Mei Xi

Also known as Moxi · Moxi

Moxi, also written Mo Xi or Mei Xi, was in tradition a consort of Jie, the last ruler of the Xia. The Discourses of the States (Guoyu) say Jie attacked the Youshi clan, who gave him Moxi, and that once in favour she joined with Yi Yin to bring down the Xia. The ancient Bamboo Annals (Zhushu jinian) tell instead that Jie took two women, Wan and Yan, from Minshan and neglected his first consort Moxi, who then made common cause with Yi Yin and sowed discord at court. Liu Xiang's Biographies of Women (Lienu zhuan) says Jie kept her on his knee, followed her advice and built a pool of wine large enough for boats, and that after Tang of Shang defeated him the two were sent into exile together and died at Mount Nanchao. These accounts all come from much later texts and differ widely; later writers often grouped her with Daji and Bao Si.