The Absurd Great King

"Great King has arrived!"

The lively Xianqing Hall fell silent at the Inner Official's announcement.

Immediately after, many court officials saw Di Xin, who shouldn't have been there at this time.

Ever since King Zhou's grand wedding yesterday, Xianqing Hall was scheduled to host a banquet for three days.

This banquet was primarily arranged for Di Xin's father-in-law, Su Hu.

The Marquis of Jizhou, entering Chaoge as a traitor to offer his daughter, was met with delight by King Zhou upon seeing the stunning Beauty. He reinstated Su Hu to his original post and increased his monthly salary by two thousand piculs. Xianqing Hall was now hosting this imperial relative.

The banquet was presided over by the Crown Prince of the East Palace, Yin Jiao.

This Crown Prince was only twelve or thirteen years old, still a child. Due to his status, he was merely there to serve as a tool.

"Greetings, Father King!"

"Greetings, Great King!"

As Di Xin strode into the hall, the Crown Prince and all the court officials immediately rose to greet him.

While Yin Jiao, adhering to the etiquette of a son, didn't think much of it, the other hundred or so court officials felt a sense of unease due to King Zhou's arrival.

King Zhou had previously stated in the morning court that he would not attend the banquet; otherwise, the Crown Prince wouldn't have been involved.

Yet, he had come, acting so unusually.

What information did this reveal?

"Everyone, please be seated!"

While everyone was secretly speculating, Di Xin swallowed hard, scanned the crowd, and waved his hand, feigning calmness.

He recognized all the faces in the hall from memory, but it was still his first time meeting these legendary figures, and he felt a little nervous.

He came here partly to avoid Daji and partly to see if he could trigger any option-based missions.

Improving his own strength was now his overriding goal.

He couldn't rely on others; only by becoming powerful himself could he truly reign supreme.

After all, many of the Shang Dynasty's generals defected during the War of the Investiture of the Gods.

For example, his father-in-law surnamed Su, his father-in-law surnamed Huang, and his father-in-law surnamed Jiang who wasn't present...

Thinking about it, Di Xin suddenly realized, was this King Zhou clashing with his fathers-in-law?

The Eunuch rearranged the seating. Only after Di Xin sat in the main seat did the officials in the hall resume their seats.

"Ahem, due to palace etiquette, it is inconvenient for Beauty Su to show her face here. This King will entertain Marquis Su on her behalf!"

As soon as Di Xin spoke, a low murmur of discussion arose in the hall.

Everyone understood. The Great King was showing support for Su Hu, a tremendous honor.

"Furthermore, this King has decided to promote Su Daji from Beauty to Noble Consort."

Compared to the previous statement, this one immediately caused an uproar in the hall.

Above Beauty was Talented Lady, above Talented Lady was Zhaoyi, and after several ranks came Noble Consort.

Su Daji had just been enfeoffed as Beauty yesterday, and today she was directly promoted to Noble Consort.

Su Daji had truly ascended to the heavens in one step!

This showed how deep the Emperor's favor was for that little girl.

Needless to say, she must have pleased him greatly last night.

Although the officials found it absurd, it was a matter of the harem, and officials were not supposed to comment. This matter must have had Empress Jiang's agreement as well.

Since that was the case, no one wanted to stir up trouble.

In an instant, sounds of gratitude and congratulations filled the hall.

Di Xin watched all this with a smile, experiencing the power of an Emperor in a new way.

Enfeoffments were trivial matters, merely empty titles.

As the saying goes, a slap followed by a sweet date. He had slapped Su Daji three times last night, so this sweet date had to be a big one.

It appeased Su Hu and stabilized Daji.

As for Empress Jiang, he hadn't thought much about it; he had made the decision himself anyway.

"The Great King's grace upon the harem shows him to be a benevolent and righteous ruler. We are deeply impressed. However, the Great King is of noble stature and toils day and night for state affairs. He should prioritize his Dragon Body!"

Minister Huang Feihu, the King Wucheng of Zhenguo, felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He suddenly stood up and said.

His sister had entered the palace many years ago and had always held a position in the West Palace. She rarely received the Emperor's favor, to the point that she hadn't been able to bear any children yet.

Why should Su Daji, upon entering the palace, receive all the Emperor's affection?

Wouldn't this leave his sister even more neglected?

His words were both subtle and not subtle; anyone with a bit of sense could understand.

Just as the officials expected the Great King to placate King Wucheng with a few words, they were surprised when King Zhou slapped his forehead and said, "Minister Huang speaks the truth. We should indeed prioritize the Dragon Body. I now decree that all of you search for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and other potent tonics to present. There will be generous rewards."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

The Great King's train of thought is too bizarre, isn't it?

He's really riding the wave, saying something like that?

Even Huang Feihu's expression faltered, unsure how to respond.

It feels like the Great King is becoming more and more absurdly out of line.

Di Xin wanted precisely this effect.

He had figured things out last night. His future principle would be to act as an absurd Great King. As long as he didn't harm the common people, torment loyal officials, or affect the destiny of the Yin Shang, he could be as absurd as he pleased.

This way, he could maintain King Zhou's original persona, deceive the Chan Sect, and bide his time for his own stealthy development.

Moreover, he genuinely needed powerful supplements.

The so-called Refining Essence into Qi involved the Kidney storing essence. With the aid of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, the cultivation process would be greatly accelerated, the foundation would be more solid, and his Magic Power would be stronger.

However, searching through his memories, the Royal Palace had very few such treasures, not nearly enough to satisfy his cultivation needs.

After a brief silence, the ministers in the hall, giving King Zhou ample face, accepted the absurd decree, though most of them did so perfunctorily.

Only Huang Feihu remained unresponsive. Disregarding his old father Huang Gun's repeated signals, he spoke again: "Great King, your subject believes you should prioritize state affairs and not indulge in the pleasures of the harem. You should focus your energy on governance. At least for the next few years, do not take any more concubines. Your subject is a loyal minister, and thus offers this direct advice."

Huang Feihu really dares to speak his mind!

Di Xin couldn't help but admire the man's courage.

Before he could react, a portly minister rose and rebuked him: "King Wucheng, you are incredibly bold. The Great King is the sovereign of ten thousand chariots, possessing all under heaven, his virtue matching that of Yao and Shun. What the world possesses belongs to His Majesty. How can an external minister interfere with whether or not he takes concubines? Great King, please punish King Wucheng for his insubordination!"

Fei Zhong!

Di Xin immediately recognized him. He was a notorious sycophant who had committed many misdeeds. The decision to bring Daji into the palace was even spearheaded by him and another sycophant, You Hun.

The downfall of Yin Shang owed no small part to those two.

Di Xin harbored no good feelings towards Fei Zhong; in fact, he wished he could eliminate him quickly.

"Fei Zhong, you flatter the superior and sow discord in the court! Great King, please punish him for his sedition!"

On the other side, King Wucheng was not to be outdone. The two began to argue fiercely, back and forth.

The great hall immediately became incredibly lively.

Just then, three options suddenly appeared before Di Xin's eyes.

[Option One: Firmly support Huang Feihu, promise not to take any more concubines for several years, and punish Fei Zhong. Completion Reward: One Spirit Pill equivalent to five years of cultivation.]

[Option Two: Firmly support Fei Zhong, express the intention to continue taking concubines, and punish Huang Feihu. Completion Reward: One Spirit Pill equivalent to four years of cultivation.]

[Option Three: Let Huang Feihu and Fei Zhong fight it out. Support the winner. Completion Reward: One Spirit Pill equivalent to three years of cultivation.]