Ji Tai

史载（Historical Record）

Ji Tai, his style name unknown, his dates of birth and death unknown. Based on the existing historical biographical materials, there is no clear record of Ji Tai or his deeds. Therefore, regarding Ji Tai's life, origins, official posts, and any specific actions, nothing can be verified in the official histories.

演中（In the Novel）

In Luo Guanzhong's literary portrayal in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, Ji Tai (also written Ji Ping) is a court physician of loyal and righteous heart, steadfast and fierce, whose deeds are concentrated mainly in Chapters 23 and 69. Ji Ping was famous for his medical skill, and through it gained access to the powerful minister Cao Cao. Resenting Cao Cao's domination of power and intending to support the House of Han, he plotted with Dong Cheng and others to assassinate Cao Cao ^c:8896.

Ji Ping's assassination plan took advantage of the fact that Cao Cao often suffered from migraines, planning to poison him while treating the ailment. He told Dong Cheng: "The villain Cao's life is in my hands alone" ^c:8898. This episode displays Ji Ping's wit and resolve. However, during its execution, Cao Cao sensed something amiss, deliberately delayed taking the medicine, and tested Ji Ping with the etiquette that "when the ruler has an illness and drinks medicine, the minister tastes it first" ^c:831. Seeing that the matter was exposed, Ji Ping recklessly tried to force the medicine down by hand, but failed and was instead seized by Cao Cao ^c:8904.

After his capture, Ji Ping displayed extraordinary backbone and bitter hatred for Cao Cao. Facing Cao Cao's savage torture, threats, and inducements, he remained unyielding throughout, insisting: "I wished of my own accord to kill you; how could anyone have sent me?" ^c:8904 He even bit off a finger as an oath, swearing to kill the traitor to the state ^c:8907. To force out the names of his accomplices, Cao Cao cruelly cut off nine of his fingers, but Ji Ping still cursed without cease, declaring: "I still have a mouth to swallow the traitor, a tongue to curse the traitor!" ^c:8907 In the end, Ji Ping, after bowing toward the palace, dashed himself against the steps and died, martyring himself for his cause; his limbs were dismembered and displayed by Cao Cao's order, in the first month of the fifth year of Jian'an ^c:8907.

Ji Ping's two sons, Ji Miao and Ji Mu, also appear in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*. After Cao Cao killed Ji Ping, the two sons fled to a distant village and survived. Years later, they slipped back to Xu and plotted once more with Jin Yi and others to attack Cao Cao and avenge their father ^c:832. This further enriches the entangled enmity between Ji Ping's family and Cao Cao, and continues Ji Ping's spirit of loyal and righteous service to the state.

关键关系

* Cao Cao (enemy_of): Ji Ping and Cao Cao were irreconcilable foes. Ji Ping regarded Cao Cao as a "traitor who deceived the sovereign and deluded those above" and a "traitor to the state," repeatedly attempting to assassinate Cao Cao, and ultimately dying in resistance against him ^c:8904.
* Ji Miao (parent_of) (novel-only): Ji Miao was Ji Ping's eldest son. After Ji Ping was killed, he and his younger brother Ji Mu plotted together to avenge their father and continue the anti-Cao cause ^c:832.
* Ji Mu (parent_of) (novel-only): Ji Mu was Ji Ping's second son, likewise taking part with his elder brother Ji Miao in the anti-Cao plot after their father's death ^c:832.
* Dong Cheng (ally_of) (novel-only): Ji Ping and Dong Cheng were allies in the Girdle Edict affair; the two plotted together to assassinate Cao Cao, and Ji Ping even volunteered to carry out the assassination with poison ^c:8898.

标志性场景

* Plotting to assassinate Cao (novel-only): Ji Ping voluntarily revealed his heart to Dong Cheng, declaring "even if my nine kindred be exterminated, I shall have no regret," and proposed the scheme of poisoning Cao Cao by exploiting his migraines, displaying his loyalty, courage, and resolve ^c:8898.
* Poisoning Cao Cao (novel-only): While decocting medicine for Cao Cao, Ji Ping secretly added poison and tried to force the medicine down; though he did not succeed, his bold action left a deep impression ^c:831, ^c:8904.
* Unyielding under torture (novel-only): After his capture, facing Cao Cao's savage torture, Ji Ping showed no change of expression and not the slightest fear, cursing Cao Cao as a "rebellious traitor," and biting off a finger as an oath to kill the traitor to the state—displaying a character that was "steadfast, fierce, and unyielding unto death" ^c:8904, ^c:8907.
* Dashing against the steps to his death (novel-only): After Cao Cao cut off his nine fingers, Ji Ping still would not submit, and in the end, after bowing toward the palace, dashed himself against the steps and died, martyring himself for his cause, becoming a model representative of the righteous men who opposed Cao ^c:8907.