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Zou Ji
Chief minister of King Wei of Qi who won office by talking about the zither, was enfeoffed as Lord Cheng, and in the Zhanguoce persuades the king to invite criticism
In a council hall, a long table holds an unrolled map scroll, a brass-cornered chest and a brush pot, with tall-backed chairs around it and a bronze lamp at the left; a figure stands with their back turned on the balcony at the right, with palace roofs beyond.
Also known as Zou Jizi
Zou Ji, called Zou Jizi in the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), was a man of Qi in the Warring States period. The Shiji says he gained an audience with King Wei by talking about the zither, likening the harmony of its large and small strings to that of ruler and ministers, and within three months he held the seal of chief minister. He was later enfeoffed at Xiapi as Lord Cheng. The Intrigues of the Warring States (Zhanguoce) tells how, comparing his looks with those of Lord Xu of the north wall, he realised that his wife, concubine and guest each flattered him for their own reasons, and used this to urge the king to welcome criticism; the king offered rewards to anyone who named his faults, and petitioners crowded the palace gate. The same book records his rivalry with the general Tian Ji, whose ruin was engineered by Zou Ji's retainer Gongsun Han, forcing Tian Ji to flee to Chu.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; chancellor of Qi under King Wei