Exiled Prince Chong'er

Gongzi Chong'er is the son of Duke Xian of Jin. When Duke Xian of Jin was old, he favored his concubine Li Ji and wanted to make her youngest son Xi Qi the crown prince, while killing the former crown prince Shen Sheng. After the death of the Crown Prince, the other two sons of Duke Xian, Chong'er and Yiwu, felt danger and fled to other vassal states for refuge.

After the death of Duke Xian of Jin, internal strife broke out in the state of Jin. Afterwards, Yiwu returned to his country and seized the throne, hoping to get rid of Chong'er. Chong'er had no choice but to flee everywhere. Chong'er was considered a prestigious young master in the state of Jin. Therefore, a group of talented ministers are willing to follow him.
Chong'er first lived in the state of Di for twelve years, but after discovering someone assassinating him, he fled to the state of Wei. Wei Guo saw him as a rebellious young master and refused to receive him. They walked all the way. Walking to Wulu (now southeast of Puyang, Henan), I was really hungry and saw several farmers eating by the field. Chong'er made them even more greedy and asked someone to beg for something to eat from them.
The farmers were too lazy to pay attention to them, and one of them joked with them by picking up a piece of mud for them. Chong'er was on fire, and his subordinates also wanted to hit someone. A follower named Huyan quickly stopped him, took the mud, and comforted Chong'er, saying, "Mud is the land. The people have brought us land. Isn't this a good sign
Chong'er had no choice but to take advantage of this and walk forward with a bitter smile.
A group of people from Chong'er fled to the state of Qi. At that time, Duke Huan of Qi was still there and treated him humbly. He gave Chong'er many carriages, horses, and houses, and even married a girl from his tribe to Chong'er.
Chong'er thinks it's good to stay in the state of Qi, but those who follow want to return to the state of Jin.
The followers gathered in the mulberry forest with heavy ears on their backs to discuss returning home. Unexpectedly, a female slave was picking mulberry leaves in the mulberry forest and overheard their conversation, informing her heavy eared wife Jiang. Jiang said to Chong'er, "I heard you want to go back to the state of Jin, that's great
Chong'er quickly defended himself and said, "There's no such thing
Jiang repeatedly urged him to return to his country, saying, "You have no hope in pursuing pleasure here." However, Chong'er was always unwilling to leave. That evening, Jiang and Chong'er's followers discussed and got Chong'er drunk, put him in the car, and sent him out of Qi. When Chong'er woke up, he had already left Qi far away.
In the future, Chong'er returned to the state of Song. Duke Xiang of Song is currently ill, and his courtiers said to Hu Yan, "Duke Xiang of Song highly values the young master. However, we really don't have the strength to send him back with troops
Hu Yan said, "If we have a clear understanding, we won't disturb you anymore
Leaving the state of Song and arriving in the state of Chu. King Cheng of Chu treated Chong'er as a distinguished guest and even treated him with the etiquette of entertaining feudal lords. King Cheng of Chu treated Chong'er well, and Chong'er also had great respect for King Cheng. The two of them made friends like this.
Once, during a banquet for Chong'er, King Cheng of Chu joked, "If the young master returns to the state of Jin, how will he repay me in the future
Chong'er said, "What can I offer to repay the kindness of the king for the precious treasures of gold, silver, and gold
Chu Chengwang smiled and said, "So, isn't it a way to repay
Chong'er said, "If it were the king's blessing, I would be able to return to the state of Jin. I am willing to make good friends with your country and let the people of both countries live a peaceful life. In case of war between the two countries, when the two armies meet, I will definitely retreat three times." (In ancient times, marching was called a "retreat" every thirty miles. "Retreat three times" means automatically retreating ninety miles.)
King Cheng of Chu didn't pay much attention, but he angered the nearby Chu general Cheng Dechen. After the banquet was over and Chong'er left, Cheng Dechen said to King Cheng of Chu, "Chong'er spoke without restraint, and he will definitely be an ungrateful person in the future. It's better to kill him early, so as not to suffer from his losses in the future
King Cheng of Chu did not agree with Cheng Dechen's opinion. Coincidentally, Duke Mu of Qin sent someone to pick up Chong'er and sent him to the state of Qin (capital Yong, southeast of present-day Fengxiang, Shaanxi).
Originally, Duke Mu of Qin once helped Chong'er's half brother Yiwu become the ruler of Jin. Unexpectedly, after Yiwu became the ruler of Jin, he turned against Qin and even went to war. After Yi Wu's death, his son became at odds with the state of Qin. Qin Mugong finally decided to help Chong'er return to his country.
In 636 BC, the state of Qin escorted the army of Chong'er across the Yellow River, and Chong'er, who had been in exile for 19 years, returned to his country and ascended to the throne. This is Duke Wen of Jin.