Chapter 512: Let Me Test Your Strength

Hearing the voice, Zu An was not surprised, but rather delighted: "Queen Sister, you finally appeared! I thought you... I thought you..."

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

"Not that," Zu An smiled awkwardly. "I thought you had fallen asleep and completely abandoned me."

"You've been flirting with that big-chested girl this entire time. Why should I come out?" Mi Li snorted, the image of her rolling her eyes easily conjured.

"Big-chested girl?" Zu An instinctively glanced at Pei Mianman's chest. He had to admit, the description certainly fit.

"What do you mean 'flirting'? I was in danger several times and almost died, yet you didn't come out to save me," Zu An said with a hint of grievance.

"That wasn't you in danger; it was clearly that big-chested girl, 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 Saintess from the Demonic Cult. Heh, that big-chested girl has a good way of describing it: you really are risking your life to chase women. Even if I saved you, I couldn't stop you from throwing yourself into danger like that, so why should I bother? You might as well die sooner and save me the future trouble." Mi Li's voice was icy.

Zu An, however, grinned and said, "Queen Sister, although you scold me fiercely, deep down you still care about me. Otherwise, you wouldn't know so much about what's been happening."

"Hmph, don't try to charm me; I'm not as easily fooled as those young girls." Despite her words, her tone noticeably softened. She looked at a mural nearby and said, "Let's talk about the murals instead."

Her current form was only visible to Zu An unless she willed it. She pointed to the mural and explained:

"What nonsense were you talking about earlier? This clearly depicts a giant black bird spreading its wings in the sky, with a bird's nest in a tree below containing a clutch of eggs. Then, a maiden-like figure climbs the tree, steals an egg, and swallows it. Soon after, the maiden becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child... This is the legend of 'Jian Di, daughter of the You Song clan, swallowing the egg of a black bird and giving birth to Qi.'"

Zu An looked shocked: "Queen Sister, you are so knowledgeable!"

He had only learned this from documentaries, yet she was aware of such obscure knowledge.

"Are you an idiot? The Yin-Shang era wasn't too far from my time," Mi Li snorted.

Zu An smiled sheepishly, remembering 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 set clearly depicted a battle scene, with numerous chariots on both sides, followed by many foot soldiers.

On one side, a tall and sturdy figure stood on a chariot, commanding an extraordinary presence that immediately marked him as the mural's protagonist. On the other side, another prominently depicted figure on a chariot was clearly his opponent, though this figure's expression appeared more timid and sinister.

Mi Li looked at the text beside the murals, then pointed to the two men in the painting: "This is Cheng Tang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty. This battle is the Battle of Mingtiao, which ended the Xia Dynasty. The person opposite him is Jie, the last ruler of the Xia Dynasty. After this defeat, he fled to Nanchao and died. Cheng Tang returned his army to Bo Yi, assembled the feudal lords, and formally established the Shang Dynasty, making Bo its capital."

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

The term "Yin-Shang" was common knowledge. Of course, people who had seen "Investiture of the Gods" might remember Chaoge as the capital, but neither of those was Bo.

"You're easily surprised. The Shang kings frequently relocated their capital," 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 – covetous foreign tribes, natural disasters, and wild beasts – meaning people's lifespans weren't very long; many died in their prime, and Shang kings were no exception. In such circumstances, it was impossible to pass the throne to young heirs, as leading the tribe to survive was paramount."

"Therefore, from the very beginning, the Shang Dynasty practiced a succession system where a brother succeeded the deceased king, and so on."

"This, however, led to a problem: any branch of the royal family held succession rights to the throne. Once stability was established and lifespans generally increased, kings often had adult sons. Consequently, these princes were unwilling for the throne to fall into their royal uncles' hands, and the kings themselves also wanted to pass it to their own sons. Yet, other princes and kings would certainly disagree, leading to brutal power struggles within the royal house."

"After a new king ascended, to eliminate threats from other princes, they would generally choose to relocate the capital. This rendered the entrenched influence of their opponents in the old capital meaningless."

"I understand that!" Zu An thought of a similar scenario in the Song Dynasty. In its early days, Zhao Kuangyin usurped the Later Zhou's power and established the Northern Song. To stabilize the Zhao family's rule, he intended to pass the throne to his younger brother, Zhao Guangyi. However, after more than a decade, when he had firmly secured his position as emperor and his young son had matured, he began to consider passing the throne to his own son.

However, the unwritten rule at the time was that the Crown Prince would also serve as the Mayor of Kaifeng, a position Zhao Guangyi had held for many years, accumulating immense influence in Kaifeng during that time.

Zhao Kuangyin planned to resolve this by relocating the capital to Luoyang. Unfortunately, the proposal met fierce opposition from both the court and the public. Zhao Guangyi's phrase, "Virtue matters more than strategic location," effectively blocked the move. 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: "The Shang Dynasty frequently changed its capital in this manner, until the generation of King Pan Geng, who moved the capital to Yin, finally stabilized it. This mural depicts the events surrounding Pan Geng's move to Yin."

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

Mi Li snorted: "All you ever think about is whether women are beautiful or not; it's practically an insult to our ancestors. This is Fu Hao, the queen of Wu Ding, one of the Shang Dynasty's greatest rulers. After Pan Geng moved the capital, the Shang Dynasty gradually stabilized, and by Wu Ding's generation, its declining national power was restored to strength. Besides Wu Ding's own abilities, his queen, Fu Hao, played a significant role."

"At that time, the surrounding tribes and states—Guifang, Tufang, Qiangfang, Renfang, Hufang—were all very powerful and coveted the Shang Dynasty's land and wealth..."

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

"'Fang' was the Shang Dynasty's term for the surrounding foreign tribes and states," Mi Li explained. She then looked at Fu Hao's portrait: "At that time, the Shang Dynasty was teetering on the brink of collapse. Fu Hao, as queen, personally led troops into battle, defeating invading foreign tribes one by one, and even took the opportunity to conquer several 'fang' states, bringing complete stability to the Shang Dynasty. Such an extraordinary woman truly commands admiration."

Noticing her eyes shining with admiration, Zu An remembered that she, too, was a queen from a powerful era. Perhaps seeing Fu Hao's accomplishments 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 festive, brightly lit boats. On both banks, separate processions escorted the bride and groom, seemingly for a grand wedding.

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 Classic of Poetry, Greater Odes, Da Ming,' which describes the story of Ji Chang, the founding monarch of the Zhou Dynasty, marrying Tai Si."

"When Ji Chang was still the Earl of the West, he met Tai Si by the Wei River and was astonished by her divine beauty. Later, learning that Tai Si was benevolent, reasonable, and lived simply, Ji Chang decided to marry her. As there was no bridge over the Wei River, Ji Chang decided to build a pontoon bridge by connecting boats to personally welcome Tai Si, a grand occasion."

Zu An asked curiously: "What you're describing seems to match the painting. What's strange about it?"

"The strangeness lies precisely here," Mi Li frowned. "Tai Si was a noblewoman from the State of Xin. Although Xin was considered part of the Yin-Shang realm at the time, she was by no means a true Shang royal princess. Yet, the text next to this mural states that King Di Yi of Shang married his beautiful sister to Ji Chang, which led to this 'Match Made in Heaven.' But how could this be? It conflicts with 'The Classic of Poetry' and even historical records from all dynasties."

"Di Yi?" Zu An felt dizzy. The names of these Shang kings, with their various 'Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding,' were truly confusing.

Mi Li replied: "He was the second-to-last monarch of the Shang Dynasty, in other words, the father of the well-known King Zhou."

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

Regardless of textbooks or "Investiture of the Gods," King Zhou and Daji are not portrayed positively. However, he wasn't concerned with that; he was more curious about the appearance of China's most famous "femme fatale" fox spirit.

"What a pervert!" Mi Li spat. Interrupted by him, she no longer dwelled on the "Match Made in Heaven" mural. Pointing to the remaining set, she said, "The Daji you want to see is right here."

Zu An quickly rushed over, curious. He saw a graceful female figure in the mural. Unfortunately, the mural couldn't show her exact features, but he could tell from her silhouette that she was indeed a stunning beauty: "Wow, such a tiny waist! And such big breasts, almost as big as Little Manman's..."

Mi Li rolled her eyes, clearly accustomed to his lecherous behavior. She continued to explain, looking at the mural: "This set of murals tells of the Shang Dynasty's demise. It depicts the Battle of Muye, where the Shang army defected during the battle and suffered a complete rout... In despair, King Zhou and Daji immolated themselves on the Star-Gazing Pavilion. The Zhou Dynasty was then established, and King Zhou's son, Wu Geng, was enfeoffed in Yin to maintain their ancestral sacrifices."

"Huh?" Zu An was somewhat curious. "Didn't the Zhou conquer the Shang? How could they tolerate King Zhou's son remaining in his capital and continuing under the Yin-Shang banner?"

"In ancient times, there was an unwritten rule called 'destroying a state, but not severing its ancestral worship.' But that was just a nice way of putting it," Mi Li sneered. "Ultimately, it was because the defeated side's remaining forces were strong enough that the conquerors had to make some compromises. Historically, the Zhou conquered many smaller states; why don't you hear about them preserving their sacrifices? Our Qin state wasn't so hypocritical. When we destroyed a state, we truly destroyed it. If we said we'd kill their whole family, we killed their whole family."

Zu An: "..."

Watching Mi Li's eyes gleam with a battle-hungry look, Zu An couldn't help but gulp. This woman was simply 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 still significant. The Zhou allowed Wu Geng to stay in Yin and continue 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 raised a rebellion in Yin, and it took the Zhou more than three full years to finally defeat him."

"Even after Wu Geng's lineage was extinguished, the Shang people still had two powerful factions. King Zhou's uncle, Jizi, unwilling to submit to the Zhou, led a portion of the Yin populace north and established the State of Joseon, historically known as Gija Joseon. King Zhou's elder brother, Weizi Qi, led his followers 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 mocked the people of Song, such as 'waiting by the stump for a rabbit,' 'the wise man's son and the neighbor's suspicion,' the Song man who found sunbathing comfortable and presented it as a secret remedy to the king, or the Song man who cleverly stockpiled hats to sell in the hatless State of Yue and suffered heavy losses... All these stories feature the foolish people of Song."

A hint of sarcasm appeared at the corner of Mi Li's lips: "Ultimately, it's because the State of Song was founded by Yin-Shang immigrants, while the other Spring and Autumn states 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 become idioms, and thousands of years later, everyone still remembered the foolishness of the Song people. This was truly a devastating psychological attack.

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

Zu An came back to his senses and quickly asked her, "What's wrong?"

Pei Mianman looked worried: "You've been acting strangely ever since a moment ago, just staring at the murals and mumbling to yourself. I thought you were possessed! Are you alright?"

Only then did Zu An realize that he had been so engrossed in talking to Mi Li that he had neglected Pei Mianman, who couldn't see Mi Li's presence. He quickly explained: "I'm fine, I was just looking at what these murals depict and got a bit lost in thought."

Pei Mianman asked curiously: "You can understand what they're saying?"

"Of course!" Zu An roughly recounted what he had just learned, explaining some necessary historical facts in a way she could understand.

Pei Mianman's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. She took his arm: "Ah Zu, you're truly too learned! You even recognize these ancient writings. I've decided, even if Chu Yan disagrees when we get out, I'm going to claim you for myself!"

Zu An: "..."

The delightful sensation on his arm momentarily intoxicated him, and a very pleased expression spread across his face.

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

Mi Li's Rage +998!

Mi Li was infuriated by the thought that he was using what she taught him to show off and flirt with women. Seeing the big-chested woman intimately leaning against Zu An, and Zu An looking utterly pleased, Mi Li became furious. She instantly vanished, refusing to answer Zu An's calls no matter how much he tried.

Zu An wondered if he had truly angered Queen Sister.

After calling out for a while with no response, Zu An couldn't help but say, "Queen Sister, you're not getting jealous, are you?"

"Heh, jealous of you? Don't be ridiculous!" This time, Mi Li finally responded.

Zu An burst out laughing: "It's perfectly normal for an impressive and excellent man like me, after spending so much time with you, for you to fall in love with me without even realizing it."

Mi Li: "..."

Mi Li wondered where he got such nerve, thinking she would ever fall for him. She, a dignified mother of a nation, an empress who commanded the world, falling for this ruffian-like scoundrel? If they weren't soul-bound to live and die together, she would absolutely smack him to death. If she were truly blind enough to fall for this guy, she'd have to kneel and sing "Conquest" to him every day as punishment!

Their souls were intertwined, leading to a much deeper mutual understanding; she even knew the song "Conquest."

Mi Li's Rage +33+33+33...

Sensing she was truly angry, Zu An quickly apologized and tried to comfort her, but Mi Li no longer responded, no matter what he said.

Zu An was used to it; such incidents had occurred often recently. She was truly a tsundere older sister-figure.

Holding Pei Mianman's hand, he continued to explore deeper. Suddenly, a strong sense of danger surged in his heart. He quickly pushed Pei Mianman away and simultaneously leapt in another direction.

Just then, a cold gleam descended from above, striking precisely where they had just been standing.

"Ah Zu!" Pei Mianman also regained her senses, black flames swirling around her as she entered battle mode. However, when she clearly saw the appearance of the attacker in the middle, she froze in place: "This is..."

A skeletal figure glowed faintly with a crystalline light. Two faint red lights flickered in its deep-set eye sockets. It held a massive *ge* (dagger-axe), and its entire presence exuded a formidable aura.

Zu An gulped: "Why does this guy look familiar?"

Pei Mianman replied: "It looks like the skeleton warrior that was kneeling beside the stone gate earlier..."

Before she finished speaking, the skeleton warrior moved. With a sideward flip, it swung its *ge* 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, sideward swing was incredibly stylish, making it seem like the Grim Reaper wielding a scythe to harvest lives.

If it hadn't been attacking him, Zu An probably would have given it a thumbs-up.

However, its oppressive aura left him no room for carelessness. He quickly drew his Tai'e Sword and charged forward without evasion, shouting, "Let me test your strength!"

Boom!

With a loud crash, a figure flew backward directly, smashing into the nearby wall and shattering some of its bricks.

Zu An climbed out of the dust cloud, spitting out bits of rubble from his mouth: "Hmm, that was quite powerful indeed."

Pei Mianman, standing nearby, let out a giggle. This guy was so amusing even when fighting. Worried he might be at a disadvantage, she quickly rushed forward, wielding black flames to help.