In the year 546 AD, Xiao Luan, the Prince of Shaoling during the Liang Dynasty, was in his bedroom in southern Xuzhou when, in broad daylight, a civet cat was fighting on the windowsill and fell down, getting caught by him. This might not seem particularly unusual, but the events that followed were deeply unsettling. During the Taiqing era, amidst the chaos of the Hou Jing rebellion, Xiao Luan led troops to support Taicheng. When he reached Zhongshan, a hibernating bear suddenly emerged and attacked Xiao Luan's horse. This was surely an omen of doom! Later, Xiao Luan was defeated by Wang Sengbian and fled to Nanyang, ultimately being killed by the Western Wei.
In the Da Tong era of the Liang Dynasty, for several years, the cries of foxes could be heard at the palace gate at night, continuing for years before it finally stopped. In the "Yi Fei Hou," Jing Fang mentioned: “When wild beasts cry out in groups, the city is bound to be empty.” Sure enough, not long after, the country fell into chaos, and countless lives were lost in Jiankang.
In the early years of the Chen Dynasty's Zhenming era, a fox ran under the emperor's bed, and his guards could not catch it. Jing Fang again noted in the "Yi Fei Hou": “When a fox enters the ruler's chamber, the chamber will be forsaken.” Not long after, the Chen Dynasty was destroyed.
In the third year of the Wu Ding era of the Eastern Wei, a leopard invaded the southern gate of Ye City, only to be killed. In the eighth month of the fifth year, the leopard ran to Tongjue Terrace. The "Yi Fei Hou" states: “When wild beasts enter the city and reach the court, it is a great calamity, and the ruler will perish.” That year, the Eastern Wei was defeated in the Battle of Yubi, and Gao Huan also died.
In the second year of the Wu Ping era of the Northern Qi, a rabbit ran out of the ancestral temple. The "Yi Fei Hou" says: “When a rabbit enters the royal palace, the ruler will perish.” The ancestral temple is where the ancestral spirits reside! Five years later, the Zhou army invaded Ye City, and the last ruler of Northern Qi fled in terror.
During the waning days of the Wu Ping period of Northern Qi, wolves roamed everywhere in Bingzhou and Sizhou, even attacking people! The "Hong Fan Wu Xing Zhuan" states: "Wolves are greedy and violent beasts, predominantly white, symbolizing military disaster. They are also similar to dogs, bringing misfortune." Jing Fang in the "Yi Zhuan" also said: "When the ruler is unprincipled, harm will come to the people, and they will flee to the deep mountains to save themselves. The evil of wolves will consume people." At that time, the emperor surrounded himself with a group of bad people, was greedy and tyrannical, and harmed the common folk, which resulted in the grim reality of people being devoured! Soon after, the Northern Qi was destroyed by the Zhou army; these wolves eating people were indeed a symbol of military disaster.
During the Wu Ping era, a child's footprints suddenly appeared at the gate of Shuozhou, and dirt was piled up to resemble a city wall. People at the time found it very strange, and upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the mischief of a fox. Later, such occurrences spread to Bingzhou and Ye City. This was similar to the incident in the third year of Wu Ding in which a leopard entered the city; both were seen as ominous signs. That year, Prince Xiao Sihao of Nan'an raised an army to attack Bingzhou but was defeated by the imperial army; Zheng Zirao and Yang Fahao also rebelled in Shandong.
In the fourth year of the Tian Bao era of Northern Qi, strange occurrences of dogs mating with women appeared in Ye City and Dunqiu. The "Hong Fan Wu Xing Zhuan" states: "Mating between different species is a sign of chaos. The mating of dogs and humans is a premonition of disaster brought by dogs." The so-called canine disaster indicates an excess of yang energy and a loss of popular support. At that time, the emperor was indifferent to state affairs, and his grace did not benefit the common people.
Later, the emperor appointed dogs to high-ranking positions, and female dogs were even granted the title of lady and county lord, assigned to serve soldiers, eating fine rice and meat, and sleeping on soft beds and fine mats. Heaven stripped the emperor of his reason and bestowed titles upon dogs; this was a premonition of canine disaster! It was as if Heaven was saying that your subjects are just like dogs. The emperor did not understand this, ultimately leading to the eventual downfall of the kingdom.
In the third year of the Northern Zhou's Baoding era, a dog gave birth to a creature that was split in two below its waist, with two tails and six legs. The "Hong Fan Five Elements Biography" states: "Dogs are guardians of the house; now that it has left its owner, this is a sign of disloyalty among the subjects. The dog's form has transformed to resemble a wolf, which is often white, indicating that there will be war." At that time, Yuwen Hu and others were conspiring, and the dog's split body was seen as a dire omen!
In the first year of the Sui Dynasty, the dogs in the households at Yanmen Pass all abandoned their owners, running in groups into the wild, transforming into wolf-like creatures that even attacked and consumed people, a phenomenon that persisted for several years. The "Five Elements Biography" states: "Dogs are guardians; now leaving their owners is a symbol of disloyalty among the subjects. Changing into wolves, and wolves are white, is a sign of impending war." Later, the emperor constantly oppressed the people, ignoring the warning from heaven.
In the second year of the Liang Dynasty, white hair grew on the ground, two feet long, which appeared to be a good omen. Sun Sheng believed this was a sign of wasting resources and laboring the people. Previously, a large number of people were mobilized to build the Fu Shan Dam, which cost a lot and was about to be completed, but it repeatedly burst, leading to public fatigue over labor.
In the first year of the Qi Dynasty, in September, in Cangzhou and at the foot of the Great Wall, many strands of hair appeared on the ground, both white and black, four to five inches long, seeming to be a good omen. At that time, the Great Wall was being built in the north, and three platforms were being constructed domestically, resulting in suffering for the populace.
In July of the sixth year of the Kaihuang of the Sui Dynasty, a fine drizzle fell in the capital, with raindrops ranging from three feet long to six or seven inches. The "Yi Feihou" states: "When there is drizzle, there will be a great famine in the country." At that time, the Guanzhong region was experiencing drought, leading to skyrocketing rice prices.
During the reign of Emperor Tian Tong of Northern Qi, a piece of jade bi unexpectedly appeared from the Fengshan Altar on Mount Tai, a sign of good fortune. Mount Tai has always been a place where emperors change dynasties and offer sacrifices to the heavens and earth. Now, this sacrificial treasure, the jade bi, appeared by itself, signifying a coming change of dynasty and that someone would soon use this jade bi for heavenly sacrifices. Indeed, not long after, Northern Qi was destroyed, and its territory was annexed by the Zhou dynasty. Later, Gaozu accepted the abdication of the Zhou dynasty, unifying the world. This was probably the fulfillment of the sacrificial ceremony performed on Mount Tai burning grass and wood back then.
In the third year of Wu Ping, the phrase "Qi has fallen" appeared on the green stone wall below Baishuiyan. Some people changed these words to "prosperity," and the emperor thought it was a good omen, and all the civil and military officials came to congratulate him. However, the Zhou army invaded, and the emperor indeed fled Ye City.
In the seventeenth year of Kaihuang, between Wu'an and Fuyang, more than ten stones fell in succession. The "Hong Fan Five Elements" text warns: "Stones falling from the sky indicate danger for the ruler!" Indeed, seven years later, the emperor died.
Towards the end of the Kaihuang era, Gaozu buried two small stones in the palace grounds as markers to indicate the position of the bed. Not long after, these two stones astonishingly transformed into jade! Liu Xiang once said: "When something worthless becomes precious, it is a sign of a huge change about to happen!" Indeed, during the Deyuan era of the Sui dynasty, rebellions and uprisings erupted everywhere, with people bold enough to declare themselves emperors.
In the thirteenth year of Deyuan, a stone appeared in Xiping County with the phrase "The Emperor Reigns for a Thousand Years" inscribed on it. The entire court was ecstatic and offered their congratulations. However, some wise observers expressed their concerns, saying, "A thousand years refers to matters after death. Saying 'The Emperor Reigns for a Thousand Years' now means disaster is about to come!" Indeed, the following year, the emperor was assassinated.
In the twelfth year of the Da Tong period of the Liang Dynasty, at the entrance of the tunnel in Qu'a Jianling, the stone qilin actually moved on its own! Wood conquers metal; the qilin moving is a sign of impending change! It seems the heavens are warning that this tomb will be left without a master, and the stone qilin will be moved by someone. Later, the Liang Dynasty indeed perished.
In the fourth year of Heqing in the Northern Qi Dynasty, the stones in the palace suddenly began to move on their own, colliding with one another. Sui Meng said that these stones had heavy Yin energy, like humans. The movement of the stones in the palace was seen as a sign of betrayal by trusted aides. Sure enough, when the Zhou Dynasty army marched east, favored officials like Wei Xiangyuan, Qi Fugui and his brothers, Han Jianye, etc., all betrayed and joined the Zhou Dynasty.
In the first month of the twelfth year of the Da Tong period of Liang Emperor, two statues of demon-warding were sent to Jianling. The demon-warding statue with double horns on the left side arrived smoothly at the tomb. The demon-warding statue with a single horn on the right side, as soon as they attempted to move it, leaped three times in succession on the cart! As a result, both shafts of the cart were broken by it! They had no choice but to switch carts. Before they had traveled two miles from the tomb, it jumped three more times! Every time it jumped, the passengers on the cart were so frightened that they all jumped up together, three to four feet off the ground, and the cart wheels sank three inches deep into the ground! This demon-warding statue was incredibly powerful, radiating golden light all around! Liu Xiang once said: "Without the people's support, orders cannot be enforced, and words go unheeded; this occurs when the golden energy is disrupted. Stones belong to Yin, symbolizing ministers. Changes among the ministers are imminent; this is a fulfillment of prophecy." In his later years, Liang Emperor did not care about state affairs at all; he and his ministers spent their days immersed in Buddhist scriptures and metaphysical discussions. The court fell into chaos; orders went unissued, and words went unheard—this was the consequence! Ultimately leading to the rebellion of Hou Jing.
In the first year of the reign of Emperor Zhou, a stone statue was discovered in Puyang County. County officials ordered it to be taken to the prefecture, planning to strip the gold from it. The statue unexpectedly jumped up on the way and fell to the ground, and this happened two more times! Later, they used thick ropes to tie it to the side of the cart, but the ropes broke, and it fell to the ground once more! At that time, the emperor had just defeated the Qi Kingdom and was waging war on Huainan; the war dragged on, the people were worn out, and discontent was growing. The statue's antics were a clear sign of the emperor losing the people's support!
