Boyi and Shuqi

Boyi and Shuqi lived during the reign of the last Shang ruler Di Xin, who at this point had become given over to drinking, women, sex, and a disdain for morals.

Sima Qian provides lurid details of prolonged orgies of drunken sex and acts of violence and torture, during which he refused to heed the advice of his ministers.

In contrast to Shang, the leadership of Zhou was famous for its provision of food and protection for its subjects, in part due to their advances in agricultural techniques.

Traditionally, the succession to the rulership would have gone to the elder son, namely Boyi; but, when Shuqi was preferred to succeed him as ruler, rather than engaging in conflict or disharmonious relationships, together they fled to the Zhou territory; which, at the time was actively encouraging immigration, particularly of skilled and talented persons.

The moral sensitivities of Boyi and Shuqi were such that they would not abide by the violence and horror then rampant in the directly ruled part of Shang territory due to the misrule of emperor Di Xin.

Wu's outraged guards would have killed the brothers, except for the intervention of general Jiang Taigong, who recognized the sincerity of their moral convictions.

According to a version, which appears in the Heavenly Questions, the brothers were eventually warned not to eat the ferns by a maiden (or other unidentified woman), after which a white deer miraculously appeared, suckling them, nurturing them with her milk, and thus preventing immediate starvation; however, all known versions of the story end with the demise of Boyi and Shuqi, by starvation.

Their starvation in the story, whilst various evildoers thrive, seems to contradict the common belief that Heaven rewards good and punishes evil.

Sima addresses the question of whether there are consequences for choosing good or evil, by comparing Boyi with the robber Zhi (盜), who was said to have lived to a ripe old age feeding on human flesh, among other heinous deeds.