Chapter 554: Final Boss

"Absolutely not!" A frantic cry rang out, followed by a white-haired elder quickly approaching, surrounded by a crowd.

"Bi Gan?" Zu An glanced back, frowning. His remaining memories confirmed this was his royal uncle, Bi Gan. He had the appearance of someone deeply concerned for the country and its people, much like the loyal officials often portrayed in TV dramas before Zu An's transmigration.

"What's wrong with it?" Zu An was displeased, realizing this man was not on his side.

Bi Gan stood in front of Ji Chang and anxiously said, "The Marquis of the West is the chief of the western vassal states. How can he be subjected to such extreme punishment without cause? Wouldn't this make all the vassal lords in the land feel insecure?"

"Without cause?" Zu An scoffed. "They killed my sister... Aunt Sancai. How is that 'without cause'? A life for a life—that's a universal truth!"

Bi Gan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this detail. At this point, Pei Mianman quickly explained the situation with Sancai. She knew that Royal Uncle Bi Gan held significant prestige in the court, and if they could win him over to their side, future matters would be much easier to handle. Bi Gan was clearly aware of Sancai's marriage alliance years ago, and his brow furrowed deeply as he listened.

Nevertheless, he said, "Your Majesty, given the circumstances, even if the Marquis of the West is killed, Princess Sancai cannot be brought back to life. Moreover, Sancai's marriage alliance was intended to ease relations with Western Zhou. If the Marquis of the West is killed now, wouldn't Sancai have died in vain? And strictly speaking, Sancai committed suicide back then; it wasn't the Marquis of the West who laid hands on her."

Zu An laughed. "According to Royal Uncle, Sancai's death is her own fault, then?"

Bi Gan replied, "That's not what I mean. I simply wish for Your Majesty to prioritize the bigger picture and not act on impulse."

Zu An said coldly, "Royal Uncle keeps talking about the 'bigger picture,' but now we've completely fallen out. Even if Ji Chang is released, he won't be grateful for our leniency. After he returns, he will undoubtedly spare no effort planning how to destroy Shang. This is like 'releasing the tiger back to the mountains.' Royal Uncle is far too pedantic."

After speaking, he no longer bothered with Bi Gan and directly ordered, "Where are the executioners? If there's any further delay, you'll be minced into meat paste along with the Marquis of the West."

At this moment, he was seething with rage. He was past caring about the bigger picture or long-term plans, nor was he afraid of altering history by doing this. The only thing he wanted to do was avenge Sancai.

The jailers, not daring to delay, hastily dragged Ji Chang out for execution.

Bi Gan paced frantically. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, absolutely not! This will surely bring about great disaster!"

Zu An grew impatient. "Are you truly a royal uncle of Shang or a royal uncle of Zhou? You're constantly siding with outsiders!" With that, he ignored Bi Gan and left the prison directly with Pei Mianman.

"You... you..." Bi Gan trembled with rage, choked into silence.

Rage points from Bi Gan: 733,733,733...

Ji Chang was ultimately killed. The next day, the entire court and commoners alike were in an uproar, and countless ministers submitted memorials to remonstrate. Ji Chang had an excellent way of conducting himself, possessing the demeanor of an elder statesman, and maintained good relations with the high officials and nobles in the capital.

Throughout the entire process, Zu An quietly observed the factions within the court. He discovered that one faction was led by Royal Uncle Bi Gan, and another by Royal Uncle Jizi. The attitudes of these two were quite similar, making them difficult to divide and conquer. Another faction was led by his own elder brother, Weizi Qi. Weizi Qi was rather unlucky; though they shared the same father and mother, their mother was not yet queen when Weizi Qi was born, making him a concubine-born son. However, by the time his younger brother was born, their mother had become queen, so the younger brother became the legitimate heir and inherited the throne.

Knowing this relationship, Zu An understood that his relationship with Weizi Qi would certainly not be good. As expected, in court, Weizi Qi, along with Bi Gan and Jizi, had previously lambasted him mercilessly. Prime Minister Shang Rong and Vice Prime Minister Xin Jia even led the other officials in various criticisms. Furthermore, there was a faction led by Prince Wu Geng. It was awkward to think about, but in this world, Zu An already had an adult son. He naturally had no feelings for this "convenient" son, but fortunately, the prince was relatively filial and was one of the few who spoke in his favor. Wu Geng was born to Queen Jiang. Zu An had seen her before in the imperial harem; she was a gentle woman. However, Zu An had no interest in dalliance now. All his energy was focused on how to avenge Sancai and complete this trial with Pei Mianman.

Seeing that almost all the civil and military officials in the court were opposing him, Zu An couldn't help but despise how utterly inept King Zhou had been. He even had to personally engage in verbal battles. It seemed it was time to establish a new group of trusted confidants.

After a day of chaotic arguments, the court finally began to address a practical problem: how to respond to Western Zhou's retaliation. It was understandable that with Ji Chang and his son minced into meat paste, such a deep-seated hatred would cause the people of Zhou to completely turn against them. Therefore, for the next period, Zu An and Pei Mianman continuously reorganized military affairs, awaiting Western Zhou's retaliation.

Unfortunately, several months passed, and the anticipated Western Zhou army did not arrive. Just as Zu An was wondering why, urgent military intelligence suddenly arrived from the northwest: the state of Li in the Taihang Mountains had been breached by the people of Zhou. The state of Li was the gateway to the northwest of the Shang capital, having maintained good relations with Shang for generations, yet it had been destroyed by the people of Zhou. Zu An was furious, utterly enraged, as he had received no news from beginning to end.

He sent people to investigate thoroughly and discovered that Li's plea for help had been forgotten at Prime Minister Shang Rong's office. Although Shang Rong offered very plausible reasons claiming he was not involved, Zu An had been an emperor in trials for so many years that he could already see through everything. It was Shang Rong who did it; no one else besides the Prime Minister had the authority to intercept such urgent military intelligence. Just as he was about to imprison Shang Rong, the Prime Minister received advanced warning and fled the capital with his direct subordinates. He then took to the Taihang Mountains as a bandit leader, proclaiming himself persecuted by King Zhou and the wicked Daji, and accepting all those who could not tolerate King Zhou's tyrannical rule.

Vice Prime Minister Xin Jia was also extremely dissatisfied with this. He openly lashed out at Zu An in court, then resigned from his post. Later, it was rumored that after leaving the capital, he fled west and became a honored guest of the Western Zhou. Zu An was exasperated. These individuals had clearly betrayed the state, yet public opinion now portrayed him as being overly cruel and having forced out his grand ministers. After all, control over public opinion lay in the hands of the royal nobility, led by Bi Gan and Jizi. He couldn't help but lament how utterly King Zhou had failed in his conduct over the years, leading to such widespread abandonment.

However, he did not attempt to reconcile with Bi Gan and the others, as he knew that their interests were inherently irreconcilable. Having served as King of Shang for several terms in the trial, he had clarified many substantive issues. The conflict between the fraternal succession (brother succeeding brother) and paternal succession (father to son) methods had led to tense relations among various royal factions. Simultaneously, the position of Grand Priest was often held by princes and nobles, who used the power of divine authority to contend with the Shang king's royal power.

Thus, he began to rebuild his core staff from other social strata, choosing minor nobles, impoverished scholars, and even destitute slaves as his recruits. Finally, after Pei Mianman's observations and screening during this period, a group of talents was selected: Fei Lian and his son E Lai (Fei Lian was an expert runner, extremely fast; E Lai was exceptionally valiant, a match for a thousand men on the battlefield), Fei Zhong (despite his poor personal ethics, he was resourceful and intelligent, making him a rare talent), and Jiao Li (a captive from the Eastern Yi, who was extremely skilled in business and accumulating wealth).

Seeing these familiar names, Zu An's expression turned peculiar. He vaguely remembered that, except for Jiao Li, these seemed to be notorious treacherous officials from history books. He hadn't expected to still walk the old path of King Zhou. But at present, he had no other option. With no one else available, he could only employ these individuals as a desperate measure. Fortunately, these individuals were indeed very capable. Under their combined management, the Shang dynasty's battered national strength gradually began to recover. Zu An had already begun discussing a grand plan with Pei Mianman to proactively eliminate Western Zhou.

Unfortunately, problems arose again in court. Fei Zhong and others had risen rapidly, entering the center of imperial power, which caused dissatisfaction among the old nobility led by Bi Gan. They then collected a large amount of evidence detailing how these individuals had exploited the common people and engaged in various forms of corruption and bribery, using it to impeach them. They also subtly criticized the King for appointing "petty men." Zu An also had a headache over this. Fei Zhong and the others indeed had poor personal ethics, and being from humble origins, they readily sought personal gain after suddenly acquiring power. It wasn't that Bi Gan and the old nobles were incorruptible; rather, their family foundations were so deep that they didn't need to resort to unsightly methods of enrichment. Their ways of profiting were more subtle and skilled, accumulated through centuries of inheritance. Those like Fei Zhong, with unstable foundations, could never learn such methods.

In the past, Zu An might have slowly defused the animosity between the two sides, but now he had no such leisure. His sole objective was to defeat Western Zhou and pass the trial. Although individuals like Bi Gan possessed noble characters, they were destined not to be used by him. In contrast, while Fei Zhong and his group had poor personal ethics, they diligently served him. He finally began to understand why so many inept rulers throughout history appointed treacherous officials...

Next, he acted decisively. He used Fei Zhong and others to slander Bi Gan, as these "petty men" were masters at trickery. Soon, Bi Gan, infuriated, resigned from his official post. Zu An worried that he too might defect to Western Zhou, so he sent people to place him under house arrest. Ultimately, he wasn't so ruthless as to kill a minister of such impeccable personal ethics. However, because of Bi Gan's house arrest, various rumors spread outside, some even preposterous, claiming that Daji suffered from a heart ailment and needed Bi Gan's 'seven-aperture exquisite heart' for treatment, resulting in Bi Gan dying by having his heart extracted. Zu An was speechless. He sent people to thoroughly investigate who was spreading such rumors, but unfortunately, the source could not be traced, and the rumors only intensified.

The other royal uncle, Jizi, witnessing Zu An's ruthless methods, feared meeting the same fate. Thus, he resigned from his post and feigned madness in his hometown. Zu An naturally knew his trick, but with these people gone from the court, it made things easier for him, so he did not try to keep him.

For the next period, he focused on governmental reforms while Pei Mianman trained the army. They had little rest from dawn till dusk, as they knew time was running short. Not long ago, Ji Fa of Western Zhou held a grand assembly at Mengjin. There, eight hundred vassal lords from across the land gathered, seemingly preparing for a decisive battle with Shang. Western Zhou's network of alliances, cultivated over a century, unleashed terrifying power. Most of the vassal states in the land had good relations with them, and many were also dissatisfied with the Shang dynasty's rule, so a large number attended this assembly. However, Ji Fa was not carried away. He realized that Shang's strength seemed to have improved and he was not entirely confident, so he abandoned the idea of an immediate decisive battle, waiting for a more opportune moment. Zu An paid no attention to the eight hundred vassal lords. He knew that his true opponent was always Western Zhou. As long as he defeated the powerful people of Zhou, the other vassal states would naturally submit. Both sides tacitly prepared for the decisive battle with great urgency.

After some time, the Eastern Yi suddenly launched a large-scale invasion into Shang territory. Since its establishment, the Shang dynasty had spent its time campaigning against various peoples: the Qiang in the northwest, the Guifang in the north, the Eastern Yi in the east, the Huaiyi in the southeast, the Ba in the southwest... From a later perspective, this laid the foundation for unifying the realm, but at the time, it seemed somewhat excessively militaristic. Among Shang's enemies, the Eastern Yi were the most tenacious. Despite being defeated several times over centuries of warfare, they never fully submitted. Originally, Zu An had paid special attention to his relations with them and made great efforts to win them over, but unfortunately, they still rebelled.

The entire court of civil and military officials proposed sending troops to the Eastern Yi. Zu An did not refuse and ordered General Fei Lian to lead the main army east to confront them. Ji Fa, who had been waiting for an opportunity, was overjoyed. He mobilized all national forces and advanced directly eastward to attack the Shang capital. Because the main army was far to the east, the capital was extremely vulnerable. In haste, Zu An could only organize a slave army using his few direct subordinates, promising them freedom after victory. Then, accompanied by E Lai and Fei Zhong, he personally led the expedition. The two sides engaged in a decisive battle at Muye.

Seeing Zu An's hastily organized slave army, Ji Fa felt victory was assured. He widened his formation to encircle the Shang army, just as he was about to completely annihilate them. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, the situation dramatically changed: Fei Lian suddenly appeared with the main Shang army, in turn encircling the Western Zhou forces. Ji Fa was greatly alarmed, as all intelligence indicated that this army should have been in the east, fighting the Eastern Yi. Zu An scoffed, knowing all along that the Eastern Yi were merely a minor ailment, while Western Zhou was the true mortal threat. Therefore, he outwardly dispatched the army to the east, but secretly ordered Fei Lian to make a detour and bring the troops back.

After a brief moment of confusion, Ji Fa quickly regained his composure and said coldly, "Gentlemen, what are you waiting for? Act now!" No sooner had he spoken than a commotion suddenly erupted within the Shang army ranks. It turned out that Weizi Qi had led his forces in a sudden betrayal, attacking Zu An's troops. Additionally, a new army burst forth; it was Prime Minister Shang Rong's forces from the Taihang Mountains. The sudden turn of events at this critical juncture gradually tilted the scales of victory towards Western Zhou.

Zu An sighed. "I had anticipated all of this." Ever since he learned that Weizi Qi had missed out on the throne, how could he not guard against this person? With a wave of the command flag, Pei Mianman led an army surging forward. The world never expected Daji, famous for her enchanting charm, to be so fierce. But how could they know that this woman was actually Fu Hao, the female God of War of the Shang dynasty?

As the tide of battle gradually began to turn in their favor, Zu An still felt a subtle unease. Ji Fa was too calm. Could he have another trick up his sleeve? Moreover, he had always felt that he was overlooking something. He closed his eyes, completely disregarding the chaos of the battlefield, and began to review all the details. Suddenly, he remembered the murals he had seen earlier in the secret realm and some past events that Mi Li had recounted to him. His mind instantly cleared.

He turned his head to look at the Crown Prince nearby, seeing his hand slowly rise, as if about to make a gesture. Zu An said loudly, "Wu Geng, let's talk."

Hearing his words, Wu Geng paused, clearly hesitant, but then drove his chariot next to Zu An and respectfully bowed. "Father-King, what are your commands?"

Zu An waved his hand, signaling those around them to leave, then sighed. "Actually, you and I both know that we are not father and son, so why bother pretending here?"

Wu Geng's expression shifted. "Your son does not know what you are talking about."

Zu An looked at the fierce battlefield nearby and said calmly, "Were you just about to order your subordinates to betray us and strike?"

Wu Geng remained silent, offering no reply.

Zu An looked at him. "Should I call you the betrayer of the Shang dynasty, or the creator of this trial realm?"