Shao Kang's restoration brought prosperity to the Xia Dynasty and solidified the royal family's rule. After this, the Xia Dynasty continued for over four hundred years, lasting until the seventeenth ruler—Jie.
Xia Jie, also known as Gui or Lü Gui, was the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty. He was a legendary figure, exceptionally talented in literature and unmatched in martial arts—able to straighten an iron hook with his bare hands and fend off tigers and leopards unarmed. With such extraordinary abilities and strategic brilliance, he could have been a wise and beloved emperor who brought prosperity to the world and benefited the people. But sadly, Xia Jie did not use his talents to govern the realm or serve the people; instead, he indulged in debauchery, tyranny, and pleasure-seeking.
During the reign of Xia Jie's predecessor, King Fa, virtuous governance was neglected and the people lived in misery, causing the Xia state to decline as increasingly powerful feudal lords cast covetous eyes on the Xia royal house. The Xia dynasty was fraught with crises, beset by internal strife and external threats, presenting a picture of a realm in its twilight years. By the time Xia Jie ascended the throne, though he possessed talent, he made no effort to forge ahead and reverse the decline, instead indulging solely in extreme pleasure, arrogance, and self-indulgence, thereby deepening the Xia dynasty's peril.
Xia Jie, the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty, was fond of drinking wine, insisting on wine with no impurities, and was also extremely particular about his food. To satisfy his gluttonous desires, he ordered his ministers to scour the land for fine wines and delicacies, forcing them to scurry about in constant fear, as Jie was exceedingly cruel and those who served him were often punished for the slightest mistake.
Xia Jie also favored sycophants and alienated virtuous ministers. Among his officials was a petty man named Zhao Liang, who excelled at flattery. Seeing Xia Jie's indulgence in pleasure, Zhao Liang catered to his tastes by constantly presenting him with new forms of entertainment, thus gaining the ruler's favor. The Grand Historian Zhonggu, deeply distressed by Xia Jie's debauchery and extravagance, which caused great suffering to the people, went to the palace in tears to remonstrate: "Since ancient times, rulers who have won the people's support and love are those who are frugal and care for their subjects. A king like you, who exhausts the resources of the entire realm for his own pleasure, will lose the people's hearts. If this continues, the kingdom will surely fall." This enraged Xia Jie, who furiously rebuked Zhonggu for alarmism and meddling. Seeing Xia Jie's stubborn refusal to change, Zhonggu realized that Xia's rule was doomed, so he abandoned him and defected to Shang Tang.
Xia Jie was insatiably greedy and endlessly demanding; to satisfy his own pleasures, he imposed exorbitant taxes on all the vassal states, demanding they continuously offer tribute, and if anyone refused, he would launch punitive campaigns against them. At that time, there was a tribe called Youshi, whose territory had a favorable geographical location and suitable climate, leading to well-developed agriculture and abundant resources. Youshi had originally been a very obedient vassal state, paying tribute to the Xia royal court every year. However, when Xia Jie saw how prosperous Youshi was, he demanded even heavier tribute, and Youshi, unwilling to be bullied, refused to pay.
Jie was enraged, so he summoned leaders from other vassal states, gathered tens of thousands of troops, and launched an eastern expedition to attack the You Shi tribe, intending to intimidate other lords into obediently paying tribute. The You Shi tribe was small and weak, and despite fighting with all their might against Jie's massive army, they were outnumbered and on the verge of annihilation. To seek revenge in the future, the ruler of You Shi decided to surrender, promising to offer beautiful women and treasures. To appease Jie and halt the war, the You Shi tribe exhausted their years of accumulated rare treasures and selected many young, beautiful maidens to present as tribute to Xia Jie.
Among the many beauties, there was one named Mo Xi, whose extraordinary beauty was praised in a poem: "Mo Xi of the You Shi tribe, with clear and lovely brows. Adorned in rainbow-colored garments, she moves gracefully like a floating figure. Her crystal-clear dewdrop-like appearance evokes people's pity." Upon seeing her, Xia Jie was overjoyed, immediately ceased hostilities, and brought Mo Xi back to the Xia kingdom. Mo Xi told Xia Jie that she was originally the adopted daughter of the ruler of the You Shi tribe, and out of admiration for the Xia king, she had volunteered to serve him. This delighted Xia Jie, who promptly appointed her as his queen. Believing that his old palace was unworthy of Mo Xi's beauty, Xia Jie decided to build a magnificent new palace for her. He ordered the conscription of laborers and launched a massive construction project, erecting a towering palace whose peak seemed to pierce the clouds. Because it was so tall that from a distance it appeared to be tilting, it was named the "Tilting Palace." Inside, the palace featured jade-like pavilions, ivory corridors, and white jade beds, showcasing its extreme luxury. The Bamboo Annals records that Xia Jie "built the Tilting Palace, adorned the Jade Terrace, constructed the Jasper Chamber, and erected the Jade Gate."
Originally, the Youshi clan presented Mo Xi to Xia Jie with the intention of overthrowing the Xia Dynasty. Now, Xia Jie indeed doted on her in every possible way, obeying her every whim and fearing only that she might be unhappy. Mo Xi then exhausted every means to make Xia Jie waste the people's labor and resources, stirring up widespread resentment among the populace.
Mo Xi had a peculiar habit: she loved the sound of silk and satin being torn apart, saying that "the sound of ripping silk is crisp and pleasing to the ear," and she would laugh every time she heard it. When Xia Jie saw that Mo Xi enjoyed this, he ordered palace attendants to bring the fine silks and brocades that the people had tributed, and had strong palace maids tear them piece by piece in front of her, just to win a delighted smile from Mo Xi. The Xia Dynasty was in the early stages of an agricultural era, when the weaving industry was just emerging, and high-quality silk fabrics were extremely expensive; yet they were being torn up for no reason—a sheer waste of precious resources.
Every day, King Jie of Xia accompanied Mo Xi to the Qing Palace to enjoy the beautiful scenery and indulge in pleasure, yet Mo Xi still occasionally showed signs of homesickness. To ease her longing, King Jie built new houses imitating the style of the You Shi tribe, planted various exotic flowers and rare plants among them, and whenever Mo Xi missed her homeland, he would take her there to admire the sights and relieve her sorrow. He also sent people to scour the land for three thousand beautiful women, training them in singing and dancing for Mo Xi's entertainment.
Xia Jie's extreme extravagance increased the burden on the common people. The people never knew when they would be conscripted for forced labor, disrupting their production and daily lives. Yet Xia Jie showed no compassion for the people's suffering, continuing ruthlessly to exploit and drain their sweat and blood. The people were in great pain, daring to be angry but not to speak out, because even the slightest complaint would result in severe punishment.
Xia Jie's debauchery and tyranny caused the people to live in misery and widespread resentment; his minister Guan Longpang, grieving for the common people, repeatedly admonished him, but Xia Jie refused to listen. Guan Longpang once said, "A ruler should care for his people and draw close to the virtuous, so that the people can live in peace and the realm can enjoy long-term stability. But Your Majesty now indulges only in extravagant pleasures and boundless debauchery, leaving the people in dire suffering, as if in deep water and scorching fire, wishing for the early fall of the Xia dynasty. Your Majesty, the people have turned their hearts away; to preserve the royal house, you must quickly correct your mistakes and win back their support."
These words immediately infuriated Xia Jie, who declared, "My rule is like the sun in the sky—will the sun ever perish? Only when the sun perishes will I perish." He then ordered Guan Longfeng to be executed. From that point on, no one dared to offer loyal advice to Jie, while sycophantic flatterers surrounded him, daily coaxing him into a dazed sense of security, convincing him that all was well under heaven. In reality, the common people had long reached their breaking point; walking on the roads, they would deliberately point at the sun and say, "That sun—when will it ever set? I would gladly perish together with it!"
King Jie of the Xia Dynasty was tyrannical and debauched, increasing the burden on the people and draining the nation's strength. As the ruler of the country, his actions were bound to bring great disaster to both the people and himself. The rule of the Xia Dynasty was already as precarious as a stack of eggs, and a dramatic upheaval was brewing across the land.