Chapter 2 A Legitimate Case of Abandoned Infant

  Reporter: Jiang Huanghou

  Perpetrator: Unnamed old palace maid

  Judge: King Zhou Xuan of Zhou

  Record as follows:

  The perpetrator is over 50 years old, a palace maid from the previous dynasty, namely the court of King Li of Zhou. According to the judge's inquiry, this woman gave birth to a daughter after being pregnant for over 40 years. According to her confession, she became pregnant due to a crimson box secretly stored in the palace. This box has a significant origin and belongs to a national first-class cultural relic.

  It is said that in the late years of King Zhou of Shang, two dragons suddenly fell from the sky into the palace, and they were spitting saliva all over the place. Everyone says that dragons are divine creatures from heaven, but no one has ever seen them before, let alone had any experience raising them. Moreover, their large bodies lying in the palace grounds were quite frightening. One day, these two dragons suddenly spoke human language, claiming to be the Two Lords of Bao City. It seems they belonged to a system of divine beings. This shocked King Zhou so much that he wanted to kill the two dragons. The historian was worried, thinking that this would be randomly killing protected animals. What if the dragons had some secret weapons? Wouldn't that bring trouble upon themselves? As the saying goes, "A tiger doesn't eat humans, but poking a tiger's nose with a grass stick is still foolish." How much more so for dragons?

  Tai Shi then divined a hexagram and the result was "Killing the Dragon is inauspicious".

  Yeah, others just casually spit and swear, who did they provoke, yet they still want to take lives.

  Xia Wang thought that by just looking at them, he could drive these two gods away. What's the point of keeping them here? In the middle of the night, they can't even be seen and will trip over each other.

  Tai Shi divination, the result is still inauspicious.

  This is unbearable, can't kill and can't drive away, it's too bullying.

  Tai Shi then came up with an idea, saying that this was a good omen! Why didn't the king ask him to collect his saliva? This is the dragon's vital energy, it will definitely bring good fortune to the king.

  This time it's very auspicious.

  Then Taiyi Shenglong prayed in front of him and took a golden plate to collect his saliva.

  It's strange to say, but suddenly a strong wind and rain came, and the two dragons flew away, disappearing without a trace.

  Xia Wang thought this was a good opportunity and ordered his subordinates to carefully store the divine dragon harp that had just been collected. Put it in the inner warehouse!

  This is the origin of the vermilion casket.

  It has been 644 years since the Yin and Shang dynasties, and 300 years for our dynasty. No one has ever opened it before.

  One day in late autumn, this box suddenly emitted light.

  The official in charge of the storehouse reported to King Li of Zhou, who asked what was inside the box. After a thorough investigation, he ordered it opened and examined. King Li reached out to take the tray, but accidentally dropped it, and it seemed that this good thing had been done by him. The hand that received the tray was not good enough, and the hidden saliva flowed all over the ground, suddenly turning into a small turtle, and the crowd was in a state of panic, unable to catch up.

  At that time, this palace maid was only twelve years old. She accidentally stepped on the small turtle's seal and became pregnant from then on.

  This is indeed mysterious and obscure.

  King Zhou of Shang was suspicious of this young palace maid's pre-marital pregnancy and imprisoned her in a secluded room. It has been forty years now. Only yesterday did she give birth to a baby girl.

  Empress Jiang said, "Isn't this a freak? Order her to abandon the female infant."

  The verdict: King Xuan of Zhou considered it a past affair of the previous dynasty and had nothing to do with the old palace maid, so he did not hold her guilty. He ordered the guards to go to the Qing Shui River to check, and the guards reported that she had already been washed away by the floodwaters.

  Was it washed away by water and disappeared?

  The next day, King Xuan of Zhou ordered Tai Shi Bo Yangfu to use advanced methods to divine the matter. The oracle bone inscription said: Crying and laughing, laughing and crying. Sheep are swallowed by ghosts, horses meet dogs in pursuit. Be careful, be careful, the bow is about to shoot!

  Although King Xuan of Zhou didn't understand what it meant, as soon as he saw the winnowing fan and the big head, he knew that this matched the nursery rhyme from before. This definitely wasn't a good omen.

  As expected, after Bo Yang's detailed interpretation, this word is indeed very dangerous. Sheep and horses should be in the year of Wu Wei according to the twelve branches. Crying and laughing are symbols of sadness and joy. It seems that although the evil spirit has escaped from the palace, it is not clear yet.

  King Xuan of Zhou was displeased as soon as he heard it.

  Isn't this adding fuel to the fire? How did it get involved with that messy affair? Is there an end to it?

  The four words "Tight Arhat Chant" have become a true mantra, clearly the gift of Guanyin to Sun Wukong's golden hoop, looks beautiful but is actually a hardware device for the Tightening Spell.

  Headache, really headache.

  King Xuan of Zhou at this moment also did not have the spirit to fight against the Rong and Di, these confusing prophecies were already enough to disturb his mind. In fact, it was still because he didn't have enough confidence in his own abilities, strength, and combat power. So a children's rhyme, a strange event that was difficult to distinguish between true and false, had caused him great anxiety.

  Can one just sit and wait for death?

  Zhou Xuan Wang gritted his teeth and made up his mind, launching a series of moves in succession.

  First, both inside and outside the city, a dragnet search was launched. The target of the search was naturally that strange female infant. For now, don't worry about what kind of deity she is, just find her and capture her first. Let's see how powerful this demon girl really is! Commander Du Bo ordered his men to specifically take charge of this matter.

  Secondly, the commander ordered the left scholar to supervise the market officials and search the markets. They were not allowed to manufacture or sell wooden bows and arrow bags made of grass. Those who violated this order would be put to death. You're not frequently appearing with your bow and arrow, are you? Now I'll cut off the source of production for you, and no one will produce them. What can you do about it now? The common people in the city were furious, and it seemed that the rumor was true. Can't we just mobilize the troops like this? At that time, people's hearts were in a state of panic.

  Man proposes, God disposes.

  The villagers, as the broad masses at the grassroots level, had not yet received the news that the production and sale of mountain mulberry bows and arrow bags were prohibited. On this day, a villager happened to bring his wife and some bows and arrows, as well as an arrow bag he made himself, to sell in the city. Before they even entered the city gate, the market official was sharp-eyed and shouted for them to be caught, immediately seizing the woman. The man didn't know why they were being arrested, saw these people looking fierce and evil, and hastily fled in panic!

  The woman was taken to Zuo Ru without asking whether she was innocent or guilty. At this time, Zuo Ru made a subjective mistake and only thought that the woman and the goods matched the rumor, without considering that there was also a man involved. He directly reported to King Zhou Xuan, saying that the woman was selling contraband and should be put to death. The mulberry bow and arrow bag were like poison at this moment, and anyone who touched them would die. King Zhou Xuan was now at ease and ordered the woman to be executed and the mulberry bow and arrow bag to be burned.

  Alas, sacrificing people's lives can't save the Zhou Dynasty from its impending doom.

  As for the escaped man, while escaping with his life, he secretly returned to the city to gather information. He thought that since he hadn't done anything illegal or disorderly, why were they randomly arresting people? But then he found out that his wife had already been executed. With a panicked and disordered heart, he didn't know where to go anymore, but somehow ended up at the Qing Shui River bank.

  By the river, he saw hundreds of birds flying, and upon closer inspection, a bundle of reeds was floating on the water's surface. These birds were working together to drag this bundle towards the shore with their beaks. The man pulled out the bundle and heard a faint cry, only to find it was a baby girl. Since this child had been rescued by hundreds of birds, she must not be an ordinary person. So the man wrapped up the child and went to seek refuge with his fellow villagers.

  This matter made King Xuan of Zhou feel anxious, but as the farce unfolded, it seemed to have passed. The heart of King Xuan of Zhou was slightly relieved. However, these prophecies were like seeds buried in the soil, and no one knew when they would emerge.

  It was not until four years later, in the 43rd year of King Xuan of Zhou.