General Deng Zhi of the Shu Kingdom went to fight in Fuling and saw a monkey on the mountain. He shot an arrow at it and hit it. The monkey removed the arrow and rolled up a leaf to cover its wound. Deng Zhi said, "Oh, I've gone against the natural order; I'm probably going to die!" Not long after, Deng Zhi died; this was the consequence of slaying a demon! Some say that at that time, the monkey was carrying a baby; Deng Zhi shot the monkey, and the baby monkey removed the arrow and covered its wound with a leaf. Deng Zhi sighed and threw the crossbow into the water; he knew he was going to die.
When Emperor Gong was still the King of Langya, he had a penchant for peculiar things. He once locked a horse in a pen and had people shoot at it to see how many arrows it would take to bring it down. Someone advised, "The horse is a symbol of the royal family! Shooting it now is not auspicious!" So they stopped, but the horse had already been shot with more than ten arrows. This too could be seen as slaying a demon! Not long after, Emperor Gong abdicated in favor of the Song Dynasty.
On the day of Jia Shen in the first month of the Qinglong era of Emperor Ming of Wei, a Qinglong appeared in the Mobo well in Ji County. Generally speaking, when auspicious signs appear at the wrong time, they become demons, especially when trapped in a well; it is not a good omen. The Wei Dynasty changed its reign name because of this, which was actually incorrect. Gan Bao said, "From Emperor Ming to the downfall of the Wei Dynasty, the appearances of the Qinglong and Huanglong were omens of the rise and fall of the Wei Dynasty. The national fortune of Wei is associated with wood and is represented by the color green, yet it cannot compete with gold. The appearance of the Huanglong and the disappearance of the Qinglong symbolize the Qinglong losing its position and the Huanglong gaining its position. The repeated appearances of the Qinglong indicate internal conflicts in the national fortune of Wei. Therefore, Gao Guixiangong eventually perished in war." Liu Xiang's explanation is that the dragon is a symbol of nobility, but being trapped in a well indicates disasters of being imprisoned for the feudal lords. During the Wei Dynasty, dragons always appeared in wells; this signaled the oppression of the ruled by the rulers. The "Hidden Dragon Poem" by Gao Guixiangong reflects this idea.
On the day of October 10th in the first year of the Gao Gui Xiang era of Zheng Yuan, a yellow dragon appeared in a well in Ye City. On the day of the first month, on the day of Xin Chou, in the first year of the Gan Lu era, a green dragon appeared in a well in Zhi County. On the day of June, Yi Chou, a green dragon appeared in a well in Yuan Cheng County. In the second year of Gan Lu, in the second month, a green dragon appeared in a well in Wen County. In the third year of Gan Lu, the yellow and green dragons appeared together in wells in Dunqiu, Guanjun, and Yangxia counties. In the first month of the fourth year of Gan Lu, a yellow dragon appeared twice in wells in Ning Ling County.
On the day of December 10th in the first year of the Yuan Emperor's Jing Yuan era, a yellow dragon appeared in a well in Hua Yin County. In the second month of the third year of Jing Yuan, a dragon appeared in a well in Zhi County.
During the Tian Ce era of Sun Hao in the Wu Kingdom, a dragon laid eggs in a Changsha household, eating chicks. According to Jing Fang's "Yi Yao," it is said: "When a dragon lays eggs in a household, the ruler will become a commoner." Later, Sun Hao was indeed overthrown by the Jin Dynasty.
It is said that on the day of June 25th in the second year of the Xian Ning era of the Western Jin's Wu Emperor, two white dragons appeared in the well of Jiu Yuan. In the fifth year of Tai Kang, on the day of the first month, Gui Mao, two more dragons appeared in the well of the armory. The emperor saw them and was quite pleased, and all the officials prepared to congratulate him. But only Liu Yi submitted a letter stating: "Previously, dragons appeared in the courtyard of the Xia Dynasty, and later the Xia Dynasty was destroyed; dragons appeared at the gates of Zheng State, and Zi Chan did not congratulate." The emperor replied, "My virtuous governance is not yet in place; I do not have the qualification to receive such auspicious signs." As a result, no congratulations were given. Sun Sheng said: "Dragons are aquatic creatures; what does that have to do with people? Zi Chan is right! But the place where the dragon appears is not right; it is actually an omen of disaster. A dragon must soar and manifest to be considered auspicious; now it is hiding in dark places, which is a bad sign."
In the second year of Emperor Hui of Han, two dragons appeared in a well in Lan Ling, and at that time, some believed this signaled the impending death of Zhao Wang You Wang. The armory is where the emperor stores weapons; it is tall and tightly constructed, not a place for dragons to be. Seven years later, the feudal lords turned on each other, and twenty-eight years later, indeed, both of these traitors had the surname Long, which truly fulfilled the previous omen.
In the second year of Jianxing in the reign of Emperor Min, in November, a courtesan from the Fuhan Qiang tribe gave birth to a dragon son, whose color was as beautiful as brocade. He often drank his mother's milk and radiated a divine light, but very few people could see it. This indicated that the emperor's virtue was in decline, which ultimately led to the downfall of Emperor Min.
In the later period of Lü Zuan's rule, a dragon emerged from a well in the east wing and coiled in front of his palace, disappearing by dawn. Soon after, another black dragon flew to his palace gate. Lü Zuan interpreted this as a good omen. Someone remarked, "The dragon is a feminine thing, and its appearances follow a pattern. Now that they are appearing one after another, someone must be plotting a rebellion." Later, Lü Zuan was indeed killed by Lü Chao.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Western Jin in the years of Xian Ning, two large snakes appeared in the Ministry of Works, each over ten zhang long, residing on the beams of the meeting hall, unknown to the people. For several years, children and pigs and dogs often went missing from the residence. Eventually, one night, a snake came out and was injured by someone, rendering it unable to escape, which led to their eventual discovery. People were sent to attack, and after quite some time, they finally killed the snake. The Ministry of Works oversaw education; this indicated that imperial power was unstable, hence the appearance of such strange occurrences. During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, a snake also appeared on the imperial throne, and Yang Ci said this was the emperor's retribution for his indulgence in wine and women. During the Wei and Jin periods, there were many palace maids, and even more in the Yan state. The emperor was obsessed with wine and women, which was retribution. The Book of Songs says, "Only the viper, only the snake, is a sign of women," meaning this.
On March 23, 300 AD, a gigantic snake appeared in the city of Linzi, over ten zhang long, accompanied by two small snakes. It entered the city through the north gate, passed through the market, and then disappeared into the shrine of King Jing of Han. This was undoubtedly a divine warning! It was as if to say that although King Jing of Han had made great contributions back in the day, he failed to exercise caution and ultimately lost his position and his achievements. Now, Qi Wang Jiong is the same; although he has also made some accomplishments, he is arrogant and has invited disaster, this is a clear portent!
In the year 317 AD, during the reign of Emperor Ming in the Tai Ning period, a large snake appeared in Wuchang, living in a hollow tree in an old shrine, often sticking its head out to be fed by locals. Jing Fang mentioned in "Yi Yao": "When a snake appears in the city, within three years there will be a large-scale war, and the country will face great disasters." It wasn't long before Wang Dun launched a rebellion.
In the year 329 AD, the first year of Emperor Wu's reign during the Tai Xi period, a long-horned horse appeared in Liaodong, with horns three inches long, growing beneath its ears. According to Liu Xiang, this was a sign of impending military disaster! Later, after the emperor passed away, the royal family indeed faced severe turmoil, fulfilling the prophecy! Jing Fang also said in "Yi Zhuan": "When ministers oppress the emperor and government affairs are not smooth, there will be strange occurrences like horses growing horns, indicating a lack of virtuous people!" He also said: "When the Son of Heaven personally goes to war, the horse will grow horns." "Lü Shi Chun Qiu" also states: "When a ruler loses virtue, the horse will grow horns." After Emperor Hui ascended the throne, he was foolish and tyrannical, and even personally led an expedition to Chengdu—wasn't this a fulfillment of the prophecy!
In the year 308 AD, in December, the crown prince was to hold a sacrificial ceremony. The Grand Tutor, Zhao Wang Lun, rode in a carriage to the South City Gate, but the horse suddenly stopped, and several strong men could not move it at all. Wang Lun had to switch to a lighter sedan chair to continue. This horse clearly indicated something was wrong! Heaven was clearly warning him! It suggested that Wang Lun did not understand the rules and would ultimately rebel, not being someone who understands how to teach others respect!
In the year 309 AD, on the day of Wu Yin in November, a male chestnut horse suddenly ran into the courtroom of the Ting Wei in a panic, let out a mournful cry, and died. This was clearly a warning from heaven! It seemed to convey that wronged souls were seeking justice! Running into the Ting Wei's courtroom, the heavenly intention was too obvious!
In the year 311 AD, in the sixth year of Emperor Huai's Yong Jia era, a divine horse cried out at the South City Gate.
In the year 318 AD, in the second year of the Jianxing era of Emperor Min, a strange event occurred in Puzi County when a horse gave birth to a human-like creature. Jing Fang said in the "Yi Zhuan": "When the emperor dies and the princes fight each other, strange events like horses giving birth to humans will occur." At that time, the royal family was declining, facing threats from the nomadic tribes, and war was approaching. Soon, the emperor was captured, which led to these bizarre occurrences.
In the year 329 AD, in Danyang County, an official named Puyang Yan had a horse that gave birth to a two-headed foal, but it died shortly after being born. Sima Biao said: "This indicates that there are problems in his family's governance, because the two-headed horse symbolizes unrest within the family." Later, Wang Dun indeed rebelled, and his forces moved toward Jiankang.
In May of the year 342 AD, a completely blood-red horse appeared, running straight from Xuanyang Gate to the front of the palace, circling around the palace before running away, eluding all pursuers. A few days later, the emperor fell ill and passed away in June. This red horse was a sign of disaster and served as an ominous omen. In the same year, Zhang Chonghua in Liangzhou was preparing to kill the Prefect of Xiriver Zhang Xiang, and all the horses in Zhang Chonghua's stable suddenly lost their tails!
In October of the year 398 AD, a horse with horns appeared in Liangzhou, and the governor Guo Quan reported this to Huan Xuan. According to Liu Xiang, horses should not have horns, just like Huan Xuan should not have rebelled. Huan Xuan ignored this warning and ultimately faced ruin.
When Shi Le was in Ye City, one of his horses had a singed tail. It entered through the main gate of the palace, exited through a side gate, and no one in the Eastern Palace was able to stop it. It ran towards the northeast and quickly disappeared. The diviner Fotu Cheng sighed: "Disaster is imminent!" The following year, Shi Le died, and his kingdom was destroyed.
During the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei in the Huangchu era, the mother of Song Shizong from Qinghe transformed into a tortoise and disappeared into the water.
In the year 243 AD, a peasant girl named Qiu Xi who was under the command of Cao Xiu died and, after a few days, began to breathe again. Around the same time, someone opened the tomb of an emperor from the Zhou Dynasty and found the body of a sacrificial woman, who, after a few days, began to breathe. Although she was unable to speak for several months, Empress Dowager Guo adopted her. Additionally, in Taiyuan, a living woman was discovered inside an opened coffin, though she did not know how she ended up there. According to Jing Fang's "Yi Zhuan," it is said that "The Yin energy transforms into Yang energy, and those of low status can rise to higher positions." This was interpreted as an omen of Emperor Xuan's rise. Similar strange occurrences happened during the reigns of Emperor Ping and Emperor Xian, with people believing them to be signs of the rise of Wang Mang and Cao Cao.
In the year 261 AD, a man named Chen Jiao from Anwu County died and, seven days later, crawled out of his grave. Gan Bao said, "This is similar to the situation of Emperor Xuan of Han, indicating that the Marquis of Wucheng, Hao, would revive the extinguished family line and gain power."
In the first year of Sun Hao's reign as emperor, a man named Xuan Qian from Danyang saw his 80-year-old mother transform into a giant turtle while she was bathing. Xuan Qian and his brothers quickly closed the door to protect her. They dug a large pit in the hall, filled it with water, and the turtle played in it, always looking out with its neck extended. If the door was slightly ajar, it would immediately turn around, jump out, and run to a distant pond, never to return. This incident, similar to the one involving the mother of the Huang clan during Emperor Ling of Han's reign, was viewed as a sign of the state's impending downfall.
In the second year of the Xianxi era of Emperor Yuan of Wei, in August, someone in Xiangwu County reported seeing a giant over three zhang tall, with footprints measuring three chi and two cun, white hair, wearing a yellow headscarf and yellow robe, holding a cane, and shouting loudly, "There will be peace now!" Shortly thereafter, the Jin Dynasty replaced the Wei Dynasty.
In the fifth year of the Tai Shi era under Emperor Wu, a seventy-year-old man in Yuancheng grew horns. This was likely a portent of Zhao Wang Lun's usurpation! In December of the second year of the Xian Ning era, a man named Yan Ji from Langya died of illness. His coffin had been buried for a while, but his family all dreamt that Yan Ji told them, "I am going to come back to life, quickly open the coffin!" So, the family opened the coffin, and Yan Ji surprisingly could eat slowly, move his limbs, see, and hear, but he couldn't walk or talk. He died again two years later. In Jing Fang's "Yi Zhuan," it says, "The ultimate yin transforms into yang, and lower-class people become upper-class people; such strange occurrences are people coming back to life after death." Later, Liu Yuanhai and Shi Le rebelled, which seemed to fulfill the prophecy of "lower-class people becoming upper-class people," didn’t it?
During the Yuan Kang era of Emperor Hui, there was a girl named Zhou Shining in Anfeng who gradually transformed into a boy by the age of eight. By seventeen or eighteen, she had completely taken on a boy's personality. Jing Fang's "Yi Zhuan" states, "A woman transforming into a man is called yin prevailing; a lowly person becomes a king." This also hinted at the chaos that Liu Yuanhai and Shi Le would unleash upon the world!
At the beginning of the Yong Ning era, Qi Wang Jiong raised an army to suppress the rebels and support the emperor's restoration. Suddenly, a woman ran to the entrance of the Grand Marshal's residence, asking to leave her child with them. The gatekeeper asked her what was going on, and the woman replied, "I just had a cesarean and need to leave." Back then, Qi Wang Jiong helped the emperor restore the monarchy, and everyone credited him for it, but those in the know suspected he had ulterior motives. As expected, Qi Wang Jiong was later killed.
On the Jiazi day in December of Yong Ning's first year, a white-haired old man ran to Qi Wang Jiong's Grand Marshal's residence, shouting loudly, "A great army is about to rise within ten days!" Qi Wang Jiong had him killed. The following year, on the Wuchen day in December, Qi Wang Jiong was defeated, which was exactly ten days later.
In April of the first year of Tai'an, on the day of Guiyou, a man broke into the palace directly from Longmen, bowed twice to the north, and boldly declared, "I should be the Chief of the Imperial Secretariat!" He was immediately beheaded on the spot. Gan Bao thought this was unusual and said, "The palace is forbidden, heavily guarded, yet this person could swagger in without being noticed by the guards. This indicates that the palace will soon be empty, a sign of the rise of lower-class people over the upper-class." Later, the emperor eventually moved north to Ye City, then to Chang'an, and the palace was ultimately vacated.
During the Yuankang period, a woman from Liang State was engaged and had received betrothal gifts, but her fiancé went to Chang'an to serve in the army and did not return for several years. Her family then arranged for her to be engaged to someone else. The woman was unwilling to marry, but her parents insisted, so she reluctantly went and soon fell ill and died. Later, her fiancé returned, inquired about her whereabouts, and was informed by her family of what had happened. Overcome with grief, he decided to open the grave, whereupon the woman miraculously came back to life, and they returned home together. Later, when the new fiancé found out, he went to the authorities, but they were at a loss as to what to do. The Secretary Wang Dao said, "This matter is too unusual to judge by common sense. It should be returned to the original fiancé." The court accepted his suggestion.
During the reign of Emperor Hui, when Du Xi's family was burying their deceased, a maid was inadvertently left unburied. Ten years later, when the tomb was reopened for a joint burial, it was discovered that the maid was still alive! At first, she seemed to be asleep, but gradually woke up and said she felt as though she had been asleep for two nights. She was fifteen or sixteen when she was buried, and after the tomb was opened, she still looked fifteen or sixteen, and later went on to marry and have children.
In the first year of Guangxi, there was a woman named Xie Zhen in Kuaiji who gave birth to a child with an unusually large head, born with hair, two feet pointing upwards, and surprisingly had both male and female bodies, who made male sounds at birth, and died the next day. This indicates the emperor's immorality; the lower class rebels against the upper class, so the princes show signs of rebellion.
During the reign of Emperor Hui, there were people in Jingluo who were androgynous, could have relationships with both men and women, and exhibited particularly promiscuous behavior, a result of the chaotic times. Starting from the Xianning and Taikang periods, male favorites became popular, even more so than favoring women; scholars and officials took pride in having male favorites, and people all over the world followed suit, resulting in marital discord, resentment, and confusion between the sexes, which led to the appearance of monsters.
In the first year of Yongjia of Emperor Huai, a slave girl named Wan Xiang in Wu County gave birth to a child with a bird's head, horse hooves for feet, only one hand, no hair, and a yellow tail the size of a pillow. This is also a monster, a symbol of the chaotic times.
It is said that in the fifth month of the fifth year, the concubine of Yan Gen, the magistrate of Fanghan County in Gansu, gave birth to a monster: a dragon, a girl, and a goose. Jing Fang said in the "Yi Zhuan": "When something non-human is born, it is a sign of great chaos in the world." At that time, Emperor Hui of Jin had just died, the realm was in turmoil, and later Emperor Hui was killed by Shi Le. The birth of this monster indeed validated Jing Fang's prophecy.
During the fourth year of Emperor Jin Min's reign, the wife of an official named Ren Qiao in Xin Cai County gave birth to a pair of conjoined twins, whose stomachs and hearts were connected, but separated from the chest upwards and below the navel. This was an unusual and extraordinary event! At that time, the Minister of the Interior, Lu Hui, presented: "The 'Ruiyingtu' mentions that when tree branches are intertwined, it is called 'lianli zhi', and when a single rice ear has two grains, it is called 'jiahe'. These are all auspicious signs. Unusual phenomena in plants are considered auspicious signs, not to mention when two people are of the same heart and virtue. The 'Book of Changes' says 'when two people are of the same heart, their benefits are as strong as gold'. This is an auspicious sign of peace in the world!" At that time, everyone thought he was talking nonsense, but soon after, the world descended into chaos, and Emperor Min also died.
During the reign of Emperor Yuan of Jin, there was a woman with her genitals on her stomach, below the navel. She ran from the Central Plains to Jiangdong, was promiscuous and was unable to bear children. There was another woman whose genitals were on her head, living in Yangzhou, and was also particularly promiscuous. Jing Fang said in the 'Yiyao': "When a person gives birth with genitals on the head, the world will be in great chaos; when they are on the stomach, great events will occur in the world; when they are on the back, the world will be devoid of descendants." At that time, Wang Dun occupied the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and was preparing to rebel, and this bizarre phenomenon confirmed Jing Fang's prophecy.
In December of the third year, the wife of the Minister Zu Xie Ping gave birth to a baby girl who emitted a "pu pu" sound upon hitting the ground, and died shortly after. Her nose and eyes were on top of her head, her face resembled a neck, her mouth had teeth fused together, her chest was like a turtle shell, and her
In the fourth month of the fifth year of Emperor Cheng of Jin's Xiankang era, Wang He, a resident of Xiapi, was living in Ji Yang. His daughter, Ke, aged twenty, claimed to be from heaven and even received the heavenly seal, declaring herself the mother of the world. The Jinling Prefect considered her a demon and imprisoned her. In the eleventh month, a man carrying a mulberry wood staff and wearing crimson clothes arrived at the palace gate, claiming to be a sage sent to meet the emperor. When the guards asked for his name, he said his name was Lv Ci. He also mentioned that there were seven stars under Ke's right foot, each with hair and measuring seven inches long, and that heaven wanted to establish her as the mother of the world. After this was reported to the authorities, both Lv Ci and Wang He's daughter Ke were killed.
In October of the year 419 AD, the camp supervisor of the Wei General was passing by Chen Du Nv Tai when his soldiers discovered a strange phenomenon: a soldier's foot had the words "Mother of the World" written on it. After moxibustion, the markings became clearer. This news spread to Jiankang (modern-day Nanjing) and caused a stir, prompting the authorities to arrest the soldier and get ready to report it to the court. However, the soldier escaped from the prison in Jiankang County shortly after. The next year, Emperor Kang died, and the empress (Empress Xian) began to rule in his place, which was seen as an omen!
During the Ninkang period of Emperor Xiaowu in the year 414 AD, a woman named Tang from Nanjunzhou Ling gradually transformed into a man!
In the year 411 AD, there was a person named Zhao Wei in Wuxi who was only eight years old at the time, suddenly grew to eight feet tall and grew a beard, looking like an adult. Sadly, he died just three days later.
During the Yixi period (405-418 AD), a family surnamed Mo in Dongyang had a daughter, but they chose not to raise her and buried her. A few days later, they heard the sound of a baby crying from the ground. They dug up the child and found her alive, so they continued to raise her.
In the later period of the Yixi era, in Yuzhang, Wuping, two hermaphrodites were born, which was very rare, as they were twins.
In 419 AD, there was an intersex person named Yang Dao from Jian'an who was originally headless, but later his body returned to normal, and he became a woman.
