Bigan, surnamed Zi, Bi family, given name Qian, was the second son of Emperor Wen Ding of the Shang Dynasty and the younger brother of Emperor Yi. He was the uncle of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, so he was also called Wang Shu Bigan.
He was an important minister of the Yin and Shang royal family. He was worshiped as a Shaoshi and was entrusted with the role of Assistant to Emperor Xin.
He passed through two generations of kings in the Shang Dynasty. It is said that he had an exquisite heart, was loyal to the king and patriotic, asked for orders for the people, and dared to speak out and give advice. He had a high prestige among the people at that time and was called the "Eternal Loyal Minister".
As for the cause of Bigan's death, according to myths and legends, he was resented by the vixen Su Daji because he burned the fox's cave, and was eventually sentenced to have his heart gouged out by King Zhou. He died at the age of 64.
Later, out of gratitude for his loyalty, Jiang Ziya did not forget his number in the list of gods, and named him Wenquxing, in charge of literary fortune, to prove his respect for him.
However, this is only a folk fiction version, not a historical fact. There is no such number in the list of gods that Chen Zhi knows about.
But in the official history, there is a description of the cause of Bigan's death.
One day, Bigan sighed and said:
"Not admonishing a master when he makes a mistake is not loyalty. Not speaking out in fear of death is not courageous. If he makes a mistake and does not use remonstrance, he will die. This is the ultimate in loyalty."
Then he went to Zhaixinglou to remonstrate for three days, asking the monarch to meditate on his own mistakes and not leave.
Zhou was furious and asked why he was so confident.
Bigan said: "I rely on my good deeds and benevolence and righteousness, so I rely on myself."
Zhou angrily said: "I heard that the saint's heart has seven orifices. Do you believe that there are any?"
Then Bigan was killed and his heart was dissected, and he was found to be 64 years old.
Judging from this historical data, Bigan, for some inexplicable reason, said that King Zhou of Shang was an unprincipled monarch, and he died on the Zhaixing Tower to dissuade him.
Then his heart was gouged out by King Zhou and he died.
There is nothing about the Nine-tailed Sky Fox, and he was not bewitched by others. He just angered King Zhou of Shang, so he came to kill him.
But for this piece of historical data, Chen Zhizhen thinks the logic is a bit confusing.
First of all, Emperor Xin, the emperor of the first generation, would really want to steal the heart of his uncle just because he said these few words?
This proves that Emperor Xin, the king of Shang Zhou, is not only fatuous, but also has some mental problems.
Speaking of Bi Gan, even though he was quite dissatisfied with King Zhou of Shang, his behavior at that time was too dreamy, not very smart, and did not match the description of him by the world.
But in any case, Bigan did die at that time, at the age of sixty-four. At this time, King Zhou of Shang was in his prime years, and the Battle of Muye, where King Wu defeated Zhou, had not yet broken out.
How should a person who died before King Zhou of Shang take care of his funeral?
But what happened next is indeed a bit incomprehensible...
There are official historical records in Xiqi. After the Battle of Muye, the world was pacified and King Wu of Zhou founded the Zhou Dynasty.
Because he admired Bigan's virtues, he greatly respected him and called him an example of loyal ministers.
When Bigan died, his wife Gui was already three months pregnant. Afraid of harming herself, she escaped from Chaoge and hid in a stone chamber in Changlin and gave birth to a son.
After the world was settled, King Wu of Zhou and Jiang Ziya searched for Bigan's descendants. They learned that his orphan was born in Changlin, so they searched for him personally.
He was given the surname Lin and Jian, and was given a fief of Boling.
From then on, Bigan became the ancestor of the Lin family...
Even after all this was done, King Wu of Zhou also made Bigan the national god. He promoted Bigan's loyalty and courage, built temples and mausoleums, and went to worship in person.
Bigan's lineage has been prosperous since then. As a representative of loyal ministers, successive emperors have awarded him titles.
Emperor Xiaowen of the Wei Dynasty and Yuan Hong built a temple, and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to confer him the posthumous title of "Loyal Lord". Renzong of the Yuan Dynasty erected a stele and statue for Bigan, Emperor Gaozong of the Qing Dynasty wrote poems for his sacrifice, Xuanzong of the Qing Dynasty restored the main hall of Bigan Temple, etc.
Such honor is unprecedented in history. King Wu of Zhou treated a prime minister of the previous dynasty like this, which is indeed not a bad thing.
Even now, Bigan's tomb still stands in Weihui, Henan, and is filled with incense every year.
However, when Chen Zhi looked at these historical materials at the time, he felt strange.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was indeed a wise monarch. He was tolerant and generous, and respected the previous prime ministers regardless of past grudges.
But is it so highly regarded?
These historical materials clearly record that since the establishment of the Zhou Dynasty, King Zhou Wu and Jiang Ziya have visited Bigan's cemetery many times to worship and gather with Bigan's descendants.
The number of visits is very frequent, which not only makes people a little suspicious.
Why do they care so much about Bigan? Is it because of his loyalty?
Isn't it a contradiction in itself for a loyal minister to be praised by a rebellious king?
Moreover, there is another very important point!
Since King Wu of Zhou liked Bigan so much, why didn't he recruit him into his army earlier?
Is it because Bi Gan is unwilling?
In other words, this loyal minister did not recognize the Zhou Dynasty from beginning to end.
Everything is an illusion created by the Zhou Dynasty later...
Combined with the white animal skin paper, this route is more logical.
Those titles and honors are all face-saving, and the fiefs and rewards are also a means to win over.
King Wu of Zhou and Jiang Ziya went to great lengths to find the descendants of Bigan, and went to Bigan's tomb several times.
They were not going to pay homage to some loyal minister, but they thought Bigan knew where the tomb of King Zhou of Shang was.
They are looking for the whereabouts of King Zhou of Shang...
"It is easy to understand to pursue the king of the previous dynasty...",
Chen Zhi held the animal skin scroll in his hand, closed his eyes and thought,
"The previous monarch must be hunted down and he must not be given the chance to make a comeback!
This is an easy concept to understand!
But if the monarch of the previous dynasty has died and we just don’t know where he is buried, is it necessary to go to such great lengths to find him?
Is it because of hatred?
Want to drag his body out and whip it?
This is too childish!
And judging from what we know now, Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya were not at this level at that time!
Then why do we have to find its graveyard? We can’t let anyone know about it yet, so we have to find it secretly.
Could it be that?
King Zhou of Shang escaped with a secret, which he later took to the cemetery.
And this secret is very important, even related to the royal power!
It made Ji Fa and Jiang Ziya think that they must find him..."