Concubine Qi
Encyclopedia
Concubine Qi (died 194 BC), also known as Lady Qi or Consort Qi (戚夫人), was the favoured concubine of Han Gaozu (personal name Liu Bang), the first emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty
. She was called by some as Qi the Benign (戚懿 qì yì).
She was born in Dingtao (定陶), Shandong
. Liu Ruyi
(劉如意), later entitled Prince of Zhao
, was their son. Liu Bang considered the heir apparent Crown Prince Liu Ying (his eldest son) to be an unsuitable leader. He tried several times, fruitlessly, to acknowledge Liu Ruyi as the Crown Prince instead, as his desire was objected to by Liu Ying's biological mother, Empress Lü Zhi. Because of this, Lü Zhi hated Qi deeply. Nevertheless Liu Bang ordered Liu Ruyi to proceed to his entitled land, the Principality of Zhao (capital in modern Handan
, Hebei
) on his deathbed. Qi did not accompany Liu Ruyi.
Lü Zhi, now declared the empress dowager
as her son became emperor after Liu Bang's death, commenced an inhumane plot against Qi and Ruyi. She first arrested Qi and put her in prison garbs (shaved head, confined by stock, and wearing white clothes). She then summoned Ruyi to the capital—an attempt that was initially resisted by Ruyi's chief of staff Zhou Chang (周昌), whom she respected because he was one of the officials who insisted on Liu Ying being the rightful heir. Instead of directly moving against Zhou and Ruyi, though, Lü circumvented Zhou by first summoning him to the capital, and then summoning Ruyi. She then consummated her plot to put Qi and Ruyi to death, which was documented:
Qi died in the first year of Liu Ying's reign.
Province). She described Qi as a very beautiful woman, a great singer, dancer and Go
player. On the fourth day of August every year (which did not mean August 4; China
was using a different calendar at the time), Qi would play a Go game with Liu Bang in the bamboo forest on the north side of the palace. The winner would make a wish that they believed to come true, while the loser would suffer from illness for the year; however loser can avoid this bad luck by cutting off a strand of hair and prayed to the North Star.
Qi won every year and wished for good fortune, which unfortunately didn't turn out so in respect to her gruesome demise.
Jia Pei Ling is credited in passing out Han court customs of Double Ninth Festival
to commoners.
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
. She was called by some as Qi the Benign (戚懿 qì yì).
She was born in Dingtao (定陶), Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
. Liu Ruyi
Liu Ruyi
Liu Ruyi , also known as Prince Yin of Zhao was the fourth son of Emperor Gao of Han and Concubine Qi. In 200 BC, he was made Prince of Dai after Liu Xi was demoted for fleeing his Dai province from Xiongnu forces. In 198 BC, Ruyi replaced Zhang Ao as Prince of Zhao after Ao was falsely accused...
(劉如意), later entitled Prince of Zhao
Kingdom of Zhao
King of Zhao was a title used by several rebellion leaders during the collapse of the Qin Dynasty in ancient China. By using the old Warring State name Zhao, they claimed to be the rightful rulers of the old Zhao territory...
, was their son. Liu Bang considered the heir apparent Crown Prince Liu Ying (his eldest son) to be an unsuitable leader. He tried several times, fruitlessly, to acknowledge Liu Ruyi as the Crown Prince instead, as his desire was objected to by Liu Ying's biological mother, Empress Lü Zhi. Because of this, Lü Zhi hated Qi deeply. Nevertheless Liu Bang ordered Liu Ruyi to proceed to his entitled land, the Principality of Zhao (capital in modern Handan
Handan
Handan is a prefecture-level city located in the southwestern part of Hebei Province of China.- History :Handan was the capital of the State of Zhao during the Warring States period , after the capital moved from Zhongmu. The city was conquered by the State of Qin after the virtual annexation of...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
) on his deathbed. Qi did not accompany Liu Ruyi.
Lü Zhi, now declared the empress dowager
Empress Dowager
Empress Dowager was the title given to the mother of a Chinese, Korean, Japanese or Vietnamese emperor.The title was also given occasionally to another woman of the same generation, while a woman from the previous generation was sometimes given the title of Grand empress dowager. Numerous empress...
as her son became emperor after Liu Bang's death, commenced an inhumane plot against Qi and Ruyi. She first arrested Qi and put her in prison garbs (shaved head, confined by stock, and wearing white clothes). She then summoned Ruyi to the capital—an attempt that was initially resisted by Ruyi's chief of staff Zhou Chang (周昌), whom she respected because he was one of the officials who insisted on Liu Ying being the rightful heir. Instead of directly moving against Zhou and Ruyi, though, Lü circumvented Zhou by first summoning him to the capital, and then summoning Ruyi. She then consummated her plot to put Qi and Ruyi to death, which was documented:
-
- Emperor Hui (Liu Ying) resided Ruyi in the palace and checked for poison in any aliment delivered to him. Ying also brought Ruyi with him wherever he went. In one early morning in the twelfth month of the first year of Emperor Hui, the emperor had to attend a shooting ritual; this time Ruyi was left alone since he could not wake up early. Ying supposed his mother would not plot against his brother as several months had passed without incident. Nevertheless Dowager Lü had someone force venom down Ruyi's throat....She then chopped off Qi's arms and legs, blinded her by scooping out her eyes, cut out her tongue and abandoned her to live in a toilet, and insulted her as "the Human Pig" (人彘). Several days after, Empress Dowager Lü recalled Emperor Hui to have a look of "the Human Pig". After he realised who "the Human Pig" was, the weak emperor was so sick of Lü's cruelty that he virtually relinquished his authority, withdrew himself to carnal pleasures. (Paraphrased quotation from the Records of the Grand HistorianRecords of the Grand HistorianThe Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
, chapter 9)
- Emperor Hui (Liu Ying) resided Ruyi in the palace and checked for poison in any aliment delivered to him. Ying also brought Ruyi with him wherever he went. In one early morning in the twelfth month of the first year of Emperor Hui, the emperor had to attend a shooting ritual; this time Ruyi was left alone since he could not wake up early. Ying supposed his mother would not plot against his brother as several months had passed without incident. Nevertheless Dowager Lü had someone force venom down Ruyi's throat....She then chopped off Qi's arms and legs, blinded her by scooping out her eyes, cut out her tongue and abandoned her to live in a toilet, and insulted her as "the Human Pig" (人彘). Several days after, Empress Dowager Lü recalled Emperor Hui to have a look of "the Human Pig". After he realised who "the Human Pig" was, the weak emperor was so sick of Lü's cruelty that he virtually relinquished his authority, withdrew himself to carnal pleasures. (Paraphrased quotation from the Records of the Grand Historian
Qi died in the first year of Liu Ying's reign.
Her connection to the game of Go
According to Xi Jing Za Ji(西京雜記) by Hong Ge, Qi had a maid named Jia Pei Ling(賈佩蘭) who escaped and later married to a commoner named Duan Ru(段儒)from Fufeng Prefecture (West of Xian in ShaanxiShaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Province). She described Qi as a very beautiful woman, a great singer, dancer and Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
player. On the fourth day of August every year (which did not mean August 4; China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
was using a different calendar at the time), Qi would play a Go game with Liu Bang in the bamboo forest on the north side of the palace. The winner would make a wish that they believed to come true, while the loser would suffer from illness for the year; however loser can avoid this bad luck by cutting off a strand of hair and prayed to the North Star.
Qi won every year and wished for good fortune, which unfortunately didn't turn out so in respect to her gruesome demise.
Jia Pei Ling is credited in passing out Han court customs of Double Ninth Festival
Double Ninth Festival
The Double Ninth Festival , observed on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar, is a traditional Chinese holiday, mentioned in writing since before the East Han period ....
to commoners.