The Human Race’s royal city, Chaoge.
Shouxian Palace.
Two rows of beautiful palace maids, holding long purple sandalwood trays, stood on either side. The trays were filled with fine wine and delicacies, as well as rare treasures brought as tribute from all corners of the world.
“Woohoo~ No, Your Majesty, this is the third time today. You should rest.”
Deep within the palace, behind white Curtain, a beautiful spring scene unfolded, accompanied by shameless sounds that made the palace maids blush, their eyes fixed on their noses, yet they couldn’t help but steal glances inside.
“Oh?”
“But I’m not done yet.”
Behind the white gauze curtains, figures moved, followed by another round of verbal sparring, the content of which was unknown.
A moment later.
A man, chest bared, casually draped in a royal robe of fine silk, stepped down from the ebony bed behind the curtains. Barefoot and bare-legged, he casually pulled aside the curtains and walked before the palace maids.
On the bed, half-hidden by the white gauze curtains, lay a shy woman, draped in a red brocade robe, her brows revealing a foxy charm.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
Seeing the man emerge, the palace maids quickly bowed, one by one putting down their trays and beginning to busy themselves.
Some rinsed their mouths, some helped with clothes, some styled hair, while the man simply stretched out his arms, closed his eyes to rest, and let the palace maids attend to him.
“Your Majesty, this is freshly stewed thousand-year ginseng soup, with your favorite white bear meat added.”
A palace maid, with a sweet smile, held a soup bowl, took out a spoon, and with a gentle breath from her maidenly lips, warmed the soup before respectfully offering it to Zi Shou’s mouth.
“The taste is bland today. Who stewed this soup? Throw them into the mountains to gather herbs for ten years.”
The man spoke indifferently, and the palace maids immediately paled with fright.
Outside the door, guards moved at the sound.
Soon.
Wails and pleas for mercy came from the imperial kitchen.
“Wait! This soup doesn’t taste right. Someone tampered with it, even adding wolfberries.”
“Ask them which empress’s secret idea this was. Imprison them in the cold palace for a year as a warning to others.”
“Can’t I even decide over my own body?”
“Yes!”
The guards’ acknowledgment came from outside the door.
“Alas—another day of debauchery and tyranny—”
The man sighed.
He was none other than Zi Shou, the last emperor of the Great Shang.
His reign name was Dixin.
People outside gave him the title of King Zhou.
Zhou, meaning tyrannical.
Zi Shou was very helpless. In his previous life, he hadn’t even killed a chicken, yet he inexplicably became a Tyrant.
That’s right.
He was a Transmigrator.
In his previous life, as a qualified 996, no, 797 workhorse, he strictly followed a 7 AM wake-up, 9 PM sleep schedule since kindergarten, and even on weekends, he rushed to various tutoring classes. Until his sacrifice, he was the company’s model employee.
That’s right, he was sacrificed.
He, full of righteousness and always eager to act bravely, saw a woman jump into a river to commit suicide on his way to work one day. Driven by a sense of justice, he jumped in without thinking to save her.
But it wasn't until he was held down and drowned by this woman that Zi Shou realized she could swim. Before he died, he even heard the woman say, “Heh! Killed another lustful man.”
Zi Shou still hadn’t recovered from that breath, and his chest felt heavy to this day.
“A little lower, yes, right there.”
Zi Shou, fully dressed, lay on a reclining chair. Eight palace maids, whose figures were impeccable, stood by, respectfully massaging and kneading him.
“Where have the allied forces reached?”
“Have they breached Xuzhou?”
Zi Shou closed his eyes and asked indifferently.
Shang Rong, who had been waiting outside, heard him and walked in. After bowing, his face pale, he replied in a low voice, “They have already reached Chaoge City.”
“What?”
“It seems today is my death anniversary.”
This white-haired old man was none other than Prime Minister Shang Rong, ninety-five years old.
He was one of the few individuals who did not rebel after Zi Shou’s diligent rule.
Zi Shou’s face was calm, without any change, completely ignoring Shang Rong’s expression of utter despair. This wasn’t because he was a Transmigrator, nor because he had a way to deal with the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, but because he had accepted his fate.
That’s right.
Having Transmigrated to the Investiture of the Gods world for decades, now past fifty, he had accepted his fate.
Heaven’s will is hard to defy.
Zi Shou still remembered thirty years ago, when he had just Transmigrated to Chaoge, holding the withered hands of the dying Emperor Yi at his sickbed, with all the civil and military officials standing behind him, his heart surging with excitement.
The Great Shang had Grand Tutor Wen Zhong and Prime Minister Shang Rong in civil affairs, and the King of Martial Accomplishment, Huang Feihu, and Li Jing of Chentang Pass in military affairs; the civil officials were enough to stabilize the nation, and the military generals were enough to secure the country.
He only needed to enjoy peace, and the myriad people would live happily, the weather would be favorable, the country would be prosperous and the people at peace, the four barbarians would submit, the ten directions would be obedient, and the eight hundred vassal lords would all pay homage to Shang.
As long as he wasn’t bewitched by Su Daji, it was a perfectly heavenly start!
After Emperor Yi’s death, Zi Shou inherited the throne and immediately began reforms, intending to rule diligently and establish a great Human Race enterprise!
However…
Everything was different from what he had imagined.
Whenever he tried to change the Investiture of the Gods history, he would suffer heavy blows from fate and the iron fist of reality.
In the seventh year of Dixin’s reign, he painstakingly tried to persuade Wen Zhong not to go on the Northern Expedition, listing dozens of reasons, but Wen Zhong rebuked him in court, even drawing his King-Beating Golden Whip and pointing it at his nose, scolding him for abandoning his ancestral legacy and lacking any bloodline spirit of the Cheng Tang descendants.
After Wen Zhong left, he suddenly felt he had lost his backing and sternly refused the request to burn incense at Nuwa’s Palace, fearing being schemed against. But who knew that Nuwa’s temple was burned down by someone that very night, and Nuwa repeatedly cursed him as a Tyrant in her dreams for ten consecutive nights.
In the eighth year of Dixin’s reign, he found an excuse to execute Fei Zhong and You Hun, and also issued an edict to promote Su Hu’s official rank, to prevent Su Daji from entering the palace and Su Hu from being forced to rebel.
But who knew that Su Hu, grateful to him, actually wanted to personally send his daughter to the imperial harem as a concubine.
Poor Su Daji, she was secretly ambushed by a fox at Enzhou Posthouse without a sound.
A beauty destined for a tragic fate, the Investiture of the Gods’ most beautiful woman was bound to die one way or another.
At that time, Dixin was terrified, looking at Su Daji’s foxy face, he could only swallow his anger and wait for Yun Zhongzi to deliver the sword to slay this evil demon.
However, something even more outrageous happened. The pine wood sword hung in front of the Official Division Tower for forty-nine days, but Su Daji didn’t die. Instead, her malevolent Qi grew stronger and stronger, and she hated all Daoists in the world, bewitching him to destroy mountains and temples, and hunt down Qi Refining practitioners.
It was then that Dixin suddenly realized, damn it, this sword wasn’t meant to kill demons at all. It was meant to create a vicious, thousand-year-old crazy fox.
Later, Zi Shou became disillusioned with the Celestial Gods, only wanting to hold onto his original intention, not be bewitched by the fox spirit, and enjoy a few more years of peace. He felt that as long as he didn’t frame loyal officials, he wouldn’t end up with a ruined nation, a broken family, treacherous courtiers, and being a lonely king.
But! But! But!
Zi Shou discovered that if he didn’t frame Bi Gan, Bi Gan would actually try to harm him!!
This old man was in charge of sorcery and sacrifices, and was the highest-ranking Grand Priest below the emperor. One year, there was a great drought in Chaoge, and Bi Gan suddenly declared that the heavens withheld rain because of the ruler’s sins, that it was all his fault!
On that day, Bi Gan announced to heaven and earth that the great drought was due to his unbenevolent rule, and immediately asked him to abdicate and yield the throne to his elder brother, Zi Qi!
Zi Shou was stunned at that moment.
He was furious.
In his anger, he initially thought Bi Gan was talking nonsense and wanted to imprison him, but who would have thought that more than half of the civil and military officials, especially the royal family members like Zi Qi and Zi Yan, actually supported him.
If Huang Feihu hadn’t mobilized the army to suppress the court and imprisoned Bi Gan and others, he would already be the former emperor.
The Three Sages of the Late Yin truly lived up to their name.
That day, the despairing Zi Shou lay in the deep palace’s backyard for a month, knowing that fate was unchangeable. So he decided to strike first, tricking Ji Chang’s family to Chaoge to kill them all.
However, the plan failed, and the news leaked halfway, allowing the old scoundrel to sneak through with a sacrifice-a-pawn-to-save-the-king tactic that fooled him.
That’s right, he sent all his sons, Ji Kao, Ji Fa, Ji Dan, and others, over, while he secretly ran back!
Who would have thought this old man could be so ruthless?
After Ji Chang ran back, he raised the banner of anti-Shang, using the pretext of rescuing his sons to incite the eight hundred vassal lords to rebel.
Zi Shou was stunned by the old man’s outrageous actions.
It was at this moment that he finally understood what Heaven’s will was.
Heaven’s will is human fate. These characters in the Investiture of the Gods were destined to be who they were from the beginning, and even if history changed, it couldn’t change human nature.
In the original Investiture of the Gods history, even if Dixin hadn’t been bewitched by Su Daji, they would have certainly plotted rebellion!
If there hadn’t been Su Daji, perhaps the original Dixin would have been plotted against and killed by Bi Gan and others long ago.
Rebellions in Beihai and Dongyi, the Great Shang army simply couldn’t support his attack on West Qi.
He could only endure.
In desperation.
He then thought of another path, developing agriculture, engaging in inventions and creations, and improving people’s livelihoods.
Then another problem arose.
The things he invented would spread to other states within a month, and then everywhere people would falsely claim they were Ji Chang’s inventions.
Thus came the prophecy of the Phoenix singing in West Qi, and a sage emerging from the West.
The key was that the common people of the world only believed Ji Chang, not Dixin.
At this point, Zi Shou knew that he had no Golden Finger, no cheat, and simply couldn’t resist the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
That big hand in the dark controlled everything.
He couldn’t change anything.
Even Shang Rong, who was unwilling to die for him and crashed himself in Jiujian Hall, was now immortal.
Now ninety-five years old, with no sign of death.
Poor his daughter, Shang Qingjun, whom he personally sent away.
After understanding this, Zi Shou began to give up on himself, completely indulging in wine, meat, and beautiful women. You, Duke of the West, don’t you have twenty-four concubines and ninety-nine sons?
Then I, Dixin, will marry ninety-nine concubines and have hundreds of sons.
Since I can’t change my destiny, I’ll let my descendants compete for the world in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.
And so.
After more than ten years of turmoil and half a lifetime of diligent rule, Zi Shou still walked the old path of the Tyrant King Zhou in the Investiture of the Gods.
Zi Shou lay on the reclining chair, helplessly saying:
“The shattered mountains and rivers are like flying catkins in the wind, my life’s ups and downs are like duckweed beaten by rain.”
“Fate plays tricks on people.”
【Ding! Detected that the protagonist is disheartened. The ‘Slacking and Clock-in System’ has Awakened.】
【Do you wish to activate it?】
Suddenly, an ethereal voice sounded in Zi Shou’s ear.
He had fantasized about this voice countless times, only to wake up each time realizing he was dreaming.
It must be fake again.
Zi Shou told himself, but still couldn’t help but verify it.
“Daji, bite me.”
“Harder.”
“Hiss, ow, ow— ”
“Your Majesty, forgive me!”
Daji was startled, thinking Zi Shou had come up with another fun game.
Zi Shou stood up excitedly, too eager to bother with Daji, and picked up the ginseng soup next to him, drinking several mouthfuls.
“This time it’s actually real?”
“My System… has arrived?”
However, the next moment, Zi Shou’s grinning mouth suddenly drooped, and the passion in him was doused with cold water.
I’ve already become the Tyrant King Zhou, and the Great Zhou army has already reached outside Chaoge City. What’s the point of Awakening now?
What kind of ‘Slacking and Clock-in System’ is this? It should be called the ‘Funeral System’!
In my previous life, I heard that web novels with a System would flop, and now it seems to be true!
【Do you wish to activate it?】
【Do you wish to activate it?】
…
However, even when Zi Shou closed his eyes, the panel was still clearly visible. While depressed, his long-dormant heart suddenly stirred again.
Just then.
A guard rushed in, covered in knife wounds. He reported:
“Your Majesty!”
“That Jiang Shang is not a human son! He wrote down ten major crimes slandering you on a silk scroll and distributed them throughout Chaoge City, attempting to stir up discord between the people and Your Majesty!”
“This is destroying, destroying, destroying your reputation!!!”
Hoo—
Upon hearing this, Zi Shou’s gaze fell on the silk scroll, and he finally couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
It clearly read words like “Disrespecting Heaven,” “Indulging in Wine and Lust,” “Poisoning the People,” and “Enraging Both Gods and Men.”
“Heh heh, meaningless, truly meaningless.”
Thinking of his remaining life spent in debauchery, a pool of wine and a forest of meat, and the boring days of barely surviving in the harem, Zi Shou’s mouth curled into a sinister smile. He waved his hand, donned his imperial court robes, and gazed at the billowing smoke of war.
Good, good, truly sickening.
Truly disgusting.
Having been played by the Celestial Gods for decades, and now facing death anyway, why should he let them off easy?
“Heh heh!”
“Playing like this is really boring.”
“Activate, activate, activate, activate it for me!”