Who is Que? What historical deeds does he have?

Que, surname Ji, surname, name Que, was called "Chengzi" after his death. Que is a descendant of the Duke of Jin, but his father Rui is a criminal official. Because his father committed a crime that was punishable by death, Que was once deprived of political power and the family's fiefdom, and was demoted to a commoner, to the point where he had to work in the fields to make ends meet. How did it happen? What kind of life ups and downs did Qi go through after being demoted?

The matter starts from the time of Duke Xian of Jin Dynasty. There were probably eight sons of Duke Xian, and among these eight sons, three of them, Shen Sheng, Chong'er, and Yi Wu, were virtuous, and the rest were even Failed to leave a name in history. In general, Duke Xiang of Jin was an accomplished king. During his reign, the best example was the expansion of the first army of Jin into the upper and lower armies. The reason for this judgment needs to be explained here. During the Spring and Autumn Period, under the rule of Emperor Zhou, there were countless vassal states. Among these vassal states, there are both large countries and super mini countries. So, what is the specific basis for judging whether a country is a big country or a small country? It is whether the country’s army is large. A country with one army is a third-class country, a country with two armies is a second-class country, generally called a marquis state, and a country with three or more armies is a first-class country, called a duchy. During the reign of Duke Xiang of Jin, the State of Jin developed rapidly, which led to a surge in the population of the State of Jin and the expansion of the Jin State's army.

Let’s not talk about Jin Xiangong’s achievements, let’s talk about Jin Xiangong’s mistakes. Duke Xian of Jin doted on his beautiful concubine Li Ji, whom he gained after defeating Li Rong. He openly suppressed his sons for Li Ji's sake and wanted to make Li Ji's son the prince. Originally, every young master would have more or less a force around him, which would also be their capital after they were enfeoffed in the future. Rui was the son of Duke Xian of Jin and Xiao Rongzi, and Yiwu was a member of Duke Hui of Jin. He was extremely loyal to Duke Hui of Jin. After the death of Duke Xian of Jin, Duke Hui of Jin succeeded to the throne. Rui was the most important contributor to Duke Hui of Jin's successful succession. Besides him, there was Lu Sheng, but he was the main counselor who advised Duke Hui of Jin. Since Prince Chong'er, Duke Wen of Jin, had been in exile all year round and was famous far and wide, Duke Hui of Jin was extremely afraid that his throne would be taken away and that domestic forces would support Chong'er. It was in this extreme anxiety and fear that Duke Hui of Jin actually sent someone to assassinate his brother, which directly led to the breakdown of the brotherhood.

In 636 BC, Chong'er returned to the state of Jin and drove Duke Huai of Jin, the son of Duke Hui of Jin, out of politics. He became the king of Jin as Duke Wen of Jin. Rui and Lu Sheng, a group of Jin Huigong's confidants, became a thorn in the side of Jin Wengong Group. After returning to China, Jin Wengong did not immediately sentence them, but was busy stabilizing the domestic situation. But Rui actually planned to burn Duke Wen of Jin to death. His plan was reported to Duke Wen of Jin. Duke Wen of Jin was furious and immediately executed Rui and deprived Rui's family of civilians.

Que was Rui’s eldest son, and he was also reviled. He became impoverished in an instant and lost his former family glory. At this time, Que had grown up. After being demoted to a commoner, he did not complain, but actively lived his small life. Even when he went to work in the fields, he still had a calm demeanor. Xu Chen, one of the Five Wise Men of Jin Wengong Group, was passing by a country road to do errands when he happened to see Que. Que was working in the fields. Although he didn't have the gorgeous clothes or the status he had in the past, Que looked leisurely and contented at that time. At this time, Que's wife brought him food, and the couple sat on the ridge of the field to eat, talking and laughing, loving and peaceful, without any regrets about their fate. People in the village were all familiar with Que, and they never had a single slanderous word when talking about Que, so Xu Chen looked at Que even more with admiration. After returning to the court, Xu Chen recommended Que to Duke Wen of Jin, and Zhao Dun also chatted with him. After the two sang and harmonized, Duke Wen of Jin finally relented and let Que serve as a military official.

Que is young and virtuous. Although he has no political experience, he is extremely talented in politics. He had a good relationship with Zhao Dun, the son of Zhao Shuai. During the periods of Duke Linggong and Duke Cheng of Jin, Zhao Dun and Que became the most reliable political partners among the six ministers, and the Zhao family and the He family were also extremely close.

After Zhao Dun's death, it was supposed that the Central Army's assistant, Xun Lin's father, would be the chief minister, that is, the Marshal of the Central Army. However, Zhao Dun insisted on promoting Que to Zhengqing. After that, Que became the ruling official and was in charge of the political power of the Jin state. During his tenure, Que maintained Wenxiang's hegemony, while also safeguarding the political achievements of his old partner Zhao Dun, and tried his best to support the Zhao family, which had lost its backbone.