Chapter 515: Let Me Test Your Strength

Hearing the voice, Zu An was pleased rather than surprised. "Empress sister, you finally appeared! I thought you... I thought you..."

"You thought I was dead?" Mi Li's cold voice echoed in his mind.

"Not at all," Zu An chuckled awkwardly. "I thought you'd fallen into a deep sleep and had completely abandoned me."

"You and that big-chested girl have been cuddling the whole way. Why would I come out?" Mi Li snorted, making it easy to imagine her rolling her eyes.

"Big-chested girl?" Zu An subconsciously glanced at Pei Mianman's chest. He had to admit she certainly lived up to the description.

"What do you mean 'cuddling'? I nearly died several times during our journey, and you didn't come out to save me," Zu An said with a hint of resentment.

"When were *you* in danger? It was always that big-chested girl who was in danger, and you went to save her. The same happened with that mosquito earlier – you risked your life several times to save someone named Zheng, and also that Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect. Hmph, that big-chested girl described it well: you really are risking your life to flirt. Even if I saved you, I couldn't stop you from throwing yourself into danger like that. So why bother saving you? You might as well just die sooner and save me the future annoyance." Mi Li's voice was utterly chilling.

Zu An, however, grinned and said, "Empress sister, although you scold me fiercely, deep down you still care about me. Otherwise, you wouldn't know so much about everything that happened on the journey."

"Hmph, stop being so cheeky with me. I'm not as easily fooled as those young girls." Although Mi Li said this, her tone clearly softened a little. She looked at the murals on the side and said, "Let's talk about the murals."

Her current form could not be seen by anyone other than Zu An unless she wished it. She pointed to the mural. "What gibberish were you talking about earlier? This clearly depicts a giant black bird spreading its wings in the air. Below it, there's a bird's nest in a tree with a clutch of eggs. Then, a maiden-like figure climbs the tree, steals an egg, and swallows it. Not long after, the maiden becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child... This is the legend of 'Jian Di, a daughter of the You Song clan, who swallowed the egg of a black bird and gave birth to Qi'."

Zu An looked astonished. "Empress sister, you're so knowledgeable!"

He only learned this from a documentary, yet she knew such obscure information.

"Are you an idiot? The Yin-Shang Dynasty isn't that far from my era," Mi Li snorted.

Zu An chuckled awkwardly, realizing then that she was from the Qin Dynasty, with only the Zhou Dynasty separating it from the Shang.

Mi Li moved to another set of murals nearby. This one clearly depicted a battlefield, with numerous chariots on both sides and even more infantry behind them. On one side, a tall, imposing figure stood on a chariot. His extraordinary presence was immediately apparent, marking him as the mural's protagonist. On the other side, another prominently featured figure, clearly his opponent, appeared somewhat timid and sinister.

Mi Li gazed at the text beside the mural, then pointed to the two men depicted. "This is Cheng Tang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty. This battle is the Battle of Mingtiao, which overthrew the Xia Dynasty. The man opposite him is Xia Jie, the last monarch of the Xia Dynasty, who fled to Nanchao and died after his defeat. Cheng Tang returned his forces to Bo Yi, assembled the feudal lords, and officially established the Shang Dynasty, making Bo its capital."

"Bo?" Zu An was surprised. "Shouldn't the Shang capital be Yin?"

The term "Yin-Shang" was common knowledge. Of course, those who read *Investiture of the Gods* would remember the Shang capital as Chaoge, but neither of those was Bo.

"You're easily surprised. Shang kings frequently moved their capitals," Mi Li explained, pointing to the next set of murals. "This was due to the Shang Dynasty's succession mechanism. In ancient times, dangers lurked everywhere: watchful foreign tribes, natural disasters, and wild beasts. Life expectancy was low, and many died in their prime, including the Shang kings. It was impossible to pass the throne to young offspring, as the ability to lead the clan to survive was paramount in that era.

"Therefore, from its inception, the Shang Dynasty practiced a system of succession where the throne passed from elder brother to younger brother, and so on.

"This, however, created a problem: any branch of the royal family had a claim to the throne. Once stability returned and life expectancy generally increased, rulers often had adult sons. Consequently, these princes were unwilling for the throne to fall into the hands of their royal uncles, and the rulers themselves also wished to pass it to their own sons. Yet, other princes would certainly disagree, leading to brutal power struggles within the royal family.

"After a new king ascended, to eliminate the threat from other princes, they typically chose to relocate the capital. This way, the entrenched power base of their rivals in the original capital would become meaningless."

"I understand that!" Zu An recalled a similar situation in the Song Dynasty. In its early days, Zhao Kuangyin usurped the Hou Zhou regime to establish the Northern Song. To stabilize the Zhao family's reign, he intended to pass the throne to his younger brother Zhao Guangyi. However, after more than a decade, once he was firmly established as emperor and his young son had come of age, he began considering passing the throne to his son.

But the unwritten rule at the time was that the crown prince would also serve as the governor of Kaifeng, a position Zhao Guangyi had held for many years, during which he had built up an immense power base in Kaifeng. Zhao Kuangyin intended to resolve this by moving the capital to Luoyang. Unfortunately, the proposal met fierce opposition from both court and commoners and was countered by Zhao Guangyi's statement, "Virtue matters more than strategic location." Seeing his brother's growing power and being benevolent by nature, Zhao Kuangyin abandoned the idea of relocating the capital.

Mi Li then pointed to the third set of murals and said, "The Shang Dynasty frequently changed its capital in this manner, until King Pan Geng moved the capital to Yin, which finally brought stability. This mural depicts the various aspects of Pan Geng's relocation to Yin."

Zu An looked at the fourth set of murals. "Hey, there's even a woman in this mural. She looks quite beautiful."

Mi Li snorted. "Your head is always full of whether women are beautiful or not; you're simply disrespectful to our ancestors. This is Fu Hao, the queen of Wu Ding, one of the greatest monarchs of the Shang Dynasty. After Pan Geng moved the capital, the Shang Dynasty gradually stabilized, and by Wu Ding's generation, the nation, which had been in decline, regained its strength. Besides Wu Ding's own capabilities, his queen, Fu Hao, played a significant role.

"At that time, the surrounding tribes and states of Gui Fang, Tu Fang, Qiang Fang, Ren Fang, and Hu Fang were all powerful and coveted the land and wealth of the Shang Dynasty..."

Zu An interrupted her, asking, "'Fang'? What does that mean?"

"'Fang' was the Shang Dynasty's term for surrounding foreign tribes and states," Mi Li explained. Then, looking at Fu Hao's image, she continued, "At that time, the Shang Dynasty was on the verge of collapse. As queen, Fu Hao personally led troops into battle, defeating the invading foreign tribes one by one. She also took the opportunity to destroy several 'Fang' states, bringing complete stability to the Shang Dynasty. Such an extraordinary woman truly commands admiration."

Noticing her eyes gleaming with admiration, Zu An realized she, too, was an empress from an earlier era, and perhaps witnessing Fu Hao's achievements deeply moved her.

Mi Li approached the next set of murals and suddenly frowned. "Strange!"

"What's wrong?" Zu An asked curiously. This set of murals depicted a scene by a large river, with many large boats adorned with lanterns and streamers, looking quite festive. On both banks, separate groups escorted the bride and groom, apparently holding a grand wedding ceremony.

Mi Li pointed to some characters on the side. "The theme of this mural is 'A Match Made in Heaven.' But if I recall correctly, 'A Match Made in Heaven' comes from *The Book of Songs*, *Major Odes*, *Da Ming*, describing the story of Ji Chang, the founding monarch of the Zhou Dynasty, marrying Tai Si.

"When Ji Chang was still the Marquis of the West, he met Tai Si by the Wei River and was astonished by her beauty. Later, learning that Tai Si was benevolent, discerning, and lived simply, Ji Chang decided to marry her. Since there was no bridge over the Wei River, Ji Chang decided to build a bridge of boats, connecting them to form a pontoon bridge, and personally went to welcome Tai Si. The scene was magnificent."

Zu An asked curiously, "What you're saying matches the depiction in the painting, so what's strange about it?"

"That's precisely what's strange," Mi Li frowned. "Tai Si was a noblewoman from the State of Xin. Although Xin was considered part of Yin-Shang at the time, she was certainly not a true Shang royal princess. Yet, the text next to this mural records that King Di Yi of Shang married his beautiful younger sister to Ji Chang, which led to this 'Match Made in Heaven.' But how could this be? It conflicts with *The Book of Songs* and even historical records from all subsequent dynasties."

"Di Yi?" Zu An felt his head spin. The names of these Shang kings, like Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, were truly confusing.

Mi Li replied, "He was the second-to-last monarch of the Shang Dynasty, the father of the famous King Zhou."

"King Zhou!" Zu An's eyes lit up. "I know about him! It's common knowledge how he doted on the fox spirit Daji, acted perversely, and caused the downfall of the Shang Dynasty. I wonder just how beautiful Daji was to enchant him so much."

Neither textbooks nor *Investiture of the Gods* portrayed King Zhou and Daji positively, but he didn't care about that. He was more curious about what the most famous fox spirit in Chinese history, the notorious femme fatale, actually looked like.

"A lecher, as expected!" Mi Li spat. Interrupted by him, she no longer dwelled on the "Match Made in Heaven" mural and instead pointed to the last set, saying, "Daji, whom you want to see, is right here."

Zu An eagerly rushed over, finding a graceful female figure on the mural. Unfortunately, such murals didn't allow for a clear view of her specific features; he could only discern from the lines that she was indeed a stunning beauty. "Wow, what a slender waist! And her chest is so big, almost like Big Manman's..."

Mi Li rolled her eyes, clearly accustomed to his lecherous behavior, and continued explaining the mural. "This set of murals depicts the downfall of the Shang Dynasty. It illustrates the Battle of Muye, where the Shang army defected during battle and suffered a complete defeat... In despair, King Zhou and Daji immolated themselves on Lutai. The Zhou Dynasty was then established, and King Zhou's crown prince, Wu Geng, was enfeoffed in Yin to continue the Shang ancestral sacrifices."

"Huh?" Zu An was curious. "Didn't Zhou destroy Shang? Why would they tolerate King Zhou's crown prince remaining in their capital, still flying the Yin-Shang banner?"

"In ancient times, there was an unwritten rule called 'destroy a nation, but do not sever its ancestral sacrifices.' But that was just a nice-sounding phrase," Mi Li sneered. "Ultimately, it was because the opposing side's remaining forces were strong enough that the conquering nation had to make compromises. Historically, the Zhou people destroyed many small states; why don't we hear about them preserving their sacrifices? Our Qin state wasn't so hypocritical. If we decided to destroy a nation, we destroyed it. If we said we'd kill their entire family, we killed their entire family."

Zu An was speechless.

Watching Mi Li's eyes gleam with a warlike fervor, Zu An couldn't help but gulp. This woman was truly too fierce.

Mi Li continued, "After all, the Shang Dynasty had been established for several hundred years. Even after King Zhou's death, its remaining power was formidable. The Zhou people allowed Wu Geng to remain in Yin as the Shang king. Don't be fooled by how easily the Zhou defeated King Zhou at the Battle of Muye; four years later, Wu Geng launched a rebellion in Yin, and it took the Zhou people over three years to completely defeat him.

"Even after Wu Geng's lineage was extinguished, the Shang people still had two powerful factions. King Zhou's uncle, Jizi, refused to submit to Zhou and led a portion of the Yin people north to establish the state of Joseon, historically known as Gija Joseon. King Zhou's elder brother, Weizi Qi, led his retainers to establish the State of Song, which is quite famous in history; you should know about it. During the Spring and Autumn period, many jokes were told about the people of Song, such as 'waiting by the stump for a rabbit,' 'the wise son suspecting his neighbor,' the Song man who found sunbathing comfortable and presented it as a secret method to the king, or the Song man who cleverly stockpiled a large number of hats to sell in the hatless State of Yue, only to suffer heavy losses... The protagonists of this series of stories were all foolish people from Song."

A hint of mockery appeared on Mi Li's lips. "Ultimately, it's because the State of Song was founded by Yin-Shang immigrants, while other states during the Spring and Autumn period were descendants of the Zhou. That's why they were constantly slandered."

Zu An was dumbfounded. Such a cunning tactic! Many of those jokes had even become idioms. Thousands of years later, everyone still remembered the foolishness of the Song people. This move truly aimed to break their spirit.

"Ah Zu, Ah Zu?" At that moment, Pei Mianman's voice came from beside him. She was tugging at Zu An's sleeve repeatedly.

Zu An snapped back to reality and quickly asked her, "What's wrong?"

Pei Mianman looked worried. "You've been acting strangely since just now, staring at the murals by yourself and muttering constantly. I thought you were possessed! Are you alright?"

Zu An then realized he had been so absorbed in talking with Mi Li that he had neglected Pei Mianman, who couldn't see Mi Li. He quickly explained, "I'm fine, I was just looking at what these murals were depicting and got completely engrossed."

Pei Mianman asked curiously, "You can understand what they're talking about?"

"Of course!" Zu An roughly recounted what he had just heard from Mi Li, explaining some necessary historical details in a way she could understand.

Pei Mianman's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration as she linked her arm through his. "Ah Zu, you're truly so knowledgeable! You even recognize these ancient characters. I've decided: even if Chu Yan disagrees once we're out, I'm going to snatch you for myself!"

Zu An was speechless.

The delightful sensation from his arm momentarily made him dizzy with pleasure, and a visibly contented expression appeared on his face.

"Hmph!" At that moment, a cold snort sounded in his ear.

Mi Li's Rage: 998!

This guy actually used what I taught him to show off and flirt with a girl! It's infuriating!

Seeing the big-chested girl clinging so intimately to Zu An, and Zu An looking utterly delighted, Mi Li felt a surge of anger. She instantly vanished, refusing to answer Zu An no matter how much he called out.

Oh no, did I really make Empress sister angry?

Zu An called out for a long time with no response, then couldn't help but say, "Empress sister, you're not getting jealous, are you?"

"Heh heh, jealous of your big head!" This time, Mi Li finally responded.

Zu An burst out laughing. "It's perfectly normal for an impressive and excellent man like me to make you fall in love with me after spending so much time together, isn't it?"

Mi Li was speechless.

Where did this guy get such thick skin, to actually think I'd fall for him? I, the dignified mother of a nation, the empress who sets an example for all under heaven, would fall for this rogue-like rascal? If it weren't for their souls being bound, sharing life and death, she would guarantee to slap him dead on the spot. If I truly went blind and fell for this guy, I'd kneel and sing 'Conquer' to him every day as punishment!

Their souls were intertwined, leading to a much deeper understanding of each other, to the point where she even knew about the song "Conquer."

Mi Li's Rage: 333333...

Feeling that she was truly angry, Zu An hastily apologized and tried to comfort her. Unfortunately, no matter what he said, Mi Li no longer responded.

Zu An was accustomed to it; such incidents had occurred frequently lately. She truly was a haughty, mature woman.

He continued to explore deeper, holding Pei Mianman's hand, when suddenly a warning signal flared in his mind. He hastily pushed Pei Mianman away and simultaneously leaped in another direction. At that moment, a cold light descended from above, striking precisely where they had just been standing.

"Ah Zu!" Pei Mianman also snapped back to reality, her body wreathed in black flames, already in combat mode. However, when she clearly saw the appearance of the attacker in the middle, she froze in place for a moment. "This is..."

A skeleton, faintly radiating a crystalline glow, had two faint red lights gleaming in its sunken eye sockets. It wielded a huge long-handled spear, exuding an air of might.

Zu An swallowed. "Why does this guy look familiar?"

Pei Mianman replied, "It seems to be that skeleton warrior who was kneeling beside the stone gate earlier..."

Before she finished speaking, the skeleton warrior moved. With a side flip, it swung its long-handled spear towards Zu An. Clearly, even in death, it instinctively perceived the man as the greatest threat and intended to eliminate him first.

The opponent's aura surged dramatically. Its spinning side-swinging motion was incredibly stylish, making it seem like a grim reaper wielding a scythe to harvest lives. If it weren't attacking him, Zu An would probably have given it a thumbs-up.

However, its oppressive aura left him no room for carelessness. He quickly drew his Tai'a Sword and charged forward without dodging, roaring, "Let me test your mettle!"

With a loud crash, a figure flew backward, slamming into the adjacent wall and shattering some of its bricks.

Zu An clambered up from a cloud of dust, spitting out small debris from his mouth. "Hmm, that was quite powerful indeed."

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, let out a chuckle. This guy was so comical even when fighting. Worried he might be at a disadvantage, she quickly unleashed her black flames and rushed forward to help.

The remaining 2 chapters for today have been combined and posted; yesterday's backlog has been covered. I truly despise my pathetic writing speed. I work like a dog every day, yet I don't produce many words. I really envy those fellow "tentacle monsters" who effortlessly write ten thousand characters a day and can still relax and have fun in the evenings. I, on the other hand, can't even write ten thousand characters from morning till night!