*Records of the Submerged Abyss*

In the early years of King Cheng of Zhou, the royal house had just established stability, and the construction of Luoyi was underway. A nobleman named Ji Yuan was enfeoffed on the banks of the Wei River, yet his fief was barren, populated by merely a hundred households.

At that time, there lived Sang Jia, a remnant of the Yin dynasty who excelled in trade. Seeing Ji Yuan's hardship, he visited his cottage by night and offered a plan: "Upstream on the Wei River, there are abandoned copper mines from the old Yin dynasty. If you gather displaced people to mine them secretly, cast vessels and sell them to the Dongyi tribes, you can gain ten thousand peng of cowrie currency. Within three years, you will surely become the wealthiest man in the state."

Ji Yuan was greatly tempted by the proposal. The elders of his clan also advised him: "Our clan is humble and lowly. If we obtain this wealth, we can purchase vast fields and mansions, and be spared from hunger and cold." Ji Yuan then walked to the shore of the Wei River. It was late autumn, the water had receded to reveal the rocks, the deep pool was cold and clear, and fish and dragons lay dormant beneath the silt, silent and still.

Suddenly, Ji Yuan came to an insight. The Zhou dynasty had just been founded, with strict laws and institutions: artisans and merchants all served under official supervision, and unauthorized copper mining was a crime punishable by extermination of the clan. Moreover, his own foundation was not yet solid; to have great wealth while lacking virtue would surely invite disaster. The gathering and dispersing of wealth follows the way of Heaven. To act recklessly before the time is ripe is like pulling up seedlings to make them grow faster—nothing but courting death.

The next day, Ji Yuan politely declined Sang Jia, saying: "Fish in the deep pool cannot be caught with nets; dragons in hiding cannot be lightly employed. I shall lead my clan to reclaim wasteland and store grain, awaiting the right time from Heaven." Sang Jia scoffed at his pedantry, then went to another fief, gathered displaced people, and secretly cast bronze vessels.

In the following years, Ji Yuan personally tilled the fields, improved irrigation works, and his fief gradually prospered, with granaries overflowing with grain. As for Sang Jia, he violated the ban on private casting and allied with rebel factions among the Dongyi. When the plot was exposed, Duke Dan of Zhou ordered his entire clan executed, and all ten thousand peng of cowrie currency were confiscated by the government.

When King Cheng went on a royal progress to the Wei River, he saw that Ji Yuan's fief had full granaries and honest, simple folk. Greatly pleased, he bestowed upon Ji Yuan a *gui zan* (jade libation vessel) and increased his fief by three hundred households.

That night, Ji Yuan sat alone by the water. The moon shone upon the cold pool, its surface rippling with light. Gazing at the faint shadows swimming in the depths, he stroked his beard and sighed softly. The world all seeks dragons that soar from the abyss, yet they do not know that the ultimate truth of wealth lies in knowing the times and recognizing the momentum. A dragon lurking in the abyss does not lack the will to fly to the heavens; it is nurturing the power of its scales and armor. "Do not act" does not mean inaction—it means waiting for the right moment to move.

Ripples stirred slightly, yet the deep pool remained as it was, with only the autumn wind brushing through the reeds, rustling softly.