Chapter 196: Five Emperors Ruling the World (Ⅱ) (1/2)

Chapter 196: Five Emperors Ruling the World (Ⅱ)

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

With the assistance of so many talented personnel, the Human Tribe prospered under the governance of Yao. During the preliminary period of Tang Yao's administration, the astronomical calendar was not quite ideal, so the populace often missed the farming seasons. Therefore, Yao commanded the Xi's and the He's to observe the Heaven's will and enacted a calendrical system according to the appearance of the sun, the moon and the positions of stars. This taught the men which season was the right time to take part in production.

The Xi's and He's mastered astronomy and calculated the time and date according to celestial phenomena and climatic phenology like the movements of the sun, the moon, the stars and so on. They also determined the four seasons, where a cycle for the moon is a month, a cycle for the sun is a year, and that there are 366 days in a year. This was the earliest calendar recorded in our country, which laid a foundation for the lunar calendar in China.

There are 366 days in a year, so they added intercalary months to rectify the four seasons, which are spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Emperor Yao once again sincerely admonished all the officials to perform their own duties and deal with all kinds of affairs properly. Under such administration, Human Tribe greeted another wave of rapid development. By then, Emperor Yao had been in on the throne for more than 70 years, feeling that he had fulfilled his Merits. Therefore, he had to find a Great Sage to take over his position as sovereign of Human tribe.

Thereupon, Emperor Yao convened all the officials and asked them who could take the place of the Sovereign of Human tribe. Having heard that, the officials discussed for a while, then replied, ”The son of the sovereign, whose name is Dan Zhu, is understanding and knowledgeable, and should be qualified to take the position of the Human Sovereign.”

Emperor Yao replied disdainfully, ”Humph, Dan Zhu is truly foolish, stubborn and fierce. He is not qualified.” Everyone fell into silence after hearing this. Dan Zhu was the son whom Emperor Yao liked best. Now that he was eliminated, there was no one left for them to recommend.

After a short silence, the officials started to discuss the candidates again. Finally, they reached a consensus and spoke with one voice, ”Kuhuang Majesty Xuanyuan has a grandson, whose name is Gun. He's very knowledgeable and competent. His conducts are also commended by the people, so he must be qualified for this glorious responsibility.”

Having heard that, Emperor Yao lowered his head and thought for a while. When he was about to give his consent, his heart flipped, then he rowed his eyes, stroked his beard and said, ”He is definitely great, but it's best for you to recommend some more candidates, in case we overlooked.”

Having heard that, everyone felt that it was quite reasonable, so they started the discussion again. All of a sudden, a minister called Siyue said to Yao, ”There is a person named Yu Shun, he lives among the people, and has a noble integrity. But it's unknown whether he is competent to take the position as sovereign.”

Emperor Yao said, ”Hmm, I have heard of this person before, but just don't know how he is. You should tell me in detail. ” Siyue answered, ”Shun was born in a household environment with an obstinate father, a wicked mother and an arrogant brother named Xiang. His father Gu Sou is blind and harbors evil intentions. His step-mother is a double-dealer. His brother is stubborn and intractable. They collude with each other, and will certainly not feel content unless Shun is gotten rid of.

However, Shun is very obedient to his parents and fulfills his duties as a son. Besides, he has been very kind to his brother for decades and has never changed. When his family was trying to harm him, he fled just in time. Once things got better, he just went back with them and gave as much help as he could. No matter how miserable his life is, or how bad the living environment is, Shun can always live in concord with his family, treat his parents with filial piety, and handle matters at home well. As a result, they could avoid becoming evil and wicked.”

Then Yao said, ”Let me give him a test first!” So he asked his two daughters Ehuang and Nvying to get married to Shun. Yao observed his character through them and judged whether he could manage a family appropriately. Shun requested them to set their honors aside and live in their house beside the Gui River, obeying the rules of female behavior.

The two girls both favored Shun a lot and obeyed the female virtues. While making pottery, Shun and the people around him all worked hard and carefully. He tried to better the best, and never worked in a rough and slipshod way. Therefore, wherever he went, people followed him with their whole heart. They gathered a village in one year, and after two years, they formed a county. After three years, they were already a capital.

Yao felt very happy to know about these and bestowed him Chiyi, which were cotton clothes made of cambric, qin, cattle, and goats. Yao also built a warehouse for him. Although Gu Sou still tried to kill him and plotted to frame him with the other members of the family, Shun miraculously survived as if the God blessed him. Even after this, Shun treated his parents and brother like before, friendly and much more respectful.

After testing Shun's conducts, Yao began to give him a chance to engage the government affairs. Yao commanded Shun to take the position of Situ and to be responsible for the implementation of moral education. Shun taught people to behave themselves according to the Five Cardinal Moral Codes, which were righteous fathers, loving mothers, friendly elder brothers, respectful younger brothers and filial sons. All the officials and people were willing to comply with his instructions, and they all acted in accordance with the Five Cardinal Moral Codes.