Would a beautiful concubine still be considered a great beauty if she had her nose severed?
During the Warring States period, the State of Wei presented a celebrated beauty to King Huai of Chu to forge an alliance with the Kingdom of Chu. Upon her arrival at the royal court, Lady Wei instantly captured the King’s deep affection. However, this sudden favour struck unprecedented dread into the heart of another concubine: Zheng Xiu, the King’s favourite at that time.
Zheng Xiu was an intensely competitive and jealous woman; worse yet, she was a master of cunning and manipulation. Rather than confronting the Lady Wei directly—knowing full well that such a move would only alienate the King—she chose a strategy of retreat to gain the upper hand.
The Fiendish Plot
Far from showing the slightest hint of envy, Zheng Xiu went out of her way to act as though she cherished Lady Wei even more than the King did. She personally selected exquisite gowns and fine jewelry for her, arranged for her to live in her preferred palace chambers, and furnished them to her exact taste. Her devotion to the beauty eclipsed even that of the King himself.
This series of calculated moves fooled everyone. Deeply moved by Zheng Xiu’s apparent magnanimity, King Huai remarked to his ministers, “A woman’s beauty is her asset to serve her lord, while jealousy is in her very nature. Yet Zheng Xiu, fully aware of my fondness for the Lady Wei, treats her with even greater care than I do! She acts with the devotion of a filial child toward their parents, or a loyal minister toward their sovereign.” Delighted by his own ability to maintain harmony between two women, the King beamed with self-satisfaction.
Beginning of the End
Once she had secured everyone’s absolute trust, Zheng Xiu set her real scheme in motion. One day, she pulled Lady Wei aside and murmured with a look of deep concern: “The king adores your beauty. However…” Lowering her voice, she continued, “…he is actually not fond of your nose. Whenever you see His Majesty in the future, be sure to cover your nose with your hand. Only then will his affection for you grow even deeper.”
Guileless and unsuspecting, how could the Lady Wei have known this was a deadly trap? Touched by Zheng Xiu’s “kind advice,” she obediently covered her nose every time she attended upon the King.
The Revelation
It did not take long for the King to notice this peculiar habit. He pulled Zheng Xiu aside and asked, “Whenever Lady Wei sees me, she covers her nose. Do you know why?”
Zheng Xiu feigned hesitation. “Well…I… might know the reason.”
“Speak freely,” the King insisted. “Even if it is unpleasant, I demand the truth.”
Only then did Zheng Xiu pretend to answer reluctantly, “It seems… the Lady Wei dislikes… the scent of Your Majesty’s body.”
Upon hearing this, King Huai flew into a rage. Slamming his hand on the table, he barked, “Impudence!” He immediately ordered her to undergo Yi punishment, the ancient corporal punishment of cutting off the nose. He demanded the sentence be carried out instantly without delay.
Thus, in the prime of her youth, the innocent beautiful concubine had her nose severed. The beauty upon which her favour depended was baffled and ruined by a meticulously crafted conspiracy.
Fate Sealed
Lady Wei goes down in history as the beautiful concubine who had her nose severed. History leaves no record of what became of Lady Wei afterward. Yet in ancient times, where the concept that “body, skin, and hair are gifts from one’s parents” was absolute—and even cutting one’s hair was frowned upon by feudal customs—how could a woman without a nose survive?
Even if she managed to cling to life after such brutal mutilation, the searing gazes and relentless whispers of society would have eventually driven her to take her own life. Thus, the moment she fell for Zheng Xiu’s hypocritical sympathy, the Lady of Wei’s tragic fate was already sealed.
The fate of Lady Wei, while brutal, is not the most horrendous ending of a woman in Chinese history. The harrowing plight of Lady Qi of the early Han period, the first woman who was made into a human pig, would be unspeakable.
* Adapted from Zhan Guo Ce or Stratagems of the Warring States (《战国策·楚策·卷四》)
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