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311 General Wei and [General of] Agile Cavalry, Memoir 51 translated by J. Michael Farmer1 [111.2921] As for the General-in-Chief Wei Ch’ing 衛青,2 he was a native of P’ing-yang 平陽.3 His father Cheng Chi 鄭季4 was made an official and served5 in the household of the Marquis of P’ing-yang. 6 He had relations with a maidservant7 of the Marquis, Dame Wei 衛,8 who gave birth to Ch’ing. Ch’ing’s 1 [Editor’s note: Michael Lackner completed a draft of the biography of Wei Ch’ing with outline versions of about eighty footnotes. J. Michael Farmer re-translated the entire chapter, revised the earlier footnotes, and added additional annotations.] 2 See the lengthy entry on Wei Ch’ing in Loewe, Dictionary, pp. 573-5, and the parallel biography in Han shu, 55.2471-8. 3 P’ing-yang prefecture was located about 140 miles northeast of modern Sian in Shensi province (T’an Ch’i-hsiang, 2:16). 4 “Cheng-yi” says, “His father Cheng Chi was a native of P’ing-yang [prefecture] in Ho-tung 河東 [commandery]. While serving as a prefectural officer he served in the household of the Marquis of P’ing-yang.” Loewe’s entry only claims that Cheng Chi was the father of Wei Ch’ing, however in Genealogical Table 3: Wudi’s Empress Wei, he graphically indicates that Cheng was the father of six of Dame Wei’s children (see Loewe, Dictionary, pp. 723 and 773). 5 The expression chi shih 給事 (served, or waited on) also occurs on Shih chi, 85.2511, where it describes how Lü Pu-wei arranged for the well-endowed Lao Ai to “wait on” or “service” the Queen Dowager of Ch’in leading to an affair and two children (including the First Emperor of Ch’in) born out of wedlock. 6 The Marquis of P’ing-yang was Ts’ao Shou 曹壽 (also rendered Ts’ao Shih 時), a descendent of Ts’ao Shen 曹參 (see Loewe, Dictionary, pp. 20-2). He married the Princess of Yang-hsin 陽信, the elder sister of Emperor Wu. Ts’ao Shou died in 130 (see Loewe, Dictionary, p. 22). 7 Shih chi uses the term ch’ieh 妾 (traditionally interpreted as concubine) to describe the position of Dame Wei in the marquis’ household. Han shu (55.2471) uses the term t’ung 僮 (slave or maidservant). From both the context and the parallel account in Han shu, it seems clear that she was not a formal concubine of the marquis. Takigawa (111.2) notes that in both the Kaedeyama 楓 山 and Sanjô 三條本 editions the text reads hou chia ch’ieh 侯家妾, suggesting she was a slave or lower-ranking maid in the Marquis’ household, not his personal concubine. 312 The Grand Scribe’s Records, 111 elder brother from the same mother9 was Wei Ch’ang-tzu 衛長子,10 and his elder sister Wei Tzu-fu 衛子夫11 came out of the household of the Princess of P’ingyang12 and obtained the favor of the Son of Heaven. Therefore, [he] passed himself off as having the cognomen of Wei.13 His agnomen was Chung-ch’ing 仲 卿.14 [His elder brother] changed his agnomen to Ch’ang-chün 長君.15 Ch’ang8 Ao 媼 often signifies an elder woman and has been rendered as “Mother” in our translation of Shih chi, 8.341 (Grand Scribe’s Records, 2:1; see also n. 4, ibid, 2:2 and the glossary note in ibid., 2:269). Here it seems to be an unofficial title granted by the emperor, and thus is translated as “Dame.” “So-yin” argues that since the woman was a maidservant, the term ao could not have referred to her age. “So-yin” also quotes Yen Shih-ku’s commentary to the Han shu, which claims that ao was a later designation (see also Loewe, Dictionary, p. 568). 9 This passage indicates the complex family relations of Wei Ch’ing, and has been the subject of much commentary. Clearly, the use of the term t’ung-mu hsiung 同母兄 indicates that more than one man impregnated Dame Wei. The precise number of partners and which of these men sired which of her children is nearly impossible to determine. Yen Shih-ku (Han shu 55.2471) argues that the cognomen Wei came from her husband’s family, indicating Yen’s belief that a Mr. Wei sired at least one of the Dame’s children. The only paternal relationship that can be confirmed from the textual evidence is...

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