It's all those idiots' fault! Bi Gan thought. A perfectly good plan has gone up in smoke again!
After court was dismissed, Shang Rong walked beside Bi Gan. "Sigh, Chancellor, the Great King..."
Shang Rong shook his head. "I have a daughter at home too..."
Bi Gan rolled his eyes. "What good would that do? The Great King pays no attention to his harem now. Do you think it's because the women there aren't beautiful enough?"
"That's not it. The Great King is still young and has devoted himself to affairs of state."
"Ah, Chancellor, do you remember the poem in the Nüwa Temple?"
"I do. Could it be that the Great King wants... Though it would be deeply disrespectful to say so, if there truly were a woman in this world like Goddess Nüwa, she could make the Great King a worthy wife."
Neither man noticed the person walking behind them as they spoke. His eyes lit up. He turned back and requested an audience with the Great King.
"Great King, Ministers Fei Zhong and You Hun request an audience."
Fei Zhong? You Hun?
"Summon them."
Before long, Fei Zhong and You Hun arrived at Zhou Wang's study. "Your servant greets the Great King. Your servant knows of a woman of peerless beauty, as lovely as Goddess Nüwa."
The moment Fei Zhong knelt, he dispensed with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
Zhou Wang paused. Nüwa's face immediately surfaced in his mind, again and again.
"Oh? Tell me about her."
"Great King! She is Su Da Ji, daughter of Su Hu, the Marquis of Ji Province."
"Is that so?"
Mentioning anyone else drew no reaction from Zhou Wang. But at the mention of Nüwa, the black qi in his mind began to stir.
Zhou Wang considered it. "Excellent."
A few days later, on Zhou Wang's birthday, the Four Great Vassals and eight hundred other lords came to offer their congratulations. At their head, naturally, were Marquis Jiang Hengchu of the East, Marquis Ji Chang of the West, South Marquis E Chongyu, North Marquis Chong Houhu, and Chong Heihu.
Zhou Wang's mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about Su Da Ji, and after the banquet, he found an opportunity to summon Su Hu.
"My dear minister, I hear you have a daughter of dignified bearing and gentle virtue. I wish to select her for my harem. In time, you would be kin to the royal house, your family's standing in Ji Province secure for generations, your name renowned throughout the Four Seas. Would that not be splendid? What do you say?"
Su Hu had long harbored other intentions. Hearing this, he immediately replied, "Great King, your harem already holds countless beauties. My daughter is ignorant and may be unfit to serve you."
Zhou Wang froze. Su Hu refused?
But when he thought of Fei Zhong's claim that she was as beautiful as Nüwa, the yearning in his heart would not subside.
"My dear minister, you are mistaken! Since ancient times, who has not wished for a daughter to bring honor to the family? You would become kin to the royal house and enjoy rank and riches."
Su Hu said coldly, "Great King, you must curb your lust for women. Otherwise, Cheng Tang's six-hundred-year legacy may not survive."
Zhou Wang flew into a rage!
"How dare you! Su Hu, you have some nerve to defy the Human Emperor and curse Cheng Tang! Guards, execute him!"
Fei Zhong and You Hun hurried forward. "Great King, you mustn't! If Su Hu is punished for defying you over the selection of his daughter, all the realm may laugh at you..."
They lowered their voices. "Why not let him go? Once he returns home and thinks it through, he will surely be grateful for your kindness and offer up his daughter."
Zhou Wang snorted. "Very well!"
After Su Hu left, his eyes darted about. He wrote a rebellious verse on the city gate.
"When the ruler turns corrupt, his ministers stand firm; the five constant virtues fall to ruin. Su Hu of Ji Province shall never pay court to Shang!"
Once he had finished, Su Hu led his men back to Ji Province overnight and openly declared rebellion.
"Su Hu! What audacity! It seems he has long harbored a rebel's heart!"
Zhou Wang ordered Chong Houhu to raise troops and march against Ji Province!
Immortal Mountain.
Tongtian brought Zhu Wushuang and Xiang Wuchen, both in their unchanged forms, to Immortal Mountain. Wang Yuan was dumbstruck. He tilted his head back to look at the two hefty women.
"Nephew, where did you find them?"
"Uh... Didn't you say last time that Zhou Wang's harem needed..."
Wang Yuan nearly laughed himself to tears.
"Hahaha! Nephew, you're a genius. If they enter the harem, I guarantee Zhou Wang will attend court diligently! The harem and all that will be nothing but passing clouds to him."
Tongtian looked at Wang Yuan in confusion. "Uncle, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. They're from Hong Lie's sect?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm... Good! But they aren't mortal. Let me think..."
Hu Jiu Mei and the others are with me now, so Su Da Ji should still be in Ji Province. Why not pull off a switch right under everyone's nose?
"You and Hong Lie find a way to get the two of them to Su Hu's daughter, Su Da Ji, in Ji Province. They should be able to enter the palace soon after. But looking like this..."
Zhu Wushuang and Xiang Wuchen spoke up. "This... Senior..."
They had racked their brains and still could not work out what to call Wang Yuan.
Heavens above and earth below!! He's the Sect Master's uncle!
"Go on."
"Though we know the Transformation Technique, we can't maintain another form for long. Besides, we're considered quite attractive among our own kind."
Wang Yuan's eyes darted about. "Then stay as you are. Perfect!"
Zhou Wang won't be distracted by his harem with these two around. Surely he'll learn to be a wise ruler?
The Zhou Wang in Wang Yuan's mind was the one from the original tale of the Investiture of the Gods.
"Go find Hong Lie! Oh, and take these for protection."
After the two women left, Wang Yuan happily pictured Zhou Wang's slight frame with an arm around each of those big women...
Looking at what they had taken, Tongtian's heart ached. They were two Twelfth Grade Green Lotuses from the pond!
Though they were Twelfth Grade, Tongtian still cried inwardly, Uncle is unbelievably extravagant! He doesn't begrudge giving away anything!
Xiang Wuchen and Zhu Wushuang went straight to Hong Lie when they reached Chaoge.
But their seniority was impossible to sort out now, so in the end, they settled on calling one another fellow disciples.
"Fellow disciples, does the Sect Master have instructions for me?"
Zhu Wushuang explained why they had come. "Oh? I see. Something has indeed happened around Chaoge recently. Su Hu, the Marquis of Ji Province, has rebelled. If you go there... he might take you in."
Hong Lie had lived in Chaoge for some time, so he naturally knew about the recent events.
"Very well, fellow disciple. We'll be on our way!"
With that, they departed.
Hong Lie shuddered as he watched their figures recede.
By the time Zhu Wushuang and Xiang Wuchen reached Ji Province, Chong Houhu's forces and the defenders of Ji Province were facing off.
From within the city, Su Hu asked, "Who is below the walls?"
A scout replied, "North Marquis Chong Houhu!"
Su Hu frowned. "Him? He has no regard for propriety. We'll have to fight! Muster the troops!"
Once the troops were assembled, the gates of Ji Province City swung open. Su Hu rode out and saw Chong Houhu opposite him, clad in golden armor and cutting an imposing figure. He inclined his head. "Marquis, I trust you have been well. The Son of Heaven has lost his way and seeks to force my daughter to marry him. Do you mean to help a tyrant do evil?"
Chong Houhu sneered. "What a sharp tongue you have, Su Hu. You say nothing of your rebellion or your refusal to carry out the New Policy. Instead, you turn the accusation back on me. Is there any land beneath heaven's edge that does not belong to the king? What right have you to refuse the Great King? I'll capture you today! Men!"
His deputy general Mei Wu immediately rode forward. "Your subordinate is willing to go!"
Chong Houhu noticed that the rider opposite them looked like a young man, though plainly no ordinary one. Clad in silver armor, he cut a striking, heroic figure.
Ji Province has such a fine warrior?
After a moment's thought, it struck him. Could this be Su Hu's son, Su Quanzhong?
Chong Houhu had heard of Su Quanzhong's abilities, and his confidence in Mei Wu waned. "Wait..."
Mei Wu understood at once. He said quietly, "Marquis, don't worry. A few days ago, I met an expert who taught me some spells! I have my own way to capture him!"
"But..."
Mei Wu grew anxious. "If I fail to capture him, I'll bring you my head!"
Before you continue