Apocryphal prophecies foretold the mandate of Heaven.
In the Qin dynasty, there had been verses such as "Afang, Afang, the First Emperor falls" and "Great Chu shall rise, Chen Sheng shall reign." More recently, "Willow blossoms fall, plum blossoms flourish" and "A woman sovereign prospers and replaces all under Heaven" were representative examples. These strange lines circulated as folk songs, nursery rhymes, and riddles, heralding Heaven's will in the mortal world. Those favorable to the rulers were called the "mandate of Heaven"; those that threatened their rule were called "wicked words that deluded the masses."
Sovereign power was divinely bestowed, Heaven and humanity were one, and a monarch's legitimate rule derived from the mandate of Heaven. These songs represented Heaven's will and wielded enormous influence over politics. Naturally, many lawless men fabricated prophetic verses out of thin air, seeking to rewrite Heaven's mandate and achieve their treasonous aim of replacing one dynasty with another.
Every dynasty had been fiercely vigilant against this and imposed strict prohibitions. Possessing an Apocryphal Prophecy Book was as grave a taboo as secretly hoarding armor: the court could wipe out the entire household, implicate associates, and execute whole clans.
Years earlier, Prince Shao, Li Yuanying, had been attacked by political enemies with the ancient prophecy, "Remove the string, and Zhongzhi spreads across the realm." It had driven a wedge between father and son, and he had ultimately been banished to the frontier, forbidden to return to Chang'an.
Baozhu was therefore especially wary. After obtaining the book and leafing through it briefly, she found obscure riddles and songs such as "A red-robed child shall sit in the hall," "A man meets a ghost beneath the mountain, silken robes are tied upon the ring," and "Geese march three abreast, the beauty returns, an unadorned face rides the