During the reign of King Ping of Chu (r. 528–516 BCE), the state fell into moral decay. The king, easily swayed by flatterers, favored Fei Wuji – a cunning courtier who thrived on deceit.
A corrupted court
When the crown prince Jian was to marry a princess from Qin, Fei Wuji was sent to escort her. Upon seeing her beauty, he returned and whispered to the king:
“This woman is exquisite – why not take her for yourself? You can find another bride for the prince.”
Motivated by personal grudges – Prince Jian had long disdained him – Fei Wuji engineered a scandalous scheme. King Ping, shamelessly indulgent, married his own son’s fiancée, who gave birth to a son named Zhen not long after. Encouraged by Fei Wuji, the king even plotted to replace Prince Jian with Zhen as heir.
The trap closes on the Crown Prince
In 522 BCE, fearing rebellion, King Ping hesitated to depose Prince Jian directly – he was stationed at Chengfu (modern Bozhou, Anhui) with troops and backed by his loyal tutor, Wu She.
Fei Wuji advised:
“Recall Wu She first. Without his counsel, the prince is helpless.”
Summoned to court, Wu She confronted the king:
“How can you believe slander against your own flesh and blood (son)?”
Fei Wuji accused him of treason. Wu She was imprisoned.
Then came the cruelest stroke: King Ping forced Wu She to write letters summoning his two sons – Wu Shang and Wu Yun (courtesy name Zixu) – under false pretenses, intending to kill them all.
Martyrdom and Flight
Wu Shang, knowing the letter was forged, chose to die with his father:
“We knew perfectly well that the letter was written by our father under the king’s coercion, yet I choose to follow my father in death.”
Wu Yuan, however, refused:
“I must survive to punish the wicked.”
Wu She and Wu Shang were executed. Before dying, Wu She lamented:
“I fear what Yun (Wu Zixu) will do… His vengeance may bring ruin upon Chu’s people.”
Fei Wuji urged immediate pursuit:
“Cut the grass but leave the roots, and it will grow again!”
King Ping issued a bounty: 50,000 dan of grain and a noble title for Wu Zixu’s capture. Portraits of him were posted at every border checkpoint. Escape seemed impossible.
A vow of vengeance
Wu Zixu fled toward Song, hoping to join Prince Jian. En route, he met his friend Shen Baoxu, who wept upon hearing his story.
Wu Zixu declared:
“I will borrow an army, crush Chu, and eat the tyrant’s flesh, flay the traitor’s skin!”
Shen Baoxu warned:
“Kings like Jie and Zhou were overthrown for the people’s sake – not private revenge. Your enemy is the king and Fei Wuji – not Chu itself!”
Wu Zixu retorted:
“If I don’t destroy Chu, I am no man!”
Shen Baoxu vowed in return:
“If you destroy Chu, I will restore it.”
They parted as friends turned to fate-bound opposites.
Betrayal in Zheng and flight eastward
In Song, Wu Zixu reunited with Prince Jian – but civil war forced them to flee to Zheng. Though Zheng sheltered them, Prince Jian secretly conspired with Jin to overthrow Duke Ding of Zheng, betraying his host. The plot failed; Jian was executed.
Wu Zixu, having suspected treachery, escaped with Jian’s young son, Gongzi Sheng, heading east toward Wu – a rising power trained by Jin to counter Chu.
Their only hope: cross the Zhaoguan Pass (in modern Hanshan, Anhui). Beyond it lay freedom – and the chance to raise an army.
But Zhaoguan was heavily guarded. General Wei awaited them, portraits in hand.
The white hair of despair
Near Zhaoguan, exhausted and desperate, Wu Zixu met Dong Gao Gong, a retired physician. Recognizing him from the wanted poster, Dong offered refuge.
For days, Wu Zixu waited in anguish. Sleepless and consumed by grief, his hair and beard turned white overnight.
Dong Gao Gong returned with a plan – and a lookalike friend, Huangfu Ne.
“Your white hair hides your identity,” Dong said. “Let Huangfu pose as you at the gate. While they’re distracted, you slip through.”
The ruse at Zhaoguan
At dawn, Huangfu Ne approached the pass, acting nervous. Soldiers seized him, shouting:
“We’ve caught Wu Zixu!”
General Wei gloated – until Dong Gao Gong arrived:
“That’s my friend Huangfu Ne! We were meeting for a trip. You’ve arrested the wrong man!”
Wei, embarrassed, released Huangfu. As guards argued over their lost reward, Wu Zixu – disguised, aged, and unnoticed – slipped through the chaos.
Later, realizing the deception, Wei sent cavalry in pursuit – but it was too late.
Wu Zixu reached Wu, where he would spend years training its armies, awaiting the day to lead Wu’s forces deep into Chu, sack its capital Ying, and fulfill his terrible oath.
Legacy of a relentless avenger
Wu Zixu’s escape through Zhaoguan became legendary – a symbol of perseverance under persecution. His later role in Wu’s invasion of Chu (506 BCE), including the exhumation and whipping of King Ping’s corpse, shocked contemporaries but cemented his place in history as both hero and tragic avenger.
His story, recorded in the Zuo Zhuan, Records of the Grand Historian, and later dramatized for centuries, embodies the tension between filial duty, justice, and the cost of vengeance.
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