Wei Zhen

Historical Record

Wei Zhen, courtesy name Gongzhen, was a native of Xiangyi in Chenliu. His father Wei Zi had rendered service to Grand Progenitor Cao Cao. In his early years Wei Zhen was recommended by Xiahou Dun as Accounting Clerk for the Grand Administrator of Chenliu; because he did not bind himself to worldly etiquette, he was once arrested in anger by Xiahou Dun and later pardoned ^c:729. In the late Han, Wei Zhen served as Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. When Zhu Yue of Dong Commandery plotted rebellion and tried to draw Wei Zhen into his scheme, Cao Cao did not believe it, and a letter from Xun Yu confirmed Wei Zhen's loyalty. Later Wei Zhen was ordered to fetch a noble lady for Wei, and by chance was retained to take part in the Chancellor's military affairs; in recognition of his father's former merit he was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes and transferred to Aide of the Households Bureau ^c:729.

After Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, ascended the throne as king, Wei Zhen was appointed Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary. After Cao Pi became emperor, Wei Zhen was enfeoffed as Marquis of Anguo Precinct. At a time when most of the assembled ministers disparaged the former dynasty in order to extol the virtue of Wei, Wei Zhen alone made clear the principle of abdication and the transfer of authority and praised the excellence of the House of Han; Cao Pi greatly admired this and said, "The treasures of the realm I shall share with the Lord of Shanyang" ^c:729. He successively served as Master of Writing and as Palace Attendant and Master of Writing of the Bureau of Personnel. When Cao Pi made a progress to Guangling, Wei Zhen accompanied him in the capacity of Central Leader of the Army. When the General Who Conquers the Army, Cao Xiu, reported that a deserting bandit had said Sun Quan was already at Ruxukou, Wei Zhen judged this to be a false claim born of fear; upon investigation it proved to be just so ^c:729.

After Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, took the throne, Wei Zhen was advanced to Marquis of Kangxiang, later transferred to Right Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, put in charge of selection and recruitment, with the additional title of Palace Attendant. Faced with the Central Protector of the Army Jiang Ji's proposal on appointments that "even a commoner or a menial may be raised to king or duke," Wei Zhen held firm to the principle that "the ancients set aside cleverness and relied on measured judgment; one must assess performance before demoting or promoting" ^c:4801. When Zhuge Liang invaded Tianshui, Wei Zhen advised dispatching a surprise force into San Pass to cut off his supply route; he was later appointed General Who Conquers Shu, given the staff of authority, and put in command of the various armies, but when he reached Chang'an, Zhuge Liang withdrew his troops ^c:4801. He also repeatedly remonstrated firmly against Cao Rui's large-scale construction of palace halls. When a Palace Inspector arbitrarily arrested an Orchid Terrace Clerk, Wei Zhen submitted a memorial on the case and a petition pointing out that "what is gained is small, but what is lost is great," fearing that the various offices were overstepping their duties ^c:4801. When Zhuge Liang again came out through the Xie Valley, Wei Zhen accurately judged the intent behind Wu's Zhu Ran sending out troops, holding that it was "outwardly making a show of responding to Zhuge Liang, but inwardly in truth watching and waiting," and dissuaded Cao Rui from personally campaigning at Hefei ^c:4801. When the You Province Inspector Guanqiu Jian submitted a memorial proposing to attack Liaodong, Wei Zhen held that what he laid out was "the petty arts of the Warring States, not the affairs of a true king," and pointed out that Wu and Shu remained unsubdued precisely because the people were exhausted, and that Gongsun Yuan, long settled beyond the sea, could not easily be crushed by a detached force; he foretold that Guanqiu Jian's campaign would go badly, and so it turned out ^c:8547.

Wei Zhen was later promoted to Minister of Works and then transferred to Minister over the Masses ^c:4798. During the Zhengshi era, he was advanced to Marquis of Changyuan with a fief of one thousand households, and one of his sons was enfeoffed as a full marquis. When Cao Cao long delayed naming an heir apparent and Ding Yi and others urged Wei Zhen to attach himself to the Marquis of Linzi, Cao Zhi, Wei Zhen refused on grounds of the great principle ^c:4803. After Emperor Wen took the throne, the Prince of Donghai, Cao Lin, was favored; Cao Pi once asked Wei Zhen his view of the Marquis of Pingyuan (Cao Zhi), and Wei Zhen merely called his bright virtue admirable without making his position explicit ^c:4803. During Cao Shuang's regency, Cao Shuang sent Xiahou Xuan to convey his wishes, intending to draw Wei Zhen in to serve as Director of the Masters of Writing and to seek a marriage for his younger brother, but Wei Zhen permitted neither and firmly begged to retire. In the end he was granted a residence, given the rank of Specially Advanced, with emoluments equal to those of the Three Excellencies. After Wei Zhen's death, he was posthumously honored as Grand Commandant, with the posthumous title Marquis Jing ^c:4803.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give Wei Zhen any independent literary portrayal; his deeds are largely consistent with the historical and biographical material such as the Records of the Three Kingdoms, with no obvious departure or unique episodes. In the Romance, therefore, Wei Zhen exists more as a background historical figure, his character and conduct reflected mainly through historical fact, such as his qualities of "making clear the principle of abdication and the transfer of authority" and "refusing to attach himself to powerful ministers" ^c:729. In the Romance, Wei Zhen's image is not specially highlighted or dramatized; his admonitions at court and his judgments of the situation, such as his insight into Sun Quan's intent ^c:4801, are all presentations grounded in the historical material.

Key Relationships

* Cao Wei (serves): Wei Zhen served the Cao Wei regime throughout his life, across the three sovereigns Cao Cao, Cao Pi, and Cao Rui, rising to Minister over the Masses and Minister of Works and finally being posthumously honored as Grand Commandant—an important pillar of Cao Wei ^c:4798.
* Bao Xun (witnesses): Wei Zhen, together with the Grand Commandant Zhong Yao, the Minister over the Masses Hua Xin, and others, submitted a memorial pleading for Bao Xun, but it was not granted by Cao Rui, and Bao Xun was ultimately executed ^c:728.
* Wei Zi (kin_of): Wei Zhen's father, who had rendered service to Grand Progenitor Cao Cao; when Wei Zhen entered to take part in the Chancellor's military affairs, Cao Cao recognized his father's former merit ^c:729.
* Xiahou Dun (serves): In his early years Wei Zhen was recommended by Xiahou Dun as Accounting Clerk for the Grand Administrator of Chenliu, and was once arrested by Xiahou Dun for not observing etiquette ^c:729.
* Cao Shuang (opposes): During his regency, Cao Shuang tried to win Wei Zhen over to be Director of the Masters of Writing and to seek a marriage for his younger brother, but Wei Zhen refused both and even firmly begged to retire on this account ^c:4803.

Defining Scenes

* Making clear the principle of abdication, praising the excellence of Han: After Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, became emperor, most of the assembled ministers disparaged the Han dynasty in order to extol the virtue of Wei; Wei Zhen alone made clear the principle of abdication and the transfer of authority and praised the excellence of the House of Han, winning Cao Pi's admiration ^c:729. This reflects his upright, unbending character and his respect for history.
* Refusing to attach himself to powerful ministers, firmly begging to retire: When Cao Cao long delayed naming an heir apparent, Ding Yi and others urged Wei Zhen to attach himself to the Marquis of Linzi, Cao Zhi, but Wei Zhen refused on grounds of the great principle. During Cao Shuang's regency, when Cao Shuang sought to draw Wei Zhen in as Director of the Masters of Writing and to seek a marriage for his younger brother, Wei Zhen permitted neither and on this account firmly begged to retire ^c:4803. This displays his character of fearing no power and holding fast to principle.
* Judging the enemy's situation with precision, admonishing the sovereign: In Cao Pi's time, Wei Zhen accurately judged that the deserting bandit's claim about Sun Quan at Ruxukou was false. In Cao Rui's time, he saw through the true intent of Zhu Ran's deployment and dissuaded Cao Rui from personally campaigning at Hefei, sparing needless expenditure ^c:4801. He also foretold that Guanqiu Jian's attack on Liaodong would go badly ^c:8547. These instances highlight Wei Zhen's outstanding military insight and political foresight.
* Firmly remonstrating against large-scale palace construction, upholding the rule of law: Emperor Ming, Cao Rui, was devoted to building palaces, and Wei Zhen remonstrated firmly more than once. When a Palace Inspector arbitrarily arrested an Orchid Terrace Clerk, Wei Zhen submitted a memorial on the case and a petition pointing out the harm of the act, fearing that the various offices were overstepping their duties—reflecting his courage in upholding the rule of law and offering loyal, blunt admonition ^c:4801.
* Pleading for Bao Xun: When Bao Xun was handed over to the Commandant of Justice for "pointing to a deer and calling it a horse," Wei Zhen, together with several senior ministers, submitted a memorial pleading for him; though unsuccessful, this displayed his care for his colleagues and his pursuit of justice ^c:728.