The Case of Feng Juan's Exile for Requesting a Sacrificial Hunt

In 543 BC, shortly after Zi Chan assumed power as chief minister of Zheng, the nobleman Feng Juan prepared a family sacrifice and asked for permission to hunt wild game to use as fresh offerings. Zi Chan refused, citing that ritual rules permitted only the ruler to offer freshly hunted meat; nobles had to suffice with standard domestic animals. Enraged, Feng Juan summoned his private troops to attack Zi Chan. Zi Chan initially wanted to flee to the State of Jin, but the senior minister Zi Pi stopped him, expelled Feng Juan from Zheng, and forced him into exile in Jin. Out of mercy, Zi Chan later proposed preserving Feng Juan's fields and residence. After three years, Feng Juan was permitted to return, and his property along with its accumulated revenue was fully restored. This episode reflects both strict enforcement of ritual hierarchy and conciliatory leniency.

Feng Juan was found in defiance of ritual law and state order. He was summarily stripped of his position and banished from Zheng, forcing him into exile in Jin. Three years later, through Zi Chan's intercession, the banishment was lifted: Feng Juan was recalled to Zheng, and all his confiscated lands and their revenues were returned to him.

Whether a high-ranking noble had the right to demand a ritual hunt contrary to sumptuary regulations; whether Zi Chan's refusal justified Feng Juan's armed retaliation; and whether the incident constituted a breach of ritual norms and an act of rebellion against state authority.

The case reinforced the inviolability of Zhou ritual hierarchy and demonstrated that even privileged nobles would be punished for overstepping ceremonial boundaries. It solidified Zi Chan's authority as a principled yet magnanimous statesman, and Zi Pi's support projected a united governance. The balanced combination of firm expulsion and eventual pardon strengthened political stability in Zheng and became a celebrated example of justice tempered with mercy in early Chinese legal and political thought.