Gods 084: Fiery Finish
With his back against the wall, King Zhou opts for a dramatic exit.
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 84 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, the combined forces of the nobles waltzed into the Shang capital after the city’s civilians let them in. They then fought a fierce battle against King Zhou himself outside the palace. Even though he managed to kill the Grand Duke of the South and a number of other enemy officers, he was eventually wounded and fled back inside the palace.
When he retired to his private chamber, he was greeted by the three demons that had been his harem for years: His queen Daji, and the Concubines Hu (2) Ximei (3,4) and Wang (2) Guiren (4,2). When he saw them, he couldn’t help but choke up and say to Daji, “I underestimated Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya. Who knew that they would assemble the nobles of the land and march all the way here. I fought them today, but was outnumbered. Even though I killed some of their officers, I was wounded, and my officers all died in battle. As I sat and reflected, I figured that I won’t be able to hold out for long, and my end is near. The Shang Dynasty has persisted for 28 generations of kings. If it falls today, how can I face my father in heaven? I am filled with regrets. And how can I bear to lose you three beauties? When the Martial King’s forces break into the palace, I will never allow them to capture me. I will kill myself first. But after I die, you three would no doubt fall into Ji Fa’s hands. All our love will come to such a tragic end! How it pains me!”
As he spoke, his tears fell like rain. The three demons now kneeled and wept, “We have received your love and can never forget it. Now, with calamity staring us in the face, where would you have us go?”
King Zhou continued to weep and told them, “If I get captured by Jiang Ziya, it would be the ultimate humiliation. I’m going to take my leave of you now, so we can go our separate ways.”
But Daji threw herself on his knees and said while crying, “Your words are cutting my heart like knives. How can you bear to abandon us?”
As she spoke, she clutched the king’s robes and her face was covered with tears while she softly wept. King Zhou didn’t know what to do, so he did what he did best — he ordered the attendants to bring wine as he drank a parting cup with his three beauties.
Clutching his goblet, he composed a song, which he had Daji sing. It went like this:
Much pleasure had we on this Deer Terrace.
But unexpectedly comes the bloody army.
The love of the phoenix couple gone forever,
A reunion never to come again.
Our heroes have all been turned to ashes,
While good scholars now enjoy their best day.
This cup of separation helps me to forget,
Sobering, the world is new in every aspect.
He then quaffed a few more goblets. Then Daji offered him one more cup, a toast to long life, which he simply could not stomach.
“This wine is too hard to drink,” he said. “I literally can’t swallow it.”
Daji now told him, “Don’t worry, your highness. I grew up in a warrior’s house and learned some martial skills. And my sisters here know Daoist magic and can fight as well. Just watch the three of us win a battle tonight to help relieve your worries.”
“If you can repel the traitors, then it would be an incomparable victory!” King Zhou rejoiced. “In that case, I would have no worries!”
At this point, I guess he was just desperately delusional. Daji now offered him a few more cups of wine. Then she and her fellow demons donned armor and prepared to raid the Zhou camp that night. The sight of his women in military dress cheered up King Zhou, and he waited for word of their success.
Meanwhile, in the Zhou camp, Jiang Ziya was rejoicing over the imminent downfall of the enemy, and he didn’t think to guard against a raid by three demons. Around 7 p.m. that night, a strong gale suddenly whipped up, and the three demons charged into camp, wielding swords and cutlasses, cloaked in a swirl of dust and sand. The sudden chaos threw everyone for a loop, and soldiers were ducking for cover left and right.
When Jiang Ziya got word, he rushed outside and saw the cloud of dust. He quickly ordered his Daoist warriors to quell the demons. And so they all charged forward and surrounded the three demons. Jiang Ziya then summoned a clap of thunder, which was so loud that it struck fear into the hearts of the demons. Seeing things go south, the three of them did not dare to linger and quickly fled back into the palace, with their raiding party suffering some casualties in the process.
Around 3 a.m., King Zhou saw his three women come back and he asked how it went.
“Jiang Ziya was prepared, so we could not succeed,” Daji told him. “We were nearly trapped by his disciples and almost didn’t make it back to see you.”
King Zhou was stunned. He bowed his head in silence and walked into the main hall of his palace. There, he wept, “Who knew that heaven is determined to see me dead. There is no way out.”
Daji also wept and said, “I had hoped to succeed today and restore peace to the realm. But heaven is against us, so what can we do?”
“I already knew that heaven’s will cannot be turned back by men,” King Zhou said. “I will take my leave of you three now. You should flee for your lives. Don’t stay here and be trapped.”
He then gave a wave of his sleeve and headed toward the Star-Picking Tower. As they watched him walk off, Daji said to her fellow demons, “King Zhou must be going off to kill himself. But we have spent all these years bringing the Shang’s realm to ruins, so where should we go now?”
Hu Ximei, the Nine-Headed Pheasant Demon, said, “We’ve been focused solely on seducing him and have ignored everyone else. There’s nowhere else for us to go. Let’s go back to our nest in the grave of the Yellow Emperor. That will at least give us refuge while we make other plans.”
Concubine Wang, the Lute Demon, concurred, so the three of them started making plans for their escape.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ziya was cleaning up his camp after the night raid. He assembled his officers and told them, “ We didn’t guard against those demons and allowed them to raid our camp. Fortunately, my disciples were all skilled Daoists; otherwise we would have fallen victim to them and lost our momentum. If we don’t rid ourselves of those demons now, they WILL be a thorn in our side.”
So he now set up an incense table and cast a divination, the result of which alarmed him. “So, that’s what they’re up to,” he said. “If we delay any longer, the three demons will escape.”
So he quickly sent Yang Jian to go after the Nine-Headed Pheasant Demon, Thunderbolt to go capture Daji the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon, and Wei Hu to go apprehend the Jade Lute Demon, threatening each of them with death if they should fail.
So the three left camp and started discussing where the heck to start looking for said demons. Yang Jian said, “The three of them must figure that King Zhou is a lost cause, so they will no doubt try to flee from the palace. Let’s wait in the air and watch where they will try to flee to. We must be vigilant and not let our guard down.”
So they all took to the air and waited.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, Daji and her fellow demons prepared for their escape by eating a few of their servants to refill their power meters. Then, propelled by a gust of wind, they took to the air and fled. But Yang Jian felt the wind and alerted his comrades. He then pulled out his sword and shouted, “Demons, there is no escape! Here I come!”
Seeing him in pursuit, the Pheasant Demon raised her own sword and cursed, “My sisters and I have delivered the Shang’s empire into your hands to help you succeed. Why are you coming after us instead?!”
“Silence! And surrender now!” Yang Jian barked. “I have come on Commander Jiang’s orders to apprehend you. Eat my sword!”
And so the six of them squared off in the air. After just a few exchanges, the three demons fled on beams of light, but the three Chan Daoist warriors followed in hot pursuit in separate directions.
Yang Jian was chasing the Pheasant Demon. After a while, he closed the gap and unleashed his Sky-Barking Hound. The hound caught up to the Pheasant Demon and bit off one of her nine heads. Ignoring the pain, she kept fleeing, and Yang Jian continued to give chase. Meanwhile, Thunderbolt and Wei Hu both stayed right on the tail of the Fox Demon and the Jade Lute Demon.
Suddenly, two yellow banners appeared in the distance. Behind them came several pairs of young girl acolytes, surrounding a goddess. This was none other than Nüwa (3,1), the creation goddess who, at the beginning of the novel, had commissioned the three demons to help bring down the Shang in order to punish King Zhou for desecrating her temple with his lurid poetry about how hot her statue was. Now, Nüwa approached on a blue crane and blocked the three demons’ path forward.
The demons did not dare to continue their flight, so they landed, kneeled, and said to Nüwa, “Pardon us for not getting out of your way. We’re being pursued by Yang Jian and company. Please save us!”
Nüwa turned to her acolytes and told them, “Tie up these wicked creatures with my Demon Bounding Cord, and hand them over to Yang Jian to be delivered to the Zhou camp for Jiang Ziya to deal with.”
As her acolytes carried out her command, the three stunned demons wept and pleaded, “It was your ladyship who summoned us and commanded us to go to the palace, seduce King Zhou, and lead him astray so as to destroy his kingdom. Now that mission is complete, and we were coming to report back to your ladyship. But then Yang Jian and company started chasing us. We ran into you and were hoping you would save us. But now you’re tying us up and handing us over to Jiang Ziya. Aren’t you going back on your word? Please reconsider!”
But Nüwa scolded them. “I told you to bring the Shang’s reign to ruins because that was in accordance with heaven’s will. But who knew you would stir up unnecessary trouble, bring harm on the living, torment the loyal, and commit so many wicked deeds? You deserve to be punished for your crimes.”
Umm … so tell us, oh creation goddess. How exactly were they supposed to bring a stable, healthy kingdom to complete ruins without doing a bunch of horrible things? Not to defend the demons here, but it feels like Nüwa is splitting some mighty fine hair here. In any case, the three demons now kneeled in stunned silence. Soon, Yang Jian, Thunderbolt, and Wei Hu caught up and hurriedly bowed to Nüwa to pay their respects.
“Yang Jian, I have captured the three demons for you,” she told him. “You may take them back to camp so that Jiang Ziya can bring them to justice. Today, the House of Zhou is ascendant, and the land will know peace again. You may go.”
So Yang Jian and company thanked her and returned to camp with their prisoners. They briefed Jiang Ziya on what happened, and he ordered that the three demons be brought into the tent, whereupon they kneeled on the ground.
“You three villains have committed atrocities for no reason, brought harm upon the living, and consumed countless people,” Jiang Ziya scolded them. “You have totally destroyed the Shang’s enterprise. Even though it was preordained, how could you encourage the king to kill so many, to devise the burning pillars, to slaughter the loyal, to build the snake pits and feed the palace servants to them, to build the Deer Terrace and squander the land’s wealth, to construct the wine pool and meat forests where eunuchs lost their lives, to cut off people’s legs to examine their bone marrow, and to slice open the wombs of women to check their fetuses? Such barbaric acts cannot be pardoned. Heaven, earth, men, and gods are infuriated by your deeds. Even eating your flesh and sleeping on your skin would be too good a punishment for you!”
Daji now wept and said, “I am the daughter of Marquis Su Hu. I was brought up in deep seclusion at home, ignorant of worldly affairs. I was chosen by the king for his harem. Soon thereafter, the queen died unexpectedly, and his highness insisted on elevating me to that position. All political matters rested in the hands of the king and his ministers. I am but a woman. All I know is how to clean the royal courts and chambers, manage the palace maids, and serve his majesty. Your reputation for virtue is known everywhere. King Zhou is about to fall any day now. What good would killing a woman like me do for you? As the old saying goes, ‘The wife and children of a guilty man are innocent.’ Please exercise compassion and take pity on my innocence. Release me back to my home state so that I may live out what few years I have left. I would be eternally grateful!”
Now, all the nobles were starting to be moved by her bewitching words, not to mention her other … umm … qualities. But Jiang Ziya laughed and said, “What nonsense, for you to claim to be Marquis Su’s daughter. The others may not know it, but I know that you’re the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon. You killed the real Daji on her way to the capital and assumed her form to seduce and mislead the king. All the evil has been your doing. Now that you’ve been captured, you deserve much more than death. How can you try to talk your way out of it with these lies?! Men, take her outside and execute her!”
So the guards took the three demons out to the camp gates, and the three Daoist warriors who had captured them were to oversee their executions. But while her two comrades were silently awaiting their death, the Fox Demon started working her wiles. As she kneeled on the ground, her radiance seemed to glow, and she said to the executioner, “I was innocent. General, please take pity on me. It would be an immense kindness.”
The executioner was already moved by her beauty, and now, with her calling him general left and right, he and a few of the other soldiers were completely under her spell, unable to move a muscle.
Just then, the command came that Yang Jian was to oversee the execution of the Pheasant Demon, Wei Hu the execution of the Jade Lute Demon, and Thunderbolt the execution of the Fox Demon. The three of them instructed their executioners to do their duty. In the blink of an eye, the Pheasant Demon and the Jade Lute Demon’s heads hit the ground.
While Yang Jian and Wei Hu reported back to Jiang Ziya, Thunderbolt was having issues. His executioners were still under the Fox Demon’s spell and could not bring themselves to kill her. Thunderbolt was outraged, but none of his men were listening to him. So he had no choice but to report back empty-handed.
“You were supposed to oversee Daji’s execution,” Jiang Ziya said. “Why have you come back without her head? Did she escape?”
“I was carrying out your orders, but all the soldiers were seduced by the Fox Demon and couldn’t even move,” Thunderbolt said.
“You can’t even manage an execution; what good are you?!” Jiang Ziya said angrily and waved him off, which honestly was a bit harsh considering all that Thunderbolt had done for the campaign. Jiang Ziya then ordered that the seduced soldiers be arrested and beheaded as a warning to others. This done, he now commanded Yang Jian and Wei Hu to go oversee the execution. So they brought a new crew of executioners with them, but as soon as they started prepping for the execution, Daji worked her sorcery again, and again, the soldiers were powerless to carry out their orders.
Yang Jian and Wei Hu now talked amongst themselves. “This wiley fox demon is adept at seduction. That’s why even King Zhou was eating out of her hands, much less these lowly idiot soldiers. Let’s go inform the commander, so as to spare these innocent soldiers from losing their lives too.”
So they went and told Jiang Ziya what was happening. All the nobles were stunned. But Jiang Ziya said, “This creature is a wiley old fox that has absorbed the essence of the sun and the moon, of heaven and earth. That’s why she’s skilled at seduction. Let me go personally execute her.”
So he walked out, with the rest following. Out by the camp gate, he saw Daji bound up and looking like a flower, while all around her, soldiers were dazed. He dismissed those men and ordered an incense table be set up. He then took out the magic gourd that the Daoist Lu (4) Ya (1) had given him. He set the gourd on the table, removed the stopper, and unleashed a white beam of light. At the end of the light was the spinning dagger with eyes.
Jiang Ziya now bowed and said, “Treasure, please spin.”
The dagger spun a few times, and Daji’s head hit the ground as her blood splattered across the dirt. Jiang Ziya had it hung up for public display, and many a noble lamented the death of such a beauty.
Inside the palace, King Zhou was sitting alone when he noticed servants rushing to and fro. He asked why they were in such a panic and whether the palace had been breached. One servant kneeled and said while weeping, “Your three consorts disappeared overnight, so there’s no one overseeing the private quarters. That’s why we’re all in a panic.”
King Zhou hurriedly ordered his servants to search the palace for the queen and the concubines. But soon, word came that their heads were hanging by the enemy’s camp gate. He was stunned and rushed to the Five Phoenix Tower to have a look. And sure enough, he saw the heads of his three lovers hanging on display, which made him weep and compose another poem in lament. It said:
What a pity! The jade is broken and fragrance gone,
Hanging there, your charming faces.
How can I enjoy your sweet singing and dancing?
Our love is completely gone.
On the phoenix pillow, I missmy dear sleeping,
Under the mandarin duck quilt, I see no flower again.
Hatred which knows no conclusion,
In a wink, ten thousand years gone in romance.
While he was mourning, he suddenly heard a loud explosive from the enemy’s camp, followed by the roars of battle as the nobles’ forces started to lay siege to the palace. Seeing that all was lost, he let out a long sigh, descended the Five Phoenix Tower, walked through the palace compound. As he approached the Star-Picking Tower, he was suddenly enveloped by a strange, chilly wind. In that moment, he could hear the wailing of countless souls from the snake pit, as numerous naked, disheveled, bloodied, and reeking ghosts swarmed toward him, clutching him, and demanding that he return their lives.
In the next moment, he saw two of the first officials that he executed, shouting, “You tyrant! Now it’s your turn!”
Panicked, he opened his eyes, and his life force scattered the souls of the dead. He now stumbled up to the first level of the tower. But there, he was accosted by the deceased Queen Jiang, who cursed him, “You tyrant! You killed your wife and sons, disregarding all proper rites. Today you have destroyed your enterprise. How can you face your father in the underworld?!”
As she was pulling on him, he suddenly saw Concubine Huang, whom he had thrown off this tower, rushing toward him, all bloodied and reeking of death.
“You threw me off this tower and shattered my body!” she yelled. “How could you?! You’re truly cruel! Now, heaven and earth will punish you for your crimes!”
Before he could free himself, he saw Lady Jia (3), the wife of Flying Tiger, joining them and cursing, “You muddle-headed tyrant! You harassed your official’s wife, forcing me to jump off the tower to preserve my chastity. Now, I shall be avenged.”
As she spoke, she smacked him in the face. Suddenly, he came to his senses, opened his eyes, and once again, his life force scattered the ghosts. He now silently made his way to the top of the tower. He leaned against the railing and asked for the eunuch in charge of the tower. Said eunuch rushed over and kneeled, awaiting his command.
“I regret ignoring all the officials’ advice and listening to the wicked,” King Zhou said. “Now, disaster is at hand, and I am beyond help. But I’m still the king. If the palace falls and I’m captured by lowly men, it would be extremely humiliating. So I am going to kill myself. But if I leave my body behind, it will be misused by others. So I might as well die by fire and leave nothing behind. You go set up a pyre down below. I will be consumed by the flames, along with this tower.”
When he heard those orders, the eunuch’s face became covered with tears. He wept and said, “Your slave has served your highness for many years. Even if my bones were ground to dust, I cannot repay your kindness. Alas, heaven has decided to doom the Shang. With the end in sight, my only regret is that I cannot repay the country with my death. How would I ever dare to start a fire and burn your highness?”
While the eunuch choked up, King Zhou consoled him, saying, “Heaven wants to kill me; it’s not your fault. If you don’t obey me, then you would commit the crime of treason. Once upon a time, I had my confidants ask Ji Chang for a divination about my fate, and he said that I was facing the danger of self-immolation. So this was all preordained, and no man can escape fate. Just do as I say.”
The eunuch kept wailing and pleading for the king to choose another option, but King Zhou now got angry and scowled, “The situation is dire! I have already made up my mind. If we delay until the nobles break down the palace gates and I get captured, then you would have committed a severe offense!”
That set the eunuch straight. As he wailed, he went downstairs, gathered some firewood, and piled them at the foot of the tower. Meanwhile, atop the tower, King Zhou put on a royal robe, decorated himself with pearls and jade, and sat down with a piece of green jade in his hands.
The pyre was now built. With tears in his eyes, the eunuch kowtowed toward the top of the tower, and then started the fire as he wept aloud. Within moments, flames were roaring toward the heavens, propelled by a strong gale. All those who remained in the palace cried out in panic. With the fire now raging, the eunuch cried out loud, “My lord! I will die to repay you!” And with that, he hurled himself into the flames.
Three floors up, at the top of the tower, King Zhou saw the flames closing in. He let out a long sigh and lamented, “I didn’t listen to loyal advice, leading to this. My death is of no matter, but how can I face my father in the underworld?”
As he dwelled on those regrets, the fire raged ever higher, and soon, the entire tower, King Zhou included, was engulfed in flames and smoke.
Outside the palace, Jiang Ziya was talking with the nobles about how to besiege the place when scouts rushed in and reported that the Star-Picking Tower was on fire. Everyone rushed out and saw the flames. From atop his horse, the Martial King Ji Fa could see a man sitting in the smoke, dressed in gold, wearing a crown, and holding a piece of jade.
“Is that the king in the smoke?” Ji Fa asked.
“Yes, that’s the tyrant!” the nobles replied. “He has brought this upon himself.”
But while everyone else reveled in seeing King Zhou receive his comeuppance, Ji Fa could not bear to watch it. He covered his face and started to turn his horse around and head back to camp. But Jiang Ziya hurriedly blocked his path and asked, “My lord, why are you covering your face and turning back?”
“It’s true that King Zhou was unjust and offended heaven and earth, and that he earned today’s fiery end,” Ji Fa said. “But we are nonetheless still his vassals and once served him. How can I watch him die and bear the crime of forcing my lord to his death? So I figured I’d go back to camp.”
“My lord, King Zhou was cruel and caused countless suffering,” Jiang Ziya reminded him. “Heaven and the people were both enraged. Even if we hung his head from a flagpole, it won’t be too much of a punishment. Today’s fate is his just deserts. I know you can’t bear to watch because you’re compassionate and kind. But you must remember: The founding king of the Shang dynasty was praised by the people for rescuing the people and ridding them of the last tyrant of the Xia dynasty. You’re just following his example in leading the nobles to wage war against King Zhou to save the people from his cruelty. Please don’t trouble yourself too much.”
Lecture notwithstanding, the nobles now accompanied Ji Fa back to camp, while Jiang Ziya and his officers kept watch over the fire for an opportunity to besiege the palace. The flames roared for a good while, and then suddenly, with a loud crash, the entire tower collapsed as if heaven and earth had fallen, burying King Zhou in its remnants, which were soon reduced to ashes.
So the chief villain of the novel is dead. What now? To find out, tune in to the next episode of the Chinese Lore Podcast. Thanks for listening!
Music in This Episode
- “Sao Meo” by Doug Maxwell / Zac Zinger
- “Dark Toys” by SYBS (from YouTube audio library)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)
- “Slow Times Over Here” by Midnight North (from YouTube audio library)
- “Melancholia” by Godmode (from YouTube audio library)