The Sixth Idea in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: The Wisdom Light That Illuminated a Hundred Li

The introduction to this chapter, [The Methods of Ancient Emperors], was placed at the end of Volume One. It was a public chapter.

If you haven't read it, you can go take a look. It would be better to read that one first, then this one.

First.

Yao in the Classic of Mountains and Seas... was just an emperor.

Searching through the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Yao was only mentioned in connection with Emperor Yao Terrace. Aside from that opening sentence, there was also, "At Di Mountain, Emperor Yao was buried in the south, and Emperor Ku was buried in the north." In short, it only let us know that he was an emperor, and nothing more.

Some people said that Great Yi was sent by Yao to kill monsters and shoot down the nine suns. But unfortunately, that was a later account. It was written that way in the Western Han work Huainanzi.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas said: "Di Jun bestowed Red Bow and White Silk upon Yi, so that he could assist the Lower Kingdom. Yi was the first to go and care for the hundred hardships of the Lower Lands."

Yi was appointed by Di Jun and had nothing to do with Yao. He had even lived much earlier than Yao.

Clearly, later generations had forcibly attributed Di Jun's deeds to Yao. After all, Yao simply had no great achievements worthy of praise.

He was merely an emperor, and was nowhere near the level of the Five Emperors.

The Ji-surname dynasty had even fallen after Yao's time.

Then what about Shun?

The Classic of Mountains and Seas said: "Shun's wife, Dengbishi, gave birth to Xiaoming and Zhuguang. They dwelt at the great marsh of the river, and the spirits of the two women could