第三十回第三十回Chapter Thirty

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周紀激反武成王

周纪激反武成王

Chapter Thirty · Investiture of the Gods

Zhou Ji goads Prince Wucheng into revolt

A line drawing in the manner of a late-Qing lithographed edition: before a palace gate tower, a king on a rearing white horse swings a broad sabre high over his head, a helmeted general on another horse charges in with a battle-axe raised behind his shoulder, and a long-bearded marshal in a tall cap sits quietly on a heavy horned ox behind them with his head lowered, five long locks of his beard hanging over his armour.

詩曰:

君戲臣妻自不良,綱常污衊枉成王。只知蘇后妖言惑,不信黃妃直諫匡。

诗曰:

君戏臣妻自不良,纲常污蔑枉成王。只知苏后妖言惑,不信黄妃直谏匡。

A poem says:

The ruler toys with his subject’s wife — the wickedness is all his own;he sullies the bonds and the constants and wrongs Prince Wucheng.He heeds only Queen Su, beguiled by her bewitching words,and will not trust Consort Huang’s plain remonstrance to set him right.

烈婦清貞成個是,昏君愚昧落場殃。今朝逼反擎天柱,穩助周家世世昌。

烈妇清贞成个是,昏君愚昧落场殃。今朝逼反擎天柱,稳助周家世世昌。

The steadfast wife, pure and chaste, does what is right;the benighted king, blind in his folly, comes to calamity.This day he drives to revolt the pillar that holds up the sky,and surely helps the house of Zhou to prosper age after age.

話說姚中上摘星樓見駕畢,紂王曰:「卿有何奏章?」姚中曰:「西伯姬昌已死,姬發自立為武王,頒行四方,諸侯歸心者甚多,將來為禍不小。臣因見邊報,甚是恐懼。陛下當速興師問罪,以正國法;若怠緩不行,則其中觀望者皆效尤耳。」紂王曰:「料姬發一黃口稚子,有何能為之事?」姚中奏曰:「發雖年幼,姜尚多謀,南宮适、散宜生之輩,謀勇俱全,不可不預為防。」紂王曰:「卿之言雖有理,料姜尚不過一術士,有何作為!」遂不聽。姚中知紂王意在不行,隨下殿歎曰:「滅商者必姬發矣!」這且不表。

话说姚中上摘星楼见驾毕,纣王曰:「卿有何奏章?」姚中曰:「西伯姬昌已死,姬发自立为武王,颁行四方,诸侯归心者甚多,将来为祸不小。臣因见边报,甚是恐惧。陛下当速兴师问罪,以正国法;若怠缓不行,则其中观望者皆效尤耳。」纣王曰:「料姬发一黄口稚子,有何能为之事?」姚中奏曰:「发虽年幼,姜尚多谋,南宫适、散宜生之辈,谋勇俱全,不可不预为防。」纣王曰:「卿之言虽有理,料姜尚不过一术士,有何作为!」遂不听。姚中知纣王意在不行,随下殿叹曰:「灭商者必姬发矣!」这且不表。

Now, when Yao Zhong had gone up the Star-Plucking Tower and paid his respects to the king, King Zhou said, “What memorial have you brought, minister?” Yao Zhong said, “Ji Chang, the Lord of the West, is dead, and Ji Fa has set himself up as King Wu and proclaimed it in all four quarters. A great many of the lords have given him their hearts; in time to come he will be no small danger. Your servant has seen the dispatches from the border, and they fill me with dread. Your Majesty should raise an army at once and call him to account, to uphold the law of the land. If you are slow and do nothing, all those who are waiting to see which way the wind blows will follow his bad example.” King Zhou said, “Ji Fa, We should think, is a yellow-beaked child. What can he do?” Yao Zhong said, “Fa may be young, but Jiang Shang is full of schemes, and men like Nangong Kuo and San Yisheng have both wisdom and courage. We cannot fail to guard against them in good time.” King Zhou said, “There is reason in what you say, minister. But Jiang Shang, We should think, is nothing but a diviner. What can he accomplish?” And he would not listen. Yao Zhong knew that King Zhou had no mind to act. As he went down from the hall he sighed, “It will be Ji Fa who destroys the Shang!” But no more of that.

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