When Su Hu rebelled against Chaoge, and the king ordered him to be subdued, why didn't Ji Chang mention this matter? Now he's bringing it up again; there must be a trick involved. You Hun also stepped forward, saying, "Ji Chang's words are an attempt to frame the king unjustly and tarnish his reputation; his intentions are despicable!" King Zhou was even more enraged and wanted to punish Ji Chang, but Ji Chang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this is not my fault. When I suddenly heard of Su Hu's rebellion, I was anxious and forgot to inform you. Only later did I remember, and that's why I came to Jizhou to invite Su Hu to apologize to Your Majesty." Shang Rong and the others hadn't expected these events to occur, but Ji Chang was wise and his reputation was widely praised. They didn't want Ji Chang to be punished by King Zhou for this, and they all stepped forward to plead for forgiveness.
At that opportune moment, Chong Houhu stepped forward. Previously, Chong Houhu harbored resentment towards Ji Chang for mocking him several times, and Su Hu had caused him to suffer heavy losses, preventing him from achieving any merit and even incurring some setbacks. Naturally, he was resentful. Now, seizing this opportunity, he said to King Zhou, "Your Majesty, Ji Chang is a treacherous man. Previously, I was ordered to attack Su Hu, but Ji Chang delayed halfway, causing my army to be defeated by Su Hu with heavy casualties. This time, Ji Chang only took a thousand men to Jizhou, and even brought his eldest son, Boyi Kao, with him. The two entered Jizhou city without any troops to persuade him to surrender. In my opinion, they were not trying to persuade him to surrender, but rather plotting with Su Hu." Fei and You, upon hearing this, also loudly proclaimed that Ji Chang was treacherous. Although their figures were thin, their voices drowned out those of all the civil and military officials.
King Zhou grew increasingly furious as he listened, and pointing at Ji Chang, he said, "You traitor, you are spouting nonsense! You are trying to frame me and ruin my reputation. You must be a villain! Guards, seize this traitor!" Without further ado, the palace guards stepped forward and arrested Ji Chang.
King Zhou then said, "Su Hu is a traitor and a villain; arrest him as well." More warriors then captured Su Hu.
Ignoring the advice of his ministers, King Zhou arrested the two men and imprisoned them. He also ordered the arrest of Boyi Kao.
That night, King Zhou was filled with rage and wanted to kill several people, but was stopped by his ministers. Frustrated, he drank wine in the palace.
Soon after, Fei and You came. King Zhou felt that these two were his most trusted ministers, and he confided his troubles to them.
Fei Zhong, quick-witted as ever, said to King Zhou, "Your Majesty, that Ji Chang is truly despicable. He disgraced Your Majesty's monarchical principles in front of the entire court and deserves to die. Why don't Your Majesty execute him to vent your anger?" King Zhou, his eyes glazed with drunkenness, glanced at Fei Zhong and said, "Vent my anger? Perhaps you'll vent your anger?" Fei Zhong and You Zhong were shocked. They never expected that King Zhou, who was usually so dissolute and muddle-headed, would be so shrewd today. His words struck at their weak points, and with this alone, they could be punished.
Fei and You repeatedly said they dared not, but they did not see the glint in King Zhou's eyes turn cloudy again. It turned out that King Zhou had just regained his senses and had been bewitched by the magic again.
The bewildered King Zhou, unaware of his own words, assumed he had insulted the two men. He ordered them to rise, saying, "It's alright. Do you have any good ideas on this?" The two men, unsure of King Zhou's true intentions, naturally obeyed his command. You Hun said, "Your Majesty, Ji Chang is protected by court officials and cannot be killed easily. However, Ji Chang's son, Boyi Kao, can be killed. Once he is killed, the marriage to Daji will be off the table. Then, Your Majesty will have a reason to summon Daji to the palace to serve you." King Zhou was overjoyed. This was a good idea, but how could he summon Daji?
Seeing that You Hun had come up with a plan, Fei Zhong naturally followed suit, saying, "Your Majesty, Su Hu is still in prison. Now that we have Su Hu in our hands, we are not afraid that Jizhou will not send Daji to the palace." King Zhou was overjoyed to hear this. Thus, in the main hall, a monarch and a pair of treacherous villains secretly plotted a series of unspeakable events.
Twenty-four Daji enters the palace
Meanwhile, Fei and You advised King Zhou to kill Boyi Kao, turn his body into meat patties, and feed them to Ji Chang. They also forced Su Hu to offer up Daji, and at the same time ordered Chong Houhu to lead 100,000 troops to besiege Jizhou City.
Ultimately, under pressure, Jizhou City sent Daji to Chaoge.
As for Daji, when she was traveling in Enzhou, she should have been killed by a fox demon at a post station. However, the fox demon had been warned by Xuantian not to kill people without permission, so it did not kill Daji. Instead, it kept her and planned to release her later.
After the fox spirit Daji entered Chaoge with the army, she cried out upon seeing King Zhou, "This wicked subject, Daji, begs Your Majesty to spare my father's life! Daji is willing to take his place!" King Zhou stared intently, seeing Daji's dark hair, almond-shaped face, peach-blossom cheeks, and slender waist, exuding a thousand charms. One glance was enough to make King Zhou's eyes light up, his soul wandering to another realm. King Zhou rose beside his desk and said, "Your beauty, rise." Then he ordered the palace maids, "Escort Consort Su to the Longevity Palace to await my return." He then issued an edict, "Pardon Su Hu and his entire family, granting them no crimes. I hereby bestow upon them the following honors: their official positions are restored, their relatives of the emperor receive an additional two thousand dan of grain per month, a three-day banquet is held in the Xianqing Hall, and all officials and ministers celebrate the emperor's relatives and praise their official positions for three days. Two civil officials and three military officials will escort you back to your hometown in glory." Su Hu thanked the emperor for his grace. Both civil and military officials were displeased to see the emperor's fondness for women, but since the emperor was returning to the palace, they had no choice but to go to the Xianqing Hall to attend the banquet.
Without mentioning Su Hu's triumphant return with his daughter, the Emperor and Daji held a banquet at the Shouxian Palace, where they became lovers that very night, their affection as strong as glue. After taking Daji as his concubine, King Zhou indulged in feasting and revelry day and night, neglecting state affairs and causing chaos in the court. His ministers offered advice, but King Zhou treated it as a joke. He continued his debauchery day and night, and two months passed without holding court, spending his time feasting and reveling with Daji at the Shouxian Palace.
The fox demon transformed into Daji, and everything remained the same. Xuantian watched the unfolding events from the sky with utter boredom, much like watching a TV drama in later generations—the same plot, the same boredom.
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