Duke Ling of Wey () (ruled 534 — 492 BC) was the 28th ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wey, the son of Duke Xiang of Wey. He was the subject of Chapter 15 of the ''

Analects The ''Analects'' (; ; Old Chinese: '' ŋ(r)aʔ''; meaning "Selected Sayings"), also known as the ''Analects of Confucius'', the ''Sayings of Confucius'', or the ''Lun Yu'', is an ancient Chinese book composed of a large collection of sayings a ...

'' of

Confucius Confucius ( ; zh, s=, p=Kǒng Fūzǐ, "Master Kǒng"; or commonly zh, s=, p=Kǒngzǐ, labels=no; – ) was a Chinese philosopher and politician of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. C ...

. His given name was Yuan ().

Family

Duke Ling was born to Duke Xiang and the

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

Chou E (). Duke Ling’s wife was

Lady Nanzi Nanzi (南子) also called Wey Ling Nanzi Lily Xiao Hong Lee, A. D. Stefanowska, Sue Wiles. 2007. (? – 480 BC) was the consort of Duke Ling of Wey (r. 534–492 BC) in the Spring and Autumn period. She was most famous for her meeting with Co ...

(), whilst his son was Prince Kuaikui (). Duke Ling was succeeded by his grandson Duke Chu, son of Kuaikui.

Life

When Duke Xiang of Wey died, he did not specify an heir apparent. Lord Kong Zhengchi consulted the oracles of

I Ching The ''I Ching'' or ''Yi Jing'' (, ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. Originally a divination manual in the Western Zho ...

and

Shu Feng of Kang Shu may refer to: China * Sichuan, China, officially abbreviated as Shu (蜀) * Shu (state) (conquered by Qin in 316 BC), an ancient state in modern Sichuan * Shu Han (221–263) during the Three Kingdoms Period * Western Shu (405–413), also ...

's mandate in order to choose an heir. The oracles and the spirit of Shu Feng favoured prince Yuan, the second son of Duke Xiang. According to the religious convention, Kong Zhengchi therefore decided to enthrone prince Yuan as the next Duke of Wey. In 535 BCE, Yuan succeeded the title of duke (Gong). In 522 BCE Duke Ling was forced to flee to the city of Siniao due to a sudden rebellion of his

retainers Retainer may refer to: * Retainer (orthodontics), devices for teeth * RFA ''Retainer'' (A329), a ship * Retainers in early China, a social group in early China Employment * Retainer agreement, a contract in which an employer pays in advance for ...

Qi Bao, Beigong Xi, and Chu Shipu. Qi Bao's rebellion was caused by Duke Ling's elder brother Zhi Gongmeng (), who abused his power as a prince. Zhi Gongmeng deprived Qi Bao of his land and gave him orders arrogantly, thus humiliating Qi Bao. While in Siniao, Duke Ling received an envoy from the

state of Qi Qi, or Ch'i in Wade–Giles romanization, was a state of the Zhou dynasty-era in ancient China, variously reckoned as a march, duchy, and independent kingdom. Its capital was Linzi, located in present-day Shandong. Qi was founded shortly ...

. Upon receiving the envoy, Duke Ling admitted that he was not an apt ruler. Later, Qi Bao was assassinated by Beigong Xi's own retainer, who did not know that his own lord was allied with Qi Bao. After the death of Qi Bao, Duke Ling returned to Diqiu, the capital city of Wey. He did not punish Beigong Xi for plotting against him. Duke Ling's elder son, Prince Kuaikui, attempted to murder his mother, Lady Nanzi. The plan was not successful, and Kuaikui fled to Jin; Kuaikui's son Zhe () remained in Wey. In 493 BCE Duke Ling died after 42 years on the throne. His widow Lady Nanzi wanted to enthrone Prince Ying (), but Ying refused the proposition, instead recommending his brother Kuaikui's son Zhe as the heir apparent. Consequently, Zhe succeeded Duke Ling and was known as

Duke Chu of Wey Duke Chu of Wey (, died 469 BC) was 29th ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Wey. He ruled the duchy twice: the first time between 493 BC and 481 BC, the second time between 477 BC and 470 BC. His given name was Zhé (輒). Zhé was the son ...

().

Duke Ling and Mizi Xia

Duke Ling was one of the most famous representatives of the homosexual tradition in China, as portrayed in the philosophic work ''

Han Feizi The ''Han Feizi'' or ''Hanfeizi'' (" ritings ofMaster Han Fei") is an ancient Chinese text named for its attribution to the political philosopher Han Fei. It comprises a selection of essays in the Legalist tradition on theories of state power, ...

'' by

Han Fei Han Fei (233), also known as Han Feizi or Han Fei Zi, was a Chinese philosopher or statesman of the "Legalist" (Fajia) school during the Warring States period, and a prince of the state of Han. Han Fei is often considered to be the greatest r ...

. In the chapter ''Shuonan'' (), Duke Ling favours a courtier named

Mizi Xia Mizi Xia () was a semi-legendary figure from the Zhou dynasty Period of China. He was first recorded in the work ''Han Feizi'', by Legalist philosopher Han Fei, as the companion of the historical figure Duke Ling of Wei. While Mizi Xia may hav ...

(), who he allows to use the ducal carriage without permission, and who he admires for handing over the remainder of an especially delicious

peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

. Han Fei records that once Mizi Xia's looks faded, however, the Duke turned against his former lover, accusing him of stealing the carriage and of degrading the Duke by giving him a half-eaten peach. This story was so widespread amongst the literati of China that the phrase " the bitten peach" ( 餘桃) became a byword for homosexuality.Hinsch, Bret. (1990). ''Passions of the Cut Sleeve''. Published by the University of California Press. Pages 20-21.

In media

Duke Ling was played by Bi Yanjun in the biographical fantasy adventure drama film ''

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke Ling of Wey Year of birth unknown Zhou dynasty nobility 492 BC deaths Monarchs of Wey (state) LGBT royalty LGBT people from China Ancient LGBT people LGBT heads of state