sovbooks Chapter 6 Clan Law and Ritual Music
Chapter 6 Clan Law and Ritual Music
On the third day, Zhang Zhao and Ji Dan stood on the city gate, watching Zhang Ke lead the Zhang clan and Si clan members away from Haojing. King Wu dispatched a thousand armored soldiers to accompany them and protect them on their journey to Liang.
Ji Dan did not go to Qufu to be enfeoffed because he had to stay in Haojing to assist King Wu.
Ji Dan turned his gaze eastward and said, "Duke Zhao, do you think Marquis Guan, Marquis Cai, and Marquis Huo can keep an eye on Duke Wu Geng of Bei?"
After a moment's thought, Zhang Zhao pondered and said, "The three marquises are all the king's own brothers, royal princes, and utterly loyal. Although Wu Geng is a prince of the former dynasty, his power has waned, and he can't cause any trouble..."
He couldn't very well say that King Wu attacked King Zhou, died three years later, and left a will that Ji Dan would act as regent, and that Guan Shu and Cai Shu suspected that the Duke of Zhou's actions were not conducive to King Cheng, so they supported Wu Geng in a rebellion.
Currently, the Zhou state has 96 vassal states, 67 of which are of the Ji clan. Within a few years, the power of the Ji clan vassal states will expand to an unprecedented level.
The current state of the Zhou Dynasty can be said to be the period when the patriarchal clan system was at its most rigid. The Zhou emperor held this sharp sword to deter the remnants of the Yin Shang Dynasty and the barbarians.
Feudal relatives served as a protective barrier for the Zhou dynasty.
King Wu's idea was good, but the later Zhou emperors overplayed their hand and broke the sword themselves, turning it into a mere mascot.
Ji Dan remained silent for a while, then said, "Lu and Qi are both located on the coast of the East Sea. Both Grand Tutor and I are unable to go to our fiefdoms due to affairs of state. I am truly worried about the State of Bei."
Zhang Zhao smiled but remained silent.
……
Two years have passed in the blink of an eye. It's night.
Zhang Zhao and Ji Dan discussed the establishment of rites and music in the courtyard.
The locust tree in the courtyard has sprouted new leaves, tender and green, rustling in the night breeze.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves, scattering a patch of silver on the ground. Two bowls of tea sat on the table, already cold, and no one had the appetite to drink them.
Ji Dan sat opposite Zhang Zhao, holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, turning it over and over by the firelight. There were several other scrolls of bamboo slips on the table; these were the rituals and music of the Zhou Dynasty that he and Zhang Zhao had agreed upon that evening.
Zhang Zhao said, "Great music is in harmony with heaven and earth, and great rites are in accordance with the seasons of heaven and earth."
Five rites were established:
The auspicious rites were rituals for worshipping heaven and earth, ancestors, and mountain and river spirits. They emphasized "reverence for heaven and respect for ancestors" and abolished the human sacrifices used by the Shang dynasty when worshipping heaven and earth, replacing them with three kinds of sacrificial animals and six kinds of livestock.
Funeral rites are ceremonies related to death, such as funerals and mourning. Living people cannot be buried alive with the dead, and laws were enacted to "stop the practice of burying the dead alive."
Military etiquette was established for military activities such as going to war, returning in triumph, and hunting, and laws were formulated for "drinking in accordance with etiquette".
The etiquette of the guest was the ceremony for feudal lords to pay homage to the emperor and for exchanges between states, emphasizing the concept of "respect for the king".
Auspicious ceremonies refer to celebratory rituals in people's daily lives, such as weddings, coming-of-age ceremonies, and banquets.
Upon hearing this, Ji Dan couldn't help but praise it.
Zhang Zhao further stated: "There are three fundamental principles of rites—Heaven and Earth, ancestors, and rulers and teachers. Heaven and Earth are the foundation of all things, ancestors are the foundation of clans, and rulers and teachers are the foundation of governing people. Heaven and Earth nurture all things, and rulers and teachers educate all things. The rites of Zhou should emphasize these three fundamental principles."
Ji Dan asked, "Then how should we repeat the three books?"
Zhang Zhao continued, "Sacrificing to Heaven and Earth is to teach the people to revere nature; sacrificing to ancestors is to teach the people not to forget their roots; honoring the ruler and teachers is to teach the people to obey order. None of the three can be lacking, but among the three, the most important should be 'virtue'. Those with virtue hold their positions, and those without virtue lose their positions. This is the fundamental reason why Zhou replaced Shang."
"Please continue, Lord Zhao." The more Ji Dan listened, the more he felt that Zhang Zhao's thoughts coincided with his own.
"If we want to truly realize the three principles, then we should let everyone know the importance of human relations, and human relations should start from the family."
"Affection between father and son, righteousness between ruler and subject, distinction between husband and wife, order between elder and junior, and trust between friends—these five are the foundation of human relationships!"
Of course, Zhang Zhao's statement about the distinction between husband and wife and the order of seniority does not refer to a difference in status, but rather to the deep love between husband and wife while maintaining a clear distinction between internal and external affairs, with each fulfilling their respective duties, and a hierarchical order between the old and the young.
"Well said." Ji Dan's eyes shone. "How could I not have thought of that! There is affection between father and son, loyalty between ruler and subject, distinction between husband and wife, order between elder and junior, and trust between friends..."
Zhang Zhao continued, "Among the Five Relationships, 'virtue' is the core that runs through them all. What is virtue? To parents, filial piety is virtue; to the ruler, loyalty is virtue; to friends, trustworthiness is virtue; to the people, benevolence is virtue. Those with virtue hold their positions, and those without virtue lose theirs. King Zhou of Shang lost virtue, and therefore lost the empire; King Wen accumulated virtue, and therefore received the mandate of heaven. This is the manifestation of the Way of Heaven, and also the inevitability of human affairs."
Ji Dan said thoughtfully, "Therefore, rites and music are for people to understand, uphold, and pass on virtue."
"Exactly." Zhang Zhao picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the now-cold tea, and frowned slightly at the bitterness. "Etiquette is used to regulate people's behavior, letting them know what they should and should not do; music is used to cultivate people's character, making them yearn for good and abhor evil from the depths of their hearts. Only by using both together, cultivating both inner and outer virtues, can the teachings of morality truly penetrate people's hearts."
"The meaning of rites is to teach people to resolve suspicions, distinguish similarities and differences, and clarify right and wrong."
"As for joy, it is for harmony between people and with heaven and earth."
"Good music can foster affection between fathers and sons, and respect between rulers and subjects. When people feel resentment, listening to good music can dispel that resentment; when people feel bitterness, listening to good music can diminish that bitterness. This is because music can directly reach the heart!"
Zhang Zhao then mentioned the five tones and eight sounds: the five tones refer to the musical scale, namely Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zhi, and Yu. The eight sounds refer to the classification of musical instruments, namely Xun, Sheng, Gu, Guan, Xian, Pan, Zhong, Zhu, etc.
In music, the central palace represents the ruler, the shang represents the minister, the jiao represents the people, the zhi represents affairs, and the yu represents things. As long as these five elements are not disordered, there will be no disharmonious tones.
Zhang Zhao said, "When the five tones are not disordered, the music is harmonious; when the music is harmonious, people's hearts are at peace; when people's hearts are at peace, the world is at peace."
He further stipulated in the rites that: the emperor's fields were a thousand li square, dukes and marquises' fields were a hundred li square, earls' fields were seventy li square, and viscounts and barons' fields were fifty li square.
During the grand sacrificial rites of Dachang and Dadi, the music of "Qingmiao" was sung in the temple hall, the music of "Xiang" was played below the temple hall, and the "Dawu" dance was performed with red shields and jade axes in hand. The "Daxia" dance was performed by eight rows of dance teams. These were the music and dances used by the emperor.
The emperor's music and dance used eight rows and eight columns, the feudal lords used six rows and six columns, the high officials used four rows and four columns, and the lower officials used two rows and two columns.
The emperor used nine tripods and eight gui vessels, feudal lords used seven tripods and six gui vessels, high officials used five tripods and four gui vessels, upper-class officials used three tripods and two gui vessels, and lower-class officials used one tripod.
Zhang Zhao continued, "The Son of Heaven eats three sacrificial animals and six domestic animals. The three sacrificial animals are cattle, sheep, and pigs. The six domestic animals are horses, cattle, sheep, chickens, dogs, and pigs. Feudal lords eat three sacrificial animals but are not allowed to offer the six domestic animals. High officials eat two sacrificial animals, and lower officials eat one sacrificial animal."
Ji Dan nodded as he took notes. "Anything else?"
"According to the rites of ancestral temples, the Son of Heaven has seven temples, the feudal lords have five temples, the high officials have three temples, and the lower officials have one temple. Commoners have no temples and offer sacrifices in their sleeping quarters."
"The emperor has seven ancestral temples to worship his seven generations of ancestors; feudal lords have five generations; high officials have three generations; and lower officials have one generation. Commoners have no ancestral temples and can only offer sacrifices in their rooms."
Zhang Zhao further stated: "The Son of Heaven receives the Mandate of Heaven and governs the people on behalf of Heaven, therefore he is closest to his ancestors and has the most generations of ancestral temples to worship. The feudal lords are next, followed by the high officials, and the scholars are the fewest. Commoners are not included in this list, not because they are unimportant, but because they do not have a complex ancestral temple system."
"Furthermore," Zhang Zhao paused, "the standards for sacrifices must also be established. The emperor shall sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, to the four directions, to the mountains and rivers, and to the Five Sacrifices. Feudal lords shall sacrifice to the mountains and rivers and the Five Sacrifices within their fiefdoms, but shall not sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. High officials shall sacrifice to the Five Sacrifices. Scholars shall sacrifice to their ancestors."
"What are the Five Sacrifices?" Ji Dan asked.
"Household, stove, central hall, door, and passageway," Zhang Zhao counted on his fingers. "These five are the places we encounter most often in our daily lives. We worship them not to ask for anything, but to remind ourselves that life is not easy and we should be grateful. Every meal and every dish is hard-earned."
Ji Dan nodded thoughtfully and wrote this down as well.
The night grew deeper. The locust tree in the courtyard swayed gently in the moonlight, the rustling of its tender leaves sounding like a soft nocturne.
Occasionally, a dog barked once or twice in the distance, but soon silence returned.
After reading through all the bamboo scrolls, Ji Dan rubbed his sore eyes.
He looked at the mountain of bamboo slips in front of him—these things, tonight, would gradually become the laws and regulations of the state over the next few months, years, or even decades, the rules of rites and music to be followed by all people, and the foundation of governance to be passed down from generation to generation by future generations.
"I hope that Duke Zhao will speak with the King tomorrow morning!"
"Zhao dares not refuse."
Ji Dan carefully rolled up the bamboo slips, tied them with rope, and held them in his arms.
"Lord Zhao, Dan has departed." He stood up, nodded slightly to Zhang Zhao, and then turned to walk towards the courtyard gate. After taking a few steps, he stopped, turned back, and said, "Lord Zhao, please stop. Do not see me off!" With that, he pushed open the gate and left.
The moonlight followed him out the door, then turned back, falling on the locust tree, on the well rim, and on Zhang Zhao's shoulder.
Zhang Zhao sat alone in the courtyard, gazing at the moon, and remained silent for a long time.
"I have arrived in Liang, my family has been settled, and everything is fine." Zhang Ke's letter arrived this morning, which put his mind at ease.
everything is fine.
These four words are enough.
He stood up, dusted off his robes, went back into the house, and blew out the candle on the table.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"Ritual is the essence. It refers to the proper conduct in handling affairs." — Explanation of Names
"Loyalty and trustworthiness are the foundation of propriety; righteousness and principle are the expression of propriety. Without the foundation, nothing can stand; without the expression, nothing can be accomplished." — *Liqi* (The Ritual Implements)
"There are three fundamental principles of rites: Heaven and Earth are the source of life; ancestors are the source of lineage; and rulers and teachers are the source of governance." — Xunzi, "On Rites"