Is “Duke Xian of Wei, while in exile, promised that governance would be in the hands of Ning Xi and that he would only preside over sacrifices, thereby regaining his state.” true?
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, 'The Hereditary House of Wei Kang Shu,' Duke Xian of Wei was cruel and was expelled by Sun Linfu and others, fleeing to Qi. 'Duke Xian was abroad for twelve years before returning,' and later he killed Ning Xi. In Chronicles of the Eastern Zhou Kingdoms, Chapter 65, it is written that Duke Xian secretly sent Gongsun Ding to Diqiu to tell Ning Xi: 'If you can reverse your father's intention and restore me, the government of Wei will be entirely in your hands, and I will only preside over the sacrifices.' Ning Xi then welcomed Duke Xian back to the throne. The plot is entirely taken from the historical records.
In the official history, Duke Xian of Wei, after twelve years in exile, promised that governance would be in the hands of Ning Xi, and thus was restored; the novel faithfully dramatizes his restoration.
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