81 King You and Bao Si

A4.37 

In his third year (779 BC), King You favored Bao Si. Bao Si gave birth to a son, Bo Fu, and King You wanted to depose the crown prince. The crown prince's mother was the daughter of Lord Shen and the queen. Later, King You got Bao Si and loved her very much. He wanted to depose Queen Shen and Crown Prince Yi Jiu, and make Bao Si the queen and Bo Fu the crown prince. Zhou Taishi Bo Yang read the historical records and said, "The Zhou Dynasty is about to perish." When the Xia Hou clan was declining, two dragons landed in the courtyard of the Xia emperor and said, "We are the two monarchs of Bao." The Xia emperor divined whether to kill them, drive them away, or keep them, but did not get a good omen. The diviner asked to collect the dragon's saliva, and got a good omen. So the Xia emperor prepared silk and wrote a prayer on a bamboo slip. After the dragon flew away, it left saliva. The Xia emperor ordered people to collect it in a wooden box and keep it. After the fall of the Xia Dynasty, this artifact was passed on to the Shang Dynasty. After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, the artifact was passed to the Zhou Dynasty. For three consecutive dynasties, no one dared to open it. It was not until the end of King Li's reign that it was opened for viewing. The dragon's saliva flowed into the courtyard and could not be cleaned. King Li asked women to shout loudly in the courtyard naked. The dragon's saliva turned into a black lizard and entered King Li's harem. The lizard was encounted by a slave girl in the harem at the teeth-changing age and she became pregnant a few years later when she turned fifteen. She gave birth to a baby girl without a husband, and out of fear she abandoned the baby. During the reign of King Xuan, there was a child song went around. "There will be a couple who sell bows and arrows made of mulberry wood, and they are the ones who will destroy the Zhou Dynasty.” When King Xuan heard about it, he put an order out, that if a couple found selling these bows and arrows would be arrested and executed. Then on their way of escaping, the couple saw the baby girl abandoned by the harem slave on the roadside. They heard the baby crying at night, and adopted her out of pity. The couple then fled to Bao. Years later when a man from Bao committed a crime, he offered the abandoned girl, now grown, to the king to atone for his sin. The girl was from Bao, so she was called Bao Si. When King You had reigned for three years, he came to his harem and saw Bao Si and fell in love with her. Then she gave birth to a son, Bo Fu. King You even wanted to depose Queen Shen and the crown prince, and make Bao Si the queen and Bo Fu the crown prince. The historian Bo Yang said, "The disaster has already happened, there is nothing we can do about it!"

三年，幽王嬖爱襃姒。襃姒生子伯服，幽王欲废太子。太子母申侯女，而为后。后幽王得襃姒，爱之，欲废申后，并去太子宜臼，以襃姒为后，以伯服为太子。周太史伯阳读史记曰：“周亡矣。”昔自夏后氏之衰也，有二神龙止于夏帝庭而言曰：“余，襃之二君。”夏帝卜杀之与去之与止之，莫吉。卜请其漦而藏之，乃吉。于是布币而策告之，龙亡而漦在，椟而去之。夏亡，传此器殷。殷亡，又传此器周。比三代，莫敢发之，至厉王之末，发而观之。漦流于庭，不可除。厉王使妇人裸而譟之。漦化为玄鼋，以入王后宫。后宫之童妾既龀而遭之，既笄而孕，无夫而生子，惧而弃之。宣王之时童女谣曰：“檿弧箕服，实亡周国。”于是宣王闻之，有夫妇卖是器者，宣王使执而戮之。逃于道，而见乡者后宫童妾所弃妖子出于路者，闻其夜啼，哀而收之，夫妇遂亡，奔于襃。襃人有罪，请入童妾所弃女子者于王以赎罪。弃女子出于襃，是为襃姒。当幽王三年，王之后宫见而爱之，生子伯服，竟废申后及太子，以襃姒为后，伯服为太子。太史伯阳曰：“祸成矣，无可奈何！”

80 Rivers Dry and Mountains Collapse

A4.36

In the 46th year (782 BC), King Xuan died and his son Gongsheng succeeded to the throne as King You. In the second year of King You (780 BC), an earthquake occurred in the Sanchuan area near the Zhou capital. Bo Yangfu said: "The Zhou Dynasty will perish. The two energies of heaven and earth cannot lose their order; if they lose their proper order, the people will be disturbed. The yang energy is latent and cannot come out, and is suppressed by the yin energy and cannot evaporate, so an earthquake occurs. Now the earthquake in the Sanchuan area is because the yang energy has lost its position and is suppressed by the yin energy. If the yang energy loses its position and is suppressed by the yin energy, the water source will definitely be blocked; if the water source is blocked, the country will definitely perish. Only when the water and soil are unobstructed then the people can get money. If the underground water can’t flow unobstructed, the people will lack money, and the country will perish in no time. In the past, the Xia Dynasty perished when the Yi River and the Luo River dried up, and the Shang Dynasty perished when the Yellow River dried up. Now the virtue and the fortune of Zhou Dynasty are just like the end of the previous two dynasties. The water sources of the rivers have been blocked, and if they are blocked, they will definitely dry up. The establishment of a capital must rely on high mountains and large rivers. The collapse of high mountains and the drying up of large rivers are signs of the destruction of the country. The drying up of large rivers will definitely cause the collapse of high mountains. If a country is destroyed, it will not exceed ten years, because the numbers are based on decimals. What the heaven abandons will not exceed this number. " This year, the three rivers dried up and Mount Qi collapsed.

四十六年，宣王崩，子幽王宫湦立。幽王二年，西周三川皆震。伯阳甫曰：“周将亡矣。夫天地之气，不失其序；若过其序，民乱之也。阳伏而不能出，阴迫而不能蒸，于是有地震。今三川实震，是阳失其所而填阴也。阳失而在阴，原必塞；原塞，国必亡。夫水土演而民用也。土无所演，民乏财用，不亡何待！昔伊、洛竭而夏亡，河竭而商亡。今周德若二代之季矣，其川原又塞，塞必竭。夫国必依山川，山崩川竭，亡国之徵也。川竭必山崩。若国亡不过十年，数之纪也。天之所弃，不过其纪。”是岁也，三川竭，岐山崩。

79 The Republic

A4.32|33|34|35

Prince Jing of King Li was hiding in the house of Duke Zhao. When the people heard about it, they surrounded Duke Zhao's house. Duke Zhao said, "I have advised the king many times before, but the king did not listen, which led to today's disaster. If I kill the king's prince now, the king may think that I am venting my anger because of a grudge. When serving the monarch, one should not bear grudges even in danger, and should not vent resentment, let alone serve the king!" So he replaced the prince of King Li with his own son, and the prince finally escaped.

The two ministers, Duke Zhao and Duke Zhou, jointly managed the state affairs, which was called "Republic". In the 14th year of the Republic, King Li died in Zhui. Prince Jing grew up in the home of Duke Zhao, so the two ministers jointly supported him to become the king, and this was King Xuan. When King Xuan was in throne, the two ministers assisted him in reforming politics, following the legacy of King Wen, King Wu, King Cheng, and King Kang, and the princes once again regarded Zhou as their suzerain. In the 12th year of King Xuan’s reign, Duke Wu of Lu came to pay homage.

King Xuan did not personally cultivate the land in Qianmu. Duke Wen of Guo advised him not to do so, but King Xuan did not listen. In the 39th year of his reign, the royal army was defeated in the battle of Qianmu by the Jiang clan, the descendants of Siyue.

After King Xuan lost his army in the southern expedition, he counted the population in Taiyuan. Zhong Shanfu advised him not to do so, saying, "The king cannot directly count the population." King Xuan did not listen and eventually counted the population.

厉王太子静匿召公之家，国人闻之，乃围之。召公曰：“昔吾骤谏王，王不从，以及此难也。今杀王太子，王其以我为雠而怼怒乎？夫事君者，险而不雠怼，怨而不怒，况事王乎！”乃以其子代王太子，太子竟得脱。

召公、周公二相行政，号曰“共和”。共和十四年，厉王死于彘。太子静长于召公家，二相乃共立之为王，是为宣王。宣王即位，二相辅之，脩政，法文、武、成、康之遗风，诸侯复宗周。十二年，鲁武公来朝。

宣王不脩籍于千亩，虢文公谏曰不可，王弗听。三十九年，战于千亩，王师败绩于姜氏之戎。

宣王既亡南国之师，乃料民于太原。仲山甫谏曰：“民不可料也。”宣王不听，卒料民。

78 Duke Zhao’s Advice to King Li

A4.31

King Li was cruel and tyrannical, extravagant and arrogant, and the people criticized him. Duke Zhao advised him, saying, "The people can't stand it anymore." King Li was agitated and found wizards from the State of Wei to monitor those who criticized him and had them executed. As a result, there were fewer criticisms, and the princes stopped coming to the king’s court. In the thirty-fourth year of his reign, King Li's control became even tougher over the people. People dared not speak casually and only made eye contact with each other on the street. King Li was very happy. He told Duke Zhao, "I’m made the criticisms disappeared now. They dare not speak." Duke Zhao said, "This only blocks their mouths. Blocking people's mouths is more dangerous than blocking a flood. A flood blocked will hurt many people when breaking through, and the same holds true for blocking people's mouths. Therefore, those who control floods should clear the blockages and drain the water. Those who govern the people should open up channels for them to express their opinions. Therefore, when the emperor handles government affairs, he should let the ministers and even the nobles offer poems, let the blind musicians offer music, let the historians offer books, let the grand tutor give admonitions, let the blind musicians without pupils sing the poems, let the blind musicians with pupils recite admonitions, let all the craftsmen come to give advice, let the common people discuss among themselves, let the close ministers give advice with all their heart, let the relatives make up for the mistakes, let the blind musicians and historians teach together, let the sages give instructions, and finally, let the king think thoroughly and carefully, so that the governance can be implemented without violating any reasoning. The people have mouths, just like the land has mountains and rivers, and wealth is generated from them; just like the plains have fertile soil, and food and clothing are generated from them. Let the people speak out, and the success or failure of governing the country can be foreseen. Doing good things and preventing bad things from happening, the principles of which are the same as that of generating wealth and food and clothing. What the people think in their hearts is what they say with their mouths, so that things can be done well. If you block the mouths of the people, how long could you last? " King Li did not listen to the remonstrance. So the people dared not speak, and three years later, the people rebelled together and attacked King Li. King Li fled to Zhi.

王行暴虐侈傲，国人谤王。召公谏曰：“民不堪命矣。”王怒，得卫巫，使监谤者，以告则杀之。其谤鲜矣，诸侯不朝。三十四年，王益严，国人莫敢言，道路以目。厉王喜，告召公曰：“吾能弭谤矣，乃不敢言。”召公曰：“是障之也。防民之口，甚于防水。水壅而溃，伤人必多，民亦如之。是故为水者决之使导，为民者宣之使言。故天子听政，使公卿至于列士献诗，瞽献曲，史献书，师箴，瞍赋，矇诵，百工谏，庶人传语，近臣尽规，亲戚补察，瞽史教诲，耆艾脩之，而后王斟酌焉，是以事行而不悖。民之有口也，犹土之有山川也，财用于是乎出；犹其有原隰衍沃也，衣食于是乎生。口之宣言也，善败于是乎兴。行善而备败，所以产财用衣食者也。夫民虑之于心而宣之于口，成而行之。若壅其口，其与能几何？”王不听。于是国莫敢出言，三年，乃相与畔，袭厉王。厉王出奔于彘。

77 Rui Liangfu to King Li about Duke Rong

A4.30

After King Yi died, his son King Li Hu succeeded to the throne. King Li reigned for 30 years. He was greedy for wealth and was close to Duke Rong Yi. The minister Rui Liangfu advised King Li, "Is the royal family going to decline? Duke Rong Yi loves to accumulate wealth but does not know that a disaster is coming. Wealth is produced by all things and carried by heaven and earth, but he wants to take it for himself, there are too many harms. He wants to obtain all things in heaven and earth, how can he take it all for himself? He has angered too many people, and he does not guard against disasters. If the King being taught in such a way, how can the he rule for a long time? The one who rules should guide wealth and distribute it from top to bottom. Even if you do your best for everything in the world, you still have to be nervous every day and worry about causing dissatisfaction. Therefore, the Song sings: ‘Remembering Hou Ji’s literary virtues, his outstanding achievements are worthy of heaven, and the people of the world are kept safe, and all of them take him as a perfect example.’ Daya the Grand Elegance says: ‘To make benevolence widely shown, and the Zhou Dynasty is carried on going.’ Doesn’t this mean that one should give away wealth and watch out for disasters? That is why the Zhou Dynasty has continued to this day. Now the king is learning to accumulate wealth, how would it be possible? An ordinary person who accumulates wealth is still called a thief, and if the king does this, there must be very few people willing to submit to him. If Duke Rong is given an important position, the Zhou Dynasty will surely decline. " King Li did not listen to his advice, and finally appointed Duke Rong as a minister to manage state affairs.

夷王崩，子厉王胡立。厉王即位三十年，好利，近荣夷公。大夫芮良夫谏厉王曰：“王室其将卑乎？夫荣公好专利而不知大难。夫利，百物之所生也，天地之所载也，而有专之，其害多矣。天地百物皆将取焉，何可专也？所怒甚多，而不备大难。以是教王，王其能久乎？夫王人者，将导利而布之上下者也。使神人百物无不得极，犹日怵惕惧怨之来也。故颂曰‘思文后稷，克配彼天，立我蒸民，莫匪尔极’。大雅曰‘陈锡载周’。是不布利而惧难乎，故能载周以至于今。今王学专利，其可乎？匹夫专利，犹谓之盗，王而行之，其归鲜矣。荣公若用，周必败也。”厉王不听，卒以荣公为卿士，用事。

76 Three Ladies as a Charm

A4.28|29

King Mu reigned for fifty-five years. After his death, his son Yi Yu succeeded to the throne, becoming King Gong. When King Gong was traveling on the Jing River, and Duke Mi Kang was with him, there were three girls came to follow. Duke Mi Kang's mother said to him, "You must present them to the King. Three animals or more are called a group, and three people or more are called a crowd, and three ladies or more are called a charm. The King does not hunt more than a group in the field, the Dukes and princes do not get off the car when they see a crowd. The King's concubines do not exceed three from the same clan. The so-called charm is a beautiful thing. Everyone gives you beautiful things, but what virtue do you have to deserve it? Even the King is not worthy of it, let alone someone so insignificant like you! If someone insignificant happened having it, then the end will eventually be the death." Duke Mi Kang was unwilling to present them to King Gong. A year later, King Gong destroyed the Mi fiefdom. After King Gong died, his son Jian succeeded to the throne and became King Yih (懿).  During the reign of King Yih, the royal family declined, and poets wrote poems to satirize it. After King Yih died, King Gong's younger brother Pifang succeeded to the throne, and this was King Xiao. 

After King Xiao died, the princes supported King Yih's crown prince Xie to succeed to the throne, and this was King Yi (夷). (Translator’s note: The duos, the father (懿) and son (夷), both pinyined Yi, but the Chinese characters are totally different, to distinguish from each other, I’ll refer the father as King Yih, of the Cantonese spelling.)

穆王立五十五年，崩，子共王繄扈立。共王游于泾上，密康公从，有三女奔之。其母曰：“必致之王。夫兽三为群，人三为众，女三为粲。王田不取群，公行不下众，王御不参一族。夫粲，美之物也。众以美物归女，而何德以堪之？王犹不堪，况尔之小丑乎！小丑备物，终必亡。”康公不献，一年，共王灭密。共王崩，子懿王囏立。懿王之时，王室遂衰，诗人作刺。

懿王崩，共王弟辟方立，是为孝王。孝王崩，诸侯复立懿王太子燮，是为夷王。

75 Fu Xing the Criminal Law

A4.27

There was disharmony among the princes, and Marquess Fu Hou the prime minister told King Mu about this situation, so King Mu set up various criminal laws. King Mu said: "Ah, come to me! Those who are granted the state land, I will tell you the complete criminal law. Now you want peace and stability in the people of your land, why should you choose the incompetent people as officials? Why should you respect unreasonable criminal laws? And why should you use them in the inappropriate places? Once the plaintiff and the defendant are both here, and the judge should examine them by hearing both accusation and defense according to the legal provisions of five punishments. If the examination is consistent with the facts, the five punishments are used to convict. If the five punishments are not appropriate, then the five penalties are used to convict. And if the five penalties are not appropriate, the five faults are used to convict. But there are flaws in the cases of five faults, the judicial officers will encounter situations, where even if they have the facts for conviction, but weigh the faults accordingly due to intercession. Whenever a conviction of the five punishments is in doubt to be pardoned, or that of five penalties is in doubt to be pardoned, the officer who is in charge of the reexamination must exercise extra caution before making any decision. The collection of evidence should be in accordance with the people, and there should be evidence during the trial. If there is no sufficient evidence, there should be no doubt, and the authority of heaven must be taken seriously. If there is doubt about the face tattooing penalty and pardon is needed, the fine shall be 100% and the crime shall be investigated and verified. If there is doubt about the punishment of the nose cutting off and it needs to be pardoned, the fine is twice the former, and the crime must be investigated and verified. If there is doubt about the punishment of leg cutting off and it needs to be pardoned, the fine is less than twice the former, and the crime must be investigated and verified. If there is doubt about the punishment of castration and it needs to be pardoned, the fine is 500%, and the crime must be investigated and verified. If there is doubt about the punishment of death and it needs to be pardoned, the fine is 1,000%, and the crime must be investigated and verified. There are 1,000 articles on tattooing, 1,000 articles on nose cutting off, 500 articles on leg cutting off, 300 articles on castration, 200 articles on death penalty, and a total of 3,000 articles on the five punishments. " And this set of criminal law is called "Fu Xing".

诸侯有不睦者，甫侯言于王，作脩刑辟。王曰：“吁，来！有国有土，告汝祥刑。在今尔安百姓，何择非其人，何敬非其刑，何居非其宜与？两造具备，师听五辞。五辞简信，正于五刑。五刑不简，正于五罚。五罚不服，正于五过。五过之疵，官狱内狱，阅实其罪，惟钧其过。五刑之疑有赦，五罚之疑有赦，其审克之。简信有众，惟讯有稽。无简不疑，共严天威。黥辟疑赦，其罚百率，阅实其罪。劓辟疑赦，其罚倍洒，阅实其罪。膑辟疑赦，其罚倍差，阅实其罪。宫辟疑赦，其罚五百率，阅实其罪。大辟疑赦，其罚千率，阅实其罪。墨罚之属千，劓罚之属千，膑罚之属五百，宫罚之属三百，大辟之罚其属二百：五刑之属三千。”命曰甫刑。

74 King Mu and Jigong Moufu

A4.26

When King Mu was about to conquer Quanrong, Duke Jigong Moufu advised him against it, saying, "Don't do that. What the ancient kings displayed was the manifest of virtues not the exhibit of brutal forces. The army should lie low and only go out when necessary. When it goes out, it must show its power. Showing off military force would be a blasphemy against the army, which has absolutely no power of deterrence on the enemy. Therefore, the eulogy of Duke Wen of Zhou says: ‘I have put away my weapons, I have laid aside my bows and arrows, I want to seek virtue, and have it spread around throughout the time, so the kingdom will be forever preserved.’ The ancient kings treated their people by fostering their virtues and enriching their natures, by enriching their wealth and making their tools useful. They made it clear that where the benefits and harms were and cultivated them with culture, so that they would pursue benefits and avoid harm, cherish virtue and respect power. Thus they were able to preserve the country and make it prosperous. In the past, our ancestors served as Hou Ji for generations to serve Yu Shun and Xia Yu. When the Xia Dynasty declined, and the post of Hou Ji was abandoned, and agriculture was no longer valued. Our ancestor Buzhu lost his official position and fled to the Rongdi area. He did not dare to slack off in agriculture, often promoted the virtues of Hou Ji, followed and inherited his cause, practiced his teachings and laws, was respectful and diligent from morning till night, and always followed his principles with a loyal and honest attitude. The virtues of the past generations should not be disgraced. During the reigns of King Wen and King Wu, they carried forward the brightness of the past virtues with additional peace and kindness, worshipped the gods and protected the people, and no one in the world was not happy. King of Shang the emperor Xin Zhou the Tyrant committed heinous crimes against his people. The people could not bear it anymore but happily supported King Wu. So there was an war in Muye, a suburb of Shang. Therefore, the ancient kings did not advocate the use of force, but diligently sympathized with the sufferings of the people and eliminated harm for them. According to the system of the ancient kings, the area within the state capital was called Dianfu, the area outside the state capital was called Houfu, the area guarded by the princes was called Binfu or Suifu, the area where the barbarians lived was called Yaofu, and the area where the Rongdi people lived was called Huangfu. Those princes as Dianfu had to offer sacrifices to the emperor's father and ancestors, those as Houfu had to offer sacrifices to the emperor's great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather, those as Binfu had to offer sacrifices to the emperor's distant ancestors, those as Yaofu had to offer tribute regularly, and those as Huangfu had to come to pay homage to the emperor. There were daily sacrifices by Dianfu princes, monthly sacrifices by Houfu, seasonal offerings by Binfu, annual tributes by Yaofu, and the Huangfu being an audience with the king once in a lifetime. According to the teachings of the ancient kings, the Dianfu princes should reflect on their thoughts if they do not offer sacrifices, the Houfu princes should reflect on their words if they do not offer sacrifices, the Binfu princes should revise their system if they do not offer sacrifices, the Yaofu princes should have their status corrected if they do not offer sacrifices, the Huangfu princes should reflect on their virtues if they do not to come to the emperor for audience, and if all of these are done but the princes still fail to fulfill their duties, they should be punished. Then the royal family can punish the princes in the Dianfu who do not offer sacrifices, attack the princes in the Houfu who do not offer sacrifices, conquer the princes in the Binfu who do not offer sacrifices, rebuke the princes in the Yaofu who do not offer tribute, and warn the princes in the Huangfu who do not pay homage to the king. Hence there are regulations about punishments, there are armies for attacking, there are weapons for conquering, there are commands for reprimanding, and there are vocabulary for proclamations. If issuing written orders still fails to make the princes perform their duties, we must further reflect on our moral conduct and not wear the people out on expeditions. Therefore, there was not a single neighboring prince who did not obey, and not a single one in the distance who did not submit. Now, since the death of Dabi and Boshi, the Quanrong clan has fulfilled their duty and come to the King for the audience, the Son of Heaven said, ‘I must conquer them for not offering sacrifices, and show off my military strength to them.’ Isn't this abandoning the teachings of the previous kings? Isn't the King about to get into trouble? I heard that the Quanrong clan advocates a culture of honesty and follows the virtues of their predecessors. If they can persist in this way, they will have enough power to resist us. " In the end, King Mu still sent the conquering troops, and only captured four white wolves and four white deer. From then on, the barbaric tribes stopped coming to pay homage to the emperor.

穆王将征犬戎，祭公谋父谏曰：“不可。先王耀德不观兵。夫兵戢而时动，动则威，观则玩，玩则无震。是故周文公之颂曰：‘载戢干戈，载櫜弓矢，我求懿德，肆于时夏，允王保之。’先王之于民也，茂正其德而厚其性，阜其财求而利其器用，明利害之乡，以文修之，使之务利而辟害，怀德而畏威，故能保世以滋大。昔我先王世后稷以服事虞、夏。及夏之衰也，弃稷不务，我先王不窋用失其官，而自窜于戎狄之闲。不敢怠业，时序其德，遵修其绪，修其训典，朝夕恪勤，守以敦笃，奉以忠信。奕世载德，不忝前人。至于文王、武王，昭前之光明而加之以慈和，事神保民，无不欣喜。商王帝辛大恶于民，庶民不忍，欣载武王，以致戎于商牧。是故先王非务武也，劝恤民隐而除其害也。夫先王之制，邦内甸服，邦外侯服，侯卫宾服，夷蛮要服，戎翟荒服。甸服者祭，侯服者祀，宾服者享，要服者贡，荒服者王。日祭，月祀，时享，岁贡，终王。先王之顺祀也，有不祭则修意，有不祀则修言，有不享则修文，有不贡则修名，有不王则修德，序成而有不至则修刑。于是有刑不祭，伐不祀，征不享，让不贡，告不王。于是有刑罚之辟，有攻伐之兵，有征讨之备，有威让之命，有文告之辞。布令陈辞而有不至，则增修于德，无勤民于远。是以近无不听，远无不服。今自大毕、伯士之终也，犬戎氏以其职来王，天子曰‘予必以不享征之，且观之兵’，无乃废先王之训，而王几顿乎？吾闻犬戎树敦，率旧德而守终纯固，其有以御我矣。”王遂征之，得四白狼四白鹿以归。自是荒服者不至。

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。

72 King Cheng

A4.23

King Cheng lived in the city of Feng and ordered Duke Zhao to rebuild the city of Luo in order to comply with King Wu's last wish. Duke Zhou also held a divination and surveyed the terrain, and finally built a city and placed the Nine Tripod Cauldrons there. He said: "This is the center of the world, and it has an equal distance from each direction to come here to pay tribute." He so wrote "Zhao’s Edict" and "Luo Edict". After King Cheng moved the remnants of Yin people there, Duke Zhou told them King Cheng's orders and wrote "Many Consultants" and "No Hermit". Duke Zhao served as the Grand Protector and Duke Zhou as the Grand Tutor. They conquered the Yi people by the Huaishui River in the east, destroyed the Yan State, and moved the lord of the Yan State to Bogu. After King Cheng returned from the Yan State, he was in Zhou and wrote "Various Princes". After Zhou has ended Yin, conquered the Yi people of Huaishui River, King Cheng returned to the city of Feng and wrote "Zhou’s Administrative". The rituals and music were formulated and promoted, and the laws and systems were modified. The people were friendly and peaceful, and there were praises all over. After King Cheng conquered the Yi people of the east, Xishen came to express their congratulations. And at King Cheng’s order, Rongbo, one of the ministers, wrote "The Fortune Given to Xishen".

成王在丰，使召公复营洛邑，如武王之意。周公复卜申视，卒营筑，居九鼎焉。曰：“此天下之中，四方入贡道里均。”作召诰、洛诰。成王既迁殷遗民，周公以王命告，作多士、无佚。召公为保，周公为师，东伐淮夷，残奄，迁其君薄姑。成王自奄归，在宗周，作多方。既绌殷命，袭淮夷，归在丰，作周官。兴正礼乐，度制于是改，而民和睦，颂声兴。成王既伐东夷，息慎来贺，王赐荣伯作贿息慎之命。