Note 14 — Chapter XV · Mythical and Legendary Kings
Reading edition
Wonderful things happened to prove that Tʼang was the chosen by Heaven to reign over the Empire. When he visited the altar of Yao, he dropped a jewel into the water. “Lo! yellow fishes leapt up in pairs; a blackbird followed him, and stood on the altar, where it changed into a black gem.” There also appeared a black tortoise, which had on its back characters intimating that Tʼang was to become the Emperor. A spirit appeared on Mount Pei at the same time. “Another spirit, dragging a white wolf, with a hook in his mouth, entered the court of Shang. The virtue of metal waxed powerful; silver overflowed from the hills.” Tʼang himself dreamed that “he went to the sky and licked it. After this he became possessor of the Empire.”14