Terribly upset by Daji’s illness,King Zhou ordered that the wooden sword be burned at once. Daji recovered rapidly and continued to lure the king into feasting and merry-making
with her day and night.
Master of the Clouds did not return directly to Mount Zhongnan, but remained at Zhaoge to observe the situation.He soon caught sight of the spectral light soaring up again into the sky from the king's palace. “I tried to save the Shang Dynasty, but it's by fate that the sword was turned into ashes without fulfilling its purpose," he thought. “The causes are rather complex: First, the Shang Dynasty must come to an end; second, the Zhou Dynasty's rising to replace it; third, immortals will meet with disaster; fourth, Jiang Ziya will enjoy worldly glory and, fifth, gods are to be created. What can I do about it? I might as well leave a poem to tell the people what'll happen in the near future."
He took a brush, dipped it in ink and wrote on the wall of the observatory in the busy marketplace:
When finished, Master of the Clouds returned straight to Mount Zhongnan. People at once gathered round the wall, but no one could understand what it meant. They were still debating and deciphering when Grand Tutor Du Yuanxian came over on his way home and read over the poem from his saddle. He knew immediately that the poem must have been written by the Taoist, and though he did not understand every word of it, he agreed that a lascivious spectre was occupying the palace. “I've spent nights recently observing the heavenly bodies, and noticed that an ever more powerful spectral aura has been enveloping the palace. This is a bad omen, a warning of the disaster to come. The king pays scant attention to politics, and his unseemly behavior causes Heaven to worry and people to grumble. We were so kindly treated by the late king that we cannot sit back and simply watch the situation develop. I must write to the king, and make it on behalf of the people and nation as I've got nothing personal to gain," he decided.
He spent the night writing this report. He showed it to Prime Minister Shang Rong the next morning, asking him to present it to the king in person.
“I cannot disregard your report, but the king's failed to appear in court for many days already. It'll certainly be difficult for your report to be transmitted to him, but I'll try to see him in his residence,"Shang Rong reassured him, and immediately made his way through the Grand Hall, the Celebration Court, the Hall of Ceremonies, the Hall of Clemency and the Central Palace Tower to the Fairy Longevity Palace, where he was stopped by the royal guards.
“Prime Minister! This is the forbidden court where His Majesty lives. No intrusion's permitted.”
“I know that well. Would you kindly tell His Majesty that I desire to see him?"
A royal guard entered the Fairy Longevity Palace, knelt down before King Zhou and reported,“ Prime Minister Shang Rong asks to see you."
“What could he possibly want? Admit him, since he's an old minister and has served three emperors in succession.”Shang Rong came forward, knelt down on the steps and
said, “Your Majesty!”
“What urgent business brings you to my inner palace?”
“The Chief Official of the Observatory Du Yuanxian discovered last night that your palace is enveloped in a spectral aura, and is afraid that the state will suffer from some unexpected disaster. He's served the Shang Dynasty loyally since your grandfather's time and wouldn't be put off. Besides, the ministers have been fretting over your sustained absence from court. Offending your dignity today, I risk committing a capital crime and having my head cut off by either axe or sword, but I'm not seeking personal gain. I pray that you attend to our faithful advice,"Shang Rong said boldly, and submitted the report.
King Zhou placed it on his desk and began to read. It ran:
The Chief Official of the Observatory, Du Yuanxian, ventures to report to Your Majesty with the end to ridding the palace of spectres and demons, and to secure peace and blessings for the nation and the people. As we know, good omens appear when the nation is enjoying progress and prosperity, and spectres and demons appear when the nation is about to collapse. While making my observations at night, I was astonished to discover that the royal palace is covered by an aura of spectres and demons which pervades every court as well as the royal residence. When you made your appearance at the Grand Hall several days ago, a Taoist presented you with a wooden sword to help you exorcise the spectre, but you had it burnt, which only served to intensify the aura. You disregarded the Taoist's warning, and the spectral aura has grown stronger and stronger, until it can now even be observed in the Ninth Heaven, suggesting that woe and calamity will soon plague the nation. I have given this matter careful consideration. Facts show that ever since Su Hu sent his daughter to the palace, you have ceased paying attention to your administration, and your desk has become covered with dust. The steps before the Grand Court are overgrown with weeds, grass and slippery moss. While the ministers await an audiencewith Your Majesty in vain, you are taking pleasure in a woman. This has created a gap between Your Majesty and the ministers like the sun being covered up by floating clouds. I venture to present this admonition, irrespective of punishment by axe or sword, as my obligation to Your Majesty....
“Though he speaks the truth, my Lady Su nearly lost her life the day before yesterday, and she was saved when I had that wooden sword destroyed,” the king pondered. “But here again, this fuss over the spectral aura!" He turned to Daji. “Du Yuanxian's sent me a written report about the palace being haunted by a demon. Do you know what this is all about?”
At this, Daji fell at once on her knees,“That Taoist is a sorcerer. He spreads rumors about a spectre and throws the nation into confusion. Du Yuanxian cooperates with him, and must be one of his accomplices. People are innocent; they're gullible and easily disturbed. I ask that such rumors be suppressed, and anyone spreading them have their heads cut
off,”Daji begged the king.
“You're right, my beauty. Give my order to stop this rumor at once, and Du Yuanxian be executed in public."
“You can't act like this,Your Majesty. Du's a loyal minister and would willingly sacrifice his life for the benefit of the people and nation. His heart's in the right place. As an observer of heavenly phenomena, it's his duty to tell you the truth,” Shang argued, warning,“But if you repay his loyalty with death, your officials are bound to uphold his innocence, and you'll be criticized for your cruelty. I implore you to pardon him."
“You don't know, Prime Minister,that if I don't cut his head off, more people will invent stories and disturb the people's lives without an end. I must weed out such threats.” King Zhou then ordered his attendants to escort Shang Rong away from the palace.
Back at his own office,Shang Rongmet Du Yuanxian, waiting eagerly to learn of His Majesty's response to his petition. Before long, the king's guards also arrived with the fol-
lowing order,“Du Yuanxian has committed the serious crime of deceiving the people by spreading rumors about spectres.
For this, he shall be punished with death and beheaded at once according to law.”Without further delay, the royal guards removed Du's coronet and red robe, bound him with thick ropes and iron chains and dragged him off to the palace gate.
On the way, however, they met an official dressed in a scarlet robe. This was Supreme Minister Mei Bo. When he saw Du Yuanxian bound in chains,Mei Bo was bemused.“Why are you being treated in this fashion, Grand Tutor?”he asked, and when Du told him what had happened, he said,“Don't worry, Grand Tutor! I'll try to speak with the king about this."
Rushing into the palace,Mei Bo met Shang Rong at the Nine-Dragon Bridge. “What did Du Yuanxian do to have of fended His Majesty?”
“Du Yuanxian delivered a written report to the king about the palace being haunted by the spectral aura, but since Lady Su is His Majesty's favorite, he accepted her advice and sen-
tenced Du Yuanxian to death. I pleaded with His Majesty to spare Du, but to no avail. What shall we do now?"
“You're prime minister and it's your responsibility to administer the nation in harmony and peace, to put the wicked to death, and to recommend loyal subjects to high posts. You may keep your mouth shut as long as the king acts in an upright fashion, but you ought to admonish him when he acts improperly. Now that he's about to slaughter the innocent, how can you keep your mouth shut, making excuses that you feel sorry and can do nothing! You care only for your own honor and position, and disregard the fate of your colleagues. You cherish your life and fear death. For the good of the country, no prime minister should fear spilling his blood or losing his life,” Mei Bo cried out, very angry.“Executioners! Take no action at present, and await our return," he shouted, and led Shang Rong by the arm through the Grand Hall to the inner palace.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
They knelt down when they arrived at the Fairy Longevity Palace and awaited the king's permission to enter.
“Since Shang Rong's already served threeShang Dynasty emperors, his intrusion into the inner palace may be excused, but how dare Mei Bo ignorethe law!"King Zhou was displeased when he heard the report of their arrival, but nevertheless, he ordered that both ShangRong and Mei Bo be admitted.
Shang Rong led the way into the Fairy Longevity Palace and both knelt down before the king.
“What do you have to report to me?”
“Your Majesty! May I learn what crime Du Yuanxian has committed that you should have ordered his death?”Mei Bo asked.
“He conspired with a sorcerer and spread rumors about a spectral aura in the palace, to deceive the people and disrupt the peace. An official of the top rank that commits such evil
acts should be put to death. I'm merely attempting to eliminate a traitor from the kingdom."
“I've heard that Emperor Yao ruled according to the will of Heaven. He accepted political advice from his civil officials and strategies of war from his military ministers. He held
daily discussions on how to rule the country and serve the people, and was pious and upright in his comportment. He avoided minions, and distanced himself from beautiful concubines. But Your Majesty's been absent from court for more than half a year. You drink and feast by day and lust by night. You've long ceased to show any concern for the people and state, and for the faithful advice of your loyal ministers.”Mei Bo worked himself up.“Du Yuanxian's a loyal minister. If you put him to death on account of your concubine, you'll be cursed for butchering your father's old minister, and denounced as the destroyer of the nation, for your act tantamount to wrecking a house by removing its pillars and beams. I exhort you to let Du Yuanxian live, for if you do, people will honor you as a saintly ruler."
King Zhou was displeased.“Mei Bo must be an accomplice of Du Yuanxian, and must be likewise punished, for he's committed the crime of trespassing the forbidden inner palace. Yet I'll pardon him since he's served me so well in the past. However, he should be dismissed from his post in the royal government forever,"he announced.
“You licentious tyrant! You place your trust in your concubine Daji, but have only disdain for your ministers,"Mei Bo protested sternly. “If you execute Du Yuanxian, you're actually decapitating thousands of the citizens of Zhaoge. Dismissing me from my post will cause me no regret; I'm glad to shake this dust from my body. Yet, I'm indeed sorry to see the Shang Dynasty, which has lasted for hundreds of years, about to collapse in the hands of a licentious tyrant! State affairs have taken a bad turn ever since the Grand Tutor Wen Zhong left for the front. You listen daily to the fawning courtiers and spend your nights in dissipationwith Daji. The kingdom will suffer disaster soon, and I fear that I won't have the face to confront our deceased kings in the nether world."
King Zhou became enraged and ordered his guards to seize Mei Bo and smash his skull at once. As the guards were about to lay hands on Mei Bo,Daji stepped in and said,“Wait! I've got a suggestion, Your Majesty.”
“How do you intend to deal with him, my love?"King Zhou asked.
“I must say that any minister who dares to stand before Your Majesty, eyebrows raised, eyes bulging and insult Your Majesty shouldn't be treated as an ordinary criminal and shouldn't be put to death in the ordinary way. Put Mei Bo in gaol temporarily. I'll deal with him in a new form of torture and give a warning to the cunning and the wicked.”
“What's this torture?”asked King Zhou.
"It uses a hollow pillar of brass, twenty feet in height and eight in circumference. It has three fire doors in its upper, middle and lower part through which charcoal is placed inside. Strip the criminals, chain and wrap them around the red-hot pillar. In a second, bones,flesh and blood will turn to a fetid smoke and disappear. This new torture's called the Burning Pillar, and we may use it to subdue the wicked ministers that dare to break the law."
“This is indeed a perfect idea, my dear lady!"King Zhou said. “Decapitate Du Yuanxian for spreading rumors about the palace spectral aura, and send Mei Bo to gaol," he ordered,
and then told his engineers to make burning pillars according to Daji's design.
Observing the king's atrocities, and his blind faith in Daji ,Shang Rong was filled with despair. “l must report to you , Your Majesty. As all urgent matters are now settled, and as everything in the kingdom is thriving, my old age and poor health make it difficult for me to bear the heavy burden of office. I'm afraid I may make errors in my confusion and offend Your Majesty. I pray that you'll have mercy on me and permit me to retire and live out my life in peace.’
But King Zhou tried to comfort him, saying, “Though you're in the evening of life, you're still healthy. Nevertheless, I must approve your resignation since you've approached me with due sincerity. You've labored faithfully for so many years and I'm very reluctant to let you go.’
He ordered that two ministers escort Shang Rong to his native home and that he be given rewards. He also issued an order that Shang Rong should be well taken care of by the
local magistrate.
When the ministers learned that Shang Rong had retired and was returning to his native place, they gathered at the Changting Pavilion beyond the capital to see him off. Among them were Prince Huang Feihu, Bi Gan, Wei Zi, Ji Zi, Wei Zigi,and Wei Ziyan, all close relatives of King Zhou. When Shang Rong arrived, he dismounted from his horse and went up to greet his colleagues.
A spokesman for them all said, “Prime Minister! You're retiring in honor. But as an elder statesman, how can you cast the dynasty aside and gallop away home. Will you be able to remain there with your heart at ease?”
Shang Rong was visibly moved.“Colleagues! i'm sorry that I cannot give my body and soul in return for the grace bestowed on me by the nation; yet it's also against my will to spend the rest of my days in retirement. You're all well aware that His Maiesty blindly trusts Daji. She's now suggested the idea of the burning pillar to deal with the loyal. My petitions all go unheeded, and I'm afraid that before long new disorders will erupt in the kingdom. As I no longer had the competence to serve His Majesty, I decided to retire and give someone more qualified than myself a chance. I'm saying farewell to His Majesty out of selfish concern for my own personal safety and happiness. Let's toast to our brief separation ,for we'll soon meet again," he said and, cup in hand, chanted a poem:
y,
When shall we meet again, and recall this parting? When ShangRong finished,his colleagues tearfully took their leave. Shang Rong mounted his horse and rode away, and
they returned to Zhaoge.
King Zhou continued to indulge with Daji day and night, ignoring all state affairs. Several days later, it was reported to the tyrant that the burning pillars were ready. Greatly pleased, King Zhou asked Daji,“Now that the burning pillars are ready, what shall we do?"
Daji ordered that the pillars be brought in for her inspection. When they were, she looked them over carefully. She noted with satisfaction that they were made precisely according to her design, and each was fitted with two wheels so that they might move around.
King Zhou pointed his finger at Daji and laughed. “My beauty! You're so clever to have invented such a marvelous torture. Let's try it out on Mei Bo at the Grand Hall tomorrow." Early the next morning,King Zhou ascended his throne. After the official greetings were over, Huang Feihu saw twenty shining brass pillars standing at the eastern end of the court. He was wondering what they were for when the king ordered that Mei Bo be brought in and a brass pillar moved to the center of the court. The fire was lit and fanned until the heat turned the pillar molten red. Then Mei Bo entered. He knelt down before King Zhou, his hair disheveled , his face unwashed and his thin cotton garments in dirt.
“You damned fool! Do you know what this is for?” the king asked.
Mei Bo raised his head, and looked at the burning brass pillar. “No, I've no idea what it is for, Your Majesty."
The king laughed. “You damned fool! All you know is how to insult your own king with your sharp tongue, but it seems you're ignorant of the fact that I've invented the burning pillars specifically to deal with you. I'll now use it to roast your flesh and bones. Let those who would blaspheme me with rumors and slanders take this as a warning.”
You licentious tyrant!”Mei Bo shouted. “I'm not afraid of death. I've already served three emperors of this dynasty. What crime have I committed that you'll put me to such a cruel death? I only regret that the Shang Dynasty will end tragically in your hands. Won't you be ashamed to meet your ancestors in the nether world?"
King Zhou was infuriated and immediately had Mei Bo stripped, shackled and placed upon the red-hot brass pillar. Mei Bo let out a single piercing scream, and his body turned to ashes, lcaving a nauseating stink pervading the court. What a pity that Mei Bo should meet a tragic end simply because he served his people, his nation, and his king with loyalty!
King Zhou thought that the burning pillar was a wonderful invention, but he did not know that all of his ministers were in full sympathy with Mei Bo and that there was not one of them who didn't want to leave the palace and give up his official life. It was clear that by now the unity of the kingdom was broken and that the dynasty's days were numbered.
As they left the Grand Hall，Wei Zi, Ji Zi and Bi Gan met Huang Feihu. “The state is now unstable. Uprisings broke out in the North Sea district, and Grand Tutor Wen rushed there to suppress them. How could we ever imagine that the king would devote himself wholeheartedly to Daji, and treat us so mercilessly. Now he's invented that cruel torture in order to slaughter his loyal ministers. If word of it reached the nobles, our troubles would multiply endlessly,"they said, greatly troubled.
Huang Feihu stroked his long beard.“Princes! As I see it, the worst victim of the burning pillar isn't Mei Bo, but the Shang Dynasty. It'll be reduced to ashes and vanish from the face of the earth. An ancient proverb says,‘If a king regards his officials as his hands and feet, they will regard him as the heart and stomach; but if he looks upon them as dust, they will hate him as a thief.'The king's ruthless killing of Mei Bo is a bad omen, and great disasters will soon follow. How can we sit calmly and watch the downfall of this Dynasty!”
When he arrived at his residence, King Zhou was met by Daji. “It's your wonderful idea. Mei Bo's death will serve as a warning to anyone who won't keep his mouth shut! The pillar's truly an efficient tool,” he told her and took her in his arms.
He then ordered a feast in honor of Daji. They ate and drank to the accompaniment of music until midnight, when a sudden gust of wind flew the sweet strains to Queen Jiang's bedroom. Hearing it, she asked her attendants,“Where does that alluring music come from at this hour of night?"
“Your Majesty! It comes from the Fairy Longevity Palace, where His Majestyand Lady Su are still drinking together.”
Queen Jiang sighed deeply. “I was informed that His Majesty took Daji's advice, built the burning pillars and has put Mei Bo to death. That cheap wench is luring him into evil
deeds. Prepare my coach. I'll go to the Fairy Longevity Palace and see His Majesty at once ,"she ordered.
This visit was undoubtedly prompted in part by jealousy, and would lead to greater calamities.
If you want to know what happened next, you must read the next chapter.
