12 Chonghua

A1.17|18|19

Yu Shun, his name was Chonghua. Chonghua's father was called Gusou, Gusou's father was Qiaoniu, Qiaoniu's father was Juwang, Juwang's father was Jingkang, and Jingkang's father was Qiongchan. Qiongchan's father was Emperor Zhuanxu, and Zhuanxu's father was Changyi: from Changyi to Shun it was seven generations. From Qiongchan to Emperor Shun, the intervening generations were all low as commoners.

Shun's father, Gusou, was blind. After Shun's biological mother died, Gusou married another wife and gave birth to Xiang, who was arrogant. Gusou liked his second wife's son and often wanted to kill Shun, but Shun escaped. If he made a little mistake, he would be severely punished. Shun served his father, his stepmother and his half brother reverently, becoming more loyal and prudent day by day, without slacking off at all.

Shun was from Jizhou. Shun plowed fields in Lishan, fished in Leize, made pottery on the bank of the Yellow River, made various household utensils in Shouqiu, and did business in Fuxia. Shun's father Gusou was stubborn, his mother was viscous, and his younger brother Xiang was arrogant. They all wanted to kill Shun. Shun, however, behaved respectfully and never violated the principles of being a son, loving his brothers and being filial to his parents. When they wanted to kill him, they couldn't find him; and when they needed him, he was always there.

虞舜者，名曰重华。重华父曰瞽叟，瞽叟父曰桥牛，桥牛父曰句望，句望父曰敬康，敬康父曰穷蝉，穷蝉父曰帝颛顼，颛顼父曰昌意：以至舜七世矣。自从穷蝉以至帝舜，皆微为庶人。

舜父瞽叟盲，而舜母死，瞽叟更娶妻而生象，象傲。瞽叟爱后妻子，常欲杀舜，舜避逃；及有小过，则受罪。顺事父及后母与弟，日以笃谨，匪有解。

舜，冀州之人也。舜耕历山，渔雷泽，陶河滨，作什器于寿丘，就时于负夏。舜父瞽叟顽，母嚚，弟象傲，皆欲杀舜。舜顺適不失子道，兄弟孝慈。欲杀，不可得；即求，尝在侧。

11 Yao got Shun

A1.15|16

Huandou once recommended Gonggong, and Yao said "no", but Huandou still tried him as a master craftsman. As expected, Gonggong turned out to be debauchery, evil and unfair. And Siyue once recommended Gun to be in charge of flood control, Yao said "no", but Siyue insisted on giving it a try, and it resulted in that nothing could be done, and all the people thought it inexpedient. In the basins between the Yangtze and Huaihe rivers, Sanmiao had caused many rebellions. At that time, Shun returned from his inspection, and reported to the Emperor Yao, requesting that Gonggong be exiled to Youling in the north in order to change the customs of northern Beidi; and Huandou be exiled to Chongshan in the south in order to change that of the southern Barbarians; and Sanmiao to Sanwei in the west to change the western Xirong, and Gun to Yushan in the east to change the eastern Dongyi. After punishing all those four villains, every one in the world was all convinced and obedient.

After seventy years of his reign, Yao got Shun, and another twenty years later he resigned due to old age, and Shun was made taking charge of the emperor's duty and was recommended to the Heaven. Yao died twenty-eight years after abdicating his throne. The people mourned and mourned as if they lost their own biological father. Within three years, in mourning the Emperor Yao. no one played any music anywhere in the world, Yao knew that his own son Danzhu was not worthy of the throne being passed down to him, so he authorized it to Shun. If it were passed on to Shun, everyone in the world would benefit from it and only Danzhu would be at a disadvantage; if it were passed on to Danzhu, everyone in the world would suffer and only Danzhu would benefit. Yao said: "After all, I cannot cause harm to all the people in the world and benefit only one person," so he finally passed the world to Shun. After Yao's death, three years of mourning passed, Shun abdicated the throne to Danzhu and hid on the south bank of the Nanhe River. The princes who came for pilgrimage did not go to Danzhu but only came to Shun; those who had lawsuits among them did not go to Danzhu but came to Shun as their judge; it was Shun but Danzhu who was praised by the people. Shun said, "That's Heaven's will!" Then he went to the capital and ascended to the throne. So there was the Emperor Shun.

讙兜进言共工，尧曰不可而试之工师，共工果淫辟。四岳举鲧治鸿水，尧以为不可，岳强请试之，试之而无功，故百姓不便。三苗在江淮、荆州数为乱。于是舜归而言于帝，请流共工于幽陵，以变北狄；放驩兜于崇山，以变南蛮；迁三苗于三危，以变西戎；殛鲧于羽山，以变东夷：四罪而天下咸服。

尧立七十年得舜，二十年而老，令舜摄行天子之政，荐之于天。尧辟位凡二十八年而崩。百姓悲哀，如丧父母。三年，四方莫举乐，以思尧。尧知子丹朱之不肖，不足授天下，于是乃权授舜。授舜，则天下得其利而丹朱病；授丹朱，则天下病而丹朱得其利。尧曰“终不以天下之病而利一人”，而卒授舜以天下。尧崩，三年之丧毕，舜让辟丹朱于南河之南。诸侯朝觐者不之丹朱而之舜，狱讼者不之丹朱而之舜，讴歌者不讴歌丹朱而讴歌舜。舜曰“天也夫！”而后之中国践天子位焉，是为帝舜。