The Stories of the Eastern Zhou States (Volume 1 and 2): Lin Han Da's Popular Historical Classics

Author: Lin Han Da (Author), Qian Ding Hua (Illustrator)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: In the history of our country, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods were both chaotic and fascinating. During this time, the slave society began to disintegrate, and the new feudal system gradually took shape. Continuous wars of conquest led to the formation of many states, with the Five Hegemons of Spring and Autumn and the Seven States of the Warring States successively taking the stage in history. As descendants of the Chinese nation, it is essential to understand some accurate historical knowledge about our country and to witness the evolution of the times and the development of society. However, at present, historical "romances" and "dramas" are full of fabrications. If this continues, the understanding of Chinese history among young people in China will be extremely limited. Translating or rewriting historical stories in modern colloquial language is also to allow more readers to read freely! This book is one of the "Lin Han Da Popular Historical Classics," starting from the relocation of King Ping of Zhou to Luoyi and ending with the unification of the Central Plains by Qin Shi Huang. Based on official histories such as the Zuo Zhuan and the Records of the Grand Historian, one hundred and eighty stories are arranged in chronological order, each independent yet interconnected, clearly outlining the historical panorama of over five hundred years before and after the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods: the sources are accurate, the editing is precise, making it an ideal introductory reading for pre-Qin history. The author is also a renowned linguist and master of prose, with his writing clear, concise, and highly expressive. Reading this book is also an excellent opportunity to learn language expression and appreciate the beauty of colloquial Chinese. Why did King Xiang of Qi, who died because of his sister-in-law, so eagerly entertain Duke Huan of Lu and his wife Wen Jiang? Here’s the story: King Xi of Qi had two daughters. The older, Xuan Jiang, was very beautiful. She was the woman who had married Duke Xuan of Wei, giving birth to Prince Shou and Prince Shuo, and had killed Prince Ji. The younger, Wen Jiang, was even more beautiful. Not only was she attractive, but she was also knowledgeable in ancient and modern studies, quite talented, hence the name Wen Jiang. Wen Jiang had an older brother named Zhu Er, who was also a handsome man. They were not siblings by the same mother but were both the biological children of King Xi of Qi. How did they become close? Were they really siblings? In 709 BC (the third year after Prince Jiao assassinated Duke Yin of Lu), Prince Cui arranged a marriage between Wen Jiang and Duke Huan of Lu. King Xi of Qi refused to agree to the marriage because of Prince Hu of Zheng, so he agreed to Prince Cui and betrothed Wen Jiang to Duke Huan, with the wedding set for September. Days passed, and Wen Jiang’s wedding day arrived. Prince Cui came to Qi to fetch the bride, and King Xi of Qi promised to go himself. Zhu Er said to his father, “When our sister leaves for her wedding, we must have a relative go with her. Father is too busy to spare the time—let me go instead.” King Xi of Qi replied, “I have already promised them. You should stay home and take care of things.” Zhu Er had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw with a downcast expression. When Wen Jiang was about to leave, Zhu Er approached her chariot and carriage, and the two exchanged a few private words before parting. Zhu Er and Wen Jiang longed to meet again. After waiting for fifteen years, Duke Huan of Lu finally took Wen Jiang to Qi. The Zhu Er of that time was now King Xiang of Qi. As soon as he saw Wen Jiang arrive, he put aside his plans to attack Zheng and treated his sister and brother-in-law very warmly. The maids brought the lady to the palace. King Xiang of Qi had already prepared a room for her, and they stayed there that night. The next morning, after the sun had been up for a long time, Duke Huan of Lu still hadn’t seen Wen Jiang return, and naturally, he grew suspicious. He sent someone to investigate and found out that his sister and brother-in-law had been together. Filled with anger, his face turned green, and his anger flared. Just as he was furious, Wen Jiang returned. Duke Huan of Lu angrily questioned her, “Why didn’t you come back last night?” Wen Jiang replied, “I had a few too many drinks with the maids and got drunk, so it wasn’t convenient to come out.” Duke Huan pressed further, “Where did you sleep?” Wen Jiang, panicked, raised her eyebrows and said, “What do you mean? There’s no place in the palace to stay overnight?” Duke Huan said nothing more, just sneered coldly. Wen Jiang saw that further discussion was useless and began to whine and curse Duke Huan for ruining her reputation. Duke Huan, being in Qi, couldn’t say anything openly and had to endure his anger, sending someone to bid farewell to King Xiang of Qi. King Xiang of Qi, uneasy himself, sent a trusted aide to investigate. The aide returned and reported that the couple had argued. Coincidentally, the envoy Duke Huan of Lu had sent to bid farewell arrived. King Xiang of Qi thought, “This is bad!” He insisted on keeping his brother-in-law for an extra day, inviting him to visit Niu Mountain (located south of Linzi in Zibo, Shandong Province). King Xiang of Qi held a grand banquet on Niu Mountain, with ministers one after another toasting Duke Huan of Lu. Duke Huan, full of anger and with no place to vent, kept drinking. After he had had enough to drink, King Xiang of Qi had Prince Peng Sheng help him.