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The Wanderings of Prince Chong'er

Duke Xian of Jin married a daughter of the House of Jia, who had no child. Afterwards he committed incest with his father's concubine Qi Jiang, by whom he had a daughter who became wife of duke Mu of Qin, and a son Shensheng, whom he, after his father's death, acknowledged as his heir. Subsequently he married two ladies from among the Rong, the one of whom, called Hu Ji of the great Rong, bore Chong'er, and the other, who was of the small Rong, bore Yiwu. When Jin invaded the Li Rong, their chief, a baron, gave duke Xian to wife his daughter. Duke Xian had wished to make Li Ji his wife, and consulted the divination. The tortoise-shell indicated that the thing would be unlucky, but the milfoil pronounced it lucky. The duke said, "I will follow the milfoil." The diviner by the tortoise-shell said, "The milfoil is reckoned inferior in its indications to the tortoise-shell. You had better follow the latter. And moreover, the oracle was:— 'The change made

If Qingfu be not removed, the troubles of Lu will not have an end

At an early time, duke Zhuang of Lu built a tower near the residence of the Zhang family, from which he got a sight of Meng Ren, and followed her; but she shut the door against him. He then said he would make her his wife, when she consented to his desires, cutting at the same time her arm, and with the blood making a covenant with him. She afterwards bore a son to the duke, who was called Ban. In thirty-second year of his reign, when the duke Zhuang of Lu was ill, he consulted his half-brother Shuya about who should be his successor, and Shuya said, 'Qingfu has ability." Qinfu was Ya's own full brother, he wanted to raise Qingfu to the lordship. The duke also asked his full brother Jiyou, who replied that he would support Ban to the death. "A little ago," said the duke, "Ya mentioned the ability of Qingfu." On this Jiyou sent a messenger with the duke's order to command Shuya to wait in the family of the officer Qianwu, where he made Qianwu's