After Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin, both the nobility and common people focused all their energy on building the new capital, which eased class tensions and allowed the Shang Dynasty's power to rise. Later, Pan Geng died, and the throne passed successively to his younger brothers Xiao Xin and Xiao Yi. Neither Xiao Xin nor Xiao Yi reigned for long, and neither achieved much. After Xiao Yi's death, his son—Pan Geng's nephew—Wu Ding inherited the throne, becoming the 23rd ruler of the Shang Dynasty.
According to legend, when Wu Ding was still young, his father sent him to travel among the common people to widely experience social life, so that he could observe local customs, broaden his knowledge, and hone his abilities. Wu Ding went among the people on both sides of the Yellow River, learning about their daily lives and getting to know many commoners and slaves. He never acted as a prince but remained very humble and eager to learn, even joining them in labor. After living among the people for several years, Wu Ding acquired practical skills, and more importantly, he came to understand the hardships of life and labor, gaining deep insight into the real conditions at the bottom of society.
During the reigns of Kings Xiao Xin and Xiao Yi, the Shang Dynasty faced constant threats from the Western Rong tribes. By the time Wu Ding ascended the throne, the court's authority had already declined. However, Wu Ding was ambitious and aspired to restore the dynasty's former glory. According to the "Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of Yin," it is written: "When Emperor Wu Ding took the throne, he sought to revive the Yin dynasty but had yet to find capable ministers to assist him." To this end, he ordered his officials to travel across the land in search of and recommend virtuous and talented individuals.
At that time, at the border between the two ancient states of Yu and Guo, there was a place called Fuyan. A virtuous man named Yue, for reasons unknown, had fallen into slavery and was sent to Fuyan to perform hard labor. Fuyan was a key transportation route for land-salt shipments to the south of the Yellow River, with towering mountains. In summer, the melting snow on the mountain peaks caused mountain streams to swell, often resulting in floods that submerged roads and disrupted traffic. The slaves there used the conventional method of blocking floodwaters with earth and stones, but with little effect. While working alongside many other slaves, Yue was observant and thoughtful. In response to the floods, he invented the rammed-earth technique, which involved filling the space between two wooden boards with earth and then ramming it tightly to form sturdy walls—a remarkable invention for its time. This method not only allowed for the rapid construction of dams but also produced dams that were indestructible. Later, people even used this technique to build roads and houses. As a result, Yue became widely known and made a living through rammed-earth construction, yet despite his talents, he had no opportunity to put them to greater use.
Later, Wu Ding conducted a nationwide search for virtuous talents, and the laborers responsible for building flood control dikes at Fuyan recommended Yue to him. Upon hearing of Yue's deeds, Wu Ding personally went to meet him and sought his advice on governing the state and bringing peace to the world. Yue spoke with extraordinary eloquence, answered questions fluently, and analyzed issues with great depth. Wu Ding believed that Yue was indeed a rare genius capable of managing state affairs and benefiting the people, convinced that he was the one who could help him achieve great accomplishments, and secretly resolved to entrust him with important responsibilities.
However, Wu Ding also knew that promoting Shuo would inevitably face strong opposition from the nobles and ministers, as people held deep-seated notions of social hierarchy, and Shuo happened to be a slave. How could he select talent without being constrained by convention? Having just ascended the throne, he was not yet familiar with state affairs and needed the support of the nobles and ministers, so the matter of promoting Shuo had to be postponed for a while while he thought of a way.
To this end, King Wu Ding did not handle state affairs for three years. Every day at court, he remained silent, only listening to his ministers' discussions while observing from the sidelines, learning about national matters while avoiding manipulation by treacherous sycophants, and also seeking an opportunity to employ Yue. The ministers, unaware of what Wu Ding was thinking, all acted cautiously and spoke carefully. Over these three years, Wu Ding observed that both officials and commoners placed great importance on sacrificial rituals, which were always grand and solemn, revealing that people were deeply superstitious about ghosts and gods. Seizing on this, Wu Ding devised a clever plan.
One day, during the morning court session, Wu Ding pretended to fall asleep, even lightly snoring. Seeing this, none of the ministers dared to wake him, and they fell silent. After a while, Wu Ding woke up, rubbed his eyes, and said that in his dream, his ancestor King Tang told him that Heaven was about to bestow upon him a wise man to assist in governing state affairs. The ministers exchanged bewildered glances, unsure whether this was true or false. So, Wu Ding described the appearance of the wise man from his dream, had a painter draw a portrait, and ordered people to search for him.
Since it was Heaven's will, the ministers naturally dared not be negligent. First, they checked all officials at every level but found no one matching the portrait; then they began searching among the common people. Finally, in Fuyan, they found a person who looked exactly like the portrait—this man was named Yue. The ministers brought Yue before King Wuding. Wuding smiled and said, "He is precisely the sage I saw in my dream." At this point, although the ministers knew Yue was a slave, since he was sent by Heaven, they said nothing more. Wuding appointed Yue as Grand Steward, and Yue immediately wielded immense power, dominating both the court and the country.
After being appointed Grand Minister, he remained utterly loyal to Wu Ding, unreservedly dedicating his wisdom and talents to assist him. He vigorously reformed the government, "bringing peace and prosperity to the Shang state," which revitalized the Shang Dynasty's politics, economy, and culture. Both nobles and commoners had no complaints, and class conflicts eased, leading to the revival of Shang. Once the state grew powerful, Wu Ding launched large-scale wars against the Guifang, Tufang, Qiangfang, Renfang, and Hufang tribes, conquering many small states, expanding territory, and capturing numerous prisoners as slaves. The Shang Dynasty's rule reached its peak, historically known as the "Wu Ding Restoration" or the "Revival of the Yin Way." The reign of Wu Ding became the most prosperous period of the late Shang era.
Wu Ding reigned for 59 years and was the best Shang Dynasty ruler since Pan Geng. With his extraordinary talent and bold vision, he created the peak period of the Shang Dynasty, earning him the title of an enlightened monarch in history, and after his death, he was honored as Gaozong. The advisor who helped him achieve this great enterprise, named Yue, was revered by Wu Ding as a sage; because he was discovered by Wu Ding while building walls with rammed earth at Fuyan, he was later called "Fu Yue."
Fu Yue, possessing noble character and exceptional talent, proposed governance strategies that saved the Shang Dynasty from decline, making him a renowned statesman, military strategist, thinker, and architectural scientist of the Yin-Shang period. While still a slave, he invented the "rammed-earth technique," commonly known today as wall-building, a monumental achievement in China's architectural history that also advanced human construction practices. After becoming prime minister, he emerged as a famous minister of restoration, leaving behind three chapters of "Shuo Ming," included in the Confucian classic "Shang Shu." The text is divided into three parts: the upper chapter records Fu Yue's first meeting with King Wu Ding and discusses the king's need to humbly accept advice; the middle chapter records their dialogue on statecraft; the lower chapter contains mutual encouragement between ruler and minister, with the immortal phrase "Knowing is not difficult, but doing is difficult" standing as a timeless maxim.