"Present matters early; if there are none, end the court session!"
Before the court official had even finished speaking, the ministers below were already roaring in uproar!
"Great King! I accuse Lower Grand Master You Hun of extortion and plunder, forcibly seizing—"
"Great King! You must uphold justice for me! That scoundrel You Hun suddenly led soldiers into my residence and forcibly seized hundreds of my slaves!"
"Great King! A thousand of my slaves were seized as well, all of them strong young men!"
Upon the throne, Di Xin looked somewhat astonished as he watched You Hun below tilting his head back and counting the roof beams. He was filled with surprise as well:
Good heavens, I really underestimated you. In just three days, you've already harmed so many people. No wonder you're a notorious treacherous minister!
You're quite skilled at this! I have high hopes for you!
Below the jade steps, You Hun seemed to sense Di Xin's gaze. He lowered his eyes from the roof beams and fixed them on his own toes.
Tch! A bunch of fools at the same official rank as me, making a scene because they don't know how to read the Great King's intentions. Even if I ruin all of you, this great minister won't receive the slightest punishment!
"Enough. You're giving me a headache. Speak one at a time. What exactly did You Hun do to you?"
Di Xin was delighted inside, but his tone was full of impatience. He tapped the throne with his right hand, and the court immediately fell silent.
"Great King! I accuse Lower Grand Master You Hun of extortion and plunder! Yesterday, Lower Grand Master You Hun led soldiers to my home and forcibly took three hundred of my strong slaves in exchange for three hundred bushels of coarse grain! In Chaoge, right under the Great King's feet, such brazen plunder has actually appeared. A greedy and treacherous minister like this is a great misfortune for Yin Shang, Great King!"
"Such conduct is indeed somewhat improper. You Hun, what do you have to say?"
Di Xin nodded and looked toward You Hun. Come on, keep the music playing and the dancing going.
Only then did You Hun raise his head. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he cupped his hands before him.
"Great King! Lower Grand Master Gou Tao has already spoken for me: I bought his three hundred slaves with three hundred bushels of grain, so I have nothing to say."
"You Hun, that's nonsense! The grain is mine, the slaves are mine, you— I— Great King, you must uphold justice for this humble minister!"
Lower Grand Master Gou Tao was so enraged by You Hun that he could barely speak. He bent at the waist, tears streaming down his face. That coarse grain of yours wouldn't even be eaten by pigs or dogs, yet you still have the nerve to say this!
"Outrageous! In the royal court, before the Great King, Gou Tao, you actually dare to curse and make a scene! Where have you placed the Great King?"
You Hun abruptly turned around and pointed at Gou Tao with his right hand, bellowing so loudly that the other man immediately collapsed limply to the floor.
"Great King, I—I was truly overcome with anger!"
"Enough. Three hundred bushels of grain for three hundred slaves—that's the market price. No loss. All of you may withdraw."
Di Xin tilted his head back and yawned. These fellows sent an idiot to lead the charge. How utterly boring.
I went to the trouble of preparing several plans, but it seems I won't need any of them. In that case, I'll just let you bite the hook first.
Di Xin stopped tapping with his right hand and cast an almost imperceptible glance at Shang Rong.
"It's only a few slaves, yet you've made such a huge commotion over them. That truly wasn't something I expected."
Shang Rong was still pondering the meaning behind Di Xin's gaze when he suddenly heard the words "slaves" spoken with emphasis. His eyes lit up at once as he recalled something Di Xin had said to him in the past. So that was what it had been meant for today!
"Great King! Please forgive this old minister for speaking frankly: slaves are members of the human race! They are also the Great King's subjects! They cannot be dismissed as merely 'a few slaves'!"
Retreat in order to advance, turn enemies into allies, and make them acknowledge that slaves are members of the human race. Then raise the value of slaves first, little by little reducing the resistance that will come later.
Great King, did you think this far from the very beginning?
"Great King! Prime Minister Shang Rong is right! Slaves are people, so how could they be bought for just one bushel of rice?"
"That's right, that's right! Slaves are members of the human race, flesh and blood just like us. Taking them away for one bushel of coarse grain is forced buying and selling, trickery, and plunder! I ask the Great King to punish You Hun!"
"Hey! Gou Tao, you old bastard, if we go by your reasoning, does that mean they can be bought and sold as long as the price is increased?"
"That's right! The price has to be increased!"
After being baited by You Hun, Gou Tao's true feelings instantly took on a different flavor. His words left the entire court silent. He, too, finally realized what he had said, and with a thump, he fell to his knees in the hall.
"Great King, I was muddle-headed with anger. No, no, I mean, You Hun lured me into it, and that's why I said such things!"
Di Xin gave two cold laughs. He slowly rose from the throne and walked step by step to Gou Tao.
"Were you muddle-headed with anger? Were you lured into it? I think you're simply this vulgar and mercenary by nature! So you didn't believe that slaves were people. You only thought the selling price for your slaves was too low and came here to complain to me! I'll ask you only this: are slaves members of the human race?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Can they be bought and sold?"
"They can... They can't! They can't!"
"Good!"
Di Xin suddenly swept out his sleeve, turned around, and climbed the jade steps. With his back to the civil and military officials, he took one step at a time, speaking one sentence with each step.
"You Hun, strip him of his official post, seize his residence, and take his entire family, young and old. Demote them all to slaves! Send them to Star-Gathering Pavilion to work! As for those three hundred bushels of grain, keep them safe for me. Once Star-Gathering Pavilion is completed, return them to him!"
"Yes!"
You Hun was overjoyed and took two or three steps to Gou Tao's side.
"Slave, shall we go?"
"Great King! No, Great King! I only misspoke once! Great King, I am a meritorious subject of Yin Shang. You cannot treat me like this!"
Gou Tao rose and tried to crawl up the jade steps, but You Hun stopped him with one hand.
"Where are the guards? Hurry up and throw this slave out! Take it slow—don't hurt him. The Great King still has to give him three hundred bushels of grain!"
"Great King! Great King..."
Gou Tao was carried outside by two guards, his voice growing weaker and weaker.
Having taken his revenge, You Hun was in an excellent mood. It was not merely because Di Xin was backing him from behind the scenes, but also because Gou Tao would not die!
That's right—he would not die!
The hundred thousand slaves at Star-Gathering Pavilion could not lose even one person, so Gou Tao and his entire family would not die. From this incident, it was clear that Di Xin was giving him a guarantee: he would not cast him aside after using him. Half of his life was safe!
"Great King, although Gou Tao's words were flawed, they were nevertheless reasonable. Slaves are also subjects of Yin Shang. I ask that the Great King extend some of his mercy to them."
Seeing that Di Xin had already killed a chicken to warn the monkeys, Shang Rong stepped forward again and brought the topic back around.
"The Prime Minister is right. I was indeed somewhat inconsiderate regarding the exchange of grain for slaves."
Di Xin turned around and swept his gaze over the ministers, a hint of teasing in his eyes. However, the beaded curtain obscured it, making it impossible to see clearly.
"I understand everyone's intentions. From now on, I will treat the slaves well. However, the construction of Star-Gathering Pavilion is the priority at present, so these slaves can only suffer a little. Very well, You Hun!"
"I am here!"
"After gathering one hundred thousand slaves, I have only one requirement: not a single one of those hundred thousand slaves may die. If even one dies, I will hold you responsible!"
"Great King, this..."
"Hmm?"
"Yes!"
You Hun accepted this "heavy responsibility" with a "wry smile." He turned his head toward the ministers, his eyes filled with even greater venom.
You heard him, right? I can keep doing this! I have no choice but to keep doing this! Cooperate with me, or else... we'll all die together!
Before you continue