Gods 023: Cribbing from the Classics
Ji Chang and his ministers come perilously close to plagiarism in their search for a capable adviser.
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 23 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, Jiang Ziya told a woodcutter named Wu (3) Ji (2) that he was going to kill someone in the capital city of Western Qi that day. Wu Ji was skeptical, right up to the point when he accidentally smacked a guard with his load of firewood and killed the man. The Grand Duke of the West, Ji Chang, sentenced him to death, but then gave him a temporary reprieve to go home and get his old mother settled before coming back to be executed. Of course, that was cold comfort for Wu Ji and his mother, and last we left him, Wu Ji was begging Jiang Ziya to save his life.
After some initial reluctance, Jiang Ziya told Wu Ji, “If you want me to save you, then you must become my disciple.”
Wu Ji immediately kowtowed to him and called him master. Jiang Ziya then told him, “Now that you’re my disciple, I have no choice but to save you. Hurry home. In front of your bed, dig a pit that is the same length as your body and four feet deep. At dusk, lie down in the pit. Tell your mother to light a lamp by your head and another one by your feet. Take two handfuls of cooked or raw rice and spread it over your body. Then throw some hay on you. Sleep in the pit for the night. The next day, get up and go about your business, and all will be fine.”
So Wu Ji returned home with a smile on his face and told his mother what Jiang Ziya said. Then, they proceeded exactly as instructed. Meanwhile, around midnight that night, Jiang Ziya loosened his hair and walked around in a circle while wielding a sword and chanting a spell that covered up the star that represented Wu Ji and made it disappear from the heavens.
The next morning, Wu Ji came by and kowtowed to Jiang Ziya again, calling him master. Jiang Ziya said to him, “Since you have become my disciple, then you must always listen to my instructions. Cutting wood is not a long-term profession for you. In the morning, go sell your firewood. But at midday, come here and I will teach you military strategy. Right now, King Zhou has lost his way and 400 marquises have risen up in rebellion. The Grand Duke of the East is rebelling and attacking the Wandering Soul Pass with 400,000 troops, while the Grand Duke of the South is attacking the Three Peaks Pass with 300,000 men. Yesterday, I was observing the night sky, and war will soon break out in Western Qi as well. This is the time to learn martial skills. Tend to your studies diligently. If you can render service, then you will be an official, rather than a woodcutter. As the old saying goes, ‘No one is born a general or a prime minister; one must make himself strong and able.’ Another saying goes, ‘Hone your civil and military talents, and sell them to the king.’ As your teacher, I must help you build your future.”
So from that day forth, Wu Ji did as Jiang Ziya instructed and stayed by his side day and night to learn fighting skills and military tactics.
Some time passed, and one day, in the capital of Western Qi, the minister San (4) Yisheng (2,1) suddenly remembered how he had put in a good word for some unlucky woodcutter a while back and convinced Ji Chang to give him a stay of execution until after the fall. Well, it was now well past that deadline, and Wu Ji still had not come back to meet his death. So San Yisheng went to see Ji Chang and reminded him that they had a criminal who was now a fugitive.
“That man must be a scoundrel,” San Yisheng said. “Your lordship should cast a divination and ascertain the truth.”
So Ji Chang grabbed a gold coin and cast a divination. Reading the results, he sighed and said, “Wu Ji isn’t a scoundrel. Instead, out of fear of execution, he committed suicide by drowning himself in a deep lake. Besides, he only killed someone by accident, not on purpose. His crime did not merit death. It’s such a pity that he killed himself out of fear of the law’s punishment.”
Uhh, says the guy who sentenced the man to death and could have rescinded that punishment at any time. But in any case, with things as they were, or at least as Ji Chang thought they were, he and San Yisheng just put the matter out of their minds.
The days flew by, and soon it was spring. One day, Ji Chang and his officials had some free time, and they saw how beautiful the spring scenery was, so Ji Chang suggested that they take a little trip to the nearby countryside south of the capital for some sightseeing.
San Yisheng said to Ji Chang, “My lord, when you built the Spiritual Terrace, you dreamed about the Flying Bear and it portended that Western Qi will find a towering talent and you will gain a capable assistant. Right now, the spring weather is lovely and flowers are in bloom. While you are sightseeing, you should also search in the wilderness for this talent. I and other ministers shall accompany you, and the generals Nan Gongkuo and Xin (1) Jia (3) will protect you. You would be emulating the ancient sage kings in enjoying yourself with the civilians.”
Ji Chang was totally on board with that idea, so the next day, General Nan Gongkuo led 500 personal guards out to the countryside and cordoned off an area. The Ji Chang, accompanied by armed guards, left the city and headed to the countryside as well, enjoying the sights along the way.
After some sightseeing, Ji Chang and company arrived at the cordoned-off area on a mountain, where his soldiers had set up nets for hunting. All the guards were clad in armor and wielding staffs and pitchforks and wrangling hunting dogs and birds of prey.
Ji Chang asked San Yisheng why this area had been cordoned off, and San Yisheng answered, “Today your lordship is sightseeing. General Nan Gongkuo has set up this hunting area so you may pursue wild game and enjoy yourself with your ministers.”
But Ji Chang said sternly, “Sir, you are mistaken. The ancient king Fuxi (2,1) never ate meat and was hailed as a sage ruler. His top minister Feng (1) Hou (4) once presented him with meat, and Fuxi said, ‘This is the flesh of animals. We humans sate our hunger with their meat and quench our thirst with their blood. But I want them to live. I can’t bear to have them killed. I will not eat the flesh of animals. I would rather be a vegetarian and allow other creatures to live. We will exist in harmony and not harm each other.’
“And to think,” Ji Chang continued, “Fuxi lived in an age of deprivation, before they had all the grains that we have now. And yet he refused to eat meat. Today, our staple crops are thriving and are more than enough to feed us. We are out here to enjoy nature, and yet you want me to hunt game for competition? We may use the hunt to hail each other as heroes, and yet the animals are innocent. Why must they suffer? Besides, it’s spring, a time for all living things to grow. If we kill animals now, it would pain anyone who has any compassion. The ancients did not hunt animals during their time of reproduction and growth, and neither should we. How can we commit such cruel deeds? Tell Nan Gongkuo to disassemble this hunting area at once!”
So the decree went out, and then Ji Chang and company resumed their sightseeing. Everywhere, they saw people dancing and making merry. Ji Chang couldn’t help but remark, “When the lord is just and the ministers are talented, the people will be harmonious and joyful.”
San Yisheng quickly followed up and said, “My lord, the region of Western Qi is truly a paradise.”
Lord and ministers journeyed on, and soon they saw a group of fishermen approaching while singing. Their song said:
Remember how King Tang (1) felled the tyrant,
Rose as he did in the town of Ge (2).
It’s the people’s will and heaven’s,
That he raised the banner and
Restored peace to the land.
That was 600 years ago, and the glories
Are things of the past.
Wine, women, and atrocities,
The new tyrant wallows in evil.
The Deer Terrace was built in thick blood,
He indulges in lust and pleasure all day,
While his citizens suffer bitterly.
A hermit among the blue water,
I wash my ears clean of
The sounds of a dying state.
Singing on the surging waves,
I spend my days fishing,
And nights observing the heavens.
Alone, I remain aloof from the world,
All my life I’ll be carefree
Until my hair turns white.
Ji Chang turned to San Yisheng and said, “That song is elegant and exquisite. It must be written by some talented recluse who resides nearby.”
He ordered the general Xin (1) Jia (3) to invite the singing fishermen over for a word. Xin Jia rode forth and shouted, “Let the talented man among you come out and greet my lord!”
All the fishermen quickly kneeled and replied, “We are all just idle men.”
“What do you mean?” Xin Jia asked.
“We went out fishing this morning, and now we are done for the day, so we are idle,” the fishermen explained.
Momentarily, Ji Chang arrived, and Xin Jia told him that these were all just fishermen, just stupid ignorant peasant fishermen; there’s no talent here. Ji Chang, though, asked the group, “I heard your song and it was quite elegant and exquisite. There must be a great talent among you.”
“We didn’t write the song,” the fishermen informed him. “About 10 or 15 miles from here, there is a stream named Panxi (1,2). There’s an old man there who often sings this song. We heard it so much that we learned it by heart, so we were just singing it just now. We didn’t write it.”
So Ji Chang sent the fishermen away and continued to reflect on the song’s lyrics. As he was doing so, San Yisheng asked him, “What does the line ‘I wash my ears clean of the sounds of a dying state’ mean?”
“Oh, you don’t know?” Ji Chang asked.
“I am too foolish and do not grasp its meaning.”
“Well, that is a line from a story about the ancient sage king Yao (2) looking for his successor Shun (4),” Ji Chang explained. “Yao was a virtuous ruler, but his son was worthless. Yao was afraid of disappointing his people, so he often made secret trips in an attempt to find a worthy successor to whom he could pass the throne. One day, he went to a remote area and saw a man twirling a ladle in a stream.
“So Yao asked him, ‘Sir, why do you twirl the ladle in the water?’ The man laughed and said, ‘I have freed myself of worldly burdens. I have forsaken fame, riches, and family. I have left the turbulent world behind and taken up residence deep in the woods. I only wish to eat vegetables all day and live out my years enjoying nature.’
“Hearing that, King Yao was delighted. He thought to himself, ‘This man has forsaken all worldly desires and disputes. He is truly a man of high caliber. I shall pass my throne to him.’ So he said to the man, ‘Sir, I am none other than King Yao. I am impressed by your virtue and wish to yield the throne to you. What do you think?’
“But when the man heard that, he picked up his ladle and crushed it with his foot. He then covered his ears with both hands, ran to the edge of the stream, and started to wash his ears. While he was doing that, another man showed up to water his oxen. The cowherd called out to the ear-washer, ‘Sir, my oxen is here to drink some water.’ But the man just kept washing his ears.
“ ‘How dirty can your ears be that you have to wash them so much?’ the cowherd asked. But the man kept washing his ears for a good while. When he was finally done, he told the cowherd, ‘Just now, King Yao told me he wanted to yield the throne to me. Those words made my ears filthy, so I had to wash them really well and in so doing, I made your oxen wait for water.’
“When the cowherd heard what he said, he immediately led the oxen upstream instead. The other man asked him, ‘Why are you leaving?’ The cowherd answered, ‘You have tainted the water here, so how can I allow it to taint my oxen’s mouth?’
“See,” Ji Chang said, “that’s how noble and unsullied talented men were back then. That’s what the line ‘I wash my ears clean of the sounds of a dying state’ refers to.”
All the ministers oohed and aahed at that great story and asked their grand duke if he had thought about going into podcasting. Then they and their lord continued their merrymaking. As they traveled on, they soon saw a group of woodcutters approaching while singing another song. This one went:
There are certainly phoenixes and unicorns,
But no ruler’s virtuous enough to see them.
When the dragon rises, clouds appear,
And with the tiger comes the wind.
But no one cares to seek out the talented.
Remember Yi (1) Yin (3) who toiled in the field,
He thought of ancient sage kings beside the plough.
Without the three visits from King Tang (1),
He would have remained a recluse like hermit Zuo (3).
Look at Fu (4) Yue (4) the mason, unknown and poor,
Content to brave hardship in his cape of straw.
Had King Gaozong (1,1) not dreamed of him that year,
He would have worked on stone all his life.
Ever since the ancient times,
Some have attained glory
While others remained in obscurity.
I’m not the only one
Who might spend his life on
The banks of a stream.
I play my flute in the sunshine,
And urge on the ox under white clouds,
While kings, dukes, and the powerful
All fall as fate decrees.
Once again, Ji Chang remarked, “What a song! There must be a great talent here!” Once again he told the general Xin Jia to go invite the talent among this group to come see him. Xin Jia rode up to the woodcutters and said, “Are there any talented men among you? If so, come meet our lord.”
All the woodcutters put down their loads and said, “There are no talented men among us.”
And then Ji Chang came up and asked them how can there be no talent among them if they were singing such an amazing song. And once again, they told him, “Oh that wasn’t us. Some old guy by the stream wrote it. We just heard it from him.”
So once again, Ji Chang dismissed this group of civilians and continued on, lost in thought the whole time. A while later, they saw yet another man walking down the road up ahead, carrying a load of firewood and singing. His song said:
Spring waters flow endlessly,
Spring flowers are gay.
Meeting no opportunity,
A hermit I’ll stay.
No one knows my ideals,
They see a mere fisherman,
Casting his lines all day.
Ji Chang now said, “This at last must be the worthy man I’ve been seeking.”
His minister San Yisheng looked at the man from his saddle, and went, uhhhh.
“My lord,” he said to Ji Chang, “that woodcutter looks like Wu Ji, the guy who killed the guard.”
“No, you’re mistaken,” Ji Chang said. “Wu Ji is dead at the bottom of a lake. My fortune-telling gold coin said so. How can he be walking around?”
But San Yisheng was sure, so he told the general Xin Jia (3) to go apprehend the woodcutter so they could double check. Xin Jia immediately rode forward to catch up with the guy.
As it turned out, that woodcutter was indeed Wu Ji. When he saw the grand duke’s entourage approaching and had nowhere to hide, he set down his firewood and kneeled on the ground. When Xin Jia rode near, he saw that it was indeed Wu Ji, so he quickly rode back to Ji Chang and told him.
Ji Chang’s face immediately turned red, and he rode up and yelled at Wu Ji, “You scoundrel! How dare you lie to me?!”
He then turned to San Yisheng and said, “Minister, such scoundrels must receive double the punishment. He’s a murderer and has cheated the government. He must be dealt with severely. He’s held my divination in contempt. He must be punished harshly as a warning to others.”
Wu Ji now cried and kowtowed, pleading, “I am a law-abiding subject. I would never dare to act perversely. After I accidentally killed the guard, I went to ask an old man at a stream a mile from here. His name is Jiang Ziya and his Daoist moniker is Flying Bear. He told me to become his disciple, and so I did. He then told me to go home and dig a pit, sleep in it, and cover myself with rice and hay and put lamps at my head and feet. He said that if I slept like that till dawn, I could return to cutting firewood without any more worries. My lord, as the saying goes, ‘Event ants value their lives, much less human beings.’ ”
San Yisheng cut in and told Ji Chang, “My lord, congratulations! Wu Ji mentioned someone with the moniker Flying Bear. That matches your dream at the Spiritual Terrace. The 23rd king of the Shang dreamed of a flying bear and then landed the great minister Fu (4) Yue (4). Today, you will find Jiang Ziya after dreaming of a flying bear. Since you are seeking talent, I hope you will pardon Wu Ji and command him to take you to see this great talent.”
Wu Ji was like, done and done! He kowtowed and double-timed it into the woods, with Ji Chang and his entourage following. As they approached the woods, however, Ji Chang was worried about startling the great talent, so he dismounted before they came close to the forest, and walked into the woods with San Yisheng.
But when Wu Ji rushed into the woods, he looked all around and did not see his master Jiang Ziya, which flustered him. Ji Chang and San Yisheng soon caught up with him and asked him where his master was.
“He was just here; how did he disappear?” Wu Ji said.
“Does this worthy gentleman have a residence somewhere else?” Ji Chang asked.
“He has a thatched hut up ahead,” said Wu Ji, who then led Ji Chang to the hut.
Ji Chang gently knocked on the door, and a young boy answered. Ji Chang smiled widely and asked if his master was in.
“He’s gone out with a friend,” the young boy replied.
“When will he be back?”
“Not sure. It could be one or two days, or it could be more,” the boy said. “There’s no telling where they went off to, and if they run into acquaintances, they might be absorbed in discussions about the Dao. So there’s no telling when he will be back.”
San Yisheng told Ji Chang, “My lord, one must be pious and sincere when seeking a worthy man. We haven’t proved our intentions yet, so he’s avoiding us. Thus has been the way for every sage king who has sought out a great talent. Please return to the palace for now.”
Ji Chang agreed. He then ordered Wu Ji to accompany them back to court. Before he left, though, Ji Chang walked over to the stream and saw a tranquil, idyllic scene, and it moved him to compose a poem on the spot, which went:
To rule, I need a long-term plan,
And the assistance of a talented man.
Today I’ve failed to see the sage,
But when will I meet him and end the misery?
He then noticed Jiang Ziya’s fishing rod still floating on the water, and it made him even more disappointed that he didn’t get to see the man. So he muttered another poem, which said:
Seeking talent I traveled far to the stream,
There I saw not the man but only his fishing rod.
The green threads flow beneath the verdant willow,
And the stream sparkles while its waters flow in vain.
Ji Chang could not bear to leave, but San Yisheng consoled him time and again and finally convinced him to return to the capital. And oh by the way, if you’ve read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms or listened to my Three Kingdoms Podcast, episode 45 and 46, I’m sure you’ve got alarm bells going off in your head right now, because this whole sequence of Ji Chang looking for, and failing to find, Jiang Ziya was eerily similar to how the character of Liu Bei tried to seek out the great strategist Zhuge Liang in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In fact, it’s so similar that if you pulled this stunt on a writing assignment, there’s a good chance you would get busted for ripping off an existing work.
Anyway, once Ji Chang returned to his palace, he issued a command to all his officials: Do NOT go home. Stay in the palace and eat only vegetarian meals for the next three days, and then we will all go to court the great sage.
General Nan Gongkuo, however, said, “The old fisherman at the stream might just be all reputation. Your lordship hasn’t ascertained whether he’s the real deal, and yet you’re going to such great lengths to court him. It’s too much, and a waste of your sincerity. You could end up being taken in by a fool. In my opinion, there is no need for you to do all this. Just let me go tomorrow to invite him here. If he really lives up to his reputation, THEN you can welcome him with courtesy. But if he’s a phony, then you may dismiss him. There is no need for you to observe a vegetarian diet for three days and then personally go visit him.”
But San Yisheng cut in and said sternly, “Ok, first of all, we have GOT to stop stealing lines from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. All those things you said just now without attribution could get us sued. Second, are you out of your mind? Right now the whole realm is in chaos, and most talented men have gone into hiding. This Flying Bear matches the omen. It is a gift from heaven to help our lord and boon to Western Qi. So we should follow the examples of the ancient sage rulers and secure his services with exceptional sincerity. At a time like this, no talented men would voluntarily come forward. You must not say such things and mislead the other officials.”
“Your words match my thoughts exactly,” Ji Chang told San Yisheng. And so, everybody had a three-day sleepover at the palace and feasted on vegetarian cuisine. On the fourth day, they bathed and changed into fresh official robes, and lord and ministers set off in a long caravan, led by Ji Chang in his carriage.
After traveling for about 15 miles, they arrived at the woods near the stream once again. Ji Chang ordered everyone to stay outside the woods and to keep quiet so as not to startle the talent that he was coming to see. Then, he and San Yisheng proceeded into the woods on foot. There, they saw Jiang Ziya sitting by the stream with his back turned to them.
Ji Chang quietly approached from behind, but Jiang Ziya already sensed his presence and started reciting a song, which said:
The west wind blows and white clouds fly,
Where shall I be when the year comes to an end?
Five phoenixes sing as my true master appears,
Few realize my talent as I sit fishing here.
When Jiang Ziya finished his song, Ji Chang spoke up. “Talented sir, are you enjoying yourself?”
Jiang Ziya turned, looked at Ji Chang, and hurriedly tossed his fishing pole aside as if caught off guard. He kneeled on the ground and said, “I didn’t realize your lordship was here. Please pardon me.”
Ji Chang quickly bowed and said, “I have long admired you, sir. I missed you last time. I knew I was acting disrespectfully that time, so this time I abstained from eating meat for three days before coming to see you. It is my great fortune to gaze upon your visage.”
He then commanded San Yisheng to help Jiang Ziya to his feet. Jiang Ziya rose and stood respectfully. Ji Chang, who was all smiles, then accompanied him to his thatched hut, where they once again traded bows.
“I have long admired you but had not had the chance to meet you,” Ji Chang said. “Today, I get to see you and ask for your guidance. It is the greatest fortune of my life.”
Jiang Ziya bowed and replied, “I am just an old man, not worthy of your visit. I have neither the scholarly talents nor the martial skills to protect the state. And yet you have come to pay me a visit. I am truly embarrassed and fear that I will disappoint you.”
“Sir, no need to be too modest,” San Yisheng said. “Our lord and all his ministers observed a vegetarian diet and bathed before coming here for the sole purpose of seeking you out. Right now, the realm has fallen into chaos time and again. The king cavorts with the wicked and shuns the talented. He destroys himself with wine and women and brutalizes the people. Nobles have risen up in rebellion, and the people cannot survive. My lord loses sleep over this every night. He has long admired your great virtue. He heard that you were residing in seclusion here, so he made this small gesture to court you. Please do not shun us. If you can serve my lord with us, then it would be a boon to him and to the people. How can you bear to keep your incredible strategy to yourself and watch the people be reduced to ashes? Why not use your talent to lift them out of this suffering? Your virtue will be revered for generations.”
To see how many more speeches they will give before Jiang Ziya accepts their offer and we can get on with the rest of the novel, 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)
- “Loneliest Road in America (US 50)” by Jesse Gallagher (from YouTube audio library)
- “Allégro” by Emmit Fenn (from YouTube audio library)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)
- “Eastminster” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100719; Artist: http://incompetech.com/)