Explore the Shu Kingdom's era, marked by immense wealth and the mystical arts of divination, shaping its distinct historical narrative.
Empress Gan, the consort of Liu Bei, was born in Pei and came from a humble family of low social status. When Empress Gan was a child, a person skilled in physiognomy in her neighborhood said, “This little girl, when she grows up, will have a noble status and become a noblewoman in the imperial palace.” As Empress Gan grew older, her physical appearance distinguished her from others. By the age of eighteen, she had fair and delicate skin, a stunning countenance, and a dignified demeanor. Liu Bei summoned her to the palace, where she resided in a chamber with gossamer curtains. When one looked at her from outside the room, Empress Gan’s skin was as fair as snow under moonlight. A three-foot-tall jade figure was presented from Henan, and Liu Bei placed it beside Empress Gan. During the day, he would discuss military strategies with his courtiers, but at night, he would enjoy the company of Empress Gan and the jade figure. It was often said that the distinction of fine jade lay in its virtue, equating it with the moral character of a noble person. Moreover, since this jade figure was sculpted into human form, was it not suitable for admiration? Both Empress Gan and the jade figure possessed pure and radiant whiteness. Some who saw them even found themselves perplexed, unable to distinguish between Empress Gan and the jade figure. The other concubines who sought favor and affection not only envied Empress Gan but also became jealous of the jade figure. Empress Gan often contemplated destroying the jade figure and cautioned Liu Bei, saying, “In the past, the virtuous Subian did not treat fine jade as a treasure, as praised in the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals of Left Qi.’ Currently, the states of Wu and Wei have not been vanquished, so how can we embrace such an unconventional indulgence? Any behavior that indulges in excess and sensuality will give rise to suspicions. Please, let us discontinue this practice.” Liu Bei then removed the jade figure, and the concubines who sought favor were accommodated within the palace. At this time, those with insight and virtue acknowledged Empress Gan as a clever and wise woman.
Mi Zhu employed the financial strategy of Tao Zhu Gong and Fan Li to amass wealth, earning billions in daily profits. His household possessions rivaled those of emperors, with a warehouse storing thousands of items. Mi Zhu had a compassionate nature, often providing relief to the impoverished and assisting widows and orphans. Adjacent to his stable, there was an ancient tomb, housing a set of skeletal remains. One night, Mi Zhu heard weeping coming from the tomb. He followed the source of the cries and saw a woman walking toward him, her back exposed. She implored, “In the waning years of the Han Dynasty, I was killed by the Red Eyebrow Army. They opened my coffin and stripped my clothes. For nearly two hundred years now, I have roamed the afterlife unclothed, ashamed to face others. Today, I come before you, General, to beg you for a proper burial and a tattered garment to cover my body.” Mi Zhu agreed and immediately had a coffin made for her, along with clothing fashioned from green fabric. He buried her deeply in the tomb and performed the necessary rituals. A year later, while walking on a rugged road, Mi Zhu encountered the same woman, now dressed in clothes made of green fabric. She said to him, “You possess enough wealth to last a lifetime, but beware of a future fire disaster. I shall reward your kindness for providing me with a coffin and clothing by giving you this nine-foot-long green reed staff.” Mi Zhu took the green reed staff back home. Since then, his neighbors often saw a green aura hovering above his house, resembling the shape of a dragon or serpent. Some found this phenomenon quite unusual and asked Mi Zhu about it. Only then did he begin to suspect something strange and questioned his household servants. They confessed, “We have often seen the green reed staff emerge from the room by itself, and we suspected it was a supernatural object, so we dared not report it to you.” Mi Zhu was superstitious and believed in avoiding unfavorable occurrences. If anything contradicted his beliefs, he would resort to violence. As a result, his household servants refrained from speaking up.
Mi Zhu’s wealth had accumulated into mountains of riches, too numerous to count. He filled vessels with precious pearls the size of bird eggs and scattered them throughout his courtyard, which he named the “Treasure Courtyard.” Outsiders couldn’t see this display. After a few days, dozens of children dressed in blue clothes suddenly arrived. They said, “A fire disaster will soon strike Mi Zhu’s residence. Originally, not a single item of his vast wealth would have survived the fire. However, thanks to Mi Zhu’s compassion for the departed souls and the collection of skeletal remains, heaven will not let his virtue go unrewarded. Therefore, we have come to avert this impending fire disaster, ensuring that his wealth remains intact. Furthermore, he should strengthen his defenses from now on.” Mi Zhu instructed his people to dig a trench around the storerooms. Ten days later, a large fire erupted from the storerooms, consuming one-tenth of all his pearls and jewels. The fire had been ignited by a fire mirror due to the prevailing dry and hot weather. While the fire raged, people saw dozens of children in blue clothing rushing to extinguish it, accompanied by a cloud-like green aura that covered the flames, causing them to be instantly snuffed out. These children also advised, “Keep more water birds, like storks, as they store water in their nests and can help combat fires.” Subsequently, Mi Zhu’s household collected thousands of waterfowl and housed them in ponds and canals to act as a safeguard against fires. Mi Zhu sighed, “A person’s fate with wealth has its limits in life; it should not become excessive. I fear that this abundance of wealth will become my downfall.” At that time, the Three Kingdoms were in the midst of intense warfare, and the demand for military supplies had increased exponentially. Mi Zhu loaded his riches onto wagons and sent them to aid Liu Bei, the warlord. This included one hundred million catties of gold, heaps of brocades, and felts that resembled small mountains, as well as ten thousand fine horses. After the fall of Shu, Mi Zhu was left with nothing and passed away in sorrow.
Zhou Qun was well-versed in the arts of divination, astrology, and other mystical sciences. On one occasion, while he was collecting medicinal herbs in the Min Mountains, he encountered a white ape. This ape descended rapidly from the mountain’s highest peak and stood before Zhou Qun. Quick to react, Zhou Qun drew his book knife and threw it at the white ape, which astonishingly transformed into an old man. The old man held a jade tablet inscribed with characters, which he handed to Zhou Qun. Zhou Qun inquired, “Sir, in which year were you born?” The old man replied, “I am already advanced in age and have forgotten my exact birthdate. I recall that during the time of the Yellow Emperor, I began studying astronomy and calendar calculations. At that time, Feng Hou and Rong Cheng Gong served as historians to the Yellow Emperor and imparted their knowledge of astronomy and calendars to me. During the reign of Zhuan Xu, people began to examine and verify the movements of the sun, moon, stars, and constellations, leading to various interpretations. In the Spring and Autumn Period, individuals like Zi Wei, Zi Ye, and Bi Zao had keen insights into political events, although they were not well-versed in astronomy and calendars. In recent times, with the rise and fall of dynasties, there is little more to recount. Knowledge of astronomy and calendars has been passed down through the ages. During the Western Han Dynasty, there was a recluse named Luo Xia Hong who deeply understood the essence of astronomy and calendars.” Impressed by the old man’s words, Zhou Qun became even more devoted to studying the art of divination. He revised and verified changes in the calendar and found validation in diagram oracles and star books, even predicting the downfall of the Shu Kingdom. The following year, Zhou Qun left the Shu Kingdom and came to Wu. People hailed him as a master of the intricate arts of yin and yang and the five elements. The people of Shu referred to him as the “Later Sage.” As for the supernatural story of the white ape, it bears resemblance to the tale in the “Annals of Wu and Yue” about the Yue maiden who dueled Yuan Gong and caused him to transform into a white ape. However, both of these stories are far-fetched and fantastical, lacking in credibility, and appear to be more fiction than reality.
Xiao Qilu said: “Sun He, Sun Liang, and Liu Bei, as emperors, all indulged in lives of debauchery and forgot their strategies for warfare. They even deluded themselves into thinking they could contend with the mighty Wei kingdom. Their military campaigns were futile, which is truly lamentable! Zhou Qun’s knowledge extends to the divine, and the auspicious nature of the white ape story resembles the account in the ‘Annals of Wu and Yue’ where a Yue maiden dueled Yuan Gong and caused him to transform into a white ape. These events are extravagant and fantastical, seeming more like fiction than reality. Speaking of the interchange between yin and yang and the cyclic use of the five elements, it’s like water and fire mutually supporting and countering each other. ‘The Huainanzi’ mentions using Fang Zhu under the moonlight to collect water droplets to quell fires, which doesn’t make logical sense. Mizi’s art of sympathy (‘xuqin’) being mistaken for Fang Zhu is likely a pronunciation error. It’s implausible that feathered birds can be used to combat intense fires, as it contradicts the characteristics of birds. Ancient texts like the ‘Sanfen’ and ‘Wufen’ have detailed explanations of these matters.”
先主甘后，沛人也，生於微賤。里中相者云：“此女後貴，位極宮掖。”及後長，而體貌特異，至十八，玉質柔肌，態媚容冶。先主召入綃帳中，於戶外望者，如月下聚雪。河南獻玉人，高三尺，乃取玉人置後側，晝則講說軍謀，夕則擁后而玩玉人。常稱玉之所貴，德比君子，況為人形，而不可玩乎？后與玉人潔白齊潤，觀者殆相亂惑。嬖寵者非惟嫉於甘后，亦妒於玉人也。后常欲琢毀壞之，乃誡先主曰：“昔子罕不以玉為寶，《春秋》美之；今吳、魏未滅，安以妖玩經懷。凡淫惑生疑，勿復進焉！”先主乃撤玉人，嬖者皆退。當斯之時，君子議以甘后為神智婦人焉。
糜竺用陶朱計術，日益億萬之利，貨擬王家，有寶庫千間。竺性能賑生恤死，家內馬廄屋仄有古塚，中有伏屍，夜聞涕泣聲。竺乃尋其泣聲之處，忽見一婦人袒背而來，訴云：“昔漢末妾為赤眉所害，叩棺見剝，今袒在地，羞晝見人，垂二百年。今就將軍乞深埋，並弊衣以掩形體。”竺許之，即命之為棺槨，以青布為衣衫，置於塚中，設祭既畢。歷一年，行於路曲，忽見前婦人，所著衣皆是青布，語竺曰：“君財寶可支一世，合遭火厄，今以青蘆杖一枚長九尺，報君棺槨衣服之惠。”竺挾杖而歸。所住鄰中常見竺家有青氣如龍蛇之形。或有人謂竺曰：“將非怪也？”竺乃疑此異，問其家僮。云：“時見青蘆杖自出門間，疑其神，不敢言也。”竺為性多忌，信厭術之事，有言中忤，即加刑戮，故家僮不敢言。笁貨財如山，不可算計，內以方諸盆瓶，設大珠如卵，散滿於庭，謂之“寶庭”，而外人不得窺。數日，忽青衣童子數十人來云：“糜竺家當有火厄，萬不遺一，賴君能恤斂枯骨，天道不辜君德，故來禳卻此火，當使財物不盡。自今以後，亦宜防衛！”竺乃掘溝渠周繞其庫。旬日，火從庫內起，燒其珠玉十分之一，皆是陽燧旱燥自能燒物。火盛之時，見數十青衣童子來撲火，有青氣如雲，覆於火上，即滅。童子又云：“多聚鸛鳥之類，以禳火災；鸛能聚水於巢上也。”家人乃收鵁鶄數千頭養於池渠中，以厭火。竺歎曰：“人生財運有限，不得盈溢，懼為身之患害。”時三國交鋒，軍用萬倍，乃輸其寶物車服，以助先主：黃金一億斤，錦繡氈罽積如丘壟，駿馬萬匹。及蜀破後，無復所有，飲恨而終。
周群妙閑算術讖說。遊岷山採藥，見一白猿，從絕峰而下，對群而立。群抽所佩書刀投猿，猿化為一老翁，握中有玉版長八寸，以授群。群問曰：“公是何年生？”答曰：“已衰邁也，忘其年月，猶憶軒轅之時，始學曆數，風後、容成，皆黃帝之史，就余授曆數。至顓頊時，考定日月星辰之運，尤多差異。及春秋時，有子韋、子野、裨灶之徒，權略雖驗，未得其門。邇來世代興亡，不復可記，因以相襲。至大漢時，有洛下閎，頗得其旨。”群服其言，更精勤算術。乃考校年歷之運，驗於圖緯，知蜀應滅。及明年，歸命奔吳。皆云：“周群詳陰陽之精妙也。”蜀人謂之“後聖”。白猿之異，有似越人所記，而事皆迂誕，似是而非。
錄曰：孫和、孫亮、劉備，並惑於淫寵之玩，忘於軍旅之略，猶比強大魏，克伐無功，可為嗟矣！周群之學，通於神明，白猿之祥，有類越人問劍之言，其事迂誕，若是而非也。夫陰陽遞生，五行迭用，由水火相生，亦以相滅。《淮南子》云“方諸向月津為水”，以厭火災浮。糜氏富於珍奇，削方諸為鳥獸之狀，猶土龍以祈雨也。鵁鶄之音，與方諸相亂，蓋聲之訛矣。羽毛之類，非可御烈火，於義則為乖，於事則違類，先《墳》舊《典》，說以其詳焉。