Li Ji (; died 651 BCE) was a concubine and later, wife of

Duke Xian of Jin Duke Xian of Jin (), personal name Ji Guizhu, was a ruler of the Jin state, reigning for 26 years. He moved the capital from Quwo (曲沃) to Jiang (絳). He was named after the Rongdi (戎狄) leader Guizhu (詭諸), whom his father and predece ...

, ruler of the State of Jin between 676 and 651 BC during 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. Li Ji is best known for starting the

Li Ji Unrest The Li Ji Unrest or Rebellion (657–651 BCE) was a series of events that took place in the State of Jin during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient China, caused by Li Ji, the concubine of Duke Xian of Jin, in order to put her son Xiqi onto ...

, which led to the suicide of Prince Shensheng. She also placed her own son

Xiqi Ji Xiqi was briefly a ruler of the Jin state. He was the son of Duke Xian and his favored concubine Li Ji, and later replaced his older half-brother Ji Shensheng as crown prince. After the death of Duke Xian, he took the throne for about a mon ...

on the Jin throne after the death of Duke Xian. She was nicknamed as the "Witch of the Age" () because of her devious acts.

Biography

Li Ji was originally a native of Li Rong (驪戎), one of the northern Rong tribes. In 672 BC, the fifth year of his reign, Duke Xian obtained two daughters of the leader of the Li Rong tribe: Li Ji and her younger sister, Shao Ji (少姬). Because of her beauty, Li Ji gained the favor of Duke Xian. Therefore, he had a desire to make Li Ji his main wife. Before doing so, he asked the gods through divination whether or not it was wise to do this. The answer he received was that the outcome would not be good. He asked a second time and on receiving a positive response, he made Li Ji his main wife, replacing Qi Jiang (齊姜).

Li Ji Unrest

In 665 BC, the twelfth year of the reign of Duke Xian, Li Ji gave birth to Prince

. Since Li Ji wanted her son to be the crown prince, she bribed two of Duke Xian's most trusted officials, Liang Wu (梁五) and Dongguan Biwu (東關嬖五). The two officials persuaded Duke Xian to let Shensheng,

Chong'er Duke Wen of Jin (697–628BC), personal name Ji Chong'er, was duke of the Jin state from 636 BC to 628 BC. He was exiled from Jin for approximately 20 years before finally assuming the throne and rapidly leading Jin to hegemony over the other ...

, and

Yiwu Yiwu () is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Jinhua, in central Zhejiang province, China. It is best known for hosting the Yiwu International Trade City, the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities. History Y ...

leave the capital, Jiang (絳). The officials told the duke that the northern Rong and Di tribes frequently attacked Jin such that the princes were needed to defend their territory. Duke Xian then sent Prince Shensheng to defend Quwo. Duke Xian also sent Chong'er to defend the city of Pu (蒲), northwest of modern Xi County in Shanxi, and Yiwu to Erqu (二屈), modern Ji County in Shanxi. In 656 BC, the 21st year of the reign of Duke Xian, Li Ji plotted a scheme whereby Prince Shensheng went to Quwo and offered sacrifices for his deceased mother, Qi Jiang. Shensheng sent some of the food blessed by the gods to Duke Xian. Li Ji had secretly placed poison in the food in order to frame Shensheng for murder. Before Duke Xian began eating, he gave a part of the food to a dog to check for poison, whereupon the dog immediately collapsed. Discovering the poison in the food, Duke Xian sent men to Quwo to arrest Shensheng. Upon hearing the news, Shensheng committed suicide. After Shensheng's suicide, Li Ji falsely accused Chong'er and Yiwu of revolting, and the two princes escaped to Pu and Erqu, respectively. In 655 BC, the 22nd year of his reign, Duke Xian sent troops to Pu and Erqu to capture Chong'er and Yiwu. Chong'er and some of his loyal subjects escaped to the Di tribe, where his mother came from. Prince Yiwu also escaped. On the ninth month of 651 BC, Duke Xian died. Li Ji placed her 15-year-old son Xiqi on the throne and made Xun Xi the chancellor to help him in government affairs. In the tenth month of 651 BC, Jin general Li Ke (里克) killed Xiqi roughly a month after his ascension. Duke Xian was not yet properly buried at that time. Xun Xi then placed Zhuozi on the throne even though he was still a toddler. After that, Xun Xi finished the burial of Duke Xian of Jin. On the eleventh month of 651 BC, Li Ke killed Zhuozi. According to ''

Discourses of the States The ''Guoyu'', usually translated as ''Discourses of the States'', is an ancient Chinese text that consists of a collection of speeches attributed to rulers and other men from the Spring and Autumn period (771–476 BC). It comprises a total ...

'' and ''

Biographies of Exemplary Women The ''Biographies of Exemplary Women'' () is a book compiled by the Han dynasty scholar Liu Xiang . It includes 125 biographical accounts of exemplary women in ancient China, taken from early Chinese histories including '' Chunqiu'', '' Zuozhu ...

'', Li Ke also had Li Ji flogged and killed.''Lienü zhuan'' "Depraved Favourites
Jin Duke Xian's Li Ji
quote: "獻公卒，奚齊立，里克殺之。卓子立，又殺之。乃戮驪姬，鞭而殺之。" Xun Xi then committed suicide by hanging himself. Shao Ji, the younger sister of Li Ji and mother of Zhuozi, was imprisoned. Li Ke then invited Prince Chong'er, who was then in the

State of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a ancient Chinese state, regional state of the Zhou dynasty in History of China#Ancient China, ancient China, whose rulers held Zhou dynasty nobility, titles of ''Hou'' (), then ''Gong (title), Go ...

, back to ascend the Jin throne, but Chong'er declined. Li Ke then invited Prince Yiwu, who was then in the State of Liang, and he accepted. Yiwu ascended the throne and became

Duke Hui of Jin Duke Hui of Jin, personal name Ji Yiwu, was duke of the Jin state from 650 BC to 637 BC. Life Early life Yiwu was one of the nine sons of Duke Xian. His mother was Xiao Rongzi. He was the younger sibling of Shensheng and Chong'er (later Du ...

Legacy

She is included in the "Biographies of Pernicious and Depraved Women" of the ''Biographies of Eminent women'' (Lienü zhuan). Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles. 2007.

References

{{Reflist Zhou dynasty nobility People of Jin (Chinese state) 650s BC deaths 7th-century BC Chinese women Year of birth unknown 7th-century BC Chinese people Chinese concubines