Now, Chao Tian and Chao Lei brought Jiang Huan under guard to the Western Palace and made him kneel. “Your Majesty,” said Consort Huang, “here is your enemy.” Queen Jiang, wrongfully tortured and cruelly trapped, opened her one eye and cursed him: “You villain! Who bribed you to trap me? How dare you falsely accuse me of plotting to murder the king! August Heaven and Sovereign Earth will not protect you either!” Jiang Huan said, “Your Majesty set me to it — how would I dare disobey your command? There’s no need for Your Majesty to deny it: this is the truth.” Consort Huang was furious. “Jiang Huan, you churl! You see Queen Jiang suffer such cruel torture and go to her death though she is innocent — August Heaven and Sovereign Earth! Heaven will surely kill you!”

We will say no more of Consort Huang’s questioning. Our story turns to Yin Jiao, crown prince of the Eastern Palace, and his younger brother, the second prince Yin Hong, who had nothing to do and were playing a game of Go in the Eastern Palace. Then Yang Rong, the eunuch in charge of the Eastern Palace, came in to report: “Your Highness, there is trouble — terrible trouble!” Yin Jiao, the crown prince, was only fourteen at the time, and the second prince, Yin Hong, only twelve. Young as they were and still fond of their games, they paid no attention. Yang Rong spoke again: “Your Highness, stop your game! Disaster has broken out in the palace — our house will perish and the kingdom be ruined!” “What has happened,” the prince asked hastily, “that disaster has come to the palace?” With tears in his eyes Yang Rong said, “Your Highness: someone — no one knows who — has trapped Her Majesty the queen. The Son of Heaven in his rage has sent her to the Western Palace, gouged out one of her eyes and seared both her hands, and now she is being confronted with the assassin. Your Highness, please, hurry and save her!” Yin Jiao gave a great cry, and with his brother he left the Eastern Palace and went straight into the Western Palace. Once inside, they hurried to the front of the hall. When the crown prince saw his mother covered in blood from head to foot, her hands charred, with a stench past bearing, his heart ached and his flesh shook. He went up to her and threw himself down over Queen Jiang, and kneeling, he wept: “Your Majesty, what did you do to suffer such cruel torture? Mother, even if you had done some great wrong, you are the rightful queen of the Central Palace — how could they torture you so lightly?” Queen Jiang heard her son’s voice and opened her one eye. Mother saw son, and she gave a great cry: “My son! See how they have gouged out my eye and seared my hands — a torture worse than death. This Jiang Huan framed me for treason, and Daji’s slanders maimed my hands and my eye. You must bring your mother’s wrong to light and wash away her grief — then my raising you will not have been in vain!” With that she cried out, “Oh, the pain is killing me!” and with a sob she breathed her last.

When Yin Jiao, the crown prince, saw that his mother had died in her agony, and saw Jiang Huan kneeling to one side, he asked Consort Huang, “Which one is Jiang Huan?” Consort Huang pointed at Jiang Huan. “This villain kneeling here is your mother’s enemy.” The prince flew into a rage. He saw a sword hanging over the gate of the Western Palace, and he took it in his hand: “You treacherous villain! You set out to murder the king against all conscience, and you dare to trap the mother of the realm!” With one stroke he cut Jiang Huan in two, and blood spattered the floor. “First I’ll kill Daji, to avenge my mother!” the crown prince shouted, and sword in hand he ran out of the palace as if he had wings on his feet. When Chao Tian and Chao Lei saw the prince coming at them with a sword, they thought he meant to kill them; not knowing why, they turned and ran off to the Shouxian Palace. When Consort Huang saw the prince kill Jiang Huan and run out of the palace with the sword, she was badly alarmed. “That boy will be the death of me — he has no idea how things stand!” She called to Yin Hong: “Quick, run and bring your brother back! Tell him I have something to say to him!” Yin Hong did as he was told. He ran out of the palace after him, calling, “Brother! Consort Huang says to come back — she has something to tell you!” Hearing this, Yin Jiao came back into the palace. Consort Huang said, “Your Highness, you are far too hot-headed. Now you have killed Jiang Huan, and the dead can’t testify. You should have waited for me to sear his hands with the bronze pan as well, or put him to hard torture; he would have confessed of his own accord, we would know who was behind it, and I could have reported to the king. And then you ran out of the palace with a sword to go and kill Daji! I’m afraid that when Chao Tian and Chao Lei get to the Shouxian Palace and see that benighted king, the trouble will be no small thing!” When Consort Huang had finished, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong were sorry, but it was too late.

Chao Tian and Chao Lei ran to the palace gate and sent word inside in a panic: “The two princes are coming after us with a sword!” When King Zhou heard this report, he flew into a rage. “The rebellious son! Queen Jiang plotted treason and murder and has not yet paid for it under the law, and now this rebel son dares bring a sword into the palace to murder his father! They are a rebel brood, all of them, and must not be left alive. Chao Tian and Chao Lei, take the Dragon-and-Phoenix Sword1 and bring Us the heads of the two rebel sons, to uphold the law of the land!” Chao Tian and Chao Lei took the sword and left the palace, and were soon at the Western Palace. A chamberlain of the Western Palace came to warn Consort Huang: “The Son of Heaven has ordered Chao Tian and Chao Lei to bring a sword and put the princes to death.” Consort Huang hurried to the palace gate, and there were Chao Tian and his brother, coming toward her with the Son of Heaven’s Dragon-and-Phoenix Sword held up before them. “Why have you two come to my Western Palace again?” asked Consort Huang. Chao Tian and his brother said to her, “Your servants Chao Tian and Chao Lei are under His Majesty’s orders to take the heads of the two princes and punish them for the crime of trying to murder their father.” Consort Huang gave a great shout. “You churls! Just now the crown prince chased you out of the Western Palace — so why aren’t you looking for him in the Eastern Palace? Why come looking for him in my Western Palace? I know what you’re about, you churls: trading on the Son of Heaven’s command to roam all over the inner courts and make free with the palace ladies. You churls, cheating your king and deceiving your betters — if you didn’t bear the Son of Heaven’s sword and his command, I’d have your donkey heads off this minute! Now get out!” Chao Tian and his brother were frightened out of their wits. Mumbling “Yes, yes,” they backed away without daring to look up, and made straight for the Eastern Palace.

Consort Huang hurried back inside and called the two brothers to her at once. Weeping, Consort Huang said, “The benighted king is killing his sons and has put his wife to death, and my Western Palace can’t save you. Go to Consort Yang at the Xinqing Palace; you can hide there for a day or two. If some of the great ministers remonstrate and plead for you, you may yet be safe.” The two princes knelt side by side. “My lady,” they said, “when can we ever repay this kindness? Only, our mother is dead, and her body lies out in the open. We beg you, my lady, open a heart as wide as heaven and earth: remember how wrongfully our mother died, and ask for a few boards to cover her body. That kindness would be as high as heaven and as deep as the earth; we would never dare forget it!” “Go at once,” said Consort Huang. “Leave all this to me. When I report to the king, I’ll know what to do.”

The two princes went out of the palace gate and straight to the Xinqing Palace, where they found Consort Yang leaning against her palace gate, waiting for news of Queen Jiang. The two princes went up to her and fell weeping to the ground. Consort Yang was alarmed. “Your Highnesses,” she asked, “what has happened to Her Majesty?” In tears, Yin Jiao poured out the story: “Father believed what Daji told him. Someone — we don’t know who — bribed Jiang Huan to make up a false charge against Mother, and they gouged out one of her eyes and seared both her hands, and she has died a cruel death. Now he has listened to Daji’s slanders again and wants to kill the two of us. Aunt, please save our lives!” When Consort Yang heard this, tears streamed down her face. Sobbing, she said, “Your Highnesses, come inside, quickly!” The two princes went in. Consort Yang thought: “When Chao Tian and Chao Lei don’t find the crown prince at the Eastern Palace, they are sure to come here looking for him. Let me send those two packing first; then I’ll decide what to do.” Consort Yang took her stand at the palace gate, and soon she saw Chao Tian and his brother come rushing up like wolves and tigers. “Call the palace officers,” Consort Yang commanded, “and seize these men for me! These are the deep inner chambers of the palace. How dare officials of the outer court come here? By law their whole clan should be wiped out!” At this Chao Tian stepped forward and said, “A thousand years to my lady! Your servants are Chao Tian and Chao Lei, under the Son of Heaven’s orders to find the two princes. We bear the Dragon-and-Phoenix Sword, so your servants dare not make their bows.” Consort Yang shouted at them, “The princes are in the Eastern Palace — what are you doing at the Xinqing Palace? If you weren’t here on the Son of Heaven’s orders, I’d have you arrested and questioned, you traitors. Now get out of here, quickly!” Chao Tian dared not answer back and had no choice but to withdraw. The brothers talked it over: “What are we to do now?” Chao Lei said, “They’re not in any of the three palaces, and we don’t know our way about the inner court — we don’t know the paths. Let’s go back to the Shouxian Palace and report to the Son of Heaven.” So the two of them went back. But no more of that.

Now Consort Yang went back inside, and the two princes came to her. Consort Yang said, “This is no place for you two brothers to stay; there are too many eyes here. The king is benighted and his ministers are in the dark; he kills his sons and puts his wife to death, overturning the bonds and the constants, and every human tie is destroyed. Go to the Nine-Bay Hall, Your Highnesses — the officials of the whole court have not yet dispersed. Go and see your royal uncles, Weizi, Jizi, Bi Gan, Weizi Qi and Weizi Yan, and Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng. Then, even if your father means to do you harm, there will be great ministers to protect you.” When the two princes had heard her, they knocked their heads on the ground and thanked their aunt for showing them how to save their lives, then took their leave in tears. Consort Yang saw the two princes out of the palace. Then she sat down on an embroidered stool and sighed as she thought to herself: “Queen Jiang was his first wife, and when treacherous ministers framed her, she suffered that monstrous punishment — what hope is there for a lesser consort? Now Daji, sure of his favour, has the benighted king bewitched. If anyone lets it out that the two princes were let go from my palace, the blame will fall on me, and I’ll go the same way — how could I bear such cruel torture? Besides, I have served the benighted king for many years and borne him neither son nor daughter. The crown prince is his very own son, and if the bond between father and son, which nature made, comes to no more than this, the Three Bonds are broken already, and disaster and chaos are sure to come before long. There can be no good end for me now.” Consort Yang brooded for a long while, forlorn and full of grief. Then she shut the doors of her inner chamber and hanged herself. A palace officer took the news to the Shouxian Palace. When King Zhou heard that Consort Yang had hanged herself, he could not think why. He sent down a command: “Put her in a coffin and lay it in the White Tiger Hall.”

Now Chao Tian and Chao Lei came to the Shouxian Palace, where Consort Huang had just arrived in her carriage to report to the king. “Is Queen Jiang dead?” asked King Zhou. Consort Huang said, “As she was dying, Queen Jiang cried out several times: ‘For sixteen years I have served His Majesty. I bore him two sons, and one was made heir in the Eastern Palace. Ever since I took up my humble place in the palace I have been careful and cautious, never slack, morning or night, and never jealous of those beneath me. Someone — I know not who — envied me, and bought the assassin Jiang Huan to fix on me the crime of the most heinous treason. I have suffered this cruel torture: my ten fingers charred, my sinews crumbled and my bones crushed. The sons I bore are like drifting clouds, our love has gone with the flowing water, and I die worse than a bird or a beast. There is no door through which this wrong can be cleared; I can only leave it to the world and to ages to come, who will judge it fairly.’ She begged me earnestly to bring this to Your Majesty’s ears. When she had said this, Queen Jiang died, and her body lies in the Western Palace. I hope Your Majesty will remember the love owed to your first wife, who bore you a crown prince, and grant her a coffin to be laid in the White Tiger Hall, so that the rites may be observed. Then the officials, civil and military, will have nothing to say against it, and Your Majesty’s virtue will not suffer.” King Zhou sent down his command: “Granted.” Consort Huang went back to her palace. Then Chao Tian came to report, and King Zhou asked, “Where is the crown prince?” Chao Tian and his brother said, “We searched the Eastern Palace, but there is no trace of the princes.” “Could they be in the Western Palace, then?” said the king. “Not in the Western Palace,” Chao Tian replied, “and not in the Xinqing Palace either.” King Zhou said, “If they aren’t in the three palaces, they must be in the great hall. They must be caught and dealt with by the law of the land.” Chao Tian took the command and left the palace. But no more of that.

Meanwhile the two princes made their way to the audience hall. The two ranks of officials, civil and military, had not yet left the court; they were waiting for news from the palace. Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng, heard the sound of frantic, hurrying footsteps. He looked toward the peacock screen and saw the two princes, flustered and confused, trembling with fear. Huang Feihu went to meet them. “Your Highnesses, why are you in such a state?” When Yin Jiao saw Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng, he cried out, “General Huang, save our lives!” With that he burst into sobs. He seized Huang Feihu by the robe and stamped his feet. “Father believed what Daji told him. Without telling black from white, he had one of my mother’s eyes gouged out and a bronze pan heated red-hot to sear her hands, and she has died in the Western Palace. Consort Huang questioned her, and there was not a grain of truth in the charge. When I saw the mother who bore me suffering such cruel torture, with Jiang Huan kneeling there before her to testify against her, I was beside myself, and without stopping to think I killed Jiang Huan. Then I took up the sword again, meaning to kill Daji. But Chao Tian went and reported it to Father, and Father has sentenced the two of us to death. Royal uncles, I beg you, pity my mother, who died so wrongfully, and save me, Yin Jiao, so that the line of Cheng Tang is not cut off!” When he had finished, the two princes wept aloud. The officials of both ranks came forward together with tears in their eyes: “The mother of the realm has been falsely accused — how can we sit by and watch? Let us ring the bells and beat the drums and ask the Son of Heaven to come to the hall, and lay the matter plainly before him. Then perhaps the guilty may be found, and the queen cleared of this wrong.”

Before they had finished speaking, a shout rang out from the west end of the hall like a thunderclap out of the sky: “The Son of Heaven misrules! He kills his sons and puts his wife to death, builds the burning pillar, shuts out the loyal and good and does every wicked thing he pleases. And we grown men, who can neither clear the queen’s name nor take revenge for the crown prince, stand here in tears, wailing like women and children! The ancients said, ‘A good bird chooses its tree2 before it roosts; a worthy minister chooses his lord before he serves.’ Now the Son of Heaven is without the Way: the Three Bonds are broken and the great principles violated. I fear he is not fit to be lord of the realm, and we are ashamed to be his ministers. We had better rebel and leave Zhaoge, choose a new sovereign, be rid of this lord who is without the Way and keep the altars of the state safe!” Everyone turned to look: it was the two brothers Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, the Grand Generals Guarding the Hall3. At this Huang Feihu gave a great shout: “How high is your rank, that you dare talk such wild nonsense? With all the great ministers in this court, is it your place to speak? By rights I should arrest you, rebels and traitors that you are. Now get back!” Fang Bi and his brother hung their heads and mumbled “Yes, yes,” not daring to answer back.

Huang Feihu saw that the government of the realm was turned upside down and that ill omens appeared one after another. He knew that Heaven’s will and the hearts of men alike showed signs of coming turmoil and division, and he was sunk in gloom, sighing without a word. He saw, too, that Their Highnesses Weizi, Bi Gan, Jizi and the rest, and all the officials of the court, were every one of them grinding their teeth and heaving long sighs, and that no one had any plan. Then an official in a robe of bright red, a jewelled belt at his waist, stepped up and spoke to Their Highnesses: “What has happened today is just what Yunzhongzi of Mount Zhongnan4 foretold. As the ancients said, ‘When the ruler is not upright, his ministers turn treacherous.’ The Son of Heaven wrongly beheaded the Grand Preceptor Du Yuanxian5 and devised the burning pillar to destroy Mei Bo, who remonstrated with him, and now today comes this strange thing. His Majesty cannot tell the innocent from the guilty: he kills his sons and puts his wife to death. When I think of it — the treacherous minister who laid the plot and the villain who carried it out are standing by and laughing up their sleeves. Alas for the altars of Cheng Tang, turned in a day to a heap of ruins! It will not be long before the likes of us are carried off as captives by others.” The speaker was the Senior Counsellor Yang Ren. Huang Feihu sighed long and deeply. “What you say is right, counsellor!” The officials stood silent. The two princes went on weeping and could not stop.

Then Fang Bi and Fang Xiang pushed their way through the crowd. Fang Bi tucked Yin Jiao under his arm and Fang Xiang tucked Yin Hong under his, and they shouted at the top of their voices, “King Zhou is wicked! By killing his sons he leaves the ancestral temple with no one to carry on its sacrifices; by putting his wife to death he wrecks the bonds and the constants. Today we will take the two princes to Eastern Lu to borrow troops, get rid of the benighted king and set an heir of Cheng Tang on the throne. We rebel!” With the princes on their backs, the two of them went straight out of the south gate of Zhaoge — the pair of them were enormously strong, it seems, and who knows how many officials they knocked over on their way; who could have stood against them! There is a poem by a later writer to prove it. It says:

Now, when the officials, civil and military, saw that Fang Bi and Fang Xiang6 had rebelled, they turned pale with alarm. Huang Feihu alone acted as though he knew nothing about it. The Second Chancellor, Bi Gan, came up to him. “Lord Huang, Fang Bi has rebelled. Why are you the only one with nothing to say?” Huang Feihu answered, “It’s a pity that among all the officials, civil and military, there isn’t one to match those two. Fang Bi is a great lumbering oaf, yet even he could not bear to see the mother of the realm wronged and the crown prince put to death for nothing. Knowing he was too lowly to dare remonstrate, he carried the two princes off on his back. If a royal command sends men after them and brings them back, the princes will die without a doubt, and the loyal and good will all be slaughtered. They knew full well that this meant death with no hope of life, but the loyalty and righteousness that filled their hearts drove them to commit this crime; and yet what they did deserves our pity.” Before the officials could answer, there came the sound of running feet from the rear hall. As they turned to look, Chao Tian and his brother came to the front of the hall with the sword held up before them. “My lords,” they said, “have the two princes come to the Nine-Bay Hall?” Huang Feihu said, “The two princes came to the hall just now and poured out their grievance in tears: the mother of the realm was wrongly tortured and put to death, and now the crown prince is to be sentenced to death as well. The Grand Generals Guarding the Hall, Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, heard it, and in their outrage at this deep wrong they carried off the two princes on their backs and rebelled and broke out of the capital. They can’t have gone far yet. Since you are under the Son of Heaven’s orders, go after them quickly and bring them back to be dealt with by the law of the land.” When Chao Tian and Chao Lei heard that it was Fang Bi and his brother who had rebelled, they were frightened out of their wits. Now, this Fang Bi stood thirty-six feet tall, and Fang Xiang thirty-four. How would Chao Tian and his brother dare provoke them? They could not have taken a single punch. Chao Tian thought to himself, “Huang Feihu is plainly out to make trouble for me. Well, I know what to do.” Aloud he said, “Since Fang Bi has rebelled and taken the two princes out of the capital, this humble officer will go into the palace and report.”

Chao Tian came to the Shouxian Palace and saw King Zhou. “As commanded,” he reported, “your servant went to the Nine-Bay Hall. The officials had not dispersed, but the two princes were not to be found. I only heard the officials say that the two princes had come before them in tears, pouring out their grievance, and that the Generals Guarding the Hall, Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, have taken them, rebelled and broken out of the capital, and gone to Eastern Lu to borrow troops. I await Your Majesty’s decision.” King Zhou flew into a rage. “Fang Bi has rebelled? Go after him at once and bring him back! No carelessness, and no letting anyone slip through the law!” Chao Tian said, “Fang Bi is enormously strong and fierce; how could your servant catch him? If Fang Bi and his brother are to be caught, Your Majesty must send down a decree in your own hand at once, ordering Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng, to do it. Only then will it succeed, and the princes will not slip through the net.” “Issue a decree in Our own hand at once,” said King Zhou, “ordering Huang Feihu to go after them and bring them back!” — So Chao Tian shifted this load from his own shoulders onto Huang Feihu’s. Chao Tian took the decree to the great hall and commanded Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng, to seize the rebels Fang Bi and Fang Xiang at once and to bring back the heads of the two princes. Huang Feihu laughed. “I see — Chao Tian is handing me his load to carry.” He took the sword and the decree and went out through the Meridian Gate. There Huang Ming, Zhou Ji, Long Huan and Wu Yan7 said to him, “Your younger brothers will come with you.” “There’s no need for you to come,” said Huang Feihu. He mounted his five-coloured divine ox alone and urged the beast on — between sunrise and sunset it could cover eight hundred li.

Our story turns to Fang Bi and Fang Xiang. Carrying the two princes on their backs, they ran thirty li without stopping for breath before they set them down. “Generals,” said the princes, “when can we ever repay this kindness?” Fang Bi said, “Your servant could not bear to see Your Highnesses so wronged and trapped. It was the outrage in my heart that made me rebel against Zhaoge on the spur of the moment. Now we must work out where to go for refuge.” As they were talking it over, they saw Huang Feihu, Prince Wucheng, come flying after them on his five-coloured divine ox. Fang Bi and Fang Xiang panicked and said hurriedly to the two princes, “We two humble officers acted rashly on the spur of the moment, without thinking twice. Now our lives are finished — what are we to do?” The princes said, “Generals, you saved our lives, and we have nothing to repay you with. Why talk like this?” Fang Bi said, “General Huang has come to arrest us. Once we’re taken back, we’ll be put to death for sure.” Yin Jiao was still in a panic when Huang Feihu was upon them. The two princes knelt down by the roadside. “General Huang,” they said, “have you come to take us?” When Huang Feihu saw the two princes kneeling by the road, he tumbled down from his divine ox and knelt on the ground too. “Your servant deserves ten thousand deaths! Please rise, Your Highnesses.” “Why have you come, general?” asked Yin Jiao. Feihu said, “I was sent under orders. The Son of Heaven has given me the Dragon-and-Phoenix Sword and sent me to ask Your Highnesses to take your own lives; only then may your servant report back. It is not that your servant would dare to force the heir to his death. I beg Your Highnesses to act quickly.” When Yin Jiao heard this, he and his brother knelt and pleaded, “General, you know full well how our mother and her sons have been wronged. Our mother suffered cruel torture, and her soul lies sunk in a wrong that can never be cleared. Kill her young sons as well, and the whole family will be wiped out. We beg you, general, take pity on two wronged orphans: open a heart as kind and generous as heaven and earth, and grant us a thread of a road back to life. If we find a foot of ground where we can live in peace, then while we live we will bring you rings in our beaks8, and when we die we will knot the grass for you; to the end of our days we will never dare forget your great kindness, general!” Still kneeling, Huang Feihu said, “How could your servant not know that Your Highnesses are wronged? But a king’s command leaves me no choice. If I let Your Highnesses go, I am guilty of deceiving my king and betraying my country; if I don’t, I truly fail you in this deep wrong — and how could my heart bear that?” They racked their brains together, pondering again and again, but none of them could find a way. Then Yin Jiao, thinking to himself that there was no escaping this calamity, said, “Very well. Since you are under the king’s orders, general, and dare not break the law, I have one more thing to ask, and I wonder whether you would be so good as to do it — to leave one line of us a road to life?” “What is it, Your Highness?” said Huang Feihu. “Say it freely.” Yin Jiao said, “General, take my head — the head of Yin Jiao — back to the capital to report. But have pity on my little brother Yin Hong and let him escape to some other state. One day he may grow up and be able to borrow troops to take revenge, and then my mother’s deep wrong may be set right. Then, though I, Yin Jiao, die, the day of my death will be as good as a year of life. Have pity on us, general!” Yin Hong stepped forward and hastily stopped him. “General Huang, this must not be. My brother is the crown prince of the Eastern Palace; I am no more than a lesser prince. Besides, I am young and can do nothing great as yet. General Huang, take my head — the head of Yin Hong — to report, and let my brother go to Eastern Lu or to Xiqi and borrow even a small army. If he can avenge our mother and his little brother, why should I grudge this one death?” Yin Jiao stepped forward, threw his arms round his brother Yin Hong and wept aloud. “How could I bear to see my little brother die so cruelly!” The two of them wept bitterly, neither able to bear it for the other, each urging the other to live; neither would give way. When Fang Bi and Fang Xiang saw such heartrending grief, the two of them cried out together, “This is more than anyone can bear!” and their tears poured down as if from a tipped ladle. When Huang Feihu saw such loyalty in Fang Bi, he too could not bear to watch, and he was deeply distressed. With tears in his eyes he told them: “Fang Bi, there’s no need to weep. Your Highnesses, there’s no need to grieve. Only we five know of this; if a word of it leaks out, my whole clan will be done for. Fang Bi, come here: take the princes to Eastern Lu to see Jiang Huanchu. Fang Xiang, you go and see E Chongyu, Lord of the South, and tell him that I let the princes go on the road, to make for Eastern Lu. Pass this on to him, and have them raise troops on two fronts to purge the traitors and clear this wrong. When that time comes, I, Huang Feihu, will know what to do.” Fang Bi said, “We two brothers came to the morning audience today with no idea that anything like this would happen. We were on duty guarding His Majesty at court, and we brought no money for the road. Now we’re to split up and go east and south — how are we to manage?” Feihu said, “None of us had any chance to prepare for this.” He pondered a long while and said, “Take this precious jade ring that hangs beneath my robe and sell it on the road for your travelling money. It is set in gold and worth a hundred pieces of gold. Your Highnesses, take care of yourselves on the road ahead. Fang Bi, Fang Xiang, you brothers must do your best — it will be no small service. Your servant will go back to the palace and report.” Feihu mounted and rode back to Zhaoge. By the time he entered the city the sun was already setting, and the officials were still at the Meridian Gate. Huang Feihu dismounted. “General Huang,” said Bi Gan, “what happened?” “I couldn’t catch up with them,” said Huang Feihu, “so I had to come back and report.” The officials were overjoyed. Now Huang Feihu went into the palace to await the king’s command. King Zhou asked, “Have you caught the rebel sons and the traitors?” Huang Feihu said, “With Your Majesty’s decree in hand, your servant pursued them for seventy li, as far as a place where three roads meet, and asked the travellers coming and going, but they all said they had seen no one. Fearing to be late in reporting, I had no choice but to come back.” King Zhou said, “You couldn’t catch them — so the rebel sons and the traitors get off scot-free! Withdraw for now, minister; We will discuss it again tomorrow.” Huang Feihu thanked him for his grace and went out through the Meridian Gate, and he and the other officials went home to their residences.

Our story turns to Daji. Seeing that Yin Jiao had not been caught, she spoke up again: “Your Majesty, today Yin Jiao and Yin Hong have got away. If they reach Jiang Huanchu, I fear a great army will be here before long, and the disaster will be no small one. Besides, Grand Preceptor Wen is away on a distant campaign and not in the capital. You had better order Yin Pobai and Lei Kai at once to muster three thousand swift horsemen and ride through the night to catch them — cut the grass and pull up the roots, or there will be trouble later.” King Zhou heard her and said, “My beauty, what you say is exactly what We think.” At once he sent down a decree in his own hand: “Yin Pobai and Lei Kai are to muster three thousand swift horsemen and seize the princes with all speed. Any delay will be punished!” The two generals, Yin and Lei, received the decree. To call out and pick their men and horses, they had to go to Huang Feihu’s residence to collect the military tally9. Huang Feihu was sitting in his rear hall, thinking: “The court has gone astray. Soon the people will grieve and Heaven itself will resent it; all the people will be in a panic, the four seas will fall apart and the eight quarters be thrown into chaos. The common folk will be ground into the mud and ashes, and there will not be a single day of peace anywhere. What is to be done?” As he sat thinking, the adjutant came in to report: “My lord, the two generals Yin and Lei await your orders.” “Have them come in,” said Feihu. The two generals came into the rear hall and made their bows. “Court has only just broken up,” said Feihu. “What is it now?” The two generals said, “The Son of Heaven has sent a decree in his own hand ordering us humble officers to lead three thousand swift horsemen through the night after the princes, and to seize Fang Bi and the rest so that they may be dealt with by the law of the land. We have come to ask you to issue the tally.” Feihu thought to himself: “If these two go after them, they’re sure to bring them back, and the good turn I did earlier will have gone down the river.” So he told Yin Pobai and Lei Kai, “It’s late today, and the men and horses aren’t ready. Come for the tally at the fifth watch tomorrow and be off with all speed.” The two generals, Yin and Lei, dared not disobey and had to withdraw. This Huang Feihu was the commander-in-chief, and Yin and Lei were officers under his command — how could they dare argue? They could only go back. But no more of that.

Now Huang Feihu said to Zhou Ji, “Yin Pobai is coming for the tally to call out three thousand swift horsemen and go after the princes. At the fifth watch tomorrow, pick out three thousand from the left wing — the sick, the old and the hopelessly feeble — and let him have them.” Zhou Ji received his orders. At the fifth watch the next morning, the two generals Yin and Lei were waiting for the tally to be issued. Zhou Ji went down to the drill ground, had the left wing muster three thousand swift horsemen and handed them over to Yin and Lei to lead away. The two generals looked them over: they were all old and feeble, good for nothing and sick. But the generals dared not disobey orders, and they could only lead the troops out through the south gate. At the boom of a signal gun the army set off. But how could old, feeble and sick soldiers march fast? The two generals were frantic but helpless, and could only march along with them. There is a poem to prove it. It says:

We will say no more of Yin Pobai and Lei Kai in pursuit of the princes. Our story turns to Fang Bi and Fang Xiang. When they had escorted the two princes for a day or two, Fang Bi said to his brother, “You and I have rebelled and broken out of Zhaoge to protect the two princes, and our purses and bags are empty — we haven’t a coin for the road. What are we to do? Lord Huang did give us the jade ring, but how can the likes of you and me use it? If anyone questions us closely, it will only make things worse. We’ve come to the very place where the roads go east and south. Let’s point the two princes on their way, and we brothers will make for somewhere else; that way it will be best for both.” “You’re quite right,” said Fang Xiang. Fang Bi went to the two princes and said, “Your servant has something to say to Your Highnesses. We are men of mere brawn, dull and rash by nature. Yesterday, when we saw Your Highnesses suffer such a wrong, our tempers flared and we rebelled against Zhaoge on the spot, without ever thinking how far the road would be, and we have no money for the journey at all. Now we would sell the jade ring that General Huang left us and live on that, but we fear we would be questioned and found out, and that would only make things worse. Besides, when you are fleeing from disaster, you must keep out of sight. Just now your servant thought of a plan: we must split up and each go our own way in secret; only that will keep us all safe. We hope Your Highnesses will consider it well. It is not that your servants cannot see this through to the end.” Yin Jiao said, “What you say is very right, general. But we brothers are young and don’t know the way. What are we to do?” Fang Bi said, “This road goes to Eastern Lu, and this one to Nandu10. Both are highways, with plenty of people and houses along them; you can travel them all the way.” Yin Jiao said, “In that case, where will you two generals go? And when shall we meet again?” Fang Xiang said, “From here your servants will take shelter for a while with some lord or other, whoever he may be. When Your Highnesses have borrowed troops and march on Zhaoge, we will come of our own accord to serve under your banner and ride in the vanguard.” The four of them shed tears and parted.

We will say no more of Fang Bi and Fang Xiang, who parted from the princes and went off by the byways. Our story turns to Yin Jiao, who said to Yin Hong, “Brother, which road will you take?” “Whichever you say, brother,” said Yin Hong. Yin Jiao said, “I’ll go to Eastern Lu, and you go to Nandu. When I see our grandfather and pour out the whole story of this wrong, our uncle is sure to raise troops. I’ll send an officer to let you know, and you may be able to borrow an army of tens of thousands. Then together we’ll attack Zhaoge, seize Daji and avenge our mother. Don’t you forget!” Yin Hong nodded through his tears. “Brother, now that we part, who knows when we’ll meet again?” The two brothers wept aloud and held each other’s hands, unable to let go. There is a poem to prove it. It says:

Now, Yin Hong set off on his way, his tears never drying, wretched and forlorn, his sorrows tangled in ten thousand threads. Besides, the prince was young and had lived all his life in the palace; what did he know of trudging long roads? He walked and stopped, walked and stopped, held back by what lay behind him and brooding over what lay ahead, and his belly was empty too. Just think: the prince had lived deep in the palace, where if he wanted clothes there were damasks and brocades, and if he wanted food there were rare delicacies — how would he know how to beg from anyone? He came to a cottage in a village where the whole family, young and old, were eating. The prince walked straight up to them and ordered, “Bring Us food to eat!” When the people saw the prince in red clothes and with no common look about him, they got up at once. “Please, sit down — there’s food.” They hurried to fetch rice and set it on the table. When Yin Hong had eaten, he rose and thanked them: “I have put you to trouble for this meal, and I don’t know when I can repay you.” “Where are you off to, young sir?” asked the villagers. “Where are you from? What’s your honourable name?” Yin Hong said, “I am none other than Yin Hong, son of King Zhou. I am on my way to Nandu to see E Chongyu.” When the people heard he was a prince, they hastily knocked their heads on the ground. “Your Highness! We humble folk didn’t know, and we failed to welcome you properly. We beg your pardon.” “Is this the road to Nandu?” asked the prince. “This is the highway,” said the villagers. The prince left the village and hurried on, but in a whole day he could cover no more than twenty or thirty li. The prince, you see, had been pampered deep in the palace — how could he know how to walk? By now he had come to a place with no village ahead and no inn behind, and nowhere to rest, and he began to panic. He went on two or three li more and saw thick pines casting deep shade, with a clear path among them and an old temple. The prince was overjoyed and ran straight up to it. Over the temple gate hung a board inscribed “Temple of Xuanyuan13”. The prince went into the temple, threw himself down and bowed. “Xuanyuan, holy lord, who devised clothing and robes, rites and music, caps and crowns, and markets held at midday: a sage ruler of high antiquity! I, Yin Hong, am a descendant of Cheng Tang in the thirty-first generation and the son of King Zhou. Now my royal father has lost the Way: he kills his sons and has put his wife to death. I am fleeing for my life, and I would borrow the holy emperor’s temple to sleep in safety for one night and leave early tomorrow. I beg the holy emperor to protect me! If I find a foot of ground where I can live in peace, I, Yin Hong, will rebuild your halls and regild your image.” By now the prince was worn out from his journey, and he lay down in his clothes at the foot of the holy throne and fell asleep. But no more of that.

Now Yin Jiao travelled the highway toward Eastern Lu. When dusk was falling, he had gone only forty or fifty li. Then he came upon a mansion, with a board above the gate inscribed “Residence of the Grand Preceptor14”. “This is an official’s house,” said Yin Jiao. “I can ask to stay the night and leave early tomorrow.” “Is anyone there?” the prince called out. When he had called and no one answered from inside, he had no choice but to go in through the next gate. Then he heard someone inside heave a long sigh and recite a poem:

Now, when the prince had heard the poem through, Yin Jiao called again, “Is anyone in there?” Hearing a voice, the person inside asked, “Who is it?” By now it was late, and in the shadows neither could make the other out clearly. Yin Jiao said, “I’m a traveller on my way to my relatives. It’s late, and I would like to stay the night in your house and leave early tomorrow.” The old man inside asked, “By your voice, you sound like a man of Zhaoge?” “I am,” answered Yin Jiao. “From the country or the city?” the old man asked. “From the city,” said the prince. — “If you’re from the city, wait — come here and let me ask you something.” The prince stepped forward and looked. “Oh! It’s the Venerable Chancellor!” When Shang Rong saw Yin Jiao, he bowed down before him. “What brings Your Highness here? Your old servant failed to welcome you properly; I beg your pardon.” And Shang Rong went on, “Your Highness is the heir of the realm. You would never come here alone unless some evil had befallen the state. Please sit down, Your Highness, and let your old servant hear all about it.” Weeping, Yin Jiao told him in detail how King Zhou had sought to kill his sons and put his wife to death. Shang Rong stamped his foot and cried out, “Who would have thought the benighted king could be so violent and cruel — destroying every human tie, till the Three Bonds are utterly lost! Though your old servant lives among the woods and streams, my heart is still with the palace towers. How could I know that a storm would rise on level ground and such a monstrous thing happen — that Her Majesty would die so cruelly, and the two princes be driven out to wander in mud and ashes? Why did the officials clamp their mouths shut and tie their tongues, instead of braving the king’s displeasure to remonstrate with all their might, and so let the government of the court be turned upside down? Set your mind at rest, Your Highness. Your old servant will go to Zhaoge with you and remonstrate with the Son of Heaven to his face, to make him change his tune and his course and save us from disaster and chaos.” At once he called to his attendants: “Have wine and food prepared to entertain His Highness. Tomorrow I shall write a memorial.”

We will say no more of Yin Jiao in Shang Rong’s house. Our story turns to the two generals Yin and Lei, who were leading their troops after the two princes. Though they had three thousand men and horses, all of them were old, feeble and useless, and they could go only thirty li a day and never get far. After three days on the march they had covered about a hundred li. One day they came to a place where three roads met, and Lei Kai said, “Elder brother, let’s leave the troops here. You take fifty strong picked men and I’ll take fifty, and we’ll split up to go after them: you to Eastern Lu, and I to Nandu.” Yin Pobai said, “A very good idea. Otherwise, going along with these old and feeble soldiers day after day, we can’t make more than twenty or thirty li — how could we ever catch up? We’d be bound to fail in the end.” Lei Kai said, “If you catch up with them first, elder brother, come back and wait for me here. If I catch up with them first, I’ll come back and wait here for you.” “Well said,” said Yin Pobai. The two of them left the old and feeble soldiers encamped there, took fifty young, strong men each, and set off in pursuit along their separate roads. Would the two princes live or die? To learn what happened next, read the next chapter.