The fairy Huang'e lived in the heavenly palace. From dawn to dusk she diligently wove cloth. And when her eyes could no longer distinguish the thin threads, she got into the boat and went for a walk along the Heavenly River to the wonderful mulberry tree. The leaves of this tree were red, like an autumn maple, and the berries were purple, juicy and large. Huang'e circled in the water near the tree in the light of the moon and sang songs. The Morning Star liked the fairy’s melodious voice so much that she, taking the form of a handsome young man, went down into the boat. Singing songs, they swam down the river together, and were so carried away that the river carried them out into the boundless sea. They forgot that it was time to return, for the fairy to work on the loom, and for the young man to shine brightly in the sky. They set up a mast. A sail was woven from aromatic herbs. And in order not to get lost, the young man cut out a turtledove from jade and placed it at the very top of the mast. The turtle dove could turn and point in the direction. Tradition says that the weather vane bird, which was later installed on house roofs and masts, comes from this jade dove.
From now on, the young man and the girl, as soon as the moon rose, met in a boat and sailed, knowing that the sail and the dove would lead them back home. The girl began to sing, the young man echoed her, and their joy was boundless, and their love was deep and endless, like the sea.
They had a son, Shaohao. When he grew up, he founded a country - Shaohao. But what kind of ruler can do without dignitaries and officials who would carry out his instructions, rule well and be incorruptible? Shaohao wisely reasoned that only birds can be incorruptible, because they do not need rich palaces, because they build nests, they don’t need silk robes, what could be more beautiful than their own plumage! And even horse-drawn carriages, why would they fly?
Shaohao appointed the Fenglong bird, the phoenix that brings peace, as its chief ruler. He was in charge of ensuring that the days of the year followed without overtaking each other. Four birds watched the most important moments of the year. The swallow is responsible for the equinoxes, the shrike is responsible for the solstices, the sparrow is responsible for the beginning of spring and autumn, and the golden pheasant is responsible for their end. Eagle was tasked with commanding the troops. Falcon - impartial and disinterested - was in charge of the execution of laws, imposed penalties and punishments. The dove and dove were responsible for the weather. Every time clouds gathered in the sky and it was necessary for it to rain, the dove drove the dove out of the nest, and after the rain called her back. Five more doves were responsible for the unity of the people and their prosperity. They divided the responsibilities like this: one was responsible for education, the other for military affairs, the third for public works, such as, for example,
like laying canals and roads, the fourth ruled the villages, and the fifth caught the robbers. Five pheasants were responsible for all types of carpentry, and nine partridges took care of nine types of agriculture.
The smallest and most nimble short-tailed bird cooed tirelessly all day long, presenting reports to Shaohao, who sat on a throne in the center of the huge hall. The fame of Shaohao's deeds spread throughout the Celestial Empire. His nephews came to him to learn how to rule fairly. When Shaohao grew old, he handed over the reins of power to his son Zhong, who had the face of a man and the body of a bird. The first thing Zhong did was to sit on two dragons and rush off to personally command the kingdom. The fairest bird government flew away in fear...
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru