440 Yue Fei because his successes stood in their path Gaozong might have been genuinely doubtful of ultimate success in war He also stood to lose personally if Yue defeated the Jin and forced them to return the captive Huizong and his heir (who was Gaozong’s elder brother, and therefore the rightful ruler) Qin Gui was by all accounts a powerhungry politician who staked his future on peace with the Jin, who may have demanded Yue’s elimination as their condition for peace In 1141 Yue was relieved of his command (as were several other successful anti-Jin generals) and jailed for insubordination and malfeasance No credible evidence could be produced against him, so Qin Gui gave an order to have him poisoned in jail, and his eldest son, a promising young officer and a key lieutenant, was executed His widow and remaining children were sent to harsh exile The Song government destroyed most documents concerning his official career Qin Giu retained power until he died in 1155 In 1661 changes in court politics led to the total rehabilitation of Yue Fei and surviving members of his family returned from exile Yue’s body, secretly taken from the prison by sympathetic jailers, was exhumed and buried with honor Thus began the cult of Yue Fei, as a great patriot and a rallying hero of Chinese nationalism His mother was also honored as an unselfish role model; she had tattooed four characters on his back that read, “Requite the state to the limits of loyalty.” His wife was also admired for helping the families of those who served under him, and for keeping the family together after the tragedy of his death Popular opinion made Yue a semimythical figure, Gaozong less than a filial son and courageous leader, and Qin Gui and his powerful wife despicable moral cowards Further reading: Franke, Herbert ed., Sung Biographies Weisbaden: Franz Steiner, 1976–1986; Kaplan, Edward Yueh Fei and the Founding of the Southern Sung Ph.D dissertation, University of Iowa, 1970 Jiu-Hwa Lo Upshur