Friends Palace

The Quan Shu's 'palace of servants' is, in Xingge's modern usage, the Friends Palace, which shows the people who work for one or deal with one: subordinates, employees, friends. The servants of the old world were household staff; today they read as subordinates, collaborators and one's circle of friends. The palace opposite the Friends Palace is always the Siblings Palace, so peers and subordinates mirror each other. Tian Shang also always falls in this palace (The Nature of Ling Xing). Zi Wei in the Friends Palace, 「成行得力」: many subordinates, and capable ones. See Zi Wei in the Friends Palace.

Tian Ji in its temple: real help; in Xian or with the void, resentment of the master. With Tian Liang (Chen, Xu), help comes late; with Tai Yin (Yin, Shen), no help; with Ju Men (Mao, You) plus lucky stars, there are servants. 「晚招」, finding capable people only later in life, is one of the commonest verdicts in this palace: unsettled relationships when young, reliable subordinates with age. Tian Ji rules change, so in the Friends Palace the people around one come and go. See Tian Ji in the Friends Palace.

Tai Yang in its temple, 「旺主發」: subordinates who make the master thrive. In a Xian palace (Hai, Zi), 「無分，有也怨主，會走」: none to speak of, and any there are will resent and leave. With Tai Yin (Chou, Wei), many; with Ju Men (Yin, Shen), many but with resentment, since Ju Men's quarrels in the Friends Palace mean gossip among subordinates. People with Tai Yang in the Friends Palace are often the ones who look after their subordinates, and whether those subordinates are grateful depends on how bright Tai Yang is. See Tai Yang in the Friends Palace.

Wu Qu in a Wang palace, 「一呼百諾」: authority, and subordinates who obey. With Tian Fu (Zi, Wu), many servants; with Tian Xiang (Yin, Shen), real help; with Po Jun (Si, Hai), resentment and departures; with Qi Sha (Mao, You), betrayal; with Tan Lang (Chou, Wei), no help. All five of Wu Qu's possible partners are listed, with Tian Fu and Tian Xiang best and Qi Sha and Po Jun worst, the same ranking as in the other palaces. When leading people, a firm management style, with money matters between oneself and subordinates kept clear. See Wu Qu in the Friends Palace.

Tian Tong in the Friends Palace, 「得力旺相」: Tian Tong is easy-going, and gets along well with subordinates and friends. With Ju Men (Chou, Wei), hard first and easy later; with Tai Yin (Zi, Wu), real help; with Tian Liang (Yin, Shen), help for the master. With Qing Yang, Tuo Luo, Huo Xing or Ling Xing, servants who betray; with Di Kong and Di Jie, resentment and flight. Seen today: well liked, with many friends, but with many malefic stars, beware of being dragged down by friends. See Tian Tong in the Friends Palace.

Lian Zhen in a Xian position (Si, Hai): servants who betray, help only late in life; in its temple (Yin, Shen), one call and a hundred answer. With Tan Lang, no help; with Qi Sha, betrayal. 'With Tian Tong' is impossible on a chart, as the text note says, and is probably 'with Tian Fu'. Lian Zhen's transformed qi is prisoner, so in the Friends Palace it means restraint and grudges between oneself and subordinates. When managing people, set clear rules and let the system, not personal feeling, do the work. See Lian Zhen in the Friends Palace.

Tian Fu in the Friends Palace, 「得力，一呼百諾」; with Zi Wei (Yin, Shen), helping the master build up the household (the original has 「助主天家」, and the 天 looks miswritten); with Wu Qu (Zi, Wu), servants. Tian Fu is the treasury, so in the Friends Palace subordinates or friends bring resources. With Tian Fu in the Friends Palace, the Siblings Palace opposite always holds Qi Sha: a steady circle of friends, a tougher bond with siblings. See Tian Fu in the Friends Palace.

Tai Yin in a temple position: real help, many of them; with Tai Yang (Chou, Wei), many servants; with Tian Ji (Yin, Shen), no help; with Tian Tong (Zi, Wu), prosperity for the master; in Xian, none. Tai Yin in the Friends Palace is often read as many women among one's subordinates or friends, and finely tuned relationships. Tai Yin is Xian in Mao, Chen and Si, which shows directly on a Xingge chart. People around one who care about feelings, and relationships that need tending. See Tai Yin in the Friends Palace.

Tan Lang in the Friends Palace, 「初難，招敗主之奴」: the subordinates or friends of one's early years drag one down. In Xian (Si, Hai), none; with Lian Zhen, also few; the line on Zi Wei (Mao, You) has words missing, as the text note says. Tan Lang is the star of desire, so in the Friends Palace friends are mostly companions in pleasure, or subordinates each with an agenda. These days: be selective about friends. See Tan Lang in the Friends Palace.

Ju Men in its temple: no real help early on, trouble, nobody stays. With Tai Yang (Yin, Shen), 「助主衛家」: once again the sun dispels Ju Men's darkness. 「天同天一心」 is, as the text note says, probably 'with Tian Ji, not of one mind', the same phrase as in the Tian Liang entry in segment 12. Ju Men in the Friends Palace means a lot of argument with subordinates or friends. See Ju Men in the Friends Palace.

Tian Xiang in the Friends Palace, 「末年招得」: capable people come only later in life. With Zi Wei (Chen, Xu), many servants; with Wu Qu (Yin, Shen), resentment; with Lian Zhen (Zi, Wu), help in later years. Tian Xiang is the mediator, so in the Friends Palace one often has to clean up after and smooth things over for subordinates or friends, and the return comes late. See Tian Xiang in the Friends Palace.

Tian Liang in the Friends Palace, 「奴多旺主」; with Tian Tong (Yin, Shen), servants who guard the household; with Tian Ji (Chen, Xu), not of one mind. Tian Liang is the star of shelter, so in the Friends Palace there are friends who look after one like elders, or one looks after one's subordinates. The Siblings Palace chapter also says 'not of one mind', but there it is said of Tian Ji in a Xian position (「陷地，相背不一心」, Siblings Palace) and of Tian Ji with Ju Men (「更乖違不一心」, Siblings Palace), not of Tian Ji with Tian Liang. See Tian Liang in the Friends Palace.

Qi Sha in the Friends Palace, 「欺主，有剛強之僕，多盜家財」: domineering subordinates who will not be managed, and may even embezzle. With Wu Qu (Mao, You), betrayal; with Lian Zhen (Chou, Wei), no help. It is the harshest main-star verdict in this palace. With Qi Sha in the Friends Palace, the Siblings Palace opposite always holds Tian Fu. In a modern company: hiring needs internal controls, and financial authority should be split up. See Qi Sha in the Friends Palace.

Po Jun in its temple (Zi, Wu): real help; in a Xian palace (Mao, You): resentment and betrayal. With Wu Qu (Si, Hai), defiance; with Zi Wei (Chou, Wei), real help; with Lian Zhen (Mao, You), no help. Po Jun's transformed qi is waste, so in the Friends Palace staff turnover is high. The Po Jun chapter says 「在奴僕謗怨逃走」 (What Does Po Jun Govern?): in the palace of servants, slander, resentment and flight. In the workplace: high team turnover, and a need for a bench of people ready to step in. See Po Jun in the Friends Palace.

Wen Chang alone in its temple: real help to the master; with malefic stars, servants who betray. Wen Chang in the Friends Palace means subordinates or friends with learning who can handle paperwork. There are people around who can help write and plan; with malefic stars, check the paperwork oneself.

Wen Qu in its temple: real help; in a Xian palace (Wu, Xu): none; with malefic stars, resentment and flight. Wen Qu's Friends Palace entry is built almost the same way as Wen Chang's. Among one's friends are good talkers and good mixers, but with many malefic stars that eloquence may go into talk behind one's back.

Zuo Fu alone in the Friends Palace, 「旺相，一呼百諾」: a helper star is a helper by nature, and the subordinates' palace is its natural seat. With malefic stars or Hua Ji, betrayal and difficulty finding people. In practice this means steady, reliable support around one, and smooth teamwork.

You Bi alone, 「成行」; with malefic stars or Hua Ji, 「背主盜財而走」. Compared with Zuo Fu, You Bi's bad side adds theft, unusually harsh words for a You Bi entry. In practice: when trusted people handle money, there need to be checks, not trust on feeling alone.

Lu Cun in the Friends Palace, 「奴僕多，加吉星衛主起家」. With Lu Cun in the Friends Palace, Qing Yang and Tuo Luo always sit in the Travel and Career Palaces, so 'seeing Qing Yang and Tuo Luo' is a given, and the real conditions are Huo Xing, Ling Xing, the star of waste and Hua Ji. Friends or subordinates bring steady resources, but Lu Cun is cautious, and the circle may not be large: quality over quantity.

Qing Yang in the Friends Palace, 「背主招怨，不得力，有也不長久」; in its temple, help in later years. Qing Yang is the punishment star, so in the subordinates' palace it means forceful subordinates who clash with one easily. When leading a team, handle rivalry with subordinates or partners well, with clear roles and clear rewards and penalties.

Tuo Luo in the Friends Palace, 「欠力怨主」; only in its temple with lucky stars is there any share. Tuo Luo rules delay, so in the subordinates' palace it means subordinates who drag their feet and never quite finish what they are given. In management: set deadlines and follow up.

Huo Xing alone, 「怨主不得力」; with lucky stars and in its temple, one or two. Huo Xing in the Friends Palace means hot-tempered subordinates or friends, and relationships that flare into conflict. Applied to the workplace: someone on the team with a lot of drive is firepower when used well and a powder keg when used badly.

Ling Xing alone: no help, hatred of the master; meeting lucky stars in its temple, 「助主衛家」; with Di Kong, Di Jie, the star of waste or Hua Ji, no help at all. Compared with Huo Xing, Ling Xing in its temple with lucky stars can actually guard the household, a higher rating. Someone quiet but reliable nearby, who comes through when it counts.

When the Dou Jun passes through the Friends Palace, lucky stars mean loyal servants; malefic stars or Hua Ji mean 「恨主而走」 or 「凶奴僕而招是非」. Concretely: in a month when the monthly luck reaches the Friends Palace and meets malefic stars or Hua Ji, staff changes and conflicts come easily, so decisions on hiring, layoffs or partnerships can wait, or get one more round of checking.