, the youngest sons of Duke Xian. Duke Mu of Qin, because his wife was the sister of Jin’s Duke Yiwu, escorted Yiwu by force to return to Jin as a ruler. Duke Huan also crusaded against Jin’s internal turmoil, and when he reached the place of Gao Liang, he sent Xi Peng to set up Yiwu as the ruler of Jin, and then withdrew his troops.
At this time, the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty was in decline, and only four states, namely Qi, Chu, Qin and Jin, were strong. Duke Xian of Jin died soon after attending the alliance, and the country was in great turmoil. Duke Mu of Qin was a remote ruler who did not participate in the alliance of the lords in the central plains. King Cheng of Chu had just occupied the Jingban land for himself and considered himself a barbarian state. Only Qi was able to convene the lords of the Central Plains, and Duke Huan of Qi declared his great virtues, so that all the lords of the various countries came to join the alliance. Therefore, Duke Huan declared: “I went as far as Zhaoling in the south and looked up to Xiong’er Mountain; I fought against Shanrong, Lizhi, and Guzhu in the north; I went to Daxia in the west and traveled far away from the quicksand; I wrapped up the hoofs of my horses and hung up my chariots to climb up the dangerous road of Taihang, and I did not come back until I reached Peiru Mountain. No one of the vassals disobeyed me. I convened three meetings of soldiers and chariots, six meetings of chariots, and nine meetings of vassals, and I have unified the world. What is the difference between the past three generations, when they bore the Mandate of Heaven, and my present? I want to seal and offer sacrifices to Mount Tai and to Father Liang in Zen.” Guan Zhong tried his best to dissuade him, but Duke Huan refused to listen; Guan Zhong then explained that the ceremony could only be held when all kinds of rare and exotic things were available in faraway places, and Duke Huan then gave up.
In the thirty-eighth year (648 BC), King Xiang’s brother Band conspired with the Rong and Zhai to invade the Zhou, and Qi sent Guanzhong to the Zhou to make peace between the two sides. When the Emperor of Zhou wanted to receive Guanzhong as a superior minister, Guanzhong kowtowed and bowed to him, saying, “I am a courtier, how can I dare to be honored with such a courtesy!” He humbly yielded again and again before accepting to meet the emperor with the honor of a superior minister. In the thirty-ninth year (647 BC), Wang Zi, the younger brother of King Xiang of Zhou, fled to Qi. The state of Qi sent Zhongsun to ask King Xiang to thank him for his offense. King Xiang was angry and refused.
In the 41st year (645 BC), Duke Mu of Qin captured Duke Hui of Jin and released him to his country soon after. In this year, Guan Zhong and Xi Peng both died. When Guan Zhong was seriously ill, Duke Huan of Qi asked him, “Who among your ministers can be the prime minister after your death?” Guan Zhong said, “There is no one who knows the ministers as well as the ruler.” Duke Huan said, “What about Yi Ya?” He answered, “He killed his own son to satisfy the king, which is not humane and cannot be appointed.” Duke Huan asked, “What about Kai Fang?” He answered, “He abandoned both his parents to pander to the ruler of the state, which is inhuman and unapproachable.” Duke Huan said, “How about the man of the vertical sword (diāo)?” He replied, “He castrated himself to pander to the ruler of the state, which is not humane and unapproachable.” After the death of Guan Zhong, Duke Huan did not listen to Guan Zhong’s words, but still appointed these three men closely, and the three of them monopolized the power.
In the 42nd year (644 BC), the Rong people attacked Zhou, and Zhou told Qi to send troops to defend the Zhou royal family. In this year, Duke Huan of Qi married a daughter of his own clan to Chong Er, the son of Jin, who came to Qi.
Forty-three years (643 BC). At that time, Duke Huan of Qi had three wives: they were called Wang Ji, Xu Ji and Cai Ji, and none of them gave birth to a son. Duke Huan was lustful and had many favored concubines, among whom there were six whose status was equal to that of a wife: the eldest (zǎng) Wei Ji, who gave birth to Wu Wei; the youngest Wei Ji, who gave birth to Hui Gong Yuan; Zheng Ji, who gave birth to Xiaogong Zhao; Ge Ying, who gave birth to Xiaogong Pan; Mi Ji, who gave birth to Yi Gong Gong Gong Merchant; and Song Huazi, who gave birth to Gongzi Yong. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong had entrusted Duke Xiaogong Zhao to Duke Xiang of Song as prince. Yi Ya was favored by Duke Huan’s elder Wei Ji, and gave Duke Huan generous gifts through his eunuch, Li Diao, so he was also favored by Duke Huan, who promised Yi Ya to make Wu Gui the crown prince. After the death of Guan Zhong, all five dukes demanded to be the crown prince. On the tenth day of the tenth month of winter, Duke Huan of Qi died. Yi Ya entered the palace and killed all the ministers with the help of his favorites, and made Duke Wu Gui the ruler of Qi. Prince Zhao fled to Song.
When Duke Huan was seriously ill, each of the five dukes formed a party and demanded to be appointed as the crown prince. When Duke Huan died, they attacked and fought with each other, so that there was no one in the palace and no one dared to put Duke Huan’s body in the coffin. Duke Huan’s body stayed on the bed for sixty-seven days, and the maggots born on the body crawled to the door. December b亥日，无诡即位，才装棺并向各国报丧。 On the night of Xin Si day, only dressed into the convergence, the bier in the hall.
Duke Huan had more than ten sons, five of whom were on the throne: Wou Gui died without a posthumous title three months after his accession, followed by Duke Xiao, then Duke Zhao, then Duke Yi, and finally Duke Hui. In March of the first year of Duke Xiao’s reign (642 BC), Duke Xiang of Song led an army of vassals to send Prince Zhao of Qi back to his country and attacked Qi. The Qi people were afraid and killed their ruler Wu Gui. When the Qi were about to install Prince Zhao as the ruler of Qi, the rest of the four dukes attacked the prince, who fled to the state of Song, where Song fought against the armies of the four dukes of Qi. In May, the Song army defeated the army of the four princes and installed Prince Zhao as the ruler, who was Duke Xiao of Qi. The ruler of Song came to conquer the four rebellious princes because Duke Huan and Guan Zhong had entrusted the crown prince to him. Because of the war, it was not until August that Duke Huan of Qi was buried.
In the spring of the sixth year (637 BC), Qi invaded Song because Song did not participate in the alliance in Qi. In summer, Duke Xiang of Song died. In the seventh year (636 BC), Duke Wen of Jin assumed the throne.
In the 10th year (633 BC), Duke Xiao died. Pan, the brother of Duke Xiao, had Duke Kai Fang kill Duke Xiao’s son and install Pan as the ruler, who was Duke Zhao. Duke Zhao was the son of Duke Huan, and his mother’s name was Ge Ying.
In the first year of Duke Zhao’s reign (632 BC), Duke Wen of Jin defeated the Chu army at Cheng Pu and summoned his vassals to meet with the Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, who made Jin the hegemon of the vassals. In the sixth year (627 BC), he invaded Qi. Duke Wen of Jin died. Qin soldiers were defeated at Meat and Meat. In the twelfth year (621 BC), Duke Mu of Qin died.
In the fifth month of the nineteenth year (614 BC), Duke Zhao died, and his son She was made ruler of Qi. She’s mother was not favored by Duke Zhao, so the people of Qi were not afraid of him. Duke Zhao’s younger brother, Merchant, was not able to fight for the throne after the death of Duke Huan, but he secretly made friends with the wise men and cared for the people, so he was loved by the people. After the death of Duke Zhao, his son She succeeded to the throne, but he was weak, so Merchant and his men killed She, the ruler of Qi, in front of Duke Zhao’s tomb in October, and Merchant made himself the ruler, who was Duke Yi. Duke Yi was the son of Duke Huan, and his mother’s name was Mi Ji.
In the spring of the fourth year of Duke Yi’s reign (609 B.C.), when Duke Yi was still a duke, he hunted with the father of Propjon, and fought with each other for the prey, which Duke Yi failed to win. After he became the throne, Duke Yi chopped off the feet of Propjon’s father, and made Propjon drive for himself. The wife of Yongzhi was very beautiful, so Duke Yi took her into his palace and made Yongzhi his companion. In the month of May, Duke Yi was playing at the Shen Pond, and when Bongrong and Yongzheng were bathing, they joked with each other. When they were bathing, they joked with each other, and Yongzheng said that Bongrong was “the son of a man who cut off his feet”, while Bongrong said that Yongzheng was “the husband of a man who took away his wife”. Both of them were ashamed of these words and shared a common grudge against Duke Yi. So the two of them plotted for Duke Yi to go to the bamboo forest to play, and they killed Duke Yi in the car and threw his body in the bamboo forest to escape.
When Duke Yi took the throne, he was so arrogant that the people did not submit to him. The Qi people deposed Duke Yi’s son and brought Duke Yuan from Wei back to Qi and made him the king of the state, which was Duke Hui. Duke Hui was the son of Duke Huan. His mother was a daughter of Wei named Shao Wei Ji, who fled to Wei to escape from the civil unrest in Qi.
In the second year of Duke Hui (607 BC), Chang Zhai came to Qi, and Prince Chengfu attacked and killed Chang Zhai, burying him at the north gate. Zhao Duan (赵穿), a great physician of Jin, killed Duke Ling of Jin, the king of the state.
In the 10th year (599 BC), Duke Hui died, and was succeeded by his son, Duke Zha Wuno. Cui had been favored by Duke Hui, but after his death, the Gao and Guo clans, fearing coercion from him, expelled Cui from the state, and Cui fled to Wei.
In the first year of the reign of Duke Hai (598 B.C.), King Zhuang of Chu became powerful and conquered the state of Chen; in the second year (597 B.C.), Chu besieged the state of Zheng, which was surrendered by Bo Zheng, who was restored to the state soon afterward.
In the spring of the sixth year (593 B.C.), Jin sent Yu Ke on a mission to Qi, and the Duke of Qi made his mother sit in the curtain to watch. When Yu Ke went up the steps, his wife saw that he was a hunchback and laughed at him. Yu Ke said, “If I don’t repay this insult, I vow never to cross the Yellow River again!” When he returned to his country, he asked the king of Jin to conquer Qi, but the king of Jin refused. When Qi’s envoys arrived at Jin, Yu Ke caught four Qi envoys in Hanoi and killed them all. In the eighth year (591 BC), Jin invaded Qi, and Qi made Duke Qiang a hostage in Jin before the Jin army left. In the spring of the tenth year (589 BC), Qi invaded Lu and Wei. The two great ministers of Lu and Wei went to Jin to ask for help, and both of them went through Yu Ke. Jin sent Yu Ke to lead 800 chariots and be the general of the center army, Shi Xie to lead the upper army, and Luan Shu to lead the lower army, to rescue Lu and Wei and attack Qi. On the ninth day of the sixth month, the Jin army and the Qi army exchanged troops at the foot of Mount Mubu (jī). On the Dec. 7th, the two armies arrange themselves in formation at Saddle Ground. Pang (páng) Chufu was a warrior on the right side of Duke Zha of Qi’s carriage. Duke Háng said, “Charge up and meet for dinner after breaking the Jin army.” Qi shoots Yu Ke and bleeds to his feet. When Yu Ke wanted to retreat to his camp, the driver of his chariot said, “I have been wounded twice since I entered the battle, and I dare not speak of the pain for fear of terrifying my soldiers; I hope you will bear the pain and continue to fight.” So he went back into the battle. While the battle was going on, the situation of the Qi army was critical, and Pang Chou-fu, fearing that Duke Haha of Qi would be captured alive, exchanged places with each other, and Duke Haha became a warrior on the right side of the chariot, which tripped and broke down on a tree. Han Jue, a junior general of Jin, bowed down before the chariot of Duke Haji of Qi, and said, “Our king of Jin has sent me to rescue Lu and Wei.” He was mocking the Marquis of Qi. Choufu pretended to be Duke Ha and asked Duke Ha, who was pretending to be a warrior on the right side of the chariot, to get out of the car and fetch some water to drink; Duke Ha was able to escape by this means and ran back to the formation of the Qi army. When Yu Ke of Jin wanted to kill Chou Fu, he said, “If I die for the king and am killed, there will be no one who is loyal to the king in the future.” He then let him go, and he was able to flee back to the Qi army. The Jin army pursued the Qi army as far as Maling. The Duke of Qi requested to offer a precious weapon to thank him for his offense, but Yu Ke refused, and made sure to get Xiao Tong Shuzi, who had shamed Yu Ke, and ordered Qi to change all the rows of fields to east-west direction. The Qi people replied, “Xiao Tong Shuzi is the mother of the Duke of Qi. The mother of the ruler of Qi is as important as the mother of the ruler of Jin, so what do you intend to do with her when you get her? Moreover, you are attacking Qi with a righteous army, but you end it with tyranny and insolence; is it possible to do so?” So Yu Ke promised them that he would only allow Qi to return the territories of Lu and Wei which he had usurped.
In the eleventh year (588 B.C.), Jin began to set up six ministers to reward meritorious persons in the wars in the saddle lands. Duke Haji of Qi went to see the king of Jin and tried to pay homage to Duke Jing of Jin with the courtesy of meeting the son of heaven, but Duke Jing of Jin did not dare to bear it, so the king of Qi returned to his country. After returning to his country, Duke Haha released his hunting gardens, reduced taxes, gave relief to widows and orphans, and took out his national savings to help the people, who were very happy. The people were very happy. Duke Haha of Qi also gave generous gifts to the lords. Until the death of Duke Haha, the people were submissive, and the vassals did not invade the state of Qi.
In the 17th year (582 BC), Duke Haha died, and his son Lingonghuan succeeded him.
In the ninth year (573 BC), Luan Shu, a great physician of Jin, killed his ruler, Duke Li of Jin. In the 10th year (572 BC), Duke Mourning of Jin invaded Qi, and the marquis of Qi sent Duke Guang to Jin as a hostage. In the 19th year (563 BC), the marquis of Qi made Duke Ziguang the crown prince and asked Gao Hou to assist him, sending him to Zhongli to attend the meeting of all the lords. In the 27th year (555 BC), Jin sent Zhongxing Xianzi to attack Qi. The Qi army was defeated, and Duke Ling fled to the city of Linzi. Yan Ying dissuaded the Duke of Ling from fleeing, but the Duke of Ling did not listen. Yan Ying said, “Our king is too gutless.” The Jin soldiers closed in on Linzi, the Qi guarded the inner city and did not dare to attack, and the Jin army burned out the inside of the outer city and then withdrew their troops and left.
In the twenty-eighth year (554 B.C.), at first, Duke Ling married a daughter of Lu and gave birth to a son, Guang, who was made crown prince. Later, he married Zhong Ji and Rong Ji. Rong Ji was favored, and Zhong Ji gave birth to a son named Toa, who was entrusted to Rong Ji for upbringing. Rong Ji requested to make Toa the crown prince, and Duke Ling agreed. Duke Ling agreed, but Zhong Ji said, “No, I can’t. You will surely regret it if you depose him now for no reason.” Duke Ling said, “It is all up to me.” So he moved Crown Prince Guang to the east and made Gao Hou assist Toa as Crown Prince. When Duke Ling fell ill, Cui Loom took the original Prince Guang and made him the king of the country, who was Duke Zhuang. Duke Zhuang killed Rong Ji. In the fifth month, Duke Ling died and Duke Zhuang took the throne. He captured and killed Crown Prince Toa at Juduqiu and killed him. In August, Cui Loom killed Gao Hou. Jin heard of Qi’s internal strife and attacked Qi, arriving at Gao Tang.
In the third year of Duke Zhuang’s reign (551 BC), Luan Ying, a great physician of Jin, fled to Qi, where Duke Zhuang treated him as a grand guest. Yan Ying and Tian Wenzi tried their best to discourage him, but Duke Zhuang did not listen. Four years (550), Duke Zhuang sent Luan Ying secretly into the Qiuwo do Qi inside, Qi soldiers followed, on the Taihang Mountains, into the Mengmen Pass. When Luan Ying was defeated, the Qi army withdrew and returned home, capturing the city of Chaoge in Jin.
Six years (548 BC), at first, the wife of Duke Tong and no, after the death of Duke Tong, Cui Loom married her. Duke Zhuang again committed adultery with her, went to Cui Loom’s house many times, and gave Cui Loom’s crown to others. Duke Zhuang’s attendant said, “This cannot be.” Cui Loom was so enraged that he took the opportunity of Duke Zhuang’s expedition against Jin to conspire with Jin to attack Duke Zhuang but failed to get the chance. Duke Zhuang had once whipped the eunuch Jia Ju, and Jia Ju was appointed as a chamberlain to seek revenge for Duke Zhuang’s omission on behalf of Cui Loom. In the fifth month, Ju Zi, the ruler of Ju, made a pilgrimage to see the ruler of Qi, and Duke Zhuang of Qi hosted a banquet for him on the first day of the month. Cui refused to go to the court on the grounds that he was ill. On the B11th day, Duke Zhuang visited Cui’s condition, and then went after Cui’s wife. Cui Lo’s wife went into the inner room and closed the door with Cui Lo, while Duke Zhuang held a pillar in the front hall and sang. At this time, the eunuch Jia Ju stopped Duke Zhuang’s attendants outside, but he himself entered the courtyard and closed the door from the inside. Cui Loom’s disciples swarmed up to him with weapons in their hands. Duke Zhuang ascended to the high court platform to ask for reconciliation, but was refused; Duke Zhuang also asked for an oath to make a covenant, but was refused; Duke Zhuang finally asked to be allowed to commit suicide in his ancestral temple, but the crowd still refused to allow him. The people said, “Cui Loom, the minister of the king, is seriously ill, and cannot come in person to hear your commands. This place is very close to the palace, and we only know how to catch lecherous men, and will not listen to the orders of anyone other than Cui.” Duke Zhuang jumped over the wall to escape, but was shot in the thigh and fell back into the wall, whereupon he was killed. Yan Ying stood outside the gate of Cui Loom’s courtyard and said, “If the ruler of a state dies for the gods of the earth and grain, then his subjects should die for him; if the ruler of a state flees for the gods of the earth and grain, then his subjects should follow him into exile. If the ruler of a state dies and flees for his own selfish interests, no one else will die and flee for it except his favored private ministers.” Yanzi and others opened the gate and entered the courtyard, put the body of Duke Zhuang on his lap and wept, got up and pressed his feet three times to show his grief and then walked out of the courtyard. The others said to Cui Loom, “You must kill Yan Ying!” Cui Loom said, “He is the man of the people’s choice; by sparing him we will win the hearts of the people.”
On the day of Ding Chou, Cui Loom made Pestle and mortar, the half-brother of Duke Zhuang, the king, who was Duke Jing. Duke Jing’s mother was the daughter of Shusun Xuanbo, a great ruler of Lu. When Duke Jing became king, he made Cui Loom the right minister and Qing Feng the left minister. The two ministers were afraid of domestic turmoil and instability, so they swore an oath to the people of the country, saying, “Whoever does not follow Cui Qing will not live!” Yanzi looked up to the sky and sighed, “I can’t do that, I only follow those who are loyal to the ruler and benefit the country!” He refused to take the oath of alliance. Qing Feng wanted to kill Yanzi, but Cui Loom said, “He is a loyal minister, let him go.” Qi’s Taishi wrote in the book “Cui Loom killed Duke Zhuang”, and Cui Loom killed Taishi. Cui killed him. The younger brother of Taishi wrote it down again, and Cui killed him. The younger brother of Taishi recorded it again, and Cui loom spared him.
In the first year of the reign of King Gongyuan (547 BC), Cui Loom had sons Cheng and Qiang. After their mother died, Cui Loom married a daughter of the Dongguo clan and gave birth to Ming. The daughter of the Dongguo clan had her ex-husband’s son, Wu Gui (无咎) and her own brother, Dongguo Yan (東郭偃) assist Cui Loom. When Cheng committed a crime, the two ministers of the family, Wu Gui and Dong Guo Yan, immediately punished Cheng severely and made Ming the crown prince. Seng requested to retire to Cui Yi, which Cui Loom agreed to do, but the two ministers refused, saying, “Cui Yi is the place where the Cui clan’s temple is situated, so Seng cannot go there.” Seng and Qiang were infuriated and informed Qingfeng about this. Qingfeng had a conflict with Cui Loom and wished for the defeat of the Cui clan. Seng and Qiang killed Wugui and Dongguo Yan in Cui’s house, and the people in the house scattered and fled. Cui Loom was furious, but there was no one around, so he had to ask a eunuch to drive for him and went to see Qing Feng. Qing Feng said, “Let me kill Cheng and Qiang for you.” So he sent Lu Pu Quartz (piè), an enemy of Cui Loom, to attack the Cui Clan and kill Cheng and Qiang. The Cui Clan was wiped out and Cui Loom’s wife committed suicide. Cui’s wife committed suicide. Qingfeng became a minister of state and held great power.
In the tenth month of the third year (545 BC), Qingfeng went out hunting. After killing Cui Loom, Qing Feng became more and more arrogant, drinking and hunting, and ignoring political affairs. His son, Qing She, was in power, and there were already internal conflicts. Tian Wenzi said to Tian Huanzi, “There is going to be chaos.” The four families of Tian, Bao, Gao, and Luan joined together to plan the destruction of the Qing clan. Qing She sent armored soldiers to surround Qing Feng’s palace, and the disciples of the four families worked together to break down Qing’s house. When Qing Feng returned, he could not enter his house and fled to Lu. The Qi rebuked Lu, and Qingfeng fled again to Wu. The state of Wu rewarded Qingfeng with the land of Zhufang, and Qingfeng lived there with his clan and became even richer than when he was in the state of Qi. In the fall of that year, the Qi people moved the burial of Duke Zhuang and showed the body of Cui Loom in the city to vent the anger of the people.
In the ninth year (539 B.C.), Duke Jing sent Yan Ying on a mission to Jin, who said to Shuxiang in private, “The power of Qi will eventually return to the Tian clan. Although Tian has no great merit, he can use public affairs to give private favors, and he is kind to the people, who embrace him.” In the twelfth year (536 BC), Duke Jing traveled to Jin and met with Duke Ping of Jin, wanting to jointly crush Yan. In the 18th year (530 BC), Duke Jing traveled to Jin again and met with Duke Zhao of Jin. In the 26th year (522 BC), Duke Jing hunted in the suburbs of Lu, and then entered the capital of Lu, where he consulted with Yan Ying on Lu’s rituals. In the thirty-first year (517 BC), Duke Zhaodong of Lu fled to Qi to escape the rebellion of the Ji clan. Duke Jing wanted to grant Zhaogong a thousand community homes along with land, Zijia dissuaded Zhaogong not to accept, Zhaogong asked Qi to send troops to invade the state of Lu, captured Yunyi, captured Yunyi for Zhaogong Lu to live.
Thirty-two years (516 BC), the sky appeared comet. Duke Jing sat on the cypress platform and sighed, “To whom will the hallowed pavilion belong in the end?” The ministers burst into tears of sorrow. Yan Zi laughed instead, and Duke Jing was annoyed. Yan Zi said, “I laugh at the officials for being too flattering.” Duke Jing said, “The comet appeared in the northeastern sky, exactly opposite the geographical position of Qi, and I am worried about it.” Yanzi said, “You have built high platforms and chiseled deep pools, collected more rents and taxes lest you get less, and indiscriminately inflicted penalties lest you are not harsh, and the most fierce 茀(bèi,倍)star is going to appear, so what kind of Huixing are you afraid of?” Duke Jing said, “Can you sacrifice and pray to avoid the comet?” Yanzi said, “If prayers can make the god come down, then prayers can also make it go away. But the people have thousands of sorrows and grievances, and how can you let one man pray for the sacrifice over the grievances of all the people?” At that time, Duke Jing was fond of building large palaces, keeping many dogs and horses, being extravagant, heavily taxed and harshly punished, so Yan Zi took the opportunity to admonish Duke Jing of Qi.
In the 42nd year (506 BC), King Helu of Wu attacked Chu and entered Ying, the capital of Chu.
In the forty-seventh year (501 BC), Yang Hu, a great ruler of the state of Lu, attacked the ruler of Lu, but failed and fled to Qi, requesting Qi to attack Lu. Bao Zi remonstrated with Duke Jing, who then imprisoned Yang Hu. Yang Hu found a chance to escape and fled to Jin.
In the forty-eighth year (500 BC), Duke Jing and Duke Ding of Lu made an alliance and made amends at Jiegu. The ploughman (chú) said, “Kong Qiu is well versed in etiquette but timid and not rigid; please allow the Lai people to perform songs and dances, and we will take the opportunity to capture the ruler of Lu, so that we can make Lu satisfy our demands.” Duke Jing feared that Confucius would become the prime minister of Lu and that Lu would achieve supremacy, so he listened to the ploughman’s plan. At the time of the alliance, Qi presented the Lai man with music and dance, and Confucius ascended the steps to the stage, ordered the people concerned to catch the Lai man and behead him, and then condemned Duke Jing by invoking the rites. Duke Jing was so ashamed that he returned the usurped territory of Lu as a token of his gratitude, and then left. In this year, Yingyan died.
In the fifty-fifth year (493 B.C.), the Fan and Zhongxing clans, the great ministers of the state of Jin, rebelled against their sovereigns, and when the king of Jin was hard pressed to attack the two clans, they sent men to Qi to borrow grain. Tian Bei, who wanted to rebel and to form a party with the rebels of Jin, persuaded Duke Jing to say, “The Fan and Zhongxing clans have been kind to Qi many times, so we must not fail to save them.” Duke Jing then sent Tian Bei to rescue them and supply them with food.
In the summer of the 58th year (490 BC), the first son of Yan Ji, wife of Duke Jing, died. Duke Jing’s favorite concubine Rui Ji gave birth to a son, Tuan, who was very young, and his mother was of lowly birth, and Tuan was misbehaving. Fearing that Tuan would become the crown prince, all the dukes advised Duke Jing that they wished to choose among the dukes the older and more virtuous one to be the crown prince. Duke Jing, who was old and hated to talk about the crown prince, favored Tuan’s mother and wanted to make Tuan the crown prince, but he was unwilling to take the initiative himself, so he told the dukes, “Let’s have fun in time, for the country is still afraid of not having a ruler.” In the fall, Duke Jing became seriously ill and ordered Guo Huizi and Gao Zhaozi to make their youngest son Tuan the crown prince, expel the other dukes, and move to the land of Lai. When Duke Jing died, the crown prince Tuan became the king of the country, which was Yan Ruzi. In winter, before Duke Jing of Qi was buried, the other dukes, fearing that they would be killed, fled abroad. Tuan’s half-brothers Shou, Ju, and Qian fled to Wei, and Duke Duo (chǔ) and Yangsheng fled to Lu. The people of Lai sang: “I cannot attend the funeral of Duke Jing, and I am not allowed to plan the military affairs of the country. O followers of the dukes, where will you go?”
In the spring of the first year of Yan Ruzi (489 B.C.), Tian Bei pretended to be loyal to the Gao and Guo clans, and every time the two clans came to court, Tian Bei rode on their horses, and said to them, “You have gained the king’s confidence, and all the dukes of the group are in danger, and want to plot rebellion.” And he said to them, “Gao Zhaozi is terrible; let us get rid of him before he starts to persecute us.” They all obeyed him. In the sixth month, Tian Bei, Bao Mu, and all the ministers entered the palace with troops and attacked Gao Zhaozi. When Zhaozi heard of this, he and Guohuizi saved the king. When the king was defeated, Tian Bei’s men pursued him and Guohuizi fled to Ju, where Tian Bei returned and killed Gao Zhaozi. Yanmao fled to Lu. In the eighth month, the great Qi warlord Bing Yizi fled to Lu. When Tian Bei defeated Gao and Guoxiang, he sent his men to Lu to welcome back Duke Yangsheng. When Yangsheng arrived in Qi, he hid himself in Tian Bei’s house. On the tenth day of the tenth month, Tian Bei invited all the great ministers, saying, “Today, Taste’s mother will be holding a modest ceremony at home, so please come and drink wine.” At the banquet, Tian Bei put Yang Sheng in a big pocket and placed it in the center of the table, then opened the pocket and let Yang Sheng out, saying, “This is the king of Qi!” Then he opened the pocket and released Yangsheng, saying, “This is the king of Qi! Then, when Bao Mu was already drunk, Tian Bei lied to everyone and said, “Bao Mu and I have agreed to make Yang Sheng the ruler.” Bao Mu was annoyed and said, “Have you forgotten Jing Gongtian’s last order to be the king?” When all the doctors looked at each other and wanted to back out, Yang Sheng came forward, bowed and bowed, saying, “For I can be established, or else I will stop.” Bao Mu was also afraid of causing trouble, so he added, “We are all sons of Duke Jing, what is there not to do?” So he swore an oath with all the people, and made Yangsheng the ruler of Qi, that is, the Duke of Mourning. The Duke of Mourning entered the palace and sent Yan Ruzi to be banished to Myr, and on the way he set up a tent and killed Yan Ruzi in it, and expelled Ruzi’s mother, Ruizi. Ruizi was a lowly woman and Ruzi was a child, so she had no power and the people of China despised her.
In the first year of the Duke of Mourning (488 B.C.), Qi crusaded against Lu and captured the land of clamor (huān) and expanse (阐). At first, Yangsheng fled to Lu, and Ji Kangzi married his sister to him. When Yangsheng returned to the throne, he sent people to Lu to welcome his wife. His wife, Ji Ji, had an illicit affair with Hou Ji Bream (fāng), and told the truth to her family. The people of Lu did not dare to give Ji Ji to the state of Qi, so Qi attacked the state of Lu, and finally brought Ji Ji to Qi. When Ji Ji was favored by the Duke of Mourning, Qi returned the occupied land of Lu.
Bao Zi and the Duke of Mourning were at odds and had a bad relationship. In the fourth year (485 BC), Wu and Lu attacked the southern part of Qi. Bao Zi killed Duke Mourning and reported his death to Wu. King Fu-chai of Wu wept and hung outside the army gate for three days according to the ritual, and was about to march by sea to crush Qi. The Qi army defeated the Wu army and the Wu army retreated. Zhao Yang of Jin attacked Qi and withdrew after reaching Dalai land. The people of Qi unanimously appointed Non, the son of Duke Mourning, as the ruler of Qi, namely Duke Jian.
In the spring of the fourth year of Duke Jian’s reign (481 BC), at first, Duke Jian of Qi favored the great minister Jian Zhi when he was in Lu with his father, Duke Mourning. When Duke Jian took the throne, he asked him to preside over the state affairs. Tian Chengzi was worried about this and went to the court several times to find out what was going on. Tian Yang, the royal hand of Duke Jian, said to him, “Tian and Jian can’t co-exist, you have to choose one of them.” Duke Jian did not listen. Supervisors stopped one late court, just in time to meet Tian Rebellion killing people, so they arrested Tian Rebellion into the palace. The Tian clan was very united at this time, so they let the imprisoned Tian Yi pretend to be seriously ill, and took the opportunity to have his family members visit the prison to send wine to the guards, who were killed when they were drunk, and Tian Yi escaped. The guards were killed when they were drunk, and Tien escaped. The Supervisor and Tien swore an oath to reconcile the matter at the Tien Ancestral Hall. At first, Tian Bao wanted to be a vassal of Jianzhi, and asked Gongsun to recommend him to Jianzhi, but Tian Bao was in mourning, so he refused to do so. But when Tian Bao was in mourning, he refused to do so. Afterwards, he finally became a vassal of Jian Zhi, and was favored by him. The emperor said to Tian Bao, “I want to expel all the Tian family and make you the head of the Tian family. Tian Bao replied, “I am only a distant branch of the Tian clan, and there are only a few people in the clan who do not obey you, so why should I expel them all? Tian Bao then informed Tian of the matter. Tian Rei said, “He is in the monarch’s favor, and if you, Tian Chang, do not strike first, you will surely be in trouble.” Tian Reverse then stayed in the palace of the sovereign in order to receive him.
On the fifth day of the fifth month of the summer, Tian Chang’s brothers traveled in four cars to see Duke Jian. Supervisor Zhi was in his tent and came out to meet them, and as soon as they were inside they closed the palace door. The eunuchs resisted Tien, and Tien rebelled and killed the eunuchs. Duke Jian was drinking wine with his concubines on the Tan Terrace when Tian Chang took him to his bedchamber. When Duke Jian took up his go and wanted to fight back, Taishi Ziyu said, “Tian Chang is not trying to plot against you, but to get rid of you.” When Tian Taste went out of the palace and stayed in the martial library, he heard that Duke Jian was still angry, so he tried to escape and said, “Where there is no king of the country!” Tian Tui drew his sword and said, “Hesitation and hesitation are the bane of bad things. Who of us whose name is Tian cannot be the patriarch of the Tian clan? If you are cowardly and flee without regard to all, I shall not kill you, and my ancestors will not forgive you.” Tian Changcai stayed behind. Supervisor Zhi ran home and gathered his disciples to attack all the gates of the palace city, big and small, without success, and fled away. The Tian clan pursued him. Someone in Fengqiu captured Jianzhi and reported it, and Tian killed Jianzhi at the Guo Gate. Tian Chang wanted to kill Continental Zifang, and was pardoned only when Tian Rei pleaded for him. In the name of Duke Jian, he intercepted a cart on the road and sped out of Yongmen. When Tian Bao offered him a vehicle, he refused, saying, “If Tian Wei intercedes for me and Tian Bao gives me a vehicle, people will think that I have a personal relationship with Tian. I am a vassal of the Supervisor of Zhi but I have private collusion with his enemy, how can I still have the face to flee to meet the scholars of Lu and Wei?”
On the gengchen day, Tian Chang arrested Duke Jian in the state of 俆 (shū). Duke Jian said, “If I had listened to Tian Yang’s advice, I would not be in this situation.” On the first day of the fourth lunar month, Tian Chang killed Duke Jian in Luzhou. Tian Chang made Ao, the younger brother of Duke Jian, the ruler of Qi, who was Duke Ping. After Duke Ping was crowned, Tian Chang became the prime minister of Qi, and he was the exclusive ruler of Qi, cutting off a large part of the land east of Anping in Qi as the fiefdom of the Tian clan.
In the eighth year of Duke Ping’s reign (473 BC), the state of Yue destroyed the state of Wu. In the 25th year (456 BC), Duke Ping died and was succeeded by his son Xuan Gongji.
In the 51st year of Duke Xuan (405 BC), Duke Xuan died and was succeeded by his son Kang Gong Loan. Tian Hui revolted at Gangeqiu.
In the second year of Duke Kang’s reign (403 BC), Han, Zhao and Wei began to become vassals. In the 19th year (386 BC), Tian He, the great-grandson of Tian Chang, began to become a vassal and exiled Duke Kang to the seashore.
In the twenty-sixth year (379 BC), Duke Kang died, and the Lu Clan then cut off their sacrifices. The Tian clan finally took possession of Qi, and by the time of King Wei of Qi, they claimed supremacy in the world.
The Duke of Tai Shi said, “When I went to Qi, I saw that the land of Qi stretched from Mount Tai in the west to Langxie (yá) in the east, and from the sea in the north, with 2,000 li of fertile land in between, and that its people were broad-minded and profoundly wise, which was their natural disposition. Isn’t it only natural that due to the sage of Duke Taigong, who established the foundation of the state, and due to the great virtue of Duke Huan, who practiced good governance, the feudal lords were summoned to an alliance and became the hegemon? It is indeed the style of a great nation!
Phoenix Lee https://chinese-tradition.com/%e3%80%8ashiji%e3%80%8bthirty-families-qi-taigong-family.html