Fearless and Unyielding: A Super Classic from 1001 Nights

Author: Zhou Xiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features:
001. Not Eating the Same Grain
Bo Yi and Shu Qi were the two sons of the ruler of the Guzhu Kingdom. After their father passed away, the two brothers refused to take the throne, each wanting the other to be the ruler. In the end, both left their homeland. Hearing that the Duke of Zhou was benevolent and respected the virtuous, they decided to join him. When they arrived in Zhou, the Duke of Zhou had already passed away, and they encountered the Duke of Wu carrying the spirit tablet of the Duke of Zhou to conquer the tyrannical King Zhou of Shang. The brothers immediately stepped forward, grabbed the reins of the horses, and tried to stop the Duke of Wu, saying, "What you are doing is unrighteous." The soldiers around the Duke of Wu, hearing this, picked up their spears and stabbed at them. Jiang Taigong quickly said, "They are two men of virtue and righteousness; they must not be killed!" With that, he helped them away. After the Duke of Wu defeated the Shang Dynasty and established the Zhou Dynasty, the feudal lords and the people of the land recognized the Duke of Wu as the Son of Heaven. However, Bo Yi and Shu Qi were ashamed of this. Believing they had failed to stop the Duke of Wu's actions, they felt deeply ashamed and decided to live in seclusion on Shouyang Mountain, remaining as remnants of the Shang Dynasty rather than subjects of the Zhou Dynasty. To completely distance themselves from the Zhou Dynasty, Bo Yi and Shu Qi resolved never to eat its grain again. But what would they eat to fill their bellies? They could only forage for wei, a bitter wild vegetable that grew on the mountain. As the cold wind rose and the wei became scarce, the brothers gradually wasted away to mere skeletons. An old woman in the valley heard about this and deliberately taunted them, saying, "Aren't you still eating the wei from the Zhou Dynasty?" Hearing this, the brothers decided to stop eating even the wei and simply lay there, waiting to die. How could two living people endure not eating or drinking? After a few days, they passed away. Confucius heard about this and praised them for their integrity.
002. The People's Uprising (I)
To suppress the people, the rulers of the Zhou Dynasty implemented extremely harsh punishments. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, 3,000 laws were formulated, and those who broke the law faced a variety of punishments, such as tattooing their foreheads, cutting off their noses, or amputating their feet. However, no matter how severe the punishments, they could not stop the people's resistance. After King Li ascended the throne, he oppressed the people even more severely. King Li favored a minister named Rong Yigong and implemented a policy of "monopoly." They seized most of the lakes and rivers in the country, prohibiting the people from using these natural resources to make a living. They also extorted wealth and mistreated the people. At that time, farmers living in the countryside were called "ye ren," while commoners living in the capital were called "guo ren." The people of Haojing, the capital of Zhou, grew increasingly resentful of King Li's cruel rule and murmured complaints. The minister Zhao Gonghu heard that the people's murmurs were growing louder and went to the palace to tell King Li, "The people cannot endure this anymore. If Your Majesty does not change your ways soon, the situation will become uncontrollable." King Li replied dismissively, "Don't hurry. I have my own way of dealing with it." He then issued an order prohibiting the people from criticizing the government and even brought a wizard from Wei to spy on those who did. He said, "If you discover anyone slandering me behind my back, report it immediately." The wizard from Wei, eager to please King Li, sent a group of people to spy on the people. These people extorted and blackmailed others, accusing anyone who opposed them of wrongdoing. King Li believed them.