宋微子世家

Weizi Kai was the eldest son of the Yin ruler Di Yi and an elder half-brother of King Zhou. After Zhou took the throne, he was unenlightened, ruling with wanton excess. Weizi remonstrated repeatedly, but Zhou would not listen. When Zu Yi, alarmed by King Wen of Zhou's cultivation of virtue and destruction of the state of Xuan, warned Zhou that disaster was approaching, Zhou said: "Was I not born with Heaven's mandate? What can anyone do?" Weizi then judged that Zhou could never be swayed by remonstrance. He wished either to die for his principles or to leave, but could not decide, so he consulted the Grand Preceptor and Junior Preceptor.

Jizi was a kinsman of King Zhou. When Zhou first had ivory chopsticks made, Jizi sighed: "If he makes ivory chopsticks, he will want jade cups; with jade cups, he will crave exotic delicacies from distant lands. The escalation of carriages, horses, and palaces begins here — it cannot be reversed." As Zhou grew increasingly dissolute, Jizi remonstrated but was ignored. Someone said: "You may leave now." Jizi said: "When a minister remonstrates and is not heeded, to leave is to expose the ruler's faults and ingratiate oneself with the people. I cannot bear to do that." He then disheveled his hair, feigned madness, and became a slave.

Prince Bigan was also a kinsman of Zhou. Seeing that Jizi's remonstrance was ignored and that he had been enslaved, Bigan said: "If a ruler has faults and his ministers do not contend to the death, what wrong have the common people committed?" He spoke out plainly to remonstrate with Zhou. Zhou was furious: "I have heard that a sage's heart has seven apertures — is that true?" He killed Prince Bigan and cut open his chest to examine his heart.

Weizi said: "Between father and son there are bonds of flesh and blood, but between minister and ruler the bond is one of righteousness. Thus if a father errs and the son remonstrates three times without being heeded, the son follows and weeps. If a minister remonstrates three times without being heeded, it is right for him to leave." The Grand and Junior Preceptors then urged Weizi to depart, and he left.

When King Wu of Zhou attacked King Zhou and conquered Yin, Weizi brought his ancestral ritual vessels to the army's gate, bared his upper body with hands tied behind his back, holding a sheep in his left hand and a bundle of reeds in his right, and crawled forward on his knees to submit. King Wu released Weizi and restored him to his former status.

King Wu enfeoffed Zhou's son Wu Geng Lufu to continue the Yin sacrifices, and appointed the Dukes of Guan and Cai as his tutors and aides.

After conquering Yin, King Wu consulted Jizi. The king said: "Alas! Heaven silently establishes the people below, harmonizing their dwellings, but I do not know the proper ordering of the constant principles." Jizi replied: "In ancient times, Gun tried to dam the great flood and disrupted the Five Phases. The Lord on High was enraged and did not grant the Great Plan's Nine Categories, so the constant principles fell into disorder. Gun was executed, and Yu succeeded him. Heaven then bestowed upon Yu the Nine Categories of the Great Plan, and the constant principles were ordered."

King Wu enfeoffed Jizi in Joseon and did not treat him as a subject.

King Wu died. King Cheng was young, and the Duke of Zhou governed as regent. The Dukes of Guan and Cai suspected his intentions and revolted with Wu Geng, plotting to attack King Cheng and the Duke of Zhou. The Duke of Zhou, acting on King Cheng's authority, executed Wu Geng, killed the Duke of Guan, and exiled the Duke of Cai. He then commanded Weizi Kai to succeed as representative of the Yin line, maintain the ancestral sacrifices, and composed the Charge to Weizi to formalize it. He was given the state of Song. Because Weizi was humane and capable, and because he replaced Wu Geng, the surviving people of Yin deeply admired and loved him.

Weizi Kai died and his younger brother Yan was installed, known as Wei Zhong. [The text traces the succession through multiple generations.] Duke Xuan had Crown Prince Yuyi. In his nineteenth year, Duke Xuan fell ill and yielded to his younger brother He, saying: "When a father dies, the son succeeds; when an elder brother dies, the younger brother follows — this is a universal principle. I shall install He." He accepted after declining three times. Duke Xuan died and his brother He was installed as Duke Mu.

In Duke Mu's ninth year, he fell ill and summoned the Grand Marshal Kong Fu, saying: "The former duke, Duke Xuan, passed over Crown Prince Yuyi to install me. I dare not forget this. When I die, you must install Yuyi."

In Duke Xiang's seventh year, stars fell on Song like rain, tumbling down with the raindrops; six herons flew backward — driven by the force of the wind.

In his eighth year, Duke Huan of Qi died and Song wished to lead the interstate covenants. In the spring of his twelfth year, Duke Xiang of Song convened the covenant at Lushang, seeking the feudal lords' allegiance through Chu. Chu agreed. In autumn, the lords met with Duke of Song at Yu for the covenant. Muyi said: "Will disaster come from this? The duke's ambitions are excessive — how can he bear the weight?" Chu then seized Duke Xiang and attacked Song. In winter, they met at Bo and released the duke. In the summer of his thirteenth year, Song attacked Zheng. In autumn, Chu attacked Song to rescue Zheng. Duke Xiang prepared for battle. Ziyu remonstrated: "Heaven abandoned Shang long ago — this cannot succeed." In the winter, the eleventh month, Duke Xiang fought King Cheng of Chu at the Hong River. The Chu forces had not yet crossed. Muyi said: "They are many and we are few — strike them before they cross." The duke would not listen. They crossed but had not yet formed ranks. Muyi said again: "Strike now." The duke said: "Wait until they have formed up." When the formation was complete, the Song forces attacked. Song's army was routed and Duke Xiang was wounded in the thigh. The people all blamed the duke. The duke said: "A gentleman does not press men in distress, and does not drum the charge against forces not yet in formation." Ziyu said: "In war, what matters is victory. What is this talk of rules? If we must follow your principles, we might as well serve them as slaves — why fight at all?"

In Duke Jing's thirty-seventh year, King Hui of Chu destroyed Chen. Mars was guarding the Heart constellation. Heart is Song's allotted celestial region. Duke Jing was worried. The court astronomer Ziwei said: "The calamity can be transferred to the chancellor." Duke Jing said: "The chancellor is my right arm." "It can be transferred to the people." Duke Jing said: "A ruler exists for the people." "It can be transferred to the harvest." Duke Jing said: "If the harvest fails and the people suffer, whom would I be ruling?" Ziwei said: "Heaven is high but heeds the lowly. You have spoken three words worthy of a ruler — Mars should surely move." They watched, and indeed it shifted three degrees.

In Lord Yan's eleventh year, he proclaimed himself king. He defeated Qi to the east, taking five cities; defeated Chu to the south, taking 300 li of territory; and defeated Wei's army to the west, making Song a rival of Qi and Wei. He filled a leather bag with blood, hung it up, and shot arrows at it, calling this 'shooting at Heaven.' He was addicted to wine and women. Ministers who remonstrated were shot at with arrows. The feudal lords all called him 'Tyrant Song,' saying: "Song has become like Tyrant Zhou all over again — it must be punished." They called on Qi to attack Song. Lord Yan reigned forty-seven years. King Min of Qi, together with Wei and Chu, attacked Song, killed Lord Yan, and destroyed Song, dividing its territory in three.

The Grand Historian remarks: Confucius said: "Weizi left him, Jizi became his slave, Bigan remonstrated and died — Yin had three humane men." The Spring and Autumn Annals criticize Song's disorder as beginning when Duke Xuan bypassed the crown prince and installed his brother, after which the state knew no peace for ten generations. In Duke Xiang's time, he cultivated benevolence and righteousness, seeking to become the leader of covenants. His senior official Zheng Kaofu praised him, tracing back to Xie, Tang, and Gaozong — the reasons Yin had flourished — and composed the Hymns of Shang. Though Duke Xiang was defeated at Hong, some considered him worthy of praise, lamenting that the Central States had abandoned ritual propriety, and commending Duke Xiang's adherence to courtesy and deference.