Zhuge Liang is a famous politician and military strategist in history, who devoted his entire life to serving and dying. He is a representative figure of loyal officials and wise men in traditional Chinese culture. As a vassal, he is loyal to the country; As a father, I am also very dedicated to educating my children. I once wrote a “Book of Admonitions to My Son” for my son, which reads: “As a gentleman, one should cultivate oneself through tranquility and frugality. Without tranquility, there can be no clear aspirations, and without peace, there can be no far-reaching goals. To learn, one must remain calm; to learn, one must learn; without learning, one cannot broaden one’s abilities; without ambition, one cannot achieve success in learning. Slow indulgence cannot stimulate one’s spirit, while impatience cannot cultivate one’s character. The year and the time run by, and the will and the day pass by, resulting in withering and withering. Many are not connected to the world, and they sadly guard their poor houses. How can they be restored! These few short words have been passed down for thousands of years and are still the motto for many people to cultivate their character and conduct themselves in society.
Today we will talk about several children of Zhuge Liang and their fates.
Zhuge Qiao: Zhuge Liang’s adopted son. Zhuge Qiao was the second son of Zhuge Jin, the elder brother of Zhuge Liang. He was originally Zhuge Liang’s nephew and became famous with his brother Zhuge Ke during their youth in Eastern Wu. Zhuge Liang and his wife Huang Yueying did not have a son for a long time, so they adopted Zhuge Qiao as their adopted son. After Zhuge Qiao arrived in Shu, Zhuge Liang regarded him as his own son and feared that he would become a mediocre person, so he strictly disciplined him. Even though Zhuge Liang later had his own son Zhuge Zhan, he always treated them equally and taught them carefully, and still regarded Zhuge Qiao as his legitimate son and heir to the Marquis of Wuxiang. During Zhuge Liang’s Northern Expedition, Zhuge Qiao accompanied the army to Hanzhong, leading the soldiers to transport military supplies and running around the valleys. He was able to endure hardship and endure hardships. Unfortunately, Zhuge Qiao passed away at a young age of only 25 in 228 AD.
Zhuge Qiao left behind a son named Zhuge Pan. After Zhuge Qiao’s elder brother Zhuge Ke was killed in Eastern Wu and Zhuge Jin’s descendants were brutally wiped out, “Panyuan became Empress Jin again” and Zhuge Pan became a descendant of
Zhuge Jin again.
Zhuge Zhan: The son of Zhuge Liang and his wife Huang Yueying. Zhuge Liang was already 46 years old when Zhuge Zhan was born, which can be considered as having a child in middle age. Zhuge Zhan was intelligent from a young age, but Zhuge Liang was very worried. He once said, ‘Being intelligent and lovely, if you think he has achieved success too early, he may not be a valuable asset.’. Zhuge Liang passed away due to illness when Zhuge Zhan was less than 8 years old, so he did not have the opportunity to impart his talents and knowledge to him. At the age of 17, Zhuge Zhan married the daughter of his queen Liu Shan and became his son-in-law. Zhuge Zhan was not only the son of Zhuge Liang, but also the son-in-law of Liu Shan, and his career naturally went very smoothly. He successively held various positions such as attendant, Shangshu Pushe, military strategist general, and general of the guards, and inherited Zhuge Liang’s title. He held a high position and was highly respected in the Shu Kingdom.
In 263 AD, General Deng Ai of the State of Wei launched a surprise attack on Yinping, leading the Wei army. Zhuge Zhan, his eldest son Zhuge Shang, and Shu generals Zhang Zun, Huang Chong, and others led their troops to resist. Zhuge Zhan’s talent was far from that of his father Zhuge Liang. He missed the opportunity because he did not listen to Huang Chongsu’s advice to seize the danger. Later, he went out of the city to fight against Deng Ai and died in battle with his eldest son Zhuge Shang. Zhuge Zhan was only 37 years old when he died, and soon after, the Shu Kingdom also fell.
Zhuge Jing, the youngest son of Zhuge Zhan, did not participate in the battle with his father and brother due to his young age, and was able to escape unscathed, which also prevented Zhuge Liang from becoming a queen. Zhuge Jing later became an official in the Jin Dynasty, rising to the rank of Governor.
Additionally, it is said that Zhuge Liang had one son and one daughter. However, this son and daughter are not recorded in official history, so their identities are disputed.
Zhuge Huai: Zhuge Liang’s youngest son. There are very few records in historical materials about Zhuge Huai, only stating that during the Western Jin Dynasty, the Grand Tutor Wang Lan suggested to Emperor Wu of Jin to summon the descendants of famous Han officials to serve in the capital. Other summoned people gladly went, but Zhuge Huai did not go. Later, the court still planned to confer a title on Zhuge Huai, but Zhuge Huai declined, saying that he could live independently and did not have any talents, and only wished to retire at home. Emperor Wu of Jin agreed to his request.
Zhuge Guo: It is said to be Zhuge Liang’s only daughter. The record of Zhuge Guo is not found in official history, but in folklore, Zhuge Guo was beautiful in appearance and never married. He practiced at the Chaozhen Temple in Chengdu and eventually attained enlightenment and became an immortal.
In the Ming Dynasty’s “Comprehensive Mirror to Immortals of All Dynasties”, it is recorded that Zhuge Liang once introduced his children to his younger brother Zhuge Jun and said, “This woman loves the person with the character of Wuzi and often teaches her the method of divination. She is dedicated to serving tirelessly and will eventually prove her immortal fruit, hence the name ‘Fruit’. In the “Collected Works of Zhuge Zhongwu Hou” written by the Qing Dynasty scholar Zhang Shu, it is also recorded that “to the northwest of Shaocheng, there is the Chaozhen Temple. In the left column of the temple, there is a shrine for the Virgin Mary and the teacher riding on the smoke leaves. Therefore, according to legend, Wuhou had a daughter who rode lightly on clouds in her residence.