Book of Documents: Complete Ancient and Modern Writings (Exquisite Edition)

Author: Guo Rencheng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Legend: During the archaeological era, Emperor Shun, also known as Zhonghua, lived in harmony with Emperor Yao. His wisdom was profound, his demeanor civilized, his nature gentle and kind, and he was respectful and honest. His latent virtues eventually reached Emperor Yao's ears, who then decided to test him in various positions: entrusting him with the task of promoting education, where he could cautiously spread the teachings of the five constant virtues—patience, kindness, brotherhood, respect for elders, and filial piety—making everyone happy to follow them; assigning him various duties, ensuring that work was properly organized on schedule; having him manage the four gates, greeting guests with warmth; and sending him into deep mountains and forests, where he would not lose his way even in fierce storms. Emperor Yao said, "Come, Shun! I have asked the people about your deeds and examined your words. I have found that your words are effective and have been for three years. You are fully qualified to ascend the throne." However, Shun still hesitated, believing his virtue was not humble enough to accept the position. It was only on the first day of the first month of the fourth year that Shun accepted Yao's trust, temporarily taking over the governance, and held the handover ceremony in Yao's ancestral temple.
First, he inspected the celestial instruments Ruiji and Yuheng to verify the orbits and time of the sun, moon, and the five planets. Then, he held a sacrificial ceremony to announce to the heavens, followed by offerings to the six deities of the four seasons, cold and heat, sun, moon, stars, floods, and droughts. He also performed a sacrificial ceremony to the famous mountains and rivers, honoring all the gods. Subsequently, he collected the five jade objects that symbolized alliances with the various rulers.
After the middle of the month, he began to meet the four great mountains and the pastoral leaders daily. After inspecting the jade objects and finding them genuine, he returned them to them.
In the second month of that year, Shun traveled east to Tai Mountain, where he performed a sacrificial ceremony and observed the famous mountains and rivers in the east. He then met the rulers of the east, coordinating the differences in the sizes of the four seasons and months, and the order of the days, ensuring uniformity. He standardized the musical scales and units of measurement, revised the five rituals of auspiciousness, misfortune, military, guest, and friendliness, and stipulated that the gifts for rulers to present should include five types of jade objects—gu, bi, cong, huang, and zhang—as well as silk in three colors (blue, black, and yellow), a live goat, a live wild goose, and a dead quail. At the same time, he standardized the specifications of five types of weapons: bows and arrows, shu, mao, ge, and ji.
After completing the rituals, he reported back to Emperor Yao.
In May, he traveled south to the Southern Mountain, performing the same rituals as at Tai Mountain. In August, he traveled west to the Western Mountain, with the same ceremonies. In November, he traveled north to the Northern Mountain, with the same rituals as at the Western Mountain. After returning from his tours, he performed a sacrificial ceremony in Yao's ancestral temple, sacrificing a cow.
From then on, it was decreed that the emperor would tour the states once every five years, and the rulers of the states would come to court four times, allowing them to present their opinions on governance. Their merits would be examined, and they would be rewarded with carriages and clothing for their contributions.
Shun also divided the world into twelve states based on the natural conditions like floods, each state being fortified by a major mountain. He encouraged the rulers to dredge the rivers within their territories.
At that time, symbolic punishment (xiang xing) was the common form of punishment for ordinary criminals, who were made to wear distinctive clothing and shoes to feel ashamed and reform. He also widely implemented exile instead of severe punishments, using scourging as the official form of punishment and the "Chu" (a type of rod) as the educational form. For those with mitigating circumstances, they could redeem their crimes with gold; for those who committed crimes due to negligence or natural disasters, they were given leniency; and those who persistently harmed others were executed without mercy.
Be cautious, be cautious! Shun was truly compassionate toward those who suffered punishments.