Liu Fei, the son of Liu Bang, whose mother was a concubine, Cao by surname. When Liu Bang was emperor for six years, he made Liu Fei the Prince of Qi, ruling over seventy cities and all Qi speakers. This Prince of Qi, Liu Fei, was actually the older brother of Emperor Xiaohui. In the second year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign, Liu Fei went to the capital for an audience. Emperor Xiaohui feasted with Liu Fei like family. Empress Lu was livid and wanted Liu Fei dead! Liu Fei was terrified and quickly used a plan suggested by his minister, Neishi Xun, to gift Empress Lu Chengyang County as a retirement estate for her daughter, Princess Luyuan. Empress Lu, delighted, let Liu Fei return to Qi. Liu Fei reigned as Prince of Qi for thirteen years, before dying in the sixth year of Emperor Xiaohui's reign. His son Liu Xiang succeeded him, known as King Ai of Qi.
King Ai's first year saw the death of Emperor Xiaohui, leaving Empress Lu to rule the country. In the second year, Empress Lu made her nephew Lü Tai the King of Lü, seizing Jinan County from Qi as his fief. In the third year of King Ai's reign, his brother Liu Zhang became a guard in Chang'an, and Empress Lu made him the Marquis of Zhuxu and married him to Lü Lu's daughter. Four years later, Liu Zhang's other brother Liu Xingju became the Marquis of Dongmu; both brothers served as guards in Chang'an. In the eighth year of King Ai's reign, Empress Lu seized another piece of Langye County from Qi, creating Liu Ze the King of Langye.
The following year, Prince Zhao Liu You came to court, only to be imprisoned and suffocated by Empress Lu. All three Zhao princes were deposed. Empress Lu appointed her family members as three kings, abused her power, and ran rampant.
When Marquis Zhu Xu Liu Zhang was twenty years old, full of youthful vigor, he was burning with resentment because the Liu family's low standing at court irked him. Once, he went to offer wine to Empress Lü, who appointed him as the master of ceremonies. Liu Zhang volunteered and said, "I come from a military background; please allow me to manage the banquet according to military law." Empress Lü said, "Alright." Once the wine was flowing freely, Liu Zhang arranged for singing and dancing to get the party going. After a while, he said, "I want to sing a song about farming for the Empress." Empress Lü's son listened on the side, laughing and saying, "He only knows about his old man's farming. If he'd been born a prince, what would he know about farming?" Liu Zhang replied, "I know." Empress Lü said, "Then tell me about farming." Liu Zhang responded, "Deep plowing, sparse planting, and weeding out the weak seedlings." Empress Lü remained silent.
After a while, a member of the Lü family got drunk, sneaked away to steal wine, and Liu Zhang caught up with him, drew his sword, and killed the man. He then reported back, saying, "There was a thief stealing wine, so I executed him according to military law." Everyone around the Empress gasped. However, since they had previously agreed to let him use military law, they let the matter drop. From then on, the members of the Lü family were afraid of Marquis Zhu Xu, and even the ministers in the court began to attach themselves to him, solidifying the Liu family's position.
The following year, Empress Lü passed away. Lü Lu, Prince Zhao, became the General-in-Chief, and Prince Lü Chan became the Chancellor. They amassed troops in Chang'an, aiming to intimidate the court and seize power. Marquis Zhu Xu Liu Zhang married Lü Lu's daughter, and, aware of the Lü's plot, he secretly sent someone to inform his brother, Prince Qi, hoping that Prince Qi would lead troops westward. He and Dongmou would coordinate an attack within Chang'an, wipe out the Lüs, and install Prince Qi as Emperor. Upon hearing this plan, Prince Qi secretly confided in his uncle, Sijun, the Palace Prefect, and Wei Bo, the Commandant, to get the ball rolling.
Prime Minister Zhaoping of the State of Qi learned about this matter and quickly sent troops to protect the palace. Wei Bo deceived Zhaoping, saying, "The king wants to send troops, but we don't have the Tiger Seal of the Han Dynasty as proof. Surrounding the palace now is the right thing to do! Let me lead the troops to help you protect the king." Believing him, Zhaoping allowed Wei Bo to lead the troops to surround the palace. As a result, after Wei Bo led the troops, he turned around and surrounded Zhaoping's residence. Zhaoping sighed and said, "Man! The Daoist saying 'Procrastination breeds chaos' is referring to this situation!" After speaking, he committed suicide.
So, the King of Qi appointed Sijun as the Prime Minister, Wei Bo as the General, and Zhu Wu as the Minister, then mobilized the entire national army. He sent Zhu Wu to the east to deceive the King of Langye, saying, "The Lu family has rebelled, and the King of Qi is sending troops to the west to suppress them. The King of Qi is still young and inexperienced in battle, so he wants to entrust all national affairs to you, the King. You are one of Emperor Gaozu's top generals, experienced, and the King of Qi dares not leave the army, so he specially sent me to invite you to Linzi to discuss matters with the King of Qi and bring the Qi national army to the west to quell the rebellion in Guanzhong."
The King of Langye believed it was true and made sense, so he hurried to see the King of Qi. The King of Qi, with Wei Bo's help, imprisoned the King of Langye, and then let Zhu Wu bring all the troops of Langye to come under the command of the King of Qi.
King Langye Liu Ze discovered he had been deceived and could not return to his country, so he advised the King of Qi, "King Daohui of Qi is the eldest son of Emperor Gaozu, and in terms of seniority, you, the King, are the direct eldest grandson of Emperor Gaozu and should inherit the throne. Now the ministers are all hesitant and have not decided what to do, and in my Liu family clan, I have the highest seniority, and the ministers are all waiting for my decision. Keeping me here is pointless; let me go to Guanzhong and assess the situation." The King of Qi agreed and made lavish preparations to send the King of Langye to Guanzhong.
After the King of Langya left, the Qi Kingdom sent troops westward to attack Jinan, then under Lu control. King Ai of Qi wrote letters to various princes, saying, "After Emperor Gaozu pacified the world, he enfeoffed the princes and brothers, and gave the Qi Kingdom to King Daohui. After Daohui's death, Emperor Hui appointed Zhang Liang to assist me as the King of Qi. After Emperor Hui's death, Empress Lü held power. She was old and listened to the slander of the Lu family, unjustly stripping the kings of their titles, killing three kings of Zhao, and destroying the states of Liang, Yan, and Zhao, bestowing these lands upon members of her clan. She also divided the Qi Kingdom into four parts. Loyal ministers remonstrated, but Empress Lü refused to listen. Now that Empress Lü has passed away, the Emperor is too young and inexperienced to rule, so he can only rely on ministers and princes. Now the Lu family has again promoted themselves, gathered troops, flaunted their power, threatened marquises and loyal ministers, forging imperial edicts to control the empire, putting the Han Dynasty in peril. I am now leading troops to attack them in order to uphold justice, not to rebel."
When news of the Qi Kingdom's westward advance reached the Han Dynasty, Prime Minister Lü Chan sent General Guan Ying to the east to resist. In Xingyang, Guan Ying considered, "The Lu family's army is stationed in Guanzhong and wants to overthrow the Liu family and become the emperor themselves. If I defeat the Qi Kingdom and return victorious, wouldn't that only empower the Lü clan further?" So he decided to leave the army stationed in Xingyang, send envoys to contact the King of Qi and other princes, unite them, and wait for the Lü clan to implode. Upon hearing this, the King of Qi retook Jinan to the west and stationed troops at the western border of the Qi Kingdom, awaiting their moment.
Lü Lu and Lü Chan plotted a rebellion in Guanzhong, but were swiftly dealt with by Marquis Zhu Xu, Grand Commandant Zhou Bo, and other ministers. Marquis Zhu Xu struck the first blow, killing Lü Chan; Zhou Bo and the other ministers then swiftly eradicated the Lü clan. At this time, King Langye also rushed to Chang'an from the state of Qi.
The ministers discussed wanting to support King Qi as the emperor, but King Langye and the other ministers said, "King Qi's father-in-law, Si Jun, is fierce and dangerous, as ruthless as a tiger. Previously, because of the relationship with the Lü family, it almost caused chaos in the world. If we install King Qi, aren't we just repeating the Lü family's mistakes? King Dai's father-in-law, the Bo family, is a prestigious family, and King Dai is the son of the founding emperor, still alive and the oldest. Making him emperor upholds tradition and reassures the court." So the ministers discussed welcoming King Dai and sent Marquis Zhu Xu to inform King Qi that the extermination of the Lü family had been successful and to withdraw his troops.
Upon hearing that Wei Bo had incited King Qi to rebel and that the Lü family had been executed, the army of Qi was also disbanded. General Guan Ying sent someone to summon Wei Bo for questioning. Wei Bo said, "My house is burning down! You think I've got time to bow and scrape?" After speaking, he stepped aside, trembling with fear, unable to say anything further. General Guan Ying carefully looked at him, smiled, and said, "They call Wei Bo brave, but he's just a scaredy-cat. What's he good for?" So he dismissed Wei Bo.
Wei Bo's father had an audience with Qin Shi Huang because he was skilled at playing the piano. When Wei Bo was young, he wanted to meet Prime Minister Cao Shen, but his family was poor and he had no connections. So he cleaned the door of Prime Minister Cao Shen's residence early and late every day. Cao Shen's staff found it strange and secretly observed him, thus getting to know Wei Bo. Wei Bo said, "I want to meet the Prime Minister, but I have no connections, so I clean the door in hopes of meeting you." The Prime Minister then took Wei Bo to see Cao Shen, who took him on as a servant. Later, Wei Bo became an efficient assistant to Cao Shen, who recommended him to King Diao Hui of Qi. King Diao Hui summoned him and appointed him as Minister of the Interior. Initially, King Diao Hui had the power to appoint officials of the rank of 2,000 shi. When King Diao Hui died and King Ai succeeded him, Wei Bo's position in Qi was even higher than that of the Prime Minister.
After King Qi returned to his kingdom after disbanding his army, King Dai ascended to the throne, who later became Emperor Xiao Wen of Han.
In the first year of Emperor Xiao Wen, the three commanderies of Chengyang, Langye, and Jinan, which were ceded from Qi during the reign of Empress Dowager Gao, were returned to Qi. The King of Langye was moved to Yan, and the territories of Zhu Xu Hou and Dong Mou Hou were increased by two thousand households each.
In the same year, King Ai of Qi died and was succeeded by his crown prince, who became King Wen of Qi. In the first year of King Wen of Qi, the Han Dynasty created the Kingdom of Chengyang for Zhu Xu Hou and the Kingdom of Jibei for Dong Mou Hou within the territory of Qi.
In the second year, the King of Jibei rebelled and was killed by the Han Dynasty, and his kingdom was annexed by the Han Dynasty.
Two years later, Emperor Xiao Wen ennobled seven men, including sons of King Diao Hui of Qi, as marquises.
After ruling for fourteen years, King Wen of Qi died without a son, leading to the subsequent abolition of the Kingdom of Qi and the integration of its territory into the Han Dynasty.
One year later, Emperor Xiaowen distributed the fief of Qi's land that was given to Prince Daohui's son, allowing King Xiaowang of Qi to become the King of Lu, and then bestowing titles on several of Prince Daohui's other sons as princes. Therefore, the lands surrounding Qi were all granted to Prince Daohui's sons: his son Zhi was named King of Jibei, his son Piguang was named King of Jinan, his son Xian was named King of Zichuan, his son Ang was named King of Jiaoxi, his son Xiongqu was named King of Jiaodong, in addition to the previous Chengyang King, making a total of seven vassal kings of Qi.
Eleven years later, King Pi of Wu and King Wu of Chu rebelled, leading their troops westward, publicly claiming to want to eliminate the traitor Chao Cuo of the Han Dynasty in order to stabilize the ancestral temples. The Kings of Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Zichuan, and Jinan, the four vassal kings of Qi, all sent troops in support of the rebellion of Wu and Chu. These four kings wanted to persuade the King of Qi to join the rebellion, but King Xiaowen hesitated, and the city's garrison refused to obey them. As a result, the armies of these three states surrounded Qi. The King of Qi sent a messenger to urgently inform the Emperor. The Emperor then instructed the messenger to tell the King of Qi: "Hang in there, our army will soon defeat the combined forces of Wu and Chu!" When the messenger arrived in Qi, he saw that Linzi City had already been surrounded by the armies of the three countries, blocking entry. The three states' commanders tried to kidnap the messenger and force him to swear: "If you tell the Han that we've lost, Qi surrenders, or we wipe it out!" The messenger had no choice but to agree. When he reached the city, he saw the King of Qi from afar and quickly said, "The Han Dynasty has sent out a million-strong army led by Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu, who has already defeated the combined forces of Wu and Chu, and is now leading troops to rescue Qi! Qi must hold out!" The three commanders immediately tried to kill the messenger.
The state of Qi was initially tightly besieged, secretly plotting with the three countries, talking about giving up. Before reaching an agreement, they heard that the envoy had returned from the Han Dynasty. The King and his court were overjoyed. The ministers advised the King not to surrender to the three countries. Not long after, the Han army under Luan Bu and Marquis Pingyang arrived in Qi, defeated the armies of the three countries, and lifted the siege. However, later on, the Han Dynasty heard that Qi had colluded with the three countries from the start and planned to send troops to attack Qi. King Xiao, terrified, took poison and killed himself. Emperor Jing, hearing this, figured King Qi had been forced into it, not acting out of disloyalty. So he made King Xiao's son, Shou, the new king—King Yi—who continued to inherit the throne of Qi. The kings of Jiaoxi, Jiaodong, Jinnan, and Zichuan were all put to death, and their territories were annexed by the Han Dynasty. The King of Jibei was moved to Zichuan. King Yi of Qi died after reigning for 22 years, and his son, Prince Jing, succeeded him, becoming King Li of Qi.
King Li's mother was the Queen Mother Ji. The Queen Mother married her niece off to King Li. However, King Li did not like this Queen Ji. The Queen Mother wanted to boost her family's power, so she allowed her eldest daughter, Princess Weng, to enter the palace. She pretended to run the palace but kept her daughter away from the king, hoping that King Li would fall in love with her younger sister. But King Li ended up sleeping with his sister, Princess Weng.
So, this Qi thing… it didn't end there. In the Han Dynasty, there was a eunuch named Xu Jia, who worked for the Han Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager absolutely adored her beloved daughter, Xiu Chengjun, who was not a relative of the Liu clan. Xiu Chengjun had a daughter named E, and the Empress Dowager wanted to get her married to a king. Xu Jia just volunteered to go to the State of Qi, saying he could get the King of Qi to ask for E's hand in marriage. The Empress Dowager was thrilled and sent Xu Jia to Qi. There was this minister in Qi, Zhu Fu Yan, who knew that Xu Jia was there for this marriage proposal. He used the chance to tell Xu Jia, "If this works out, put in a good word for my daughter – she wants to be a concubine." Xu Jia got to Qi and spilled the beans. The Empress Dowager blew her top when she heard. "The king's already got a queen, and his harem's full. And Xu Jia? Some nobody from Qi who became a eunuch in Han – what's he done for us? Now he wants to mess with our royal family?! And who does Zhu Fu Yan think he is? Trying to get his daughter into the palace?!" Xu Jia was in deep trouble. He slunk back to the Empress Dowager and reported, "The King of Qi is willing to marry E, but there’s a problem – it might end up like the King of Yan." The King of Yan got himself killed – slept with his son, you know? The whole kingdom went down with him. The Empress Dowager said, "Forget about marrying her off to Qi!" And that's how Zhu Fu Yan ended up with a grudge against Qi.
Fu Yan was highly favored by the Han Emperor at that time, with great power. He said to the Emperor, "The population of Linzi in Qi is one hundred thousand, raking in over a thousand gold a year in market fees. The population is numerous, and the wealth surpasses Chang'an. Wouldn't you agree that only the Emperor's brothers or sons should be King of Qi? Now, the relationship between the Qi King and his relatives is becoming more distant." Then, calmly and unhurriedly, he continued, "When Empress Dowager Lv was in power, Qi almost rebelled; during the chaos of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu, Prince Xiao almost participated in the rebellion. Now, I hear that the Qi King is having an affair with his sister!" As a result, the Han Emperor appointed Fu Yan as the Prime Minister of Qi and ordered him to investigate the matter thoroughly. Upon arriving in Qi, Fu Yan immediately looked into the eunuchs in the Queen's palace who were passing information to the King, as well as those facilitating the illicit relationship between him and Princess Ji Weng. He got them to testify, pinning all the blame on the Qi King. Fearing execution, the young king poisoned himself, leaving no heir.
At that time, Prince Zhao was worried that Fu Yan would abolish Qi and gradually alienate family ties, so he reported Fu Yan for bribery and other crimes. The Emperor had Fu Yan arrested. Gongsun Hong said, "The Qi King died in sorrow, leaving no descendants. With Qi now belonging to the Han Dynasty, we can't keep the people calm without executing Fu Yan." Therefore, Fu Yan was executed.
After King Li of Qi died five years into his reign without a son to succeed him, Qi became part of the Han Dynasty. After the death of King Dao Hui of Qi, only two states remained, Chengyang and Zichuan. The land of Zichuan was similar in size to Qi. The Emperor felt sorry for Qi and had King Dao Hui's tomb built in Zichuan County. He also gave the towns around King Dao Hui's tomb in Linzi to Zichuan to keep the shrine going.
Chengyang Jing Wang Zhang, the son of Qi Daohui Wang, together with the ministers, killed the Lü clan in his capacity as Zhu Xuhou, and he was the first to execute Prime Minister Lü Chan in the Weiyang Palace. After Emperor Wen of Han ascended the throne, he granted Zhang a fief of two thousand households and rewarded him with one thousand catties of gold. In the second year of Emperor Wen, he established Zhang as Chengyang Wang of the Qi State. He reigned for two years, then his son Xi succeeded him as Chengyang Gong Wang.
Chengyang Gong Wang ruled for eight years before being exiled to Huainan. Four years later, he was reinstated in Chengyang. His total reign lasted thirty-three years before his death, and his son Yan succeeded him as Chengyang Qing Wang.
Chengyang Qing Wang reigned for twenty-six years before his death, and his son Yi succeeded him as Chengyang Jing Wang. Chengyang Jing Wang ruled for nine years before his death, and his son Wu succeeded him as Chengyang Hui Wang. Chengyang Hui Wang reigned for eleven years before his death, and his son Shun succeeded him as Chengyang Huang Wang. Chengyang Huang Wang ruled for forty-six years before his death, and his son Hui succeeded him as Chengyang Dai Wang. Chengyang Dai Wang reigned for eight years before his death, and his son Jing succeeded him, dying at the age of fifteen in the third year of Jiànshǐ.
Jibei Xingju, the son of Qi Daohui Wang, helped the ministers kill the Lü clan in his capacity as Dongmouhou, but his contributions were relatively minor. When Emperor Wen returned from Dai, Xingju said, "Please let me and Grand Stable Master Ying enter the palace together." They deposed the child emperor and, together with the ministers, enthroned Emperor Wen.
In 178 BC, the second year of Emperor Xiaowen of the Han Dynasty, the emperor carved out the Jibei prefecture from the Qi State and also made Chengyang king. After reigning for two years, Xingju rebelled. But to understand this, we need to go back to when the ministers killed the Lv clan, and the Marquis of Zhuxu played a major role. The emperor promised to make him king of the Zhao region, and the Marquis of Dongmou was promised the title of King of the Liang region due to his great achievements. However, after Emperor Xiaowen ascended to the throne, he heard that the Marquis of Zhuxu and the Marquis of Dongmou had initially planned to support the King of Qi, so he downplayed their contributions. Two years later, the emperor wanted to enfeoff his sons as kings, so he carved two prefectures out of the Qi State and enfeoffed them to Zhang and Xingju. Both Zhang and Xingju felt the emperor was stiffing them. Zhang later died, and Xingju heard that the Xiongnu were launching a massive invasion of the Han Dynasty. The Han Dynasty dispatched many armies led by Prime Minister Guanying to resist, and Emperor Wen went to Taiyuan to lead the expedition himself. Seeing this as a good opportunity, with the emperor away and the court being empty, Xingju rose in rebellion.
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately ordered the Prime Minister and the army to turn back to Chang'an. He then sent General Chai, the Marquis of Jipu, to attack Xingju. As a result, Xingju was defeated and killed himself, the Jibei Kingdom was abolished, and it returned to Han control.
Thirteen years later, in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, the emperor appointed the descendant of King Qi Daohui (a previous king of Qi), the Marquis of Andu, as the King of Jibei. Eleven years later, during the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu, Andu held the city and stayed out of the rebellion. After the rebellion was quelled, the emperor made Andu King of Zichuan.
As for the King of Jinan, Piguang, also a descendant of King Qi Daohui, he was appointed as the King of Jinan in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty. Eleven years later, he participated in the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu, was defeated by the Han army, and was killed. The Jinan Kingdom was also abolished and became a Han prefecture again.
King Xian of Zichuan, a descendant of King Dao Hui of Qi, was made king of Zichuan in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of Han. Eleven years later, he joined the rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms of Wu and Chu and was defeated and killed by the Han army.
After King Xian of Zichuan's rebellion, the emperor appointed King Zhi of Jibei to Zichuan to serve as king. Zhi was also a descendant of King Dao Hui of Qi, previously known as Marquis Andu before being made King of Jibei. In total, he reigned for thirty-five years and was given the posthumous title of King Yi. His son Jian succeeded him as King Jing, who reigned for twenty years before his death. His son Yi then succeeded him as King Qing, who reigned for thirty-six years before his death. Following him, his son Zhonggu became King Si, reigning for twenty-eight years before his death. His son Shang succeeded him as King Xiao, who reigned for five years before his death, and then his son Heng succeeded him until the third year of Emperor Xuan of Han, when King Heng died at the age of eleven.
King Yang of Jiaoxi, a son of King Dao Hui of Qi, was made king of Jiaoxi in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of Han. Eleven years later, he revolted with Wu and Chu. The Han army defeated and killed him, and his territory became Jiaoxi Commandery.
King Xiongqu of Jiaodong, also a son of King Dao Hui of Qi, was made king of Jiaodong in the sixteenth year of Emperor Wen of Han. Eleven years later, he revolted with Wu and Chu, was defeated by the Han army, and was killed, with his territory also becoming Jiaodong Commandery.
Sima Qian said: Among the vassal states, none were larger than those given by King Dao Hui of Qi. At that time, the country had just been unified, there were few royal descendants, and the Qin dynasty's policy of not yielding an inch had prompted the Han dynasty to enfeoff relatives of the same surname as kings on a large scale to keep the peace. So it wasn't surprising when these kings rebelled.
