#sun luban

Sun Luban was the daughter of Sun Quan and Bu Lianshi, his favorite concubine. Though Sun Quan intended to make Bu Lianshi his wife, his ministers objected to it for political reasons, so she always remained a concubine. However, she acted as the empress and was even referred to as such,both  informally and in memorials to the throne. Given the ambitions Sun Luban later displayed, her mother’s treatment by the Wu court was likely a motivating factor.

Sun Luban’s year of birth is unrecorded, though she was probably born after 209 and no later than 215; most likely, her age leaned towards the earlier years of that range. At a relatively young age, Luban was given the style name Dàhǔ (大虎), meaning “Great Tiger”. No doubt this was intended as an indicator of her courage and ferocity. Much like her aunt, Sun Luban seems to have possessed her family’s boldness and daring. Sun Luban is also known as Princess Quan (Quán Gōngzhǔ 全公主) in formal records in order to differentiate her from her younger sister.

Naturally, Sun Luban grew up among the Wu court and was well-acquainted with the children of Wu’s leading ministers. At a young age she was engaged to marry Zhou Xun, the eldest son and heir of Zhou Yu. This arrangement must have taken place after Zhou Yu’s death, given the ages of the parties involved. Zhou Xun was a well-liked young man, praised for having his father’s good looks and personality. He and Sun Luban were married some time before 229. However, Zhou Xun died not long after, and this marriage does not appear to have produced any children. Despite common rumor to the contrary, there is no evidence to suggest that Sun Luban had a hand in her husband’s death, nor that she had any particular motivation to eliminate him.

In 229, Sun Luban was married again, this time to Quan Zong. He was one of her father’s close friends and longest supporters. Quan Zong had previously been married to one of Sun Luban’s female relatives, but the woman died at a young age. Because the Quan family was very large and influential, and because Sun Quan wanted to reward Quan Zong’s service and loyalty, he had Sun Luban marry him. Quan Zong already had two sons from his previous marriage - Quan Xu and Quan Ji - and these became Sun Luban’s stepsons. While Zhou Xun was probably of comparable age with Sun Luban, Quan Zong was nearly 20 years her senior, and her stepsons were closer to her age. While this was not especially unusual for political arrangements at the time, it does present a marked difference from her previous marriage. Even so, Sun Luban and Quan Zong appear to have had a harmonious marriage. The two eventually had two sons, Quan Yi and Quan Wu. The former of these two sons famously defected to Wei during the 257 siege of Shouchun.

The early years of Sun Luban’s life appear to have been relatively peaceful, but this situation changed after the death of her mother in 238. With Bu Lianshi deceased, Sun Quan’s favor turned Lady Wang of Langye (not to be confused with another concubine, Lady Wang of Nanyang). She had always been Sun Quan’s second-favorite consort, and now he was considering making her empress. Sun Luban detested Lady Wang, however, and slandered her by small measures in order to delay her father from making such a decision.

The political situation in Wu at that time was tenuous but generally stable. Though the court had been troubled by some internal strife, such as the machinations of Lü Yi, things were generally secure. This changed dramatically in 241. For many years, Sun Deng had been established as Crown Prince of Wu and Sun Quan’s heir. He was a level-headed and earnest man, one of good character and conduct. He was also married to Lady Zhou, the daughter of Zhou Yu and sister of Zhou Xin. The various officials of Wu were all fond of him, including Sun Luban’s relative Bu Zhi. All had accepted him as Crown Prince. In 241, though, Sun Deng passed away unexpectedly due to a sudden illness, and this caused serious strife within the Wu court.

With Sun Deng deceased, Sun Quan needed a new heir. At the start of 242, he named Sun He as the next Crown Prince. This presented some serious difficulties for Sun Luban. Sun He was the son of Lady Wang, and with his installation as Crown prince, there was nothing in particular to prevent Sun Quan from making Lady Wang his empress. Furthermore, Sun Luban and her half-brother did not get along well, probably due to Sun Luban’s resentment towards Lady Wang. Quan Zong had also made a personal enemy of Sun He at some point, so neither Sun Luban nor her husband particularly wished to see him as the next emperor.

Sun He had a younger brother named Sun Ba. Sun Ba’s Sanguo Zhi says that they were both the sons of Lady Wang, though Chen Shou later contradicts himself and indicates that Sun Ba’s mother was a different woman. I am inclined to trust Sun Ba’s biography on the matter, since in cases where Chen Shou contradicts himself it is usually wisest to trust the core biography. Whether they were full siblings or just half-brothers, Sun He and Sun Ba were particularly close, and Sun Quan loved them equally. Eight months after naming Sun He as Crown Prince, Sun Quan enfeoffed Sun Ba as the Prince of Lu. Sun Ba’s enfeoffment was likely due to Sun Luban’s influence, since in the next several years she attempted to use him to supplant Sun He, and subsequent events demonstrate that she had great control over her father’s decisions.

When Sun He was made Crown prince, he took up residence in the portion of the palace that previously belonged to Sun Deng. After being enfeoffed as Prince of Lu, Sun Ba was given residence in the same quarters. Though Sun He’s status should have afforded him unique honors, he and Sun Ba shared everything. The Crown Prince was entitled to special raiment, utensils, and other paraphernalia to distinguish him from other nobles, but Sun Ba was given all of these honors as well. Again, this was likely Sun Luban’s influence at work, though it may also have just been Sun Quan’s doing. It was certainly though no machinations on Sun Ba’s part, though - born in 232, he was only 10 years old at the time. Sun He (born 226) was only 16 and probably did not see the dangers this caused.

Some officials were concerned by this matter, though. One of the supervisors of the Secretariat, Shi Yi, was tasked with tutoring Sun Ba. Though he liked Sun Ba and was impressed by his intelligence, he feared that Sun Quan was making a grave error by not separating the two princes and thought it would be best if Sun Ba was sent elsewhere. He sent a memorial to Sun Quan praising Sun Ba but urging that he be sent away. However, Sun Quan did not listen and though Shi Yi sent this memorial three or four times, it always fell on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, Sun Luban and Quan Zong formed a conspiracy against Sun He. Their stated goal was to have Sun Ba replace him as Crown Prince and eventually as emperor, though for reasons I will discuss in due course, their true goal might have been more complex. One key member of this faction was Sun Jun. He was Sun Luban’s distant relative and a close confidant to Sun Quan. Though his rank as a palace attendant was relatively low, he enjoyed great trust from Sun Quan. He and Sun Luban were very close and eventually became lovers, though it is unclear whether this began during her marriage to Quan Zong or some time afterwards. It is theoretically possible that this accusation was just slander against them, though there is no textual reason to doubt the claim. Another key member was Sun Hong, the Prefect of the Palace Secretaries. Though he shared the Imperial surname, Sun Hong had no relation to Wu’s ruling family. Not much is recorded about him, but his later actions show him to be a ruthless, insidious, treacherous individual.

The issue of Sun Luban’s true goal becomes more complex in light of some events starting in 243. That year, one of Sun Quan’s concubines, Lady Pan, gave birth to Sun Liang. As Sun Quan’s son, the child was Sun Luban’s half-brother. She doted on him from infancy and always showed great affection towards him. Also around that time, the Quan family was blessed by an infant girl named Quan Hujie. She was the daughter of Quan Shang, one of Quan Zong’s nephews (and thus Sun Luban’s nephew as well). Furthermore, Quan Shang’s wife was Sun Jun’s sister. Since the time Sun Liang and Quan Huijie were children, Sun Luban arranged for them to spend a great deal of time together. Even when both were still very young, Sun Luban urged her father to have the two engaged and married to each other. Given how the political conflict Sun Luban engineered eventually ended, it is probable that her goal from 243 onward was to have Sun Liang made Crown Prince and never Sun Ba. Lady Pan later expressed great trust in Sun Hong, and this closeness seems to indicate that she was part of their conspiracy as well.

Throughout 243 and 244, Sun Quan received numerous memorials expressing concern over the identical treatment of the two princes. In the first month of 245, Sun Quan finally decided to heed these warnings. He ordered that the two of them would live in separate abodes, with their own staffs, and that Sun Ba was no longer to be treated the same as Sun He. It was at this point that Sun Luban made her first significant move, via her husband. Since Sun Ba was now in need of a personal staff, Quan Zong arranged for Quan Ji become one of Sun Ba’s attendants. Lu Xun, the Chancellor at the time, worried that they would be plotting against Sun He, but his objections were ignored. As predicted, Quan Ji began to feed Sun Ba’s ambitions. He convinced Sun Ba that his removal was Sun He’s doing, due to jealousy. Under Quan Ji’s influence, Sun Ba began to have imperial ambitions of his own.

During the first few months of 245, Sun Luban’s faction worked quickly and quietly to recruit people for Sun Ba’s staff, men who had ambitions of their own and a desire to see Sun He replaced. The most prominent of these men was the scholar Yang Zhu. He was well-respected as an academic when he was a young man, but his career suffered after he was criticized by Lu Xun. Yang Zhu now had a grudge against Lu Xun and, by extension, Sun He and was fully motivated to do them harm. He became the most vocal of Sun Ba’s supporters.  Another noteworthy partisan was Wu An, the grandson of Wu Jing (Sun Quan’s maternal uncle). Also of concern was Zhuge Chuo, the eldest son of Zhuge Ke. One more partisan mentioned by name was Sun Qi, who despite his surname does not appear to have been a member of the ruling family. He might have been some relation to Sun Hong. Sun Ba also attempted to recruit Zhu Ran’s son, Zhu Ji (later Shi Ji) to join him, but Zhu Ji refused to speak with him.

Sun Luban’s group began a campaign of slander and defamation against Sun He and his partisans. At one point, Sun Quan became ill and sent Sun He to Sun Ce’s shrine to pray for his health. As it happened, Zhang Xiu (one of Sun He’s partisans) lived near the shrine and Sun He paid him a brief  visit before continuing on his way. Sun Luban’s group then reported to Sun Quan that Sun He never went to t the shrine at all and spent the whole time with Zhang Xiu. Around the same time, Sun Luban also slandered Sun He’s mother, saying that she seemed pleased by Sun Quan’s illness. Because Sun He held Sun Luban and Sun Jun in such great affection, he was swayed by these rumors. Lady Wang lost his favor, and she soon passed away due to worry. Lu Xun, as chancellor and one of Sun He’s supporters, tried to step in, but Sun Luban slandered him as well. Lu Xun sent several memorials to Sun Quan about the situation, but Sun Luban convinced her father to ignore them. Lu Xun wanted to come to Jianye personally to discuss the problem, but because of Sun Luban, Sun Quan would not permit it.

Soon, the Wu court was aflame with debate and discussion as some officials spoke out in support of Sun Ba while others defended Sun He’s rights. Among the most influential of Sun He’s supporters were Lu Xun, Zhuge Ke, Zhu Ran, Gu Tan, and Zhu Ju. Of lesser note were Zhang Xiu, Teng Yin, Zhu/Shi Ji, Ding Mi, and Lü Ju. Sun Ba’s advocates - in addition to Quan Ji, Wu An, Zhuge Chuo, and Yang Zhu - included Bu Zhi, Lü Dai, Quan Zong, and Sun Hong. Sun Luban and Sun Jun, though supporters of Sun Ba, attempted to remain at a distance from events, controlling affairs through intermediaries such as Quan Ji. Everyone in Wu had some opinion on the matter, from the highest government officials down to the lowliest county magistrates. The entire country was split by the issue.

Though Sun Quan had not been particularly attentive towards these affairs, he soon became aware of the problem. He hoped to solve it by isolating the princes from their various partisans. Saying that both needed to focus on their studies, he confined them to their chambers and did not permit them to meet with any visitors. This, however, only escalated the conflict. Sun Luban moved into the next phase of operations and began to systematically destroy Sun He’s base of support.

Sun Luban’s first target was Gu Tan. He was the grandson of Gu Yong and the nephew of Lu Xun, which gave him considerable prestige, and he was quite well-respected in his own right. He was a noted scholar and held the title Minister of Ceremonies, which held especial prestige among the Nine Ministers in Wu. He also held control of the secretariat following Gu Yong’s death. Furthermore, Gu Tan had been one of Sun Deng’s closest friends, along with Zhuge Ke, Zhang Xiu, and the deceased Chen Biao. He was firmly in Sun He’s camp and was one of Sun He’s strongest advocates. Not only did he frequently present his own memorials regarding the situation, he transmitted Lu Xun’s opinions, since Lu Xun himself was not permitted to come to court. With Zhuge Ke and Lu Xun both stationed at distant positions, Gu Tan was Sun Luban’s biggest threat.

The Quan family had a grudge against the Gu, even outside of the immediate politics. In 241, Quan Zong led an invasion of Wei and fought a major battle at Shaopo. His son Quan Xu and nephew Quan Duan served under him during the campaign, as did Gu Tan, Gu Cheng (Gu Tan’s brother) and Zhang Xiu. During the battle, Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu had attacked Wang Ling’s army when they arrived to reinforce the local commander, Sun Li, and they halted his approach. Afterwards, Quan Xu and Quan Duan led a follow up attack and forced Wang Ling to pull back. Sun Quan determined that Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu had managed the greater achievement and gave them better rewards than Quan Xu and Quan Duan had received.

Now, Sun Luban used the opportunity to avenge the Quan family’s displeasure and remove Gu Tan. Quan Zong and Quan Ji sent memorials to Sun Quan, accusing Gu Cheng and Zhang Xiu of having lied about their merits in the battle. Since Quan Zong had been the commander of the operation, Sun Quan trusted him. On this pretext, Gu Cheng, and Zhang Xiu were banished to Jiao province, and Gu Tan was removed as well on the grounds of familial guilt.  Another of Lu Xun’s nephews, Yao Xin, was also banished for his association with them. While Zhang Xiu was still on the way, Sun Hong intervened. With a forged edict, he ordered Zhang Xiu’s suicide, and Zhang Xiu was forced to take his own life. Gu Tan passed away several years later, still in exile, after writing a lengthy treatise on how badly he had been cheated and what a disgrace the Wu court had become.

With this maneuver, Sun Luban removed most of her immediate rivals from the court. Lu Xun no longer had anyone who could communicate his wishes, Gu Tan was neutralized, and Zhuge Ke was too distant to be of significance. Sun He’s tutor, Wu Can, spoke up on his behalf and requested that Sun Ba be sent away to Xiakou, and he communicated with Lu Xun as well. Sun Luban’s faction slandered him, leading to his imprisonment and subsequent execution. At Sun Luban’s urging, Sun Quan sent messengers repeatedly to admonish Lu Xun for trying to intervene in the politics of the Imperial family. Lu Xun soon passed away, quite possibly due to suicide.

In the ninth month of the next year (246), Sun Quan conducted a rearrangement of Wu’s administration. Bu Zhi was made Chancellor, Quan Zong was made Grand Commander of the Right, and Lü Dai was made Grand General of the First Army, with command over half of Jing. Zhu Ran was made Grand Commander of the Left and Zhuge Ke became Grand General, with authority over Jing’s other half. This split power almost evenly between Sun He’s faction and Sun Ba’s. This, however, was to Sun Luban’s advantage as it only furthered the conflict and emphasized how divided Wu was on the issue. The conflict continued for the next several years, though not as violently as it was in 245. By 250, Zhu Ran and Quan Zong both passed away. With Zhuge Ke still distant, Sun He’s most important partisan became Zhu Ju. He was married to Sun Luban’s full-sister Sun Luyu and had been a respected official for many years. Zhu Ju succeeded Bu Zhi as Chancellor in 249, and he and Sun Luyu became Sun Luban’s lat true obstacles.

In 250, the situation came to an explosive end. Quite suddenly, Sun Luban and Sun Jun turned against Sun Ba. It might be that Sun Ba did something to earn their wrath (he was now old enough to have ambitions of his own), but it is also entirely possible that this was their plan all along. Sun Luban convinced her father to betroth Sun Liang and Quan Huijie, and with this she secured her alliance with Sun Liang. She and Sun Jun subsequently betrayed Sun Ba’s faction. In private talks with Sun Quan, they blamed Sun Ba for the exiles and deaths of Lu Xun, Wu Can, Zhang Xiu, Gu Tan, and the others. They also convinced him that Sun He was no better, and because of the years they spent slandering the Crown prince, Sun Quan was easily convinced. To Sun Jun, Sun Quan even went as far as to say “My sons are not friendly toward each other and my subjects are divided into two camps; there is going to be a bad end like that of the Yuan, and we will become the laughing stock of the whole world. If I let one of them succeed to the throne, how can there not be trouble?” They stoked Sun Quan’s anger against the two princes until, in Autumn of 250, Sun Quan finally acted.

Sun Quan had Sun He placed under house arrest to await trial. Zhu Ju and the others of Sun He’s party were horrified by this and Zhu Ju led them in protest. For several days, he and a number of other officials came to the palace with their arms bound like prisoners and their faces smeared with mud, and they loudly shouted out in praise of Sun He. Sun Quan’s reaction was annoyance, rather than pity, and he demanded that Zhu Ju cease his protests. Zhu Ju refused, so Sun Quan had him arrested, along with several other ringleaders. When Zhu Ju still refused to recant, Sun Quan had several of the ringleaders executed, along with their families. Zhu Ju and another leader were flogged, then exiled. While Zhu Ju was on his way to his new home, Sun Hong once again forged an edict ordering his suicide, and Zhu Ju was forced to kill himself. After this, Sun He was stripped of enfeoffment and banished to Guzhang.

This, however, did not end in a victory for Sun Ba. Sun Quan was even more furious with him and primarily blamed Sun Ba and his partisans for the conflict. He ordered Sun Ba’s suicide and executed Quan Ji and Yang Zhu. Because  Yang Zhu had been a particularly vile man, he was not even buried. Instead, Sun Quan had his body thrown into the Yangzi river and left to drift. Zhuge Chuo was sent to his own father for punishment, and Zhuge Ke followed Sun Quan’s example by forcing his son’s suicide. Despite his relation to the Imperial family, Wu An was also killed. This was all on Sun Luban and Sun Jun’s advice.

After all of this, Wu was in need of a new Crown Prince. Though Sun Quan had two older sons (Sun Fen and Sun Xiu), Sun Luban intervened on Sun Liang’s behalf and he was made the new Crown Prince. Again, considering how long Sun Luban had been working to secure Sun Liang’s absolute trust, this was quite possibly what she intended from the start. After Sun Liang was named Crown Prince, Sun Quan made Lady Pan (Liang’s mother) his wife and empress.

Late in the next year, Sun Quan was stricken by illness. Given his age (70), it was not particularly surprising, but it did present some concerns. Shortly before he became ill, he had a long discussion with Lu Kang, Lu Xun’s son.  After their talk, Sun Quan came to see that Lu Xun and Sun He had always been innocent. Now ill and sure that he was dying, Sun Quan considered restoring Sun He as Crown Prince. Sun Luban, Sun Jun, and Sun Hong all advised him strongly against it, so Sun Quan desisted.

At this point, Wu’s internal politics entered a new phase. Because Sun Liang was so young - only eight years old - the government would have to be controlled by some regent or other after Sun Quan’s quickly-approaching death. Empress Pan stood to gain substantially at this point. She was likely part of Sun Luban’s conspiracy from the early stages and she certainly had political ambitions of her own. She would become empress-dowager after Sun Quan’s death, and since Sun Liang was still a minor, she would hold extraordinary power within the government (see Wei’s Dowager Guo for an example).

In preparation for this, Empress Pan started to consult with Sun Hong. In particular, she asked after empress Lü Zhi, the wife of Liu Bang (the founder of Former Han) who tried to take control of the country after her husband’s death. No doubt, Empress Pan intended to follow her example and rule through her son. Empress Pan’s ambitions came to nothing, though. One morning, while Sun Quan was still ill, she was found strangled to death. Her servants were blamed and many of them were executed. Hu Sanxing, on logical grounds, asserts that she was assassinated in order to prevent her from taking control of the government. Sun Luban’s guilt in this matter cannot be confirmed, but she seems like the most plausible candidate.

In the meanwhile, Sun Quan sought out a more formal regent. Sun Jun - certainly at Sun Luban’s suggestion - nominated Zhuge Ke. Though he had been their political enemy during the Crown Prince Affair, Sun Jun was quite firm in this suggestion and persuaded Sun Quan even against the emperor’s own misgivings. Zhuge Ke was chosen as the leader of a small council of regents, consisting of Zhuge Ke, Teng Yin, Sun Hong, Sun Jun, Lü Dai, and Lü Ju. Zhuge Ke was given complete authority over all government affairs and only needed to consult Sun Liang on matters of life and death.

Sun Quan passed away on May 21 of 252. Sun Hong tried to take advantage of the situation immediately. He plotted with Sun Jun to kill Zhuge Ke and forged a final edict from Sun Quan calling for Zhuge Ke’s death. However, Sun Jun betrayed Sun Hong and leaked the plot to Zhuge Ke. On May 22, Zhuge Ke called Sun Hong to a meeting, where Zhuge Ke killed him. It was only later that day that the announcement of Sun Quan’s death went out. Sun Liang was enthroned on May 23 and became the new emperor. At this point, official control of the government was in Zhuge Ke’s hands. However, Sun Liang was extremely close to Sun Jun and Sun Luban and did whatever they requested, so the pair wielded massive unofficial influence within Wu.

Zhuge Ke cared little for the Wu court. He had absolute power, and he used it as he saw fit. At first, his policies were popular, particularly after he won a major battle against Wei at Lake Chao in 253. However, he was badly defeated at Hefei later that year, and his actions during the campaign as well as his disregard of the Wu court turned everyone against him. Upon his return, Zhuge Ke replaced all of the palace guards with his own loyalists. This was more than enough for Sun Luban and Sun Jun to convince the 10-year-old Sun Liang that Zhuge Ke was plotting a coup d'état, so Sun Liang authorized them to execute him. Sun Jun met with Zhuge Ke at a private banquet and killed him there. Zhuge Ke’s family was subsequently exterminated. After Zhuge Ke’s assassination, Sun Jun was given complete authority over Wu. As long-time allies, friends, relatives, and lovers, he and Sun Luban ruled Wu jointly. Sun Jun was the face of their regime, but Sun Luban controlled the country from behind the throne and was the true power in Wu.

Sun Jun’s regime was not well-liked. Sun Jun himself was corrupt and decadent and he soon earned the hatred of all Wu’s ministers. He was commonly called the Traitor in the Palace. About six months after Sun Jun came to power, some ministers plotted to assassinate him. Exactly who was behind the conspiracy is a matter of debate, as Wu’s records are contradictory on the subject. The Sanguo Zhi says, in the biographies of Sun Liang and Sun Jun, that the man behind the conspiracy was Sun Ying, the only surviving son of Sun Deng. The Wuli says that Sun Ying was just a pawn. It claims that the leader of the conspiracy was a low-ranking official named Huan Lu, who wanted to assassinate Sun Jun and replace Sun Liang with Sun  Ying. Regardless of Sun Ying’s guilt, the plot was discovered. Sun Jun executed all involved, and Sun Ying was ordered to commit suicide.

Another attempt on Sun Jun’s life came in autumn of 255, and this one is of more relevance to Sun Luban. That year, an envoy from Shu was coming to meet with Sun Jun. Several generals, led by one Sun Yi, wanted to take this opportunity to kill Sun Jun. This Sun Yi was Sun Jun’s second-cousin; he was the son of Sun Jiao and the cousin of Sun Jun’s father, Sun Gong. He was a minor general in Wu’s army, though with some political clout due to his familial connections. The plot was discovered, and Sun Yi killed himself before he could be arrested; his conspirators followed suit. Sun Luban claimed that Sun Yi’s plan had been instigated by her sister, Sun Luyu, so Sun Jun ordered Sun Luyu’s suicide. The Sanguo Zhi proclaims Sun Luyu’s innocence in the matter.

In 256, Sun Jun passed away due to a sudden illness while preparing for an invasion of Wei. Before his passing, he selected his cousin Sun Chen (sometimes rendered as Sun Lin) to be his heir. Sun Chen met with immediate opposition from Lü Ju and Teng Yin, who were quickly killed. Though Sun Luban and Sun Jun worked together perfectly, she and Sun Chen did not get along as well and the two soon became rivals. The same year Sun Chen came to power, one of his own cousin, Sun Lü, plotted to kill him, but the plan was discovered and Sun Lü killed himself before facing trial. Sun Lü had been one of Sun Jun’s close confidants, making him closely connected to Sun Luban as well. Given this connection, she might have been behind Sun Lü’s attempt on Sun Chen’s life, though there is nothing directly connecting her to the plot.

By 257, Sun Liang was 14 and was old enough to start thinking for himself. Sun Luban saw this and encouraged him to start ruling in person instead of letting Sun Chen do whatever he pleased. Under her guidance, Sun Liang realized that the way he had been ruling the country was nothing like his father’s reign. He visited the records hall and saw that Sun Quan often presented memorials of his own or made extensive comments on those of others. By comparison, all Sun Liang had ever done was approve the memorials of his officials, mostly Sun Jun and Sun Chen He came to realize that there was something deeply wrong with his government and began to object to Sun Chen’s proposals. As a measure of protection, Sun Liang recruited the sons of many officials, boys who were around his own age, and made them into a private army loyal and answerable directly to him. Given the ages of those involved, it would be several years before this army was of any use, but this corps of loyal followers could prove quite valuable in a conflict within Jianye. All of this was mostly at Sun Luban’s advice.

Sun Chen began to grow concerned about Sun Liang’s increasing independence. He left Jianye for several months during 257 to conduct operations against Wei at Shouchun, but after suffering serious setbacks, he retreated. Upon returning to Jianye, he claimed to be ill and refused to come to court. Instead, he remained in his heavily-guarded estate and tried to control the government from there. He sent his brothers - Ju, En, Gan, and Kai - to the various garrisons within Jianye and put them in charge of the city’s troops in preparation for an armed conflict.

As Sun Liang continued to expand his mind, he started looking into affairs of the recent past and was greatly disturbed by what he saw. Sun Luyu’s death was of particular worry to him, and he demanded explanations from Sun Luban regarding the matter. Sun Luban put the blame on Sun Luyu’s sons, Zhu Sun and Zhu Xiong, saying that they were the ones who had implicated her. Sun Liang had both men executed. Sun Chen tried to intervene to have them spared, but Sun Liang disregarded him. This incident occurred in Autumn of 258, and this struggle indicated that conflict between the two factions was unavoidable.

Sun Luban made plans to remove Sun Chen from power. Joining her in this planning was Quan Shang - Sun Jun’s brother-in-law, Sun Liang’s father-in-law, and Quan Zong’s nephew. It is unclear how much involvement Quan Shang had in the Crown Prince Affair and Sun Jun’s regime, but he was certainly trusted intimately by Sun Jun and Sun Luban. He received high titles from them, including General of the Guards and Minister of Ceremonies. He was, at that time, one of the state’s most influential figures. Also joining in the conspiracy was Quan Shang’s son, Quan Ji (the brother of empress Quan Huijie). Together with Sun Liang and Quan Huijie, they made plans to execute Sun Chen. The major complication involved in assassinating Sun Chen was that through his brothers, he controlled most of the soldiers in the capital. Their plan was simply to strike quickly, before Sun Chen could call for reinforcements. Quan Shang would lead the soldiers in the capital who were loyal to him, while Sun Liang would lead the palace guards and his personal army. Together, they would besiege Sun Chen’s estate and demand his death.

This plan might have worked, but Sun Chen learned of it beforehand. The Sanguo Zhi says that one of Sun Liang’s concubines was a relative of Sun Chen and informed him. The Jiangbiao Zhuan blames the leak on Quan Shang’s wife, but the story seems too detailed to be trusted and reads more like a parable to criticize women in government than a historical account. However it happened, Sun Chen was warned and was able to strike first. In early October, Sun Chen assembled his men in the middle of the night and led them to attack his enemies. They defeated Quan Shang and his soldiers, as well as the loyalists guarding the palace. At dawn, he besieged the palace itself. Sun Liang wanted to participate in the fighting personally, but his ministers and servants restrained him. Sun Chen made claims that Sun Liang had proven himself unfit to rule and, through force of arms, deposed him. Sun Liang was made Prince of Kuaiji and exiled there.

Quan Shang was exiled as well, to Houguan, though Sun Chen soon changed his mind and sent men to pursue and kill him. Quan Ji took his own life. Those who refused to accept Sun Liang’s removal were all executed. Quan Huijie went into exile at Houguan, where she remained for the rest of her life. She lived several decades after this and returned to live in Jianye after Jin’s conquest of Wu. She passed away in 301, of natural causes.

As for Sun Luban herself, she was exiled to Yuzhang commandery. The events of her life after this point are unrecorded. It is worth noting that, after Sun Xiu assassinated Sun Chen later in 258, he pardoned all who had been banished due to the political conflicts. It is possible that Sun Luban returned to the Wu court at this time. However, there is no further mention of her in historical records.