"What is the Mandate of Heaven?"
Zi Shou's voice rang like a great bell.
Yun Zhongzi said solemnly, "The Mandate of Heaven cannot be known, nor can it be defied. The Heavenly Dao rules the fate of all living beings. Life and death are ordained; wealth and honor lie with Heaven."
Zi Shou clasped his hands behind his back. "If so, can those who cultivate the Dao glimpse the Mandate of Heaven, yet still not defy it?"
Yun Zhongzi shook his head. "It is not that we cultivators glimpse the Mandate of Heaven, but that the Mandate of Heaven chooses to let us glimpse a fraction of it. Naturally, it cannot be defied."
Zi Shou's words suddenly came faster. "If a region suffers floods and drought, what becomes of its people? What is the Mandate of Heaven?"
Yun Zhongzi did not know why he asked this, but answered according to conventional reasoning. "Flood and drought leave the people starving. Such is the Mandate of Heaven."
"Such is the Mandate of Heaven?" Zi Shou's tone grew emphatic. "If I send a thousand carts of provisions from Chaoge, does the Mandate of Heaven remain the same? Will the people still starve?"
"..." Yun Zhongzi could not answer.
Zi Shou asked again, "If a man is born frail, how long will he live? What is the Mandate of Heaven?"
Yun Zhongzi still answered earnestly. "A frail man dies young. This is the Mandate of Heaven."
"The Mandate of Heaven?" Zi Shou gave a soft snort. "If this man has ample clothing, food, and nourishment, and exercises at suitable times, does the Mandate of Heaven remain the same? Could he extend his life by several years?"
Seeing that Yun Zhongzi did not respond, Zi Shou continued, "Divination and spirits cannot predict victory or defeat in war, nor can changes in the stars determine a war's outcome. Yet to rely upon them-is that not great folly?"
This time, Yun Zhongzi caught on. "The Mandate of Heaven cannot be altered. Starving through drought and flood is the Mandate of Heaven. If provisions are sent for disaster relief and the people no longer starve, that too is the Mandate of Heaven. Dying young from frailty is the Mandate of Heaven. If proper nourishment and timely exercise extend one's life, that too is the Mandate of Heaven. Victory and defeat in war have long been ordained by the Mandate of Heaven. Nothing has changed."
Whatever the outcome, Yun Zhongzi called it the Mandate of Heaven. The process did not matter. Everything was simply as it ought to be, already ordained by the Mandate of Heaven.
This was shameless evasion. After all, no one could give a single event two simultaneous outcomes to refute him.
But Zi Shou was in no hurry. He continued questioning him:
"Then can flooding and ** be called the Mandate of Heaven?"
"Indeed."
"Did Yu the Great defy Heaven by taming the waters?"
"Can death at sea be called the Mandate of Heaven?"
"Indeed."
"Did Jingwei defy Heaven by filling the sea?"
"Can ten suns in the sky be called the Mandate of Heaven?"
"Indeed."
"Did Yi defy Heaven by shooting down nine suns?"
Yun Zhongzi said calmly, "**, deaths at sea, and the ten suns were all the Mandate of Heaven, but those individuals also bore the Mandate of Heaven."
Zi Shou smiled. "Since all of it is the Mandate of Heaven, my declaration that there is no demon in the palace is also my Mandate of Heaven. Why must you go to such lengths to defy Heaven, Daoist?"
Yun Zhongzi was rather bewildered. How had all this twisting and turning made him the one defying Heaven?
After a moment, Yun Zhongzi stopped dwelling on it and merely said, "Your Majesty, mind your words. Know that words must not be reckless, conduct must not lapse, fate must not be disregarded, and Heaven must not be defied. Such jesting is truly unbecoming of the Son of Heaven."
Zi Shou said, "Is the Son of Heaven the son of the Mandate of Heaven?"
Yun Zhongzi nodded. "The Son of Heaven must inherit the Mandate of Heaven."
"Why did Yu inherit the Mandate of Heaven and bring order, while Jie inherited the Mandate of Heaven and brought chaos?"
"The Mandate of Heaven has its fixed course. Everything was ordained long ago."
Zi Shou asked, "Do I also inherit the Mandate of Heaven?"
Yun Zhongzi said, "Naturally. Your Majesty bears Heaven's mandate and ought to act with reverent care."
Zi Shou thundered, "Though you call it the Mandate of Heaven, is it not the work of men? My ancestor Cheng Tang drove seventy fine chariots and led six thousand warriors into battle against Jie at Cheng. He entered the palace gates and acted benevolently to care for the people. Contrary to Jie's deeds, he elevated the worthy and virtuous, followed the people's wishes, and won the allegiance of those near and far. Thus he became king over all under Heaven. This was my ancestor's virtue. What did the Mandate of Heaven have to do with it?"
"My ancestor marched against Xia and rid the people of their scourge. He changed the calendar, altered the attire, and distinguished his titles to show that he would not follow the old ways. Yet the title 'Son of Heaven' has remained in use to this day. Today, I shall abolish that title. I shall not inherit the Mandate of Heaven, only the destiny of Great Shang, and shall be known as the Human King!"
Abolish the title of Son of Heaven?
Before Yun Zhongzi could respond, the ministers were seized by alarm, yet none dared step forward to remonstrate.
Abolishing the title of Son of Heaven was more disrespectful than insulting an accomplished cultivator or voicing disbelief in the Mandate of Heaven. After all, the earlier offenses had merely been words, while abolishing the title was an actual deed.
But what could they do?
King Zhou had already invoked the deeds through which his ancestor Cheng Tang had risen. Were they, ministers of Great Shang, supposed to deny those deeds, assign all the credit to the Mandate of Heaven, and say that Cheng Tang had won the realm through the Mandate of Heaven, not through anything he had done?
Would that not deny their ancestor's virtue? Would it not mean that the Mandate of Heaven could have chosen anyone at all to win the realm?
Yun Zhongzi had truly never expected King Zhou to dare utter such Heaven-defying words. He said repeatedly, "A sovereign is as Heaven's son. You must not speak recklessly, must not speak recklessly. This humble Daoist has a poem of admonition. It goes-"
Zi Shou did not let him finish. He's already recited two poems. It's my turn. He opened his mouth and said, "I happen to have a poem as well: medicines take form when their essences unite; the Dao dwells in the void, in harmony with nature. Once a single spirit pill enters my belly, I know my fate is mine, not Heaven's!"
Defying Heaven is exactly what I want!
How can I earn an infamous name without defying Heaven? How can I become a foolish tyrant?
How can I gain Foolishness Value without becoming a foolish tyrant?
I'm going to use Foolishness Value to gulp down pills, cultivate immortality, and smash my way through the Investiture of the Gods!
Otherwise, I'm fated to become a puppet of the great calamity and burn myself alive on the Deer Terrace. Who could accept that?!
After weighing it over and over, Shang Rong gritted his teeth and stepped out of the ranks. "I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
He had no choice. Even if all of this was a stratagem, abolishing the title of Son of Heaven and disrespecting the Mandate of Heaven were undoubtedly King Zhou's genuine wishes.
Shang Rong admitted that King Zhou's words held some reason, but he was taking far too large a stride. Everyone believed in the Mandate of Heaven. Could they accept a king who suddenly trusted neither Heaven nor fate, but only himself?
He only wanted to spend his remaining years in peace and preserve himself through prudence, but this change was far too great!
With Shang Rong taking the lead, the ministers sprang forward one after another, all begging His Majesty to reconsider.
But it was no use. This time, Zi Shou was determined to have his way. He continued, "A ruler who upholds propriety and righteousness and honors the worthy shall reign over all under Heaven. One who values the rule of law and loves the people as his children shall hold sway over the feudal lords. If there is a Mandate of Heaven, then I am the Mandate of Heaven!"
The more they remonstrated, the worse it became.
Before, he had merely refused to inherit the Mandate of Heaven and shown it disrespect. Now he directly affronted it, shamelessly declaring that he himself was the Mandate of Heaven.
This put the ministers in a very difficult position.
But Zi Shou was calculating inwardly. In the novel, King Zhou's disrespect for spirits and disregard for sacrifices already count as grave sins. My refusal to inherit the Mandate of Heaven, my disrespect for it, and my making myself its embodiment should be even worse. Simply unforgivable.
Once he said this, those guardians of orthodoxy would absolutely see him as a foolish tyrant. No matter how much he accomplished, there would not be the slightest chance of clearing his name.
This is simply wonderful!
This debate over Heaven's mandate, combined with the rumors in the streets and the upcoming deception of the feudal lords with the Beacon Fire, would offend three groups at once. When the Foolishness Value was tallied, it would surely amount to tens of millions.
Take a look at who the protagonist is! Believe in your lousy Mandate of Heaven? What rubbish!
The court ministers all prostrated themselves. Only Yun Zhongzi kept sighing. "Yin Shang's allotted fortune is exhausted. The Mandate of Heaven decrees its fall. Heaven follows its constant course; all things ought to follow Heaven!"
"Rather than obey Heaven and sing its praises, better to master Heaven's mandate and put it to use." Barely restraining his wild joy, Zi Shou issued only one command: "Prepare my carriage. Return to the palace."
If he did not return to the palace now, he might collapse laughing right there in court.
Seeing this, Yun Zhongzi could only give up. He swept his fly whisk and departed upon a cloud.
As the cloud drifted farther and farther away, Zi Shou suddenly felt regret.
He should not have been so absolute just now. A few conciliatory words at the last moment might have persuaded Yun Zhongzi to stay, misleading him into thinking there was still hope. Then he could have remained in Chaoge, helping Zi Shou build a reputation among the people for disrespecting a true immortal.
Letting him escape like this really was a pity.
P.S. The title "Son of Heaven" only appeared after the Zhou dynasty began, but it appears in Investiture of the Gods, so I've used the novel as my basis and freely adapted it. My consistent use of "Son of Heaven" earlier was also for the sake of this moment.
This chapter establishes the core of the whole novel. Some readers previously felt something was missing. Now it isn't.
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