Duke Xi of Lu (Chinese: 魯僖公; pinyin: Lǔ Xī Gōng; died 17 November 627 BC), personal name Ji Shen, was a ruler of Lu state, reigning from 659 BC to 627 BC. His father was Duke Zhuang. After Duke Xi died in 627 BC, his son, Duke Wen, succeeded him to the throne. Among the rulers of Lu whose reigns were recorded in the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xi's reign was the longest.
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Reign
Succession
Prince Shen, who would become known as Duke Xi of Lu, was a son of Duke Zhuang of Lu and Cheng Feng (成風), one of his concubines hailing from the nearby state of Xugou (須句). After the death of his father in 662 BC, two of his brothers, Ziban and Duke Min, had consecutively succeeded him, but both were murdered by Prince Qingfu (慶父), one Duke Zhuang's brothers, who had designs on the Lu throne. Prince You (友), another of Duke Zhuang's brothers, fled to the state of Zhu after Duke Min's murder, brought Prince Shen with him.
The people of Lu, angered by Prince Qingfu's repeated regicide, forced him out of Lu. Prince Qingfu then sought refuge in the nearby state of Ju. It was after this that Prince You returned to Lu with Prince Shen and installed him to the throne. Soon after, Prince You paid Ju for the return of Prince Qingfu. On his way back to Lu, after he reached a place named Mi (密), Prince Qingfu sent Prince Yu (魚), a kinsman, to seek clemency. Prince Yu was unsuccessful, and he returned to Prince Qingfu crying aloud. Prince Qingfu hanged himself after hearing Prince Yu's crying.
Shu Jiang (叔姜), Duke Min's mother, had supported Prince Qingfu's plot. For this, she fled to Zhu after Prince Qingfu's fall. However, the leaders of the nearby state of Qi captured her, killed her, and brought her body back to Qi. Later, Prince Xi successfully requested that they give the body back to him to bury.
Later Reign
In the spring of 656 BC, Duke Xi invaded Cai along with the states of Qi, Song, Chen, Wey, Zheng, Xu, and Cao. After Cai was defeated, the armies of these states attacked Chu, which soon sought peace. In the winter of the same year, a Lu army led by Prince Zi (茲) attacked Chen together with forces from Qi, Song, Wey, Zheng, Xu, and Cao.
In 655 BC, Duke Xi met with the rulers of Song, Chen, Wey, Xu, and Cao as well as the Crown Prince Zheng of Zhou at Shouzhi (首止) in an effort to support him over Prince Dai (帶), who their father, King Hui of Zhou, preferred as heir. The Duke of Zheng was slated to attend, but he reneged the alliance. The next year, in 654 BC, the alliance attacked Zheng for the betrayal. Chu, then an ally of Zheng, laid siege to Xu, forcing the allied army to retreat. Regardless, Crown Prince Zheng remained the crown prince and succeeded his father upon his death in 651 BC, whereas Prince Dai, who rebelled in 636 BC, was killed by Duke Wen of Jin in the following year.
In 643 BC, Duke Huan of Qi, one of the Five Hegemons, died, triggering a war of succession among six of his sons. After two months of initial infighting, Prince Wukui emerged from the chaos and succeeded the throne of Qi, while Crown Prince Zhao fled to the state of Song. Three months after this, in 642 BC, Duke Xiang of Song, in a bid to install Crown Prince Zhao to the Qi throne, invaded Qi along with forces from Cao, Wey, and Zhu. Duke Xi, meanwhile, sent a force to Qi in support of Wukui, but Wukui was killed by the people of Qi, who feared the allied forces. Eventually, Duke Xiang of Song and his allies defeated all opposition and made Crown Prince Zhao (Duke Xiao of Qi) the new duke.
In 639 BC, the state of Zhu conquered Xuqu, the ruler of which sought refuge in Lu. Cheng Feng, Duke Xi's mother, convinced him to restore the state of Xuqu, her origin. The next spring, Duke Xi personally lead an army and attacked Zhu, restoring Xuqu. Duke Xi, looking down upon Zhu due to its size, took no defensive precautions. Zang Wenzhong (臧文仲), one of his officials, warned: Even for the former kings, with their bright virtue, there was nothing they did not consider difficult, nothing they did not fear. How much more should our small domain be vigilant! Pray do not, my lord, say Zhu is small. If wasps and scorpions carry poison, how much more does a domain!The Duke did not heed his advice, and was defeated by the Zhu army at Shengxing (升陘) on 20 July 638 BC. The Zhu army captured the Duke's helmet and suspended it upon Zhu's city gate.