Is “Did Duke Qing of Qi ever mock the envoys of four states, and during a personal expedition against the Jin army, when pursued by Han Jue, was he captured by Feng Choufu in his place, and after escaping, did he promote Feng Choufu?” true?
The Records of the Grand Historian, in the 'Hereditary House of Qi' (Qi Taigong Shijia), records that Duke Qing of Qi's mother laughed at the Jin envoy Xi Ke, which triggered the Battle of An between Qi and Jin, and that when defeated, 'the young Jin general Han Jue stopped his chariot in front of the Qi duke... Choufu, fearing that the duke would be captured, exchanged places with him, making Duke Qing the right-side warrior... Choufu ordered Duke Qing to get down and fetch water, and thereby the duke escaped.' These are highly legendary but historically true events. The Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, in chapters 56 and 57, further embellishes on the historical basis, detailing Feng Choufu's substitute act with the line 'My lord, quickly take off your brocade robe and embroidered armor and put them on me,' and fabricates that after Duke Qing escaped, 'mindful of Choufu's life-saving grace, he again rode a light chariot into the Jin camp to seek Choufu, going in and out three times,' and finally 'released Feng Choufu and returned him to Qi. Duke Qing of Qi promoted Feng Choufu to the position of Senior Minister,' adding a romanticized plot of loyalty and righteousness.
Did Duke Qing of Qi ever have Feng Choufu captured in his place when he was pursued by Han Jue during a personal expedition?
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