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Wei Zhi 尉止

Mar 6, 2019 © Ulrich Theobald

Wei Zhi 尉止 (d. 563 BCE) was a grand master (dafu 大夫) in the state of Zheng 鄭 during the Spring and Autumn period 春秋 (770-5th cent. BCE). When Prince Zisi 子駟 (Gongzi Fei 公子騑), at that time counsellor and regent of Zheng, planned to usurp the ducal throne, Prince Zikong 子孔 (Gongzi Jia 公子嘉) ordered Sichen 司臣, Hou Jin 侯晉, Du Nüfu 堵女父, Zishi Pu 子師仆, and Wei Zhi, to whom the regent had been suspect from the beginning, to kill in the Western Hall (Xigong 西宮) the dignitaries Zisi, Ziguo 子國 (the father of Prince Zichan 子產, d. 522), and Zi'er 子耳. The rebels took Duke Jian 鄭簡公 (r. 565-530) as a hostage and barricaded themselves in the Northern Palace (Beigong 北宮). The princes Zixi 子西 (Gongsun Xia 公孫夏, son of Zisi), Zichan and Zijiao 子蟜 tried to liberate the duke, and in the course of fighting, Wei Zhi and Zishi Pu died, while the other rebel leaders were able to escape.

In 554, Zikong was killed by Zixi and Zizhan 子展 with the charge of high treason.

This episode is known as the "rebellion of the five houses" (wuzu zhi luan 五族之亂) or the "catastrophy of the Western Hall" (Xigong zhi nan 西宮之難)..

Sources:
Huang Huixian 黃惠賢, ed. (1997). Ershiwushi renming da cidian 二十五史人名大辭典 (Zhengzhou: Zhongzhou guji chubanshe), Vol. 1, 17.
Zhang Huizhi 張撝之, Shen Qiwei 沈起煒, Liu Dezhong 劉德重, ed. (1999). Zhongguo lidai renming da cidian 中國歷代人名大辭典 (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe), Vol. 1, 55; Vol. 2, 2229.
Zhang Ke 張克, Huang Kangbo 黃康白, Huang Fangdong 黃方東, ed. (1991). Shiji renwu cidian 史記人物辭典 (Nanning: Guangxi renmin chubanshe), 107.