"Summon them."
Before long, Mai Zhi and Mai Yun arrived in the hall.
Mai Yun said, "This guilty subject feared Your Majesty's might and dared resist no longer. I have brought the rebel leader's head. I do not ask to be spared death, only that our Great Shang never suffer another rebellion!"
Mai Yun delivered his speech with polished conviction, trembling with fear and apprehension. Afraid King Zhou would not believe him, he had Mai Zhi open the box and present Zi Qi's head.
The courtiers sighed in astonishment. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined that the rebel leader would be Zi Qi, renowned for his virtue.
Mai Zhi's expression shifted slightly, and he looked terrified. The assembled ministers found nothing strange about that. These two had also participated in the rebellion. Even if they had presented the rebel leader's head, their crimes remained unforgivable.
Mai Yun apologized on Mai Zhi's behalf. "My elder brother is terrified. We are both guilty men. I beg Your Majesty's understanding."
Then he took out a belt and said, "This is the Late King's Edict, under which we rose in rebellion. All the rebels have left their names upon it. Your Majesty may take it and inspect it."
Mai Yun knelt on one knee, holding up the Bloodstained Belt Edict with both hands.
Zi Shou found the scene oddly familiar and could not help glancing at the Tai'a Sword beside him.
Qin Shi Huang's personal sword had been the Tai'a Sword, and that assassination had also involved the presentation of a head and a map. Wasn't this the Shang version of Jing Ke's attempt to assassinate the King of Qin?
Then what should I do?
Zi Shou thought it over. He had to make this work.
He would cooperate with Mai Yun and recreate Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, putting on a performance of Mai Yun attempting to assassinate King Zhou.
Not only that, he could not kill Mai Yun. Once the assassination failed, he would lock him up, find an opportunity to let him escape, then spread the story of Mai Yun's attempt to assassinate King Zhou.
Could a wise ruler be targeted by assassins? Yes, but the odds were low. A foolish ruler was more likely to get stabbed.
Zi Shou wanted to build Mai Yun up into a towering figure of courage and resolve, unafraid of tyranny and steadfast in his defense of justice.
Then, as the villain of the story, I'd definitely be the foolish ruler!
At the very least, it would worsen people's impression of him.
And using rumors to establish his image as a foolish ruler was very safe. Surely people would not all come to assassinate him after hearing the story?
After this rebellion, Zi Shou had become much more cautious. However foolishly he acted, he had to ensure his life was safe and his throne secure.
Having made his decision, Zi Shou said, "Bring me the Bloodstained Belt Edict for inspection."
Holding the Bloodstained Belt Edict, Mai Yun brought it forward and unfolded the belt. Once it was fully unrolled, a dagger appeared.
The belt ran out, and the dagger emerged!
Zi Shou braced himself. He had to act this out properly; nothing could go wrong. If he accidentally beat Mai Yun to death, the plan would go up in smoke.
Mai Yun swiftly seized Zi Shou's sleeve and thrust the dagger at him with his right hand. Feigning horror, Zi Shou rose from his throne and tore his sleeve free.
Unfortunately, he used too much strength, and Mai Yun toppled to the floor along with the torn sleeve.
Zi Shou: "..."
That's all you've got?
Zi Shou decided to stand there stunned for a moment, letting the ministers think he had been frightened senseless while giving Mai Yun time to get up.
Meanwhile, with the third-rate eye of someone who had been a casual Assassin's Creed player in his previous life, he assessed Mai Yun's basic qualifications as an assassin.
First, an assassin needed strong nerves. Full marks there: he had dared attempt an assassination in the great hall, under everyone's eyes.
Second, an assassin needed extensive combat experience. Zero marks there. Mai Yun was a civil official with only a rudimentary knowledge of fighting. He was not fat, either, so he certainly could not be very strong.
Then, an assassin needed a full set of Purple Gear. Full marks. That dagger looked anything but ordinary.
Finally, an assassin needed support from god-tier teammates. With Zi Qi contributing his head, he should have earned full marks, but Mai Zhi, who stood off to the side without daring to help, had forcibly dragged that score down to zero.
An average of fifty. A failing grade.
At last, Mai Yun got to his feet. Zi Shou had waited so long that the flowers had withered.
Following the script, Zi Shou acted as though he wanted to draw his sword to fight but could not pull it out. This really was asking too much of him.
The Tai'a Sword was indeed very long, and it fit tightly in its scabbard, making it difficult to draw. But if he simply flung the scabbard away and held on to the sword, he could draw it easily.
Helpless, he could only pretend it had not occurred to him to throw the scabbard away and begin circling a pillar.
Circling a pillar required a certain amount of skill. He had to keep track of his opponent's position at all times, or he would be done for if the other man suddenly reversed direction.
At this point, the ministers who had been watching the spectacle finally reacted, shouting, "Your Majesty, put the sword on your back! Put it on your back!"
Zi Shou thought there was something wrong with the ministers, too. You don't know that throwing away the scabbard is the fastest way either!
Several Royal Guards had already rushed forward to seize the assassin.
He could not let them get close. Zi Shou abruptly reversed direction and met Mai Yun head-on. Mai Yun had never expected King Zhou, who had been fleeing all this time, to suddenly counterattack. With the enormous disparity in their strength, he was captured in an instant, and the dagger fell to the floor.
Zi Shou had restrained his strength, so Mai Yun was largely unharmed. Fortunately, he had acted first. If those fat, big-eared Royal Guards had charged in, their weight alone could have crushed Mai Yun to death.
"Throw these two into Yuan Prison."
Zi Shou picked up the Bloodstained Belt Edict from the floor and returned to his throne.
He examined the names written on it.
Zi Qi: dead.
Lei Kai, Mai Zhi, and Mai Yun: captured.
Zi Yan, Bi Gan.
Very good. Two are still alive. There are only five rebels in all; they're scarce resources.
Zi Yan had not attended court. Zi Shou looked toward Bi Gan among the crowd. Dear royal uncle, you must stay alive and keep shining your light at court, supplying me with Foolishness Value!
Zi Shou tucked the Bloodstained Belt Edict into his sleeve. He could not let anyone else see it, or the ministers would certainly propose arresting Bi Gan and Zi Yan as well. Then he said, "Let the court deliberations continue. I wish to make this assassination attempt known to the public."
The courtiers were baffled and began asking why.
Zi Shou spun lies with his eyes wide open. "Although Mai Zhi and Mai Yun are rebels, they are not without loyalty and righteousness. We took nearly ten thousand prisoners while suppressing this rebellion. If we spread word of this affair and let the prisoners know that their leaders were treated mercifully despite attempting to assassinate me, they will surely be deeply grateful and rebel no more."
The courtiers all tried to dissuade him. What kind of rotten excuse was that?
It sounded somewhat reasonable at first, but on closer consideration, it was sheer nonsense!
They all realized that their king's old ailment had flared up again. He was far too merciful!
What king throughout the ages had ever treated rebels and assassins with such mercy?
Confiscating their property and exterminating their clans would have been a light punishment. How could mere imprisonment possibly suffice?
Bi Gan suddenly stepped forward. Thinking that this highly respected royal uncle was also going to remonstrate, the ministers hurriedly cleared a path.
Bi Gan removed his official hat, bowed respectfully, and advanced step by step. Then he suddenly picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor.
Another assassination attempt? Zi Shou grew alert, and the Royal Guards immediately moved to block the way before him.
But Bi Gan plunged it hard into his own chest.
Others might not understand, but how could he fail to?
With King Zhou's martial prowess, why would he need to struggle with Mai Yun for so long? Circling a pillar, dodging again and again-with his strength, enough to hold up a beam and replace a pillar, King Zhou could easily have torn down the pillar and smashed Mai Yun to death!
King Zhou had read the names on the Bloodstained Belt Edict, yet had not moved against him. That deeply meaningful glance had clearly been intended to preserve his last shred of dignity.
The ministers merely thought King Zhou was acting absurdly by ordering the assassination attempt publicized. But Bi Gan knew that King Zhou was doing this to honor the bond between brothers and console his royal elder brother's spirit in heaven!
You may rebel against me and try to assassinate me, but I will not stop treating you as my brother simply because you rebelled and sent someone to kill me. That was King Zhou!
Though pedantic, such conduct had its merits.
A king like this had not fallen short in the slightest in his personal virtue!
Trembling, Bi Gan dragged the dagger across his chest, widening the opening, then reached inside and pulled out his heart.
"This guilty subject, Bi Gan, helped Qi perpetrate his atrocities. This heart is black through and through!"
Please send recommendation votes! There's a Shang history post written by an expert in the featured section of the comments. Go take a look. Nothing more needs saying-it's fucking brilliant!
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