Chapter 132: Di Xin Inscribes a Poem at the Celestial Palace

Time flowed slowly. Not long after, King Yi of Shang passed away, and the throne was passed to Di Xin, the ruler later known to history as King Zhou.

King Yi was no foolish monarch; as his hand-picked successor, Di Xin was well-versed in both civil and martial arts. With the Shang court filled with virtuous and capable officials—men of letters to stabilize the state and warriors to secure the borders—Di Xin stood upon the foundation laid by generations of Shang kings, destined to enjoy a peaceful reign.

However, in the seventh year of Di Xin’s rule, the seventy-two vassal lords of the Eastern Yi rebelled. It was only through the intervention of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong, who led the imperial army to campaign against them, that stability was restored. Yet, because the Shang dynasty was founded with the Eastern Yi as its base, the betrayal of these seventy-two lords, many of whom were descendants of the founding heroes, signaled the beginning of the end for the Shang dynasty.

In the seventh month of that year, Prime Minister Shang Rong requested that Di Xin visit the Palace of the Celestial Emperor to offer sacrifices to the Celestial Emperor and the Celestial Empress, praying for favorable weather and the swift, victorious return of Grand Tutor Wen Zhong.

Di Xin granted the request.

The following day, aboard the royal chariot and surrounded by civil and military officials, Di Xin entered the Palace of the Celestial Emperor in the capital city of Chaoge.

This palace had been commissioned centuries ago by King Wu Ding of Shang. Crafted with the most opulent materials and weathered by time, it stood with solemn and magnificent grandeur. Within the main hall, upon a raised dais, stood two lifelike, towering statues, resplendent in fine robes and exuding majestic grace.

Di Xin led his ministers into the hall. Holding three sticks of incense, he bowed before the statues and recited the sacrificial prayer: "I, Di Xin, current King of Shang, offer this sacrifice to the Celestial Emperor and Celestial Empress of the heavens above. May you bless our Great Shang with peace and prosperity, and grant Grand Tutor Wen Zhong a swift and glorious return..."

After the rituals were completed, Di Xin happened to glance upward at the statues. Amidst layers of hanging silk and curling incense smoke, the two figures stood in the center, their majesty so profound they appeared as if they were living beings.

Seeing the imposing stature of the Celestial Emperor, Di Xin felt a sense of reverence. But as his gaze shifted to the Celestial Empress, he was instantly struck, his spirit momentarily slipping away.

"Your Majesty, it is time to return to the palace," the Prime Minister whispered, noticing that the King had remained motionless.

"Bring me a brush! I shall compose a poem for Her Majesty the Celestial Empress!" Di Xin snapped out of his trance, his poetic inspiration surging. Ignoring the Prime Minister, he waved his hand, issuing the command.

The courtiers standing by dared not delay; they scrambled to fetch ink and brush, presenting them to the King. Di Xin took the brush, rolled back his sleeves, and inscribed a poem upon the wall of the palace:

*Beneath the lotus canopy, she exudes a nation’s grace,*
*A beauty to shame the moon and flowers, leaving the soul adrift.*
*If only this enchanting grace could move and breathe,*
*I would take her to the long-joy hall to serve the King.*

The opening lines were merely words of praise, but the final line—"I would take her to the long-joy hall to serve the King"—turned the entire poem into something else entirely.

The assembled officials were struck with horror. The Prime Minister stepped forward, bowing low: "Your Majesty, the Celestial Empress is a Saint, the divine consort of the Celestial Emperor since the dawn of time. How can you compose such a blasphemous poem? If the Celestial Emperor takes offense and brings down disaster, the consequences will be unimaginable... I beg Your Majesty to allow us to wash it away!"

"It is not as serious as you make it sound," Di Xin replied, frowning slightly. He looked back at his own work and was quite satisfied. *A masterpiece!*

In truth, he had only intended to praise her beauty, and the final line had been nothing more than a momentary whim. "The Celestial Emperor is high above, burdened with the affairs of the universe; why would he care about such a trivial matter? Besides, I merely praised her appearance; I had no intention of blasphemy. I trust the Celestial Emperor will see the truth of the matter."

With a flick of his sleeves, he turned to leave. The ministers cried out, "Your Majesty, we beg you to reconsider! Let us wash it away!"

Enraged by their defiance, Di Xin declared, "No one is to touch this poem! Whoever does so shall be punished for the crime of deceiving the King!"

"Your Majesty!" The officials knelt in desperation, but Di Xin did not even glance back. With a scoff, he strode out of the palace and mounted his chariot.

"Prime Minister, what are we to do?" the officials asked, surrounding Shang Rong.

"The King has spoken; what can we, as subjects, do?" Shang Rong sighed, regretting his initial suggestion to visit the palace. But the deed was done, and there was nothing to be done about it. He could only hope that, as the King had said, the Celestial Emperor was too busy to notice this trifle.

"It is a pity the Grand Tutor is away; he might have been able to dissuade him," the ministers lamented. No one had expected the King to act with such reckless impulsivity.

...

"‘I would take her to the long-joy hall to serve the King’—a mere mortal monarch with a lifespan of a century, what immense audacity!"

In the Palace of Wa, Nüwa looked down at the mortal realm. Upon seeing the poem, her expression turned icy. Li Tian, sensing the shift in the palace, arrived immediately. Seeing her anger, he smiled and walked over.

"Come now, they are but ants; they can be crushed with a wave of the hand. Why trouble yourself?"

Seeing Li Tian, Nüwa’s expression softened, though she still ground her teeth at the memory of Di Xin’s actions. "That Di Xin is truly lawless. If I do not teach him a lesson, my heart will not be at peace!"

"Rest assured, I have already instructed all those in the mortal realm acting on behalf of the Celestial Court to stand in opposition to him. I expect he will not last long," Li Tian said, stepping to her side. "Do not be angry; it is bad for the baby."

He bowed his head and gently stroked Nüwa’s abdomen through her robes.

"I am not a mortal woman; there is no such thing as 'upsetting the pregnancy,'" Nüwa said, pushing his hand away with a playful scolding, though she felt a warmth in her heart.

"However, the Shang dynasty is currently stable. If we are to bring it down, it will take some effort..." Nüwa frowned in thought. After a moment, she summoned a handmaiden and ordered her to bring several beautiful members of the divine race. The handmaiden bowed and withdrew.

Soon, the handmaiden returned with three beauties: a nine-tailed fox, a pheasant, and a jade pipa, all of whom had attained enlightenment. Their cultivation was not particularly high—the strongest, the nine-tailed fox, was only at the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal—but they were exceptionally beautiful, even by the standards of the Celestial Court.

"We pay our respects to the Celestial Emperor and the Celestial Empress!" The three spirits were nervous, having never faced such high-ranking beings before.

"I have summoned you three to enter the harem of the Shang King and bewitch him, that he might neglect the affairs of the state. Remember, you must not harm mortals, nor are you to reveal that I am the one behind this, or you shall surely die," Nüwa said, satisfied with their beauty.

The three spirits exchanged glances. They had not expected such a task, but facing the rulers of the heavens, they dared not refuse. The nine-tailed fox bowed first, followed by the pheasant and the pipa, all speaking in unison: "We shall strictly obey the decree of the Celestial Empress!"

"Very well, you may go," Nüwa nodded.

"Yes!"