Chapter 7: Changing Husbands at Will

Under the governance of Duke Zhuang, the State of Zheng enjoyed immense prosperity, dominating the power struggles among the feudal lords at the dawn of the Spring and Autumn period. Yet, as the saying goes, "prosperity inevitably leads to decline." Upon the death of Duke Zhuang, his sons engaged in a fratricidal struggle for the throne. The great officers of the state fanned the flames, exacerbating the chaos. Neighboring states like Song and Wei, which had never truly been loyal to Zheng, saw the internal strife as an opportunity to wage war. Over twenty-two years of turbulence, the hegemony that Zheng had painstakingly established vanished like a bubble in the blink of an eye.

In truth, the seeds of Zheng's internal collapse were sown during the reign of Duke Zhuang himself. The Duke had many consorts and sons, and because he favored them all, they were all considered legitimate heirs. In an era where the rites were decaying and order was collapsing, such a succession policy lacked any reliable foundation. When Prince Hu was ordered by Duke Zhuang to assist the State of Qi in repelling the Northern Rong, Duke Xi of Qi offered his daughter in marriage to him. Prince Hu refused. Zhai Zhong, a prominent official, disapproved of this, advising the Prince to accept the marriage to secure Qi’s support for his future succession. Prince Hu ignored this counsel, a decision that would later prove disastrous.

After Duke Zhuang died, Zhai Zhong presided over the succession of Prince Hu, who ascended the throne as Duke Zhao of Zheng. However, his reign was short-lived. Another of Duke Zhuang’s sons, Prince Tu, had a mother from the Yong family of Song. The Yong family held great influence in Song and enjoyed the favor of Duke Zhuang of Song. They had hoped for Prince Tu’s ascension to expand their own power, but Duke Zhao’s rise had thwarted their schemes.

The Yong family incited the State of Song to lure Zhai Zhong and Prince Tu to their territory, where they held them captive. Threatening Zhai Zhong with death, they forced him to form an alliance with Song and support Prince Tu’s claim to the throne, while also demanding heavy tribute from Zheng. Fearing for his life, Zhai Zhong yielded. Under the protection of the Song army, he brought Prince Tu back to Zheng, where he was installed as Duke Li of Zheng. Given Zhai Zhong’s immense authority and the backing of Song, no one dared to openly oppose this move, and Duke Zhao had no choice but to flee to the State of Wei.

Once Duke Li ascended the throne, the State of Song acted as if it were a benefactor, repeatedly extorting wealth from Zheng. Eventually, Duke Li could no longer endure these demands, and relations between the two states deteriorated. The State of Lu attempted to mediate, hosting a meeting at Judu of Qiu to reconcile Song and Zheng, but the Duke of Song remained intransigent.

Lu subsequently convened meetings at Xu and Gui, yet the Duke of Song refused to change his stance. Feeling slighted, the State of Lu allied with Zheng at Wufu and marched against Song. The following year, Zheng and Lu, joined by the State of Ji, attacked Song, while Song allied with Qi, Wei, and Southern Yan to resist.

Despite Duke Zhuang’s death and the ensuing internal strife, the residual power of Zheng’s hegemony remained. In the ensuing battle, the coalition of Zheng, Lu, and Ji emerged victorious. The alliance between Zheng and Lu grew stronger, marked by two further meetings. However, Song soon returned, rallying Qi, Wei, Chen, and Cai to attack Zheng. Ultimately, two fists cannot defeat four hands; Zheng was overwhelmed and suffered heavy losses. The five-state coalition breached the gates of Xinzheng, burned the city gates, and plundered the city upon their retreat, even dismantling the timber from Zheng’s ancestral temples to build the gates of Song. This defeat not only cost Zheng its territory of Niushou but, more importantly, inflicted a profound national humiliation. In that era, the destruction of one’s ancestral temple was the ultimate disgrace, and the era of Zheng’s hegemony was gone forever.

The misfortune of Zheng did not end there. Before the state could recover, another internal struggle erupted. Zhai Zhong, a veteran official of two reigns, was powerful and held the credit for installing the ruler, leading him to act with high-handed arrogance. This deeply dissatisfied Duke Li, who began plotting to eliminate him.

In the twenty-third year of King Huan of Zhou (697 BCE), Duke Li conspired with Yong Jiu, Zhai Zhong’s son-in-law, to invite Zhai Zhong to the palace for a banquet and assassinate him. The plan was set, but Yong Jiu lacked discretion and revealed the plot to his wife, Yong Ji. Torn between her father and her husband, Yong Ji asked her mother: "Which is more important, a father or a husband?" In an age that prioritized filial piety, her mother replied: "Men are replaceable, but one only has one father." Yong Ji revealed the plot to Zhai Zhong, who promptly executed Yong Jiu and discarded his body outside the city. Realizing the failure of his scheme, Duke Li fled to the State of Cai, and Zhai Zhong welcomed Duke Zhao back to reclaim the throne.

Duke Zhao’s second reign was also brief. As a prince, he had disliked the official Gao Qumi and had often advised Duke Zhuang to distance himself from him. Though the Duke did not heed this advice, Gao Qumi harbored a grudge. After Duke Zhao’s restoration, Gao Qumi feared for his own safety and struck first, inviting the Duke on a hunting trip and murdering him along the way.

Having successfully assassinated the ruler, Gao Qumi and Zhai Zhong installed another of Duke Zhuang’s sons, Prince Wei, as the new ruler. The following year, Duke Xiang of Qi hosted a meeting at Shouzhi in Wei and invited Zheng. Because Prince Wei had clashed with the then-prince, Duke Xiang of Qi, during a previous meeting, Zhai Zhong advised against attending. Prince Wei, however, believed that attending would prevent other lords from using his absence as a pretext to support the exiled Duke Li. Zhai Zhong, unable to persuade him, claimed illness and stayed behind, while Gao Qumi accompanied the ruler as an attendant. Facts again proved Zhai Zhong’s foresight: Duke Xiang of Qi demanded an apology for their past conflict. When Prince Wei refused, the enraged Duke of Qi set an ambush, killed Prince Wei, and had Gao Qumi executed by being torn apart by chariots.

After Prince Wei’s death, Zhai Zhong was forced to bring Prince Yi back from Wei to be installed as the ruler. By this time, however, Duke Li had garnered support among the feudal lords and had grown stronger. Having returned from exile in Cai, he occupied the city of Li and secured the support of Lu. The State of Lu convened meetings and organized several coalition campaigns to restore Duke Li to the throne. Although these efforts were initially inconclusive, Zheng, exhausted by constant internal strife, was no longer a match for Duke Li.

In the second year of King Xi of Zhou (680 BCE), Duke Li attacked Zheng and fought Prince Yi at Daling, capturing the official Fu Xia. To save his life, Fu Xia, under duress and temptation from Duke Li, offered to act as an inside agent. Upon returning to Zheng, he seized a moment when Prince Yi was off guard and murdered him along with his two sons. Zheng fell into chaos once more, and Duke Li seized the opportunity to return and reclaim the throne.

The turmoil in Zheng finally subsided. After decades of internal strife and external aggression, coupled with the rise of Qi, Zheng had essentially lost its status as a "small hegemon." Nevertheless, Duke Li proved to be a capable ruler, and under his leadership, Zheng would enjoy a final glimmer of glory on the political stage of the early Spring and Autumn period.

Although the era of Zheng’s hegemony had ended, the Zhou royal house, long suppressed by Zheng, found no respite. Instead, as the patriarchal system crumbled, internal conflicts within the Zhou court became acute. The "Rebellion of Prince Tui" in the early years of King Hui of Zhou drove the status of the Son of Heaven to an unprecedented low.

Prince Tui was a son of King Zhuang of Zhou by a concubine and was deeply favored by him. However, due to the system of primogeniture, he had no right to the throne. After King Zhuang died, the eldest son, Prince Huqi, ascended as King Xi. A few years later, King Xi died, and his son, Prince Lang, ascended as King Hui. Prince Tui thus became the uncle of the Son of Heaven. Despite his noble status, the loss of the throne—which he felt should have been his—and the sight of his nephew, a man of similar age, becoming the sovereign of the world, left him deeply resentful.

After King Hui ascended, he remained oblivious to Prince Tui’s discontent, preoccupied instead with acquiring land and estates for his palaces. No sooner had he taken the throne than he used his imperial power to forcibly seize the gardens of the official Wei Guo, then requisitioned the residence of the official Bian Bo to convert into a palace. Soon after, he seized the lands of officials Ziqin Zhugui and Zhanfu, and revoked the salary of the royal chef, Shi Su.

These actions naturally provoked the resentment of the court officials. Worse, Wei Guo was none other than the mentor of Prince Tui. Under Wei Guo’s coordination, these officials conspired to install Prince Tui as the Son of Heaven. The plan received secret support from the Su clan. During the reign of King Huan, twelve cities of the Su clan had been exchanged for land with the State of Zheng, an act that had angered both Duke Zhuang of Zheng and the Su clan. Thus, the Su clan joined the five officials in plotting rebellion.

In the second year of King Hui (675 BCE), the five officials launched an attack against King Hui. The campaign failed, and they were forced to flee to the Su clan’s fief of Wen, while Wei Guo accompanied Prince Tui into exile in Wei. Prince Tui likely persuaded the State of Wei to support him, and Wei, in alliance with Southern Yan, launched an attack on the royal house. King Hui was defeated and forced to flee. Prince Tui returned to Chengzhou and was installed as the Son of Heaven by the five officials.

The chaos in the royal house provided the recently restored Duke Li of Zheng with an opportunity to enhance his prestige. Upon his restoration, Duke Li had worked tirelessly to re-establish his authority. He first executed Fu Xia for the crime of regicide and forced the veteran official Yuan Fan to his death for lack of loyalty. He then purged other officials, effectively erasing the influence of the late Zhai Zhong. With domestic stability achieved, Duke Li turned his attention to King Hui, who was trapped by the rebellion of Prince Tui.

In the third year of King Hui (674 BCE), Duke Li offered to mediate the royal conflict, proposing that King Hui be restored in exchange for pardoning Prince Tui. The powerful Prince Tui refused. Seeing that diplomacy had failed, Duke Li attacked the royal house, captured the ruler of Southern Yan, and escorted the exiled King Hui to his former stronghold of Li. He subsequently defeated the forces of Prince Tui and recovered the ancestral ceremonial vessels of the Zhou, which only the Son of Heaven was permitted to use, and presented them to King Hui.

Although Prince Tui was no match for Duke Li, the State of Zheng alone lacked the strength to fully eradicate the usurper and restore King Hui. Both Prince Tui and Duke Li were aware of this. That winter, believing Zheng to be powerless and his throne secure, Prince Tui held a lavish banquet to reward the five officials. The event was incredibly extravagant, with the *Zuo Zhuan* recording that the music featured the "six-generation performance," utilizing the rites and music of the Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, Xia, Shang, and Zhou—a spectacle reserved exclusively for the Son of Heaven and reserved for solemn state sacrifices.

By performing these rites, Prince Tui, a usurper, committed a grave act of treason. Duke Li seized this opportunity to invite the State of Guo to join in a punitive campaign. He met with the ruler of Guo, arguing that Prince Tui’s indulgence in such music was a sign of impending ruin and that they should use the moment to restore King Hui. The State of Guo, a close ally of the royal house, readily agreed.

In the spring of the following year, Zheng and Guo formed an alliance at Mi and launched a pincer attack on Chengzhou. The Duke of Guo entered through the northern gate, while Duke Li escorted King Hui through the southern gate. Faced with superior forces, the faction of Prince Tui was crushed, and those who could not escape perished. The three-year "Rebellion of Prince Tui" thus came to an end.

Restored to the throne, King Hui was naturally grateful to Zheng and Guo. To reward them, he hosted a banquet using the same six-generation rites and bestowed upon them vast wealth and all the lands east of Hulao. However, joy often turns to sorrow. In his distribution of gifts, King Hui presented the queen’s ceremonial mirror to the Duke of Zheng, while giving his own ceremonial wine goblet to the Duke of Guo. Since the goblet was far more valuable than the mirror, Duke Li, believing his contributions were greater, felt slighted and developed a grudge against King Hui. The fragile improvement in Zhou-Zheng relations was already souring.

The royal house found no lasting stability after the rebellion. Politically battered, the Zhou court had lost vast tracts of land due to King Hui’s desperate attempts to maintain the appearance of imperial dignity. From then on, their influence waned, and they remained pawns in the hands of powerful feudal lords. Duke Li, however, did not live to take his revenge; he passed away shortly after King Hui’s restoration. With his death, the last remnants of Zheng’s glory faded into obscurity, and the state gradually declined into a second-rate power. On the stage of the Spring and Autumn period, a new power from the East was rising, and the era of the Five Hegemons began.