73 King Kang

A4.24|25

Before King Cheng died, he was worried that his Crown Prince Zhao would not be able to do the job, so he ordered Duke Zhao and Duke Bi to lead the princes to assist the Crown Prince in governing the country. After King Cheng died, the two dukes led the princes and took Crown Prince Zhao to visit the ancestral temple of the previous king, and kept telling him how difficult it was for King Wen and King Wu to establish their foundations, asking him to be frugal, not to have too many desires, and to govern the world with sincerity and honesty, and "Guardian" was written. Prince Zhao then ascended the throne, and this was King Kang. After King Kang ascended the throne, he notified the princes of the world and constantly admonished them with the achievements of King Wen and King Wu, and wrote "Kang’s Edict". Therefore, during the reigns of King Cheng and King Kang, the world was stable and peaceful, and no punishment was used for more than 40 years. King Kang issued a written edict to Duke Bi, ordering him to divide and rule the remnants of Yin people and stabilize the suburbs of the Zhou capital, and so "Bi’s Edict" was written.

After King Kang died, his son King Zhao Xia ascended to the throne. During King Zhao's reign, the way of king was slightly weakened. King Zhao went on a hunting trip to the south and never returned, and died on the river. There was no report on his death, which was a taboo. King Zhao's son, Prince Man, was enthroned as King Mu. When King Mu ascended the throne, he was already fifty years old. The way of king was weakened, and King Mu felt that it was weakened in the way of both civil and military affairs, so he ordered Bo Yu to admonish Taipu the royal servant about state affairs, so “The Order of Yu” was written. And the Peace was restored.

成王将崩，惧太子钊之不任，乃命召公、毕公率诸侯以相太子而立之。成王既崩，二公率诸侯，以太子钊见于先王庙，申告以文王、武王之所以为王业之不易，务在节俭，毋多欲，以笃信临之，作《顾命》。太子钊遂立，是为康王。康王即位，遍告诸侯，宣告以文武之业以申之，作《康诰》。故成康之际，天下安宁，刑错四十余年不用。康王命作策毕公分居里，成周郊，作《毕命》。

康王卒，子昭王瑕立。昭王之时，王道微缺。昭王南巡狩不返，卒于江上。其卒不赴告，讳之也。立昭王子满，是为穆王。穆王即位，春秋已五十矣。王道衰微，穆王闵文武之道缺，乃命伯臩申诫太仆国之政，作《臩命》。复宁。