RNo direct record — bore the imperial tally to invest Cao Cao as Duke of WeiWei 1 §121
NOut of resentment he slandered Kong Rong, and led armored soldiers to seize the empress's sealCh. 40 §7Ch. 66 §41
Xi Lü 郗慮
| Occupation | RNOfficial · Imperial Counsellor | Faction | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appears | RN | Biography in | |
| Born | Native place | Shanyang Commandery Gaoping County | |
| Existence | Historical | Mentions | R6 |
Profile
Xi Lü was Imperial Counsellor under Emperor Xian of the Later Han. He has no biography of his own in the Records, and his name appears in two places in Chen Shou's main text. In the 5th month of the 18th year of Jian'an (213), Emperor Xian had the Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü go bearing the imperial tally to appoint Cao Cao Duke of Wei by patent. Records, Wei 1 §121
The record of Liu Shao in Records of Wei 21 says that the Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü summoned Liu Shao to his staff but that Xi Lü happened to be dismissed at that time. Chen Shou's main text does not record his courtesy name, origin or death, and his name is absent from the assessments of Records of Wei 1 and 21 as well. Records, Wei 21 §65 · 99Records, Wei 1 §173
In the Romance he first appears in Chapter 40 as Imperial Counsellor and appears in 2 of its 120 chapters (Chapters 40 and 66), though his name is not in any chapter title. In Chapter 40 he reports Kong Rong's lament to Cao Cao, bringing about Kong Rong's execution, and in Chapter 66, as General of the Imperial Guard, he enters the palace bearing the imperial tally and takes away Empress Fu's seal and ribbon. Romance, Ch. 40 §7–8Romance, Ch. 66 §41
In the Records
According to the Annals of Emperor Wu, in the 13th year of Jian'an (208) the Han court abolished the offices of the Three Excellencies and established a Chancellor and an Imperial Counsellor, and in the 6th month of summer that year Cao Cao became Chancellor. Chen Shou's main text does not record who became Imperial Counsellor at this time. Records, Wei 1 §103
On the bingshen day of the 5th month of the 18th year of Jian'an (213), Emperor Xian had the Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü go bearing the imperial tally to appoint Cao Cao Duke of Wei by patent. The patent listed one by one the merits Cao Cao had earned since Dong Zhuo first brought calamity upon the state, enfeoffed him as Duke of Wei with ten commanderies of Ji Province in all, including Hedong, Henei and Wei, kept him as Chancellor concurrently serving as Governor of Ji Province as before, and added the Nine Bestowments. Records, Wei 1 §121 · 123–126 · 129
The Nine Bestowments granted by the patent were the great carriage and the war carriage, the dragon robe and crown with red slippers, the music of hanging instruments on three sides and the dance of six rows, vermilion doors, an inset stairway, three hundred Rapid as Tigers guards, the axe and the battle-axe, red bows and black bows, and sacrificial black-millet wine with a jade ladle. It also ordered that the state of Wei set up a chancellor and the various ministers and officials below him, all following the system for feudal kings in the early Han. Records, Wei 1 §130–132
According to the record of Liu Shao in Records of Wei 21, Liu Shao, a man of Handan County in Guangping Commandery, went to Xu as an accounts clerk during the Jian'an era. The Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü summoned Liu Shao to his staff, but Xi Lü happened to be dismissed at that time, so Liu Shao was appointed Retainer of the Crown Prince and then transferred to Gentleman of the Imperial Library. Chen Shou's main text does not record the year or the reason of Xi Lü's dismissal. Records, Wei 21 §63 · 65
Chen Shou's main text does not record Xi Lü's courtesy name, origin or death. The assessment in Records of Wei 1 discusses only the Grand Progenitor, and the assessment in Records of Wei 21 only Wang Can and the other men of letters; Xi Lü does not appear in either. Records, Wei 1 §121 · 173Records, Wei 21 §65 · 99
In the Romance
In Chapter 40 of the Romance, when Cao Cao is about to campaign against Liu Bei, Liu Biao and Sun Quan, the Grand Palace Grandee Kong Rong remonstrates, is rebuked and withdraws. When Kong Rong leaves the Chancellor's office and sighs, 'When the most unbenevolent attacks the most benevolent, how can he fail to be defeated?', a retainer of the Imperial Counsellor Xi Lü overhears the words and tells Xi Lü. Romance, Ch. 40 §6–7
Having long been slighted by Kong Rong and hating him at heart, Xi Lü takes these words to Cao Cao. He adds that Kong Rong had habitually shown contempt for the Chancellor, that he was close to Mi Heng and the two praised each other as 'Confucius not dead' and 'Yan Hui reborn', and that Mi Heng's earlier insult to the Chancellor had been Kong Rong's doing. Cao Cao, enraged, has the Commandant of Justice arrest Kong Rong, beheads his household and even his two sons, and displays his corpse in the marketplace. Romance, Ch. 40 §7–8
In Chapter 66, when Fu Wan's letter comes to light, Cao Cao throws all three branches of the Fu clan into prison, and at daybreak he has the General of the Imperial Guard Xi Lü enter the palace bearing the imperial tally and first take away the empress's seal and ribbon. Xi Lü leads three hundred armored soldiers straight into the emperor's presence in the outer hall, says he has come 'by command of the Duke of Wei to take the empress's seal', then goes to the inner palace, summons the keeper of the seal and ribbon, and leaves with the seal. Romance, Ch. 66 §40–41
When the Prefect of the Masters of Writing Hua Xin drags out Empress Fu, who had hidden inside a double wall, and brings her to the outer hall, the emperor embraces her and weeps. After the soldiers drag the empress away, the emperor looks at Xi Lü beside him and says, 'Lord Xi! How can such a thing happen in the world!', then weeps and collapses to the ground, and Xi Lü has his attendants help the emperor back into the palace. The Romance dates this to the 11th month of the 19th year of Jian'an. Romance, Ch. 66 §42 · 47–49
Where the Romance differs
Relations with Kong Rong: Chapter 40 of the Romance says that Xi Lü had long been slighted by Kong Rong and hated him. Kong Rong does not appear in the two places in Chen Shou's main text where Xi Lü appears, and there is no passage recording relations between the two men. Romance, Ch. 40 §7Records, Wei 1 §121Records, Wei 21 §65
Kong Rong's death: In Chapter 40 of the Romance, Xi Lü reports to Cao Cao the lament of Kong Rong he heard from his retainer, and Kong Rong is arrested and executed. The record of Kong Rong in Records of Wei 12, Biographies of Cui, Mao, Xu, He, Xing, Bao and Sima, says only that the Grand Progenitor was by nature suspicious and that Kong Rong of Lu and others were put to death for presuming on old ties and showing no respect; Xi Lü does not appear. Romance, Ch. 40 §7–8Records, Wei 12 §19
Office: In the Romance he appears as Imperial Counsellor in Chapter 40 and as General of the Imperial Guard in Chapter 66. Chen Shou's main text calls him Imperial Counsellor in both places, the patent for the Duke of Wei and the record of Liu Shao. Romance, Ch. 40 §7Romance, Ch. 66 §41Records, Wei 1 §121Records, Wei 21 §65
The patent for the Duke of Wei: In the Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records, in the 18th year of Jian'an (213) Emperor Xian has Xi Lü go bearing the imperial tally to appoint Cao Cao Duke of Wei by patent. Chapter 61 of the Romance has a scene in which Dong Zhao urges that Cao Cao accept the rank of Duke of Wei and the Nine Bestowments and Xun Yu objects, but no scene in which Xi Lü delivers the patent. Records, Wei 1 §121Romance, Ch. 61 §30–33
Empress Fu's seal: In Chapter 66 of the Romance, Xi Lü enters bearing the imperial tally and takes away the empress's seal and ribbon, and the emperor laments to him, calling him 'Lord Xi'. The Annals of Emperor Wu in the Records say only that in the 11th month of the 19th year of Jian'an (214) Empress Fu was implicated over a letter she had earlier sent to her father Fu Wan, deposed and put to death, and that her brothers were also executed; Xi Lü does not appear. Romance, Ch. 66 §41 · 47Records, Wei 1 §136 · 142
Written by 3KDEX (not yet reviewed) — The tags at the end of each paragraph link to the exact passage in the Records volume or Romance chapter it is based on.
Abilities
The Records score (Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms, main text) is the baseline. Each ability compares how the Romance redrew the same person, and the evidence from both sources explains the difference.
Records total417 / 1000Rank 508 of 996 · Top 52%Romance total357 / 1000Rank 838 of 1,113 · Top 76%
Romance adaptation index−60Romance total − Records total
- LEA3135+4
- STR3133+2
- INT4242±0
- POL4838−10
- CHA4030−10
- VIR4218−24
- ADP4555+10
- SCH4535−10
- DIP4540−5
- DIS4831−17
Abilities shaped by the Romance — where it differs from the Records Differences of 10 or more
RAs Imperial Counsellor, sought to summon Liu Shao to his staffWei 21 §65
NNo direct recordCh. 40 §7
RNo direct record — estimated from his office of Imperial CounsellorWei 1 §121Wei 21 §65
NNo direct recordCh. 40 §7
RNo direct recordWei 21 §65
NNo direct record — was constantly slighted by Kong RongCh. 40 §7
RNo direct record — estimated from his deeds in following Cao Cao's wishesWei 1 §121
NPandered to Cao Cao's wishes and sided with those in powerCh. 40 §7Ch. 66 §41
RNo direct record — estimated from his summoning a scholar to his staff as Imperial CounsellorWei 21 §65
NNo direct recordCh. 40 §7
4 similar abilities — show evidence
RNo direct recordWei 1 §121
NNo direct record — estimated from his leading three hundred armored soldiersCh. 66 §41
RNo direct recordWei 1 §121
NNo direct recordCh. 66 §41
RNo direct record — estimated from his office of Imperial CounsellorWei 1 §121
NNo direct recordCh. 40 §7
RAs the Son of Heaven's envoy, bore the imperial tally and delivered the patentWei 1 §121
NNo direct record — estimated from his words slandering Kong Rong to Cao CaoCh. 40 §7
Records Romance Unverified No direct record; scored from their actions (evidence grade C)
3KDEX scoring — the Records use the main text of Chen Shou’s Records of the Three Kingdoms; the Romance uses the 120-chapter Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Click a source tag to open that passage in the reader.
Romance chapters (2)
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