Chapter 515, Part I: Show Me What You've Got!
Translator: Pika
Instead of being alarmed by this sudden voice, Zu An was overcome with joy. “Big sis empress, you finally woke up! I thought that you… I thought…”
“That I died?” The ice-cold voice remarked snidely in his head.
“That’s not it.” Zu An laughed in embarrassment. “I thought that you’d gone to sleep and didn’t care about me anymore.”
“Why would I come out when you’re flirting with that big-boobed sis of yours over here?” Mi Li said with a snort. It was easy to imagine her rolling her eyes.
“Big-boobed sis?” Zu An subconsciously glanced at Pei Mianman’s chest. He had to admit that this was indeed a fitting nickname.
“What do you mean, ‘flirting’? I encountered so much danger along the way, and I almost died, okay? Why didn’t you help me out?” Zu An said with a bit of bitterness.
“What do you mean by ‘encountering danger’? You only fell into danger because you tried to save that big-boobed sis! Earlier on, while that mosquito was around, you even risked your life several times to save that Zheng girl, and that lady whatever of the Devil Sect as well. Hmph! That big-boobed sis got one thing right—you really do risk your life to chase skirts. Even if I tried to save you, it would hardly make a difference, given how easily you keep trying to throw your life away, so why would I even bother? I’d rather you just died earlier. That way, I wouldn’t have to keep feeling so annoyed.” The cold in Mi Li’s voice was piercing.
Despite this, Zu An giggled and said, “Big sis empress, even though your words are rather mean, you still care about me, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have paid so much attention to all that had happened along the way.”
“Hmph! Wipe that smile off your face. I’m not as easy as those other girls of yours.” Despite her words, Mi Li’s tone had clearly softened a little. She looked at the carvings on the wall and said, “Let’s talk about those murals.”
In her current form, no one besides Zu An could see her unless she wanted them to. She pointed towards the wall and said, “Everything you said earlier on was absolute rubbish. This here clearly shows a giant bird spreading its wings above. This thing below it is a bird’s nest, filled with eggs. It was the young woman who crawled up to it and stole an egg, and then ate it. The young lady became pregnant soon afterwards and gave birth to a child… This is the legend that you recalled earlier: ‘In the Song clan was a woman with the simple name of Di. After ingesting the egg of a strange bird, Qi was born.””
Zu An had a look of surprise on his face. “Big sis empress, you’re so smart!”
He had only known of that because of a documentary, but she was somehow aware of such obscure knowledge!
Mi Li snorted. “Are you stupid? Yinshang isn’t even that far removed from the period I lived in.”
Zu An laughed awkwardly. It came to him that she was from the Qin Dynasty, which was only a single dynasty away from the Shang Dynasty.
Mi Li walked over to another mural, this one depicting a scene of war. A great number of chariots were arrayed on both sides, with many ranks of soldiers behind them.
On one of the chariots stood a tall and stalwart man. It was obvious that he was strong and mighty, and was clearly the main character of this mural. Another man stood on the opposite side of him, marking him as his opponent. However, this person’s expression looked rather dark and cowardly.
Mi Li studied the characters written next to the mural, then pointed at the two men. “That’s the founder of the Shang Dynasty, Cheng Tang. This is the battle of Mingtiao, which spelled the end of the Xia Dynasty. On the other side of him is the monarch of the Xia Dynasty, Xia Jie. After this defeat, he fled to Nanchao and died, while Cheng Tang returned victorious. He gathered the feudal vassals and formally established the Shang Dynasty and its capital city, Bo City.”
“Bo City?” Zu An was shocked. “Wasn’t Yin City the capital of the Shang Dynasty?”
Yinshang had gotten its name because, over the years, people had grown accustomed to using that name to refer to it. Of course, those who had read ‘Investiture of the Gods’ would know that the capital city of the Shang Dynasty was Zhaoge. Regardless of whether it was Zhaoge or Yin City, however, neither of them were Bo City.
“I’m amazed at how naïve you are, trying to show off with how little you know. The Shang emperors of the past moved their capitals frequently.” Mi Li pointed at a mural in the back and explained, “That was all because of the way inheritance worked in the Shang Dynasty. In these ancient times, danger lurked in every corner. The foreign tribes were coveting their land, and beasts of nature roamed freely as well, and so the average lifespan was rather short. Most died in the prime of their lives, and the Shang emperor was no exception. There was no way he would pass on his throne to a young child, because all that mattered in those times was whether or not the emperor could properly lead his people to survival.
“That was why, in the early years of the Shang Dynasty, the throne was inherited by the emperor’s brothers. Once the Shang emperor died, his younger brother would succeed the throne. This continued on for some time.
“There was one problem with this—any branch of the imperial clan could claim the right of inheritance. Once the dust settled, the lifespans of the people would have naturally grown longer. Soon enough, the emperors often began to have mature heirs, and were thus no longer willing to pass on their imperial position to their brothers. They wanted to pass it onto their sons instead, but the other kings wouldn’t agree to that. A cruel power struggle was unavoidable.
“Once the new emperor succeeded the throne, most of them would choose to move the capital, to reduce the threat that the other remaining kings posed. This way, the complicated and tricky balance of powers in the capital would be rendered meaningless.”
“I understand that!” Zu An remembered something similar playing out in the Song Dynasty. During the early period, when Zhao Kuangyin usurped the Later Zhou regime and established the Northern Song Dynasty, he planned to pass on his throne to his younger brother, Zhao Guangyi, to solidify the Zhao clan’s power. Later on, however, after ruling for more than ten years, his young son had already grown up, and he changed his mind, wanting to pass on the imperial throne to him instead.
Unfortunately, back then, an unwritten rule stated that the heir apparent to the throne would serve as overseer of the capital, Kaifeng. Zhao Guangyi had already held that position for many years, and so he wielded massive influence there.
Zhao Kuangyin planned to deal with this situation by moving the capital, but this attempt encountered intense opposition within the court. It was ultimately dismantled by Zhao Guangyi’s famous words: ‘If the monarch knows no honor, the people will rebel’. When Zhao Kuangyin saw how many people were backing his younger brother, and that he was naturally benevolent by nature, he abandoned all thoughts of moving the capital.
Mi Li pointed at the third mural and said, “The Shang Dynasty continued to change capital cities again and again. This lasted until Pan Geng made Yin City the capital, where it finally stabilized. This mural describes various things regarding this move by Pan Geng.”
Zu An looked at the fourth mural. “Huh? There’s a woman in this mural. She looks quite pretty too.”
Mi Li snorted. “Look at you, your head is filled to the brim with thoughts about whether girls are pretty or not. You’re disrespecting your ancestors! She is Fu Hao, the empress of Wu Ding, and one of the Shang Dynasty’s most powerful monarchs. After Pan Geng moved the capital, the Shang Dynasty gradually stabilized. When it reached Wu Ding’s generation, the state, which had been in decline, flourished once more. Not only was Wu Ding capable, his wife, Fu Hao, was also vitally important.
“Back then, the Gui, Tu, Qiang, Ren, and Hu parties surrounding the Shang Dynasty were all extremely strong. They all desired the riches of the Shang Dynasty's land…”
“Parties?” Zu An asked, cutting her off.
“It’s what the Shang Dynasty called the surrounding foreign tribes and nations.” explained Mi Li. She looked back at the depiction of Fu Hao. “Back then, the Shang Dynasty was constantly engaged in war. The empress Fu Hao personally commanded troops, defeating the foreign tribes one after another, and even wiping out a few of the enemy territories. This helped to completely stabilize the Shang Dynasty. She was truly a woman worth admiring.”
Zu An saw the adoration in Mi Li’s eyes, and remembered that she was also an empress. She was probably moved by Fu Hao’s accomplishments.
Mi Li stopped in front of another mural. Suddenly, she frowned. “Something is not right!”
“What is it?” Zu An asked with a strange tone. This mural was located next to a river. There were many boats on this river, and the lanterns and colored banners on it made it seem like a festive day. There were men escorting the groom and bride from both sides. It looked like a grand wedding.
Mi Li pointed at a few of the words beside it and said, “The theme of this mural is ‘Match Made in Heaven’, but if I recall correctly, ‘Match Made in Heaven’ comes from the Shijing, the Book of Songs. It portrays the wedding of Ji Chang, the ruler of the Zhou Dynasty.
“In times gone by, Ji Chang met his wife on the banks of the Wei River, and was moved by her beauty. When he learned that she was compassionate and wise, and that she lived a simple and unadorned life, Ji Chang decided to take her as his wife. Because there were no bridges across the Wei River, Ji Chang decided to use boats to fashion a bridge over the Wei River. The boats lined up bow-to-stern to form a bridge, and he would meet her on this bridge. It was a grand and magnificent scene.”
Zu An was amazed. “That’s exactly what’s on the mural. So where’s the strange part?”
“This is where the strangeness lies,” Mi Li said with a frown. “The empress was a noble woman from the Shen state. Back then, even though the Shen state was a part of Yinshang, she was definitely not a true Shang Dynasty princess. However, the words next to this mural state that it was king Di Yi who married off his own beautiful younger sister to Ji Chang, and that was the actual match made in heaven. However, this goes completely against what is written in the Shijing!”