Ji Mu

史载（Historical Record）

Regarding Ji Mu (styled Siran), there is no clear record in the official histories. In the *Records of the Three Kingdoms* and other historical biographical materials, no record has been found that mentions Ji Mu's life, deeds, or family background. Therefore, from the standpoint of historical verification, Ji Mu is not a figure who can be traced in the histories. Whether he existed, and what role he played in historical events, cannot be confirmed through historical sources.

演中（In the Novel）

Ji Mu (styled Siran) appears in Luo Guanzhong's *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* as a fictional figure, his image and deeds entirely a product of literary creation. He first appears in Chapter 69 of the novel, portrayed as the second son of the court physician Ji Ping, his elder brother being Ji Miao (styled Wenran). In the novel's narrative, both Ji Mu and his brother Ji Miao bore a deep grudge against Cao Cao for the killing of their father Ji Ping years before (after the Girdle Edict carried by Dong Cheng was exposed) ^c:833.

Against the backdrop of Cao Cao's growing power and the decline of the House of Han, the Ji brothers were secretly summoned back to Xu by Jin Yi. Jin Yi revealed to them the plan, in concert with Geng Ji, Wei Huang, and others, to plot the killing of Cao Cao. On hearing of this, Ji Mu and Ji Miao wept with indignation, their resentment soaring to heaven, swearing to kill the traitor to the state, showing intense vengeful feeling and loyalty to the House of Han (novel-only). They were assigned the task that on the night of the fifteenth of the first month, the Lantern Festival, when the city was ablaze with lanterns, they would charge in from outside the city, set fires as a signal, and loudly call upon the people to kill the traitor to the state and cut off the relief troops within the city ^c:833. This episode is part of the "eliminate Cao" series of events in *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, intended, through the struggles of a series of loyal and righteous men, to highlight Cao Cao's image as a "crafty hero" and his threat to the House of Han. Ji Mu's role in the novel is mainly as one member of the anti-Cao forces, taking part in this failed assassination attempt and, through his family's tragic plight and resolve for revenge, adding a heroic, tragic color to the plot. However, this plot ultimately failed when news leaked out, and the fate of the Ji brothers is not further detailed in the novel, implying that they may have perished together with Jin Yi and the others, paying with their lives for this failed uprising.

关键关系

* Father-son relationship: Ji Mu was the second son of the court physician Ji Ping (novel-only). Ji Ping was killed by Cao Cao for his part in the Girdle Edict affair carried by Dong Cheng, and this became the root cause of the Ji brothers' hatred of Cao Cao ^c:833.
* Brotherly relationship: Ji Mu acted together with his elder brother Ji Miao (styled Wenran), the two sharing the grudge over their father's killing and taking part in the plot to assassinate Cao Cao (novel-only).
* Alliance relationship: Ji Mu allied with Jin Yi, Geng Ji, Wei Huang, and others to jointly plan the killing of Cao Cao. They swore an oath to Heaven and smeared blood in covenant, showing firm shared hatred of the enemy ^c:833 (novel-only).

标志性场景

Ji Mu's signature scene is concentrated in Chapter 69 of *Romance of the Three Kingdoms*, in which he and his elder brother Ji Miao are gathered by Jin Yi and take part together in the plot to assassinate Cao Cao. In this scene, on learning of Jin Yi's plan, the Ji brothers display tremendous indignation and resolve for revenge. They wept with indignation, their resentment soaring to heaven, swearing to kill the traitor to the state—a scene that profoundly displays the intense emotion arising from their family enmity and national grievance ^c:833.

Jin Yi expounded the plan of action in detail to the Ji brothers and to Geng Ji and Wei Huang: on the night of the fifteenth of the first month, the Lantern Festival, when the city was ablaze with lanterns, Geng Ji and Wei Huang would act within the city, while the Ji brothers were assigned to charge in from outside the city, set fires as a signal, and loudly call upon the people to kill the traitor to the state and cut off the relief troops within the city ^c:833. This scene is not only the sole depiction in the novel of Ji Mu's clear participation in a major event, but also concentrates the entirety of his role as a literary figure: an avenger who, because of his family tragedy, threw himself into the righteous cause against Cao. Although this plot ultimately ended in failure, Ji Mu's image in this scene became an epitome of the many righteous anti-Cao men in the novel, who together formed the counterpoint to Cao Cao's image as a "crafty hero" (novel-only).