The Case of Chu Prime Minister Nang Wa Detaining Tang Chenggong and Cai Zhaohou for Bribery

Around 507 BC, Cai Zhaohou of Cai visited Chu, bringing two jade pendants and two fur coats. He gave one set to King Zhao of Chu and kept the other. Chu’s chief minister Nang Wa demanded the remaining treasures as bribes. Upon refusal, Nang Wa detained the marquis for three years. Similarly, Tang Chenggong of Tang was imprisoned for refusing to hand over his prized Su Shuang horses. To secure their ruler’s release, Tang followers stole the horses and gave them to Nang Wa. Cai’s attendants then imitated this, delivering the jade and coat, and Cai Zhaohou was finally freed in 506 BC. The case exemplifies high-level extortion and the abuse of diplomatic power.

No formal judicial trial occurred. Nang Wa’s corruption provoked a coalition of Wu, Cai, and Tang, which crushed Chu at the Battle of Boju in 506 BC. Nang Wa fled the battlefield and later died in exile in the State of Zheng. His conduct was posthumously condemned as a primary cause of Chu’s near destruction.

Whether a chief minister could lawfully detain visiting sovereigns to extort personal bribes; the violation of diplomatic immunity and feudal rites; the conflict between personal greed and state duty.

The scandal shattered Chu’s diplomatic credibility and directly triggered a catastrophic war that nearly annihilated the state. It became a lasting political cautionary tale, illustrating how high-ranking corruption can endanger a nation. In Chinese history, the case is repeatedly invoked to warn against unchecked power and to uphold integrity in governance.