Chapter 427: The Nine Zhou Ding that Subdued King Zhou of Shang! Unprecedented Discovery! (1)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Little Luo, Old Li, we’ve made a groundbreaking discovery!” The words of a seasoned archaeologist rang out with urgency.
In response, the crowd turned to him with curiosity, “What have we unearthed?”
The elderly archaeologist held up a tortoise shell, “This bronze ding, larger than the Four Sheep Zun we previously unearthed, has been discovered. Inside the cauldron, there are skeletal remains. Among them, we found this tortoise shell.”
“We’ve unearthed a bronze ding?” “Why wasn’t the discovery of the bronze ding reported earlier?”
“We must investigate this at once!”
On hearing the murmurs, a group hurried over to gather around the discovery. The archaeologist who had found the tortoise shell clicked a photo and posted it to the group chat, with the caption, “This is the tortoise shell discovered in the bronze ding, take a look!” “Does this symbol represent ‘Jit?” “Indeed, it does!”
“We can drop the ‘perhaps’.”
“There are a few characters I can’t decipher!”
“The unfamiliar characters are sparse. By piecing together what we do understand, we can still comprehend the overall message.”
Master Li observed the oracle bone script and conjectured, “It seems that a man named Ji performed a heavenly ritual.”
“Yes, Master Li, that interpretation aligns with our understanding.”
“Could this Ji be a sage?”
Master Li asked further, “In the Shang dynasty, who bore the surname Ji? The
Duke of Zhou comes to mind.”
Suddenly, Master Li’s eyes sparkled as he declared, “Little Luo, the skeletal remains within could potentially belong to Bo Yikao! ”
“Old Li, academic rigor is vital. We mustnrt make hasty conclusions!”
Master Li chuckled, “What I actually wanted to mention is that Little Luo had already deciphered the oracle bone script and inferred the meaning. Can you believe it?”
“Are you serious? Did that truly happen?”
“Absolutely! I didn’t expect Little Luo to have such deep insight into the oracle bone script,” Master Li confessed.
“I was merely speculating and translating on a whim, I never thought I would be accurate!” Luo Feng replied humbly.
“Little Luo, let’s delve into the Zhou dynasty oracle bone script!” Master Li proposed, ignoring the surprised reactions.
“Alright, let’s get started.”
With that, Luo Feng initiated the study of the oracle bone script alongside Master Li.
“The broad content of these oracle bone scripts indicate that King Xin of Shang was a tyrant. The Zhou were planning a rebellion, and the divination results were decidedly ominous.”
After going through numerous oracle bone scripts, most conveyed the same theme – the Zhou’s dethronement of King Xin.
However, they encountered a particular tortoise shell that broke this pattern.
Luo Feng interpreted, “This script talks about King Wu of Zhou’s campaign against King Xin. The divination results were consistently inauspicious. A man named Shi Shangfu crushed the divination shell, declaring war irrespective of the prophecy. ”
Taken aback, Master Li questioned, “Such events were inscribed on a tortoise shell?”
Luo Feng responded, “Master Li, you’re aware of the specific stages of divination, aren’t you? What do you notice is absent here?”
Suddenly, it dawned on Teacher Li, “Of course, something crucial is missing!”
During the Shang and Zhou dynasties, divination was an intricate process.
The outcome was always chronicled in oracle bone script.
The first step was an introduction, outlining the date and involved parties. The second step involved posing the divination question.
The third step was recording the divination’s response.
The fourth and final step was the validation, documenting how the situation evolved.
Divination in the Shang and Zhou eras did not conclude with the immediate findings, but awaited the culmination of the event under scrutiny before declaring the divination complete.
Recalling a previous oracle bone script, Luo Feng remembered the ominous prediction – “if the prophecy comes true, Shang will fall”. If the divination proved accurate, the fall of the Shang dynasty was inevitable.
Thus, during war, two rituals were typically conducted, one before and one after the battle.
“Could this be King Wu of Zhou’s ritual?” Master Li speculated.
“Yes, according to the divination records, it appears to be King Wu of Zhou’s ritual! ” Luo Feng confirmed, “And that Shi Shangfu is likely to be Jiang Ziya.”
“Why has Jiang Ziya come up in our discussion?”
“Could Shangfu truly be Jiang Ziya?”
Master Li, with years of experience studying oracle bone script and a sound understanding of the Shang and Zhou dynasties’ history, anticipated the confusion surrounding the name Shi Shangfu. However, he deduced, “Could this battle be the infamous Battle of Muye?”
Luo Feng nodded, “Based on the divination, it’s plausible that it’s that very battle.”
“Let’s press on with our investigation.”
“Absolutely!” Luo Feng agreed, continuing his translation.
“This tortoise shell indicates that King Xin committed heinous sins. Heaven pronounced his sentence and 700 people were sacrificed alive, with 500 animals offered for the ritual.”
“This fragment depicts the veneration of the mountains and rivers, with Taigong Wang overseeing as the high priest.”
The pair diligently scoured numerous pieces, each revealing a piece of the puzzle.
Primarily, the content shed light on two pivotal events.
The first was King Wu of Zhou’s crusade against King Zhou.
The second, chronicled the transition of power from the Shang to the Zhou dynasty. It appeared the Zhou dynasty often returned to perform rituals here, more frequently than during the Yin Shang era.
It became evident that the Zhou employed a more comprehensive and complex ritualistic process, even designating a special team to facilitate the rituals..
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