Xiahou Wei

Xiahou Wei (fl.first half of 3rd century), courtesy name Jiquan, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was the fourth son of Xiahou Yuan and a maternal great-grandfather of Emperor Yuan of the Eastern Jin dynasty, being the grandfather of Emperor Yuan's mother Xiahou Guangji.

Life

Xiahou Wei was the fourth son of Xiahou Yuan, a general who served under Cao Cao, the warlord who laid the foundation for the Cao Wei state in the late Eastern Han dynasty before the Three Kingdoms period. His mother, whose maiden family name could be Ding (丁), was a younger sister of one of Cao Cao's wives/concubines. Xiahou Wei was close friends with Cao Cao's sons, including Cao Pi and Cao Zhi. He also knew Yang Hu since young and felt that he was an extraordinary talent, so he advised his second brother Xiahou Ba to arrange a marriage between Yang Hu and Xiahou Ba's daughter.¹ Yang Hu later became a famous general in the late Three Kingdoms period and the Jin dynasty (266–420).

Xiahou Wei once met the fortune teller Zhu Jianping (朱建平), who told him, "You'll become a provincial governor by the age of 49, but you'll also encounter a major calamity. If you survive the calamity, you'll live up to 70 and will even become a ducal minister." Xiahou Wei consecutively served as the Inspector (刺史) of Jing and Yan provinces under the Cao Wei state before his 49th birthday². However, just as Zhu Jianping foretold, Xiahou Wei became critically ill by the end of the year. He thought that he would not survive, so he instructed his family to prepare for his funeral. To his surprise, he recovered from his illness towards the end of the 12th lunar month, so he threw a banquet on the eve of the Lunar New Year to celebrate. He told his guests, "I have recovered from my illness. When the sun rises tomorrow, I'll be 50 years old. I have survived the calamity that Zhu Jianping warned me about." After the banquet, he suddenly suffered a relapse and died of illness that night. According to his grandson Xiahou Zhan, Xiahou Wei was posthumously made a marquis with the posthumous name "Mu" (穆).