Heaven’s Law governs the inner human heart, and human law regulates the external physical realm. In Xi Qi, a woodcutter named Wu Ji lived with his elderly mother and made a living by gathering and selling firewood.
One day, while passing by the Pan River, he encountered Jiang Ziya, an old sage fishing by the river. As they conversed, Jiang Ziya read Wu Ji’s fortune and warned him that he would face a life-threatening misfortune that day. Wu Ji’s initial reaction was disbelief as he continued his journey to the city.
Later that day, as Wu Ji entered the city to sell his firewood, he passed through the South Gate just as King Wen’s carriage approached. The marketplace was narrow, and in an attempt to make way, Ji shifted his shoulder pole. In doing so, he accidentally struck a gate guard named Wang Xiang. Unfortunately, the blow was fatal as Wang Xiang lost his life on the spot. Ji was immediately arrested and brought before King Wen.
King Wen declared: “Wu Ji has taken a life and must pay for it with his own.” Such was the law at that time. Instead of sending him to a prison cell, King Wen ordered his attendants to draw a circle on the ground and place a wooden post inside symbolising the prison guard. King Wen placed Wu Ji in the circle and decreed that he be confined, then left to attend to other matters.
Imagine a condemned murderer, imprisoned within nothing but a drawn circle, with no chains, no walls, and no threats — yet he did not try to escape. Such obedience and self-governance would never occur in today’s world.
The power of moral law in Xi Qi
During the reign of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty, all regions had formal prisons. Only in Xi Qi did something like “drawing a prison on the ground” exist. The reason for this lay in King Wen’s wisdom.
King Wen was a sage who understood the Eight Trigrams (Ba Gua) principles and the universe’s workings. He knew that the purpose of the law was not merely to impose punishment but to govern the human heart. A person’s fortune or misfortune is ultimately tied to the will of Heaven. Those who cultivate goodness naturally reap good outcomes, while those who harbor evil will inevitably suffer the consequences.
Thus, rather than relying solely on the external enforcement of law, the people of Xi Qi governed themselves through an internal reverence for the way of Heaven. This deep respect for “divine order” kept their actions in check. Ji’s respect for this law enabled him to remain inside the designated circle, as decreed by King Wen.
A cry that moved the heavens
On the third day of his confinement, Ji was heard crying uncontrollably. A high-ranking minister, San Yisheng, happened to be passing by. He stopped and asked: “Taking a life means paying yourself. This is the natural order of things. Why are you crying?”
Ji replied: “I am not crying over my death. It is only right that I repay a life with my own. But I’m thinking of my elderly mother, who is over seventy years old. I have no siblings, no wife, and no children. She depends on me to survive! I will be unable to repay her grace and she will surely starve to death. This thought pains me beyond words!”
It was clear to Yisheng that Ji was not lamenting his fate or complaining about the injustice of his circumstances. He accepted his punishment with a clear conscience. What grieved him was that his mother had nurtured him for so many years, yet now he had to repay another person’s life with his own, leaving his mother alone in despair.
His words were a pure expression of filial piety — an embodiment of innate human goodness that deeply touched Yisheng. Hearing this, Yisheng said: “Wu Ji, do not cry! I will go to the king and request your release. You shall return home to provide for your mother, and when autumn comes, we will settle this matter according to the law.”
Wu Ji immediately kowtowed in gratitude. King Wen, upon hearing the plea, granted him temporary release. Ji bore no malice in his heart, and his sincere virtue — his unwavering sense of righteousness and filial duty — moved San Yisheng to seek some time for Ji to provide for his mother.
Only the law of heaven can judge the human heart
Human laws exist to enforce the bare minimum of morality and seek to restrain any wayward outer actions. It is known that human nature is complex, and that no legal system can perfectly measure the depths of good and evil within a person’s heart. This is why, throughout history, justice has required written laws and judges who possess great wisdom and virtue.
Human laws may be manipulated by power and wealth. In the shadows, countless injustices occur — crimes that evade earthly punishment. But divine justice does not falter. Heaven’s Principle is the actual net from which nothing escapes. To betray one’s conscience is to invite misfortune upon oneself, because in the end, it is known that “Heaven is always watching!”
In today’s world, a man like Wu Ji — pure, unburdened by resentment, steadfast in his sense of duty — is truly a rare and precious soul.
Translated by Katy Liu and edited by Maria
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