Quan Ji

Historical Record

Quan Ji, style name unknown, was the son of Quan Cong, General of the Guard of Wu. His life is chiefly bound up with the dispute over the succession in Sun Quan's later years, and in that political maelstrom he played an ignominious role. Quan Ji was by nature inclined to perversity, was on good terms with Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, and became a guest in his household ^c:154.

After Sun Quan established Sun He as heir apparent and then enfeoffed Sun Ba as Prince of Lu, the two palaces stood side by side, and the court ministers split into two factions, one supporting the heir apparent and one supporting the Prince of Lu. As Quan Cong's son, Quan Ji clearly sided with Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, and actively took part in framing the heir apparent Sun He and his supporters. Lu Xun once wrote to Quan Cong, advising him not to let Quan Ji ingratiate himself with the Prince of Lu and predicting that his conduct would in the end bring calamity upon the family, but Quan Cong did not heed him ^c:155.

Quan Ji and Yang Zhu and others, as partisans of Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, continually slandered the heir apparent Sun He and his supporters ^c:156. Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, Yao Xin, and others, because they were close to the heir apparent, were banished, and the Grand Tutor of the heir apparent, Wu Can, died in prison because he had corresponded with Lu Xun. There was longstanding friction between Quan Ji and Gu Tan; because Gu Tan would not accept Quan Ji's perverse overtures, Quan Ji and his father harbored resentment and together framed Gu Tan. In the end, Gu Tan was banished to Jiaozhou and died two years later ^c:154.

In addition, Quan Ji was implicated in the conflict between Lu Xun and Sun Quan. Lu Xun had repeatedly memorialized to remonstrate with Sun Quan, strongly arguing the principle of the heir apparent's legitimacy and maintaining that the heir apparent and the Prince of Lu should be distinguished in rank. Sun Quan suspected the source of Lu Xun's information, and Yang Zhu directed the blame at Teng Yin. Under interrogation, to protect the heir apparent, Teng Yin falsely claimed that Yang Zhu had leaked the information to him, leading to Yang Zhu's execution. Behind this incident, too, is reflected the fierce struggle between Quan Ji and the other partisans of the Prince of Lu and the heir apparent's faction ^c:157. These actions of Quan Ji not only intensified the political turmoil of Wu but in the end plunged his own family into difficulty, bearing out Lu Xun's earlier prediction.

In the Novel

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms does not give Quan Ji any independent literary portrayal. Although the novel touches on the succession dispute of Sun Quan's later years, it focuses chiefly on the conflicts among core figures such as Sun Quan himself, the heir apparent Sun He, the Prince of Lu Sun Ba, Lu Xun, and Zhuge Ke. As an important member of the Prince of Lu's faction in the historical record, Quan Ji's specific activities and influence on the political situation are diminished or omitted in the novel, his specific episodes in the novel being unrecorded in history.

Therefore, within the novel's narrative framework, Quan Ji is not a character with an independent storyline or a prominent image. He is more one of the many minor figures driving the succession dispute in the historical background, his personal deeds and character traits not deeply delineated. The novel's emphasis lies on grand historical events and the shaping of the principal heroic figures; for secondary figures like Quan Ji—who, though recorded in the official histories, are of relatively minor influence—it usually devotes no ink.

Key Relationships

* Sun Ba (friend_of): Quan Ji was on close terms with Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, was a guest in Sun Ba's household, and actively ingratiated himself with Sun Ba as his partisan, jointly taking part in framing the heir apparent Sun He and his supporters ^c:154.
* Quan Cong (father): Quan Ji was the son of Quan Cong, General of the Guard. Quan Cong did not restrain Quan Ji's conduct, and even after Lu Xun's remonstrance still did not heed it, so that the father-son relationship was affected by Quan Ji's political alignment ^c:155.
* Gu Tan (adversary): There was friction between Quan Ji and Gu Tan. Quan Ji was perverse by nature and was not accepted by Gu Tan; Quan Ji and his father therefore harbored resentment and together framed Gu Tan, finally leading to Gu Tan's banishment to Jiaozhou ^c:154.
* Lu Xun (critic): Lu Xun foresaw that Quan Ji's ingratiating himself with the Prince of Lu would bring calamity upon the whole family, and wrote to Quan Cong to admonish him, but was not heeded ^c:155.
* Yang Zhu (ally): Quan Ji and Yang Zhu were both partisans of Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, jointly uttering slander and defaming the heir apparent Sun He ^c:156.

Signature Scenes

* The Framing of Gu Tan: Because his perverse nature was not accepted by Gu Tan, Quan Ji harbored resentment and, together with his father Quan Cong, framed Gu Tan, leading to Gu Tan's banishment to Jiaozhou, where he finally died far from home. This fully displays Quan Ji's sinister and vengeful character ^c:154.
* Ingratiating Himself with the Prince of Lu, Taking Part in the Succession Dispute: In the dispute over the succession in Sun Quan's later years, Quan Ji clearly sided with Sun Ba, Prince of Lu, and together with Yang Zhu and others uttered slander to Sun Quan, defaming the heir apparent Sun He and his supporters. This conduct is the most representative scene of his political career, directly affecting the political configuration of Wu and finally bringing harm to several loyal and worthy men ^c:156. Lu Xun's having predicted over this matter that Quan Ji would bring calamity upon the family also incidentally bears out Quan Ji's key role in this affair ^c:155.
* Indirect Influence in the Interrogation of Teng Yin: Although Quan Ji did not directly appear in the scene of Teng Yin's interrogation, Teng Yin's false claim that Yang Zhu had leaked the information, to protect the heir apparent, led to Yang Zhu's execution; the background to this incident was precisely the fierce struggle between Quan Ji and the other partisans of the Prince of Lu and the heir apparent's faction. As a core member of the Prince of Lu's faction, Quan Ji's activities indirectly brought about this tragedy ^c:157.