[Host, don't lose your nerve. Remember this system's guiding principle: man can triumph over Heaven!]
Di Xin gave a muffled grunt, but for now, he could only pinch his nose and swallow this bowl of poisoned chicken soup for the soul. Then his eyes darted about as memories from his previous life surfaced in his mind. He immediately strode out of the great hall, tilted his head back without a word, and burst into laughter.
"Wretched king, what are you laughing at? My lord even offered you his daughter! The sun and moon bear witness to his loyalty, and Heaven and Earth can attest to it, yet you still want to kill him!"
Hearing him, Zheng Lun immediately raised the Demon-Subduing Pestle, pointed it at Di Xin, and roared.
[Negative emotion points from Zheng Lun: +100...]
Di Xin laughed heartily, then rolled his eyes and said with an air of mystery, "Hahaha, General Zheng Lun, you're mistaken! In truth, this was a test I set for Su Hu!"
"A test?"
Zheng Lun looked at Di Xin in bewilderment, his eyes full of confusion.
There's an opening! Seeing Zheng Lun's expression, Di Xin's mind stirred. He immediately nodded gravely and continued slowly, "All of this was my test for Su Hu! I heard that the Marquis of Jizhou had always been loyal and upright, and wished to entrust him with great responsibilities. But I feared that villains might exploit him, so I issued a false decree ordering him to offer his daughter, to test his character. Who could have known that the human heart could not withstand testing? The Marquis of Jizhou, whom everyone praises as loyal and upright, actually intended to offer me his daughter for his own selfish interests. How heartbreaking!"
Demanding his daughter had only been a test?!
At Di Xin's words, all the ministers in the hall wore peculiar expressions.
A few days ago, he certainly hadn't behaved like this. After hearing Fei Zhong say that Su Hu's daughter Daji possessed beauty capable of toppling a nation, his impatience had looked nothing like a test.
But while the ministers in the palace knew what had happened that day, how could Zheng Lun, far away in Jizhou, have known? Hearing this, he froze, then said, "Offering his daughter was not the Marquis of Jizhou's wish. The Marquis of the West wrote a letter and sent San Yisheng to deliver it, urging my lord not to imitate the ignorant, but to sacrifice minor scruples to preserve the greater duty between ruler and subject, and offer his daughter to Your Majesty!"
"What?!" Hearing this, Di Xin immediately feigned shock and hurried toward Su Hu. Along the way, he deliberately stumbled, losing a wooden clog, but paid it no heed and kept going. He helped Su Hu up from the ground, removed the Thorn Branches from his back, and flung them down. Beating his chest and stamping his feet in anguish, he said, "I nearly put a loyal pillar of the realm to death unjustly!"
Su Hu was not the only one left dumbstruck by this sight. He stood rooted to the spot, dazed, not knowing what to say or do. Even Huang Feihu's face was filled with bewilderment as he stared wide-eyed at Di Xin, almost suspecting that the man before him was not Di Xin at all, but someone else.
"Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, has no human decency! He truly deserves execution for nearly making me wrongfully harm a loyal subject! But I was also at fault. I forgot that the human heart cannot withstand probing, affection cannot withstand testing, and sincerity cannot withstand being brushed aside!"
As he spoke, Di Xin alternated between gritting his teeth and heaving long sighs, shaking his head and lamenting over and over.
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of the West has long been renowned for benevolence and righteousness..."
Hearing him, Bi Gan muttered quietly.
"Benevolence and righteousness? Chancellor, let me ask you: if he is benevolent, why did he not write to admonish me after learning of this? Why did he instead write to the Marquis of Jizhou and persuade him to offer me his daughter?"
"If he is righteous, then since he is on good terms with the Marquis of Jizhou, why did he not join forces with him to rebel against me and declare war on me?!"
"He neither admonished me nor stood up for his friend. Such benevolence and righteousness are nothing but a sham! He sought to sell out my reputation and harm his friend's daughter to preserve his own so-called reputation for benevolence and righteousness! The Marquis of the West is a true scoundrel!"
Di Xin frowned and delivered his three fatal blows, enunciating every word.
Bi Gan opened his mouth to say something, but although he felt something was wrong, he was left speechless.
It seemed that there really was some sense to it all.
Could I really have been deceived? Is the Marquis of the West truly as despicable as he says, sacrificing me to secure his own reputation?
Not only Bi Gan-even Su Hu, the man directly involved, felt his head buzzing. The smile on the Marquis of the West's kindly face suddenly seemed a little chilling.
[Affinity from Zheng Lun: +50. Current affinity: -50...]
After delivering his impassioned speech, Di Xin heard the notification in his mind and was immediately delighted. He clasped Su Hu's hand tightly and patted it firmly. "I was nearly deceived by that scoundrel, the Marquis of the West, into making a grave mistake. Now that General Zheng has alerted me and revealed the truth, I certainly cannot let the Marquis of Jizhou down..."
"Pass on my decree: elevate the Marquis of Jizhou to Duke of Jizhou and grant him the title of Royal Father-in-Law. Permit him to ride within the palace and dispense with bowing before me. Build him a Duke of Jizhou's residence and let him remain in Chaoge to enjoy wealth and honor! Also, send a letter reprimanding the Marquis of the West. Order him to... reflect on his wrongs for a hundred days and have himself beaten with a staff a hundred times!" Di Xin then turned to Bi Gan and Shang Rong and issued his royal decree in a solemn voice.
Although Di Xin very much wanted to cut off the Marquis of the West's head immediately and execute his entire household, he also knew that Xiqi had already grown powerful. He could not execute him merely by saying so; he would have to proceed gradually. Thus, he reined in his intentions and settled for punishment.
"As you command." Hearing this, delight shone in Shang Rong's eyes. Without hesitation, he cupped his hands and solemnly accepted the order.
He could see that Di Xin's move achieved two ends at once. Not only did it drive a wedge between Su Hu and Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, it also confined Su Hu within Chaoge City, preventing him from returning to Jizhou. This would provide an opportunity to bring Jizhou's forces entirely under Great Shang's control-truly killing two birds with one arrow.
It nearly brought tears streaming down his aged face. Their king was far more than merely free of muddleheadedness: he was an enlightened ruler for the ages, comparable to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!
This Shang Rong seems quite different from Bi Gan. He has some brains...
Hearing him, Di Xin could not help giving Shang Rong a few more looks.
"General Zheng, your words today struck me like a blow to the head and revealed the truth. I will remember this service!" However, Di Xin's thoughts were fixed on Zheng Lun, leaving him no time for anything else. After releasing Su Hu's hand, he tightly grasped Zheng Lun's. "General Zheng, what post do you hold under the Duke of Jizhou?"
"Your Majesty, I serve under the Marquis of Jizhou as Grain Transport Officer."
When Zheng Lun had ridden his Fiery-Eyed Golden-Pupiled Beast into the palace, he had already resolved to die. How could he have imagined such a turn of events, or that Di Xin would even clasp his hand? He hurriedly answered respectfully.
"A man of General Zheng's strength is merely assigned the minor duty of transporting grain? If someone as capable as General Zheng can only serve as Grain Transport Officer, wouldn't the King of Wucheng be fit only for kitchen duty?" Hearing this, Di Xin frowned. After glancing at Huang Feihu, the traitor-in-waiting, he looked at Su Hu and smiled. "Duke of Jizhou, you've been using a great timber for a trifling task!"
"Your Majesty flatters me."
At these words, a warm current immediately surged through Zheng Lun's heart, and even his eyes began to sting.
When his master, Perfected Du'e, had first sent him down the mountain, he had told him to "go down the mountain, earn a jade belt, and enjoy the blessings and emoluments of the mortal world." Yet after arriving in Jizhou, he had ended up transporting grain.
Transporting grain was hardly a lucrative assignment. Collecting grain was difficult, hauling it was exhausting, and missing a delivery deadline could cost him his head. After so many years down the mountain, he had not earned a jade belt and still wore one made of cloth.
[Affinity from Zheng Lun: +30...]
"Flattery? I am not flattering you! General Zheng, your words struck me awake today, displaying loyalty and righteousness in abundance. I must reward you generously! From this day forward, General Zheng Lun shall command the Inner Court Golden Guards and be promoted to Left Guard General. Award him a hundred loads of gold and grant him... a jade belt!"
Hearing the system notification, Di Xin's eyes brightened, and he struck while the iron was hot. As he reached the end of his declaration, he noticed the cloth belt around Zheng Lun's waist and spoke solemnly without hesitation.
"Your Majesty..."
Hearing this, Zheng Lun could no longer keep his eyes from welling up, and glistening tears rolled down.
[Affinity from Zheng Lun: +60. Total: +40...]
Immediately afterward, the system notification sounded.
"Here, this jade belt of the chancellor's shall be bestowed upon General Zheng! Come, I will fasten it for you myself!"
Hearing how remarkably effective the words "jade belt" had been, Di Xin reached out without hesitation and pulled the jade belt from Bi Gan's waist. Ignoring Bi Gan as he clutched his trousers, he personally fastened it around Zheng Lun's waist.
"Your servant swears to serve Your Majesty faithfully unto death!"
Glistening tears dripped from Zheng Lun's fierce eyes as he prostrated himself, weeping bitterly!
[Affinity from Zheng Lun: +90... Mission complete. The Host receives one chance to draw a random Secret Manual as a reward... If Zheng Lun's affinity reaches +100, gain 1 achievement point for a subject's undying loyalty. Reward: 50 Merit Points. Upon accumulating 10,000 Merit Points, gain one opportunity to forge a merit golden body...]
At the same time, a voice suddenly rang out in Di Xin's mind.
Merit Points!
A merit golden body!
Hearing this, Di Xin's eyes immediately lit up. Merit-now that was something good. Sages relied on fortune and this very thing to attain sagehood...
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