佛祖歷代通載 2.90

2.90

(21) King Cheng, Song (son of King Wu; had his capital at Luo). At age thirteen he acceded to the throne. The Duke of Zhou acted as regent, instituted the rites and composed the music, and all under Heaven lived in harmony. After seven years he returned the governance to the King. Divination indicated thirty generations, and divination indicated seven hundred years. He ruled for forty-seven years. The Duke of Zhou established the rites and music between ruler and minister, and King Cheng praised him. He instituted the Three Excellencies (the Grand Tutor, the Grand Preceptor, and the Grand Guardian), the Nine Ministers (1. Minister of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, presiding over music; 2. Minister of the Household, presiding over wine and food; 3. Minister of Justice, presiding over penal laws; 4. Minister of the Imperial Clan, presiding over imperial relatives; 5. Minister of the Treasury, presiding over storehouses; 6. Minister of Agriculture, presiding over planting and harvesting; 7. Minister of Heraldry, presiding over barbarian guests; 8. Minister of the Imperial Coach, presiding over carriages and horses; 9. Minister of the Guards, presiding over furnishings and display), twenty-seven grand masters (three for each of the nine ranks), and eighty-one senior servicemen. He redetermined the five punishments and established the system of seven ancestral shrines. The Rites states: (The Royal Regulations: The Son of Heaven has seven ancestral shrines: three zhao and three mu, which, together with the shrine of the Supreme Ancestor, make seven. The commentary states: "This was the Zhou system. The seven shrines are the Supreme Ancestor, the two distant ancestor shrines of Wen and Wu, and four in the Pure Shrine—making seven. The Supreme Ancestor represents the altars of soil and grain. Zhao means bright, signifying the scrutiny of those below. Mu means solemn, signifying respect for those above. The Supreme Ancestor occupies the west facing east; the three zhao face south, and the three mu face north. As a rule, the spirit tablets of the mu are housed in the shrine of Wen, and the spirit tablets of the zhao are housed in the shrine of Wu. When there is a prayer, the tablets are brought out to be sacrificed to at the altar. The two distant shrines of Wen and Wu are offered seasonal sacrifices, all in the first months of the four seasons. The tablets of ancestors beyond the fifth generation are stored in the distant shrines; when there is a prayer they are brought out and moved to receive sacrifice, but without prayer it ceases.").