Ban Gu's History of Early China, Student Edition by Clark Anthony E

Author:Clark, Anthony E. [Clark, Anthony E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Cambria Press
Published: 2008-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

Emperor Cheng was once dallying in the women’s quarters, and he asked Ban Jieyu to ride with him in his imperial chariot. Ban Jieyu declined saying, “I have observed that on ancient paintings worthy and sagely rulers all have eminent ministers beside them, but in depictions of the final rulers of the Three Dynasties they have favored ladies beside them. Now, you want me to ride with you in the imperial chariot; is this not close to these later depictions?” The emperor was pleased by her speech and desisted. The empress dowager heard about what had happened and was also pleased. She said, “In antiquity there was Fan Ji; now there is Ban Jieyu.”307

There are striking similarities between Ban Jieyu’s refusal to ride in Emperor Cheng’s chariot and Ban You’s remonstrance against the same emperor’s revelries at a banquet. Ban Jieyu asserted that Emperor Cheng’s request to have her ride with him in his chariot resembled images on paintings of dissolute “final” emperors who ride with their favorite beauties, and Ban You used a painting of the wicked King Zhou in his remonstrance against Cheng’s banquet carousing. Both employ images from admonitory paintings to juxtapose the emperor’s distractions from court responsibilities with previous rulers who lost the Mandate. In addition, the passage notes that Ban Jieyu

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