Shaozheng Mao

Shaozheng Mao, was a Lu state Taifu in the 6th century BC.

Biography
'Shaozheng' is his official title while Mao is his name. Some historical records document that Shaozheng Mao is an erudite scholar. Except Yan Hui, all the three thousand disciples of Confucius were attracted to attend his lectures several times. In about 500 BC when Confucius became a minister of Lu state, he immediately ordered the execution of Shaozheng Mao, citing his 'five crimes', each worth execution, including concealed evilness, stubborn abnormality, eloquent duplicity, erudition in bizarre facts and generosity to evildoers. The incident was first mentioned in Xunzi: Youzuo, which was about three centuries later from the time of Confucius, causing doubt about its authenticity among Confucianists. The incident was also documented in Records of the Grand Historian but not in earlier sources like Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu.