The Case of Zhao Yingqi's Adultery with His Nephew's Wife Zhuang Ji and Exile

In 586 BCE during the reign of Duke Jing of Jin, Zhao Yingqi, a half-brother of the deceased minister Zhao Dun, committed adultery with Zhuang Ji, the widow of his nephew Zhao Shuo. The illicit affair was discovered by Zhao Yingqi's brothers, Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo, who exercised clan authority to banish him to the State of Qi. Before his exile, Zhao Yingqi warned that his removal would provoke Zhuang Ji to seek vengeance and bring ruin upon the Zhao family. Enraged and humiliated, Zhuang Ji later falsely accused Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo of plotting rebellion. The Duke believed her accusation, leading to the infamous massacre of the Zhao clan in which Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo were executed, and nearly the entire lineage was exterminated, sparing only the infant Zhao Wu. The case exemplifies how a private sexual transgression, combined with rigid clan justice, could ignite catastrophic political destruction.

Zhao Yingqi was formally banished to the State of Qi. In the aftermath, Zhuang Ji's fabricated accusations led to the execution of Zhao Tong and Zhao Kuo, the near-total extermination of the Zhao lineage, and the temporary collapse of the clan's power, leaving only the orphan Zhao Wu alive.

Whether the clan's decision to exile Zhao Yingqi for adultery was a just enforcement of familial morality or a reckless act that unnecessarily provoked Zhuang Ji's lethal retribution; the tension between upholding clan honor and the practical survival of the lineage.

The affair directly triggered the legendary "Zhao Orphan" tragedy, which became an enduring theme in Chinese literature and drama. It demonstrated how aristocratic sexual misconduct could escalate into devastating political purges, serving as a cautionary tale about the dangers of intra-clan disputes and the weaponization of scandal in power struggles.