Bo Yikao
Chinese · mortal · shang · mortal
He exists in the novel to be killed in the most unbearable way available, and the point of the atrocity is dynastic: it is the moment the Zhou can no longer be loyal subjects. The Chinese tradition has a standing category for this kind of episode — the outrage that makes rebellion filial rather than treasonous — and this is its most cited instance. The succession also depends on him: King Wu is the second son, and reigns because of what happened to the first.
Parentage
Sources
- Reference treatment of Bo Yikao's death in the Fengshen Yanyi.