Journey to the West: From the Primordial Era

The capital of the Shang Dynasty was Chaoge.

Emperor Xin, who was angry because of a memorial from the chief priest of the ancestral temple, finally went to court again!

At this time, Emperor Xin had barely recovered his composure, and he also knew that the high priest had not intended to embarrass him, but the high priest's memorial had already spread throughout Chaoge.

Everyone knew that less than half a day after Emperor Xin dared to announce the abolition of human sacrifice in the court, news came from the ancestral temple that warned that the high priest demanded that 100,000 slaves be used to sacrifice to the gods.

Although the high priest did not intend to do so, he had already caused the dignity of the Human Emperor to be damaged.

So Emperor Xin was extremely angry, but he could not vent his anger on the high priest who had already exhausted his life force and was dying, so he could only hold it in his chest.

In other words, Emperor Xin had a better mentality and did not vent his anger on others, otherwise, if the ruler was angry, there would surely be bloodshed for thousands of miles.

"If you have something to do, report it early; if nothing happens, leave the court!"

Emperor Xin sat at the top of the court with an expressionless face. A palace servant beside him, following Emperor Xin's instructions, shouted loudly from the upper side, and the sound spread from top to bottom throughout the court hall.

Many officials in the court noticed Emperor Xin's expression, looked at each other, and dared not step forward even if they had something to say, fearing that they would attract Emperor Xin's wrath.

"Your Majesty, the high priest reported to the ancestral temple the other day to warn us. In order to stabilize the fate of the Shang Dynasty, Your Majesty is requested to lead the ministers to hold a grand sacrifice and let the gods protect our Shang Dynasty!"

No one else dared to come out, even Ya Bi Gan did not want to bring trouble to himself, but Prime Minister Shang Rong was fearless. He stepped forward, bowed and made a loud report.

"The ancestral temple has given us a warning, so we should offer sacrifices! However, offering sacrifices to ancestors and gods by human means is against the harmony of nature. May I ask the Prime Minister if there are other ways to offer sacrifices?"

Emperor Xin had a calm expression, deep eyes, and spoke lightly.

"This...the method of worshiping gods has been passed down from ancient times. There is only one kind, and there is no other!" Shang Rong hesitated.

"Oh? Could it be that these so-called gods will devour the lives of our people in order to protect the Shang Dynasty? Then what is the difference between these gods who demand blood sacrifices and demons?"

Emperor Xin leaned down slightly, staring at Shang Rong, but his words were somewhat impolite.

As soon as he arrived at the court, Shang Rong was reported about the matter of the high priest, which made his emotions, which had already been under control, ignite again.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Seeing this, Bigan, who originally did not want to come out, stepped forward and said respectfully: "Those used for offering sacrifices to the gods are slaves and prisoners of war who are enemies of our Shang Dynasty. They are not Shang people. There is nothing wrong with using them to offer sacrifices to the gods."

Doctor Mei Bo, General Huang Feihu, other doctors, generals, and all the civil and military officials in the court all nodded secretly when they heard this and agreed with it deeply.

Prisoners of war and slaves were nothing more than consumables. Except for Qingzhou, which had a shortage of population and organized slaves into slave armies, no one in the world attached too much importance to slaves.

"How pedantic! I am not only the Lord of the Great Shang, but also the Emperor of the Human Race! Slaves and prisoners of war are also human beings, and they are also my people! If I abandon them at will, will I still be the Emperor of the Human Race?"

A flash of anger appeared on Emperor Xin's face.

Shang Rong and Bigan were suddenly speechless.

To be honest, although they nominally called Emperor Xin the Human Emperor, they actually just regarded him as the ruler of the Shang Dynasty.

For example, the Dongyi people, Guifang people, and Rong people are all branches of ancient human races. Can Emperor Xin, the Human Emperor, control them?

With the exception of the founding emperor Shang Tang, the successive rulers of the Shang Dynasty were nominally called Human Emperors. However, apart from occupying most of the human race’s destiny, they no longer possessed the supreme power and majesty of the ancient Human Emperors who bestowed titles upon the gods and ghosts of the earth and protected all spirits.

It's just a name without substance.

However, Shang Rong and Bigan did not dare to point this out openly.

After all, the title of the Human Emperor is very important to Da Shang. If it is damaged, Da Shang’s luck will also be reduced.

"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. We, the ministers, accept your advice. However, offering sacrifices to the gods is a major policy and cannot be changed!" Shang Rong said.

No matter how many reasons Emperor Xin had, Shang Rong still insisted on his own opinion. In Emperor Xin's eyes, he was simply an old stubborn man who didn't know how to adapt.

Sometimes, Emperor Xin really wanted to lose face and kill a group of ministers who refused to obey his orders, to scare them and make everyone dare not oppose him again.

However, Emperor Xin was not so angry that he could not control his emotions.

After being confronted by Shang Rong, Emperor Xin's eyes turned a little cold, but at least he did not explode.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister, I remember that there are several ancient gods and the Three Ancient Emperors who do not need human sacrifices. Why not offer sacrifices to these gods and ask them to show their spirits and protect you?"

At this time, Fei Zhong, who was sitting below the court, stepped forward and spoke cautiously.

When seeking a private audience, Fei Zhong could speak freely because of his relationship with Emperor Xin, but in the court, there was a hierarchy.

He was extremely careful in every move he made, fearing that he might cause dissatisfaction among other ministers.

At this time, Fei Zhong was not yet a favorite of Emperor Xin who would be promoted to a position second only to the prime minister and vice prime minister in the future. However, as Emperor Xin's confidant, he was qualified to express his opinions in the court.

"Dr. Fei is really well-informed!"

In fact, Shang Rong didn't want to confront Emperor Xin, but when he was reminded by Fei Zhong's words, his eyes suddenly lit up.

He first praised Fei Zhong, and then said: "Five days later, it will be the birthday of Nuwa, the ancient righteous god. Your Majesty only needs to go to Nuwa Palace to burn incense! As long as the goddess is alive, she will definitely protect our Great Shang!"

"Oh?"

Emperor Xin turned slightly, changed his posture, and said calmly: "Nu Wa has merits? She actually asked the emperor to lead all the ministers to personally go and burn incense?"

His tone seemed to become much softer.

Shang Rong said quickly, "Nuwa is a saint from ancient times. In ancient times, there was a spirit called Gonggong who hit his head against Mount Buzhou, causing the sky to tilt to the northwest and the earth to sink to the southeast. Nuwa collected five-colored stones, refined them, and mended the sky. She was very helpful to the people, so she was worshipped by emperors of all dynasties."

"This ancient saint needs the emperor to personally go and burn incense to bless the Shang Dynasty with good weather and good health all year round!"

Di Xin nodded slightly.

This ancient deity was more in line with his wishes. He did not require human sacrifices, and was a god of fortune who could protect the Shang Dynasty. It would be great if he could establish a relationship with this saint.

With the support of the saints, wouldn't it be legitimate to reform the way of worshiping the gods of the Shang Dynasty?

"According to the Prime Minister's wishes, I will personally go to Nuwa Palace to burn incense in five days!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Shang Rong showed a look of joy, as the matter was finally resolved. If Emperor Xin had any more strange ideas, he felt that his heart would not be able to bear it.

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