Gods 018: Hand-Eye Coordination

Another Shang official discovers the price of offering loyal advice to the king.

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Transcript

Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 18 of Investiture of the Gods. 

Last time, Jiang Ziya impressed King Zhou by exposing and killing the jade lute demon and was given a low-level court official post. But the fox demon Daji wanted to avenge her friend, so she convinced the king to task Jiang Ziya with overseeing the construction of a giant terrace. When Jiang Ziya told the king it would take 35 years, Daji said, “That’s ridiculous. You’re lying! You should be killed for that.” When the king concurred, Jiang Ziya turned and ran, a sight so uncommon among court officials facing death sentences that the king was greatly amused. But also greatly pissed as he ordered his men to arrest Jiang Ziya.

As we rejoin the narrative, Jiang Ziya and his pursuers were engaged in a Benny Hill-style chase all over the palace grounds. When he reached the Nine Dragons Bridge, he turned and saw his pursuers drawing near.

“Hey, no need to chase me!” Jiang Ziya shouted to them. “I’ll just kill myself, alright?!”

As he spoke, he leaped over the railing and jumped into the water below. The guards rushed to the bridge and looked down. The splashes soon calmed to ripples, which soon turned back into still water as Jiang Ziya sank toward the bottom. The guards now returned to King Zhou and told him that Jiang Ziya had drowned himself by the bridge.

“That old scoundrel got off easy!” the king scoffed. 

While that took care of Jiang Ziya, King Zhou now needed to find someone else to take on the task of building his Deer Terrace. Daji now nominated Chong (2) Houhu (2,3), the Grand Duke of the North who had overseen the construction of the Star-Picking Tower that they were currently sitting in. The king agreed and issued the decree. An envoy then went to the documents office to have the decree written down and dispatched.

The person in charge of the documents office was a top minister named Yang (2) Ren (4). When he arrived at the office just now, he saw a bunch of people hanging around the bridge. They told him Jiang Ziya had jumped into the water and drowned, but they didn’t know why. Yang Ren now asked the envoy, who told him that it was over the construction of the Deer Terrace.

“What is the Deer Terrace?” Yang Ren asked.

“The queen offered a drawing of a giant, extravagant terrace,” the envoy said. “Now Chong Houhu has been tasked with overseeing its construction. I could not bear to watch his highness act like the king who ended the last dynasty, so I came here to see you. I hope you will admonish him loyally to save the people from being afflicted with this construction project, and to save the Shang Dynasty from a bloody calamity. Your love of the people will spread all across the land.”

Yang Ren now told the envoy, “Stall the decree here for now. Wait until I have gone to talk to his majesty.”

So Yang Ren went to see King Zhou. Given how many times this scene has played out in this novel, how about we just skip Yang Ren’s lecture to the king and jump to the aftermath? 

“You scoundrel!” King Zhou said angrily. “You’re just a pedant. How dare you act in such ignorance and insult your lord?!”

He then turned to the guards and barked, “Cut out his eyes! On account of his prior service, I will spare his life.”

Yang Ren, however, said, “I don’t mind having my eyes gouged out, but I fear the nobles of the land will not stand for it!”

Yeah yeah, whatever. The guard dragged him off the Star-Picking Tower, and a moment later, they returned with his two bloody eyes on a platter while his body lied strewn on the ground below. Lovely.

Well, Yang Ren’s indignation did not wane despite the fact that he now had no eyes, or the fact that he was now a corpse. In fact, it was so strong that an aura shot out and was spotted by a Daoist master from the Chan (2) sect. His name was Master Virtue of the Pure Void. He was one of Heavenly Primogenitor’s class of 12 disciples. He lived in Purple Sun Cave on Mount Green Peak. When he saw the aura of Yang Ren’s indignation, he was touched. 

“Go rescue Yang Ren and bring him here,” he told one of his divine bodyguards.

The bodyguard traveled to the Star-Picking Tower and stirred up three huge gales, whipping up a cloud of dust, forcing King Zhou to duck inside the tower to seek shelter. Amid the dust storm, there was a loud noise, and by the time the dust settled, Yang Ren’s corpse had vanished.

When he learned of this, King Zhou said, “This is like how the two princes disappeared. This is commonplace nowadays. Nothing to wonder at.”

Uhh, ok, whatever you say, king. Meanwhile, King Zhou turned his attention to more important matters and summoned the Grand Duke of the North, Chong Houhu in order to task him with overseeing the construction of the Deer Terrace. 

Chong Houhu set to work at once. As you can imagine, a construction project of this magnitude required unfathomable money and even more manpower. So an army of laborers were conscripted across the land, with two of every three men being forced to serve, including families’ only sons. Chong Houhu abused his authority to line his own pockets. Those who had money were able to buy their way out of this conscription, while those who had no money were worked to death, and their bodies were thrown into the foundation of the terrace itself. And with that, the capital descended further into chaos, and the Shang Dynasty’s Doomsday Clock moved closer to midnight.

Meanwhile, in the Purple Sun Cave, Master Virtue of the Pure Void came out to inspect Yang Ren’s corpse. He ordered his acolyte to fetch two magic pills from his gourd, and he put the pills in the holes in Yang Ren’s head where his eyes used to be. He then blew a breath on Yang Ren’s face and shouted, “Yang Ren, arise at once!”

And this is where things got really freaky. From Yang Ren’s eye sockets, two hands grew out, and there was an eye in the palm of each hand. These were magical eyes that could see the scenes and secrets of heaven and earth and everything in the world of men. At the same time, Yang Ren sprang back to life.

After taking a moment to gather his senses, Yang Ren suddenly realized that there was … umm … something different about himself. He also saw a Daoist priest standing in front of a cave.

“Master, is this the underworld?” Yang Ren asked.

“No. This is the Purple Sun Cave on Mount Green Peak, and I am Master Virtue of the Pure void,” the priest replied. “I saw how you loyally and courageously admonished King Zhou to try to save the people and how you lost your eyes for it. Your allotted time on this earth had not yet ended, so I brought you here, and in the future you will contribute to spoiler spoiler spoiler.”

Yang Ren kneeled to the priest and said, “Thank you for rescuing me! I will never dare to forget your kindness! If you would have me, I am willing to become your disciple. Oh, and also, I’m grateful for your restoring my eyesight and all, but do you think you could maybe do it without the hands growing out of my eye sockets or … No? It’s the hands or nothing? Ok, just thought I’d ask. Thanks anyway.” 

And so from that day forth, Yang Ren took up residence in the Purple Sun Cave, waiting to fulfill his destiny.

Meanwhile, let’s go catch up with another supposedly dead man, Jiang Ziya. The last we saw him, he had just hurled himself into the water and apparently sank to the bottom without a trace. But, remember that Jiang Ziya was able to fast travel using the elements, and jumping into a body of water literally put him in his element. A little magical journey later, and he was climbing his way out of the water outside the city and making his way back to the residence of his sworn brother.

He was greeted at home by his wife, Lady Ma (3), who was all smiles when she saw her big-hat government official husband come in. But her mood quickly changed when he told her he had quit his job on account of being tasked to oversee an unconscionable construction project.

“My wife, let’s move to the Western Qi Mountains and bide our time,” Jiang Ziya said. “My day will come, and I will attain the highest government rank and show that all my knowledge is worth something.”

“But you’re no scholar; you’re just a traveling sorcerer,” Lady Ma said. “You lucked out and got a government job, thanks to the king’s immense kindness. He was looking out for you by putting you in charge of constructing the terrace. A project like that will require lots of money, and you would be in position to pocket some of it. How high do you think your rank is, that you dared to admonish the king? You’re destined to be a sorcerer the rest of your life!”

“Don’t you worry,” Jiang Ziya told her. “The government job I had was a waste of my talents and would never satisfy my ambition. Just pack up and move with me to the Western Qi Mountains. When I become a high official, you will become a noblewoman and you will be adorned with jewelry from head to toe and be admired throughout the region.”

“What BS?!” Lady Ma scoffed. “You threw away the position that you had in hand with no plan B. You’re just letting your imagination run wild and going on a wild goose chase. The king was trying to do you a favor by putting you in charge of the construction. But oh no, you had to be a righteous official. Why can’t you be like all the other officials who are just going along to get along.”

“You womenfolk don’t know anything,” Jiang Ziya said. “All is preordained. Sooner or later, everyone finds the right lord. We will find our destiny in the Western Qi Mountain. When that day comes, you will have no shortage of riches.”

But Lady Ma was not budging. “Jiang Ziya,” she said, “our time as husband and wife ends here. I was born and raised here. I will never move to another land. From this day forth, let’s go our separate ways!”

“You’re wrong,” Jiang Ziya retorted. “A woman follows her husband no matter what. How can a married couple split up?!”

“I am a woman of this city; I will never move to another land. Face facts, and just write me a divorce paper so we can go our separate ways. I will never go with you!”

“But if you follow me, you will enjoy boundless riches.”

“Well, I guess I am just not destined to enjoy boundless riches. You go and chase your high rank. I’ll just stay here and live my pitiful life. You can remarry.”

“But don’t you regret it later!” Jiang Ziya warned her.

“I asked for this, so I will never regret it,” she said.

Jiang Ziya nodded and sighed. “You think so little of me. You have already married me, so why won’t you follow me? You have to come with me!”

But now Lady Ma got mad. “Jiang Ziya, we can do this the easy way, or I can tell my father and brother and they can settle this with you, even if it means dragging you in front of the king!” she said.

As the two bickered, Jiang Ziya’s sworn brother Song Yiren and his wife came by to play peacemaker. Song Yiren said to Jiang Ziya, “Brother-in-law, I was the one who arranged this marriage. Since your wife refuses to go with you, just write her a divorce paper. You are an uncommon man; you will find another suitable match. There’s no need to keep begging her. As the old saying goes, ‘Once the heart is gone, you can’t keep them around. Forcing them to do so will not lead to good outcomes.’ ”

“Brother, sister-in-law,” Jiang Ziya said, “she hasn’t enjoyed anything since she married me. I can’t bear to leave her, but she has no problem leaving me. Since you have instructed me to do so, I will write a divorce paper.”

So Jiang Ziya wrote the document and held it in his hand. He turned to Lady Ma and said, “Darling, as long as this document stays in my hand, we are still a couple. But if you accept it, we will never become whole again!”

But before he even finished talking, Lady Ma had already reached out her hand and demanded the divorce paper. Jiang Ziya sighed and lamented, “Neither the bamboo snake’s bite nor the wasp’s sting can match the poison in a woman’s heart!”

So yeah, it’s not like either party is coming out of this looking great. But whatever the case, Lady Ma now packed up and moved back to her family’s residence. Jiang Ziya also packed up and bid his sworn brother goodbye. Song Yiren saw him off with some wine and escorted him a ways. As they parted, Song Yiren asked Jiang Ziya where he was going.

“I am heading to the Western Qi Mountains to do some business,” he said.

“Well, when you have time, drop us a note so we can feel at ease,” Song Yiren reminded him. The two then bid each other a teary goodbye.

Jiang Ziya now headed west and crossed over the Yellow River. One day, he approached Tong (2) Pass, the first of five major checkpoints on the border between the heart of the Shang domain and the lands to the west. As he walked toward the pass, he saw about 800 civilian refugees, weeping by the side of the road.

“Are you all from the capital?” Jiang Ziya asked some of them.

These refugees were indeed from the capital, and some of them recognized Jiang Ziya from his fortune-telling and low-level-official days. 

“Mr. Jiang! We were residents of the capital,” they told him. “King Zhou is building the Deer Terrace and has put Chong Houhu in charge. That cursed wicked official has conscripted two thirds of men. Those who can pay can bribe their way out of service. Tens of thousands of laborers have died of exhaustion and are buried in the foundation of the terrace. There’s not a moment’s peace. We couldn’t bear it anymore, so we are fleeing. But the Commander Zhang in charge of Tong (2) Pass refuses to let us through. If we get captured, we will be killed for sure. That’s why we’re crying.”

“There’s no need for this,” Jiang Ziya told them. “Let me go speak with Commander Zhang on your behalf and convince him to let you through.”

All the refugees thanked him profusely. Jiang Ziya asked them to watch his luggage while he went up to the checkpoint and went to the residence of Commander Zhang Feng (4). He told the doorman, “Please tell your master that Jiang Ziya, junior minister of the Shang court, is here to see him.”

When Zhang Feng got word of this, he thought to himself, “Jiang Ziya is a civil official, while I am a military officer. He is at the Shang court while I am stationed on the border. I will no doubt have to ask him for favors in the future.”

Thus deciding that he needed to butter up to this court official, Zhang Feng invited him in at once. Jiang Ziya entered, dressed in his Daoist robes rather than his court regalia. When Zhang Feng saw a Daoist priest come in, he remained seated and asked, “Who are you?”

“I am junior minister Jiang Ziya.”

“Why are you dressed in Daoist garb?”

“I have come to speak to you about the suffering of the masses. His majesty has been bewitched by a vixen. He ordered me to oversee the construction of Deer Terrace. But I refused to do wrong by my lord, my country, and the people, so I admonished him honestly. He refused to listen and wanted to punish me. I was going to give my life to repay the kindness of the court. Alas, heaven decided that my time was not yet up, and I was allowed to return to my ancestral land. That’s how I came to be here. I ran into many civilians who were on the run. If they are captured, they will suffer terrible torture like the Burning Pillar or the Serpents’ Pit. They would be reduced to ashes.  Pity the innocent dead and their souls. I feel sorry for them. That’s why I have imposed upon you to request that you generously allow the civilians through the checkpoint. They would get a new lease on life, and your virtue and kindness would be immeasurable.”

But when Zhang Feng heard all this, he flew into a rage.

“You are but a traveling sorcerer,” he scoffed. “You lucked into a position at court. And yet, instead of repaying your lord’s kindness, you tried to lead him astray. These refugees are traitors. If I listen to you, it would plunge me into dishonor. I have been commanded to keep watch over this pass, so I must naturally fulfill my duty. The refugees are breaking the law. I should arrest them and send them to the capital at once. But I figured if I just refuse to let them pass, then they will turn back and go home. I am giving them a way out. If I were to follow the letter of the law, I should arrest you, too. On account of this being our first meeting, I will spare you for now.”

He then barked for his guards to throw Jiang Ziya out, which they promptly did. So Jiang Ziya had no choice but to slink back to the refugees, hanging his head in shame. 

“Mr. Jiang, is Command Zhang going to let us through?” they asked him.

“He was going to arrest me, too,” Jiang Ziya lamented. “I pushed my luck too far.”

The refugees once again started wailing, and Jiang Ziya could not bear it. He told them, “Don’t cry. I will get you across the checkpoints.”

But some of the refugees were skeptical and thought he was just trying to console them. “Mr. Jiang himself can’t get through, so how can he save us?” they muttered amongst themselves.

But others who knew something of Jiang Ziya’s reputation told him, “If you are willing to save us, you would be giving us a new lease on life!”

Jiang Ziya said to the refugees, “Those of you who want to cross these five checkpoints, when dusk comes and I tell you to close your eyes, do as I say. Even if you hear wind blowing past, do not open your eyes. Otherwise, don’t blame me if you fall and break your head.”

Everyone agreed. So, when 7 p.m. rolled around, everyone closed their eyes. Jiang Ziya bowed toward the Kunlun Mountain, where his master’s sanctuary was located, and muttered an incantation. Everyone felt and heard a strong wind whip past, and within a few moments, they had been transported not only over Tong Pass, but also the next four checkpoints. In all, they fast traveled more than 100 miles. As they approached Golden Rooster Peak, Jiang Ziya rescinded his magic spell, and all the refugees felt themselves standing on solid ground once again.

“Alright everyone, open your eyes,” he shouted.

When they opened their eyes, he told them, “You are now on Golden Rooster Peak. You are in the region of Western Qi (2). Be on your way and take care.”

All the refugees kneeled and thanked him profusely and then took their leave once morning came. True to JIang Ziya’s word, they were indeed in Western Qi territory. But, JIang Ziya could’ve done them an even bigger favor if he had kept them in fast travel mode for just a few more minutes. After they crossed over Golden Rooster Peak, they had to scale over First Sun Mountain, and then over Yan (1) Mountain, and then through White Willow Village, and then they approached Western Qi Mountain. After another 20 miles or so, they finally arrived at Western Qi City, the capital of the Western Qi lands. 

Now, remember that the Western Qi territory was ruled by the Grand Duke of the West, Ji (1) Chang (1), who was presently doing his seven years of bad luck under house arrest near the Shang capital. His city, however, continued to thrive in his absence. When the refugees entered, they marveled at the city’s prosperity and how everyone yielded to everyone else when they passed each other. Truly this was a scene out of the golden ages of sage kings of the mystical ancient past. 

The refugees wrote a petition and delivered it to a high minister’s residence. The minister then brought it to Bo (2) Yikao (4,3), Ji Chang’s eldest son, who had been left in charge when Ji Chang was summoned to the Shang capital years ago. When he read the petition, Bo Yikao issued a decree. It said, “Refugees have fled here from the Shang capital because King Zhou has lost his way. The bachelors shall receive money so they may take a wife. Also give them silver and let them set up new homes. Widows, widowers, orphans and old people without support may register at the granary and receive free grain rations.”

With that matter taken care of, Bo Yikao now asked his top minister San (3) Yisheng (2,1), “My father has been imprisoned for 7 years. I was thinking of going to the Shang capital and serve his sentence in his place. What do you think?”

San Yisheng was like, dude, seriously? Do you not remember the one thing your dad kept telling you before he left? 

“When his lordship left, he said that he will return after he has fulfilled the preordained seven years of calamity. He told you not to act rashly and go against his instructions. If you are worried about him, then you can send an envoy to check in on him, and that will fulfill your filial duty. There is no need for you to go in person and risk your own safety.”

But Bo Yikao sighed, “My father has been trapped in a foreign land for seven years without any family with him. As his son, how can I bear it? A country is like a home. What use are his 99 sons? I will bring three ancestral treasures to the capital and offer them to the king to atone for my father’s offense.”

So, despite his minister’s entreaties, Bo Yikao was determined to go to the capital. Before he left, he went to see his mother and told her of his plans. 

“But who would oversee things here?” she asked him.

“Internal affairs can be left to my younger brother Ji (1) Fa (1), external affairs can be entrusted to San (3) Yisheng (2,1), and military affairs can be handled by Nangong (2,1) Shi (4),” Bo Yikao said. “I must go to the capital to see the king and present tribute to atone for my father’s offense.”

Seeing that there was no changing his mind, his mother relented and just told him to be careful. Bo Ykao then went to the main hall and said to Ji Fa (1), the second eldest of Ji Chang’s sons, “Be harmonious with your brothers and do not change the laws and policies. I’ll be back in two or three months.”

With the affairs of his court taken care of, Bo Yikao packed up and departed on the selected date. His officials and his 98 brothers, led by Ji Fa, saw him off. His journey was uneventful, as he and his entourage passed through the five checkpoints leading into Shang territory and made their way to the Shang capital. They settled in the royal guest house, and the next day Bo Yikao went to the palace. But he did not see a single official come through, and he did not dare to barge into the palace uninvited. He repeated this for five days. On the fifth day, as he stood outside the palace gates dressed in plain garb, he saw the Second Minister Bi (3) Gan (4) approach on horseback.

Bo Yikao approached Bi Gan and kneeled, and when Bi Gan asked for his name, he introduced himself. Bi Gan quickly dismounted, helped him to his feet, and asked what he was doing there.

“My father offended his majesty,” Bo Yikao said. “But thanks to your protection, he was able to keep his life. That is an immense kindness, one that I, my father, and my brothers will never forget. But it has been seven years since my father was sent to the town of Youli (2,3). How can I, as his son, feel any peace? I figure his majesty would remember my father’s loyalty and kindness and would not harm him. So I discussed it with my ministers and decided to come present our ancestral treasures to his majesty to atone for my father’s offense. I hope you will look into your compassionate heart and take pity on my father’s long suffering. If he can go home, your kindness would be as immense as Mount Tai (4) and as deep as the ocean. All the people of Western Qi will be grateful.”

“What treasures did you bring?” Bi Gan asked.

“I brought a Seven Fragrance Carriage, a sobriety carpet, a white-faced monkey, and 10 beautiful maids.”

That piqued Bi Gan’s interest and he asked what was so special about these treasures. To find out the answer, and to see if they are enough to buy Ji Chang’s freedom, 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
• “Slow Times Over Here” by Midnight North (from YouTube audio library)
• “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)
• “Loneliest Road in America (US 50)” by Jesse Gallagher (from YouTube audio library)