King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed the area around the Shang Dynasty and its remaining people to his younger brother Kang Shu, establishing the State of Wei with its capital at the former Shang capital Zhaoge. Duke Zhuang of Wei, Ji Yang, was the 12th ruler of Wei, reigning from 757 BC to 737 BC. According to the Zuo Zhuan, Third Year of Duke Yin, and the Records of the Grand Historian, House of Wei, Duke Zhuang's principal wife was Zhuang Jiang, daughter of Duke Zhuang of Qi. Zhuang Jiang was not only beautiful but also gentle and virtuous, yet unfortunately she remained childless.
Later, Duke Zhuang of Wei married the two sisters Li Gui and Dai Gui from the state of Chen. Li Gui gave birth to Xiao Bo, but unfortunately Xiao Bo died young, while Dai Gui bore two sons, Ji Wan and Ji Jin, with Ji Wan later becoming Duke Huan of Wei. Zhuang Jiang treated Ji Wan as her own child and cherished him deeply, and the people of Wei once composed the poem "Shuo Ren" to praise her. Zhuang Jiang also presented a palace maid to Duke Zhuang as a concubine, who gave birth to a son named Zhou Yu, who was deeply favored by Duke Zhuang. Zhou Yu, relying on this favor, became arrogant, fond of violence and martial arts, and acted recklessly. However, Duke Zhuang merely tolerated his misdeeds without intervention, which only made Zhou Yu even more unrestrained.
The Grand Master Shi Que, seeing Duke Zhuang indulging Zhou Yu in such a manner, felt deeply uneasy and admonished him, saying: "The true way to love a child is to guide them onto the right path, not to indulge them and allow them to stray into error. Arrogance, extravagance, laziness, and dissipation are the roots of evil, stemming from excessive doting on a child. Few can maintain self-control and remain unspoiled by favor; once a habit of arrogance is formed, they will not be content to stay beneath others, and such discontent will breed many troubles. Therefore, it would be best to quickly decide on the heir apparent and properly supervise and educate Prince Zhou Yu." However, Duke Zhuang of Wei disagreed and continued to indulge Zhou Yu.
Shi Que's son, Shi Hou, enjoyed spending time with Zhou Yu. The two often drove carriages together through the streets and alleys, went hunting, and harassed the common people. When Shi Que found out, he was furious, severely beat Shi Hou with a whip, locked him up, and forbade him from associating with Zhou Yu again. Shi Hou, however, broke through the door and climbed over the wall to escape, running straight to Zhou Yu's residence. From then on, he lived there, following Zhou Yu in all sorts of reckless and harmful deeds against the people, never returning home. Shi Que was left with no choice but to accept this helpless situation.
Later, Duke Zhuang of Wei passed away, and Ji Wan succeeded him, becoming known as Duke Huan of Wei. Duke Huan was timid and weak by nature, and Shi Que, realizing he would achieve little, retired to his home and ceased involvement in government affairs. This allowed Zhou Yu to become even more domineering and reckless, with no one to fear. He spent his days plotting with Shi Hou on how to usurp the throne. Soon after, King Ping of Zhou died, and the new King Huan of Zhou ascended the throne. Duke Huan of Wei planned to personally visit the Zhou royal court to offer condolences and congratulations. At this time, Shi Hou devised a sinister plan: he had Zhou Yu hide a short sword and set up a farewell banquet for Duke Huan at the West Gate, with soldiers lying in ambush outside. After several rounds of wine, Zhou Yu was to use the short sword to kill Duke Huan, and if anyone resisted, they would be suppressed by force. Zhou Yu was delighted and followed the plan. During the feast, while Duke Huan was off guard, Zhou Yu drew his short sword and stabbed him in the chest. Due to the severity of the wound, Duke Huan died on the spot. Duke Huan's attendants, intimidated by Zhou Yu's military might, were forced to submit. Later, Zhou Yu declared that Duke Huan had died suddenly, claimed the throne for himself, and appointed Shi Hou as Senior Grand Master. Duke Huan's younger brother, Ji Jin, fled to the State of Xing to save his own life.
Although Zhou Yu successfully ascended the throne, secrets cannot be kept forever. Just three days after his coronation, rumors of his fratricidal usurpation spread like wildfire among the people. So Zhou Yu told Shi Hou that he wanted to establish his authority among neighboring states to intimidate his own countrymen, but he didn't know which neighbor to attack. Shi Hou said that Zheng and Wei had long-standing grievances, making it a suitable target. Thus, they bribed the states of Lu, Chen, Cai, and Song, conscripted able-bodied young men to attack Zheng, plunging the people into unbearable suffering.
During the war with the State of Zheng, Shi Hou won a battle and then told Zhou Yu that Zheng's military strength was formidable, making it unsuitable for prolonged conflict; a small victory was enough to establish authority, so they could withdraw their troops. As their army reached the outskirts of the State of Wei, they heard someone singing: "One tyrant falls, another rises. Songs and dances turn to swords and soldiers; when will peace be seen? How I regret there's no one to appeal to Luoyang!"
Zhou Yu was worried that he still couldn't win over the people's hearts, so he asked Shi Hou for advice on how to secure his position as ruler. Shi Hou said that his own father, Shi Que, had long enjoyed great prestige among the people, and if he could be persuaded to participate in state affairs, the populace would surely be won over. Thus, Zhou Yu sent someone with generous gifts to visit Shi Que and invite him to take part in governance. However, Shi Que declined, claiming he was too ill to handle state matters. So Shi Hou went home himself to ask his father for a good strategy to stabilize the ruler's position.
Shi Que thought this was an opportunity to eliminate the troublemaker Zhou Yu, so he gave him advice, saying: "The King of Zhou is the supreme ruler under heaven. When a feudal lord ascends to the throne, if he can have an audience with the King of Zhou, it means he has received the King's approval. Once the King approves, the people naturally have nothing to say." Shi Hou found this very reasonable but had some concerns, saying: "Going to see the King of Zhou without any reason will surely arouse his suspicion. It would be best to have someone intercede and introduce us." Shi Que replied: "Duke Huan of Chen is very loyal to the King of Zhou and never misses paying tribute, so he is highly regarded by the King. The states of Chen and Wei have always been friendly. If you and your new lord go to Chen together and ask Duke Huan of Chen to speak on your behalf before the King of Zhou, the King will surely be willing to see you."
Shi Hou quickly went to see Zhou Yu and relayed his father's words to him. Zhou Yu was overjoyed and immediately prepared a generous gift, then set off with Shi Hou for the State of Chen. After they left, Shi Que hastily wrote a secret letter and sent a trusted messenger to deliver it to the State of Chen by fast horse. The secret letter was handed to Duke Huan of Chen by a senior official of Chen, and the letter read: Our State of Wei is unfortunate to have witnessed such a heinous act as regicide and usurpation. Although this was carried out by Zhou Yu, my rebellious son Shi Hou assisted him and is equally unforgivable. If these two traitors are not eliminated, the State of Wei will never know peace. Now these two men have already arrived in your state, and we hope that you will take this opportunity to execute them, ridding the State of Wei of this menace.
Duke Huan of Chen finished reading the letter and asked his ministers for their opinions. They all said that since the states of Wei and Chen had always been on good terms, they should help them eliminate the threat. So Duke Huan of Chen made some arrangements, waiting only for Zhou Yu and Shi Hou to walk right into the trap.
Soon, Zhou Yu and Shi Hou arrived in the State of Chen. The Marquis of Chen sent people to welcome them outside the city, arranged accommodations for them, and said that the Marquis would meet them the next day in the Grand Temple. Zhou Yu, not expecting such warm hospitality from the Marquis of Chen, was overjoyed.
The next day, Duke Huan of Chen took the seat of honor in the Grand Temple, with his ministers lined up in order, awaiting the arrival of Zhou Yu and Shi Hou. Shortly after, Zhou Yu and Shi Hou entered the temple and took their positions as guests. Then, at the command of a high official of Chen, soldiers who had been lying in ambush inside the temple rushed out and seized both Shi Hou and Zhou Yu.
Zhou Yu's many attendants waited outside the Grand Temple, unaware of what was happening inside. The Grand Master of Chen read aloud Shi Que's letter, and only then did everyone realize that they intended to use Chen's power to eliminate Zhou Yu and Shi Hou. All present felt this was only right, so no one raised any objections. Duke Huan of Chen initially wanted to execute Zhou Yu and Shi Hou on the spot, but his ministers all said, "Shi Hou is Shi Que's own son, and we do not yet know Shi Que's intentions. It would be better to let the people of Wei handle these two themselves, to avoid giving others grounds for criticism later." Duke Huan of Chen found this very reasonable, so he imprisoned Shi Hou and Zhou Yu separately, preventing them from coordinating their plans, and immediately sent a messenger to travel day and night to Wei to inform them of the situation.
When Shi Que saw the envoy from the state of Chen and learned that Zhou Yu and Shi Hou had been successfully captured, he convened all the ministers at court and showed them the letter from the Marquis of Chen. Everyone was astonished to hear that Zhou Yu and Shi Hou had been seized by the Marquis of Chen. Shi Que said he had gathered all the officials to jointly decide their punishment. The officials all asked Shi Que to make the judgment. Shi Que declared that these two traitors were guilty beyond forgiveness and should be executed according to the law to atone for the spirits of the ancestors, and he sent You Zai Chou to Chen to carry out the execution. Many ministers said, "Zhou Yu, who murdered the ruler and usurped the throne, is the chief culprit and must be executed, but Shi Hou is an accomplice and could be given a lighter punishment." Shi Que angrily replied, "Zhou Yu committed such great crimes precisely because my rebellious son assisted him. You plead for him only because he is my son and you want me to show favoritism. If so, I must go myself to kill this traitor. Otherwise, how could I face my ancestors!" Shi Que's retainer Yang Jian said, "Do not be angry, my lord. I am willing to go in your place." Thus, Shi Que sent You Zai Chou and Yang Jian as envoys to Chen to execute Zhou Yu and Shi Hou.
After arriving in Chen's capital, Youzai Chou and Ruyang Jian first met Duke Huan of Chen to thank him for helping Wei eliminate its scourge, then each went to execute Zhou Yu and Shi Hou.
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Shi Que sent someone to the State of Xing to bring back Ji Jin, allowing him to ascend the throne and rule the State of Wei, and he became known as Duke Xuan of Wei. After Duke Xuan of Wei took the throne, he publicly declared Zhou Yu's crimes to the world, held a new funeral for Duke Huan, honored Shi Que as a senior statesman of the state, and promised that the Shi family could serve as high officials for generations. From then on, the relationship between the states of Chen and Wei became even closer.
Shi Que's sense of justice led him to punish his own son, earning praise from later generations. The Zuo Zhuan commented on him: "A truly loyal minister!"