Chapter 668: Ao Bing
At the Vassal Meeting of Chaoge City, the Marquis of the East, Jiang Huanchu, the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, the Marquis of the North, Chong Hu, and the Marquis of the South, E Chongyu, each led 200 vassals to meet with Di Xin.
Di Xin was very happy. He bestowed many rewards and the authority to suppress the foreign enemies to the Fourth Marquis. If the vassal states wanted to send troops out, they had to first report to the Fourth Marquis and get his approval.
Among the four marquises, Ji Chang was known for being virtuous, and E Chongyu was respected. He was listed as one of the three dukes of the current dynasty. He was also an outstanding minister.
...
Is this plan thought of by Di Xin or Wen Zhong?
In the backyard of the Li Residence in Chentang Pass, Li Changshou sat in the shade and drank a special cold tea. He enjoyed the fanning services of the two servants and pondered about the situation that had just happened in the Shang Nation’s court.
In short, Di Xin’s move was brilliant, but it was also quite dangerous.
At that moment, the strongest among the eight hundred dukes was Jiang Huanchu. He was also the person with the highest seniority and the one who was the most closely related to the Shang Nation.
He was Di Xin’s father-in-law.
However, the name of the three dukes gave Ji Chang and E Chongyu a hint of “killing three people with two peaches”.
He distributed the 800 vassal states to the four marquises and strengthened the power of the four marquises. Then, he divided the four marquises and prevented them from joining forces.
If the small vassal states rebelled, the larger ones would suppress them. The Shang Nation could save a lot of battle costs and allow the strength of the vassal states to be exhausted.
Moreover, Marquis Chong Hu of the North was a general that Di Xin had personally groomed. The risk of the 200 vassal states in the north rebelling was the lowest. They could also restrain the 200 vassal states in the east and west, thereby achieving the goal of restraining them.
In that case, the first person Di Xin would deal with would definitely be the Marquis of the South, E Chongyu.
Li Changshou carefully deduced his memories from his previous life. It seemed that E Chongyu had died quite miserably... and did not have any presence.
Why was this move rather dangerous for Di Xin?
The logic was simple – raising a tiger would cause trouble.
The four marquises would become four crocodiles and threaten the stability of the Shang Nation. If one of the four marquises rebelled, they would definitely be prepared. The two hundred marquises behind them would rebel at the same time.
The fact that Di Xin dared to use this move also highlighted his youthful vigor and confidence.
He did not know if Di Xin and Wen Zhong would realize that the focus of the battle between the Shang Nation and the vassal states would be to sow discord between the major and minor vassals, causing them to be in internal conflict and unable to be united.
He would rope in the smaller ones and besiege the large ones. He would cooperate with them to improve the quality of the people and strengthen the army of Shang Nation. He would complete the further centralization of power.
It was the only way for the Shang Nation to resolve their current predicament.
Of course, that was just his speculation.
Perhaps, Di Xin’s plan was very simple. He would first set up four targets and let the vassals of the world open their eyes to watch. He would punish the four targets one by one and achieve the goal of punishing one to warn the others.
Uh, no way...
It’s impossible for the human emperor, who is not convinced by the heavens, to not have such political skills, right?
Li Changshou smiled and listened to the melodious music from the pavilion beside him. He looked at the spring breeze and the flowers in the courtyard and was a little lost in thought.
Why didn’t he help Di Xin?
Why should he help Di Xin?
Who could be sure about the matters of the emperors in the world? There was no need for him to do that. He could just watch from the side.
Li Changshou yawned and said, “Tell the person playing the zither to put in some effort and be happy. Is she playing for Madam? She’s playing for Third Young Master! You’re so perfunctory. I’ll deduct her reward later.”
“Yes.” The servant behind him immediately ran to the pavilion arrogantly as if he had received an arrow.
At that moment, two maidservants beside him carried two bowls of soup. Li Changshou naturally picked up the small bowl and tasted it. He nodded and let them enter to deliver it.
In terms of nursing the pregnancy...
Li Jing was busy. As a high-ranking servant and butler, he naturally had to take responsibility for the entire process.
Moreover, the soup that was used to nourish the fetus tasted good. It was simply a form of torture, causing him, a paper effigy, to suffer.
Li Changshou handed the empty bowl to the maidservant behind him and said calmly, “Inform the kitchen to make more servings and send them over. Add more ice.”
“Yes,” the maidservant replied softly. She lowered her head and hurriedly left.
Li Changshou placed his feet on the wooden chair at the side comfortably. He felt a little bored like the old Dragon King did.
Just yesterday, an old man from the Li Residence stopped Li Jing, who had returned to the residence. He told Li Jing about the domineering side of a certain high-ranking servant. In the end...
The old man received his salary for the next ten years and was chased out of the Li Residence.
Things are different now. In order to make it easier for him to take care of the reincarnation of the Yin Clan and Ling Zhuzi, Li Changshou had already revealed his identity to Li Jing and gestured for him not to disclose it.
In private, Li Jing was very respectful to the high-ranking servants.
Why did Li Changshou expose himself?
The mystery was under the pavilion.
Li Changshou had spent a lot of precious materials and Spirit Stones to set up a layer of “nurturing the fetus” array. It was also known as the “reversing the Yin-Yang Cleansing Demonic Qi Array”. It was continuously cleansing the Spirit Embryo’s baneful aura.
Apart from that, Li Changshou had to continuously stabilize his spirit embryo.
Previously, he had told Li Jing to inform Lady Yin to be prepared to be pregnant for more than three years. That was because he wanted to suppress the murderous aura deep down and minimize the effects of the murderous aura on the spirit embryo.
If the Saint attacked, there would be endless trouble.
To Li Changshou, instead of helping Di Xin continue the life of the Shang Nation, he might as well watch from the side and spend his energy on nurturing Yang Jian, Nezha, Lei Zhenzi, Wen Zhong, and Li Jing, the future generals of the Heavenly Courts.
Wen Zhong’s name was already on the God roll. The Heavenly Dao’s arrangements for Wen Zhong had been set.
Heavenly Dao.
He could not be greedy when fighting against the Heavenly Dao. He had to learn to be flexible.
About a year later, a piece of news came from Chaoge City.
“Di Xin takes the daughter of the Ninth Marquis as his consort. She is hidden in the deep palace and is quite doted on. Di Xin conferred the Ninth Marquis as the Third Marquis, causing many great marquises to be dissatisfied.”
It’s here, it’s here. The script for Di Xin killing the Ninth Marquis is here. It depends on when Di Xin takes action.
Li Changshou tried to be cold-blooded and not care about their lives. He wanted to see what happened next.
This attack was considered a chance for the Shang Nation. It was also considered a gamble by Di Xin. He used the ninth marquis to establish the dignity of the Human Emperor and intimidate the various dukes.
Although the ninth marquis was also a great duke, they were clearly inferior to the four marquises of the north, south, east, and west. Because of his daughter, he was promoted. The crowd could not accept that.
To a certain extent, the Shang Dynasty was already at the crossroads.
Dixin’s subsequent choice was rather important.
According to Li Changshou’s impression, he had casually found an excuse and used the daughter of the Ninth Marquis to not serve him well. He had taken his anger out on the Ninth Marquis and taken the opportunity to kill him.
There was still a more brilliant solution. It made the Marquis of the South not dare to say anything despite suffering.
Li Changshou waited and watched.
At such times, micromanaging was more important. He hoped that Di Xin and Wen Zhong could understand this logic and not let the Heavenly Dao win too easily.
As for the Li Residence...
The fact that Lady Yin had been pregnant for a year and a half caused a huge commotion in Chentang Pass.
There were rumors that Lady Yin was carrying a demon in her womb because such phenomena would happen only to demons.
Li Changshou smiled calmly and began to personally manipulate the public opinion in Chentang Pass. He first secretly released a few rumors and fabricated a fable story about an immortal man descending to the mortal world.
For that, he had specially transferred a few Divine Envoys of the Sea God Sect from the South Ocean to spread the technique of singing the bamboo flute on the East Ocean.
Together with that, the backyard of Li Residence would flicker with immortal light and dense immortal clouds from time to time. It made the Li family’s residence become a rather holy place. Many mortals would come there to pay their respects.
Gradually, demon soldiers appeared outside Chentang Pass to harass the mortal village.
Li Jing reacted quickly and led the troops to search everywhere. He fought with the demon soldiers in the forest for months and drove them away.
However, it was an indisputable fact that the demons, which had been silent for a long time, had once again spread to the vicinity of Chentang Pass.
Li Jing became busier.
However, it did not matter. Li Changshou had already predicted that. The paper effigy was constantly guarding the thousand-feet radius of the spirit fetus to prevent him from being schemed against again.
Just like that, Lady Yin’s pregnancy lasted for more than three years.
Over the past few days, a bloodbath had already happened in Chaoge City. Due to the act of assassination carried out by the Ninth Marquis’ daughter, Di Xin made up his mind that he would kill the Ninth Marquis as long as he was unloyal.
The Southern Marquis, E Chongyu, pleaded for mercy for the nine marquises and was executed by the enraged Di Xin.
There were many tortures in the Shang Dynasty. They used them to deter slaves and consolidate their rule. There were all kinds of torture.
The two hundred vassals on the south road were momentarily terrified and uneasy. The Shang army, which had long been prepared, headed to the south. The new South Marquis was quickly established by Di Xin.
The Marquis of the North, Chong Hu, secretly reported that the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, privately sighed about the matters of the Nine Marquises and E Chongyu.
Fei Zhong, who was born in a humble family, took advantage of the Shang Nation’s strong power and requested Di Xin to kill the Marquis of Xi Bo, Ji Chang.
Di Xin hesitated for a while because the Marquis of Xi Bo was very powerful among the feudal vassals. If the fear of killing caused too many feudal vassals to rebel, Ji Chang would not agree. He would secretly attack the Zhou Nation and weaken the leaderless Zhou Nation.
As a result, many of the eight hundred dukes had thoughts of rebelling. Di Xin made Wen Zhong the commander-in-chief. He led the Shang army to conquer the east and west, suppressing the treason. The fate of the Great Shang Kingdom became increasingly prosperous.
These were all important matters of the Shang Nation.
In the midst of these important matters...
Di Xin often held banquets for businessmen and old men. During the sacrifices, they ate and drank with the people of Shang Nation. They encouraged the people to get married and have children. They sent their trusted old officials to supervise the development of crops in the Shang Nation.
He also personally interfered with the dance and sacrificial ceremony of the Shang Nation’s Maiden Sacrifice, breaking the exclusive right of explanation of the Goddess’ authority.
Due to the busy state affairs, there were only Queen Jiang and a few concubines in Di Xin’s harem. They had two sons with Queen Jiang, who were in the outskirts of Yin Hong.
Occasionally, Li Jing would chat with the Yin family at night. When he spoke about Di Xin, he would sigh.
If Di Xin could suppress the threat of the eight hundred vassal states, he might be the overlord of the Shang Nation’s second revival. If he could not withstand the subsequent retaliation of the vassal states, it would be difficult for him to have a good ending.
Lady Yin asked Li Jing, “Do you have any ulterior motives towards the King?”
“I’m naturally guarding the border for the Shang Dynasty.”
Li Jing smiled and said, “We are guarding the border between humans and demons. The power struggle behind us has nothing to do with us.”
Li Changshou was surprised by Li Jing’s awareness.
He thought that Li Jing would be a foolish person.
Clearly, his previous education was very effective.
Recently, Lady Yin had already felt that she could not hold on any longer. The fetus in her stomach had to descend into the world. However, she did not speak and only endured it silently every day.
Li Changshou secretly cast a spell to relieve some of the pressure on Lady Yin. He was already prepared to welcome Nezha’s arrival.
While Li Changshou was busy, Chaoge City sent him a piece of news that shocked him.
“Half a month later, Di Xin will be paying respects to the Goddess Nuwa Temple.”
That day had finally arrived.
Li Changshou had also made some preparations, but he would not interfere. He only looked from the side and opened some Shadow-Retaining Spheres to record some precious moments.
He wanted to see if the current Human Emperor’s Tribulation had arrived or if someone was secretly plotting to speed up the God-Conferment Tribulation.
As long as someone really attacked, Li Changshou would have to catch them.
Plotting against the Human Emperor could be a big or small matter. It gave him the chance to make a fuss.
When Li Changshou wanted to temporarily shift his gaze to the Goddess’s Temple, a unique aura suddenly appeared in the Qingshui River outside Chentang Pass.
In the night sky, Li Changshou’s paper effigy flashed into the sky and looked over.
At the riverbank, a small azure dragon quietly swam to the shore and sized up the surroundings curiously. It shook its body and transformed into a young man. He was dressed in a white robe and a pair of cloud boots that were spotless. He held a folding fan in his hand.
He had sharp eyebrows and starry eyes. He still looked like Ao Yi, but his face was a little pale.
Carefully sensing...
He sighed. The dragon race has an old problem. Their foundation is unstable and their essence is damaged. At a glance, it’s obvious that they did not learn well at a young age and are fooling around with some maids and dragon maidens.
The little dragon was looking at the distant farmhouse. It shook its head and recited a poem. It walked with its hands behind its back.
When he passed by a village house, he stopped and hummed outside.
“It’s difficult to travel at night. May I stay here for a night? I will definitely give you money.”
The wooden door opened and revealed the graceful figure of a young girl from the fishing family. She sized up the charming young master outside the door curiously and could not help but blush. She hurriedly turned around and called for her parents.
Li Changshou was confused. He did not know what the little dragon was doing.
Thinking that there was still half a month to go before they were going to the Goddess’s Temple, he secretly watched them for a few days.
Li Changshou felt a headache coming on.
In the middle of the night, the little dragon and the woman from the fishing family were already intimate. They had even agreed to elope. The next morning, they secretly left with the woman from the fishing family and really left some gold and silver behind.
Then, there were some indescribable and inappropriate scenes.
What happened next was very much like a “fairytale”.
The handsome young man and the female fisherman were in joy for a few nights. On a starry night, when the woman was sleeping soundly, the young man quietly left the woman’s side, leaving behind a huge pearl.
After the woman woke up, she cried for half a day. She held the pearl and looked around. In the end, she walked back home in a daze. She was reprimanded by her parents and had a bad reputation.
This...
Li Changshou nodded.
What is this?
The romantic journey of the Dragon King of the East Ocean?
Can those gold and silver be exchanged for the feelings and reputation of a good woman?
Although the people at that time were a little open-minded and many men and women had experienced it before marriage, this... Ah!
He wanted to beat the little dragon up.
Fortunately, the woman was not pregnant. That was something fortunate amidst her misfortune. However, her heart was already in a daze. She could not stop thinking about that heartless person all day long. She did not eat or drink and gradually became thinner.
It was not easy to convict him.
The two of them were willing. The Dragon Prince did not use any Dharma spells. He only spoke gently and relied on his outstanding appearance to easily win the woman’s heart.
Forget it. I’ll ignore the frivolous little azure dragon for now. I’ll let Ao Yi discipline him later.
In Chaoge City, Di Xin’s carriage had already set off in a mighty manner. A crucial scheme of the Great God-Conferment Tribulation was about to happen. He had to pay more attention to the matters here...
Crash...
Li Changshou’s paper effigy’s ears twitched. The Wind Speech Incantation brought about some strange water sounds.
He focused his gaze and saw that on a beach a few hundred kilometers away, the little azure dragon swam out of the sea and transformed into a human. It was still dressed in the attire of a mortal girl. It puffed out its chest and raised its head, revealing a humble expression as it headed towards the village not far away.
Not long after, he stood in front of a village house with a purpose.
“It’s difficult to travel at night. May I stay here for a night? I will definitely give you money.”
The wooden doors opened. It was another beautiful female fisherman.
Li Changshou was rendered speechless.
This little dragon!
It had only been half a day!
Is it because the Sea Clan girls are no longer appealing, or is it because the dragon race girls are no longer beautiful? Why is he running to the human race every day!?!
Moreover, compared to the last time, he was clearly more experienced this time, as he could sweet talk with ease. The woman was quickly charmed.
That woman was not to be blamed. If the two of them shifted positions, the beautiful dragon ladies in the sea who were dressed in immortal dresses would come to the fisherman’s house to stay and take the initiative to say that they were lonely. The fisherman would not be able to withstand it.
Isn’t that how fables are written?
It’s an old tradition of the human race.
Li Changshou suddenly wanted to write a book called “Anatomical Guidance of the Dragon Clan”. Together with “Mourning”, “Love in the World”, and “The Theory of Good”, he wanted to read it as an initiation book for Little Nezha.
Hmph!
I’ll go to the Goddess’s Temple to watch the show first. I’ll deal with it later.
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