70 The Way of Heaven

A4.20|21

After King Wu conquered Yin, two years later, he asked Jizi why the Yin Dynasty had fallen. Jizi could not bear to speak ill of Yin, so he only talked about how the survival and the destruction of a country would like. King Wu felt the shame, so he asked about the Way of Heaven.

King Cheng became ill, the whole country has not come altogether yet, and the princes and ministers were all afraid. So they held a divination with reverence, and Duke Zhou then performed purification and fasting, and made himself a hostage in place of King Wu. King Wu recovered, but died later, then the Crown Prince Song succeeded him, and became King Cheng.

武王已克殷，后二年，问箕子殷所以亡。箕子不忍言殷恶，以存亡国宜告。武王亦丑，故问以天道。

武王病。天下未集，群公惧，穆卜，周公乃祓斋，自为质，欲代武王，武王有瘳。后而崩，太子诵代立，是为成王。