It depends, but you're most likely a Qiang slave captured in one of their ongoing wars, so there's not much you can do. You could try running, but the royal palace is a compound surrounded by a 26ft-high wall and rather extensive territory. [1]
Human sacrifice is relatively widespread throughout history, with well-known examples in the Vikings, Aztecs, Incas, Greeks, etc. However, retainer sacrifice - sacrifice of servants to accompany monarchs after death - is more rare. Perhaps most famous of these come from the First Dynasty of Egypt, but the practice was relatively short-lived. [2]
In the Shang Dynasty, retainer sacrifice served a similar purpose as in Egypt - to provide the deceased monarch with the luxuries they enjoyed in life, and the Shang are not alone in this practice in China. [3]
Retainer sacrifice goes hand-in-hand with Rénjì 人祭, the practice of killing prisoners - primarily male Qiang captives - in the worship of spirits or, more commonly, male ancestors. [4] The higher the status of the individual, the more people were killed; rulers would usually offer 10 of these sacrifices for "normal" worship. [5]
These sacrifices were quite brutal and included beheading, dismemberment, beating, taking blood, burning, burying alive, drowning, and drying. I'm afraid it's not looking too good for you so far, my friend.
Shang rulers were both absolute monarchs and the high priest, overseeing the two most important enterprises of Shang times - war and sacrifice, primarily the aforementioned Rénjì. [6] Their tombs contained many of victims of Rénjì, and one tomb in Anyang uncovered more than 700 skeletons, some decapitated and others buried alive. [7] Large numbers of retainer sacrifices have also been found in the tombs of other kings and nobles. [8]
These victims were well-organized in various pits and showcase both regular sacrifices and hundreds of skeletons arranged in the king's tomb.
Looks like you're dying, and likely in a brutal manner. However, if you're closer to the end of the Shang dynasty, you might be in luck!
During the decline of the Shang dynasty, human sacrifice was drastically reduced. You see, the Shang didn't practice institutionalized slavery, so sacrifice was the only way of using all the prisoners they captured in war. Once slavery became a more attractive option throughout the region, sacrifice of captives decreased. [3]
Sources
[1] Fairbank, John King; Goldman, Merle (2006). China: A New History (2nd ed.). Harvard University Press.
[2] Spencer, A.J. (1982). Death In Ancient Egypt (1st ed). Great Britain: Penguin Books Ltd. pp 68, 139.
[3] Shelach, Gideon. (1996). The Qiang and the Question of Human Sacrifice in the Late Shang Period. Asian Perspectives. Vol. 35, No. 1.
[4] Huáng Zhǎnyuè. (1990) 黄展岳, Zhōngguó gǔdài dē rénshēng rénxùn.中国古代的人牲人殉. Běijīng: Wénwù Chūbănshè. Oracle Bone Inscriptions
[5] Jiǎgǔwén Héjí. (1983). 甲骨文合集. 中华书局影印本. Běijīng: Zhōnghuá Shūjú Yǐngyìnběn.
[6] Smith, Howard (1961). Chinese Religion in the Shang Dynasty. International Review for the History of Religions, Vol 8, Fasc 2. pp 142–150. JSTOR 3269424.
[7] Kuo Mo-Jo (1952). Nu Li Chih Shih Tai. University of Virginia. pp. 68-9, 73-4.
[8] Chang (1980). pp 253.
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