[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +99, total +46314...]
Bi Gan shook his head and said loudly, "I truly do not understand, Your Majesty."
"You don't understand? Then it seems you still aren't clever enough, Prime Minister. I'll have to teach you how to do your job."
Di Xin raised his brows and spoke coolly, a mocking smile playing across his lips that made Bi Gan feel like a complete idiot.
According to Di Xin's earlier estimate, the human sacrifices slated for the offering numbered nearly two thousand, and most of them were young, able-bodied adults.
Such a large group of idle, able-bodied people without any source of income living near the capital of Chaoge was an enormous source of instability.
According to the many economic principles of later ages, the most pressing response to such a situation was work relief, much like the New Deal: putting these able-bodied people to work building public projects would not only ease the crisis, but also stimulate employment and production, and boost consumption.
Not to mention, the Deer Terrace he intended to build was vastly different from the one King Zhou built in Investiture of the Gods.
It would kill several birds with one stone...
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +199...]
"I've already told you: from now on, I give the orders, and you carry them out! If you're unwilling, I'll find someone else to be prime minister!"
Naturally, Di Xin could not be bothered to explain "work relief" or the "New Deal" to Bi Gan. He glanced down at him, spoke coolly, then flicked his hand and tossed the plans he had prepared at Bi Gan's feet.
With trembling hands, Bi Gan picked up the plans and took a look, nearly passing out on the spot.
The plans showed row upon row of closely packed, identical two-story buildings. Water was even diverted from beyond Chaoge to flow past every building, and each courtyard contained a perfectly square pool whose purpose he could not fathom...
Yet there was no doubt that all of this could be described in just four words: arrogance, extravagance, debauchery, indulgence!
Tyrant! Tyrant! Great Shang's realm will be destroyed in your hands!
Bi Gan was wracked with anguish, wailing bitterly inside as though he could already see every resident of Chaoge City suffering unspeakably.
Force his hand!
We must force his hand!
In an instant, the thought of coercing the king surged wildly through his mind, and he resolved to storm the Imperial Palace and cow the muddleheaded ruler...
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +999...]
The old prime minister seems full of resentment!
Watching Bi Gan tremble all over, Di Xin raised his brows slightly, then struck while the iron was hot. "You've got the plans. Why haven't you left? Are you hanging around hoping to cadge a meal at my house? We haven't cooked any for you!"
"I take my leave, Your Majesty!"
At that moment, Bi Gan's desire to force the king's hand burned fiercely, and he had been fretting over finding a chance to leave. At those words, he immediately turned and headed out of the hall.
Not a single Negative Emotion Point? That defies science!
Watching Bi Gan turn and leave, Di Xin checked the backend twice. Discovering that he had received no Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan, he froze briefly.
When something behaves strangely, there's bound to be a demon behind it! Bi Gan has stopped giving me Negative Emotion Points. Something's wrong!
"Stop!"
Without a second thought, Di Xin spoke in a stern voice, commanding Bi Gan to halt.
"Is there something else, Your Majesty?"
Bi Gan looked at Di Xin in confusion as he spoke.
"Prime Minister, I see your beard has turned completely white. You really must be getting on in years..." Di Xin said with a beaming smile, his face full of feeling.
Has this tyrant found his conscience? Has he finally seen how I've poured out my heart's blood for the country, devoting everything to Great Shang's realm?
Perhaps I shouldn't be so determined to force his hand. Perhaps I should teach him properly instead?
Hearing those words, Bi Gan felt warmth bloom in his heart.
"At your age, you still can't see through even such a trifling matter. All these years, Prime Minister, you've really..."
But just then, Di Xin looked at Bi Gan with sympathy, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly. His unspoken implication was unmistakable: Bi Gan had lived all those years for nothing.
Bi Gan flew into a rage, trembling from head to toe. He searched his heart: when had he, a man always hailed as a sage, ever suffered such humiliation? Clearly, he had overestimated this tyrant. Not only was he arrogant, extravagant, debauched, and indulgent, but he had not a shred of respect for his veteran ministers!
Force his hand!
Tomorrow, we'll force this tyrant's hand!
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +1999, total +49511...]
At that moment, Di Xin looked at the figures in the backend and smiled with satisfaction. Waving a hand, he said, "All right, Prime Minister. You may go."
"I take my leave, Your Majesty!"
Bi Gan panted heavily, glared at Di Xin, then turned and headed out of the palace.
"Prime Minister, hold on."
But he had barely taken two steps when Di Xin's voice sounded behind him again.
Hearing him, Bi Gan clenched his teeth hard, turned around, and bowed to Di Xin with his hands clasped.
"Nothing. I just felt like calling you." Di Xin raised his brows and smiled.
Force his hand!
Tomorrow, we'll force his hand! We can't wait any longer!
Bi Gan shuddered twice, then turned and headed out the door, his pace suddenly quickening considerably.
Strange. Why are there still no Negative Emotion Points? Did I shear him too hard just now and hurt him?
Looks like I need to remember this: shear the wool gently. Don't drive the fat sheep to despair...
Di Xin checked the backend and found the number still stuck at "+49511," without moving at all. He raised his brows in surprise, then silently warned himself to take heed.
But seeing that Bi Gan had already gone too far to call back, and that it would be difficult to shear any more wool from him, Di Xin could only sigh and decide to get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, he would continue accumulating Negative Emotion Points until he broke the fifty-thousand mark and smoothly advanced to the qi refining into spirit realm.
"Force his hand! Tomorrow, we'll force his hand! We cannot wait another moment! We cannot let this arrogant, extravagant, debauched, indulgent tyrant continue his abuses-a man who scorns his veteran ministers and even says I've lived all these years for nothing!"
Meanwhile, after leaving the Imperial Palace, Bi Gan looked at Huang Feihu, Fang Bi, Fang Xiang, Yang Ren, and Jiang Ziya, who were still waiting for him in the hall, and spoke loudly.
[Negative Emotion Points from Bi Gan: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Huang Feihu: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Yang Ren: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Fang Xiang: +99...] [Negative Emotion Points from Fang Bi: +99, total +50006. The host may choose to advance to the qi refining into spirit realm or make an exchange...]
Almost that very instant, Di Xin saw a string of figures flash through his backend, immediately pushing the stagnant total past the fifty-thousand mark.
Something's wrong... Something's wrong with these men!
At a glance, Di Xin's drowsiness vanished. He carefully reviewed the order of these Negative Emotion Points and discovered that they had arrived almost simultaneously, only a few microseconds apart.
What did that mean? It meant those men were probably gathered together right now!
Several grown men gathering instead of sleeping in the dead of night? This era had no skewers and karaoke, let alone bathhouses or little saunas. The only possible reason these Great Shang turncoats would gather instead of sleeping was that they were plotting something!
"Bi Gan, are you planning to force my hand?"
In a flash, a term he had often seen in television shows and novels in later ages suddenly sprang into Di Xin's mind, making his heart tense sharply. The Xuanwu Gate Incident, Candlelight and Axe Shadows, the Jingnan Campaign... all those familiar terms flooded his mind in an instant!
It seemed his actions since transmigrating had already crossed the bottom line of conservatives like Bi Gan, Yang Ren, and Fang Bi. Executing Weizi and Jizi in particular had made them feel threatened, and now they wanted to teach him, the tyrant, a lesson.
"Since you're convinced I'm a tyrant, I'll show you what a real tyrant looks like!"
Di Xin sneered and abruptly clenched his fist. Without hesitation, he prepared to use his Negative Emotion Points to advance to the qi refining into spirit realm and give those treacherous ministers and rebels a surprise when they came to force his hand!
[Negative Emotion Points from Jiang Ziya: +99... The system has detected a special mission and automatically unlocked the side quest for the host-Slay the Human Traitors. Rewards: second level of qi refining into spirit, 10000 merit points, 100 Human Traitor Reaper achievement points, one random reward (acquired Spiritual Treasures category)...]
But in that very instant, the system's voice suddenly sounded in Di Xin's mind, and when he saw that familiar name, his gaze sharpened fiercely!
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