Chapter Sixteen: "King Zhou" Ascends the Throne

  On the third day after the grand ceremony of the crown prince, Emperor Yi, who was originally ill, suddenly worsened and had severe chest pain, coughing up blood, and sometimes couldn't even speak. As the crown prince, Zhang Zixing accompanied him with care, according to the analysis of the super brain, Emperor Yi may have suffered from severe heart failure.

  In the database of Chao Nao, several treatment plans were given, but in this era where technology and medical level are extremely backward, not to mention heart transplants or organ regeneration surgery, even effective medicines that can control the disease cannot be produced. The types of medicinal herbs that can be collected are also too few, and their effects are quite limited, so they can only watch as Emperor Yi's condition gets worse and worse.

  Five days later, Emperor Yi finally passed away, entrusting the young emperor to Taishi Wen Zhong and Prime Minister Shang Rong before his death. Zhang Zixing recalled the sincere fatherly love he felt from this "temporary" father and couldn't help but feel sad.

  After the national mourning, Zhang Zixing formally ascended to the throne. The complicated and tedious rituals that followed are not worth mentioning. This time, all the vassals went through the process of congratulating the crown prince on his accession, mourning the death of the emperor, and attending the grand ceremony of the new emperor's enthronement, which was a long journey, but it saved them a lot of trouble.

  Emperor Yi died at the age of 52, having reigned for 20 years. He can be said to have passed away in his prime. The new emperor, Xin Dengji, was only 24 years old. This seemed to differ from the records in Zhang Zixing's mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it. The bigger the difference, the better - changing fate and defying heaven was exactly what he hoped for. And next, a great change would occur under the rule of the new emperor.

  Zhang Zixing had just ascended the throne when he declared himself Tianzi Shou (the same "Shou" as in Emperor Shou of Zhou), and changed the capital city from Mei Yi to Chao Ge. He was determined to reverse the course of fate with the name of King Zhou, who would be cursed by future generations. Zhang Zixing had just ascended to the throne again, and before his death, Emperor Yi repeatedly entrusted him, knowing that reform could not be rushed, the primary task was to consolidate his position, grasp military power, win over people's hearts, and gradually establish a "direct lineage" in the court, which would make it easier to issue innovative policies in the future.

  Shou Wang's original wife, Jiang Wenchun, was appointed as the Empress of the Central Palace, leading all the concubines in the palace (only three); Yang Jiu was appointed as the Gui Fei of Xiangqing Palace; Huang Feiyan, who was married by the previous emperor, was also taken into the palace and appointed as the Gui Fei of Xi Palace.

  He heard that the Taishi had given him a pair of male and female whips, known as the "Dingguo Double Whips", which could be used to reprimand the king's mistakes and punish treacherous officials. He was also granted the privilege of executing first and reporting later. This set of privileges was learned by Zhang Zixing from the Tang Dynasty and was considered unimaginable in this era. He felt grateful and from then on, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to serving Zhang Zixing.

  General Huang Gun, knowing that he was a subordinate of Wei Ziyu during the previous emperor's reign, and now his daughter is an imperial concubine, should avoid suspicion even more. He submitted a memorial to resign and return to his old camp at Guanmen Pass. Zhang Zixing allowed it, but promoted his son Huang Feihu as the King of Gongcheng, commanding the three armies. Huang Gun knew this was a special favor from the emperor to the Huang family. Thinking back to when he had strongly advised Emperor Yi to make Wei Ziyu's eldest son the crown prince, he felt ashamed and secretly instructed his son to be loyal to the emperor and die for him if necessary, to repay the kindness.

  Huang Feihu had always admired Zhang Zixing and had received a new-style double-moon spear from him, which was secretly given to him. He also inherited many mysterious martial arts techniques from Zhang, which greatly improved his military training. With gratitude in his heart, he heard his father's words and wholeheartedly assisted the new emperor.

  From then on, the power of the big business and military had been completely grasped in Zhang Zixing's hands.

  Prime Minister Shang Rong has been promoted to the position of Extreme Human Minister, in addition to retaining all his duties, he was also awarded a "Golden Plate of Exemption from Death" which allows him to be exempted from death once regardless of whatever crime or treason he commits. Shang Rong's emotions were stirred and with trembling hands, he received the golden plate, knocking his head on the ground until blood flowed from his forehead.

  Each of the vassals had different levels of material rewards, and many people were surprised that Jiang Wenhuan, the son of Duke Dongbo and the younger brother of the Empress, was appointed as a General to Assist the State, assisting Huang Feihu in grasping the power of the Great Commercial Army. Jiang Hanchu naturally felt that this had some implications of leaving his son as a hostage in Chao Ge, but since his son was so favored by the Son of Heaven and was appointed as a great general with military power in his hands, the idea of "hostage" seemed somewhat unreasonable.

  In this era, the emperor is supreme, and imperial orders cannot be disobeyed. Although Jiang Huan Chu's clan values were very important, it was not good to directly refuse. Looking at his son's hesitant and ambitious appearance, Jiang Huan Chu suddenly felt that he had aged a lot, sighed secretly, and did not raise any further objections.

  After ascending the throne, Zhang Zixing thought deeply and first redesigned the existing farm tools, popularizing the improved sharp bronze farm tools. He also abolished the fallow system (abandoning barren fields) and replaced it with a rotational farming system, with designated officials managing and guiding agricultural production, resulting in a significant increase in agriculture.

  In the industrial sector, since the Shang Dynasty was mainly based on handicrafts, the most developed were bronze casting industry, ceramics industry and bone making industry. Zhang Zixing deeply understood the importance of technical secrecy, controlled the bronze casting industry in the name of the official, and selected a large number of excellent craftsmen to enter the newly established "Divine Arms Workshop" to specialize in the production of fine military equipment.

  Unlike Emperor Yi who emphasized agriculture and suppressed commerce, Zhang Zixing understood the importance of business and established a commercial department to promote it. The department was headed by Bi Gan, Emperor Yi's brother, who was known for his exceptional talent and ability. However, due to his excellence, Bi Gan had been ostracized by Emperor Yi, who felt threatened by his brother's abilities. Zhang Zixing recognized Bi Gan's loyalty and talent and secretly met with him in the Xuan Hall for a whole night. The next day, Bi Gan was dismissed from his original position as prime minister and "demoted" to the head of the commercial department. Many officials petitioned the emperor to reconsider the decision, but were rebuffed and reprimanded.

  Fei Zhong, who had always been good at flattering King Shou, was promoted after presenting the "*". He suddenly became a senior official and was in charge of contacting various vassals. This was a lucrative position that could bring in a lot of benefits, no wonder Fei Zhong's fat face was beaming with joy all day long.

  He was well aware that this was a reward for his successful collection of military intelligence from all over the world. Of course, the new emperor's warning to "keep secrets strictly" and the piercing gaze full of murderous intent also floated in his mind, making him shudder. Fei Zhong made up his mind to work hard, first not to disappoint the emperor's trust, and second to make achievements and gain greater benefits and promotion.

  There was one thing that Fei Zhong didn't know, in the most critical intelligence work, this character was just a pawn, and the real core was the secretly established special forces "Tian Ying", led by Zhang Zixing's dead soldier Sun Ao.

  Among the four major vassals, Chong Hou Hu was the first to obtain the Son of Heaven's promise to "permanently pacify the north", and he was delighted to wield power and enjoy himself within his territory. The other three major vassals, however, were closely watching the movements of the imperial court. Zhang Zixing worked diligently to govern, enfeoffed many ministers, and naturally couldn't conceal the matters of reform and development from them. When they learned of the Son of Heaven's reuse of the jester Fei Zhong and demotion of Wang Shu Bi Gan, Jiang Huan Chu in distant Dong Lu furrowed his brow and sighed, while the two major vassals in the west and south secretly sneered. As for that divine armor workshop, the several major vassals didn't take it to heart - within their territories, they had long grasped a large number of high-level craftsmen, and in terms of bronze weapon casting level, they were absolutely superior to Chao Ge.

  Under the many favorable policies, Da Shang overcame numerous difficulties and after two years of development, the industry, agriculture, and commerce of Da Shang developed rapidly. The economy was several times more prosperous than during Emperor Yi's time, and national power also increased daily. The ministers admired the wisdom and intelligence of this Son of Heaven, even those who had opposed Crown Prince Shou becoming the crown prince were secretly ashamed and sighed in admiration at the former emperor's ability to recognize talent. At this time, the various marquises only then realized the new ruler's abilities and followed Da Shang's development model one after another. For a time, the various marquises began an economic competition, but unfortunately, it was already too late. Due to lacking advanced economic thinking and management models, many policies seemed simple but were not easy to implement, and the interests of many great nobles became the biggest obstacle. Just when the marquises were at their wit's end, Da Shang had already gone far ahead of them.

  Compared with the increasingly prosperous economic situation that everyone can see, the development of Da Shang's military strength is much more secretive and rapid. For Shenbingfang, Zhang Zixing took confidential measures for future generations: a special area was built for craftsmen and their families to live in, heavily guarded by soldiers, and the names of craftsmen and their families were registered and recorded; one person leaked secrets, the whole family would be executed; at the same time, the treatment of craftsmen was greatly improved, and they were made to work with all their heart and soul.

  In terms of production, the method of assembly line was adopted, with mold production, and each component was produced separately in batches. Craftsmen only knew how to make their own accessories, but did not know what others were making. The assembly of firearms was also carried out in stages. This greatly improved production efficiency and facilitated secrecy. All personnel entering and leaving the Divine Arms Workshop underwent strict checks, and carrying anything was strictly prohibited. The warehouse was classified as a top-secret location, and anyone who entered or left without the Emperor's order would be immediately killed. No one knew what other astonishing secrets were hidden in the Divine Arms Workshop besides the usual weapons.

  In terms of personal cultivation, Zhang Zixing was also smooth sailing.

  The addition of Huang Fei made Zhang Zixing's two beloved women in the Yellow Emperor's Su Nu Jing one more. On their wedding night, Huang Feiyan's shyness and reserve made Zhang Zixing even more excited, although he didn't have what was called a "virgin complex", and he loved Jiangshi Yangshi dearly, but in a certain sense, Huang Feiyan was the first "complete" woman to belong to him, so he cherished her even more. In the midst of intertwining pleasure and pain, Huang Feiyan finally successfully transformed from an innocent girl into a mature woman, and his unimaginable tenderness and gentle words also made her feel unprecedented satisfaction and joy.

  At first, Huang Feiyan savored the taste of various delicacies with Zhang Ziyuan, and they were as close as glue. However, towards their two original consorts, Zhang Ziyuan did not neglect them either. This future "emperor" boldly waved the banner of dual cultivation and physical exercise, enjoying a spring night every night, traveling back and forth between the three palaces, living a carefree life.