The Mutiny at Chenqiao
Auspicious
The poem
Original: 春来雷震百虫鸣 / 番身一转离泥中 / 始知出入还来往 / 一朝变化便成龙
The story
When Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou died, the boy Gongdi succeeded him, and Zhao Kuangyin was sent north with the army. At Chenqiao his officers urged him to take the throne; he refused. They waited until he lay drunk, put the yellow robe about him, and hailed him. He led the army back, received the abdication, and founded the Song.
What it means
The image is spring thunder waking the creatures, and the omen is that a patron appears. One turn of the body and you are out of the mud; from here you may come and go as you please, and a single morning's change makes a dragon. This is a full turning of fortune, in which someone long confined meets an opening and someone long overlooked is put forward. What matters is the nerve to turn when the thunder sounds, and not to decline the chance when it comes.
By area of life
Wealth
Profit comes in spring. This investment matters more than most, and it is the opening through which real wealth arrives.
Love
The match comes together now. Those who have waited a long time may at last speak of marriage in earnest terms.
Work
A patron lifts you and recommends you. This is the moment when the whole situation turns over in your favour.
Health
An old complaint may flare up without warning, and spring is the season to watch. Do not treat it at all casually.
Travel
The moment for a large undertaking abroad has arrived. Over the longer run this journey will bring you real distinction.
Advice
When the thunder sounds, turn over, and do not decline what is offered.