Page 55 - EALC C306/505

47

Text 6 From Lǐjì 禮記, Tán Gong pian 檀弓篇 (節選)

Jìn Xìangong sha shìzǐ Shensheng 晉獻公殺世子申生

The following narrative has a historical context which will make its content clearer to you.
It concerns the difficult state of affairs within the ducal household of the Eastern Zhou
period feudal state of Jìn. The duke, Xìan Gong, through a war of conquest against a non-
Chinese tribe, came into possession of a woman of that tribe named Lí Ji. Infatuated with
her, he has taken her as a consort (secondary wife) and she has given birth to a son. Lí Ji,
wishing to have her own son designated as heir to the throne in place of the rightful heir,
Shensheng, the adult son of the duke’s principal wife, has slandered Shensheng to the
duke, claiming that he has plans to murder his father and seize the throne. The following
narrative recounts how Shensheng deals with the moral dilemma of how to behave. It is
historical romance, but based on actual incidents (like network TV specials).

TEXT