When the house leaks, it tends to pour rain overnight; not only did King Chong reject Prince Huai's plea for help, but even King Anping refused to aid Prince Huai.
King Anping, Chu Ji, was personally quite capable, and in his youth, he was renowned for his talent. A policy essay he wrote garnered great praise from the civil and military officials. After he failed in the struggle for succession with the late Emperor, the then-reigning Emperor bestowed upon Chu Ji the title of King Anping, with a fiefdom in Yanzhou.
Since Chu Ji was well-favored by the Emperor, even when he went out to assume his fief, he received rewards frequently.
The result was that the first stroke of the late Emperor upon ascending the throne to reduce feudal powers struck on Chu Ji's head, placing the fiefdoms of two capable sons, Prince Huai and King Chong, before and after Chu Ji's, sandwiching him in between.
