"Now the King of Yin, Zhou, only serves the words of women, abandons his ancestors and refuses to answer, and abandons his country... in order to tyrannize the people..." Quoted from "Historical Records" by Ma Qian of Taishi Company This passage of King Wu of Zhou was originally a declaration of war between two hostile dynasties. It is difficult to say how much content it contained. But because King Wu is a saint respected by Confucianism, his words are naturally regarded as a guideline, which has caused the Chinese people for thousands of years to unknowingly fall into a misunderstanding, thinking that King Zhou of Shang was a complete and utter fool. Tyrant——
"Cihai": "Zhou, Yi Zuo Shou, is also called Emperor Xin. The last king of the Shang Dynasty, his birth year cannot be determined, and his death year is determined by later generations according to "Huainanzi·Jingluexun" "The record of "King Wu attacked Zhou, facing the east to welcome the new year, and the comet came out, and the people of Yin gave it its handle", combined with the appearance and return cycle of Halley's Comet, was confirmed to be the year of Emperor Xin in 1057 BC. "Reigned for thirty-three years"
Is Emperor Xin, who has been king for thirty-three years, really both comatose and violent?
"Pili" written by Bo Yang. "Yang Qiu"
Sima Qian said in "Historical Records of Yin": "(King Zhou) was fond of drinking and having sex, and he loved women. He only followed Daji's words, so he sent Shi Juan. Make new lascivious sounds, dance in the north, and enjoy extravagant music. Use the money from Lutai to make money, and harvest the grain from Juqiao. We will enrich the palace with wild animals and birds. Among them, those who were slower than ghosts and gods gathered together to play in the sand dunes, using wine as a pond and hanging meat as a forest, where men and women chased each other naked for a long night. The people complained and the princes were there, so Zhou punished them severely. There is a method of cannon burning. Take Xibochang, Jiuhou and Ehou as the three princes. If the Jiuhou has a good daughter, he will kill her. The disease was reported to the Marquis of E of the West. When Xibo Chang heard about it, he sighed and Chonghou Hu learned about it, so he sued him and imprisoned him in Youli."
The crimes of King Zhou in this record are roughly the same. It is said that he is promiscuous with women, enjoys lewd sounds, disrespects ghosts and gods, is idle in state affairs, indulges in drinking, and kills loyal ministers.
These things are indeed hateful, but they are not the "patent" of King Zhou. There is even a question whether he did it. You might as well quote another historical material about Jie, the last king of the Xia Dynasty: "Jie Li In the thirty-third year after he ascended the throne, he sent troops to conquer the Shi family. Shi family begged for mercy and gave him a beautiful woman named Mei Xi as tribute. He doted on Mei Xi very much and specially built a magnificent Qiong for her. The rooms, elephant corridors, Yaotai and jade beds were used for their shameless enjoyment. Jie favored sycophant ministers and excluded Zhongliang. He slaughtered the people and gained Jie's favor. In his later years, Jie became even more licentious and ordered a large pool to be built, called the Night Palace. He led a large group of men and women in the pool and did not go to court for a month. When he came to remonstrate, Jie was very impatient and scolded Zhonggu for meddling in other people's affairs. Knowing that Xia Jie was hopeless, he defected to Shangtang. Minister Guan Longpang came to remonstrate again and said: "The Lord is humble and loyal, frugal and caring." Only with talented people can the world be stable and the dynasty be consolidated. Now the king is extravagant and murderous, making the people hope that you will die soon. Only by correcting your mistakes quickly can you restore people's hearts. Put to death." - Excerpted from Bo Yang's "Compendium of Chinese History"
Jie's crimes were also fond of women, indulged in sexual pleasure, indulged in state affairs, indulged in drinking, and killed loyal people.
Taiwanese historian Mr. Bai Yang said about King Zhou of Shang in his great historical work "Outline of Chinese History": "As the son suffered hardship (i.e. King Zhou of Shang - author's note) After his death, the Shang Dynasty fell and the country was founded in 662. Zi Shouxin was called the "Emperor Zhou", that is, the monarch who killed the loyal and good. His crimes seemed to be cast out of the same mold as those of Si Lugui, the king of the Xia Dynasty. Of course, it may be true. However, Si Lugui invented the torture method and it has been registered. The propagandist was probably in a hurry and forgot about the past six hundred years ago and taught his son to invent it again. "< /p>