Crows at Dusk over Qi’s Mound

Crows at Dusk over Qi’s Mound

Thirteen li north of the city lies Qi’s Temple (now called Qi Ji Temple), the hometown of Qi Ji, consort of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. After ascending the throne, Liu Bang conferred the title of Noble Consort on Qi Ji and appointed their son Liu Ruyi as the King of Zhao. Later, Liu Bang felt that his eldest son and crown prince, Liu Ying, lacked talent and was inferior to Liu Ruyi, often considering deposing Liu Ying and making Liu Ruyi the crown prince. As a result, Qi Ji and her son incurred the jealousy of Empress Lü. After Liu Bang’s death, Empress Lü poisoned Liu Ruyi, gouged out Qi Ji’s eyes, burned her ears deaf, cut off her limbs, force-fed her a drug to silence her, and threw her into a latrine, naming her a “renzhi” (literally “human pig”), where she was tortured to death.

Later, when Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng, ascended the throne, he built a temple in Qi Ji’s hometown in her memory. The temple was constructed atop a tall earthen mound, in a secluded environment surrounded by towering trees, which attracted many crows to nest there. Every evening, as flocks of crows returned and circled the temple, crying out, it seemed as though they were mourning Qi Ji’s tragic death.