I see a formidable aura between Grandee Fei's brows

"Your Majesty, think twice!"

Huang Feihu, the King of Wucheng, hastily bowed in appeal.

The Huang family had been loyal servants for seven generations. Huang Feihu's father, Huang Gun, was a renowned veteran marshal who guarded the Shang Dynasty's borders, and the family had held high office for generations. His younger sister was Noble Consort Huang of the Western Palace, while he himself was the King of Wucheng Who Guards the Nation, a veteran commander with considerable prestige in the army.

Good!

An objection from a veteran commander like you was exactly what I wanted!

A fatuous ruler-an incompetent, muddleheaded monarch. What exactly made a ruler fatuous and incompetent?

Knowing nothing about warfare, yet insisting on meddling in a campaign against rebels; not only replacing the commander on the eve of battle, but appointing a civil official in his place?

A fatuous ruler!

At that moment, Left Army General Lu Xiong also stepped forward. "Grandee Fei is a civil official. Though he understands military affairs, he has never commanded an army on his own. If Your Majesty insists on replacing the commander, I request permission to lead the troops in support of the Grand Tutor."

Zi Shou nodded.

Lu Xiong was a great general of the Shang Dynasty, highly capable and gifted in command. Even Jiang Ziya had not dared pit his troops against him in Investiture of the Gods, and had only defeated him with magic. With a man like him objecting, could this "Grandee Fei" possibly win?

"I see a formidable aura between Grandee Fei's brows, with purple qi surging into the heavens above his head. His innate constitution is exceptional, his appearance extraordinary, and all his meridians have been open since birth. He is a military genius seen only once in a thousand years, and will surely quell the rebellion."

Lu Xiong took a careful look at Fei Lian, with his hooked nose, triangular eyes, and stick-thin frame. Under the scrutiny of all the ministers, he was so uneasy that he had even tucked his hands into his sleeves.

How had His Majesty seen any of that?

"But..."

Could the Son of Heaven truly see things ordinary people could not?

"My decision is made. There is no need for further discussion. Send another hundred Royal Guards to accompany Grandee Fei to the North Sea. They will surely crush the rebels."

Zi Shou had worked out his scheme nicely. Naturally, those hundred Royal Guards would be selected from the three hundred who had undergone special training.

Although their mentality still left something to be desired, they had already mastered eighty percent of the Overlord Step. If they swaggered in like that to take command of the army, it would be a blessing if a fight did not break out.

Afterward, although the ministers still had objections, they did not dwell on the matter.

In this era, fortune-tellers were quite popular. Not to mention that, in the world of Investiture of the Gods, things like purple qi and immortals actually existed.

What a pity. I should have come up with an even more far-fetched excuse, so the ministers would keep arguing.

Still, Zi Shou was not worried. He had already stuck his face out, waiting for a verbal slap.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Where were the censors?

It was fine if they hadn't reacted in time at Nuwa Palace, but a whole day had passed now. Why weren't they berating me yet?

I'd better give them a reminder.

Zi Shou said, "When I went to Nuwa Palace to offer incense, I happened to see her beautiful, peerless visage and composed a poem. What do you all think of it?"

So that was what he meant.

Chancellor Shang Rong stepped forward once more, taking the duty upon himself without hesitation, and showered him with praise. The other ministers, unwilling to be outdone, followed with a torrent of flattery.

They spoke of the antiwar sentiments embodied in lines such as "She heard no mother or father calling their daughter, only the Yellow River splashing and roaring" and "Generals died through a hundred battles; warriors returned after ten years."

They spoke of how, if Mulan went to war, she would not merely be showing loyalty to her sovereign, but serving in her father's stead as well-a figure who fulfilled both loyalty and filial duty, a model for all ministers.

Zi Shou listened with mounting irritation.

Just then, Admonishing Grandee Fei Zhong's eyes shifted. Noticing Zi Shou's apparent displeasure, he wondered, Could His Majesty think we still haven't grasped the deeper meaning of this poem?

After turning it over in his mind, his eyes lit up. He immediately stepped forward. "Your Majesty possesses Sagacity!"

Zi Shou remembered this very clearly: King Zhou had two chief treacherous ministers under him, Fei Zhong and You Hun. And Fei Zhong had opened with the very words he least wanted to hear: "Your Majesty possesses Sagacity"?

Wait...

Zi Shou's sense of foreboding grew. Since when did treacherous ministers offer loyal, forthright criticism?

Wasn't kissing ass their specialty?

"The High Ancestor was wise and mighty, tirelessly devoting himself to good governance..."

At first, Zi Shou did not realize who the High Ancestor was. Only when Fei Zhong's flattery swelled to encompass an entire golden age did he understand: the High Ancestor was Shang High Ancestor Wu Ding, who had ushered in the "Wu Ding Prosperity."

But Fei Zhong was not chiefly talking about how incredible Wu Ding had been. He was talking about his wife, Fu Hao.

The moment Zi Shou heard Fu Hao's name, half his hopes went cold.

He had completely overlooked the fact that, although the Shang Dynasty was ancient, it had inherited traditions from the ancient matrilineal society. Women's status was not nearly as low as it would become in later ages.

Wu Ding's queen, Fu Hao, was the foremost example.

Fu Hao had not only been a queen, but also a general, leading troops to victory in battle after battle.

Just how formidable had she been?

Of the more than ten thousand oracle bones excavated at Yinxu, over two hundred mentioned Fu Hao. After her death, whenever war broke out again during the Shang Dynasty, the King of Shang would lead all his civil and military officials in offering sacrifices to Fu Hao and divining the outcome.

Zi Shou desperately searched his memories. Before Grand Tutor Wen had marched off to war, he had fucking offered sacrifices to Fu Hao too.

Calling Fu Hao the Great Shang's goddess of war was no exaggeration. The Ballad of Mulan was practically tailor-made for her. Who would dare voice any displeasure?

Moreover, Fu Hao held an even higher place in the eyes of later generations.

With scarce sources of food, the Ancient Indo-Europeans had been forced to migrate far and wide, conquering many peoples, including those in India. One branch had reached the Great Shang. Then Fu Hao had stepped forward, leading an army against the Ancient Indo-Europeans and driving those invaders out.

Fu Hao had protected the Shang Dynasty and preserved the spark of the fledgling Chinese civilization, allowing Huaxia culture to be passed down to the present day.

Of course, Zi Shou knew none of this. Otherwise, he truly would not have dared inscribe the Ballad of Mulan in the Shang Dynasty. It was practically the greatest possible hymn of praise in wartime.

Leaving aside Zi Shou, who was on the verge of collapsing, the ministers once again prostrated themselves and thundered their acclamations.

Fei Zhong brimmed with smug satisfaction, his little mustache almost curling up to the heavens. As expected, I'm the only one who truly understands King Zhou.

With Fei Zhong's reminder, the ministers finally understood. Had that merely been a poem inscribed on a wall?

No.

Taken together with King Zhou's decision to replace the commander, it was clearly an expression of his hopes for quelling the rebellion.

One poem surpassed ten million sacrifices!

Not only did he use poetry to praise their forebears and express his good wishes, he also saved vast sums of money and goods that would otherwise have gone toward sacrifices. How could such profound intentions fail to inspire reverence?

Now, the ministers who had previously objected to Zi Shou appointing a commander based on his face no longer entertained any doubts.

With His Majesty possessing such Sagacity, Grandee Fei Lian must possess some hidden brilliance unknown to others.

They were convinced.

Zi Shou was out of ideas too.

After thinking it over and over, he discovered a blind spot.

There were no palace maids in the palace, and no eunuchs either.

Realization suddenly struck him.

A fatuous ruler had to indulge in pleasure, with three thousand beauties in his harem. Although I haven't favored a single one yet, I still need to make up the numbers.

A vanity project. The more consorts I have, the more it will demonstrate my personal prowess-and my level of fatuousness.

Zi Shou immediately straightened his back and declared shamelessly, "I see that the eastern and western palaces are deserted. Yet I am the sovereign of ten thousand chariots, possessing all within the four seas, with virtue equal to Yao and Shun. Everything under heaven belongs to me. I now wish to issue a decree to the feudal lords of the four regions: each garrison shall select one hundred beautiful women to fill the Royal Court. Let every peerless beauty under heaven enter the royal selection."

For a moment, the ministers failed to react.

The contrast was far too jarring.

One moment they had been discussing military affairs and praising their forebears; the next, he was talking about selecting consorts?

Shang Rong's brow furrowed again. No wonder he had so many wrinkles.

Zi Shou was thoroughly satisfied. That was exactly the reaction I wanted!

All that thunderous acclaim, dropping to their knees at the slightest word-what was that supposed to be?

Without giving his ministers a chance to react, Zi Shou immediately said, "Transmit my royal decree at once to the feudal lords of the Four Garrisons. In each garrison's territory, select one hundred beautiful women from respectable families for me, regardless of wealth, rank, or poverty. Require only that their features be dignified, their temperaments gentle, their manners refined and virtuous, and their bearing gracious, so that they may fill the Imperial Harem and serve there."

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