Marquises Pay Homage

In the eighth year of Di Xin's reign

In the fourth month of summer

The four great vassals of the realm led the eight hundred fiefs to pay homage to Yin Shang, and all the vassals entered Chaoge City for court.

"Earl of the East, Jiang Hengchu, enters to pay homage to the Great King!"

"Earl of the South, E Chongyu, enters to pay homage to the Great King!"

"Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, enters to pay homage to the Great King!"

"Earl of the North, Chong Houhu, enters to pay homage to the Great King!"

The official in charge of court ceremonies stood beneath the jade steps and shouted loudly. From the Meridian Gate came four men dressed in neat court robes, jade pendants jingling around their waists.

"Your servant, Earl of the East Jiang Hengchu, pays his respects to the Great King!"

Jiang Hengchu was a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, a clean-shaven face, and a sturdy build. Simply standing there, he exuded an indescribable majesty.

Once Jiang Hengchu had taken his place, the official in charge of court ceremonies took out the gift register and called out loudly:

"Earl of the East Jiang Hengchu presents one dou of purple-patterned pearls, ten ten-thousand-year-old coral trees, ten golden fish of good fortune, five luminous pearls, slaves, slaves..."

When he reached the end, the official's face filled with horror. He looked deathly pale as he stared at Di Xin on the throne, clearly at a loss and utterly flustered.

"My Imperial Father-in-law must have sent such wonderful gifts that even my official is too excited to speak."

Di Xin laughed heartily and flicked his gold-patterned sleeve.

"Continue reading!"

"Yes, Great King!"

After Di Xin spoke, the official steadied himself considerably, though his voice still trembled. Something terrible is about to happen!

"Thirty thousand slaves!"

—Crash!

Sure enough, the entire hall erupted in uproar the moment the official announced the final gift!

"How dare you, Earl of the East! How can slaves be used as a gift of homage?"

"Slaves are offerings made during funerals! Jiang Hengchu, you are unworthy of being the Imperial Father-in-law! Are you trying to curse Yin Shang to ruin?"

"Great King! I request that Jiang Hengchu be executed to appease the resentment of the realm!"

Slaves? Well done!

Behind the pearl curtain, a trace of amusement appeared on Di Xin's face. He had not attended court for several months, and it seemed some people could no longer sit still.

"Enough."

The moment Di Xin spoke, the entire hall fell silent. Shang Rong and the other loyal ministers all wore furious expressions, while Grand Tutor Wen Zhong was so enraged that he strode out of the hall in a few steps.

"Someone go! Return to the Grand Tutor's Residence and bring back the King-Beating Whip bestowed by the late king!"

"Grand Tutor, wait. How could my father-in-law harm me? There must be something strange about this. Why not calm down first and hear what my father-in-law has to say?"

Di Xin stopped Wen Zhong. The good show had only just begun; naturally, he had to let them reveal all their moves.

"Hmph!"

Wen Zhong snorted and swept his sleeve as he returned to the hall, a trace of anger still lingering on his face.

Earl of the East Jiang Hengchu deserves death!

"The Great King may not know this, but these thirty thousand slaves are the family members of the able-bodied slaves who built the Star-Gathering Pavilion. On this day of great celebration, your servant has brought their families to reunite with them, congratulating Yin Shang on enduring for ten thousand years!"

Jiang Hengchu spoke with genuine feeling, his words majestic and his expression entirely without guilt.

"This? That explanation does make sense!"

"Bah! Only when the late king passes away can the eight hundred vassals send slaves to Chaoge to accompany him in death! Now that the eight hundred vassals have come to celebrate in Chaoge, Jiang Hengchu's actions clearly show that he harbors ill intentions!"

"I heard that the Great King has not visited the Central Palace for several months. Could Jiang Hengchu be trying to support his daughter while he has the chance?"

"So that is how it is. Excellent!"

Di Xin clapped his hands and laughed loudly, showing no sign of blaming Jiang Hengchu. Yet a trace of strangeness appeared on Jiang Hengchu's face. Could Di Xin really have changed his temperament?

Earl of the South E Chongyu was a reckless, brawny man. After exchanging a glance with Jiang Hengchu and Ji Chang, he stepped forward and stood beside Jiang Hengchu.

"Your servant, Earl of the South E Chongyu, wishes the Great King boundless blessings and peace!"

Once E Chongyu had taken his place, the official in charge of court ceremonies began announcing the gifts.

"Earl of the South E Chongyu presents ten thousand jin of premium warm jade, one thousand golden-thread nanmu logs, ten clever spirit birds, slaves, two... two thousand slaves!"

When the official stammered out the final gift, the entire court once again fell deathly silent. Unlike the questioning that had followed Earl of the East Jiang Hengchu's offering, this time even a blind man could see that the two earls had definitely colluded!

"Good. What about the Marquis of the West? Just read it out directly."

Di Xin leaned sideways on the throne, propping his head up with one hand. Even his voice sounded listless.

"Your servant, Marquis of the West Ji Chang, wishes the Great King blessings and fortune that spread without end for ten thousand years."

Ji Chang was an old man with white hair and a kindly expression. He slowly took his place beside the other two, and the entire hall became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"Marquis of the West Ji Chang presents one Seven-Fragrance Carriage, one waking-from-wine mat, ten spirit monkeys, ten beauties, and two thousand slaves!"

"Good, good. I imagine the families of all those slaves I requisitioned from the eight directions have now arrived in Chaoge. I was just troubled by the excessive slaughter in the North Sea, which had left its fertile lands barren. Who could have expected my three beloved ministers to understand my thoughts so well and place a pillow beneath my weary head? They deserve rewards! They deserve rewards!"

Di Xin struggled to his feet and walked two steps forward before reaching out to pat Yin Jiao on the shoulder.

"Now that the Star-Gathering Pavilion has been completed, with not one of the one hundred thousand slaves dying, that is the true auspicious sign of Yin Shang!

"Now, the three great earls have sent us the relatives of these auspicious ones. Is this not a sign that auspiciousness will continue for generations?

"Jiao'er, you are the Crown Prince. Tell me, how should we reward... these slaves?"

Yin Jiao froze. Why did Father King sound as though his words carried another meaning?

"Reporting to Father King, this child believes that these slaves and their families should be granted freedom from their slave status and raised to the rank of commoners.

"Our Yin Shang succeeded because Ancestor Tang possessed the discernment to recognize talent and heavily employed Yi Yin, who had once been a slave. That was how our Yin Shang dynasty and this age of prosperity, in which the vassals all came to court, came to be!

"Now, auspiciousness has once again descended upon ordinary slaves. Is this not a hint that Father King should follow the example of our ancestor and raise Yin Shang to even greater heights?"

"Not appropriate, not appropriate."

Di Xin pretended to shake his head.

"If we merely let them shed their slave status, would that not mean the auspicious sign has brought them no benefit at all? Jiao'er, you must understand that the auspicious sign descended upon 'slaves,' not merely upon a group of people.

"Moreover, the eight hundred vassals have gathered in Chaoge to celebrate, using slaves as gifts. There must be a deeper meaning behind this."

"Great King! Great King! Your servant Fei Zhong has figured it out!"

Di Xin and Yin Jiao had been singing the same tune, and Fei Zhong had been listening with rapt attention. When he saw Di Xin give him a look, he immediately understood the words Di Xin had once said to him.

"Fei Zhong, you understand my thoughts best. Slaves are people too. To bury innocent people alive is truly too cruel."

"Great King! Your servant has realized the deeper meaning behind the three marquises' gifts."

"Oh? Then tell us."

Di Xin gave Fei Zhong a thumbs-up in his heart. What a treacherous minister. His cooperation is excellent.

"The Great King once asked all the ministers of the court, 'Are slaves also people?' Your servant still remembers that the ministers answered, 'Yes.'

"Yet though slaves are human, they are treated like livestock and buried alive as sacrifices. Such a custom truly violates Heaven's natural order, but because it is ancestral ritual law, no one has dared abandon it to this day.

"Now, the three marquises have treated 'the ritual of accompanying the dead in burial' as 'a gift of homage.' Is this not their way of saying: Great King, the ritual of burying slaves alive should be abolished?

"Your servant Fei Zhong supports the three marquises' proposal. Let us abolish the old ritual of slave sacrifice!"