I Am King Zhou, Human Emperor!

All along the way, Chaoge City had become an ocean of joy, with countless people cheering, dancing, and singing.

He fulfilled the people's expectations, riding at the very front on horseback so the common folk could catch a glimpse of their King's true face.

Every time he waved, it drew cheers from the crowd, and this only strengthened his resolve to protect the Great Shang.

Letting the people live and work in peace, and making the Great Shang prosperous and thriving—this would be his primary goal from now on.

The celebration in Chaoge City lasted an entire day, and by the time of the next morning court, the excitement still hadn't faded.

Before court began, a crowd of ministers were already discussing, all assuming the King would surely speak today about the lords' rebellion.

However, judging by the relaxed expressions on these ministers' faces, it was clear they didn't take those rebelling lords seriously at all.

To many, this was only natural—just a minor rebellion of some lords.

The King had launched an Imperial Expedition and pacified the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea in a single month. What were a few rebelling lords in comparison?

If it came down to it, the King could simply launch another Imperial Expedition and crush the rebellion, couldn't he?

With this mindset, the civil and military officials shed their usual worries and relaxed considerably.

After court began, looking at the assembled officials, Zi Shou stood up and declared in a clear voice:

"Since Our Imperial Expedition, the Three-Year Development Plan has been progressing slowly. This matter must be taken seriously!"

No one had expected the King to bring up the Three-Year Development Plan instead of the lords' rebellion.

Ever since the King's Imperial Expedition, lords across the land had rebelled, and the Great Shang was beset by internal strife and external threats. Naturally, no one had the mind to push the Three-Year Development Plan forward.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This is entirely this minister's fault. This minister deserves death ten thousand times!" Bi Gan stepped forward, speaking with a look of shame.

The King had entrusted him with such an important task, yet he had failed the King's trust. His heart had long been filled with shame and unease.

"You need not beg forgiveness. We are not here to assign blame. We understand the difficulty of carrying this out, but the work must still be done!" Zi Shou said.

The slow progress of the Three-Year Development Plan was due to many objective factors.

Bi Gan had done his utmost and had already performed well. Naturally, he would not be punished.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. This minister will spare no effort to push forward the Three-Year Development Plan!" Bi Gan said firmly.

How could he not know how much benefit the smooth implementation of the Three-Year Development Plan would bring to the Great Shang?

Before, with the King absent from Chaoge City, he had been constrained at every turn. But now, the King had returned.

With the King stationed in Chaoge City, no one would dare act recklessly. He could now boldly and decisively implement the Three-Year Development Plan.

"We believe that to carry this out, it will not only take time but also require the aid of many extraordinary talents!

Pass Our decree: starting tomorrow, establish a Hall of Talents in Chaoge City and issue an Edict of Talent Recruitment, sincerely inviting all extraordinary talents from across the land!" Zi Shou declared loudly.

As these words fell, the great hall fell into utter silence. Everyone stared at Zi Shou in disbelief.

Regardless of birth, wealth, or status, everything would be judged by ability alone, sincerely inviting heroes from all over the world.

In the current Great Shang, this was undoubtedly a break from convention, leaving the civil and military officials too stunned to speak.

But seeing the King at this moment, who dared to utter a single "no"?

"Your Majesty, the lords' rebellion has not yet been pacified. Should we dispatch troops to suppress it?" Grand Tutor Wen stepped forward to advise.

To many, this was the true focus of today's morning court, not the King's sudden proposal of the Edict of Talent Recruitment.

Of course, to many, that was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky—they simply couldn't digest such a bombshell in such a short time.

"Order the Four Lords, with the Lord of the West taking the lead, to each suppress the rebelling lords!" Zi Shou commanded.

The civil and military officials exchanged glances. Before today's court, they had racked their brains over how to deal with the rebelling lords.

Whether by dispatching a large army to suppress them, dividing the lords to break them apart, or striking them one by one, every minister had prepared a mountain of strategies.

Ordering the Four Lords to suppress the rebelling lords had occurred to some, but in the end, they had all abandoned the idea.

Within the Great Shang, there were eight hundred lords across the land, with the Four Lords being the most powerful, always at the head of all the lords under heaven.

Why not let the Four Lords handle the suppression of the rebelling lords? It was all about preventing future trouble.

As the Three-Year Development Plan was gradually implemented, it had already encroached on the interests of the major lords, which was why some had rebelled.

Though the Four Lords hadn't rebelled yet, no one could guarantee they never would.

If the Four Lords were sent to suppress the rebelling lords, might they collude with each other?

Or worse, what if the Four Lords simply nurtured their own power, using the suppression of the rebellion as an excuse to build up their strength and grow even larger?

Thus, in the eyes of most ministers, the Four Lords should not only be left untouched but also secretly guarded against.

Now, the King actually wanted to send the Four Lords to suppress the rebelling lords—this naturally caught many off guard.

But after the great victory in the North Sea, the King's prestige had risen sharply, and the situation at court had completely changed.

If this had been before, the moment Zi Shou, as King, brought this up, many ministers would have immediately jumped out to oppose him.

Now, even if doubts lingered in their hearts, seeing that Grand Tutor Wen and Bi Gan, among other key ministers, raised no objections, the others dared not say much.

In the eyes of many ministers, the King's move might have deeper meaning, just one they hadn't yet grasped.

A resolution that should have faced countless objections passed with ease, and the edicts sent to the Four Lords were quickly dispatched.

This also showed that after the great victory at the North Sea, the King's word in court had already taken on the weight of a nine-tripod cauldron.

After the morning court, many ministers only dared to discuss the matter of subjugating the various lords once they had left the Royal Palace.

"With the Four Lords making a move, who knows what kind of disaster will stir up. Let's hope the Four Lords are truly loyal!"

"I'm just afraid the Four Lords will rebel together. If that happens, the world will truly fall into chaos!"

"Speak carefully! Since the King dares to do this, he naturally has some certainty. Have you forgotten that the King just led an Imperial Expedition?"

While the ministers were buzzing with discussion, Grand Tutor Wen, Bi Gan, Huang Feihu, and other high-ranking officials were also seeking an audience. Although they had not opposed the King during the morning court, they too harbored some worries about the Four Lords.

"Your Majesty, with the Three-Year Development Plan being implemented, the Four Lords may no longer be trustworthy," Bi Gan said. Though he did not directly oppose the plan, he had voiced the concern in his heart, and his meaning was already quite clear.

"The Four Lords are the foremost among the world's lords, with formidable strength, but each of the Four Lords is different from the others," Grand Tutor Wen said. The Four Lords were Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu; Marquis of the West, Ji Chang; Lord of the South, E Chong Yu; and Lord of the North, Chong Hou Hu. Grand Tutor Wen's meaning was also clear: the Four Lords were each unique and needed to be treated differently; they could not all be lumped together and condemned wholesale. For instance, Lord of the East Jiang Huan Chu was Empress Jiang's father, and by extension Zi Shou's father-in-law—a figure who could be won over.

"If the Four Lords truly rebel, it might not be a bad thing," Zi Shou said. The Four Lords were powerful, each lord's state being a small kingdom unto itself, and Great Shang's control over them was very weak. As the Three-Year Development Plan was gradually implemented, it was essentially encroaching upon the interests of the various lords. This was no longer a question of whether the lords would rebel; faced with the tide of events, they had no choice but to rebel. If they did not rebel now, they would later, because the Great Shang he intended to forge could never be a Great Shang divided among various lords. Since rebellion was inevitable, for him, the sooner the lords rebelled, the better. He was still the Human Sovereign, and before the Canonization of the Gods had begun, even if all the lords under heaven rebelled, he had nothing to fear. If he waited until the Canonization began, with gods and buddhas personally entering the fray, there would be far more variables.

"If the Four Lords do not rebel, what does Your Majesty plan to do?" Grand Tutor Wen inquired. Compared to the worry on the faces of Huang Feihu and Bi Gan, Grand Tutor Wen appeared much calmer. The fact that he could conceive of the Four Lords not rebelling suggested he had already seen through the King's intentions.

"If they do not rebel, This Lonely One will naturally reward them. From now on, all sons of the lords may inherit their father's title," Zi Shou said. If the Four Lords did not rebel, he had already prepared for them the greatest scheme under heaven—the Decree of Grace. At that time, no matter how the Four Lords chose, the initiative would be in his hands.

"Excellent, excellent! Your Majesty, go ahead and act boldly. If all the lords under heaven rebel, this old minister will personally lead the troops to suppress them," Grand Tutor Wen said. He could already feel the King's resolve, and at this point, any further remonstration would be meaningless. Moreover, upon hearing the King's words just now, he instantly understood the power of that greatest scheme under heaven. As long as this matter benefited Great Shang and the King had already made up his mind, then he should go ahead and act. Even if all the lords under heaven rebelled, he would take the field and wage war, never allowing Great Shang to fall.

"If the Grand Tutor has such confidence, then This Lonely One has it too. Even if heaven and earth are turned upside down, what is there to fear?" Zi Shou said with a smile. If the Four Lords rebelled, then he could simply lead another Imperial Expedition, settling the matter in one decisive battle. If the Four Lords remained obedient, the power of that greatest scheme under heaven would leave them no choice but to comply. To deal with external threats, one must first secure the interior. With the Canonization of the Gods drawing ever closer, how could he face the gods and buddhas of heaven and earth if he could not forge Great Shang into a single, unbreakable block?

The decision on how to handle the lords' rebellion was thus settled, and news of it quickly spread throughout the world.