Chong Houhu's manor.
As soon as Su Hu reached the entrance, the guard waiting there ushered him inside.
In the main room, Chong Houhu stroked his long beard, looking as though everything had gone exactly as he expected.
"Marquis of the North, I demand an explanation."
His temper blazing like fire, Su Hu launched straight into a barrage of questions. Chong Houhu merely chuckled. "First, allow me to apologize on my son's behalf. In a few days, I will bring him to your door to beg forgiveness. But tell me, my worthy younger brother, do you understand His Majesty's intentions?"
"I was deeply moved by His Majesty's purpose. He sullied his own name to stave off bloodshed. Were it not for such lofty righteousness, I would not have come here alone today!" Su Hu snorted repeatedly, plainly displeased.
"Be calm, my worthy younger brother." Chong Houhu smiled again. "I have lived in Chaoge for many years and know more about King Zhou and affairs at court. There is a deeper purpose behind all this."
Su Hu paused in surprise. "A deeper purpose?"
"Allow your elder brother to explain." Chong Houhu waved a hand, ordering the servants to bring wine.
After taking a small sip, Chong Houhu said, "Our Great Shang has endured for over six hundred years. Its people prosper in their livelihoods, the winds and rains arrive in season, the nation flourishes in peace, the peoples beyond our borders bow in submission, and all eight directions pay homage. Yet can there truly be no petty villains among us?"
Su Hu said, "Our present king is wise and discerning, able to perceive the finest autumn hair. Naturally-"
At that point, Su Hu seemed to grasp something.
"The Feudal Lords." Chong Houhu set his wine cup heavily on the table and repeated, "The Feudal Lords!"
Then he raised his voice. "The Four Garrisons and the Eight Hundred Vassals have each guarded their own territories for over six hundred years. Are they truly loyal to the core, harboring not the slightest disloyalty toward our Great Shang?"
Su Hu hurriedly said, "Marquis of the North, mind your words!"
Chong Houhu shook his head, his voice lowering as his emotions settled. "His Majesty is wise and mighty. He understands the ills afflicting our Great Shang and has long known that the Feudal Lords harbor disloyal intentions. This selection of palace women and gathering for homage are both schemes. They will surely expose the traitorous ministers and rebels, purge the Feudal Lords, and set heaven and earth to rights!"
Su Hu was so startled that even his form of address changed. "Could my worthy elder brother explain this to his foolish younger brother in detail?"
Chong Houhu said, "Now that you have entered the game, I must help you understand something of it. Have you heard any rumors, my worthy younger brother?"
Su Hu nodded. "A few days ago, I heard that King Zhou was without virtue, that he disregarded the Laji Festival and forcibly summoned all the Feudal Lords to court. There were many rumors of his cruelty, and others claimed that his lust was the reason for this large-scale selection of palace women."
It was precisely because he had heard these reports, had not brought enough gifts, and had seen Huang Feihu guarding the city gates that he had grown uneasy. He had sent his eldest son, Su Quanzhong, rushing back to Jizhou overnight so that, should he be charged with an offense, he would still have a fallback.
Chong Houhu sighed. "His Majesty has taken great pains. Since you do not live in Chaoge, you do not understand his intentions. The selection was proposed by Chancellor Shang Rong. His Majesty has not visited the Imperial Harem for months. He is nothing like the lecher the rumors describe."
Su Hu asked, "Where did these rumors begin?"
Chong Houhu looked westward. "Xiqi."
"Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West? But the Marquis of the West has always had a reputation for virtue."
"A reputation for virtue?" Chong Houhu scoffed. "The Marquis of the West upholds virtue and exercises caution in punishment, diligently attends to government, treats worthy men with courtesy, and gathers talent far and wide. He also claims to be skilled in divination, using it to win people's hearts."
"Are those not the deeds of a wise and virtuous man?" Su Hu was thoroughly puzzled.
"What is virtue? The people of Xiqi know only Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, and know nothing of His Majesty or Great Shang. Is that how a subject should conduct himself?"
Chong Houhu asked another question. "Look at me, my worthy younger brother. Do I have a reputation for virtue?"
"Er..." For a moment, Su Hu did not know what to say. Chong Houhu indeed had little reputation for virtue, while his eldest son, Chong Yingbiao, was quite notorious. Beyond that, despite being one of the Four Great Vassals, he had been beaten by seventy-two bands of rebels and forced to flee to Chaoge for help, nearly becoming a laughingstock.
Seeing Su Hu's awkwardness, Chong Houhu laughed heartily. "Everyone laughs at my incompetence. I have accomplished no great feats, nor committed any great wrongs. The people have no reason to sing my praises, but neither do they curse me endlessly. With my indulgence, Yingbiao has run roughshod over the countryside, adding a few more accusations that I cannot teach my son properly. Yet precisely because I have not won the people's hearts, His Majesty has no reason to fear me, and I can remain secure in my position as Marquis of the North."
Then Chong Houhu's face abruptly filled with anger. "Now look at Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West. Does Xiqi belong to Great Shang, or does it belong to the Marquis of the West?"
Thunder seemed to roll through Su Hu's heart, and the wine cup in his hand nearly fell to the floor.
If Chong Houhu were truly as incompetent as the rumors claimed, how could he have said such things?
Su Hu thought it over. Everything was just as Chong Houhu had said. The Feudal Lords were the greatest ill afflicting Great Shang. Ji Chang had probably long harbored a disloyal heart!
Thus, he hastily asked, "What does my worthy elder brother think I should do?"
Chong Houhu stroked his beard. "With certain interested parties spreading the word, today's events will soon become common knowledge. When we pay homage in a few days, His Majesty will surely propose taking your daughter into the palace."
"Naturally, I will comply." Su Hu had previously been unwilling to let his daughter enter the palace, but so much had happened today. Even Daji's life had been saved by King Zhou. He had already changed his mind.
"No. When the time comes, you need only refuse in stern terms and denounce His Majesty for his obsession with beauty."
"Why go to such lengths?"
"It is merely His Majesty's scheme. Someone must step forward and rebel against Great Shang in name. Then traitors with disloyal hearts, such as the Marquis of the West, will believe the tide has turned in their favor and show their cloven hooves."
"Within Chaoge City are the Royal Guards, personally trained by His Majesty. These Feudal Lords hurried here because the homage gathering was moved forward. They have neither troops nor generals with them and can all be seized in a single morning!"
"Thank you for your guidance, elder brother, but..." Su Hu thought for a moment. "What if His Majesty truly takes his foolish younger brother for a rebel?"
Chong Houhu rebuked him in irritation. "Is His Majesty someone who cannot distinguish loyalty from treachery? The Feudal Lords know only that His Majesty abducted your beloved daughter in the street and nearly drove her to her death. But do you not know the truth?"
"If His Majesty asked you to offer your beloved daughter, would you really refuse?"
Su Hu considered it. That was indeed the case.
In other words, even if he refused on the spot and hurled abuse at the king, His Majesty would only think he was following his scheme to draw out the truly disloyal Feudal Lords. Rather than committing an offense, he would have rendered a service. The wise and mighty King Zhou would surely recognize that.
Chong Houhu continued, "After you refuse, His Majesty will charge you with an offense. If my prediction is correct, You Hun, who also knows about this matter, will certainly intervene. He will ask you to offer your beloved daughter so that your merit may offset your offense, allowing you to be pardoned and return to Jizhou."
"At that point, you need only inscribe a Rebel Poem as a signal to stir the disloyal Feudal Lords at court. Once His Majesty has purged the traitors, he will surely reward everyone according to their merits."
Su Hu considered it carefully. Chong Houhu's scheme was formidable indeed.
This way, not only would Daji enter the palace as a consort, but he would also become one of the Maternal Relatives of the Emperor and gain credit for helping purge rebellious ministers. He would even save the gifts he would otherwise have presented at the homage gathering.
Brilliant. Truly brilliant!
Seeing Su Hu's expression, Chong Houhu knew the plan was settled, and the great stone weighing on his heart finally dropped away.
He truly had not expected Chong Yingbiao to target Su Hu's family with his abduction, much less be discovered by King Zhou and nearly drag the king into the mire. How could such a monarch be made to bear infamy for nothing?
But with this course of action, the situation would be different. Once the traitors had been purged, they could sweep away the chaos and restore order, presenting everything as a scheme to defeat the rebels. By then, Chong Yingbiao might even be entrusted with important duties for his contribution. It was not impossible that King Zhou would keep him at his side and personally teach him!
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