《宋中太乙宫碑铭》

In the fourth year of the Xining era (1071), the Directorate of Astronomy reported that, according to the movement of the Taiyi (Supreme Unity) deity and the Five Blessings spirits, whenever a year of "Shetige" came around, once every seven years, the deity would arrive at the central palace position, called the "True Chamber" (Zhenshi), whose corresponding region was the capital and its environs. Such a celestial sign foretold peace for the people and abundant harvests, an omen of great peace. The Directorate asked that a shrine be built for sacrifices according to precedent. With the emperor's approval, the Directorate of Construction was ordered to build a temple complex south of the capital. Work began in the winter of the fourth year of Xining and was completed in the spring of the sixth year.

The complex has three gates and seven halls, where the ten Taiyi deities and the spirit of Taisui (Jupiter) are worshipped, with the Five Blessings spirits enshrined at the center. The names of the halls were chosen by the emperor, expressing the hope of receiving the blessings sent down by the divine powers, and the plaque of the "Hall of the True Chamber" was written in the emperor's own hand. On the walls of the long corridors are painted scenes of the hundred spirits paying homage to the Celestial Emperor, in which every figure, from the Five Emperors and the sun, moon, and stars to the Five Peaks and the Four Rivers, has its proper place and title. The ranks, garments, and titles of the divine images, as well as the arrangement of the altars and the rites of prayer and sacrifice, are all grounded in the learning of Taiyi and also draw on Daoist teachings.

The emperor ordered the relevant offices to prepare the ceremonial escort, planning to welcome the divine images into the temple and enshrine them at that year's winter solstice, and commanded me, Lü Huiqing, to compose an inscription recording the matter.

Your subject Lü Huiqing humbly observes: the "Spring Offices" chapter of the Rites of Zhou records that the Director of Ancestral Rites (Zongbo) was in charge of sacrifices to the heavenly deities, from the August Heaven and Supreme Lord to Siming, Sizhong, the Wind Master, and the Rain Master, each with its own ritual. The ancient officials in charge of astronomy and sacrifice likewise fixed the positions of the stars according to the star-official texts. The subordinates of the Director of Rites, the Fengxiang officer and the Baozhang officer, observed the heavens and distinguished the celestial regions and their correspondences on earth, in order to examine auspicious and ominous signs throughout the realm; the officials in charge of spirit affairs identified the dwellings and names of the spirits; and the Grand Invocator was in charge of prayers for blessings. In sum, the Director of Rites oversaw the entire sacrificial system, the Fengxiang and Baozhang officers divined the changes in the heavens, the spirit-affairs officials identified where the deities dwelt, and the Grand Invocator offered prayers. All of these were the duties of the ritual officials.

Although the name "Taiyi" does not appear in the Confucian classics, the historians of successive dynasties record that it is a star located in the Purple Palace, south of the Tianyi star, regarded as the deity of the Celestial Emperor, governing sixteen spirits and holding knowledge of where good and ill fortune lie for each state. The second brightest star of the Northern Pole is its seat, and the Three Terraces stars are like a stairway in the sky, up and down which Taiyi travels. The historians' accounts of the stars may not all be reliable, but each has its line of transmission, the positions they indicate can be checked, and there are many recorded cases in which the related omens were fulfilled.

From this we can see that the ancients regarded Taiyi as exalted in rank, assisted by the Five Emperors. The tradition of sacrificing to the heavenly deities did not exist merely in the magical arts of Bo or in Han institutions. Later, the duties of the ritual officials gradually dispersed; the divinatory observations of the Fengxiang and Baozhang officers evolved into the system of the Grand Historian's Bureau; and the Daoist practices of painting divine images, prescribing garments, titles, and orders of rank, and setting up altars for prayer and sacrifice probably continue the ancient intent of the spirit-affairs officials who identified the dwellings of the spirits and of the Grand Invocator who sought auspicious blessings.

The Grand Historian's Bureau now holds that the Five Blessings spirits move to a new palace position every forty-five years, passing in turn through the center and the four directions, completing one circuit in about two hundred twenty-five years, and that within this span they must pass through the central palace. Why, then, have past omens not always been entirely fulfilled? I think it can be explained by analogy: heaven's timing is like the seasons, and human effort is like sowing. If there is a fitting season but no sowing and labor, it is like a right season in which no seed is planted, and no harvest can come; if human effort is thorough but the season is unsuitable, it is like toiling at planting in the wrong time of year, and the crops cannot grow well. The ancient saying that "heaven's timing does not cease to turn because of human affairs, yet human affairs cannot succeed without accord with heaven's timing" expresses just this principle. Why single out Taiyi for doubt?

I have observed that since the emperor's accession, governance and teaching have been reorganized and officials regulated, so that law and order were established first in the various offices; undertakings beneficial to the people were launched so that the capital region might be the first to benefit; the education of scholars has been valued and the supply of the armies secured. All measures to reassure the people have likewise begun in the capital region. Wind, rain, cold, and heat have been generally harmonious; rumors could not shake the achievements already made, and dissenting views could not seize the occasion to cause errors. This is the result of well-ordered human affairs, but also owes something to the help of heaven's timing. It may be, then, that the protection of the deity of the True Chamber is beginning to show its signs from this very moment.

In the Taiping Xingguo era, Taiyi came to the "Yellow Chamber Palace," corresponding to the region of Wu-Yue, and Emperor Taizong built a shrine in the southeastern suburbs. In the Tiansheng era, Taiyi came to the "Yellow Court Palace," corresponding to Liang-Shu, and Emperor Renzong built a shrine in the southwestern suburbs. This was done because the Son of Heaven takes all under heaven as his household: so long as a region lies within the four seas and nine provinces, the blessings it receives make no distinction, so how could there be any "here" and "there"? Now that Taiyi has arrived at the center, at the very place where the four directions meet, auspicious blessings should extend across the four seas, not merely to the place where the Son of Heaven dwells. Therefore the measures that bring this blessing to fulfillment should also be carried out widely.

The emperor should practice benevolent government so that kindness reaches places not yet benefited, and should continue to perfect the affairs of state not yet complete, so that all under heaven may be well governed. May all things between heaven and earth share in this grace, and may animals and plants follow the seasons and grow in peace. When that time comes, with governance accomplished, the rites and music can be deliberated and established; when sincerity is full, heaven and earth will naturally take notice. By observing the large and small among all things, one can match the subtlety of the transforming work of heaven and earth; by weighing the order of high and low, one can arrange the positions of the deities properly. This is the essential way to bestow blessings on the people and receive the blessings of the divine powers.

Having had the honor to serve the court as an attendant official, with classical learning and literary composition as my charge, I ought to sing the emperor's abundant virtue, and what I could praise is certainly more than one or two matters. Now that the task of writing about the building of this temple complex has been entrusted to me, how dare I decline on account of my shallow talent and knowledge? And so, with reverent obeisance, I present this inscription:

In the primordial chaos, before anything had divided, there was only a single Qi (vital energy) in motion, subtle and profound, beyond the reach of words. It circulated without rest, with neither beginning nor end, and it was vast and without boundary. Who could fathom its waxing and waning, its fullness and its emptiness?

Taiyi (the deity who governs the movements of the heavens and protects the human world) shines with radiant power, manifesting in the celestial signs. Presiding over the Purple Palace (the stellar region where the Heavenly Emperor dwells), it holds the position of the Pole Star. It descends to the human world, surveying the Three Tiers (the realms of heaven, earth, and humanity) and overseeing the myriad states. The sages of antiquity observed the movements of Taiyi and established corresponding methods; they calculated the changes in the heavens and revealed what had not yet appeared. Taiyi sends down auspicious omens and brings the Five Blessings; it travels through the four directions and passes through the Zhenshi (the "True Chamber," a star constellation). Every forty-five years, the palace in which Taiyi resides shifts. Who can bear its favor? Only those of merit and virtue can enjoy its blessings.

The illustrious Great Song, with its vast territory, governs the Nine Zones (the graded regions extending outward from the capital). Wise rulers have appeared one after another through the generations, and the dynasty has long enjoyed abundant fortune. But after a long peace, people grew content with things as they were, the way of governance gradually slackened, and abuses began to accumulate. Thus a sagacious and enlightened sovereign was born, who roused himself to reform the government. The decrees he promulgated reached every quarter, beginning from the capital. Licentious and improper customs were curbed, and the correct Dao (the Way) was finally established.

The Qi of the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) arrives in its proper season, dispelling the calamities of solar and lunar eclipses. It washes away long-accumulated disasters and nourishes barren land. As Taiyi approaches, it first draws near the capital. (The passage beginning "the coming of Taiyi" appears twice in the original text.) The newly built palace is magnificent and was completed in short order. Modeled on the residence of the Heavenly Emperor, it is adorned with gold and jade-green. Under the protection of the deity Taiyi, the palace is tranquil and secure. Heaven's will shaped the occasion, and human effort followed its course; the timing of Heaven and the affairs of humanity are in accord.

Accomplishing great works and securing proper rank and title are the duties of sage rulers and worthy ministers. May the fine fortune of this age be gathered and bestowed anew, widely and generously; may its grace reach across the seas and extend to all creatures, animal and plant alike. May the Emperor and the Empress Dowager enjoy long life and good health, and may the consorts be virtuous and fitting. May their descendants rule for generation after generation, and may the dynasty prosper for long ages. With the rites complete and the music and dance concluded, may governance and teaching be harmonious, and may high and low be in sympathetic accord. Your servant will compose a song to be engraved on a stele, in order to proclaim these events and pray for blessing.