Teng Mu

scholar of the Sung Dynasty who adopted a position similar to that of Lucretius and other proponents of atomism with respect to extraterrestrial worlds. He wrote: Empty space is like a kingdom, and earth and sky are no more than a single individual person in that kingdom. Upon one tree are many fruits, and in one kingdom there are many people. How unreasonable it would be to suppose that, besides the earth and the sky which we can see, there are no other skies and no other earths. Lady Teng was the daughter of Teng Mu (滕牧) and a distant relative of Teng Yin, a high ranking minister in Wu. When Teng Yin was killed in a failed attempt to overthrow the Wu regent Sun Chen in 256, Teng Mu and his family were exiled to the border. However, after Sun Xiu ascended the throne in 258 and eliminated Sun Chen, he granted amnesty to those who were condemned by Sun Chen, so Teng Mu and his family were allowed to return to the Wu capital Jianye (建業; present-day Nanjing, Jiangsu). Teng Mu became a zhonglang (中郎; a type of official) in the "Bureau for All Purposes" (五官曹). When Sun Hao was enfeoffed as the "Marquis of Wucheng" (烏程侯), he took Lady Teng as his concubine and instated her as the empress later when he ascended the throne in 264. He enfeoffed Teng Mu as the "Marquis of Gaomi" (高密侯), appointed him as the "General of the Guards" (衞將軍) and granted him authority over the Imperial Secretariat (尚書).[2]