Investiture of the Gods/Chapter 1
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[edit] General Summary
The beginning of Investiture of the Gods (chapter 1) is titled "King Zhou and Goddess Nu Wa". At one point in time as King Da Yi, of the newly established Shang Dynasty of China, walked through the royal gardens to gaze at the great beauty that layed before him, the Flying Cloud Pavilion would suddenly collapse. As a single beam from the pavilion fell towards the king, Prince Zi Shou would grab hold of the beam and threw it aside. After ministers such as Shan Rong and Mei Bo gazed at the strength that the prince possessed, they would advise the king to name him Crown Prince. Thus following the death of King Da Yi, Prince Zi Shou would take the title of 'King Zhou' and become the new ruler of the Shang Dynasty within it's new capital: Morning Song. After seven years of prosperity within the Shang Dynasty, etches of evil tyranny would begin to evolve in the heart of King Zhou. As the first rebellion thus took place on the second month of the seventh year, Grand Old Master Wen Zhong, the head of civil affairs, would personally ride out upon his great dragon to subdue them at the North Sea district. The following day prime minister Shang Rong would ask the king to head to the temple of Nu Wa in order to offer their condolences on her birthday. Following the latter's consent, the king and his entourage would thus march from the capital's gates to the temple of Nu Wa's temple. As King Zhou enjoyed the palace's immense scenery after his arrival, he would gaze into the eyes of Goddess Nu Wa - who sat behind a celestial curtain. Overtaken by her unparalleled beauty, King Zhou would use his ink brush to write a poem of her valor upon a neighboring pillar within the temple. Even after being reproached by Shang Rong for what disaster the poem could bring about, the latter would simply brush him aside saying that it is nothing more than a literary representation of her beauty.
After the king and his entourage had returned to the capital, Nu Wa would notice the poem and immediately vow to end the Shang Dynasty due to the former's vile desires. Once she had arrived at Morning Song atop her phoenix, Nu Wa would realize that King Zhou still possessed another twenty years of reign -- and would thus leave with lustful rage. As she arrived at her temple, she would summon forth her three right-hand sprites: Daji, the thousand year-old female fox, Splendor, the nine-headed female pheasant, and Jade, the female lute. Thus following their summoning, Goddess Nu Wa would tell them to transform themselves into beautiful women in order to distract King Zhou from his state affairs -- so that he would be overthrown in a further justifed manner. Back in Morning Song King Zhou would sit in great deppression over the incredible unattainable beauty that Nu Wa had possessed -- and would thus not wish to perform any action until he could attain her as one of his lovers. After effectively calling minister Fei Zhong to his presence, he would suggest to the king that one-hundred women should be taken from each of the four Grand Dukes so that he may have an opportunity to find a woman that ranked in beauty with Nu Wa. With immense delight at such a grand opportunity, King Zhou would rest for the night and make his preparations the following day.
[edit] Categorized Events
- - Reign of the Shang Dynasty; King Da Yi's strole within his garden
- - King Da Yi's passing; Prince Zi Shou becomes King Zhou
- - Grand Old Master set's out to subdue rebellion at North Sea; Nu Wa's birthday
- - Entering of Nu Wa's temple; King Zhou's representative poem of unattainable beauty
- - Rage of Nu Wa; summoning forth of the three sacred sprites
- - King Zhou's depression; Fei Zhong's Grand Duke one-hundred women suggestion