Ancient China · Courtier and Rebel

Lao Ai 嫪毐

Lào Ǎi

First attested BC 246; died BC 238

Passages: 14
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Lao Ai was a Courtier and Rebel.

Life and dates

Death

BC 238 始皇九年
Execution · At Haozhi 好畤
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 97

Attested activity

BC 238 始皇九年
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 76, 79, 96
BC 246 to BC 238 始皇帝益壯
Dated from the passage context · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 62-63

Family

Kinship Role sons · Count 2 · With Person Id Mother of Zheng
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passages 76, 79

Career and standing

Became
Retainer · Of Person Id Lü Buwei (呂不韋)
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 63
Became
False eunuch
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 67
Suffered
BC 238 始皇九年九月 · Clan extermination
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 79

Places and affiliations

Polity Qin 秦 · Relation Of
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 63
At Haozhi 好畤 · Relation Died at
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 97

Works and attributed material

Speech · Speaker · With Mother of Zheng · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 77

Events and relationships

Rebelled
BC 238 始皇九年 · Rebellion · Leader · At Qinian Palace 蘄年宮
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 96
Relation Lover of · Person Mother of Zheng
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 68

Assessments and attributes

remarkably well-endowed (大陰人)
Physical description
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 63

Source notes

household servants numbered several thousand; retainers seeking office exceeded a thousand
Directly stated · Records of the Grand Historian 85, passage 71

References in the histories

Search passages

History

14 passages

Records of the Grand Historian, Chapter 85Biography of Master Lü Buwei · 14 passages

呂不韋恐覺禍及己，乃私求大陰人嫪毐以為舍人，時縱倡樂，使毐以其陰關桐輪而行，令太后聞之，以啗太后。 Lü Buwei grew fearful that their affair would be discovered and bring ruin upon him. He secretly sought out a man named Lao Ai, who was remarkably well-endowed, and took him on as a retainer. From time to time he arranged entertainments in which Lao Ai displayed his endowment by threading his member through a paulownia-wood wheel and walking about, ensuring that word of the spectacle would reach the Queen Dowager and entice her.

呂不韋乃進嫪毐，詐令人以腐罪告之。 Lü Buwei then presented Lao Ai to her and arranged for someone to bring a false charge against him that carried the punishment of castration.

太后乃陰厚賜主腐者吏，詐論之，拔其須眉為宦者，遂得侍太后。 The Queen Dowager secretly bribed the official overseeing the castrations with lavish gifts, and the man falsely certified that the punishment had been carried out. Lao Ai had his beard and eyebrows plucked to pass for a eunuch, and so he entered the palace to attend upon the Queen Dowager.

太后私與通，絕愛之。 The Queen Dowager took Lao Ai as her secret lover and became passionately devoted to him.

嫪毐常從，賞賜甚厚，事皆決於嫪毐。 Lao Ai accompanied her constantly, received lavish rewards, and all matters of state in her household were decided by him.

嫪毐家僮數千人，諸客求宦為嫪毐舍人千餘人。 Lao Ai's household servants numbered in the thousands, and over a thousand men seeking government appointments had attached themselves to him as retainers.

始皇九年，有告嫪毐實非宦者，常與太后私亂，生子二人，皆匿之。 In the ninth year of the First Emperor's reign, someone informed on Lao Ai, revealing that he was not truly a eunuch and that he had been carrying on an illicit affair with the Queen Dowager. He also revealed that they had secretly borne two sons, both of whom they had hidden.

九月，夷嫪毐三族，殺太后所生兩子，而遂遷太后於雍。 In the ninth month, Lao Ai's three clans were exterminated, the two sons the Queen Dowager had borne him were put to death, and the Queen Dowager herself was banished to Yong.

諸嫪毐舍人皆沒其家而遷之蜀。 All of Lao Ai's retainers had their households seized and were exiled to the remote region of Shu.

秦王所加怒呂不韋、嫪毐皆已死，乃皆復歸嫪毐舍人遷蜀者。 Now that both Lü Buwei and Lao Ai, the targets of the King of Qin's wrath, were dead, the king allowed all of Lao Ai's retainers who had been exiled to Shu to return.

太史公曰：不韋及嫪毐貴，封號文信侯。 The Grand Historian remarks: When Lü Buwei and Lao Ai had both risen to eminence, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Wenxin.

人之告嫪毐，毐聞之。 When someone informed against Lao Ai, word of it reached him.

上之雍郊，毐恐禍起，乃與黨謀，矯太后璽發卒以反蘄年宮。 When the king traveled to the suburban altars at Yong for the sacrifices, Lao Ai feared that his downfall was imminent. He conspired with his confederates, forged the Queen Dowager's seal to mobilize troops, and launched a rebellion at the Qinian Palace.

發吏攻毐，毐敗亡走，追斬之好畤，遂滅其宗。 The king dispatched officials to attack Lao Ai. Lao Ai was defeated and fled, but was pursued and cut down at Haozhi. His entire clan was exterminated.