Chapter 5

The "Xuan Niao" refers to the swallow. According to legend, the daughter of the Shong clan, Jian Di, swallowed swallow eggs and gave birth to Qi, the founder of the Shang Dynasty

Her last master was a foreign merchant with extraordinary connections. This merchant not only possessed endless wealth, countless slaves, and herds of cattle and sheep, but also maintained a private guard that frequently raided the remote villages of the Xia people, capturing entire villages to sell slaves in the Central Plains. Initially, he paid no attention to the servant girl, assigning her the task of washing clothes. However, once the servant girl’s injuries healed and her radiant beauty was restored, the merchant immediately pulled her into his bedroom.

When he finally felt he had enjoyed enough and thought that concentrating all his energy on one woman was a waste, the traveling merchant suddenly had a grand idea: "Such a beautiful woman, a figure of art, is a gift from God to all men in the world; how can I enjoy her alone?" He decided to perform a good deed by sending the beautiful woman to the shrine of the Xuan Bird to serve as a priestess.

This intermediate sorcerer was extremely fond of the concubine, to the extent that he neglected his legitimate wife. His wife, in a fit of rage, hung the concubine in front of her husband and ordered the slaves to beat her to death. The sorcerer was heartbroken and had no choice but to agree to sell the concubine again. This time, she was sold for merely two strings of shell money, as the concubine was already battered and on the verge of death, her original beauty obscured by humiliation and suffering

Elder Qi has already surpassed fifty years of age, with a receding hairline and missing teeth. His health has never been good, and after wasting too much energy on the miserly woman, he fell gravely ill within less than half a month. The miserly woman is unaware of this; for her beloved Wu Ding, the old man's death is the most exciting news since he ascended to the throne.

However, it was not easy to dismiss them. Six or seven slaves serving the noble lord in the inner chamber, who had gained his favor, all requested to marry the frugal woman. Among them, two even planned to first divorce their current wives for this purpose. The noble lord, indeed wise, summoned these slaves and reprimanded them, then bound the frugal woman and whipped her, saying: "Keeping this female slave in the household will bring disaster!" Thus, he simply sold the frugal woman and exchanged her for a bull for sacrificial purposes.

The uprising of the summer people by the Qi River provoked a brutal suppression by the foreign invaders. Although the father of the girl had not participated in any violent actions, he was still beheaded and placed alongside cattle and sheep, serving as a sacrificial offering to the gods by the noble class of the invaders. Before the girl could shed tears of mourning for her father's tragic fate, she was captured by the elder and taken into his bedroom

Wuding is the one who reunites with his youthful lover in the Shrine of the Mysterious Bird

The Se女 is a rare beauty among the Zhu Xia, with well-defined features, delicate skin, and long, black hair cascading down like silk—though she has yet to have the opportunity to wear silk clothing herself. During the grand ceremony in mid-spring to worship the Xuan Bird, all the young men of the village sing and dance with great effort, hoping to catch the Se女's eye, yet this beauty always finds herself in the embrace of Wu Ding—if Wu Ding is indeed a Xia person, then the Se女's father must have long since agreed to their marriage.

First, the lineage and surname of the Seeress were thoroughly investigated, and documents proving her identity were prepared. Subsequently, the merchant invited a teacher to instruct the Seeress in etiquette, writing, and the arts of intimacy, along with all the essential knowledge required of a priestess. In the third year after Wu Ding ascended the throne, the Seeress was finally able to escape hunger and cold, and she became a priestess at the Shrine of the Mysterious Bird in the Great City of Shang 3, nominally devoted to the deity, but in reality, devoted to the men of the world (referring, of course, to men of status). In the third year after Wu Ding ascended the throne, the Seeress was finally able to escape hunger and cold, and she became a priestess at the Shrine of the Mysterious Bird in the Great City of Shang 3, nominally devoted to the deity, but in reality, devoted to the men of the world (referring, of course, to men of status)

"3 'Dayi Shang', refers to the earliest capital of the Shang Dynasty, which thereafter continued to serve as the location of the highest ancestral temple, that is, the capital of sacrifices"

"2 'Fu' refers to clothing, and 'Fu' is indeed the official position responsible for managing the garments and adornments of the sovereign"

At the time when Wu Ding was feeling irritable and troubled, the Seeress was enduring the most desolate and arduous years of her life

Before the Marquis had passed away, his wife resentfully captured the concubine, whipped her, and then handed her over to her son, the future Marquis He. Marquis He was a wise nobleman who spent three nights with the concubine, and then after fasting and bathing, he reflected on himself: "Hmm, I now understand why my father fell seriously ill; beauty truly is a poison that erodes will and destroys the body!" He considered casually finding a slave to marry off the concubine.

The servant girl was sold three days before the death of the old marquis. Her second master was a noble from the eastern old capital of Yan, located five hundred li from the royal capital. His surname was based on his official title, as it is said that his ancestor had served as a minister in the past. The servant girl stayed in this household for more than half a year, and once the initial novelty wore off, her master sold her to a shaman.