Dreaming of Zhou Gong Read online

  Dedication

  For

  Harold Hopkins,

  who died 11 December 2011.

  You were a dear friend,

  a great actor,

  and a wonderful human being.

  You are sorely missed.

  Epigraph

  ‘I must be slipping.

  It has been so long since I dreamt of the Duke of Zhou.’

  — Confucius

  Contents

  Cover

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  Pronunciation Guide

  List of Characters

  Map of Zhou China

  Map of Li Shan

  Chinese Clock

  Heaven’s Mandate

  Prologue

  PART 1: THE WU

  Chapter 1 — Yi Wu Li Shan

  Chapter 2 — The Ji Family

  Chapter 3 — Tian’s Tribute

  Chapter 4 — The Year of Gengyin

  PART 2: THE ZHOU

  Chapter 5 — Haojing

  Chapter 6 — You Ling

  Chapter 7 — Seeking Yin by Means of Yin

  Chapter 8 — Dragonface and the Jade Book

  PART 3: THE SHANG

  Chapter 9 — Lu Chen

  Chapter 10 — The Road to Mengjin

  Chapter 11 — The Battle of Mu

  Chapter 12 — The Dragon Pit

  Chapter 13 — Zhou Gong

  PART 4: THE SONS OF THE SKY

  Chapter 14 — The Rite of Gao Mei

  Chapter 15 — The Twins and Spirit Tiger

  Chapter 16 — The Birth of Ji Yu

  Chapter 17 — The Death of Ji Fa

  Chapter 18 — The Regent of Ji Song

  PART 5: THE DROPA

  Chapter 19 — Sanctuary at Shao

  Chapter 20 — The Rise of Zhou Cheng Wang

  Chapter 21 — Bayan Har Shan

  Epilogue

  Glossary

  Bibliography

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Other Books by Traci Harding

  Copyright

  PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

  Tian — Tien (one syllable)

  Li — Lee

  Yi — Yee

  Ji — Jee

  Wu — Woo

  Jiang — Jee-ahng

  Huxin — Hoo-sin

  He — Huh

  Hu — Hoo

  Hudan — Hoo-d’ah’n

  Nuan — Nwhan

  Haojing — Hou-jing

  Zhou — Joe

  Wen — Wun

  Bo — Bow

  Fen — Fuhn

  Diji — Dee-Jee

  Fa — F’ah’

  Dan — D’ah’n

  Shi — Shur

  Chi — Chur

  Zhu — Joo

  Xian — Shee-en

  Du — Doo

  Chu — Choo

  Hui — Hwee

  Ru — Roo

  LIST OF CHARACTERS

  Li Shan

  The Great Mother — Yi Wu

  Wu Master — Shanyu Jiang Hudan

  Shape-shifter — Shanyu Jiang Huxin

  Healer — Wu Fen Gong

  Wu Initiate — He Nuan

  Cook — Ling

  Haojing

  Xibo Chang — Ji Chang (Zhou Wen Wang — deceased)

  1st son of Xibo Chang — Bo Yi Kao (deceased)

  2nd son of Xibo Chang — Ji Fa (Zhou Wu Wang)

  4th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Dan (Zhou Gong)

  9th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Shi (Shao Gong Shi)

  Prime Minister of Zhou — Jiang Taigong

  Wife of Ji Fa — Yi Jiang

  Son of Ji Fa — Ji Song (Zhou Cheng Wang)

  6th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Zhenduo (Cao Shu Zhenduo)

  7th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Wu (Cheng Shu Wu)

  Storeman of Ji family treasure house — Heng

  Were-tiger twins — Zhen and Kao

  Spirit Tiger — Ling Hu

  Fenging

  3rd son of Xibo Chang — Ji Xian (Guan Shu Xian)

  5th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Du (Cai Shu Du)

  8th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Chu (Hui Shu Chu)

  10th son of Xibo Chang — Ji Zai

  The Shang

  Emperor — Zi Shou (Di Xin)

  Emperor’s wife, Wu and General — Su Daji

  Emperor’s son — Wu Geng

  Emperor’s uncles and Ministers — Bi Gan and Jizi

  Minister Jizi’s granddaughter — Hui Ru

  Emperor’s brother and Minister — Weizi

  Affiliate with the Jade Book — Dragonface

  Sons of the Sky

  Ex-Governor of Kila — Rhun (Hreen)

  Lord of the Otherworld/Elementals — Avery (Ang-wei)

  The Akashic Memory — Telmo (Taliesin)

  MAP OF ZHOU CHINA

  MAP OF LI SHAN

  CHINESE CLOCK

  HEAVEN’S MANDATE

  In the past, the Shang king Zhongzong solemnly attended to heaven’s mandate with the utmost care, fashioning ordinances to rule the people, always fearfully alert lest he should dare to become self-indulgent. For this reason, Zhongzong enjoyed his throne for seventy-five years.

  When the throne passed to Gaozong, who had toiled long away from the capital, joining together with the common people, he observed the three-year mourning period in perfect silence, living in a hut by his father’s grave. And when he did, at last, speak, his words were joyful, yet he did not dare become self-indulgent. He brought peace to the state of Shang, and none, whether great or small, had any complaint. For this reason, Gaozong enjoyed his throne for fifty-five years.

  When it came to Zujia, he was at first unrighteous as king and was forced to dwell for long away from his throne, and so came to know the lot of the common people. He learned to succour the common people and never to disgrace those who were alone, without husbands or wives. For this reason, Zujia enjoyed his throne for thirty-three years.

  Otherwise, from the reign of the Shang founder Tang to that of Diyi, none performed the proper sacrifices to make their virtue bright; none were a suitable match for heaven.

  Now Diyi’s son, Zi Shou, is greatly dissolute and lax; he attends neither to heaven, nor to the needs of the people. His people are all under a sentence of death.

  In the meantime, King Wen of Zhou did not take the time even to eat a meal while the sun was in the sky, and so he enjoyed the throne of the Zhou people for fifty years.

  — Zhou Gong Dan (Duke of Zhou)

  The Book of Documents

  PROLOGUE

  There was a time, not so long past, that the Shang government had tenfold the population and wealth of the Zhou territories. It was my great father, Xibo Chang, renowned for his wisdom, fairness and tireless dedication to his people, who inspired so many citizens and provinces, once allied to the Shang, to quietly defect to the Western Lands under his rulership. By the advent of my father’s untimely death, the land was divided into three parts, two of which were Zhou.

  At the end of the three-year mourning period for Xibo Chang, my eldest brother, Ji Fa, rallied Zhou’s troops with the intention of finishing what our great father started — the total defeat of the Shang. But the signs were not good for success. There were landslides at the mountain of Yao, and Ji Fa, Zhou’s new Xibo, was urged by his advisors to be patient and await more favourable conditions to strike.

  Three years have passed and Ji Fa is still uncertain whether the time to strike the Shang Empire is nigh.

  Our prime minister, Jiang Taigong, is in agreement with him and whilst in private conference in the Xibo’s council chambers at our ancestral home at Haojing, he advocated this path to Ji Fa and myself: ‘While I was fishing, on the fate
ful day when I first met your great father, I realised one truth — if you want to succeed, you need to be patient. We must wait for the appropriate opportunity to eliminate the emperor, Zi Shou, and his Wu concubine and general, Su Daji.’

  ‘I agree,’ Ji Fa stated, although his tone implied he was only half in accord. ‘However, those who flocked to support me, and mourned in patience for three years and refrained from action for another three, will not be content to delay further without good reason.’

  I had to sympathise with my eldest living brother’s reluctance to delay, as there was much bad blood between the Ji family and the Shang ruler, Zi Shou. Yet, in this instance, I felt we could not allow our personal feelings to influence such an important political decision. We had to trust that, by the grace of Tian, Ruler of Heaven, a chance to avenge the deaths of our great father and beloved eldest brother would come in time. ‘I believe I may have a solution.’ I spoke up, for there was an observation I had made some time ago that weighed heavily on my mind.

  Ji Fa looked my way. ‘Your counsel is always welcome, Dan. Heaven knows you are the smartest of us all.’ In saying ‘us all’, the Xibo referred to our nine brothers — eight since the death of our eldest brother, Bo Yi Kao.

  I found my brother’s flattering view abstruse, as it was Kao’s goodness and intellect that I had always aspired to emulate, for in reality he was the most sagacious and beloved son of Xibo Chang. ‘I believe, dear brother, that your hesitation to attack stems from the fact that the heavenly order to conquer the Shang has not been given.’

  The troubled expression on the Xibo’s face transformed into one of complete clarity. ‘The mandate of Tian.’

  Tian was the name the Zhou people used to refer to the Ruler of Heaven, who was neither male nor female.

  ‘Exactly! The order to attack can only be given by heaven,’ I concurred. ‘The people will understand and respect this.’

  ‘Are you suggesting that we consult the Wu?’ The prime minister was concerned, as the Wu were an ancient holy order of female shamans who were in the service of heaven, and they were known to have extraordinary powers. ‘The emperor’s wife, Daji, is Wu. The people fear her supernatural power and despise her inhumanity.’

  I served our dear advisor a look that implied that he was preaching to the converted. ‘Daji murdered our eldest brother because she was sick with lust for him. No one hates that shapeshifting witch more than I. But the fact remains, mere warriors are never going to be enough to destroy her.’

  ‘We need a Wu to kill a Wu.’ Ji Fa nodded as he began to see the wisdom behind my reasoning.

  ‘No man can give you permission to destroy the Shang.’ I pointed out another benefit. ‘Only the Wu in the service of the supreme god, Tian, can communicate the will of heaven to the people. And only the Great Mother of the Wu can bestow upon a family Tian’s heavenly mandate.’

  ‘Yi Wu Li Shan.’ Ji Fa uttered the Great Mother’s name with reverence. ‘My great-grandfather told me tales when I was a young boy about the oracle woman and her House of Wu on Li Shan. Could she possibly still be living?’

  ‘She is said to be immortal, highness.’ Jiang Taigong stated his understanding of the matter. ‘There has never been a report of her death, only of her miracles.’

  ‘A prophecy of the downfall of Shang is said to have sprung from the Wu of Li Shan,’ I added further weight to my argument. ‘And the prophecy states that Zi Shou will go up in flames, and along with him the Shang Dynasty will end. So who, in heaven’s eyes, should take his place, I wonder?’

  My brother was inspired. ‘You think the Great Mother may have foreseen that also?’

  ‘It is entirely possible,’ I answered. ‘And, of course, the legendary Shanyu Jiang Hudan is said to reside at Li Shan, along with her tigress sister, Shanyu Jiang Huxin.’

  The mere mention of their names put the look of horror back on my brother’s face, for all Wu had supernatural power, but none, bar the evil Su Daji, were so famed as these women. ‘Why would they help us? Our family has neglected to pay homage to the Great Mother ever since the emperor was bewitched by his wife, Su Daji, and turned into a compassionless tyrant.’

  I agreed that the notion of seeking the aid of the Wu was daunting — there were many unknowns and variables to my strategy — yet my gut instinct told me this was the way forward. In reality, we had no other feasible option, as far as I could surmise.

  ‘We nobles fear being bewitched in such a manner by the Wu,’ I stated. ‘But love for the women of the heavenly orders has not been lost among the common people, who still readily seek their advice, healing and spiritual counsel. I have been looking into the history of the Wu, as they have always advised and anointed the emperors in the past. However, never — before Su Daji — has a Wu left the service of heaven to pursue an earthly life of such debauchery and self-pleasure.’

  ‘So, you’re saying that Daji would be considered a disgrace to her heavenly sisters?’ Jiang Taigong was most interested to learn this fact.

  ‘Actually the Wu refer to each other as brothers, to reinforce that they are equal in status to men. Their Great Mother they call Shifu for the same reason, for no man on earth has dominion over her, or any of the students of her house, not even the emperor. The Wu answer only to Tian.’

  ‘That could be dangerous.’ The prime minister voiced the concern that was clear in his expression.

  ‘The Wu are not interested in earthly affairs or pleasures, only in heavenly service. But the fact that one of the Wu is preventing us from achieving peace could certainly help us to gain their favour,’ I concluded happily, for I was deeply curious about the Wu. They were said to have abundant knowledge about the inner and outer workings of heaven and earth and, as a scholar, I could not help but wonder what they could teach me. ‘The Zhou must return to honouring Tian and his mistresses if the Ji family is to win heaven’s mandate.’

  Ji Fa smiled. ‘This path sits well with me.’ He looked to his prime minister for his approval.

  ‘There is certainly no harm in making initial contact with the Wu and testing the waters for an alliance between heaven and earth,’ Jiang Taigong granted. ‘That would certainly appease the people, who miss the great festivals once presided over by the Wu, before Su Daji forbade all Wu within Shang states to practise.’

  Fortunately, the temple of the Great Mother on Li Shan was deep in Zhou territory, almost inaccessible, and so the House of the Great Mother had been left in virtual peace to thrive.

  The Xibo nodded, most pleased. ‘We shall keep this quiet for the moment.’ He looked at me. ‘Dan, I charge you to go to Li Shan and seek the blessing of the Great Mother on my behalf.’

  Of course, the notion pleased me greatly; it was a rare opportunity to satisfy some of my curiosity regarding the Wu. Yet I shook my head — not to disobey, but in warning. ‘I am fairly certain that gaining heaven’s mandate will be no simple matter, brother. There will be tribute to pay for our neglect of the holy House of Tian, trials to accomplish and sacred rites to observe in order to appease heaven and —’

  ‘Then find out exactly what is required,’ the Xibo interjected. ‘For even if I was to depose Zi Shou, he has a son to whom heaven’s mandate may be passed. Do I kill the son, Wu Geng, for fear of the same madness erupting if he lives to rule? Some divine insight is exactly what I require. If I am granted heaven’s mandate, only then can I be sure that the demise of the Shang state is the will of Tian and in best interests of the people.’

  This conclusion was personally satisfying, for I too needed some divine reassurance that the blood feud we were about to embark upon was indeed divinely meant. Hence I rose and bowed to my eldest brother and the prime minister to take my leave of them. ‘I shall depart for Li Shan at once.’

  Never had I been assigned a quest that so inspired me, and with this sense of purpose I hastened my exit from the Xibo’s council chambers. My interest in the mysterious ways of the Wu had been ever growing since the untimely deaths of
my father and my eldest brother at the hands of Su Daji. There had to be a way to combat her supernatural advantage — the laws of divine polarity dictated that it be so. As I proceeded down the stairs and into the grandly cobbled central courtyard at Haojing, I was determined to discover that counterforce, and prevent Su Daji from unleashing her evil power ever again on any member of my family, or the good people of Zhou.

  PART 1

  THE WU

  1

  YI WU LI SHAN

  The sky above was dark and flashed electric with the promise of a storm that might break the long drought. Thunder growled in the distance. Through the steam clouds rising off the thermal waters, the torches of summons burned brightly in the night on the jetty ahead — this was the only means to request an audience with the Wu of Li Shan and she had been sent in response to the summons.

  A team of hooded ferrywomen at her back were moving the ferryboat across the surface of the shallow thermal lake, using the power of their chi; no oars or ropes were required. This vessel was the only official means for supplicants to gain access to the temple of the Great Mother, for everyone knew that any man who attempted to reach the house of the Holy Orders uninvited never returned. The occupants of the ferry had their faces shrouded by the hoods of their long dark robes, but, as the representative of the Great Mother, she herself was dressed in white and stood on the bow of the ferry to address the seeker of their counsel. As their vessel neared the jetty, the noise in the rumbling sky was matched by the din before them. The rattle of battle armour, warrior chatter and horses served to tell her that a small army lay in wait. She motioned for the ferry to halt on the water at a good distance from the pier.

  ‘Speak,’ she requested and the commotion quickly hushed to silence. ‘The Wu of Li Shan are listening.’

  ‘I am Ji Dan, come to seek the guidance of the Great Mother on behalf of my brother, Ji Fa, Leader of the West.’

  Both names were legendary. The sons of Xibo Chang were increasingly idolised by the common people of Zhou — the mightiest warlords in the land had come to the temple, just as the Great Mother had predicted.