Now, the officials had seen Shang Rong dash himself to death, and King Zhou was in a towering rage; none of them had yet had time to say a word. Then the counsellor Zhao Qi, seeing white-haired Shang Rong die so unnatural a death and the order given to throw out his corpse besides, was filled with outrage. Before he knew it his eyes were glaring and his brows raised; unable to hold himself in any longer, he stepped out of the ranks with a great cry: “Your servant Zhao Qi dare not fail the former kings. Today, before this hall, I will repay my country with my death. To walk beneath the earth with Chancellor Shang will be enough for me!” He pointed at King Zhou and cursed him: “Benighted king without the Way! You cut down your First Chancellor and drive away the loyal and good, and the lords lose hope; you dote on Daji and trust slanderers and flatterers, and the altars of the state crumble. Let me count out the benighted king’s heaped-up crimes: the queen was wronged and cruelly put to death, and you made Daji queen on your own say-so; you hunted the crown prince to kill him, until no trace of him is left. A kingdom with no root and foundation will soon be a heap of ruins. Benighted king, benighted king! You put your wife to death without righteousness, kill your sons without love, govern the realm without the Way, kill great ministers without virtue, keep the wicked and the flatterers close without discernment, lust after wine and women without uprightness, set up the Three Bonds without wisdom and wreck the Five Constants without shame. Benighted king! Of the bonds of human relations and the Way and its Virtue you have not a scrap. You are a sovereign in name only, and you sit on the throne handed down to you for nothing. You disgrace Cheng Tang, and even death will not wipe out your shame!” King Zhou flew into a rage. Gnashing his teeth, he pounded the desk and roared, “How dare this churl insult his sovereign and curse his lord!” He gave the order: “Seize this traitor and burn him on the pillar, now!” Zhao Qi said, “My death is no great loss: I leave only loyalty and filial duty behind me among men. Not like you, benighted king, who will throw the realm away and leave a filthy name for ten thousand years!” King Zhou’s fury shot up to the Ox and the Dipper. The men on either side heated the burning pillar red-hot, stripped Zhao Qi of his cap and robes and wound iron chains about his body. He was seared until his sinews snapped and his skin was charred, and his bones turned to ash and flew up in smoke. Smoke drifted through the Nine-Bay Hall with the stench of a burning man, and the officials clamped their mouths shut, sick at heart. Only when he had watched this cruel torture was King Zhou’s heart content, and he gave the order to return to the palace. There is a poem to prove it. It says:

Once again a great minister had been burned on the pillar in the Nine-Bay Hall, and the officials quaked to their galls, their souls flying from their bodies. But no more of that.

Meanwhile King Zhou went back to the palace, and Daji came out to receive him. King Zhou took her by the hand, and they sat side by side on the dragon seat. The king said, “Today Shang Rong dashed himself to death and Zhao Qi was burned on the pillar, and We were insulted and reviled beyond bearing by those two churls. Even a torture as cruel as this, and still the officials are not afraid. We shall have to think up some new and remarkable method to deal with these stubborn fellows.” Daji replied, “Allow your handmaid to think about it.” The king said, “My beauty, your high place is settled now, and none of the officials at court will dare object. What worries Us is Jiang Huanchu, Lord of the East. When he learns of his daughter’s cruel death, he will lead his troops in revolt, draw in the other lords and fight his way to Zhaoge — and Wen Zhong is not yet back from the North Sea. What is to be done?” Daji said, “Your handmaid is only a woman, and what I have seen and heard is little. I hope Your Majesty will send for Fei Zhong at once to discuss it. He is sure to have some brilliant scheme to keep the realm at peace.” “My royal wife is right,” said the king, and at once he gave the order: “Summon Fei Zhong.” Before long Fei Zhong came to the palace and paid his respects. King Zhou said, “Queen Jiang is dead, and We fear that when Jiang Huanchu hears of it, he will lead his troops in revolt and there will be no peace in the east. Minister, what plan have you to keep the realm at peace?” Fei Zhong knelt and said, “Queen Jiang is dead and the princes are lost as well; Shang Rong has dashed himself to death and Zhao Qi has been burned on the pillar; the officials, civil and military, all have their grievances. I fear only that word will leak out from within and stir Jiang Huanchu to bring his troops, and then there is sure to be disaster and disorder. Your Majesty would do better to send out four decrees in secret and lure the four great lords into the capital, then cut off their heads and hang them up as a warning to all — cut the grass and pull up the roots. Once the eight hundred lords know the four ministers are dead, they will be like a dragon that has lost its head, a fierce tiger without its teeth: they will never dare run wild. Then the realm can be kept safe and at peace. What is Your Majesty’s royal will?” King Zhou was delighted. “Minister, you are truly a genius without equal in the world. You do have a plan to keep the realm secure — you have lived up to Queen Su’s recommendation.” Fei Zhong withdrew from the palace, and King Zhou secretly sent out four decrees. He picked four royal messengers to go in four directions and summon Jiang Huanchu, E Chongyu, Ji Chang and Chong Houhu. But no more of that.

Now, one of these officials made straight for Xiqi. All along the road the dust rolled and the fragrant grasses looked forlorn; he crossed provinces and passed prefectures, by inns and villages — truly, mornings found him on the purple lanes, evenings in the red dust. Before many days had passed, he came seventy li beyond Mount Qi and entered the capital. The royal messenger took in the sights of the city. The people were well off and goods were plentiful, and the markets were peaceful and unhurried; buyers and sellers dealt with friendly faces and pleasant looks, and those coming and going on the roads gave way to one another, the humble deferring to the honoured. The royal messenger sighed. “I had heard that Lord Ji was humane and virtuous, and sure enough, everything here is peaceful and harmonious — truly an age of Yao and Shun.” The royal messenger dismounted at the Jinting Guesthouse. The next day Ji Chang, Lord of the West, held court in his hall and gathered his officials, civil and military, to discuss the way of governing the state and bringing peace to the people. The officer of the Duan Gate announced: “A royal decree!” Lord Ji led his officials out to receive the Son of Heaven’s decree. The royal messenger came into the hall, and they knelt to hear it read out:

“The decree reads: The North Sea runs wild in revolt, given over to violence and folly; the common folk are ground into the mud and ashes, and Our officials, civil and military, know not what to do. We are deeply troubled. Within, We lack ministers to support Us; without, We lack allies to act with Us. We therefore especially summon you, the four great lords, to court, to aid together in the government of the realm and put down the disorder. On the day this decree arrives, you, Ji Chang, Lord of the West, are to hasten to the capital to ease Our anxious longing. Do not linger and keep Us waiting and watching for you. When the work is done, you shall be raised in rank and given new honours, and your fief shall be greatly enlarged. Receive this command with reverence; We do not go back on Our word. Be reverent! By special decree.”

When Ji Chang had bowed to the decree, he gave a banquet for the royal envoy. The next day he made ready gifts of gold and silver and silk and presented them to the envoy. “My lord envoy,” said Ji Chang, “we shall all meet in Zhaoge. As soon as I have put things in order, I’ll be on my way.” The royal messenger thanked Ji Chang and went off. But no more of that.

That day the Lord of the West took to the road. He travelled more than seventy li and passed Mount Qi. On he went, stopping at night and setting off at dawn, for many a day. One day he came to Mount Yan. Lord Ji said from the saddle, “Tell the men to look ahead for a village or a thick wood where we can shelter from the rain. A great rain is bound to come any moment now.” His followers were just saying among themselves, “The sky is clear and bright, there isn’t a cloud anywhere, and the red sun is blazing. Where is rain going to come from…?” Before they had finished speaking, clouds and mist sprang up all together. Ji Chang whipped up his horse and called to them to get into the wood quickly and shelter from the rain. The men had barely got in among the trees, and this is what they saw — what a rain it was:

Now, Ji Chang sheltered from the rain in the wood. The rain came down in torrents, as if poured from tipped basins, and kept on for an hour. Lord Ji told his men, “Look out — the thunder is coming!” His followers passed it among themselves: “His lordship says the thunder’s coming — look out!” The words were hardly out of their mouths when there was a resounding crash. Thunderbolt upon thunderbolt shook the mountains and rivers and the great earth, enough to bring lofty Mount Hua toppling down. The men turned pale with terror and huddled close together. In a little while the clouds scattered and the rain stopped, the sun stood high in the sky, and only then did the men come out of the wood. Ji Chang, soaked to the skin on his horse, sighed, “After the thunder comes the light: a general’s star9 has appeared. You there — find me the general’s star!” The men couldn’t stop sniggering. “Who’s this general’s star? Where are we supposed to look for it?” But they dared not disobey, and they had to search high and low. While they were searching, they heard, beside an old tomb, a sound like a child crying. They went up to look, and it was indeed a child. “An old tomb like this — how could there be a baby here?” said the men. “There’s something uncanny about it. It must be the general’s star. What if we carry the baby to His Highness and let him see it?” So the men carried the child over and handed it to Lord Ji. Lord Ji saw what a fine child it was: a face like a peach blossom, and eyes full of light. Ji Chang was overjoyed and thought, “I am due to have a hundred sons, and now I have only ninety-nine. By the reckoning I made just now, I was due to find this child: he makes up the omen of a hundred sons exactly. A happy thing indeed!” He ordered his attendants, “Take this child to the next village and have him cared for, for the time being. When I come back in seven years, I’ll take him to Xiqi. In time to come this boy will be greatly blessed.” Ji Chang gave his horse its head and rode on, climbing hills and crossing ridges, until he was past Mount Yan. He had gone no more than ten or twenty li further when he saw a Daoist, fine and graceful in bearing, with rare features and an uncommon air of the Way about him. He wore a loose robe with wide sleeves, and he looked as if he floated free of the world. Coming up before the horse, the Daoist made a Daoist salute and said, “My lord, this poor Daoist salutes you.” Ji Chang hastily dismounted and returned the salute. “Forgive this unworthy Ji Chang his discourtesy. May I ask, Daoist, what brings you here? From which famous mountain, from what grotto do you come? And what have you to tell this unworthy one, now that you see me? I would gladly hear it all.” The Daoist answered, “This poor Daoist is Yunzhongzi, a qi-refiner of the Jade Pillar Cave on Mount Zhongnan. Just now, as the rain passed and the thunder rolled, a general’s star appeared. I came a thousand li without a second thought, seeking the general’s star, and now that I behold your noble face, I am fortunate indeed.” When Ji Chang heard this, he ordered his attendants to bring the child and give it to the Daoist. The Daoist took him and looked at him. “General’s star, so you’ve only now appeared!” “Worthy lord,” said Yunzhongzi, “this poor Daoist would like to take the child up Mount Zhongnan now, as my disciple. On the day you come home, worthy lord, I will give him back to you. What does the worthy lord think?” “By all means take him, Daoist,” said Ji Chang. “Only, when we meet again in years to come, by what name shall I know him?” The Daoist said, “He showed himself after the thunder. When you meet again, let his name be Leizhen — ‘Thunderclap’.” “This unworthy one will remember it,” said Ji Chang. “Farewell.” Yunzhongzi took Leizhenzi10 in his arms and went back to Mount Zhongnan. — As for their meeting again: seven years later, when Lord Ji is in peril, Leizhenzi will come down the mountain and they will meet once more. But that is a story for later. No more of that.

Now the three lords, who had not met for a long time, had the table laid afresh, and the three of them drank together. Toward the second watch, one of the guesthouse servants, watching the three great ministers drink, nodded and sighed, “Your Highnesses, Your Highnesses! Tonight you pass the cups and drink in merry company — tomorrow, I fear, your bright red blood will stain the marketplace13!” It was late and the night was still, and the words carried very clearly. Ji Chang heard them plainly. “Who said that?” he asked. “Bring him here.” The servants waiting on them with the wine had all been standing on either side; they had no choice but to come over, and they all knelt down together. Lord Ji asked, “Which of you just said, ‘Tonight you pass the cups and drink in merry company — tomorrow your bright red blood will stain the marketplace’?” “No one said anything of the kind,” they answered. And indeed, Lords Jiang and E had not heard it either. Lord Ji said, “Every word was clear. How can you say no one said it?” He called his household guards in: “Take them out and behead the lot of them!” When the guesthouse servants heard that — who would give his life in another man’s place? — they had no choice but to push the man out from among them. They all cried, “Your Highness, it’s nothing to do with us! It was Yao Fu who said it, out of his own mouth.” Hearing this, Lord Ji called out, “Stop.” The others got up and went away, and he called Yao Fu over and asked him, “Why did you say those words? Tell the truth and you’ll be rewarded; lie, and you’ll be punished.” Yao Fu said, “‘Trouble comes only from talking too much,’ as they say. Your Highness, this is a secret matter. I belong to the household of one of the royal messengers. Because Queen Jiang died wrongfully in the Western Palace and the two princes were carried off by a great wind, the Son of Heaven, listening to Her Majesty Daji, has sent out a secret command: the four great ministers are to be summoned to the morning audience tomorrow and beheaded, every one of them, without telling black from white. Tonight I couldn’t bear it, and the words slipped out before I knew it.” When Jiang Huanchu heard this, he asked at once, “How did Her Majesty Queen Jiang come to die wrongfully in the Western Palace?” Yao Fu had already let it out and could not hold back his words, so he had to tell the story from the beginning: “King Zhou, without the Way, killed his sons and put his wife to death, and made Daji queen himself…” — and so he told it all in detail. Queen Jiang was Huanchu’s daughter: his daughter dead, how could his heart not ache? It was as though his body were hacked to pieces with knives and his mind fried in oil. He gave a great cry and fell to the ground. Ji Chang had him helped up. Huanchu wept bitterly. “My child — her eye gouged out, both her hands seared! From ancient times till now, when was there ever such a thing?” Lord Ji consoled him: “The queen was wronged and the princes have vanished without a trace, and the dead cannot come back to life. Tonight let each of us draw up a memorial. Tomorrow morning, when we see the king, we will brave his displeasure and remonstrate with all our might. We must have the truth made plain and set the bonds of human relations right.” Huanchu said through his tears, “This misfortune belongs to the house of Jiang. How could I dare trouble you, my worthy lords, to speak up? I, Jiang Huanchu, will face the king alone and make the injustice plain.” Ji Chang said, “Worthy lord, you write your own memorial, and the three of us will each write ours.” Jiang Huanchu, tears pouring down in a thousand streams, spent the whole night writing his memorial. But no more of that.

Our story turns to the treacherous minister Fei Zhong. He knew that the four great ministers were staying at the guesthouse, and he slipped into a side hall to see King Zhou and told him that the four lords had all arrived. King Zhou was delighted. — “Tomorrow, when Your Majesty comes to the hall, the four lords are sure to present memorials to remonstrate with you. Your servant would suggest to Your Majesty: tomorrow, the moment the four lords present their memorials, Your Majesty need not read them. Without telling black from white, give the order to take them out through the Meridian Gate, cut off their heads and hang them up for all to see. That is the best plan.” “Excellent advice, minister,” said the king. Fei Zhong took his leave of the king and went home, and the night passed. The next day the king came to the hall for the morning audience, and the officials, civil and military, gathered in their two ranks. The officer of the Meridian Gate announced to His Majesty: “The four great lords await your command.” “Summon them,” said the king. The four lords heard the summons and came at once before the hall. When Jiang Huanchu, Lord of the East, and the others had held their ivory tablets high, made their obeisance and declared themselves his subjects, Jiang Huanchu presented his memorial, and the Second Chancellor Bi Gan took it. King Zhou said, “Jiang Huanchu, do you know your crime?” Jiang Huanchu replied, “Your servant guards Eastern Lu and keeps strict order on the frontier. I uphold the law and serve the common good, and I have done my whole duty as a subject. What crime is there for me to know of? Your Majesty heeds slander and dotes on beauty. You gave no thought to your first wife but put her to cruel torture; you would kill your sons and destroy the bonds of kin, cutting off your own line. You trust a demon consort, with her secret plots and her jealousy; you heed flattering ministers and burn the loyal and good on the pillar. Your servant received great kindness from the former kings, and now that I behold Your Majesty’s face, I do not shrink from the axe but speak out plainly, though it offends. Truly it is my sovereign who has failed his humble servant, not I who have failed my sovereign. I beg you to take pity and make the injustice plain. The living would count themselves most fortunate, and so would the dead!” King Zhou flew into a rage and cursed him: “You old traitor! You ordered your daughter to murder her king and had the heart to seize the throne — your crimes are piled as high as a mountain. And now you dress up your words and argue back, hoping to slip through the net!” He ordered his guards: “Take him out through the Meridian Gate and hack his body to mincemeat14, to uphold the law of the land!” The guards with the golden melons stripped Jiang Huanchu of his cap and robes and trussed him up with ropes and cords. Jiang Huanchu cursed without stopping. Without being allowed another word, he was pushed out through the Meridian Gate. Then Ji Chang, Lord of the West, E Chongyu, Lord of the South, and Chong Houhu, Lord of the North, stepped out of the ranks and spoke as his subjects: “Your Majesty, your servants all have memorials. Jiang Huanchu serves the realm with a true heart, and there is nothing to the charge that he plotted to usurp the throne. We beg Your Majesty to look into it closely.” King Zhou had made up his mind to kill the four great lords, and he laid the memorials of Ji Chang and the others on the royal desk. Would Ji Chang and the others live or die? To learn what happened next, read the next chapter.