Yao Li (要離) was a famed assassin of the state of
Wu in the
Spring and Autumn period
The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...
of ancient China.
Minister
Wu Zixu recommended him to King
Helü of Wu. His mission was to kill Prince
Qingji, who was taking refuge in the state of
Wei. To pretend to be a criminal in the state of
Wu, Yao Li killed his wife and his mother, and his right hand was cut off by King Helü. After he arrived in the state of Wei, he met Qingji and could stay in the same boat at his target. As the boat reached the middle of the river, he killed Qingji with a lance and then committed suicide.
References
Chinese assassins
Murder–suicides in China
People of Wu (state)
6th-century BC Chinese people
Suicides in the Spring and Autumn period
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