Waltzing with the Stars IV

In the last episode we saw how the poor Queen Jiang was murdered by Tan Ji. Who is the next victim?

Zhou Wang asked Fei Zhong, "Queen Jiang is dead. Her father, the Grand Duke of the East will surely avenge her death. What should I do?"

Fei came up with an evil plot, "If your Majesty will only summon all four Grand Dukes to the capital. Plan their death! This will be the perfect example for all the other eight hundred dukes and earls. They will be immediately silenced!"

Zhou Wang was very pleased and messengers were sent to summon the four Grand Dukes.

The Grand Duke in the West, Ji Chang (posthumously called King Wen) was an expert in divination. He saw the death omen and said to his sons, "This trip is most unfortunate. I see seven years of bad luck and misfortune." He then turned to his elder son, Bo Yikao (Bo is his title, meaning the Earl, Yikao is his given name), "You will represent me in the country. Change no laws. Ensure your brothers love each other and keep everything in order. I will return in seven years. Take no actions to rescue me. This is the will of Heaven."

When all four Grand Dukes arrived, the tyrant was all set to murder them. The Grand Duke Jiang, father of Queen Jiang, was heart-broken on hearing the tragic death of his daughter. He immediately demanded an explanation from Zhou Wang. The other Dukes admitted to the wrongful execution of the virtuous queen. This enraged Zhou Wang and right away he ordered the execution of all four Grand Dukes.

The Grand Duke of the North had been bribing Fei Zhong all the time and Fei was able to convince Zhou Wang to forgive him. In return, he was given the duty to construct a pleasure palace for the King. This was the famous "Chamber of Grasping Stars".

The Grand Dukes of the East and South were killed. When it was the turn for the Grand Duke of the West, the military minister Wang Fei Hu came forward, "Your Majesty, Ji Chang is known as the Sage in the West. Killing him will annoy the people and the gods. Please forgive him."

Fei Zhong asked, "This is just hearsay. How can he prove himself a sage?"

Wang Fei Hu said, "Ji Chang is the best diviner. He can prove for himself. Your Majesty can ask him to predict what will happen tomorrow. If his prediction comes true, then he is a sage."

Well, the Grand Duke of the West cast his coins and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, the Ancestral Temple will be on fire tomorrow at noon. This is an ill omen for the empire."

Fei Zhong whispered to the King, "Please give order not to offer incense in the Ancestral Temple. If fire is not used there, how can it be burnt down? After tomorrow we will have a good excuse to kill Ji Chang."

The King nodded and was then waiting confidently for the execution of the Grand Duke of the West.

The next day, the King and his ministers met in the palace waiting for the verdict of Heaven. There was not the slightest sign of fire. Noon came. The sky changed all of a sudden. There was thunder and lightning. Very soon, messengers returned, "Your Majesty, the Ancestral Temple is burnt down."

The King had to announce Ji Chang innocent. He, however, was forbidden to return to his country. He was under house arrest in his temporary residence near the capital. The people in that small town was happy to have Ji Chang living there. They welcomed him on the road side with food and wine. Ji Chang stayed there calmly and spent his time combining the eight trigrams of the Ba Gua to create the sixty-four hexagrams. His skill of divination was brought to a higher level.

Bo Yikao was not as patient and calm as his father. He decided to go to the capital of Shang to rescue his father. His plan was to offer himself in his father's place. He told his younger brother Ji Fa (who became King Wu later) to take care of the country and he went to the Shang capital.

He waited at the south gate of the palace. The King's uncle Bi Gan saw him and asked why he was there. He explained that he wanted to see the King to ask him a favor. He said, "I am the Grand Duke's elder son, Bo Yikao. I want to be punished on behalf of my father so that he can be set free and go home."

Bi Gan was moved by his virtue and brought him into the palace to see the King. The King was pleased with the gifts Bo Yikao brought to him. He was hesitating about releasing the Grand Duke. Tan Ji was gazing at Bo Yikao all the time behind the screen. She was captivated by the handsome young man. She came out and whispered to the King, "I have heard that Bo Yikao is a great musician. Please tell him to play the harp for us."

Bo Yikao played the harp and the music was like Heaven's melody. Tan Ji requested to learn music from Bo Yikao. The King granted.

Tan Ji loved the music but she loved the man more. She tried to seduce him while he was teaching her to play the harp. He was a virtuous man and did not even glance at her.

Tan Ji could not help loving the handsome and talented young man. Her heart was filled with the fire of lust. She said to Bo Yikao, "It is more efficient to learn if I sit in your lap while you hold my hands to play the harp." Bo Yikao was shocked and he pretended to be sick and asked to leave. Failing to seduce the virtuous young man, her love turned into hate. She went to see the King crying all the way, "Bo Yikao is a hypocrite. He tried to seduce me with his music and he actually made inappropriate advance to me."

The King was very angry and ordered Bo Yikao to be chopped to pieces. Tan Ji said to the King, "Let us mince his body and prepare a dish of meat balls and let Ji Chang eat his own son. If he is really spiritual, he should know he is eating his own flesh and blood. Otherwise, his divination is just illusive."

When Ji Chang saw the dish of meat balls, his heart was bleeding. He pretended he knew nothing and finished the dish. The tyrant, seeing that he was not able to tell what he ate, released him. Bo Yikao fulfilled his wish to rescue his father but the price he paid was too high. He brought luck to his father by sacrificing himself. His virtuous soul went to Heaven and was placed to govern the Lucky Star: Tian Tong Xing.

In the Japanese version of the story, Bo Yikao is mistakenly called Bo Yi. He became the Emperor Star (Zi Wei Xing). This is because of the misconception that the Purple Myrtle Star is noble and virtuous like an emperor. Since we are using the story to introduce the properties of the stars, I find that the Lucky Star (Tian Tong) reflects the innocent character of Bo Yikao much better.