Last time, we talked about how Zhuanxu passed the throne to Emperor Ku.
Emperor Ku had four consorts: Jiang Yuan, Jian Di, Qingdu, and Changyi. But none of them gave birth to a son—only Changyi had a daughter.One day, an old woman came to see Emperor Ku carrying a tray covered with a bottle gourd. Seeing this, Emperor Ku asked her, "Hey, what are you covering with that gourd?" The old woman replied, "Well... a few days ago, my ear suddenly started itching like crazy. I kept scratching it, and the more I scratched, the worse it got. Eventually it swelled up into this huge pus-filled lump. So I asked a doctor to take a look. When he cut the lump open... he found something inside. It looked kind of like a bug... but also kind of like a tiny dog. Anyway, it was this really, really small creature."
"I got scared, so I grabbed a gourd and used it as a lid to trap it. I don't know if this thing might harm people, so I thought I'd bring it here and let you deal with it." Emperor Ku thought, Really? Something like that? So he reached over and lifted the gourd.
Sure enough—there was a tiny creature inside. But it was so small he could barely see it clearly. Just as he leaned in for a closer look, the creature suddenly started growing. Within moments, it had grown to the size of a small calf.
"Whoa! It's a monster!"
Everyone stepped back in fear. Even the soldiers started getting nervous.But Emperor Ku didn't seem too worried. He said, "Well... it's a little big, and it grows fast—but that's about it. I don't sense any hostility from it." Then he turned to the old woman and asked, "Do you still want this dog?" The old woman, already terrified, shook her head immediately. "Are you kidding? Of course not!" Emperor Ku laughed. "Well then, how about you just leave it with me?" The old woman said, "If you want it, you can have it!"—and ran off as fast as she could.
Looking at the big dog, Emperor Ku thought for a moment. Hmm… it needs a name. "Well, this dog arrived on a tray and was covered with a gourd. How about I call him Panhu?"
And just like that, Panhu became part of Emperor Ku's household. Panhu got along extremely well with Emperor Ku's daughter. The two of them were practically inseparable. One day, Emperor Ku was preparing to go on an inspection tour of the southern regions. His daughter said to him, "Dad, I want to come too. I'd like to see what the outside world is like." Unable to refuse her request, Emperor Ku finally agreed to bring both his daughter and Panhu along.
Just as they were about to depart, his general Yi came to him and said, "My lord, I've heard the southern regions have been a bit unstable lately. Especially the ruler known as the King of Fang—there have been rumors he's unhappy with you. Why don't I send a military escort with you, just to be safe?"
But Emperor Ku replied, "You're overthinking it. I'm just taking a trip down south. Nothing's going to happen." The reason he said that was simple—Emperor Ku was a very kind person. Because he was good-hearted, he assumed most people in the world were the same. So he declined Yi's suggestion and left without a military escort. But the moment he arrived in the south, the King of Fang really did rebel.
When the King of Fang heard that Emperor Ku had come without an army, he thought, Perfect. This is a gift from heaven. He immediately sent troops to attack. Now Emperor Ku had no army with him—what could he do?
Luckily, some nearby tribal chiefs were willing to help protect him. But their forces were far too small compared to Fang's army. They were no match. So they fought while retreating, slowly escorting Emperor Ku back into the mountains. The battle continued until nightfall. Only when darkness made it impossible to see did Fang's army temporarily stop attacking. Although they were safe for the moment, Emperor Ku was full of regret. I should’ve listened to Yi and brought soldiers. Looking at the situation, he thought, Once morning comes, we'll probably all be killed.
Just then, his daughter noticed how worried he was and said, "Dad, I've heard that great rewards attract brave warriors. Why don't you tell everyone that whoever kills the King of Fang can marry your daughter..." Before she finished, Emperor Ku interrupted her. "How can I use your marriage as a reward?" But his daughter replied, "Dad, if you don't do this, we'll all be dead tomorrow. And if I'm dead, what future marriage would I have anyway?"
Hearing that, Emperor Ku realized she was right. So he made an announcement to the remaining four or five hundred people with him: "Whoever kills the King of Fang will marry my daughter and be rewarded with the rule of a nation." He meant this as a way to inspire courage among his followers.
But that night, something completely unexpected happened. Panhu secretly slipped into the enemy camp. He bit the King of Fang and one of his generals to death—and tore off their heads. Then he carried both heads back and dropped them outside Emperor Ku's camp.
The next morning, Emperor Ku walked out of his tent after a sleepless night of worry. And there stood Panhu, wagging his tail—with two human heads in his mouth.
Startled, Emperor Ku stepped back. But when he looked closer... he realized those were the heads of the King of Fang and his general. "Great news!" he shouted. "The King of Fang is dead!" At the same time, soldiers rushed in with another report: "General Yi has arrived with reinforcements!" At last, Emperor Ku's crisis was over.
Now you might wonder—how did General Yi suddenly show up with an army? Well, Yi had long suspected the King of Fang might rebel, so he had secretly been monitoring him. The moment he heard Fang mobilizing troops, he knew Emperor Ku might be in danger and immediately marched to rescue him.
To thank General Yi for saving his life—and for his foresight—Emperor Ku gifted him a treasured weapon: the Red Bow and White Silk Arrows. And don't underestimate this weapon. It was said to be incredibly powerful... though just how powerful—we'll talk about that another time.
After thanking General Yi, Emperor Ku turned to reward the biggest hero of the battle—Panhu. He ordered the best meat to be brought for him. But surprisingly, Panhu turned his head away and lay on the ground without touching the food. Emperor Ku found this strange. "Huh? I'm giving you the best meat there is. Why won't you even sniff it? Are you sick?" After checking carefully, Panhu didn't seem sick at all. Then Emperor Ku muttered to himself, "Don't tell me... you want to marry my daughter?"
The moment he said that, Panhu jumped up and wagged his tail excitedly. Everyone present was shocked. Emperor Ku said firmly, "That's impossible. I said whoever kills the King of Fang—but I meant a person, not a dog." Hearing this, Panhu bared his teeth and growled, making everyone around tense up.
Just then, Emperor Ku's daughter stepped forward and said, "Father, when you made your promise, you said whoever kills the King of Fang would marry me. You never said that 'whoever' had to be human."
"Panhu succeeded. So you must keep your word. Otherwise, wouldn't you become someone who breaks promises to the world?" Emperor Ku knew she was right. But how could he possibly marry his daughter to a dog? In the end, because of his daughter's insistence, he reluctantly fulfilled his promise. He married his daughter to Panhu and made him the ruler of the Quanrong Kingdom.
Panhu and the princess then left Emperor Ku and went to live in that kingdom. From this event, Emperor Ku learned two important lessons: First, one must be extremely careful and precise with words. Second, power and fame can awaken greed and jealousy in people. One must always stay vigilant. As the saying goes: You may not intend to harm others, but you must always guard against being harmed.
After returning home, Emperor Ku became deeply depressed from losing his daughter. One day, Jiang Yuan said to him, "I'm already over forty and still haven't had a child. Could you come with me to pray at the temple of Nüwa nearby?"
But in truth, Jiang Yuan wasn't really asking for a child. She simply wanted Emperor Ku to get out of the palace and clear his mind. Emperor Ku thought about it and said, "Sure... it's been a long time since I went out." So the two of them set out together to visit the temple.
Since he hadn't gone out in a long time—and Jiang Yuan spent most of her days inside the palace—Emperor Ku happily took on the role of tour guide, showing her the nearby mountains, rivers, and scenic spots. Just as Emperor Ku was talking excitedly and going on and on, Jiang Yuan suddenly noticed something on the ground.
"Huh…?" There was a huge footprint in the dirt.
She was about to ask Emperor Ku where it came from, but he was talking so enthusiastically that he didn't notice her at all. When he suddenly turned around, he accidentally knocked Jiang Yuan straight into the giant footprint. She fell into it—and immediately fainted. That scared Emperor Ku half to death. He quickly called the attendants nearby to wake her up.
While Jiang Yuan was unconscious, she had a strange dream. In the dream, a giant appeared and said to her: "The goddess Nüwa has sent me to give you a son." When Jiang Yuan woke up, the dream felt incredibly strange. But she didn't dare tell Emperor Ku about it. So the two of them simply continued with their plan and went to the temple of Nüwa to pray. Not long after they returned home... Jiang Yuan became pregnant.
When winter came, Jiang Yuan gave birth to a baby boy. But she kept worrying that the child might not actually be Emperor Ku's. She didn't know what to do. In the end, she made a shocking decision—she ordered someone to leave the baby in an alley outside.
When Jian Di heard this, she was horrified. "Sister, you can't be serious! It's freezing outside. If you leave the baby out there, he'll freeze to death!" But Jiang Yuan insisted. Jian Di had no choice but to obey. She wrapped the baby in thick clothes and gently placed him in a nearby alley. Then she whispered to him: "I hope heaven will protect you. If you can hold on until morning, someone passing by might save you." With that, Jian Di left sadly.
The next morning, Jian Di woke up to a lot of noise outside. When she ran out to see what was going on, she discovered something astonishing. A cow was feeding milk to the baby. Not only that—the cow had positioned its body around him, keeping him warm. Jian Di was overjoyed.
"The baby's alive!"
She quickly carried him back and showed him to Jiang Yuan. "Sister, look! This is a miracle. It must mean the gods are protecting him. He's destined to become someone great. Please keep him." But Jiang Yuan replied coldly: "Hmph. You probably arranged all this yourself. Take the baby and leave him in the mountains." Jian Di was shocked. "The mountains? There are wolves up there! If we leave him there, he'll be eaten!"
"I'm not joking," Jiang Yuan said firmly. "Go do it." With no choice left, Jian Di sadly carried the baby to the mountains and left him there.
The next day, she couldn't stop worrying. So she secretly went back to check on him. Once again, there was a crowd gathered around. People were saying: "This is unbelievable! The wolf didn't eat the baby—it's protecting him and even feeding him!" Jian Di looked closer. Sure enough, a wolf was lying beside the baby, keeping him warm. But because so many people were nearby, the wolf eventually got nervous and slowly walked away. The moment it left, Jian Di rushed forward and picked up the baby.
People nearby said: "Oh! This is the princess's child? Why was he left here? If the royal family doesn't want him, can we raise him?" Jian Di didn't answer. She simply held the baby tightly and ran back to Jiang Yuan.
"Sister, please believe me," Jian Di said. "This child is protected by heaven. Don't abandon him again." But Jiang Yuan still refused to believe her. "You're lying. I know this is all your doing. There's no such thing as divine protection!" Jian Di sighed.
"Fine. What would it take for you to believe me?"
It was winter, and the lake nearby had completely frozen. Jiang Yuan pointed at the ice. "Take off the baby's clothes. Leave only a thin layer and place him on the ice. If he survives for one hour... then I'll believe you."
Jian Di was horrified. "You can't be serious! That will kill him!" But Jiang Yuan's expression didn't change. With a heavy heart, Jian Di placed the baby on the frozen lake. But the moment she turned around to leave...a flock of birds flew down. They surrounded the baby, covering him with their wings to keep him warm. Seeing this incredible sight, Jiang Yuan could no longer deny the truth. She rushed forward, picked up the baby, and cried out loudly: "It's not that your mother doesn't want you... it's that she can't!"
Jian Di was completely confused. Why would Jiang Yuan say she couldn't keep her own child?
The answer came quickly.
Someone had already reported Jiang Yuan's strange behavior to Emperor Ku. When he arrived, he saw Jiang Yuan holding the baby and crying. He gently comforted her and asked: "You've always been a compassionate person. What could make you treat a child like this?" Jiang Yuan then told him everything—the giant footprint, the strange dream, and all the worries she had been carrying in her heart. After listening to the whole story, Emperor Ku didn't get angry. Instead, he burst out laughing. "So that's all you were worried about?" "Do you know my ancestor Fuxi? His mother also became pregnant after stepping on a giant footprint." "It looks like this child is blessed by heaven. One day, he'll surely accomplish great things." "Since you tried to abandon him three times... let's just name him Qi, which means 'the abandoned one.'"
That baby would later become none other than Hou Ji—the ancestral founder of the Zhou dynasty.
After Jiang Yuan recovered from childbirth, Jian Di asked Emperor Ku for permission to visit her mother. Back home, she invited her younger sister to go soak in their favorite hot spring. While the two were relaxing in the water, something strange happened. Two swallows suddenly flew down. Her younger sister found them amusing and started chasing them. After a while, the swallows landed—and laid two eggs.
"Hey sis!" her sister said. "Look at these eggs! They're amazing. They're not normal swallow eggs—they're five-colored!" "Let’s take them home and raise them." Jian Di shook her head. "We didn't bring anything with us. How are we supposed to carry them?" But her sister insisted. "I don't care. I'm taking them home." When they finished bathing and prepared to climb out, Jian Di thought: If we carry them in our hands, we might accidentally crush them. So she said, "The eggs are small. Why don't you hold them in your mouth while you climb out, then take them out afterward?"
Her sister immediately recoiled. "Eww! No way. You hold them for me!" Jian Di sighed. She really couldn't refuse her sister. So she placed the eggs in her mouth and prepared to climb out of the pool. But just then—her foot slipped. She fell back into the hot spring. She wasn't hurt... but unfortunately she accidentally swallowed the eggs.
Not long after returning home, Jian Di also became pregnant. Later she gave birth to a boy and named him Qi. It sounds the same in Chinese as Qi, the child of Jiang Yuan, but it’s actually written with a different character. This child would later become the ancestral founder of the Shang dynasty.
Soon after that, another consort, Qingdu, also gave birth to a son. She named him Yao. And together with the eldest son Zhi, born to Changyi, Emperor Ku now had four sons. The family lived peacefully, and nothing major happened for many years. But as time passed, Emperor Ku eventually grew old. It was time to choose his successor. Which son should inherit the throne? He thought all four of them had potential. So he asked his ministers for advice. Not a single one dared to make the decision. Then he tried asking the gods. But the answer from the gods was: any of them would do. Which meant the problem went right back to him. In the end, Emperor Ku remembered how his earlier mistake had forced Changyi's daughter to marry the dog hero Panhu. He had always felt guilty about it. So he decided to compensate her by passing the throne to her son, Zhi.
He told Zhi:"Among your brothers, your talent isn't the greatest. But your character is decent." "If you surround yourself with wise and capable ministers, you can still accomplish great things." "But if you appoint corrupt people... I doubt you'll hold this throne for more than nine years."
Now... that's a pretty negative way to put it, isn't it? And honestly, who doesn't want good ministers? But what exactly counts as a "good minister"? If it were me, I'd probably just give Zhi a clear goal for governing the country. Then he'd naturally find the right people to help him achieve it. Especially since Emperor Ku himself admitted that Zhi wasn't the most talented of the brothers. Giving him such an open-ended challenge seems a bit unfair. But unfortunately... Emperor Ku couldn't hear my advice. So just like that, he passed the throne to Emperor Zhi.
But wait a second. What about Yao? How did he eventually become emperor? Was there some bloody struggle among the brothers?
Well...that's a story we'll have to talk about next time.
