Royals › Monarch / Emperor
Duke Mu of Qin
Duke of Qin who recruited Baili Xi and Jian Shu, was checked by Jin at Xiao in 627 BC, and then turned west to become overlord of the Rong
In a side chamber of a palace, a yellow ceremonial robe embroidered with a dragon hangs on a wooden stand, its hem worked with waves and rocks, before a carved folding screen, while a black lacquer chest sits on a low table by a lattice window and no person is in view.
Also known as Ying Renhao · Mu Gong
- Roles
- Monarch / Emperor
Duke Mu of Qin, surname Ying and personal name Renhao, succeeded his elder brother in 659 BC; Mu is his posthumous name, and reign titles did not yet exist. He ransomed Baili Xi from Chu for five black ram skins and, on Baili Xi's advice, brought in Jian Shu to share the government. In 645 BC he captured Duke Hui of Jin at Hanyuan, and in 636 BC he sent troops to escort the exile Chong'er home as Duke Wen of Jin. Overruling Jian Shu, he sent Meng Mingshi to raid Zheng in 627 BC, and the army was wiped out by Jin at Xiao on the way back; the "Oath of Qin" in the Book of Documents is his statement of remorse. Taking the advice of You Yu, a man from the Rong, he annexed twelve states in 623 BC. When he died in 621 BC, 177 people were buried with him, among them three Ziche brothers mourned in the Book of Songs (Shijing).
Life and times
Dates Birth unknown–621 BCE (r. 659–621 BCE)