| | Jie and Zhou were both descendants of sage kings, yet they became arrogant and acted recklessly. They built extravagant palaces, expanded hunting parks, exhausted the variations of five colors, pushed artisans to their limits in craftsmanship, tired out wild beasts' legs, drained the resources of mountains and lakes, and fed animals that were despised by other creatures. They robbed the people of their wealth and food, erected elaborate and ornate structures with intricate carvings, exhausted artisans in crafting works from gold, jade, ivory, and bone, and pushed to extremes the variations of black and white. They imposed harsh punishments and killed indiscriminately to dominate their subjects, listened to the music of Zheng and Wei (sensual and decadent styles), indulged in the desires of luxurious palaces, and kept rare beasts with striking patterns and colors. They sought out rare and unusual things for pleasure, tasted flattery, and rewarded sycophants. They made hills of wine lees and pools of liquor. They neglected the poor and orphaned, killed sages and virtuous men and carved out their hearts; they burned alive people to smell the stench of their flesh, dissected pregnant women to see fetal development, examined the big toes of those who had crossed a river in the morning, executed Mei Bo and made him into meat paste, and punished Lady Guihou and took her jade rings. Ministers and subjects lived in fear and dared not offer complete loyalty; King Zhou became even more conceited, believing himself to be wise. The Zhou raised an army, and without prior appointment, eight hundred feudal lords gathered at Mengjin; together they attacked and killed King Zhou, thus bringing about the downfall of his kingdom. The Spring and Autumn Annals took this as a warning, saying: "A disaster struck Pu She." As the Zhou dynasty declined, the Son of Heaven became weak; feudal lords wielded power through force, high officials monopolized state affairs, and scholars controlled local territories. They were unable to uphold the rites of regulation, law, and literary culture. The feudal lords rebelled and no longer observed tribute or diplomatic visits to present offerings to the Son of Heaven. Ministers killed their lords, sons killed their fathers, and outcasts murdered members of their clans. They could not maintain order; instead, they fought and undermined one another to expand their territories. They coerced each other through strength and were unable to establish proper subordination. The strong oppressed the weak, the numerous bullied the few, the rich exploited the poor, and annexation continued without end. Ministers below usurped the authority of their superiors, and no one could stop them. The sun was eclipsed; stars fell like rain; locusts rained from the sky, and the Sha Lu mountain collapsed. In summer there were heavy rains, in winter heavy snowfalls; five stones fell in Song, and six birds flew backward. Frost did not kill the grass, and plums and apricots bore fruit. It did not rain in the first month, continuing until the seventh month of autumn. An earthquake occurred; Mount Liang collapsed and blocked the river, causing it to stop flowing for three days. It recorded an eclipse of the moon. A comet appeared in the east and blazed near the Great Star (a reference to a prominent celestial body). Swans and pheasants came to build nests; the Spring and Autumn Annals recorded this as an unusual event. This demonstrated signs of moral disorder and chaos. Confucius clarified gains and losses, distinguished between the noble and the lowly, and returned to the fundamental principles of the royal way. He criticized the Son of Heaven in order to bring about an age of peace and prosperity. He censured evil and criticized subtle wrongdoings, without overlooking matters great or small. No good deed was too minor to be praised, no evil act too trivial to be removed. By promoting virtue and punishing wickedness, he severed the root of all wrongdoing.
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