Queen Jiang died in the 25th month.
The giant sword hung above King Zhou's palace for three days without any movement. King Zhou assumed that Yun Zhongzi was just a charlatan spouting nonsense and forgot about the matter, continuing his debauched life.
On this day, Daji suddenly came to the central palace to invite Queen Jiang to go to King Zhou's palace together, saying that she wanted to persuade King Zhou to attend court.
Queen Jiang sighed upon learning of the situation. King Zhou, for some unknown reason, had become increasingly debauched after offering incense at the sacred temple, frequently neglecting state affairs, causing widespread resentment in the court. Then Daji entered the palace, and King Zhou became even more infatuated with her. Queen Jiang managed the affairs of the harem, and many neglected concubines came to speak ill of Daji, but Queen Jiang always persuaded them to leave. Queen Jiang was a kind person, and as a woman herself, she felt some sympathy for Daji's plight. She too was a pawn used by her family to consolidate their power, but she was far luckier than Daji.
At that time, most of the concubines in King Zhou's harem were sent into the palace by many noble families to consolidate their own status. The entire harem was a miniature map of the Shang Dynasty's power network. There have been many comments on Daji's behavior online. Some people believe that the Shang Dynasty was destroyed because King Zhou favored Daji too much, which broke the balance of power and led to the attack by the masses. They believe that Daji's behavior alone was not enough to destroy such a large country.
Queen Jiang not only sympathized with Daji, but was also moved by Daji's performance since entering the palace. In her eyes, Daji was a loyal, filial, and virtuous person, a perfect work of art that combined beauty and virtue. That's why she forcibly suppressed the trend when many concubines were dissatisfied, hoping to protect this kind and pure girl and prevent her from being dragged down by the struggles in the harem.
Upon hearing that Daji had come to see her and learning of her purpose, Queen Jiang readily agreed. The more she looked at Daji, the more she liked her. Along the way, she chatted happily with Daji, frequently showing concern for her well-being, which deeply moved the fox demon who had never experienced protection from others.
As they approached King Zhou's palace, Daji hesitated again. This time, her purpose was not to persuade King Zhou, but to use Yun Zhongzi to get rid of Queen Jiang and successfully instigate internal strife in the harem. The harem involved too many powerful figures in the court. Once the queen died, the palace struggle would inevitably lead to a struggle in the court, which would then cause turmoil throughout the Shang Dynasty. This would be a major pawn for Daji to destroy the ancestral cause of the Shang Dynasty.
But when the time came, Daji, the nine-tailed fox demon, no longer wanted to do it. Perhaps it was because Xuantian's warning had an effect on her, but more so because the woman in front of her, who was nearly forty years old, was none other than Queen Jiang.
Since Daji entered the palace, Queen Jiang often took care of her, either out of sympathy or affection. In Queen Jiang's eyes, she did not regard this young girl who was competing with her for her husband as an opponent or enemy. In her eyes, this girl in her prime was more like her own daughter. Queen Jiang had two sons, Yin Hong and Yin Jiao. Because of her sons, she gained status. No other concubines in the harem had given birth to children for King Zhou, which made Queen Jiang's position very stable.
Queen Jiang had always wanted a daughter, but her wish had not been fulfilled. Just then, Daji entered the palace. At this time, Daji was only sixteen years old, which would be considered a minor in modern times. The young and beautiful Daji, along with her usual disguise, successfully captured Queen Jiang's heart. Uh... not a lesbian relationship, but rather the kind of desire Queen Jiang had for a daughter. Daji had always been very well-behaved, sensible, and righteous, and she was also very beautiful. Queen Jiang was also a great beauty in her youth, and although she was now over thirty and approaching forty, she still retained her charm and exuded the allure of a mature woman. Beautiful things often attract those who appreciate beauty, and similarly, beautiful things attract each other.
So much so that when King Zhou became obsessed with Daji, Queen Jiang not only didn't blame her, but also frequently persuaded those in the harem who wanted to cause trouble for Daji to go back home. Sometimes, she even risked falling out with the veteran concubines in the harem, all of whom were powerful figures. Queen Jiang's overbearing approach brought a lot of trouble to her family. But she still did it. In her eyes, Daji was like her youngest daughter, and she would never allow anyone to harm her.
Daji naturally knew about Queen Jiang's feelings for her; otherwise, she would have lived a thousand years in vain. The nine-tailed spirit fox was a primordial species, gifted with extraordinary abilities. Cultivation was inherently more difficult for demons than for humans, and for a primordial species like the nine-tailed spirit fox, it was even more fraught with difficulties. Before transforming into human form, her cultivation was not high, and she had to constantly flee from the pursuit of her natural enemies. This made Daji, who had lost her parents at a young age, extremely cunning and cruel. The laws of nature did not allow her to have compassion, and she had always appeared with a sinister and vicious face, disguising herself. However, Queen Jiang's selfless maternal love successfully touched the originally fragile string in her heart, making her unconsciously regard this beautiful woman in her thirties as her mother.
Although she was practically Queen Jiang's ancestor in age, she didn't consider her a mere junior. She had always been afraid to admit her true feelings because she was acting on the Emperor's orders and had no choice but to comply. Today, she finally steeled herself with Yun Zhongzi's help, but Queen Jiang's earlier behavior on the road made her hesitate once again.
Queen Jiang was unaware of Daji's thoughts. Seeing that Daji was walking slowly, she took her hand in confusion and said, "Why are you walking so slowly, sister? Are you feeling unwell?" She then carefully observed Daji's physical condition, just like a mother caring for her daughter.
Daji let Queen Jiang hold her hand, but she was having a fierce internal struggle, unsure of what to choose.
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