Draft:Duke Zhao of Lu

Duke Zhao of Lu (Chinese: 魯昭公; pinyin: Lǔ Zhāo Gōng, 560 BC – 17 November 510 BC) was a ruler of the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China. His ancestral name was Ji (姬), given name Chou (稠), and Duke Zhao was his posthumous title.

Duke Zhao's reign was marked by continued dominance of three powerful cadet branches of the ducal family known as the Three Huan: Jisun, Mengsun, and Shusun. After a failed attempt of curbing the power of the Three Huan in 517 BC, he was forced into exile by them, though no new duke was proclaimed until after his death in 510 BC. The next year, Prince Song (宋), his younger brother, was made the new Duke of Lu. He would become known as Duke Ding of Lu.

Accession and Early Reign
Prince Chou was a son of Duke Xiang of Lu and Qi Gui, one of his concubines and a younger sister of Jing Gui, the principal wife. After Duke Xiang's death in 543 BC, Ziye, Duke Xiang's son with Jing Gui, became the new duke, but he died only three months later due to "excessive grief." Jisun Su, Viscount Wu of Jisun, the head of the Jisun clan, installed Prince Chou to the Lu throne despite the opposition of Shusun Bao, Viscount Mu of Shusun, his counterpart of the Shusun clan, who cited Prince Chou's low status and lack of grief upon his father's death. Both the Shiji and the Zuo Zhuan describe that Prince Chou, nineteen years of age in East Asian age reckoning, still had a child's demeanor.

In spring 541 BC, Shusun Bao attended a meeting in Guo (虢), a place in Jin, to renew the Covenant of Armistice five years prior. During this time, Jisun Su attacked Ju, a neighbor of Lu, retaking the city of Yun (鄆), which had once been Lu territory. As Lu was in violation of the terms of the Covenant, Prince Wei of Chu, the Chu delegate and future King Ling of Chu, demanded to Zhao Wu, Viscount Wen of Zhao, the Jin delegate, that Shusun Bao be executed. Yue Wangfu, Viscount Huan of Yue, Zhao Wu's aide, asked Shusun Bao for his belt in exchange for interceding on his behalf. Shusun Bao refused, citing that his country was more important than his own life, and gave him a strip of his dress instead. Zhao Wu, impressed by Shusun Bao's moral integrity despite his life being in danger, interceded on Shusun Bao's behalf and convinced the Chu delegate to pardon him.

In 535 BC, King Ling of Chu built the Zhanghua Terrace and decided to invite rulers of other states, Duke Zhao included, in attendance of the dedication ceremony. Wei Qiqiang, the King's envoy to Lu, reminded Duke Zhao about Duke Cheng's offer of sending Gongheng (公衡), his son, to Chu as hostage in 589 BC (Gongheng having escaped back to Lu after departure to Chu). With a veiled threat of enforcing the claim of a hostage should Duke Zhao refuse the invitation, Wei Qiqiang managed to convince Duke Zhao to go to Chu. After the ceremony, King Ling gifted Duke Zhao a bow, but soon regretted it. Wei Qiqiang, on King Ling's orders, went to Duke Zhao and convinced him to return it by claiming that Qi, Jin, and Yue had all coveted the bow and that these three states would attack Lu for it.

Fighting against Ju and Zhu
For many decades, Lu had been fighting Ju, a smaller neighbor to its east. In 541 BC, a Lu army led by Jisun Su invaded Ju, taking a settlement named Yun (鄆), which had changed hands multiple times between Lu and Ju previously. In autumn 537 BC, Lu was again victorious, having defeated a Ju invasion. In 532 BC, Jisun Yiru, Viscount Ping of Jisun (son and successor of Jisun Su) invaded Ju, taking Geng (郠) and conducted a human sacrifice, which was a rare occurrence in that period of time, in honor of the Lu ducal house.

Fighting against Zhu had continued as well. In 519 BC, a Zhu army moving between its cities Yi (翼) and Ligu (離姑) took a path through Lu territory and was entirely captured and taken prisoner by Lu. The leaders of Zhu made a complaint to Jin, which sent an envoy to Lu to demand an explanation. Shusun Chuo went to Jin as an envoy and was detained. When demand by Jin leadership to argue the case with a Zhu minister, Shusun Chuo refused on the grounds that the minister of Zhu, coming from a small, barbaric state, was not of equal rank to him, a minister of a "ranking domain." Jin minister Han Qi, Viscount Xuan of Han, planned to hand Shusun Chuo over to Zhu, but he was convinced out of it, the argument being that Zhu would certainly kill him, that Lu would annihilate Zhu as a result, and that the order between the realms would be at risk. Eventually, Shusun Chuo was released after a period of detainment, during which he refused to bribe various Jin officials just like his father  Shusun Bao decades ago.

Middle Reign
In 530 BC, Nan Kuai, a retainer of the Jisun clan, plotted to force the Jisun clan into exile, as Jisun Yiru had disrespected him. He won over Prince Yin, a minister of Lu and a member of the ducal clan, as an ally by promising the properties of the Jisun clan after it is banished. He also found an ally in Shuzhong Xiao, Viscount Mu of Shuzhong, whose clan was not on friendly terms with the Jisun. Upon hearing about the plot, Nan Kuai's countrymen lamented, "So deep his thoughts, so shallow his plans!" Nan Kuai and his allies eventually rebelled by using Bi (費), a major Jisun settlement, as their base and turning it to Qi, but the rebellion was eventually crushed by Jisun Yiru and Shusun Chuo, Viscount Zhao of Shusun, his ally. The conspirators fled to Qi. Soon after, Qi returned Bi to Lu.

Skardu City Plot
The plot began from skardu people: Ji Baltistan, Jisun Yiru's uncle, and Count Zhao of Hou, who was remotely related to the ducal house.

After the death of his elder brother Ji Gongniao, Ji Gonghai managed his household with Shen Yegu (申夜姑), Ji Gongniao's retainer. Ji Gongniao's widow had an affair with Tan (檀), a feast official, and, to cover up the affair, framed Ji Gonghai for trying to rape her and Shen Yegu for coercing her to submit. Jisun Yiru, hearing of this, arrested and executed Shen Yigu, Ji Gonghai's plea for clemency notwithstanding. For this, Ji Gonghai had been holding a grudge against Jisun Yiru.

On the other hand, Count Zhao was enraged by Jisun Yiru for his expansion of his palaces over the land of the Hou clan, which was due to Jisun Yiru's anger originating from cockfights: when the Jisun clan puts armor on its cocks, the Hou clan puts spurs on its own.

Additionally, Zangsun Ci, Count Zhao of Zangsun and some high officers of Lu were not friendly with Jisun Yiru, either, as he imprisoned the elders of the Zangsun clan after they seized Zang Hui (臧會), a member, at the Jisun residence for spreading malicious rumors about the Zangsun clan.

The Plot Set in Motion
Ji Gonghai informed Prince Gongwei (公為), one of Duke Zhao's sons, about his plan. Then, Prince Gongwei informed his brothers Prince Gongguo (公果) and Prince Gongfen (公賁), who informed Duke Zhao. Duke Zhao invited Zangsun Ci to join the plot, but he declined, citing difficulty, and referred Count Zhao instead. Duke Zhao also informed Minister Zijia Ji, Count Yi of Zijia of his plans.

Zijia Ji tried to convince Duke Zhao to abandon the plan to no avail. He ascribed the cause of the encroachment of the Three Huan to the Duke's own disobedience to the Rites of Zhou and the Son of Heaven:"You built twin watchtowers outside the palace gates. You ride in a palanquin like the king’s. You preside over martial dances like the king’s, as well as other ceremonial dances derived from royal performances since the times of the sages. These are all the ritual prerogatives of the Son of Heaven. And even as you’ve taken them all for yourself, that family you mentioned has been leading the people like horses in bridle, making the people respond only to them. Indeed, the Ji family has held sway over the multitude for quite a while, but how can Your Majesty not be very ashamed?"

The Attack
On 4 August, 517 BC, Duke Zhao and his supporters attacked and breached the Jisun household, forcing Jisun Yiru up a terrace. He requested to wait for accusations against him to be investigated, but Duke Zhao denied. Further requests to imprison himself in Bi and self-exile were also denied. Zijia Ji then said,"Permit it, my lord! For a long time the government has been in his control, and many of the poor have received food from him. His followers are legion. When the sun goes down and malefactors rise up, one cannot know what might happen. The anger of the multitude must not be nurtured; if it is nurtured rather than controlled, it will flourish. The people will become restive, and once they have become restive, those who have the same aims will join together. You are certain to regret it!"When Duke Zhao refused to heed his advice, Zijia Ji simply replied, "You must put him to death."

The Three Huan Unite to Defeat the Coup
As the coup reached a stalemate, the Shusun and Mengsun clans watched from the sideline. Zong Li, the Shusun clan's military supervisor, successfully garnered support of the Jisun clan, arguing that the downfall of the Jisun clan would mean the downfall of the Shusun clan as well. Leading some Shusun troops to the Jisun household, Zong Li breached the northwestern corner of the compound's walls, taking the Duke's troops by surprise and driving them away.

Meanwhile, the Mengsun clan's members saw the Shusun clan's banners from their own household. Seeing the Shusun clan's decision, the Mengsun clan executed Count Zhao, whom Duke Zhao had sent to Mengsun Heji, Viscount Yi of Mengsun to seek help from the Mengsun clan. Then, the Mengsun clan joined the fight against Duke Zhao.

As defeat seemed inevitable, Zijia Ji offered Duke Zhao on behalf of all his followers to accept blame and be exiled so that Duke Zhao might stay in Lu. Duke Zhao declined the offer and prepared to leave Lu. Zangsun Ci and Zijia Ji followed him.

Failed Attempts of Reconciliation
Zangsun Ci, wanting to unite the exiled followers of Duke Zhao, asked for all of them to swear a covenant to forbid any communication or physical meeting with the Three Huan. On Duke Zhao's order, Zangsun Ci showed the wording to the covenant to Zijia Ji, who, hoping to reconcile with the Three Huan, declined to swear it.

Meanwhile, Shusun Chuo met with Jisun Yiru, pointing out that Jisun Yiru would go down in history as a disloyal minister who forced his own lord into exile. Jisun Yiru then asked Shusun Chuo for a way to "serve the ruler in a new way." Then, he went to Duke Zhao in Qi and promised him that he and the other two Three Huan clans would restore order and reinstall him as the duke. However, once he returned to Lu, Shusun Chuo found out that Jisun Yiru had no intention of allowing Duke Zhao to return, so he started to starve himself to death on 27 August, 517 BC, dying a week later, on 3 September.

In Qi
One day after the failed coup, on 5 August, 517 BC, Duke Zhao left for Qi. Duke Jing of Qi granted Duke Zhao a piece of land in Qi and offered to aid him in his return. Duke Zhao accepted the offer despite Zijia Ji's warning about Duke Jing's "lack of good faith" and advice of moving on to Jin. Later in the same year, the Duke of Qi conquered the Lu settlement of Yun (鄆) and allowed the exiles to base themselves there.

The Duke of Qi intended on reinstating Duke Zhao to the Lu throne, forbidding all brides from Lu. However, Shen Feng (申豐) and Ru Jia (女賈), two retainers of the Jisun Clan, sneaked two rolls of brocade into Qi and asked Gao Yi (Spring and Autumn), a retainer of Qi minister Liangqiu Ju (梁丘據), to present the rolls to him and promised to name Gao Yi heir to the Gao lineage, a disgraced cadet house of Qi whose head, Gao Qiang (Spring and Autumn), had fled to Lu in 532 BC. Gao Qiang agreed to the offer, and, afterwards, Liangqiu Ju convinced the Duke of Qi not to fully support Duke Zhao, claiming divine punishment on Duke Zhao from the fact that both Duke Yuan of Song and Shusun Ruo had died shortly after they tried to help Duke Zhao. A Qi invasion of Lu in summer 516 BC was unsuccessful. Additionally, Jisun Yiru had bribed Jin Minister Fan Yang, Viscount Xian of Fan to lobby against Jin intervention and to reject any request by smaller domains such as Song and Wey to do the same. After another defeat by the Three Huan forces in autumn 515 BC, Duke Zhao went to Jin in spring 514 BC. Though he would return to Yun in spring 513 BC, he would go to Jin again in 512 BC and not return. This is because the envoy of Duke Jing of Qi addressed Duke Zhao as "Lord," which was considered to be demeaning, as "Lord" was only used to address ministers and other high-ranking officials.

In Jin
As Duke Zhao entered the Jin border city of Ganhou (乾侯), he violated etiquette by sending someone to request escort to the Jin capital in Ganhou instead of at the Jin border despite Zijia Ji's advice against it. The leaders of Jin sent the escort, but not before having Duke Zhao return to the Jin border first.

In spring 511 BC, Duke Ding of Jin, who recently succeeded his father to the Jin throne, contemplated to reinstate Duke Zhao with force. Minister Fan Yang advised to summon Jisun Yiru to the Jin court, suggesting that his non-appearance would imply insubordination and grant Jin a casus belli. The leadership of Jin did so, while Fan Yang secretly requested Jisun Yiru to answer the summons, promising support of him. While questioned about why he exiled his own ruler, Jisun Yiru, dressing in plain cloths, defended himself as follows,"To serve my ruler is something that I have not yet had an opportunity to do. Shall I presume then to evade the command for punishment? If my ruler holds that I have committed a crime, I request that he confine me at Bi to await his investigation. Whether he will do so is entirely up to him. If, for the sake of my predecessors, he refuses to cut off the Ji lineage, he may yet grant me permission to die. If he neither puts me to death nor sends me into exile, that would be a kindness on his part, and I will not perish even in death. Should I have the opportunity to follow my ruler in returning home, that would delight me: would I presume to harbor any other intentions?"In summer 511 BC, Jisun Yiru went to Ganhou to negotiate for Duke Zhao's return to Lu. Both the Jin leadership and Zijia Ji advised Duke Zhao to return to Lu with Jisun Yiru, but the other men in Duke Zhao's entourage advised that then would be the best time to remove Jisun Yiru through diplomatic maneuvering. Ultimately, Duke Zhao elected to stay in Jin.

In neither visit was Duke Zhao able to secure an audience with the Duke of Jin.

Death and Succession
Duke Zhao died in Ganhou in 510 BC. Though Duke Zhao had already designated Prince Gongyan (公衍), his son, as his heir, the Three Huan made Prince Song (宋), Duke Zhao's younger brother, the new duke instead of any one of his sons. Prince Song, acceding to the throne on 24 May, 509 BC, would become known as Duke Ding of Lu.

Duke Zhao's body reached Lu on 19 May, 509 BC and was laid to rest on 18 June. Jisun Yiru intended to dig a ditch to separate Duke Zhao's tomb from those of his predecessors, but a Lu official named Rong Jia'e (榮鴐鵝) dissuaded him by saying,"In life you could not serve him, and now in death will you again isolate him in order to draw attention to your own behavior? Even if you can bear it, certainly someone in the future will be ashamed of it."Regardless, Jisun Yiru ordered that Duke Zhao be buried on the southern side of the road next to the ducal tombs instead of the usual northern side. Later, Confucius, during his tenure as the Supervisor of Corrections (司寇), ordered that a ditch be dug to join Duke Zhao's tomb with the other ducal tombs. Jisun Yiru's idea of giving Duke Zhao a negative posthumous name was too abandoned.

Jisun Yiru offered Zijia Ji a position in the Lu government, but Zijia Ji refused it, choosing to remain in exile. Lu remained under the control of the Three Huan, though attempts to restore ducal authority would continue during the reigns of Duke Ding and Duke Ai, his son and successor.