Duke Huan of Qi said goodbye to Duke Zhuang of Yan and continued to return with his army. In late April of 622 BC (the 32nd year of Duke Zhuang of Lu and the 24th year of Duke Huan of Qi), the Qi army arrived at Jishui at the junction of Qi and Lu.
When Duke Huan of Qi went on an expedition, Duke Zhuang of Lu saw him off here. Unexpectedly, when he came back, Duke Zhuang of Lu greeted him here again.
Duke Huan of Qi felt that Duke Zhuang of Lu seemed to have something to say. Sure enough, when they talked, Duke Zhuang of Lu really had something to ask for.
The thoughts of Duke Zhuang of Lu were as follows: he felt that he was getting old, and he was worried that after his death, there would be a bloody battle for the throne in the State of Lu. This was because he clearly felt that something was very wrong.
Duke Zhuang of Lu wanted to ask Duke Huan of Qi to help stabilize the situation in Lu if necessary in the future. Duke Huan of Qi agreed, and at the same time advised Duke Zhuang of Lu not to worry too much. After that, the two of them returned to their countries.
So, what is Duke Lu Zhuang worried about? In fact, it is the issue of succession to the throne of Lu State. In Duke Lu Zhuang’s view, there are at least two issues surrounding the succession of monarchy. One is that Duke Lu Zhuang’s brother,
The second was the problems he had accumulated on the matter of establishing an heir.
Let’s talk about his brothers first. After Duke Lu Zhuang’s father, Duke Huan of Lu, married Wen Jiang, he made Wen Jiang his wife. Wen Jiang gave birth to Duke Lu Zhuang and Ji You. Duke Huan of Lu’s concubine also gave birth to sons, one named Qingfu and the other
They were called Shu Ya. Duke Zhuang of Lu and Ji You were the direct descendants, Qingfu and Shu Ya were the descendants of concubines, so the four brothers were divided into two factions. Duke Zhuang of Lu and his brother Ji You were in one faction, and Qingfu and Shu Ya were in another faction.
This dispute between concubines and concubines is one of the hidden dangers.
Let’s talk about Duke Zhuang of Lu himself. He also accumulated some problems on the issue of heirs.
When Duke Zhuang of Lu was the crown prince, he married Dang Mengren. The Dang family was a big family in the state of Lu. Before getting married, Dang Mengren made a condition to Duke Zhuang of Lu: I can marry you, but in the future when you become king, you must establish
I am the wife and want to make our son the prince. Duke Zhuang of Lu was young and still a prince at that time, and it was still early for him to ascend the throne. In addition, he wanted to marry Dang Mengren at that time - a man like this
Most of the time, he dared to make random promises. So he agreed to Dang Mengren's request.
On their wedding night, Dang Mengren mentioned this matter again in the bridal chamber. Duke Lu Zhuang said that he kept his word. Dang Mengren was afraid that he would regret it in the future, so he bit his arm immediately and smeared blood on Duke Lu Zhuang's lips, letting him
He swore to God. Duke Lu Zhuang swore. Dang Mengren felt that this was a "blood-based alliance" with God, so he took reassurance.
A few years later, Duke Huan of Lu was killed by Duke Xiang of Qi, and Duke Zhuang of Lu succeeded to the throne. At that time, Dang Mengren and Duke Zhuang of Lu’s son were already seven or eight years old. Dang Mengren proposed that Duke Zhuang of Lu should honor the promise.
The original oath. Duke Zhuang of Lu also wanted to establish the party Meng Ren. But his mother Wen Jiang did not agree. The matter was delayed like this.
Later, Duke Zhuang of Lu married the Feng family. The Feng family gave birth to a son, named Gongzi Shen. When the Feng family saw that Meng Ren could not ascend to the throne, she became interested. But the Duke of Lu Zhuang did not let go.
The Feng family couldn't persuade Duke Lu Zhuang, so they went to Ji You for help. Ji You knew very well that even Dang and Meng Ren could not be promoted, let alone you. But in order to take care of the Feng family, Ji You said vaguely: "
Gongziban is the eldest son and should have been made the prince. But my eldest brother has neither established Dang Ren nor Gongziban. This shows that he has no intention of giving up. Since the prince's position has been vacant and you have spoken again, then I will try my best to help.
you."
Ji You found an opportunity to tell Feng's thoughts to his mother Wen Jiang. Wen Jiang's attitude was very clear and she refused immediately. She also said: "I have my own arrangements for the position of the lady of the country and the position of the prince. You guys
Just don’t worry about it.”
Wen Jiang did have her own plans. She asked Duke Zhuang of Lu to marry Duke Xianggang of Qi. She said to Duke Zhuang of Lu earnestly: "The Marquis of Qi (Dong Xianggang of Qi) is your uncle. Qi is strong and Lu is weak, and they are close neighbors. If you
By marrying his daughter, not only will you be married to one parent, but you can also find someone to support you. What's wrong with that?"
But Duke Zhuang of Lu was reluctant because Duke Xiang of Qi was his father-killing enemy.
Of course, Wen Jiang didn't think so. The state of Qi was her natal family, and Duke Xiang of Qi was her brother and her lover. She couldn't wait to get closer. Lu Zhuanggong, mother and son had a dispute over this issue.
At that time, Qi Xianggong's daughter was still a child. He had to wait more than ten years to marry her. But Wen Jiang didn't care so much. She had to occupy the position of queen for her mother's family. Lu Zhuanggong and his mother were in a stalemate for a while.
Afterwards, he still couldn't defeat his mother. He thought that even if he wanted to marry, it would be more than ten years later. So he agreed.
Because of this situation, the positions of the Queen and the Crown Prince of the State of Lu have been vacant for a long time. No one can compete for them, because the seats were reserved in advance by Mrs. Wen Jiang.
During this period, Dang Mengren actually played the role of the queen, and the son also played the role of the prince. But in the end, he did not live up to his name. This became a worry for both Dang and Mengren, mother and son.
Time flies, and more than ten years have passed. Wen Jiang's life has come to an end. Before she died, she told Duke Lu Zhuang that she must marry Qi Xianggong's daughter and make her his wife.
Mother, fully agreed.
After Wen Jiang died, Duke Zhuang of Lu married the daughter of Duke Xiang of Qi, who was later called Ai Jiang. Not only that, he also followed his mother's last wish and made Ai Jiang his wife.
When Ai Jiang got married, he brought with him a girl named Shu Jiang. Duke Zhuang of Lu did not like Ai Jiang, but he liked Shu Jiang. He and Ai Jiang had no son, but they had a son with Shu Jiang, named Gongzi Kai.
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Calculated in this way, Duke Zhuang of Lu had one wife and three concubines. His first wife was Ai Jiang, and Dang Meng Ren, Feng Shi and Shu Jiang were all concubines. Ai Jiang had no children, and all three concubines gave birth to sons. Dang Meng Ren and Feng Shi were all concubines.
Gongzi Shen, uncle Jiang gave birth to Gongzi Kai.
A year after Ai Jiang married, Dang Mengren died. She was still asking Duke Lu Zhuang to fulfill his oath before she died. How could Duke Lu Zhuang dare to agree? He could only comfort her vaguely, fooling Dang Mengren into smiling.
go.
Ai Jiang was young and could not get favor from Duke Lu Zhuang. As time went by, she could not bear the loneliness and Hongxing had an affair. The person with whom she had a secret affair was Duke Lu Zhuang's half-brother Qingfu.
Qingfu was tall and handsome, and he was good at both literary and military skills. After Aijiang and Qingfu got together, they discussed in private that once Lu Zhuanggong died, they would seize power, and then Qingfu would be the king and Aijiang would be the wife.
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Duke Zhuang of Lu was aware of these situations. But because many things had not been exposed, he chose not to say anything. However, he was very worried. Therefore, he went to Jishui to wait for Duke Huan of Qi, with the purpose of inviting Duke Huan of Qi to come.
After his death, he helped a group of Lu people.
After Duke Zhuang of Lu returned from Jishui, he fell ill in August of the same year. His condition kept recurring and did not improve. In his last days, he called Ji You to discuss his funeral arrangements.
"Brother, look at my three sons, who is suitable to succeed?"
"Eldest brother made an oath to Dang Mengren, but he failed to fulfill it. You can't let her son off again. I am willing to assist the young master."
"Okay, then let's act like a young master."
"We have established the relationship of a young master. Young Master Shen and Young Master Kai will not be dissatisfied. But it is hard to say whether Qing's father or Shu Ya." Ji You was a little worried.
Duke Zhuang of Lu said: "Qingfu is quite capable, and Uncle Ya is with him. I have known their thoughts for a long time. It's a pity that I didn't make up my mind earlier. But for the sake of the country, some things must be done. I can only entrust them to you."
Here you go."
"Brother, I understand. You should take good care of your health. I will take care of the matter."
Duke Zhuang of Lu looked very tired and nodded. Ji You bowed his waist and stepped out quietly.
When Ji You returned to his house, he immediately made intensive arrangements. Duke Lu Zhuang was about to die. At this time, he could not relax for a moment. The peace on the surface was just the calm before the storm. He knew that secretly, the two sides of the struggle had already
The situation was tense. Compared with Qing Fu, Ji You chose to operate on Shu Ya first because he felt that Shu Ya was simpler and easier to deal with.
Ji You used the smallest and most practical method. He took people directly to Uncle Ya's house. After controlling Uncle Ya, he placed a pot of poisonous wine on the table and said to Uncle Ya: "This is
If you drink the wine given by the Lord honestly, you can save your descendants. If you disobey, your whole family will not be safe."
"Why? What crime have I committed?" Shu Ya shouted.
"You and Qingfu covet the throne. This is a sin."
"Who said that? Where's the evidence?"
"My lord said it. No evidence is needed."
Uncle Ya still wanted to resist, but Ji You asked someone to hold him down and drink poisoned wine. Uncle Ya was poisoned to death. That night, Duke Zhuang of Lu also died.
When he went to court the next day, Ji You announced in court that he would make Gong Ziban the king of the country.
After Shu Ya died, Qing's father was greatly frightened. Every time he went to court, he showed great respect to Ji You. He also repeatedly expressed to Ji You that he would wholeheartedly assist the new king. Ji You thought of Shu Ya's death.
For a moment, I felt soft-hearted and did not attack him.
In fact, Qingfu did not give up on the throne. What he did was superficial. He bowed to Ji You just waiting for an opportunity.
Sure enough, the opportunity finally came.
Less than a month after Gongzi Ban came to the throne, his wife Dang's father died. Gongzi Ban went to Dang's house to express condolences and stayed at Dang's house that night. After Qing's father heard the news, he thought it was an opportunity and sent a messenger.
An assassin named Nao went to kill him.
Nao was a strong man, and he was originally a son-in-law groom. Once, he was scolded three hundred times for teasing his son-in-law fiancée. Nao, the groom, was injured and took refuge with Qingfu. Qingfu thought, this man is like a sword,
When it is not in use, it is hidden in the scabbard. When it is taken out, it can kill people, so I collected him and kept him secretly.
Nao used to follow the prince in and out of the Dang's house, and he was very familiar with the environment of the Dang family. He first sneaked into the Dang's house, and then entered the prince's bedroom in the middle of the night.
Young Master Ban woke up in bed and asked, "Nao, what are you doing here?"
Nao said: "You give me three hundred lashes. I will come to you to settle old scores."
As he spoke, he slashed with his knife. He dodged the knife like a prince, took out the sword hanging on the bedside, and slashed at Ma Fu Nao. Ma Fu Nao couldn't dodge, and a small piece of his head was chopped off, but at the same time, his knife
He also stabbed into the chest of the young master. The two men faced each other with their swords and both died.
The son-like subordinates reported the news to Ji You overnight. Ji You guessed that it was Qing's father who did it. He thought that Qing's father took action first, which meant that he was prepared, but he did not have the military power and did not do anything. Be prepared. Staying any longer would be dangerous. Thinking of this, he quickly packed up his things and fled the State of Lu under the cover of night.
Ai Jiang came out to take charge of the situation as the wife of Luzhuang Zhenggong Palace. Qingfu became her only helper. In order to cover up others' eyes, Qingfu killed Ma Fuluo's family on the pretext of son-in-law revenge.
The situation eased slightly. Ai Jiang planned to push Qingfu to the throne. Qingfu said: "Don't worry about this in advance. Let's just control the monarchy. It doesn't matter who becomes the monarch. I mean, in order to avoid getting into trouble, let's establish a Zhuang Gong's son needs to make a transition, and when the situation calms down, we will find a way to ascend to the throne."
Ai Jiang asked: "Who should I establish?"
Qing's father said: "Young Master Shen is already an adult and it is difficult to control him. Young Master Kai is only eight years old, so let's establish him as Young Master Kai."
Therefore, Ai Jiang established Gongzi Kai as the king of the country, who was Lu Mingong.
The eight-year-old child sitting on the throne is just a decoration. The government of Lu State is firmly in the hands of Qingfu and Ai Jiang. They sing and sing in harmony at the court, doing whatever they want. The ministers dare to be angry but dare not speak out, and they are all passive. confrontation.
Soon after, rumors appeared in Qufu city, saying that the son-like death was inseparable from Qingfu. Some people even said in public that it was Qingfu who did it. There was a lot of rumors. Ai Jiang and Qingfu felt that they were in danger. They felt , although Gongzikai was eight years old, he was sitting on the throne. As long as he was there, there would be "royalists". The rumors in Qufu City were all supported by the "royalists". So they decided to get rid of Lu Min male.
There were indeed "royalists" around Lu Mingong, and they were also very clever. Before Qingfu and Ai Jiang could take action in a hurry, the "royalists" had already gone to Qi to ask for help.
Duke Huan of Qi decided to help. At that time, Ji You happened to be hiding in the state of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi sent someone to escort Ji You back to the state and asked him to be the prime minister. He also arranged for his son Shen to be the official of the state of Lu. This was equivalent to giving Lu Min the right to The "Second General Hengha" was installed.
With Ji You and Young Master Shen as helpers, Ai Jiang and Qingfu did not dare to attack Duke Lu Min easily.
In the spring of the next year (the 2nd year of Duke Lu Ming), Ai Jiang and Qing Fu couldn't control their anger. They took advantage of Duke Lu Ming's spring outing and arranged assassins to stab him to death in the palace.
After Ji You received the news, he fled for the second time. This time, he also took Prince Shen with him. They went to Qi again.
In the State of Lu, the assassination of Duke Lu Ming caused an uproar. Ministers publicly denounced it in the name of maintaining orthodoxy. Even the citizens of Qufu began to protest, and some people went on strike in the market. Some people in the army threatened to capture the assassin. The real murderer behind it.
Aijiang and Qingfu were panic-stricken, worried that sooner or later the matter would be revealed. They felt that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable, so they decided to run away.
In order not to arouse the suspicion of the people of Lu, they did not dare to go together when they fled, but went their separate ways. Qingfu fled to the nearby Ju State, and Aijiang fled to Zhu State.
When Duke Huan of Qi saw that the chaos in the State of Lu was getting bigger and bigger, he remembered Duke Zhuang of Lu's instructions. He sent a troop of troops to escort Ji You and Prince Shen back to the State of Lu.
Ji You's return this time is different from the past. He has the support of the Qi State. What's more important is that those old opponents died and fled, and they disappeared without a trace. He is the brother of Duke Lu Zhuang. With this status , he became the only one who meant what he said.
Ji You's top priority is to choose a successor to the throne. He suddenly realizes that there is no room for choice. The three sons of Lu Zhuanggong died like a prince, and the prince Kai also died, leaving only one prince.
state.
So Ji You made his son Shen the king of the country. This was Duke Xi of Lu. At this point, the civil strife in Lu finally subsided.
Half a year later, Ji You ran to tell Duke Xi of Lu that he had discovered Qing's father's whereabouts - in the neighboring country of Ju.
Duke Xi of Lu then sent envoys to ask the king of Ju to arrest Qingfu. As a result, the king of Ju was afraid of causing trouble and deliberately leaked the news, allowing Qingfu to escape.
Qing's father fled to Wenshui and lived in the house of his friend Xi Si. He was thinking about the next step every day. He had always wanted to go, but he felt that the only way out was to ask Ji You for forgiveness. After all, they were all born to the same father.
He told Xi Si this idea and asked Xi Si to go to the State of Lu to intercede with Ji You and beg Ji You to spare his life. Xi Si agreed.
After Xi Si left, Qing's father stayed at the door every day waiting for Xi Si's return. One night, the moon was sparse and Qing's father had already fallen asleep. Suddenly he heard crying coming from outside the door. Qing's father was startled, sat up and listened carefully.
, it turned out that it was Xi Si who was crying. In an instant, he understood.
Qing's father got out of bed, silently found a piece of hemp rope, made a looper, tied it to the beam, stuck his head in, and committed suicide.
Ji You forced Qing's father to death and could not let Ai Jiang go. But Ai Jiang was the daughter of Qi Xianggong and could not be touched casually. But if he could not move her, Ji You felt uncomfortable. So he sent someone to ask Qi Huan Gong for instructions.
Duke Huan's reply was: "The state of Lu takes care of the face of the state of Qi, and the state of Qi should take care of the state of Lu. If you are in trouble, leave it to me."
Duke Huan of Qi sent an official named Shu Diao to the State of Zhu. Shu Diao lied to Ai Jiang and said that he had been ordered to escort his wife back to the State of Lu. Ai Jiang followed him on the road. The motorcade stopped halfway and stopped at a post station.
Diao said to Ai Jiang: "The murders of the two kings of Lu were all related to my wife. If my wife returns to Lu, she will be stigmatized for the rest of her life. If you return to Qi, the people of Qi will be ashamed of you. Madam, think about it.
Should we continue to move forward?"
Ai Jiang stayed in the inn. That night, after thinking about it, she felt that she had reached a point of no return. In the midst of regret, she cried for half the night, and finally committed suicide.
After this bloody battle for the throne, only Ji You was left among the sons of Duke Huan of Lu. Only Young Master Shen was left among the sons of Duke Zhuang of Lu.
Ji You felt very sad when he thought of those past events. One day, he said to Duke Xi of Lu: "The late Duke Huan had four sons. Except for your father, Duke Zhuang of Lu, who died at a healthy age, Qing's father and uncle Ya both died unexpectedly. Of course, it was also because of them.
I killed them because they didn't keep their duty. It was for the sake of the country. Now they have no heirs, but I am enjoying the glory and wealth here. When I think about it, I feel sorry for my late king Huan Gong."
Duke Xi of Lu asked: "Uncle is kind, what are your plans for saying this?"
Ji You said: "I think my lord should seal the descendants of Qing's father and uncle Ya. This will also let the world know that my lord cares about his ancestors and is filial."
Duke Xi of Lu agreed. Gongsun Ao, a descendant of Feng Qingfu, inherited Qingfu's territory and was later called the Mengsun family; Sun Zi, a descendant of Feng Shuya, inherited Shuya's territory and was later called the Shusun family.
After You died, his descendants inherited his territory and were called the Jisun family. The Jisun family, the Mengsun family, and the Shusun family were all descendants of Duke Huan of Lu, so they were known as the "Three Huan".
A few years later, the "Three Huans" jointly participated in politics and took control of the power of the Lu State. The power of each family gradually expanded. Later, even the king of the Lu State would look at their faces.