Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s3.t2.9

v2.c11.s3.t2.9

The court version of *Cīna-Rāja-Vijaya-Gītā* recompiled by Wei Zheng is renamed as *Seven Merits*, which extols the seven merits of Emperor Taizong just as its name implies. The melody is unknown for us today, but through the *New Yueh-Fu·Seven Merits Dance* created by Bai Juyi, who enjoyed the *Cīna-Rāja-Vijaya-Gītā* during Yuanhe period (806-820 CE), we can get a glimpse of the general meaning of its contents: Emperor Taizong orders to present silk to those people who bury the bodies of soldiers without relatives (first merit). In a great famine, gold and silver in the national treasury are offered to starving people selling their children for food, so that they could get their children back (second merit). When Wei Zheng was seriously ill, Emperor Taizong dreamt of Wei Zheng saying farewell to him at night; he woke up surprised and couldn't help crying; another minister Zhang Gongjin passed away, Emperor Taizong arranged his funeral by himself in great sorrow (third merit). Thousands of the maids who had been confined in the royal palace for a long time were released under the order of the Emperor (fourth merit). Emperor Taizong inquires the law cases by himself all the time for fear of unjust cases (fourth merit); Emperor Taizong was kind enough to send 400 condemned prisoners back home and wanted to punish them the next year, and when the time came, all 400 prisoners came back for death. (fifth merit). General Li Ji was greatly ill, and the doctor said his disease must be treated by the drugs mixed with ashes of the emperor's beard; emperor Taizong then cut off his beard and burnt it (sixth merit). General Li Simo was shot by an arrow. Emperor Taizong sucked the poisoned blood out for him personally (seventh merit).