“Fang Bi is very strong and brave. I'm afraid that we can never capture him. Only Prince Huang Feihu can carry out your request,"Chao Tian suggested.

  When the order was issued,HuangFeihu smiled.“I’m well aware that it isChao Tian who's placed this burden on my shoulders.”He took the king's sword and left the palace. Generals Huang Ming,Zhou Ji,Long Huan and Wu Yan came forward and offered to go with him, but he replied, “You needn't come with me. I can manage on my own."

  He mounted his divine Rainbow Ox, which could cover 800 li in one day, and rode off at high speed.

  Carrying the young princes on their backs, Fang Bi and Fang Xiang could only walk thirty li a day. While they were discussing what route to take, they noticed Huang Feihu rushing towards them on his Rainbow Ox. Trembling in fright, they cried to the two princes,“We've acted much too impulsively. Now that death is staring us in the face, what

  shall we do?”

  “How can you say things like that? You've saved our lives," the two princes replied in wonder.

  “Look! Marshal Huang's come to take us back. We're sure to be executed,”Fang Bi said.

  When Huang Feihu arrived before them,the two young princes knelt down on the road.“Marshal Huang! Do you come to bring us back?”

  Huang Feihu immediately threw himself down on the ground. “I should die for what I've done. Your Highnesses, please stand up," he begged.

  “What are you going to do with us, Marshal?”Yin Jiao asked.

  “By His Majesty's order, I came here with the royal sword for you two princes to take your lives at once. I myself daren't commit such a crime, but I've got no choice but to obey the king! I beg you to do it swiftly."

  Yin Jiao was on his knees again. “You know we have been grievously wronged. My mother was killed after being cruelly tortured, and if we die, there'll be no one left in our family. Please have pity on us and give us a chance to live. Your generosity will never be forgotten," he implored.

  Huang Feihu remained on his knees. “I know quite well that you both are the victims of injustice. But the king's order gives me no choice. If I set you free, I'll have committed the crime of deceiving him, and should I not set you free, I'll commit the sin of going against my conscience."

  Yin Jiao realized that he and his brother had little chance of escaping doom.“Marshal Huang! You're certainly right to follow the king's order, but I beg your leniency and help us in another way."

  He decided to appeal to Huang Feihu's kind heart.

  “What's that? Please tell me,Your Highness.”

  “You may cut off my head and take it to the king, but take pity on my younger brother. Set him free and allow him to flee elsewhere .When he grows up, he'll lead a big army and seek revenge for the injustice perpetrated on our innocent mother."

  At this, Yin Hong came forward and interrupted his brother .‘‘Marshal Huang! This is all wrong! He is the crown prince. And I'm young and have no talents. You should cut off my head and take it to the king. If you let him go to East Lu or West Qi and seek revenge for the death of my innocent mother and myself, I won't regret dying now," he begged.

  Yin Jiao put his arms around his brother and cried bitterly. “How could I bear to see my younger brother meet such a cruel death!”

  The two brothers each argued that the other should live. Observing the scene, Fang Biand Fang Xiang found tears rolling down their cheeks.“How sad it all is!" they exclaimed.

  Huang Feihu was moved by the princes, and by the devotion the Fang brothers showed to the princes. Tears welled up in his eyes. “Fang Bi!Fang Xiang! Stop your weeping. Princes, worry no more! I've got an idea," he told them, “but it must remain a secret among the five of us, for the slightest leak will spell death for every member of my family. Fang Bi, you escort the princes to East Lu, to their grandfather Jiang Huanchu. Fang Xiang, you go and see E Chongyu, and tell him that I've released the princes and that he should join with Jiang Huanchu in an attack on Zhaoge from two different directions. We must remove traitors from the palace and right the wrong done to Queen Jiang."

  “Since we left the palace this morning in a great hurry, we brought no funds with us. How shall we make the journey?” Fang Bi asked.

  After thinking it over,Huang Feihu said,“Though I've got no money in my pocket, I'll give you my jade pendant inlaid with gold. You may easily exchange it for 100 taels of silver to cover the expenses of your journey. Take good care of yourselves."

  Huang Feihu returned to Zhaoge at dusk and saw that all the ministers had gathered before the palace gate. He dismounted from his Rainbow Ox, and met Bi Gan.

  “How did it go, Marshal Huang?”Bi Gan asked.

  “I couldn't overtake them and had to return," Huang Feihu told him.

  All the oflicials were delighted. He then entered the court to see King Zhou.

  “On your order, I pursued the princes and the Fang brothers for seventy li, all the way to the triple crossroads ,but failed to catch up with them. I made enquiries along the way, but no one had seen them. I had to return," he reported.

  “My unfilial sons and those two rebellious officials have been lucky this time. You may retire now. We'll discuss this further tomorrow,"the king replied.

  "If you let them get away, they'll be sure to flee to Jiang Huanchu, and he'll raise a powerful army against us,”Daji reminded him, after Huang Feihu had left. “Since Grand Tutor Wen Zhong's far away at the front, let's dispatch Yin Pobai and Lei Kai with 3,000 cavalrymen to pursue them through the night. We must kill the plant by uprooting it, so as to prevent any calamity.”

  “You're right. This is just as I wish,”King Zhou said, and gave the order,“Yin Pobai and Lei Kai lead 3,000 flying horsemen to seize the two princes without delay.”

  Huang Feihu was alone in his rear hall. “The king's acted improperly. People are grumbling and Heaven's dissatisfied. The state will collapse into chaos and no one will be able to live in peace,"he thought to himself. “What shall I do now?” His meditation was interrupted when the arrival of Generals Yin and Lei was announced.

  “I've just come back from the court. What is it that you want?” Huang Feihu asked when the two entered and greeted him.

  “By order of His Majesty, we must take 3,000 flying horsemen to pursue the princes and the Fang brothers, and put them to death," they reported. “We've come for men and

  equipment.”

  “If they capture the princes, then all my efforts will have been in vain," HuangFeihu thought to himself, and said, “It's late now. How can I possibly supply you with the men and horses straight away. Come back here at the fifth watch tomorrow morning, and I'll have everything ready then."

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  Since Huang Feihu was commander and Yin and Lei were under his command, they dared not utter a word, and so they left. Then Huang Feihu summoned his general Zhou Ji.“Yin Pobai was here with the king's official tally and asked me to supply him with 3,000 flying horsemen to pursue the princes. Select only the old, the weak and the infirm. General Yin Pobai may take them along with him at the fifth watch,” he ordered.

  The next morning,Yin Pobai and Lei Kai arrived and found that their men were both old and weak and nearly unable to march. This army of stumbling and floundering men was certainly something to laugh at.

  By now the Fang brothers had already traveled for two days with the young princes.

  “Now that we've come this far, I'm afraid we need to spend some money. Though the Marshal gave us his precious jade piece, selling it may get us into trouble if someone realizes whom it belongs to,”Fang Bi said to Fang Xiang. “We've come to a fork in the road. One road leads to the east and the other to the south. Let's send the princes on their way, while we head off in an entirely different direction. This way all the four of us won't be captured."

  “You're right, Brother,"Fang Xiang agreed.

  Fang Bi then turned to the two princes. “There’s something we have to tell you, Your Highnesses. Though we're loyal and brave, we're crude and uncultivated. When we saw you wrongly treated, we became infuriated and fled with you from Zhaoge. In so doing we declared our rebellion against the king. However, we didn't bring enough money to defray the expenses for our journey. What shall we do? Though Marshal Huang's given us his jade piece, we can't sell it for fear that the secret will be discovered." he said, and suggested ,“After thinking it over, we've decided that it'll be safer if we go our own ways. We apologize for not accompanying you all the way."

  “You're right, Generals, but we're too young to find our own way. What shall we do?”asked Yin Jiao.

  “This road leads to East Lu and that to the South Grand Dukedom. Both are busy highways full of travelers, and you needn't worry about losing your way,"Fang Bi reassured them.

  “Where will you two generals go? When shall we meet again?”Yin Jiao asked.

  “We'll take refuge in any dukedom that'll take us in, and join your vanguard when your army starts advancing towards Zhaoge,” Fang Xiang replied.

  The four of them bade farewell to each other in tears.

  “Which way will you take, Brother?”Yin Jiao asked.

  “As you please, Brother,”Yin Hong replied.

  "I'll head for East Lu, and you can make your way to the south. When I speak with grandfather, I'll tell him about mother's sufferings, and he'll certainly mobilize his troops. I'll inform you of our route, and you may join us in the attack on Zhaoge. We'll take Daji alive to get our revenge. Don't forget this, Brother."

  Yin Hong nodded and wept. He said,“Brother! When shall we meet again?"

  They burst into tears and set off on their separate ways.

  Yin Hong's tears did not dry as he walked alone on his way. He was young, and brought up with every possible comfort in the palace, had never experienced the hardships of travel. He walked in fits and starts, and before long became both hungry and tired. When he was living in the palace he wore nothing but satin and ate only the finest delicacies, and certainly never had to beg anyone for anything. When he arrived in a small village, his hunger led him to a home where he saw the family eating dinner. He walked in.

  “Bring over food. Let the prince eat!" he ordered.

  When the family looked up and saw him in red satin, both smart and gallant, they hurriedly stood up. “Take a seat, please, and we'll bring you food," they said with respect and put more rice and dishes on the table for their unexpected guest.

  Yin Hong sat down to his meal. He soon finished and stood up. “I'm sorry to trouble you for this meal, and hope that I'll be able to repay your kindness some day," he said gratefully.

  “Where are you going? Where do you come from? What's your honorable surname?”the cottagers asked him.

  "I'm the younger son of King Zhou. My name's Yin Hong. I am now heading south to seeE Chongyu, the South Grand Duke," he told them.

  When they learned that the boy was a prince, they immediately knelt down on the ground and kowtowed. “Your Highness! Please pardon us for not offering you a warm welcome, as we were ignorant of your honorable arrival in our village.”

  “Does this highway lead to the South Grand Dukedom?”Yin Hong asked.

  “Yes, it does, Your Highness," they replied.

  Ying Hong set out again on his way. He could only manage to cover twenty or thirty li that day. Accustomed to all the comforts of the palace, he was naturally unable to walk very far.

  That night he came to a place where there were neither houses nor inns, and could find nowhere to spend the night. He was just beginning to get agitated when he spotted an ancient temple that stood in a dense forest of pine trees, two or three li ahead of him. He raced towards it and discovered a board set horizontally over the gate. From the characters carved on it, Yin Hong learned that this was the Temple of Emperor Xuanyuan.

  He entered and knelt down before the image of the ancient emperor. “You were a virtuous and saintly emperor. You taught the people how to make clothing, to observe the rites and laws and to conduct themselves in the marketplace. You were honored and respected by all the people. I belong to the thirtyfirst generation of the Shang Dynasty and am the son of King Zhou. My father has behaved improperly, killing his wife and then trying to kill his sons. I have chosen to flee from these woes and must spend the night in your temple. I shall leave here first thing in the morning. If you are kind enough to protect me for the night, I shall rebuild your temple and recast your image in gold," he prayed.

  He was so tired from the day's walking that he collapsed in front of the image and fell fast asleep.

  Meanwhile Yin Jiao made his way towards East Lu, but had traveled only forty or fifty li before dusk fell. He found himself in front of a Grand Tutor's mansion, as he could tell from the board hanging on the gate.

  “As this is the home of a high official, I can rest for the night here and resume my journey early tomorrow morning,” Yin Jiao thought and called out,“Is anybody home?” But no one answered. He entered the compound and heard someone sighing deeply over a poem:

  As prime minister for years,

  Loyalty still wells up in my heart.

  For the benefit of the state,

  Never once did I act for personal gain.

  A sudden spectre appears in the palace,

  The innocent turn into ghosts!

  Retired, I care still for the kingdom.

  Sadly I watch the downfall of this reign!

  Yin Jiao listened, and then asked once again,“Is anybody home?"

  “Who is that?”called a voice from inside.

  It was dark out by then, and neither of them could see clearly. “I'm just passing through on my way to visit a relative. As it's late now, I'm wondering if you would kindly permit me to stay here for the night. I'll be leaving very early

  tomorrow morning,”Yin Jiao explained politely.

  “Are you from Zhaoge? From your voice, I can tell you're a native of the capital.”

  “ Yes, I am."

  “Where do you live there, inside the city walls or beyond?”

  “In the city, sir."

  “Come on in, please. I've some questions for you.”

  When Yin Jiao walked in, he found much to his surprise that the old man speaking to him was none other than Shang Rong who, equally surprised, instantly knelt down before the

  crown prince.

  “Why do you come here,Your Highness? Excuse me for not going out to welcome you, as I had absolutely no idea that you were here. As crown prince, why is it that you're traveling

  alone? Something unfortunate must have happened in the capital. Please sit down and tell me all the details."

  Yin Jiao broke into tears and told Shang Rong all about King Zhou's cruelties.

  Shang Rong stamped his foot. “That damned tyrant is inhuman!" he cried. “He's already severed the sacred ties between husband and wife, father and son, and between himself and the ministers. Though I've retired from political life, I haven't stopped worrying about what takes place in the palace. Like a storm blowing up from nowhere, the palace has been thrown into chaos, the likes of which have never been seen before. Why did all the ministers keep their mouths shut when the king began to act in this fashion? Rest easy, Your Highness! I'll return to Zhaoge with you and directly petition His Majesty to abandon his course of misconduct and save the kingdom from doom.”

  Shang Rong then ordered his attendants to prepare wine and fine dishes for the prince, while he himself started on his petition to the king. He would deliver it as soon as he reached Zhaoge.

  On King Zhou's order, Generals Yin Pobai and Lei Kai took 3,000 mounted soldiers in pursuit of the princes, but because every one of them was either old or infirm, they were incapable of riding quickly and could only cover some thirty li per day. When they finally reached the triple fork in the road, Lei Kai said,“Brother! Let's select 100 stronger men from among this lot and divide them into two platoons. You take fifty of them in the direction of East Lu and I'll head south with the other half. The rest can all wait here. What do you think?"

  “This is certainly a very good idea. Otherwise, we can only expect to cover twenty or thirty li a day with this bunch of worn-out warriors."

  "If you catch up with them, bring them back here and wait for me. Likewise, I'll wait for you here if I succeed on my mission."

  “I'll do as you say,”Yin Pobai said.

  If you want to learn what happened to the two princes, please read the next chapter.