Gods 028: Rage and Regret
Grand Tutor Wen returns from another campaign and asks King Zhou, “Oh what the heck did you do now?!”
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 28 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, we had a major changing of the guards as Ji Chang, the Grand Duke of the West, died and his son Ji Fa (1) inherited his position and gave himself a promotion to the Martial King. Word of this quickly got to the Shang capital, and the minister Yao (2) Zhong (1) brought the news to King Zhou.
“Ji Chang is dead and Ji Fa has made himself a king,” Yao Zhong said. “Many nobles are pledging allegiance to him. This is going to be a big problem. Your highness should wage a campaign against him and lay down the law. If you delay, more will turn to him.”
But King Zhou scoffed, “Ji Fa is just a youngster. What can he do?”
“He may be young, but Jiang Ziya is wiley, and the likes of Nan (2) Gongkuo (1,4) and San (4) Yisheng (2,1) provide braun and brain. We must be on guard,” Yao Zhong warned.
“Even though there is some truth to your concern, I see Jiang Ziya as a mere sorcerer. What can he do?” King Zhou said. And so he just put this out of his mind.
As Yao Zhong left the king’s presence, he sighed and lamented, “Ji Fa will be the one to end the Shang for sure!”
Time flew by, and soon it was the end of the year. The next year would be the 21st of King Zhou’s reign. On New Year’s Day, all the officials went to court to pay their respects to the king, while the wives of all the ministers went to the inner palace to pay their respects to the queen, Daji. Among them was the wife of Flying Tiger, Madam Jia (3). She was also going to take this opportunity to drop by the west palace to visit Flying Tiger’s sister, Concubine Huang (2). This was the only time all year that they would get to see each other. But first, she had to grin and bear it in front of Daji.
In her palace, Daji was informed that Madam Jia was paying her a visit. She asked which Madam Jia this was, and when she learned that it was Flying Tiger’s wife, she thought to herself, “Flying Tiger, you released the hawk that scratched my face. I’m going to set a trap for your wife today.” So she summoned Madam Jia. Madam Jia entered, paid her respects, and was offered a seat.
Once she sat down, Daji asked her how old she was, and she answered 36.
“Ah, you are eight years older than me,” Daji said. “How about we become sworn sisters?”
“Your highness is the queen, while I am but the wife of a minister. How can a phoenix pair with a feral chicken,” Madam Jia said, trying to beg off.
“No, you are too modest,” Daji said. “I may be the queen, but I was but the daughter of a marquis. You, on the other hand, are the wife of Lord Flying Tiger and a relative of the royal house.”
Daji then threw a banquet for Madam Jia. After they drank a few cups, the attendant informed Daji that King Zhou was coming, which put Madam Jia in quite a panic, as she was not supposed to be in the presence of the king.
“Your highness, what position have you put me in?” she fretted to Daji.
“Sister, don’t worry, just hide in the back chamber,” Daji told her.
So Madam Jia went into the back of the palace and hid, while Daji went to greet King Zhou. When he entered, the king noticed the banquet that was laid out and asked Daji who she was drinking with.
“I was sharing a cup with Madam Jia, the wife of Lord Flying Tiger.”
“You are such a good woman,” the king praised her. Then, he ordered a new feast be laid out, and he and Daji sat down to drink.
As they were drinking, Daji asked him, “Have you ever met Madam Jia?”
“The rules of propriety state that the lord should not see his vassal’s wife,” he said.
“Well that may be, but Madam Jia is your highness’s relative. And her sister-in-law is your concubine, so that makes her an even closer relative. So what’s the big deal if you met her? Besides, among the civilians, relatives drink together all the time. Why don’t your highness stay out of sight for now. In a bit, I will bring Madam Jia to the Star-Picking Tower. Then, when you show up there, she would have nowhere to hide, and you’ll see how gorgeous she is.”
King Zhou was delighted by this suggestion, so he stepped out into a side hall. Daji then went to the back to tell Madam Jia that the king had left. Madam Jia thanked her and tried to take her leave, but Daji said, “We only meet once a year. I want to go sightseeing with you at the Star-Picking Tower. What do you think?”
Madam Jia did not dare to disobey the queen’s wishes, so she had no choice but to go to the tower with Daji. They climbed to the top and looked out over the railing. Down below, Madam Jia could see the giant snake pit, which, despite King Zhou’s promise to Grand Tutor Wen, was still there and filled with writhing snakes, not to mention piles of bleached bones. Nearby, an eerie wind blew from the wine pool and a chill rose from the meat forest.
Taken aback by these sights, Madam Jia asked Daji why these things were there.
“We had troublemakers in the palace, so we devised this snakepit as punishment,” Daji said. “Offenders in the palace are stripped and bound, and cast into the pit to be fed to the serpents.”
That scared Madam Jia out of her wits. Daji now ordered a banquet be laid out. Madam Jia tried again to beg off and take her leave, but Daji said, “I know you still have to go visit your sister-in-law, but since you’re already here, stay a while and drink a few cups.”
So Madam Jia had no choice but to comply. Shortly thereafter, attendants announced that the king was coming up the tower. Madam Jia again panicked, but Daji told her, “Don’t worry. Just stand outside by the railing. Once his majesty has come up, you can go down. There’s nothing to be concerned about.”
So Madam Jia did as she instructed. Momentarily, King Zhou walked up to the top of the tower, Daji greeted him, and they both sat down. As soon as he sat down, King Zhou asked knowingly, “Who is that standing outside by the railing?”
“That is Madam Jia, the wife of Lord Flying Tiger,” Daji told him.
Madam Jia now had no choice but to come over and pay her respects, and then she stood to one side. This whole time, King Zhou was stealing glances and admiring her beauty, and he asked her to sit down.
“Your majesty and the queen are the lords of the realm,” Madam Jia said, “how can I dare to sit? It would be a grave offense.”
“Oh sister, there’s no harm in sitting,” Daji pressed her.
“Why do you call her sister?” King Zhou asked.
“Madam Jia and I have become sworn sisters,” Daji informed him. “Besides, she is your aunt by marriage, so what’s the harm in her sitting down?”
Madam Jia thought to herself, “Looks like I have fallen into Daji’s trap.” She now kowtowed and said, “Your servant entered the palace to pay her respects to the queen. According to the rules of propriety, a lord should not see his vassal’s wife. I beg your majesty to allow me to leave. I would be eternally grateful for your kindness.”
But King Zhou said, “Since my aunt won’t sit down, how about I stand up and offer you a toast?” As he spoke, he got up and extended a cup to her with a smile.
Madam Jia became enraged. She thought to herself, “My husband is no common man. How can I tolerate such humiliation?!”
Figuring that she was done for one way or another, she grabbed the cup and threw it in the king’s face, cursing aloud, “You degenerate! My husband rendered incredible service in 30-some battles to help the Shang build its enterprise. Instead of rewarding him, you are humiliating his wife on Daji’s prodding. You degenerate! You and your whore are going to die without a resting place!”
King Zhou was irate and ordered the guards to seize her. But Madam Jia shouted, “Who would dare to lay a finger on me?!” She then turned and stepped over to the railing and yelled, “My husband! I am going to honor my vows to you! Pity that there will be no one to watch over my three sons!”
At that, she leaped over the railing and plunged to her death at the foot of the tower.
Oh boy, this … was not good. King Zhou was filled with rage and regret. And god knows what consequences this was going to trigger.
Meanwhile, over at the west palace, Concubine Huang, had been anxiously waiting for her sister-in-law to show up for their annual get-together. But then, she got word that Madam Jia had accompanied Daji to the Star-Picking Tower, and she was greatly alarmed.
“Daji is a jealous woman,” Concubine Huang thought to herself. “How could my sister-in-law go to the Star-Picking Tower with her?”
Worried, she sent a servant to the tower to check on Madam Jia. And soon, the servant rushed back and told her what had just transpired. Concubine Huang wailed and cursed, “Daji, you whore! You had beef with my brother, so now you have sent my sister-in-law to an unjust death!”
She then gathered herself and made her way to the tower. She went up to the top, pointed at King Zhou, and cursed him, “You debauched tyrant! Who do you think built your dynasty? My brother went to war for you and has served the state faithfully. My father is defending your borders and labors daily to drill your soldiers. Our entire family has been loyal and upstanding, dedicated to repaying the country and serving the people. Today is New Year’s Day, and my sister-in-law followed the rules of propriety in coming into the palace to pay her respects. And yet, you listened to your whore and lured her to this tower. You degenerate! You’re addicted to sex and have lost all sense of morality. Your clan will be exterminated for sure! You have dishonored your father, and your name will be reviled in the history books!”
That tirade left King Zhou dumbfounded and unable to reply. Concubine Huang then turned to Daji and cursed her, “You whore! You have plunged the inner palace into chaos and misled the king. It pains me that you have forced my sister-in-law to leap to her death!”
As she spoke, Concubine Huang walked up to Daji and seized her. Having grown up in a family of warriors, Concubine Huang was quite strong. She threw Daji to the ground and started punching her. And with the king sitting right there, Daji couldn’t show her true colors and use her demonic powers to defend herself. So she just yelled to the king for help.
King Zhou tried to intervene and break it up. He said to Concubine Huang, “This had nothing to do with Daji. Your sister-in-law was ashamed to have run into me, so she threw herself off the tower.”
But Concubine Huang was riding a tidal wave of rage. In the heat of the moment, she turned around and slapped the king across his face, telling him, “You’re such a muddle-headed tyrant! How can you defend that whore? I’m going to kill Daji to avenge my sister-in-law!”
Well, that slap was one bridge too far for King Zhou. “How dare you hit me?!” he fumed as he grabbed Concubine Huang by her hair and her gown, and lifted her up into the air. He turned and threw her over the railing. And in the blink of an eye, Concubine Huang was also lying in a pool of blood at the foot of the tower.
So the day just kept getting worse, and King Zhou was again filled with remorse, but was unwilling to reproach Daji for instigating these two calamities.
Meanwhile, the servants who had accompanied Madam Jia into the palace were still waiting outside for their mistress to come out. But as evening came, they still had not seen any sign of her. Then, a palace attendant came out and asked them who they were with.
“We are servants of Lord Flying Tiger. We accompanied our lady into the palace and are waiting for her,” they told the royal attendant.
“Your lady killed herself by leaping off Star-Picking Tower,” the attendant told them. “And Concubine Huang tried to get some justice for her and was thrown off the tower to her death by the king. You all should go, quickly!”
The servants rushed back to Flying Tiger’s residence, where Flying Tiger was celebrating New Year’s with his two younger brothers, his four generals and sworn brothers, and his three sons. In the midst of the festivities, the servants rushed in and dropped the terrible news.
When they heard that their mother had leaped to her death, the three sons, who were 14, 12, and 7, began to wail. Flying Tiger, meanwhile, sat in silent thought. One of his generals and sworn brothers, Huang (2) Ming (2), said, “Brother, no need to hesitate. King Zhou has lost his way. He must have lusted after your wife. Such things are not unheard of. Your wife is a valiant woman. You are a hero, and she is faithful to you. She must have leaped to her death to preserve your good name. And Concubine Huang must have gone to demand justice from that degenerate king and was thrown off the tower by him. There’s no need to discuss this further. You must not hesitate. As the old saying goes, ‘When the lord is unjust, the vassal seeks a new state.’ We have spent our lives in the saddle and on the battlefield. This is an insult to all of us. How can we face the rest of the world after this? When the king wrongs the vassal, how can the vassal continue to serve the state? Let’s rebel!”
At that, Huang Ming and the other three generals grabbed their knives and stomped out, ready to start some ruckus. As he watched them go out, however, Flying Tiger thought to himself, “Can I turn my back on my country for the sake of a woman? If this gets out, it would be hard to clear my name!”
While we do a collective eye roll, Flying Tiger rushed outside and shouted to his generals, “Brothers, come back! Even if we’re going to rebel, we have to discuss it first. Where are we going? Which lord will we pledge ourselves to? We also have to pack up our things before we can leave the capital. The four of you can’t just stomp off!”
That convinced his generals to turn back. They dismounted and headed back inside. But once they were in his house again, Flying Tiger pulled out his sword and shouted at them, “You traitors! Instead of repaying my kindness, you are trying to destroy my family! What’s it to you that my wife died at Star-Picking Tower?! You are throwing the word “rebellion” around left and right. But my family have loyal officers for seven generations and have reaped the state’s kindness for 200-some years. How can we rebel for the sake of one woman. You’re just trying to use this as an excuse to rebel and loot and plunder. Instead of living up to your stations and doing your utmost to repay the state, you are acting like traitors. You really are just crooks at heart!”
That tirade silenced the four generals. After a moment, Huang Ming laughed and said, “Brother, you are right! This has nothing to do with the four of us, why should we get all worked up?”
And so, the four of them sat down at a side table and started drinking and laughing. And that was equally enraging for Flying Tiger to see, especially while his three sons were still weeping nonstop.
“What are you all laughing about?!” he asked his generals.
Huang Ming replied, “Well brother, something may be bothering you, but not us. We’re just drinking and making merry on New Year’s. What’s it to you?”
Flying Tiger was steaming now. “You know something is bothering me, so why do you laugh?!” he fumed.
Another of the generals, Zhou (1) Ji (3), told him, “To tell you the truth, we’re laughing at you.”
“Why? I am a noble and a high official. I am one of the leading figures at court. What reason would you have to mock me?”
Zhou Ji said, “Brother, you are indeed a leading official, and those in the know understand that you earned your position through your service. But everyone else will just say that all your wealth and prosperity are the results of your wife cavorting with the king.”
Now THIS sent Flying Tiger over the edge. He let out an angry growl and barked to his bodyguards, “Pack up our things. We are rebelling and storming out of the capital!”
Well, I’m glad to see that something finally drove him to take action, even if it was the insinuation that the day’s events would taint his own reputation rather than, you know, the actual death of his wife. As he and his brothers and generals packed up all of the family’s property, Flying Tiger asked them where they should go.
“Brother, have you not heard the saying that a talented official chooses his own master?” Huang Ming said. “Right now, the Martial King reigns in the west and possesses two-thirds of the realm. Why not go there and enjoy peace and prosperity?”
The general Zhou Ji, meanwhile, was thinking to himself, “Flying Tiger was driven to rebellion by what I said. But he might still change his mind. Let me make sure he has no recourse.”
So Zhou Ji said, “It might take too long to go west, go through the five checkpoints, raise an army and come back to avenge your wife and sister. In my opinion, let’s fight it out with King Zhou outside the palace today. What do you think?”
Flying Tiger’s mind was in chaos, so he just uttered, “Sure!” And so he donned his armor, mounted his magic multi-color cow, and went to the palace with Huang Ming and Zhou Ji. Meanwhile, his two brothers, three sons, and the other two generals escorted his family and property out of the capital through the west gate.
It was late in the day when Flying Tiger arrived outside the palace. The general Zhou Ji shouted toward the palace, “Go tell King Zhou to come out at once to explain himself. Otherwise, we are going to charge into the palace, and then it’d be too late for regrets!”
Now, King Zhou was sitting around feeling remorseful about what happened today. But when he got word of Flying Tiger’s rebellion, his regret turned to rage. “How dare that scoundrel insult me?!” he fumed as he donned his armor and rode out with the palace guards.
Flying Tiger may have officially declared rebellion, but now that he was face to face with the king, he was starting have some second thoughts. Picking up on this, Zhou Ji immediately shouted, “King Zhou has lost his way! It is immoral for the lord to covet his vassal’s wife!”
As he spoke, he galloped toward King Zhou with battle ax in hand. Huang Ming also charged out to help. An angry King Zhou raised his saber, and the three started tangling. Flying Tiger was pissed off at his own generals for forcing his hand, but at this point, there was no turning back, so he also rode forth on his cow and joined the scrum.
After 30-some bouts, King Zhou, despite being a mighty warrior, was starting to fade. So he quickly retreated back into the palace. Huang Ming wanted to give chase, but Flying Tiger stopped him, and they rode away, catching up with their entourage and embarking on their journey west.
Throughout the city, word quickly got around that Flying Tiger had rebelled. All the civilians now shut their doors, expecting chaos. Inside the palace, all the court officials showed up to ask the king what happened. Of course, King Zhou was not going to own up to his mistakes. So he said, “Madam Jia came in the palace for New Year’s, but insulted the queen, so she threw herself off the tower and committed suicide. Then Concubine Huang came to argue and was attacking the queen when she lost her footing and fell off the tower by accident. I don’t know why Flying Tiger decided to rebel and attack the palace, but it was unjustified. You all must help me figure out how to respond!”
All the officials suspected that wasn’t the whole story, and no one wanted to offer up an idea, so everybody just stood in silence. Just then, scouts came and reported that Grand Tutor Wen (2) Zhong (4) had returned, victorious from his campaign to put down rebels in the East Sea District. So all the officials went out of the city to welcome him back, and he told them to go back into the capital and that he would meet them at the palace gate.
Wen Zhong then rode into the city atop his black qilin, and the officials bowed to welcome him outside the palace. Together, they went inside and paid their respects to King Zhou. When this was done, however, Wen Zhong noticed the conspicuous absence of one Flying Tiger. You know, the guy that he had left to watch over things at court. He asked the king why Flying Tiger was missing.
“He rebelled,” King Zhou said.
“Why?” a stunned Wen Zhong asked.
“On New Year’s Day, his wife came into the palace to pay her respects, but she insulted Queen Daji and committed suicide out of shame by throwing herself off the Star-Picking Tower,” King Zhou said. “She brought it upon herself. Then, Concubine Huang heard the news and came to the tower in anger and beat the queen. I tried to intervene, and she accidentally fell off the tower. I didn’t mean for it to happen. And then, Flying Tiger had the audacity to lead his men and attack the palace and trade blows with me. Fortunately, I didn’t fall victim to his attack. Now, he and his men have rebelled and left the capital heading west. I was just contemplating how to respond. Now that you’re back, you can help me capture him so that he may face the law of the state.”
After hearing this SLIGHTLY revisionist account, Wen Zhong said sternly, “On this matter, in my foolish opinion, it looks like your majesty wronged your vassals. He has always been loyal to you and the state. His wife entered the palace to pay her respects according to custom. How could she end up dead for no reason? Besides, Star-Picking Tower is your residence and is separated from the central palace. How could she have ended up there without reason? Someone must have instigated this and lured her there, putting you in a dishonorable situation. You must look to your own actions and how they might have humiliated a chaste woman. And it was to be expected for Concubine Huang to come to the tower to admonish you over her sister-in-law’s unjust death. Yet, your highness could not tolerate her and instead played favorites and pushed her off the tower. You are at fault in those two women’s deaths. It had nothing to do with Flying Tiger.
“As the saying goes, ‘When a lord is unjust, the vassal leaves for another state.’ Flying Tiger is loyal and has rendered great service. Yet, instead of being allowed to enjoy wealth and prosperity, his family has been subjected to unjust deaths. What a sad thing this is. I beg your highness to pardon Flying Tiger’s grave offense, and let me go convince him to come back. That way, your enterprise will be safe, and your state will have peace.”
All the other officials now chimed in and said, “The Grand Tutor is quite right. We hope you majesty will quickly do as he suggests, and all will be well.”
But Wen Zhong now took a step back. He said, “Flying Tiger should be forgiven because his majesty wronged him. However, if Flying Tiger also wronged his majesty, I might have overlooked it in the heat of the moment. If anyone wants to speak up, let’s talk it through now, so that we don’t mishandle the affairs of the state.”
At that, one official indeed stepped forth. It was a junior minister named Xu (2) Rong (2). He said, “Grand Tutor, even though his majesty did wrong Flying Tiger, Flying Tiger also insulted his majesty.”
“How so?” Wen Zhong asked.
“His majesty did wrong Flying Tiger by humiliating his wife. And his majesty was also at fault in throwing Concubine Huang to her death. Yet, how can Flying Tiger lead his men and attack the palace, declare that the king has committed crimes, and trade blows with him outside the palace gate? Those actions were not befitting a vassal, and thus Flying Tiger was also at fault.”
When he heard that, Wen Zhong admonished the other officials, saying, “You all were keeping things from me. You only told me about the king’s misdeeds, but not Flying Tiger’s.”
He now ordered two generals, “Send an urgent dispatch to Lintong (2,2) Pass, Sweet Dreams Pass, and Green Dragon Pass. Tell them they must not allow the rebels to get away. I will go chase down the traitors so that they may be brought to justice!”
Wen Zhong then quickly mobilized his army and set off toward the west in pursuit of Flying Tiger. To see if Flying Tiger can get away, 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
- “The Quiet Aftermath by Sir Cubworth (from YouTube audio library)
- “Slow Times Over Here” by Midnight North (from YouTube audio library)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)