No one had expected Yang Ren to say such a thing.
Have the Marquis of the West lead King Zhou's horse and drive his carriage?
The feudal lords ranked only half a step below the King of Shang, especially someone of the Marquis of the West's standing.
Ji Chang's expression shifted, but he did not rush to speak.
Still, he enjoyed great popular support and was on good terms with many of the Feudal Lords. As fellow members of the same class, quite a few naturally spoke up for him.
Suddenly, someone protested from his seat, "The Marquis of the West commands great respect and is seasoned and steady. Grandee Yang, surely your words overstep the bounds of propriety."
What he meant was that the Marquis of the West belonged to the same generation as King Zhou's father, Di Yi. He was King Zhou's elder, and the order of seniority had to be respected.
Yang Ren looked over and saw that it was Marquis Gong. He said, "Let rulers be rulers, subjects be subjects, fathers be fathers, and sons be sons. The rites between ruler and subject come before distinctions of age and rank. The Marquis of the West is one of the Feudal Lords of our Great Shang. What is improper about his observing a subject's duties by leading the King of Shang's horse and driving his carriage? Such grand words truly deceive!"
Marquis Gong had no answer. Though the Feudal Lords enjoyed considerable autonomy and the King of Shang could not easily punish them, they were still nominally his subjects and had to observe the proper rites. There was nothing wrong with a subject leading his ruler's horse; it was simply that no King of Shang had ever done such a thing.
Suddenly, someone asked, "The Marquis of