Hereditary House of Chen and Qi, Sixth

Chen Hu Gong Man was the descendant of Emperor Yu Shun. In the beginning, when Shun was still a commoner, Yao married his two daughters to him, and they lived at Guirui; his descendants thus took this place as their surname, becoming the Gui clan. After Shun died, he passed the realm to Yu, while Shun’s son Shang Jun was enfeoffed as a feudal state. During the Xia dynasty, this state was sometimes lost and sometimes continued. By the time King Wu of Zhou defeated King Zhou of Yin, he sought out Shun’s descendants again, found Gui Man, and enfeoffed him in Chen to maintain the sacrifices to Emperor Shun—this was Hu Gong.

Hu Gong died, and his son Shen Gong Xi Hou succeeded him. Shen Gong died, and his younger brother Xiang Gong Gao Yang succeeded him. Xiang Gong died, and Xi Hou’s son Tu was established as ruler—this was Xiao Gong. Xiao Gong died, and his son Shen Gong Yu Rong succeeded him. Shen Gong lived during the time of King Li of Zhou. Shen Gong died, and his son You Gong Ning succeeded him.

In the twelfth year of You Gong, King Li of Zhou fled to Zhi.

In the twenty-third year, You Gong died, and his son Li Gong Xiao succeeded him. In the sixth year of Li Gong, King Xuan of Zhou ascended the throne. In the thirty-sixth year, Li Gong died, and his son Wu Gong Ling succeeded him. Wu Gong reigned for fifteen years and then died; his son Yi Gong Shuo succeeded him. In this year, King You of Zhou ascended the throne. Yi Gong reigned for three years and then died; his younger brother Ping Gong Xie succeeded him. In the seventh year of Ping Gong, King You of Zhou was killed by the Quanrong, and the Zhou royal house moved its capital eastward. Qin began to be listed among the feudal lords.

In the twenty-third year, Ping Gong died, and his son Wen Gong Yu succeeded him.

In the first year of Wen Gong, he married a woman from Cai, who bore a son named Tuo. In the tenth year, Wen Gong died, and his eldest son Huan Gong Bao succeeded him.

In the twenty-third year of Huan Gong, Duke Yin of Lu had just ascended the throne. In the twenty-sixth year, Wei killed its own ruler, Zhou Yu. In the thirty-third year, the people of Lu assassinated their own ruler, Duke Yin.

On the day of Jiaxu in the first month of the thirty-eighth year (actually Jichou), Huan Gong Bao died. Huan Gong’s younger brother Tuo, whose mother was a woman from Cai, so the people of Cai, on behalf of Tuo, killed Wufu and Huan Gong’s heir apparent Mian, establishing Tuo as ruler—this was Li Gong. When Huan Gong was seriously ill, chaos arose, and the people scattered in all directions, so the funeral was announced twice.

In the second year of Li Gong, a son named Jing Zhong Wan was born. The Grand Historian of Zhou passed through Chen, and Chen Li Gong had him use the Zhou Yi to divine for Gongzi Wan. The hexagram obtained was Guan changing to Pi, and the divination text said: “This is ‘observing the glory of the state, advantageous for being a guest of the king.’ This likely means he will replace Chen and possess a state? Not here, perhaps in another state? Not in this person himself, but in his descendants. If in another state, it must be the Jiang clan. The Jiang clan is the descendant of Taiyue. Things cannot be both great at once; when Chen declines, this branch will flourish, I suppose?”

Li Gong married a woman from Cai, and this Cai woman was promiscuous with people of Cai. Li Gong frequently went to Cai to seek pleasure. In the seventh year, the heir apparent Mian, whom Li Gong had killed, had three younger brothers: the eldest was Yue, the middle was Lin, and the youngest was Chu Jiu. Together they had the people of Cai entice Li Gong with a beautiful woman, then joined with the people of Cai to kill Li Gong, establishing Yue as ruler—this was Li Gong. Li Gong was Huan Gong’s son. Li Gong reigned for five months and then died; the middle brother Lin was established as ruler—this was Zhuang Gong. Zhuang Gong reigned for seven years and then died; the youngest brother Chu Jiu succeeded him—this was Xuan Gong.

In the third year of Xuan Gong, King Wu of Chu died, and Chu began to grow strong. In the seventeenth year, King Hui of Zhou married a woman from Chen as his queen.

In the twenty-first year, Xuan Gong later had a favored concubine who bore a son named Kuan. Wanting to make him heir apparent, he killed the heir apparent Yu Kou. Yu Kou had always loved Li Gong’s son Wan, and Wan, fearing disaster would implicate him, fled to Qi. Duke Huan of Qi wanted to appoint Chen Wan as a minister, but Wan said: “I am a minister dwelling abroad, fortunate to be spared from burdens; this is already the ruler’s grace. I dare not take a high position.” Duke Huan of Qi then made him the Minister of Works. Yi Zhong of Qi wanted to marry his daughter to Chen Jing Zhong and divined about it. The divination text said: “This is called the phoenix flying, its song harmonious and clear. The descendants of the Gui clan will flourish among the Jiang clan. After five generations, they will prosper and rank with the chief ministers. After eight generations, none can compare with them.”

In the thirty-seventh year, Duke Huan of Qi attacked Cai; Cai was defeated. The Qi army then invaded Chu to the south, reaching Zhaoling, and on the return journey passed through Chen. The Chen grandee Yuan Tao Tu disliked the Qi army passing through Chen and tricked them into taking the eastern route. The eastern route had poor conditions, and Duke Huan of Qi was furious, capturing Yuan Tao Tu of Chen. In this year, Duke Xian of Jin killed his heir apparent, Shen Sheng.

In the forty-fifth year, Xuan Gong died, and his son Kuan succeeded him—this was Mu Gong. In the fifth year of Mu Gong, Duke Huan of Qi died. In the sixteenth year, Duke Wen of Jin defeated the Chu army at Chengpu. In this year, Mu Gong died, and his son Gong Gong Shuo succeeded him. In the sixth year of Gong Gong, the Chu heir apparent Shang Chen assassinated his father, King Cheng, and took the throne—this was King Mu of Chu. In the eleventh year, Duke Mu of Qin died. In the eighteenth year, Gong Gong died, and his son Ling Gong Ping Guo succeeded him.

In the first year of Ling Gong, King Zhuang of Chu ascended the throne. In the sixth year, Chu attacked Chen. In the tenth year, Chen made peace with Chu.

In the fourteenth year, Duke Ling of Chen and his grandees Kong Ning and Yi Xingfu all had illicit relations with Xia Ji. Each wore Xia Ji’s undergarments and joked with each other in the court. Xie Zhi remonstrated, saying: “If the ruler and his ministers are licentious, what will the people imitate?” Ling Gong told Kong Ning and Yi Xingfu about this, and the two requested to kill Xie Zhi. Ling Gong did not forbid it, so they killed Xie Zhi. In the fifteenth year, Ling Gong, along with Kong Ning and Yi Xingfu, drank at the Xia family home. Ling Gong joked with the two, saying: “Zheng Shu looks like you.” The two replied: “He also looks like you.” Zheng Shu was furious. After Ling Gong finished drinking and came out, Zheng Shu ambushed him with a crossbow at the stable gate and shot him dead. Kong Ning and Yi Xingfu both fled to Chu. Ling Gong’s heir apparent, Wu, fled to Jin. Zheng Shu established himself as the Marquis of Chen. Zheng Shu was originally a grandee of Chen. Xia Ji was the wife of Yu Shu and Zheng Shu’s mother.

In the winter of the first year of Cheng Gong, King Zhuang of Chu, because Xia Zheng Shu had killed Duke Ling of Chen, led the feudal lords to attack Chen. He said to the people of Chen: “Do not be alarmed; I will only execute Xia Zheng Shu.” After executing Xia Zheng Shu, he took the opportunity to turn Chen into a county of Chu and possessed it. All the ministers came to congratulate him. Shen Shu Shi, returning from a mission to Qi, alone did not congratulate him. King Zhuang asked him why, and he replied: “There is a saying: ‘If someone leads an ox that tramples another’s field, the field owner takes the ox.’ Trampling the field is indeed wrong, but taking his ox—is that not excessive? Now, because Xia Zheng Shu was a regicide, Your Majesty gathered troops from the feudal lords and, acting with righteousness, attacked him. After the deed was done, you seized his land, coveting its profit. In the future, how will you command the realm? Therefore, I do not congratulate.” King Zhuang said: “Well said.” So he welcomed back Duke Ling of Chen’s heir apparent, Wu, from Jin, established him as ruler, and restored Chen to its former state—this was Cheng Gong. When Confucius read the historical records and came to the part where Chu restored Chen, he said: “Virtuous indeed, King Zhuang of Chu! He lightly regarded a state with a thousand chariots but valued a single remonstrative word.”

In the eighth year, King Zhuang of Chu died. In the twenty-ninth year, Chen betrayed its covenant with Chu. In the thirtieth year, King Gong of Chu attacked Chen. In this year, Cheng Gong died, and his son Ai Gong Ruo succeeded him. Because Chen was in mourning, Chu withdrew its troops and left.

In the third year of Ai Gong, Chu surrounded Chen, then lifted the siege and left. In the twenty-eighth year, the Chu prince Wei assassinated his ruler, Jia Ao, and established himself—this was King Ling of Chu.

In the thirty-fourth year, originally, Ai Gong had married a woman from Zheng. The elder wife bore the mourning heir apparent, Shi; the younger wife bore Yan. He had two favored concubines: the elder concubine bore Liu; the younger concubine bore Sheng. Liu was favored by Ai Gong, and Ai Gong entrusted him to his younger brother, Minister of Justice Zhao. Ai Gong fell ill. In the third month, Zhao killed the mourning heir apparent and established Liu as heir apparent. Ai Gong was furious and wanted to kill Zhao. Zhao raised troops, surrounded and guarded Ai Gong, and Ai Gong hanged himself. Zhao ultimately established Liu as the ruler of Chen. In the fourth month, Chen sent an envoy to Chu to report the mourning. King Ling of Chu, hearing of Chen’s internal turmoil, killed the Chen envoy and sent Prince Qi Ji to raise troops and attack Chen. Chen’s ruler, Liu, fled to Zheng. In the ninth month, Chu surrounded Chen. In the eleventh month, Chu destroyed Chen. Qi Ji was appointed as the Duke of Chen.

When Zhao killed Crown Prince Dao, the crown prince’s son, named Wu, fled to Jin. Duke Ping of Jin asked Grand Scribe Zhao, “Is Chen thus destroyed?” He replied, “Chen is a descendant of Zhuanxu. Only after the Chen clan takes power in Qi will Chen finally perish. From Mu to Gusou, none violated Heaven’s mandate. Shun added bright virtue. Down to Sui, generation after generation preserved these. When it came to Hu Gong, the Zhou dynasty granted him a surname and had him sacrifice to Emperor Yu. Moreover, the descendants of a man of great virtue will surely enjoy sacrifices for a hundred generations. The line of Shun’s descendants is not yet severed; perhaps it will flourish in Qi?”

Five years after King Ling of Chu destroyed Chen, Prince Qiji of Chu assassinated King Ling of Chu and took the throne, becoming King Ping of Chu. As soon as King Ping ascended, he wished to make peace with the feudal lords, so he sought out Wu, the son of the former Crown Prince Shi of Chen, and established him as Marquis of Chen, known as Duke Hui. After Duke Hui took the throne, he designated the year of Duke Ai’s death as the first year of his reign, leaving a gap of five years.

In the tenth year, a fire broke out in Chen. In the fifteenth year, King Liao of Wu sent Prince Guang to attack Chen, seizing the cities of Hu and Shen before withdrawing. In the twenty-eighth year, King Helü of Wu, together with Wu Zixu, defeated Chu and entered Yingdu. In this year, Duke Hui died, and his son Duke Huai, named Liu, succeeded.

In the first year of Duke Huai, Wu defeated Chu and, while at Yingdu, summoned the Marquis of Chen. The Marquis intended to go, but a grandee said, “Wu has just achieved its ambitions; although the King of Chu is in exile, he has old ties with Chen, and we cannot betray him.” Duke Huai thus declined Wu on the pretext of illness. In the fourth year, Wu summoned Duke Huai again. Duke Huai, afraid, went to Wu. The King of Wu, angry that he had previously refused to come, detained him, and he ultimately died in Wu. Chen then established Duke Huai’s son Yue as ruler, known as Duke Min.

In the sixth year of Duke Min, Confucius came to Chen. King Fuchai of Wu attacked Chen, seized three cities, and left. In the thirteenth year, Wu again attacked Chen. Chen appealed urgently to Chu, and King Zhao of Chu came to its aid, stationing troops at Chengfu, whereupon the Wu forces withdrew. In this year, King Zhao of Chu died at Chengfu. At that time, Confucius was in Chen. In the fifteenth year, Song destroyed Cao. In the sixteenth year, King Fuchai of Wu attacked Qi, defeated Qi’s army at Ailing, and sent a messenger to summon the Marquis of Chen. The Marquis, afraid, went to Wu. Chu attacked Chen. In the twenty-first year, Tian Chang of Qi assassinated his ruler, Duke Jian of Qi. In the twenty-third year, Bai Gong Sheng of Chu killed Lingyin Zi Xi and Zi Qi and attacked King Hui of Chu. The Lord of Ye defeated Bai Gong, who then committed suicide.

In the twenty-fourth year, King Hui of Chu restored his throne, led troops north, killed Duke Min of Chen, and thus destroyed Chen and annexed it. In this year, Confucius died.

Donglou Gong of Qi was a descendant of Yu, the founder of the Xia dynasty. During the Shang dynasty, the line was sometimes enfeoffed and sometimes broken. After King Wu of Zhou defeated King Zhou of Yin, he sought out Yu’s descendants and found Donglou Gong, enfeoffing him at Qi to maintain the sacrifices to the Xia clan.

Donglou Gong fathered Xilou Gong; Xilou Gong fathered Ti Gong; Ti Gong fathered Mouqu Gong. Mouqu Gong lived during the time of King Li of Zhou. Mouqu Gong fathered Duke Wu. Duke Wu reigned for forty-seven years and died; his son Duke Jing succeeded. Duke Jing reigned for twenty-three years and died; his son Duke Gong succeeded. Duke Gong reigned for eight years and died; his son Duke De succeeded. Duke De reigned for eighteen years and died; his younger brother Duke Huan, named Gurong, succeeded. Duke Huan reigned for seventeen years and died; his son Duke Xiao, named Gai, succeeded. Duke Xiao reigned for seventeen years and died; his younger brother Duke Wen, named Yigu, succeeded. Duke Wen reigned for fourteen years and died; his younger brother Duke Ping, named Yu, succeeded. Duke Ping reigned for eighteen years and died; his son Duke Dao, named Cheng, succeeded. Duke Dao reigned for twelve years and died; his son Duke Yin, named Qi, succeeded. Duke Yin had been on the throne for seven months when his younger brother Sui killed Duke Yin and established himself, becoming Duke Xi. Duke Xi reigned for nineteen years and died; his son Duke Min, named Wei, succeeded. In the fifteenth year of Duke Min, King Hui of Chu destroyed Chen. In the sixteenth year of Duke Min, Duke Min’s younger brother Elu killed Duke Min and took the throne himself, becoming Duke Ai. Duke Ai reigned for ten years and died; Duke Min’s son Chi succeeded, becoming Duke Chu. Duke Chu reigned for twelve years and died; his son Duke Jian, named Chun, succeeded. Duke Jian reigned for one year. In the forty-fourth year of King Hui of Chu, Chu destroyed Qi. Qi was destroyed thirty-four years after Chen’s fall. Qi was a small state, and its deeds were not worth recording.

The descendants of Shun were enfeoffed by King Wu of Zhou in Chen, and Chen was destroyed in the time of King Hui of Chu; there is a “Hereditary House” record for it. The descendants of Yu were enfeoffed by King Wu of Zhou in Qi, and Qi was destroyed in the time of King Hui of Chu; there is a “Hereditary House” record for it. The descendants of Xie were Yin (Shang), and Yin has a “Basic Annals” record. After Yin fell, Zhou enfeoffed its descendants in Song, and King Min of Qi destroyed Song; there is a “Hereditary House” record for it. The descendants of Houji were Zhou, and King Zhao of Qin destroyed Zhou; there is a “Basic Annals” record for it. The descendants of Gaoyao were sometimes enfeoffed in Ying and Liu, and King Mu of Chu destroyed them; there are no genealogical records. The descendants of Boyi were again enfeoffed in Qi in the time of King Wu of Zhou, becoming Tai Gong Wang, and the Chen clan destroyed Qi; there is a “Hereditary House” record for it. The descendants of Boyi were enfeoffed as Qin in the time of King Ping of Zhou, and Xiang Yu destroyed Qin; there is a “Basic Annals” record for it. The descendants of Chui, Yi, Kui, and Long—it is unknown where they were enfeoffed, and they are not recorded. These eleven men were all virtuous and famous ministers in the era of Tang and Yu; among them, the descendants of five became emperors, and the rest became prominent feudal lords. Teng, Xue, and Zou were enfeoffed during the Xia, Shang, and Zhou periods, but their states were small and not worthy of inclusion in the ranks, so they are not discussed.

At the time of King Wu of Zhou, there were still over a thousand marquises and earls. After the reigns of Kings You and Li of Zhou, the feudal lords relied on military force to attack and annex one another. States like Jiang, Huang, Hu, and Shen were too numerous to count, so they were not collected and recorded in historical records.

The Grand Historian says: Shun’s virtue can be said to have reached its ultimate! He ceded the throne to Xia, and his descendants enjoyed sacrifices for three dynasties. When Chu destroyed Chen, Tian Chang seized power in Qi, ultimately establishing a state that lasted a hundred generations without end, with numerous descendants and those possessing fiefs never ceasing. As for Yu, by the Zhou dynasty his descendants were enfeoffed at Qi, so weak as to be unworthy of mention. King Hui of Chu destroyed Qi, and afterward King Goujian of Yue arose.

The sacrifices of great virtue inevitably last a hundred generations. The remaining enterprises of Shun and Yu were carried on by Chen and Qi. Gui Man was enfeoffed; Donglou Gong continued the lineage. Elu usurped and rebelled; Xia Ji was debauched and favored. Both states declined, some rising and some falling. Those that previously annexed were later captured, both destroyed in the time of King Hui of Chu. Goujian rose vigorously; Tian He devoured Qi. Did they not continuously enjoy sacrifices—were they not their descendants?