Chapter 53 Aristocrats in Troubled Times: The Four Princes of the Warring States Period

As mentioned earlier in this book, the "princes" of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were quite different from those of later generations.The son of later generations is a general term for the sons of rich and noble families. The son of a prime minister can be called a son, the son of a county magistrate can be called a son, the son of a landlord and businessman can be called a son, and even the son of a commoner family. A scholar may also be called a son.But in the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes were collectively called the public, and only the sons of the princes could be called the princes.In the Warring States period, the princes called themselves kings one after another, but the title of son continued to be used. In fact, he was also a prince.

Interestingly, among the four famous sons of the Warring States Period, Lord Mengchang of Qi State, Lord Pingyuan of Zhao State, and Lord Xinling of Wei State are all genuine sons, but Lord Chunshen of Chu State is not only not a son, but even None of the sons of the public office. "Historical Records" records like this: "The king of Chunshen, a native of Chu, named Xie, surnamed Huang, studied abroad and learned a lot, and served as King Qingxiang of Chu." Based on this, later generations speculated that Lord Chunshen should be a descendant of the Huang State that was destroyed by the Chu State in the Spring and Autumn Period. He was reused by King Qingxiang of Chu through lobbying, and he had no blood relationship with the Xiong family of King Chu.

But there are also people who hold different opinions on this, thinking that the four sons of the Warring States Period are all dignitaries of the royal family, and Lord Chunshen cannot be an exception. "Han Feizi" once had such a record: "Chunshenjun, the younger brother of King Chuzhuang..." King Chuzhuang was one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period, and there were hundreds of years between him and Chunshenjun. It should be the mistake of King Chuqingxiang.In this case, Chunshen Jun is very likely to be the younger brother of King Chu Qingxiang, and modern scholar Qian Mu also tends to support this view.

Leaving aside the differences of family status, what kind of character was Chun Shenjun in history?What role did he play at the end of the Warring States period?The matter has to start from the time of King Chu Qingxiang.