Bi Gan

Biodata

Background / History

Bi Gan is a veteran minister who watched Di Xin grow up. Before the events surrounding Daji’s arrival, he supervised the construction of the late king’s mausoleum and the Imperial Palace. His ability to organize these large projects contributed to his reputation as a Great Worthy 14 50.

Alongside Weizi and Jizi, he is counted among the Three Worthies of Great Shang. His court responsibilities include sacrificial rites and ceremonial music, placing him at the center of the dispute over Di Xin’s rejection of human sacrifice 1 7 8.

Appearance

• Face: Gentle-looking and elderly 1.
• Hair and whiskers: Snowy white 1.
• Beard: Initially described as three long strands; later described as dry and sparse beneath his chin 1 15.

Personality

Bi Gan understands loyalty as protecting Great Shang from a ruler’s misconduct, rather than unquestioningly obeying the ruler. He repeatedly remonstrates with Di Xin, defends men he considers worthy, and eventually organizes an attempt to force the king to change his behavior 2 3 30.

His political outlook is deeply tied to religious tradition. He believes offending the gods could cost Shang the Mandate of Heaven, and kowtows until his forehead bleeds when Di Xin rejects human sacrifice. He hopes Wen Zhong will discipline the king and restore his reverence for the gods 7 30.

He nevertheless takes practical problems seriously. After the intended sacrifices are spared, he presses Di Xin about their lack of food, farmland, and time to complete spring sowing. He recognizes the Curved-Blade Plow’s benefits once shown its results, although the achievement does not erase his distrust of the king 9 13 16 19.

Bi Gan is proud of his wisdom and administrative experience, making attacks on his competence particularly infuriating. His willingness to risk confrontation also has limits: after the failed uprising, he admits that his offer to atone with death was an exaggeration and begs to continue serving Shang 32 43 50.

Abilities & Skills

Construction Administration

Bi Gan’s most clearly demonstrated expertise is directing major building projects 50.

• Supervised the late king’s mausoleum and the Imperial Palace 50.
• Directed refugees and former rebel soldiers building Deer Terrace alongside Huang Feihu 44 50.
• Considered himself uniquely qualified to manage Deer Terrace’s scale, but lost the assignment after challenging Di Xin to replace him 50.

Ritual and Court Administration

Bi Gan manages ceremonial duties and carries out royal logistical orders despite his frequent objections 1 7 10.

• Prepared the sacrificial ceremony intended to pray for Wen Zhong’s victory 7.
• Quickly arranged a feast for the assembled ministers 10.
• Recruited craftsmen at Di Xin’s request 10 12.
• Explicitly stated that he did not know how to forge iron 13.

Political Persuasion

Bi Gan uses remonstrance, appeals to loyalty, and carefully framed language to influence others 3 15 30.

• Proposed that Su Hu prove his loyalty by campaigning against Xiqi 3.
• Invoked Heaven and the sun as witnesses to reinforce Di Xin’s obligation to honor their wager 15.
• Gathered dissatisfied officials at his residence and persuaded them to support coercive action against the king 30.

Equipment / Items

• Jade belt — Di Xin awarded Bi Gan’s belt to Zheng Lun during the latter’s promotion 4.

Relationships

• Di Xin — Nephew and sovereign. Bi Gan seeks to correct his conduct; Di Xin deliberately provokes him for negative emotion points and later forces him into the public role of a devoted royal supporter 3 10 30 43 44.
• Huang Feihu — Political ally and fellow conspirator. They coordinate their attempted display of remorse after the uprising and subsequently share responsibility for Deer Terrace’s laborers 30 42 43 44.
• Shang Rong — Fellow senior minister who rejects Bi Gan’s attempt to gain control through the spring-sowing wager. Shang Rong’s promotion to Chancellor of the Right makes Bi Gan his deputy 14 18.
• Wen Zhong — Grand Tutor whom Bi Gan asks to return to Chaoge and discipline Di Xin with the Male-and-Female Golden Whip 5 30.
• Su Hu — Minister whose pardon and restoration Bi Gan advocates, and whose life he physically attempts to protect from Huang Feihu 2 3.
• Weizi and Jizi — Fellow members of Shang’s Three Worthies. Bi Gan pleads unsuccessfully for their lives when Di Xin orders them sacrificed to Heaven 8 9.
• Queen Jiang — Approached at the ministers’ urging to remonstrate with Di Xin over his time spent working with artisans 13.
• Yang Ren, Fang Bi, and Fang Xiang — Allies in the attempt to force Di Xin’s hand at the palace; all three are killed during the uprising 30 32 36 37.
• Jiang Ziya — Daoist ally introduced by Yang Ren. His accurate prediction of Bi Gan’s palace summons strengthens the conspirators’ confidence in his abilities 30 32.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Daji’s Arrival and Su Hu’s Sentence

Bi Gan first appears asking whether Di Xin will summon Su Hu and Daji. After Daji enters the inner palace, he recommends pardoning Su Hu and restoring his office 1 2.

When Di Xin instead orders Su Hu executed, Bi Gan blocks Huang Feihu and argues that killing a man who presented his daughter would alienate upright subjects. His alternative proposal—a campaign against Xiqi—earns an accusation that he is helping Shang’s enemies. Zheng Lun’s intervention ultimately prevents the execution 3.

Abolition of Human Sacrifice

Bi Gan leads Di Xin to the sacrificial altar and urges him not to offend the gods. He also protests the order to execute Weizi and Jizi as offerings, but cannot answer Di Xin’s challenge that royal relatives should not be exempt from sacrifices imposed on ordinary subjects 7 8.

After human sacrifice is banned, Bi Gan turns to the surviving captives’ welfare, warning that they have no fields and may miss the planting season 9 13.

Spring-Sowing Wager and Loss of Precedence

Di Xin promises to solve the sowing crisis within three days. Their wager would give Bi Gan the final say in affairs if the king failed; success would require Bi Gan to obey the king regardless of his private objections 13.

The Curved-Blade Plow proves capable of rapidly preparing the wasteland. Bi Gan acknowledges its national value and accepts his defeat. Di Xin then creates two chancellorships, retaining Bi Gan as Chancellor of the Left while promoting Shang Rong to the higher-ranking position on the right 16 18.

Palace Uprising and Forced Loyalty

Bi Gan gathers opponents at his residence to compel Di Xin to reform. The Deer Terrace plans and further insults to his competence convince him that they must act immediately 30 31 32.

After Di Xin kills Yang Ren and the Fang brothers, Bi Gan and Huang Feihu arrive claiming that they came to rescue him and deserve death for their failure. Their attempt to secure a pardon backfires when Di Xin takes the offer literally, first urging them toward a spear and then ordering their beheading 36 37 42 43.

Di Xin stops the execution but publicly claims that the two men secretly helped him defeat the rebels. This false credit turns the surviving soldiers against them and threatens their standing among the conservatives. Bi Gan reluctantly accepts the imposed declaration of loyalty 43 44.

Deer Terrace Assignment and Dismissal

Di Xin orders Bi Gan and Huang Feihu to supervise the former rebel soldiers, teach them to praise the king, and pay for their food 44.

During a later inspection, Bi Gan defends his construction expertise and challenges Di Xin to appoint someone else if dissatisfied. Di Xin accepts the challenge and removes him from oversight of the project 50.

Notable Quotes

“Your Majesty, Su Hu offered you his daughter, proof of his sincerity and loyalty. Killing him would chill the hearts of all upright men under heaven!” 3

“Your Majesty, what I said about atoning with death was merely an exaggeration. In truth, I do not wish to die. I still wish to serve Great Shang, burning with every last spark of light and heat I possess!” 43

Trivia

• Bi Gan is reputed to possess a seven-aperture exquisite heart. Di Xin repeatedly mocks this reputation, but the provided chapters do not verify the heart’s supernatural properties 2 3.
• His resentment supplies Di Xin’s system with negative emotion points. Di Xin explicitly considers keeping him nearby for that purpose rather than cutting out his heart 10.