Come to think of it, before he transmigrated into King Zhou, he already had two children: Yin Jiao and Yin Hong.
Yin Jiao was already thirteen this year. Though he was still underage, he was no longer a little child.
With Yin Jiao overseeing the state, Grand Tutor Wen assisting with government affairs, and Bi Gan lending support, matters in Chaoge City would be in capable hands.
While he was away on an Imperial Expedition, every hidden threat would reveal itself. With Grand Tutor Wen holding down the fort in Chaoge City, things would still be kept from spiraling out of control.
"If that's the case, then it seems suitable. But the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea are no simple foe. Your Majesty must be cautious!" Grand Tutor Wen said.
In other words, he had agreed to the King's Imperial Expedition. Bi Gan and Huang Feihu exchanged a glance, but they had nothing more to say.
"The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea are indeed no simple foe, but Great Shang has no shortage of capable people and extraordinary talents!" Zi Shou said.
For one thing, in the original Canonization of the Gods, Grand Tutor Wen had spent more than a decade campaigning against the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
If they had been ordinary opponents, could they have held out against Grand Tutor Wen for so long?
But that was exactly why he had to lead the expedition himself. It was the perfect opportunity to see who was really behind the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
Still, he wasn't being arrogant. For this Imperial Expedition, he had ordered the San Shan Pass General to accompany the army.
With this general present, no matter how formidable the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea were, they wouldn't be able to make waves.
He discussed everything in detail with Grand Tutor Wen and the others. Only then did Bi Gan and Huang Feihu feel somewhat reassured.
After the three men left, he formally issued the decree for the Imperial Expedition.
"I doubt anyone would expect that I simply can't lose—at least, not yet!" Zi Shou murmured.
There were plenty of reasons for the Imperial Expedition, but there was one he hadn't told Grand Tutor Wen and the others.
The Canonization of the Gods was already set in motion, but Great Shang still had about twenty years of fortune left. That was something the Nuwa Saint herself had confirmed.
The Saints could see through Heaven and Earth, and their words became law. How could that be false?
Even after being blasphemed against, the Goddess Nüwa could do nothing but send the Xuanyuan Tomb Three Demons.
Until Great Shang fell, he was still the Human Sovereign, not the Son of Heaven.
In other words, for the next twenty years or so, he would be invincible beneath Heaven.
In the original Canonization of the Gods, Great Shang had lasted about twenty years even with him, King Zhou, acting so recklessly.
Would Great Shang really fall early just because he was leading an Imperial Expedition?
Since even the Saints had accepted the so-called Heaven's Mandate, what did he have to fear?
For the next twenty years or so, he might as well turn the world upside down!
If he didn't take a chance, he was doomed. If he did, there might still be hope. It wasn't a difficult principle to understand.
If he was going to take a chance, he couldn't afford to be timid!
He would stake everything, striking like a storm, with lightning speed, and carve out a bright new world!
The Imperial Expedition had been decided, but they couldn't simply set off at once. Many matters still needed to be arranged.
Once everything was more or less in order, the San Shan Pass General and the Chen Tang Pass General arrived.
As they waited to be summoned, both generals felt somewhat puzzled.
This was especially true of Li Jing, the Chen Tang Pass General. Chen Tang Pass was remote, situated along the Eastern Sea, and he himself was little known.
How had the King heard of him? Not only had he ordered him to come to Chaoge City, he had also called him to join the army and campaign against the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
Though his mind was full of questions, he had no choice but to come when summoned by the King.
After waiting for a while, he and the other general, from San Shan Pass, were summoned by the King.
"Li Jing, I hear you once trained under an extraordinary cultivator and possess considerable skill. I've called you to join the campaign, and I will surely put your talents to good use."
Li Jing himself was no ordinary man, and his sons were even more remarkable. He also had deep ties to the Exposition Sect.
His eldest son, Jin Zha, studied under Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun. His second son studied under Puxian Zhenren, and his unborn third son, Nezha, would study under Taiyi Zhenren.
Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, Puxian Zhenren, and Taiyi Zhenren were all among the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao.
How could he dare use a Li Jing like that?
Even if he didn't use Li Jing, Li Jing and his sons would eventually defect to Xiqi.
Rather than let that happen, he might as well keep Li Jing right under his nose.
"I will obey Your Majesty's command. I, Li Jing, will gladly lay down my life and will not betray Your Majesty's trust!" Li Jing said.
This was a meteoric rise! To be entrusted with an important duty by the King was naturally a great joy for him.
A true gentleman would die for someone who understood him. Li Jing knew nothing of the Canonization of the Gods, and he was naturally filled with gratitude to receive such gracious treatment from his sovereign.
"I hear your wife is expecting. Do you know when the child will be born?"
This was certainly a way to win Li Jing over, but Li Jing alone wasn't important enough to warrant such attention.
Li Jing was important, but his soon-to-be-born son was even more so.
"My wife is indeed expecting, but I don't know when the child will be born!"
Li Jing was taken aback. He hadn't imagined that the King knew his wife was pregnant.
It was clear that the King truly valued him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known such a minor detail.
But the question left him at a loss. He truly didn't know what to say.
"Pregnancy lasts ten months. How can you not know when the child will be born?" Zi Shou asked.
He knew exactly what was going on. Though Nezha had yet to be born, he had already shown signs of being extraordinary.
And it was precisely because he knew Nezha hadn't yet been born that he had summoned Li Jing to join the expedition.
"Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. My wife became pregnant more than two years ago, but the child still hasn't been born!" Li Jing hurriedly explained.
That was why he had hesitated. The truth was simply too bizarre to say aloud.
A ten-month pregnancy was the norm. Yet his wife had been pregnant for more than two years, and the child still hadn't arrived.
It could be a serious matter. If anyone made an issue of it, his unborn child might be branded a monster.
"In ancient times, sages were born into the world amid wondrous signs. By that measure, this child must be extraordinary and will surely bring prosperity to Great Shang!
"Once the child is born, I permit him to study in the palace, with the same privileges as the princes!"
At these words, Li Jing gaped in astonishment, staring at the King in disbelief.
A woman being pregnant for nearly three years without giving birth was certainly strange.
But everything depended on how one interpreted it. If the sovereign was wary, the child would be deemed a monster and eliminated to prevent future trouble.
But in the King's eyes, this was a sign that a sage had entered the world, destined to bring prosperity to Great Shang. What could anyone else say?
Moreover, the King had granted such a rare honor.
Was this because of the unborn child?
No! This clearly showed that the King valued him, Li Jing, and that was why he had granted such an honor.
"Your Majesty has shown me such kindness. I have no way to repay you, except to give my life in service to Great Shang!" Li Jing said, deeply moved.
After encouraging Li Jing some more, Zi Shou sent him on his way to prepare for the expedition.
Li Jing naturally had no idea that the one Zi Shou valued was Li Jing's unborn child, not Li Jing himself.
Yun Zhongzi had come to Chaoge on the pretext of eliminating a demon, but in truth, he had come to test him.
Furthermore, in this Canonization of the Gods, the King of Great Shang was destined to be an enemy, not an ally, of the Exposition Sect.
Having Li Jing join the expedition and snatching Nezha away in the process would cause the Exposition Sect a little trouble.
In any case, if it worked, that would be ideal. If it didn't, he had nothing to lose.
"Confucius Proclamation, the San Shan Pass General, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
As Zi Shou was pondering, the San Shan Pass General came to pay his respects.
Looking closely, the man seemed to be made of gold reflecting fire. His armor gleamed brilliantly, and he was truly imposing.
Moreover, although he claimed to pay his respects, he only clasped his fists. He remained standing tall.
Failing to kneel before the sovereign would have earned him a scolding from the ministers.
But Zi Shou said nothing to this San Shan Pass General, and his face showed no displeasure.
"Kong Xuan, I hear you possess peerless divine powers and could roam the world at your leisure. Why, then, serve as an official in Great Shang?"
He didn't hide anything from the San Shan Pass General. Instead, he got straight to the point.
After all, this was Kong Xuan, one of the strongest beings beneath the Saints, born with an unyielding pride.
Hearing this, Kong Xuan paused, then glanced at the current Human Sovereign of the Human Race in surprise.
"I do possess some divine powers, but I have an unbreakable karmic bond with Great Shang. Naturally, I must protect it," Kong Xuan said.
As one of the most powerful beings beneath the Saints, he had chosen to serve in Great Shang, and as the general of San Shan Pass, for a reason.
But some things could not be spoken plainly, even to the King of Great Shang, the current Human Sovereign of the Human Race.
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