On the Guiwei day, the five top scorers were interpreted as indicating the illness of the Zi branch.

己酉年閏八月癸未日，辰將子時，方五解元己未生五十一歲，占子病，其子壬辰生十八歲。（一針見血）

In the year Jiyou with a leap August, on the day Guiwei, using Chen as the month general and starting the divination at the Zi hour, Fang Jieyuan, a scholar of the fifth rank, cast a divination for his son's illness. Fang Jieyuan was born in the year Jiyou and was fifty-one years old at the time of the divination. His son was born in the year Renchen and was eighteen years old at that time. This case is recorded in the book "Yizhen Jianxue."

空虎常武 酉戌亥子 貴常空朱 父 酉 空 ◎ 龍申 丑陰 卯亥酉巳 官 丁丑 陰 ⊙ 陳未 寅后 亥未巳癸 財 辛巳 朱 午巳辰卯 合朱蛇貴

The divination chart is laid out as follows. "Wu" is a short form for Xuanwu, "Chen" is a short form for Gou Chen, and "Long" is a short form for Qinglong. The heavenly generals governing the twelve earthly branches are arranged in order starting from the nobleman at卯 (Mao):酉 (You) has Tiankong, 戌 (Xu) has Baihu, 亥 (Hai) has Taichang, 子 (Zi) has Xuanwu, 丑 (Chou) has Taiyin, 寅 (Yin) has Tianhou, 卯 (Mao) has Guiren, 辰 (Chen) has Tengshe, 巳 (Si) has Zhuque, 午 (Wu) has Liuhe, 未 (Wei) has Gouchen, 申 (Shen) has Qinglong. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Gui is in the lodging palace at Chou, with Si on Chou, riding Zhuque; the second lesson, Si has You on it, riding Tiankong; the third lesson, the day branch Wei has Hai on it, riding Taichang; the fourth lesson, Hai has Mao on it, riding Guiren. The three transmissions: the first transmission is You, belonging to "parents," riding Tiankong, with the mark "◎" indicating it falls in the empty period—on Guiwei day, which belongs to the Jiaxu decade, Shen and You are in the empty period, and since the empty period cannot have a hidden stem, the hidden stem column is left blank; the second transmission is Chou, with the hidden stem Ding, belonging to "official ghost," riding Taiyin, with an additional mark "⊙," the original text does not explain the meaning of this mark, so it is recorded as is without interpretation; the third transmission is Si, with the hidden stem Xin, belonging to "wife's wealth," riding Zhuque.

邵彥和曰：日上見巳，巳者嗣也。宅上見亥，亥者孩也。孩與嗣自是相同。奈癸水絕在巳，是嗣自絕也。日上既見絕，而初中空亡。末傳仍歸於此，且帶驛馬，主死後再來，來了又死。故令政不宜懷孕，若懷孕，是此子託生也。此時若出繼與人，即非他絕，或可不死。

Shao Yanhe interpreted the divination: The heavenly stem on the day is seen with the hour of Si, which sounds like "sì" and represents descendants. The earthly branch on the day is seen with the hour of Hai, which sounds like "hai" and represents children. "Hai" and "si" are essentially the same thing. Unfortunately, the twelve long lives of the癸 water stem are exactly cut off at Si, which is the sign of the termination of descendants. Since the heavenly stem on the day already shows "cut off," the first transmission also falls into Kongwang, and the final transmission still returns to this Si position, accompanied by the Post-horse. The Post-horse indicates movement and travel. Taken together, this suggests that the child will die and then be reborn, and when reborn, will die again. Therefore, the respected wife should not become pregnant. If she does become pregnant, it is exactly the case of this child borrowing a womb to be reborn. If this child is now adopted by another family, it would not be considered as the end of the family line, and perhaps it could avoid death.

愚按即非他絕四字，殊不可解。蓋出繼與人，以應己與嗣絕之意雲而。方解元之次子名寄哥，往年一病，死而復生，今又病，故來占，解元之妻鍾愛，不肯繼與弟家。八日外果死，半日又甦。至十一月二十三日，再病而死。其時方妻已懷孕十月。當日未時即差一男，揣其事蹤，似乎寄哥之託也。

The editor Cheng Shuxun notes: the four characters "ji fei ta jue" are difficult to explain. It probably refers to the act of sending a child to live with another family, in order to symbolically end the family's line of descendants. The second son of Fang Jiexuan, named Jige, had a serious illness a few years ago, died but later recovered. This time he became ill again, so he came for a divination. Fang Jiexuan's wife loved this child very much and did not want to send him to live with his younger brother's family. Eight days later, Jige died, but after half a day he regained consciousness. On the 23rd day of the 11th lunar month, he became ill again and died. At that time, Fang Jiexuan's wife was already nine months pregnant, and on that day at the hour of Wei (1 to 3 p.m.), she gave birth to a boy. Investigating the whole matter, it seems that Jige was reborn in this new child.

夫初傳空亡是先來空也，遇日二課為傳是去空也，末傳又來干上是復來投胎也，不合日上見巳為嗣，支上又見亥為孩，是重來為嬰孩也。

Let me explain it more thoroughly: the first transmission falls on Kongwang, indicating that the previous visit came and went without result. In the middle, taking the god of the day stem's second transmission is to send away the state of emptiness. The final transmission returns to the day stem, which symbolizes a new rebirth. Interestingly, the god above the day stem meets the sign of巳, which sounds like 'sì' meaning 'offspring,' indicating children. The sign above the day branch meets the sign of亥, which sounds like 'hái' meaning 'child,' also indicating children. These two signs complement each other, signifying that the deceased child has returned as an infant.

庚戌年八月癸未日，辰將戌時，葉秀才乙亥生三十六歲，占交易。（一針見血）

In the year Gengxu, eighth lunar month, on the day Guiwei, using the hour Chen as the month general and starting the divination at the hour Xu, Ye Scholar consulted about a trade transaction. He was born in the year Yihai and was thirty-six years old at the time of the consultation. This case is recorded in "One Needle Sees the Essence."

空虎常玄 亥子丑寅 朱常常朱 官 癸未 朱 龍戌 卯陰 未丑丑未 官 丁丑 常 勾酉 辰后 丑未未癸 官 癸未 朱 申未午巳 合朱蛇貴

The Moon General is placed on the戌 position at the戌 hour. The Heaven Plate and Earth Plate are in opposition at six positions, forming a "returning echo" lesson. The lesson disk is laid out as follows. The Heavenly Generals riding on the twelve Earthly Branches are arranged in order starting from "Nobleman" on the巳 position:亥 has Tian Kong,子 has White Tiger,丑 has Tai Chang,寅 has Black Tortoise,卯 has Tai Yin,辰 has Heavenly Empress,巳 has Nobleman,午 has Teng Snake,未 has Vermilion Bird,申 has Liu He,酉 has Gou Chen,戌 has Azure Dragon. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the Day Stem癸 is lodged in the丑 position, with丑 having 未, riding on Vermilion Bird; the second lesson, 未 has 丑, riding on Tai Chang; the third lesson, the Day Branch 未 has 丑, riding on Tai Chang; the fourth lesson, 丑 has 未, riding on Vermilion Bird. 未 and 丑 are opposing each other, alternating in influence, which is the image of returning echo. The three transmissions: the first transmission is 未, with the hidden stem癸, belonging to "official ghost", riding on Vermilion Bird; the middle transmission is 丑, with the hidden stem丁, belonging to "official ghost", riding on Tai Chang; the final transmission is 未, with the hidden stem癸, belonging to "official ghost", riding on Vermilion Bird. All three transmissions are official ghosts that harm the self.

邵彥和曰：辰來就日，日去就辰，來來往往，三傳行年又在此上，但以多者為議事之處。末傳更歸行年，又在日上。初間文書自我處發去不遂了，卻又發來。我今又從整頓去，今取入手。雖然成就，畢竟內有弊病，不合又作太常。鬼並在此，又防有反覆，然必竟無害。

Shao Yanhe interpreted the divination: this is a returning transmission lesson, where the god of the day branch approaches the day stem, and the god of the day stem then goes back to the day branch, with both coming and going repeatedly; the three transmissions and the diviner's age also fall on these same characters. Whenever such a situation occurs, the character that appears most frequently is taken as the place of deliberation. The final transmission returns to the diviner's age, which is also the position of the god on the day stem. Therefore, the interpretation is: initially, the contract document was sent out from my side, but the matter was not completed, and the other party then returned the document back. Now, I am reorganizing it and sending it again, thus finally getting the matter settled. Although the transaction can be completed, there is still some flaw within it—especially since the character in question is occupied by Tai Chang, which governs contracts and wealth, and also the official ghost is present here, so one must be cautious of potential reversals; however, in the end, there will be no actual harm.

葉十七秀才，與李宅對換交易。葉宅先印契，李家退悔。葉宅又將別項田產賠，再做契據。前印契不用，卻印後來換者，所謂辰來就日，日去就辰。雖然反覆，畢竟事有濟也。

Later it indeed came true: the seventeenth son of the Ye family, who was a scholar, exchanged farmland with the Li family. The Ye family first sealed the contract with an official stamp, but the Li family later regretted and refused to acknowledge it. The Ye family had to offer another piece of land as compensation and re-established the contract; the previously stamped contract was rendered invalid and replaced by the new one. This back-and-forth exactly matched the reverberating pattern of "the branch deity comes to the day stem, and the day stem goes to the branch deity." Although the matter went through repeated changes, in the end it was successfully resolved.

丁丑、庚寅、甲申、癸未返吟，皆是辰來加日，日去就辰。惟此課皆是初末在日，偶然行年又並在日，一起有四事。他只有二件從我者是也。我遂終得此物，若其餘日辰及八專之類。從所乘者斷之，此又名上門亂首。大不利占病，初末並太常剋日，若占尊長病，是宅中已掛孝矣。不可救無疑。占訟乃彼來值我，若我是卑下，卻好攻之，不利尊長先起也。

The general rule for the lesson pattern known as "returning sound" is that on days such as Dingchou, Gengyin, Jiashen, and Guiwei, the god of the day branch is added to the day stem, and the god of the day stem then goes to the day branch. The special feature of this particular lesson is that both the first and final transmissions fall on the day stem, and the person's age also falls on the day stem, thus gathering four matters together. If someone else were to consult this, they would usually only have two matters aligning with their side. Because of this, my side is ultimately able to obtain the thing in dispute. As for other days and lesson patterns such as "eight specialists," one should judge their fortune based on the heavenly general they are riding. This type of lesson is also called "upstairs disorder," which is most unfavorable for divination regarding illness. The first and final transmissions, along with Tai Chang, all afflict the day stem. If this is used to divinate about a superior's illness, it is as if a mourning cloth has already been hung in the house, indicating that recovery is impossible. If used for legal matters, it means the opponent comes directly to confront me. If my side is of low status, it is actually favorable to take the initiative in attack, but it is unfavorable for the superior's side to make the first move.

乾隆己巳年巳月癸日，申將戌時，揚商因借河餉事赴部，戊子命人占吉凶。（牧夫占驗）

In the year Jisi of the Qianlong era (the fourteenth year of Qianlong), on the day Guiwei of the fourth lunar month, the case was recorded according to the format of this volume, with the original text missing the character "wei". The divination was cast with Shen as the month general and the hour of Xu. A merchant from Yangzhou was summoned to the ministry for questioning regarding the use of river construction funds, and a person born in the year Wuzi divined the fortune of this journey. This case is recorded in Wang Mufu's collection of divination cases.

朱蛇貴后 卯辰巳午 朱貴常空 財 辛巳 貴 合寅 未陰 卯巳酉亥 子 己卯 朱 勾丑 申玄 巳未亥癸 官 丁丑 勾 子亥戌酉 龍空虎常

The divination board is laid out flat. The twelve Earthly Branches are occupied by Heavenly Generals, starting from "Nobleman" on巳 and proceeding in reverse order: Vermilion Bird is on卯, Teng Snake is on辰, Nobleman is on巳, Heavenly Empress is on午, Tai Yin is on未, Black Tortoise is on申, Tai Chang is on酉, White Tiger is on戌, Tian Kong is on亥, Azure Dragon is on子, Gou Chen is on丑, and Liu He is on寅. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the Day Stem 癸 is in the Lodging Palace on丑, with 亥 present on丑,乘 by Tian Kong; the second lesson, 酉 is present on亥,乘 by Tai Chang; the third lesson, the Day Branch 未 has 巳 present on it,乘 by Nobleman; the fourth lesson, 卯 is present on巳,乘 by Vermilion Bird. The three transmissions: the first transmission is 巳, with the hidden stem 辛, belonging to "wife and wealth,"乘 by Nobleman; the middle transmission is 卯, with the hidden stem 己, belonging to "son and grandson,"乘 by Vermilion Bird; the final transmission is 丑, with the hidden stem 丁, belonging to "official and ghost,"乘 by Gou Chen.

王牧夫曰：上明下暗，半路必回，天上好音？去吉來後果至半路得恩旨釋回。蓋癸為旬盡，亥為支盡，二盡相交，主災晦，癸即丑，丑乘勾陳，主身被留滯，喜太歲作德神發傳，占訟得此最美。

Wang Mufu interpreted: In this divination, the upper part is bright and the lower part is dark, indicating that the person will certainly turn back halfway. There will be good news coming from above. Later, indeed, the person was on the way when he received an imperial decree granting him release and returned safely. This interpretation was based on the fact that Gui is the last of the ten heavenly stems, and Hai is the last of the twelve earthly branches. The meeting of two ends signifies disaster and bad luck. Gui's lodging palace is Chou, and Chou is occupied by Gou Chen, which signifies entanglement and restraint, indicating that the person will be detained. Fortunately, the year's master has transformed into a virtue deity and entered the initiating transmission. Encountering such a pattern in a divination about legal matters is the best possible outcome.

自己傳丑，乃自明傳夜，故曰上明下暗，丑卯巳為出戶，今自巳傳丑乃入戶之象。故主半路必回，太歲貴人作德神，故曰天上好音，又卯為朱雀作子孫救神也。其後果然，推而言之。癸未乃旬盡之日。明日甲申又即申將管事，時上見之申為儀神救解百事，況發用與之作合乎。四月巳為皇詔，又為德神，年上見之，吉無疑矣。

Now going into more detail: the three transmissions run from巳 to丑 (the original text says 'self transmits to chou' where 'self' should be 'si'),巳 belongs to the position of daylight, while丑 belongs to the position of midnight, so it is moving from light to darkness, hence it is said 'above is bright, below is dark'. The sequence of丑,卯,巳 proceeding in order represents the image of going out, but now it is reversed from巳 to丑, which becomes the image of returning home, so it is concluded that he will certainly turn back halfway. The sovereign and the nobleman transform into the virtue god, the virtue god comes from heaven, hence it is said 'good news from above'; the middle transmission is卯, which is occupied by the Vermilion Bird, the Vermilion Bird governs messages and documents, and卯 on a癸 day is the son and daughter, the son and daughter are the salvation deity that removes calamities. Later on, it indeed turned out to be so. Expanding further:Guiwei is the last day of a ten-day period, the next day isJiashen, and申 is exactly the current ruling month general; the hour seen is申, which is the 'ritual god', capable of rescuing and resolving all matters, and moreover the first transmission巳 and申 form the combination of巳 and申. In the fourth month,巳 in symbolic terms represents the imperial edict, and it is also the virtue god; seeing it on the year is certainly auspicious.

乾隆丙子年十月，甲申日寅將辰時，占婚。因路遇疑即此女，故占之。（牧夫占驗）

On the Jiashen day of the Bingzi year in the 10th lunar month of the clear Qianlong era, a divination was cast to inquire about marriage. The month general was Yin, and the class was set at the Chen hour. The diviner met a woman on the way and suspected she was the bride previously arranged by the family, so he cast this divination. This case is recorded in Wang Mufu's records of divination.

朱合勾龍 卯辰巳午 合龍玄后 子 ◎午 龍 蛇寅 未空 辰午戌子 財 壬辰 合 貴丑 申虎 午申子甲 兄 庚寅 蛇 子亥戌酉 后陰玄常

The divination chart is laid out flat. The twelve Earthly Branches are occupied by the Heavenly Generals, starting with the Nobleman on Chou and proceeding in reverse order: Zhong (卯) has the Vermilion Bird, Chen (辰) has Liu He, Si (巳) has Gou Chen, Wu (午) has Qinglong, Wei (未) has Tian Kong, Shen (申) has Baihu, You (酉) has Tai Chang, Xu (戌) has Xuanwu, Hai (亥) has Tai Yin, Zi (子) has Tianhou, Chou (丑) has the Nobleman, and Yin (寅) has Teng Snake. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the Day Stem Jiayin is located in Yin, and Yin has Zi, occupied by Tianhou; the second lesson, Zi has Xu, occupied by Xuanwu; the third lesson, the Day Branch Shen has Wu, occupied by Qinglong; the fourth lesson, Wu has Chen, occupied by Liu He. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Wu, belonging to 'Son' and occupied by Qinglong, with a note '◎' indicating it falls in the empty space of the ten-day cycle—on Jiashen day, which belongs to the Jiashen cycle, Wu and Wei branches are empty, and since there is no hidden stem to pair with the empty branch, the hidden stem column is left blank; the second transmission is Chen, with the hidden stem Ren, belonging to 'Wife Wealth' and occupied by Liu He; the third transmission is Yin, with the hidden stem Geng, belonging to 'Brother' and occupied by Teng Snake.

王牧夫斷曰：所遇之人在道路上，以子午辰戌干支並見也。書云：子午為道路，辰戌為倉卒，急遽之見也。午乘青龍，其女身長膚融赤而整齊，誠美婦耳，彼有夫，乃歸母家。所遇非是所定之女，然所定之女亦美而賢。以冬占，天后加子水色白而旺，故美；生干，故賢。

Wang Mufu explained: The person encountered was met on the road, because in the divination chart the Day Stem and Earthly Branch include the characters Zi, Wu, Chen, and Xu. The book of Ren says: Zi and Wu indicate roads, Chen and Xu indicate urgency, so together they signify a brief meeting on the way. Wu is occupied by the Azure Dragon, which governs a dignified appearance, so this woman is tall, with a rosy and bright complexion and a neat posture, indeed a beautiful woman; but she is already married, and this trip is to return to her mother's house. Thus, the person met on the road is not the one planned for at home; however, the one planned for is equally beautiful and virtuous. Considering the lesson started in winter, the Heavenly Empress is placed over Zi water. Zi water is strong in winter, and water represents white color, so the color is white and the energy is strong, thus concluding she is beautiful. Zi water can also nourish the Day Stem Jia wood, and those who nourish me are virtuous, thus concluding she is virtuous.

後娶歸，果非所遇者。何以知所遇之女有夫？午坐官鬼上耳。何以知其回母家？課得顧主，自內傳外。甲之寅，即干之身也。干支互乘三合，故因遇此婦。而後成婚，此婦乃引入桃源之仙客也。支上午為遇，申為道路，午加申為疑惑，以支神測之，亦如是也。

Later, the woman who married into the family was indeed not the one met on the road. How do we know that the woman on the road was already married? Because the午 (Wu) representing her is seated above the官鬼 (Official Ghost), and in a woman's chart, the官鬼 is the husband's star. How do we know she was returning to her mother's house? Because this divination takes the form of "visiting the father's house," and the qi flow moves from inside out, indicating a return to the source. The甲 wood (Jia) is lodged in the寅 (Yin), and the寅 is the day stem itself. The stem and branch interact through the triple harmony, thus causing this encounter. And this marriage was formed after meeting this woman, showing that she was the guiding fairy leading him to the Peach Blossom Spring. Checking again from the day branch: the午 (Wu) on the branch represents the meeting, and the申 (Shen) represents the road. With午 placed on申, it shows confusion—precisely because he doubted whether the woman on the road was his future wife that he cast this divination. The conclusion drawn from the branch spirits is the same.

順治庚寅年五月甲申日，未將酉時，司化南問袖中何物？射之。（指南）

In the fifth month of the Gengyin year of the Qing Shunzhi era, on the Jiashen day, the lesson was cast with the hour of You and the month general of Wei. Si Hua Nan concealed east and west in his sleeve and asked what was inside, requesting that it be divined by the method of shooting the cover. This case is recorded in the "Guide."

朱合勾龍 卯辰巳午 合龍玄后 子 ◎午 龍 蛇寅 未空 辰午戌子 財 壬辰 合 貴丑 申虎 午申子甲 兄 庚寅 蛇 子亥戌酉 后陰玄常

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are in the same position as the previous lesson, with the Heaven Plate retreating two places from the Earth Plate. Therefore, the lesson pattern is exactly the same as the previous one concerning marriage. The lesson plate is laid out as follows: the twelve Earthly Branches are occupied by Heavenly Generals, starting from the Nobleman on the丑 branch and proceeding in reverse order—Zhu Que on卯, Liu He on辰, Gou Chen on巳, Qing Long on午, Tian Kong on未, Bai Hu on申, Tai Chang on酉, Xuan Wu on戌, Tai Yin on亥, Tian Hou on子, Nobleman on丑, and Teng Snake on寅. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the Day Stem, Jia, is located in the寅 branch, with the子 branch occupying the寅 branch and riding the Tian Hou; the戌 branch is on the子 branch and rides the Xuan Wu; the Day Branch,申, is on the午 branch and rides the Qing Long; the午 branch is on the申 branch and rides the Liu He. The three transmissions are: the first transmission is午, belonging to the 'son' and riding the Qing Long, with a note of '◎' indicating the empty ten years; the middle transmission is辰, with the hidden stem Ren, belonging to the 'wife's wealth' and riding the Liu He; the final transmission is寅, with the hidden stem Geng, belonging to the 'brother' and riding the Teng Snake.

斷曰：此必文書之類。化南云：何以知之是文書，乞講一理。予曰：用東方朔射覆斷本課。三傳純陽，取遁申丁卯仰視丑字，陰神是亥，故取亥為初傳，三傳亥酉未，亥主圖書，又甲日文書爻。果透易書一冊。予曰：八十四頁。果然。袁天罡本課法斷：亦當以易書斷，青龍主文書，子又為文書，子午為易氣，即易書也。東方朔射覆之法，其書名為無移集，恐是後人託名耳。

The divination statement says: What is definitely hidden in the sleeve must be something related to documents. Master Si Hua Nan asks: On what basis do you conclude it is documents? Please explain the reasoning. I reply: Here the method used is the covering divination technique attributed to Dongfang Shuo. In this case, the three transmissions are Wu, Chen, and Yin, all yang branches. According to the covering divination method, another set of hidden heavenly stems and yin spirits are taken to start the transmissions—by hiding we get Shen, Ding, and Mao, and by looking upwards we get Chou. The yin spirit of Chou is Hai, so we change to take Hai as the first transmission. Thus, the three transmissions of the covering divination become Hai, You, and Wei. In terms of symbolic meaning, Hai represents books and documents. On the day of Jia, Hai is also the爻 for documents. Later, when it was opened, indeed a volume of the Book of Changes was drawn out. I also said: This book has 84 pages. When counted, it was indeed accurate. If we apply Yuan Tiangang's method of divination for this case, it would also lead to the conclusion that it is the Book of Changes: The Azure Dragon represents documents, Zi also represents documents, and Zi and Wu combine to form the qi mechanism of the Book of Changes, which is exactly the Book of Changes. As for Dongfang Shuo's method of covering divination, the book is called Wu Yi Ji, which is probably written by later people who falsely attributed it to him.

甲申日□將□時，占官訟。（一針見血）

A person asked about legal matters on a Jiashen day. The original text leaves both the Month General and the hour blank. Calculating from the lesson plate, the Heaven Plate is arranged two positions ahead on the Earth Plate. This case is found in "One Needle Sees the Essence."

空虎常玄 未申酉戌 后玄龍合 財 壬辰 合 龍午 亥陰 子戌午辰 子 ◎午 龍 勾巳 子后 戌申辰甲 鬼 甲申 虎 辰卯寅丑 合朱蛇貴

The divination board is laid out as follows. The heavenly generals governing the twelve earthly branches are arranged in reverse order starting from "Nobleman" on Chou: Wei is governed by Tian Kong, Shen by Bai Hu, You by Tai Chang, Xu by Xuan Wu, Hai by Tai Yin, Zi by Tian Hou, Chou by Nobleman, Yin by Teng Snake, Mao by Zhu Que, Chen by Liu He, Si by Gou Chen, and Wu by Qing Long. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Jia is lodged in Yin, with Yin having Chen, governed by Liu He; the second lesson, Chen has Wu, governed by Qing Long; the third lesson, the day branch Shen has Xu, governed by Xuan Wu; the fourth lesson, Xu has Zi, governed by Tian Hou. The three transmissions: the first transmission is Chen, with hidden stem Ren, belonging to "wife and wealth," governed by Liu He; the second transmission is Wu, belonging to "son and grandson," governed by Qing Long, with a note "◎" indicating a void, as Wu is void in the Jiashen decade; the third transmission is Shen, with hidden stem Jia, belonging to "official and ghost," governed by Bai Hu.

斷曰：此課因爭產致訟，今又和而不解也。謂辰為日之財，上見六合夾克，必是同類爭競，又傳見午火青龍以制末傳申金白虎之日鬼，其事雖可了，奈申上戌作玄武，為午火所畏，而白虎後旺，其事必又發矣，戌乃寅之親，主親戚為害，寅加子，課傳有寅午戌，申子辰，一火一水爭鬥不已。其實合非全，故不能解也。

The judgment says: This lawsuit is about a dispute over property. Although there is currently a truce, it has not truly been resolved. The reason is that Chen is the wife and wealth of the day stem Jia Wood, and Chen is also accompanied by Liu He, which is like a clamp. Liu He is of the same type as me, so it must be a dispute among relatives and peers over property. In the three transmissions, there is Wu Fire riding on Qinglong, and Wu Fire can overcome the final transmission's Shen Metal Baihu. Shen Metal is the official ghost of the day stem, which is the god of litigation. Therefore, this case seems to be resolvable on the surface. However, Shen is also accompanied by Xu riding on Xuanwu, and Xuanwu belongs to water, which is what Wu Fire fears. Meanwhile, the energy of Baihu is growing stronger behind, so this matter will inevitably recur. Xu is the relative branch of Yin, which indicates interference and harm from relatives. Yin is placed on Zi, and both the fire trinity of Yin-Wu-Xu and the water trinity of Shen-Zi-Chen are formed in the lesson and transmission. One fire and one water are in constant conflict. Moreover, these two triple harmonies are actually incomplete, and they are only harmonious but not complete, so the matter will never be resolved.

建炎戊申年五月初一甲申日，申將巳時，王縣丞丙寅生四十三歲，占官職。（口鑑、方本占案、捷要）

In the second year of the Jianyan era under the Southern Song Emperor Gaozong, on the first day of the fifth lunar month of the Wushen year, which coincided with the Jiashen day, the divination was cast at the fourth hour (si shi) with the month general set as shen. Wang Xiancheng, the county magistrate, asked about his official career. He was born in the Bingyin year and was forty-three years old at the time of the divination. This case is recorded in the "Koujian," the Fang edition "Zhan An," and the "Jieyao."

勾六 青申酉戌亥朱 后朱龍常 鬼 甲申 龍 空未 子蛇 寅亥申巳 父 丁亥 朱 虎午 丑貴 亥申巳甲 兄 庚寅 后 常巳辰卯寅后 玄陰

The divination board is laid out as follows, where "六" is the abbreviation for "六合," and both "青" and "龙" refer to "青龙." The heavenly generals governing the twelve earthly branches are arranged in reverse order starting from "贵人" on the branch "丑": "青龙" on "申," "勾陈" on "酉," "六合" on "戌," "朱雀" on "亥," "螣蛇" on "子," "贵人" on "丑," "天后" on "寅," "太阴" on "卯," "玄武" on "辰," "太常" on "巳," "白虎" on "午," and "天空" on "未." The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem "甲" is in the "寅" palace, with "巳" on "寅," riding "太常"; the second lesson, "申" is on "巳," riding "青龙"; the third lesson, the day branch "申" has "亥" on it, riding "朱雀"; the fourth lesson, "寅" is on "亥," riding "天后." The three transmissions: the first transmission is "申," with the hidden stem "甲," belonging to "官鬼," riding "青龙"; the middle transmission is "亥," with the hidden stem "丁," belonging to "父母," riding "朱雀"; the final transmission is "寅," with the hidden stem "庚," belonging to "兄弟," riding "天后."

邵彥和曰：日上見巳作太常主兼職而費力。初傳官星主官職，中傳長生臨宅上，主上人垂顧而加俸，末傳寅臨亥名聲必達天庭，是費力而得便宜，勞苦中得遷轉，任滿入朝面君有內絳帳之榮矣。

Shao Yanhe, a renowned master of Liu Xin during the Song dynasty, interpreted as follows: The day stem Jia Wood is governed by the heavenly stem Si. The heavenly stem Si is occupied by Tai Chang. Tai Chang governs salary andofficial stipend, and Jia Wood generates Si Fire. Since Jia Wood is generating Si Fire, it is the subject generating the object, so it is predicted that he will have to take on additional duties and exert much effort. Then, following the three transmissions, the first transmission is Shen. Shen Metal overcomes Jia Wood, which is the official star of the day stem. The official star represents official rank and position, so it is predicted that he will certainly hold an actual official post. The middle transmission is Hai. Hai is the place of growth for Jia Wood, and it is also located above the day branch's residence position. The growth energy is present in the residence, so it indicates that his superior will show favor and support, and also grant him additional salary. The final transmission is Yin. Yin is the self of Jia Wood, and it is located above Hai. Hai is also called Tianmen, so the self is ascending to Tianmen, indicating that his reputation will certainly reach the imperial court. When the three transmissions are considered together, it indicates that he will exert much effort but ultimately gain advantage, achieving promotion through hardship. After completing his term, he will enter the court to meet the emperor, and will also have the honor of teaching within the palace, setting up a "Jiangzhang" for instruction.

後王縣丞因知縣緣恩澤受財事發，遂得縣印，兩項職事悉皆了辦。見知上司，列薦奉旨。任滿日引之，遂得諸王官教授。

Later, it indeed came true: the county magistrate of the county where Wang Xiancheng was stationed was dismissed after being exposed for accepting money under the pretense of imperial grace. Wang Xiancheng then took over the county seal, and the responsibilities of both county magistrate and county clerk were managed smoothly by him alone. Because of this, he was recognized by his superiors, recommended for promotion, and received imperial approval. On the day of his term's completion, he was summoned to court and immediately appointed as a tutor in one of the princes' academies.

緣日上見巳，是甲木生巳火，故費力也，太常為職，巳為雙女，故曰兼職。申官臨於雙女之上，亦為兼職。青龍主喜慶，中傳亥與行年上亥，緣是長官之屬，亥為天庭，朱雀為舉薦，末傳寅為己身，下臨於長生之地，又登天門上，乘天后恩澤之神，同生甲與寅木，甲以亥為學堂，故為絳帳之職，在天門則為內絳帳也。甲木生巳火雖云費力，卻引出天后水及亥水之生，申官居巳長生上，又作青龍，所以費力中而內升也。

The day stem's heavenly stem is巳, and 甲 wood needs to generate巳 fire, which drains its energy, so it is said to be laborious. Tai Chang represents official duties, and巳 is located in the star sequence under the "Double Female" palace, which is one palace containing two numbers, so it indicates holding multiple positions. The first transmission is申, which is an official star directly located on the Double Female palace of巳, which also indicates holding multiple positions. 申 is accompanied by the Azure Dragon, which signifies joy and promotion. The middle transmission is亥, which matches the same亥 on the person's birth year. 亥 belongs to the category of superiors and is also the heavenly court. 亥 is accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, which signifies official recommendations, so it is predicted that he will be recommended by his superior. The final transmission is寅, representing himself, located on亥, which is the place of growth. It is also ascending to the heavenly gate. 寅 is accompanied by the Heavenly Empress, who is the deity of grace, and shares the same energy with 甲 wood and寅 wood. 甲 wood uses亥 as its "school," which signifies teaching, so it is predicted to hold the position of "Jiang Zhang" (a term for a teacher's hall). The Jiang Zhang is set on the heavenly gate, becoming the Jiang Zhang within the palace, which refers to the position of teaching in various王府 (princes' courts). Although 甲 wood generates巳 fire, which is laborious, it also leads the Heavenly Empress' water and亥 water to nourish the day stem. The official star申 is seated on the growth position of巳, and is accompanied by the Azure Dragon, so it is predicted that he will be promoted internally despite the effort.

汪五公丁未生（生於七月初八日子時）六十二歲，占買賣，同得是課。（六壬斷案）

Wang family's five elders were born in the Dingwei year (their birth date was July 8th at the Zi hour). At the time of the divination, they were sixty-two years old. They consulted about business ventures, and the chart that emerged was exactly the same as the previous case of County Magistrate Wang. This case is recorded in "Judged Cases in Liuren."

勾六 青申酉戌亥朱 后朱龍常 鬼 甲申 龍 空未 子蛇 寅亥申巳 父 丁亥 朱 虎午 丑貴 亥申巳甲 兄 庚寅 后 常巳辰卯寅后 玄陰

The divination chart is identical to the previous one cast by Wang Xiancheng. The twelve earthly branches are occupied by the heavenly generals starting from "Nobleman" on Chou and proceeding in reverse order: Qingsheng on Shen, Gouchen on You, Liuhe on Xu, Zishen on Hai, Tengshe on Zi, Nobleman on Chou, Tianhou on Yin, Taiyin on Mao, Xuanwu on Chen, Taichang on Si, Baishi on Wu, and Tiankong on Wei. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the day stem Jia is lodged in寅, with巳 on寅 riding Taichang; 申 on巳 riding Qingsheng; Hai on申 riding Zishen; and寅 on Hai riding Tianhou. The three transmissions: the first transmission is申, with hidden stem Jia, belonging to "official ghost" riding Qingsheng; the middle transmission is亥, with hidden stem Ding, belonging to "parents" riding Zishen; and the final transmission is寅, with hidden stem Geng, belonging to "brother" riding Tianhou. The difference between the two charts lies in the year and destiny: Wang Xiancheng was born in Bingyin, with his native stem寅 located in the growth position of the final transmission; while Wang Wujigong was born in Dingwei, with his native stem未 located on the Kongwang position of Tiankong, and further burdened by an additional layer of consumption energy in his year.

邵彥和曰：如休染得許多紅紫，今已發變斑點，只好染皂青耳。汪公尚不覺，及開包裹看之，果然紅紫皆變色。汪公大驚曰：為之奈何？邵曰：不妨，十月染皂不折本，但滯得半年耳。

Shao Yanhe said: The many red and purple fabrics you dyed, which seem to have some error in the original text with the words "like rest," now have spots and have changed color. They can only be dyed into black and blue tones. At first, Wang Gong did not notice anything unusual, but when he opened the package, he found that all the red and purple fabrics had indeed changed color. Wang Gong was greatly surprised and said: What are we going to do? Shao Yanhe said: There is no problem. If you dye them into black and blue tones by October, you will not lose your capital, but the goods will have to be stored for half a year.

日上見巳蝕甲，寅往亥上受生，未甚費力。今又添得行年上午火，便是兩火蝕一甲木，雖寅受生於亥，費有餘而得不足也。太常為繡綵衣帛，乘巳火為赤色，便是紅紫之類，太常乘巳加於寅，寅為虎，主斑點，作天后為改色。初傳官鬼破身傷財又立於耗盜之上，好在中傳亥來生甲，只宜染皂。以北方主黑，亥加申上，白而生黑，故為皂色。

The day stem is affected by the god of the heaven's stem appearing on the巳 position. The fire of巳 steals the energy of the甲 wood, which is like fire eating into wood. The final transmission is寅, which is born from亥, so it is not too difficult. Now, with the addition of the午 fire of the person's age, there are two fires eating into one甲 wood. Although寅 receives its strength from亥, it ultimately spends more than it gains. The Tai Chang, which represents embroidered silk and brocade, is riding on the巳 fire, which is red in color, indicating dyed goods of red and purple. The Tai Chang riding on巳 and then resting on寅, which is the tiger, indicates patterns on tiger skin, suggesting spots. Additionally, theHeavenly Empress is on寅, which signifies change, so it is predicted that the brocade will have spots and the color will change. The first transmission is申, which is the official ghost, damaging both the body and wealth, and it is in the position of consumption and theft. Fortunately, the middle transmission is亥 water, which comes back to nourish the甲 wood. Therefore, it is only suitable to change the dye to black, as亥 belongs to the north, which represents black. Also,亥 is placed on申, which is white, and white turning into black produces the color of black.

州人仿他鋪，染暗青黑綠都不好，八九月亦不翻騰，汪公至十月染皂，市中頗有行情，果不折本。蓋末傳有寅生於亥上，中傳亥卻為旬丁主變動之神，末傳天后亦為皂色，又為婦人，以此，女人俱重此色衣服。亥為十月，信知造物亦有時也！可見六壬點驗之神與造物無間矣。

Later, other shops in the same area imitated him, changing to dyeing dark blue, black, and green, but none of these colors sold well; the market remained stagnant throughout August and September. Master Wang waited until October to start dyeing black cloth, and at that time the market had already set a price, so he did not lose money. The reason for this was that the final transmission (末传) was born on寅 (Yin) over亥 (Hai), and the middle transmission (中传)亥 was also the "ten-day god" (旬丁) of the current ten-day period. The ten-day god is the deity governing change. The heavenly empress (天后), which the final transmission was riding on, also governs the color black and soot, and the heavenly empress represents women, so women particularly valued this color of fabric.亥 (Hai) corresponds to the month of October, showing that the natural timing of heaven and earth has its own fixed period. This also demonstrates the marvelous accuracy of the Six Rats divination method, which is in perfect harmony with the operation of nature.

或問王縣丞與汪五公同月將日時，同得此課，何以王縣丞許其升遷，汪五公卻說絲帛變色？先生答曰：縣丞本命寅下臨長生，得恩澤之神，行年即是官星，在任者宜見之，必然升遷。汪公本命下臨魁罡，上得虛誕之神，行年添一盜氣，經濟者忌見之，必然敗壞，幸得寅加亥上，中傳亥又來生身，為不折本耳。

Someone asked: Wang Xiancheng and Wang Wugong used the same month general and the same day and hour, and the divination results were exactly the same. Why did the prediction say Wang Xiancheng would be promoted, but Wang Wugong's silk and cloth would change color? Shao Yanhe said: Wang Xiancheng's true birth stem is in the寅, which is under the亥, the place of growth. Also, the Heavenly Empress, the deity of grace and favor, is present. His age stem is exactly where the official star is. An official in office encountering this pattern is most favorable and will certainly be promoted. Wang Wugong's true birth stem is in the未, which is not under the魁罡 position. On top of that, the Tian Kong, the deity of false and deceptive things, is present. His age stem also adds another layer of leakage. Merchants most dislike this pattern and will certainly suffer loss. Fortunately, the寅 is still placed on the亥, and the middle transmission亥 returns to generate and support the day stem itself, so at least he will not lose his capital.

常巳辰卯寅后　玄陰

These two lines are the remaining end parts after the previous lesson's plate was flattened. The upper half of the Heaven Plate and the four lessons and three transmissions all come before this section. On the Earth Plate, the positions of寅, 丑, 子, and 亥 are successively occupied by巳, 辰, 卯, and 寅 on the Heaven Plate. Above巳 is "Tai Chang," and above寅 is "Heavenly Empress." In the last line, "Xuan" and "Yin" are placed over 辰 and 卯, meaning "Xuan Wu" is above 辰 and "Tai Yin" is above 卯. This lesson is for the day of Jiashen. The Heaven Plate advances three positions ahead of the Earth Plate. The four lessons are: on 寅 (with its lodging palace in寅) there is巳 with "Tai Chang," on巳 there is申 with "Azure Dragon," on the day branch 申 there is亥 with "Vermilion Bird," and on亥 there is寅 with "Heavenly Empress." The three transmissions are申, 亥, and 寅. The first transmission, 申 with Dun Jia, is the official ghost riding the Azure Dragon; the middle transmission, 亥 with Dun Ding, is the parents riding the Vermilion Bird; and the final transmission, 寅 with Dun Geng, is the brothers riding the Heavenly Empress. This lesson was obtained by Wang Wugu in the year he turned sixty-two, when he divined about a business transaction.

邵彥和曰：如休染得許多紅紫，今已發變斑點，只好染皂青耳。汪公尚不覺，及開包裹看之，果然紅紫皆變色。汪公大驚曰：為之奈何？邵曰：不妨，十月染皂不折本，但滯得半年耳。日上見巳蝕甲，寅往亥上受生，未甚費力。今又添得行年上午火，便是兩火蝕一甲木，雖寅受生於亥，費有餘而得不足也。

Shao Yanhe said: You should no longer dye so many red and purple silk fabrics, for now there are already spots and discoloration, and you can only change them to black and blue. Wang Wugong did not notice at first, but when he opened the package, the red and purple cloth had indeed all turned color. Wang Gong was greatly alarmed and asked: What should we do? Shao Yanhe said: There is no problem. Changing them to black in October will not result in loss, but you will have to hold the goods for half a year. Therefore, the divination concluded: The day stem shows the fire of Si, which is born from the wood of Jia, but in turn consumes the Jia wood. The final transmission of寅 wood receives birth from the middle transmission of亥 water, which is not too much of a burden. However, the person being divined has added another fire of Wu in their age, resulting in two fires consuming one Jia wood. Although the寅 wood receives birth from the亥 water, it ultimately consumes more than it gains.

太常為繡綵衣帛，乘巳火為赤色，便是紅紫之類，太常乘巳加於寅，寅為虎，主斑點，作天后為改色。初傳官鬼破身傷財又立於耗盜之上，好在中傳亥來生甲，只宜染皂。以北方主黑，亥加申上，白而生黑，故為皂色。

The Tai Chang is the master of this day, adorned with colorful embroidery and silk robes. It rides upon the fire of the snake (巳), which is red in color, corresponding to shades of red and purple. When Tai Chang rides on巳 and is placed on the position of寅, which belongs to the tiger, the tiger's pattern is spotted. Moreover, the position of寅 is also occupied by the Heavenly Empress, which belongs to water and tints the fire red, thus indicating a change of color. The first transmission,申 metal, is the official ghost for the day of Jia, which both breaks the body and damages wealth, and it is also located at the position of the thief and loss god. Fortunately, the middle transmission,亥 water, returns to nourish the wood of Jia, so only a change to black is suitable. Black belongs to the north, and when亥 water is placed on申 metal, the white of metal gives birth to the black of water, so the color is determined as black.

辛未三月甲申日辛未時，萊陽運芝萊、吉安王旋官兩父師代占升遷，重審、玄胎，午未空、酉戌落空。　　　指南

On the day Jiashen of the third lunar month in the year Xinwei, at the hour Xinwei, Master Yuan Zhai Laiyang and Master Wang Xuan Guan from Jianning cast a divination for someone seeking promotion. The lesson pattern was "Chong Shen" combined with "Xuan Tai". On the Jiashen decade, the middle and the hour of Wei were empty. The hour of You and Xu also fell into emptiness. This example is from Chen Gongxian's "Liu Ren Zhi Nan".

勾六　青申酉戌亥朱　后朱龍常　鬼　甲申　龍　空未　子蛇　寅亥申巳　父　丁亥　朱　虎午　丑貴　亥申巳甲　兄　庚寅　后　常巳辰卯寅后　玄陰

This is the remaining part of the lesson disk after it has been flattened: originally circular heaven and earth plates, along with the four lessons and three transmissions, have been pressed into a single line. The heaven plate advances three positions ahead of the earth plate. On the earth plate's positions of巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥, 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, the heaven plate's positions are respectively 申, 酉, 戌, 亥, 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未. The heavenly generals on these positions are Azure Dragon, Gou Chen, Liu He, Vermilion Bird, Teng Snake, Nobleman, Heavenly Empress, Tai Yin, Black Tortoise, Tai Chang, White Tiger, and Tian Kong. The four lessons are arranged from right to left: the first lesson, the day stem Jia is lodged in 寅, with 寅 having 巳, and the heavenly general Tai Chang; the second lesson, 巳 has 申, with the heavenly general Azure Dragon; the third lesson, the day branch 申 has 亥, with the heavenly general Vermilion Bird; the fourth lesson, 亥 has 寅, with the heavenly general Heavenly Empress. The three transmissions are 申-亥-寅: the first transmission, 申 has the hidden stem Jia, which is "official ghost" on a Jia day, with the heavenly general Azure Dragon; the middle transmission, 亥 has the hidden stem Ding, which is "parents," with the heavenly general Vermilion Bird; the final transmission, 寅 has the hidden stem Geng, which is "brother," with the heavenly general Heavenly Empress.

陳公獻曰：此課大吉，推升官爵必的。何以言之？課中龍常並見，城吏全逢，初傳青龍內戰，必有奇遇趨遷。中傳朱雀生日，公卿交譽。末傳驛馬德祿俱入天門，居官定然顯赫。寅為天吏，天后為恩澤，非天官而可？後屢旨另推七次，終點閔總憲為冢宰。然式中貴履地網，龍神下賊，主自欲退位，次年果請旨歸田。

Chen Gongxian said: This divination is very auspicious, and it is certain that the person will be promoted and receive a noble title. Why is this so? In the divination, the Azure Dragon and Tai Chang appear together, indicating the presence of both the city and the official. The first transmission is the metal of Shen, riding the Azure Dragon, and fighting with the day stem internally, indicating an unexpected opportunity for promotion. The middle transmission is the water of Hai, which generates and supports the day stem of Jia wood, indicating that the minister and the high official will praise him. The final transmission is the wood of Yin, which is also the Post-horse, and carries the virtue god and the禄 god, all entering the Hai position, the heavenly gate, indicating that the official will become prominent. Yin is the Heavenly Official, and the Heavenly Empress is the god of grace, so what else could it be but an official appointment from the court? Later, the court issued several imperial edicts for further recommendations, a total of seven times, and finally appointed Min, the general inspector, as the chief minister. However, in the divination, the nobleman is standing on the earth plate at the position of Xu, the earth net, and the metal of Shen, which the Azure Dragon is riding, is being attacked by the fire of Si below, indicating that the person himself wants to step down. The next year, he indeed submitted a memorial requesting to retire and return to his hometown.