Xuan Tian was naturally watching what Di Xin did after he ascended the throne. The more he watched, the more puzzled he became. He couldn't understand it at all. Judging from Di Xin's actions at this time, Di Xin was a monarch with great talent and ambition, determined to make a name for himself for all ages and revive the Shang Dynasty. How could he have become King Zhou, who built palaces, constructed wine pools, indulged in women, imprisoned virtuous people, and harmed loyal officials?
Moreover, the mistakes made by Emperor Xin were exactly the same as those of Emperor Jie of Xia, which suggests there might be something fishy going on.
Even if he later became ambitious and unwilling to listen to dissenting opinions, like Emperor Xuanzong of Tang in later generations, it wouldn't have gone so far as to write lewd poems at the Nuwa Temple, thus angering the emperor.
Even a fool wouldn't do something like this. Judging from Di Xin's actions at this moment, he doesn't seem like a fool at all. Moreover, given Di Xin's character, the fact that he, as a non-eldest son, could replace the eldest son, Wei Zi Qi, as crown prince suggests he possessed extraordinary abilities; he couldn't possibly be a fool.
The Goddess Nuwa is the mother of humankind and the first saint to be worshipped among humankind. Di Xin couldn't possibly be unaware of the Goddess Nuwa's status, so why would he write lewd poems at the Nuwa Temple? There must be something wrong here, unless he really lost his mind. I must keep a close eye on things and see what's wrong with Di Xin.
While Emperor Xin of Chaoge was striving to strengthen the country, there was another person who, like him, was destined to be the emperor. This person was also extremely intelligent and had great ambitions.
It was Ji Fa, the son of Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, who was far away in Xiqi and ruled over two hundred small vassal states under the Shang Dynasty. His virtuous reputation spread far and wide.
When Ji Fa was young, he often lamented: "My Ji surname originated from Emperor Ku, the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor, one of the Five Emperors. My bloodline is extremely noble, but I can only exist as an assistant minister of the Shang Dynasty. It is truly a pity!" This shows his ambition and great aspirations.
"My child is so foolish! If one generation can't succeed, there's always the next. My Ji clan aims to become the ruler of the world, and we've already waited this long. What's a little longer? I just don't believe that every ruler of the Shang Dynasty was a wise man." Ji Fa's father, Ji Chang, was indeed a very wise man, just like the father of Tang of Shang. He was deeply virtuous and loved his people, a benevolent person praised by the people. Under his rule, Xiqi, although not as prosperous as Chaoge, was still considered wealthy and powerful.
Now, Ji Fa was ambitious, but unlike Xin Shoude, he had to fight hard to inherit the marquisate. Ji Chang's eldest son, Boyi Kao, was also a virtuous man. He took his father as his role model and had a refined demeanor. He often judged others by his own standards, but because he was very kind, he never experienced the wickedness of people's hearts. He was also unaware that his seemingly friendly second brother was vying for his marquisate.
To seize the right of succession, Ji Fa needed to win over the ministers in the court. However, most of the ministers in the Western Zhou court were veterans of the previous dynasty and were quite traditional. Most of them favored Boyi Kao, making it very difficult to win them over. Ji Fa was worried, so he came up with a plan. He found Ji Chang and asked him to issue a proclamation to recruit talented people, claiming that anyone with a skill could come and that even if the Western Zhou did not employ them, they would be given gold and silver to leave with.
For a time, the reputation of the Duke of Zhou for his love of talent spread far and wide, and countless people came to Xiqi to apply for the position. Although most of them were incompetent, there were also some talented people who had not been given important positions in their own countries. These included Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Tai Dian, Hong Yao, San Yisheng, Yu Xiong, Xin Jia, and Xin Mian, all of whom were highly talented. However, they were bewitched by the Duke of Zhou and joined the Western Zhou army.
These talented individuals naturally learned through special channels that the idea of recruiting talents was proposed by Ji Fa. Feeling grateful and attracted by the great talents and strategies that Ji Fa often displayed, they secretly supported him.
Ji Fa asked the crowd for advice on governing the country. San Yisheng stepped forward and said, "Governing a country is nothing more than governing the people. As the saying goes, 'The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is at peace.' As long as the people under your rule have enough to eat and wear, the country will naturally be peaceful. Therefore, in my opinion, as long as you cherish and protect the common people, governing the country is easy." Ji Fa asked, "Then how do you cherish and protect the common people?" San Yisheng replied, "I was poor from a young age. When I was young, all I asked for was to have enough to eat every day and to have a new piece of clothing every few years. That was all. So, judging from my own experience, I think most people in this world are probably in similar situations. What do you mean, Your Excellency?" The idea is to reduce taxes so that ordinary people can rest and recuperate. When they have enough to eat, no one will commit crimes, and the ruler's rule will naturally be peaceful. In your opinion, how much should the tax be? I believe we should adopt a "nine-one-assist" policy, that is, dividing land so that those without land or with little land can help cultivate public fields and pay one-ninth of the tax. Isn't that too little? Ji Fa, considering that he needed to overthrow the Shang Dynasty and recruit an army, feared that such a small tax would not be enough. Therefore, although he knew San Yisheng's words made sense, he still hesitated.
"Your Majesty," said San Yisheng, "I believe it is already quite sufficient. Even if we collect one-ninth of the tax, it will be enough for Your Majesty's palace and the expenses of your officials. Moreover, doing so will demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence to all the people." Ji Fa was captivated by San Yisheng's words about demonstrating benevolence. He thought that since his Western Zhou was about to rise up, the first priority was to win the hearts of the people. Although collecting one-ninth of the tax would slow down the expansion of his army, this loss was insignificant compared to winning the hearts of the people. Furthermore, the wealth accumulated by his family over generations should be enough to support the funds needed for the army's expansion.
Thinking of this, Ji Fa said, "What you say is very true. I will leave this matter to you." After saying that, he turned and left the main hall, heading to the back of the hall to discuss the matter with Ji Chang.
When San Yisheng and the others heard that Ji Fa had actually agreed to the matter, they were overjoyed, believing that they had indeed found a wise ruler who cared about the people. Little did they know that Ji Fa was moved by San Yisheng's last words, which were meant to demonstrate benevolence to all people under heaven.
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