King Zhou was tolerant and benevolent, willing to employ minor officials, slaves, even disgraced ministers and rebels. But that did not mean he would not kill.
Otherwise, there would have been no torture of Death by a Thousand Cuts.
Lu Xiong felt that King Zhou's banquet for the nobles seemed, on the surface, to be a simple feast, with no other intentions disclosed. In reality, it was not that simple.
He might well intend to kill.
Actually, even if he were going to kill, he ought to claim the moral high ground or secure the support of most of his senior ministers.
But King Zhou had done neither. He simply disregarded his reputation and wanted to kill those who deserved death.
Lu Xiong sighed. Sitting upon a monarch's throne, one ought to know that there were many things one could not do entirely as one pleased. To become a ruler of sagacity, one necessarily had to consider all sides.
By then, the nobles' carriages had arrived.
The four-wheeled carriage rode very smoothly. The Si Family Head and the Yang Family Head shared it, looking quite close.
The Si Family Head wore a smile.
"Lord Si..." The Yang Family Head was all smiles. He could hardly compare with a noble of such ancient lineage as the Si family.
Si was one of the Eight Ancient Surnames, and the Si Family Head's branch descended from Yu the Great. They could be called descendants of the Xia Dynasty.
The Yang Family Head said, "His Majesty must have bestowed this banquet upon us out of admiration for your name, Lord Si. Your reputation is illustrious. Who in Chaoge has not heard of you?"
The Si Family Head, however, knew perfectly well that this banquet, too, fell within his calculations. Smiling, he said, "His Majesty