Case of Qing Feng's Arrogance and the Plot of Lu Pugui and Wang He Against the Qing Clan

In the Spring and Autumn period, after annihilating the Cui clan, Qing Feng became the de facto ruler of Qi. He indulged in extreme arrogance, heavy drinking, hunting, and even exchanged wives with Lu Pubie, while handing state affairs to his son Qing She. Lu Pugui and Wang He, former followers of the murdered Duke Zhuang, had fled abroad and were later recalled by Qing Feng. Lu Pugui gained Qing She's trust and gave his daughter in marriage to him, but secretly conspired with Wang He and the disaffected Luan, Gao, Chen, and Bao clans to topple the Qing regime. In the eleventh month of 545 BC, during a grand sacrifice, they ambushed and killed Qing She. Qing Feng returned to fight but was defeated. He fled first to the State of Lu, then to the State of Wu. The entire Qing clan was subsequently exterminated, and power in Qi was redistributed among the victorious noble houses.

The Qing clan was destroyed. Qing Feng escaped into exile. Lu Pugui, Wang He, and their co-conspirators faced no judicial punishment; they were absorbed into the new power structure dominated by the Luan and Gao clans.

The primary dispute centers on whether the conspiracy and assassination were legitimate acts of righteous rebellion against a corrupt and tyrannical minister, or a treacherous power grab orchestrated by former fugitives who exploited Qing Feng's decadence to exact revenge and seize control.

The event severely weakened the ducal house of Qi and intensified the internecine struggles among aristocratic families. It created a power vacuum that accelerated the decline of traditional noble lineages and paved the way for the gradual rise of the Chen (Tian) clan, which would eventually usurp the throne of Qi.