Conferred God: Started from Swallowing the Heaven-Repairing Stone

Chapter 292 Xiang Yin
It is true that Emperor Xin was pitiful. The backlash from humanity he suffered this time was not his own fault, but the fault of all the nobles.

Why did humanity turn against Emperor Xin? It was all because of the ritual of human sacrifice. Over the years, countless innocent lives have died as a result of the sacrifice.

Their resentment gathered together and gradually grew stronger as time passed. Today, these resentments have finally accumulated to the point where they can mobilize the power of humanity to take revenge on the ruler who sacrificed them.

Although the ritual of human sacrifice did not originate from the Shang Dynasty, the Shang Dynasty was the ruler of the Nine Provinces. Therefore, the backlash of humanity was poured all over the Shang Dynasty, intending to destroy it.

As the ruler of the Shang Dynasty, Emperor Xin was the first to be hit by the backlash of humanity. He was affected at the first moment, his intelligence was blinded, and his behavior became more and more absurd, unlike that of an ordinary person.

At the beginning, Ao Bing, who was confident that he could save the Shang Dynasty, gave up the idea of ​​saving the Shang Dynasty only after he realized this.

It is not only God's will that the Shang Dynasty will be destroyed, but humanity as well. It is completely hopeless. Anyone who dares to stand in its way will inevitably end up being shattered to pieces.

It was clearly the sin committed by the previous generations, but Emperor Xin had to bear the consequences, so Ao Bing said that he was pitiful.

Moreover, the most crucial thing is that if Emperor Xin continued to oppress slaves, he would suffer a backlash from humanity, which could only be said to be his own fault.

But the problem was that he had already begun to try to reform, abolishing the system of human sacrifice and employing slaves. If his reforms were successful, it might not be impossible to extend the life of the Shang Dynasty.

But alas, he didn't have time.

The humanitarian backlash came too quickly and too violently, leaving him no chance to correct his mistakes. As a result, his reforms had barely taken effect and the Shang Dynasty was on the verge of collapse.

From this perspective, Emperor Xin was quite unlucky. He took over a mess and not only did he not enjoy many benefits, but he also had to bear the retribution left by his ancestors. It was really miserable.

……

Ao Bing looked at Emperor Xin deeply and said nothing more. At this point, the end of the Shang Dynasty was set and there was no possibility of change. What else could he say?

The resentment caused by the tragic deaths of countless lives must always have an outlet.

If the demise of the Shang Dynasty could eliminate this part of the resentment, it would undoubtedly be a good thing for the world. Compared with the safety of the world, the safety of the Shang Dynasty was naturally nothing.

"Did Long Bo come here to select a concubine? In fact, I am also very worried about this, fearing that the evildoers will find an opportunity to sneak into the palace."

"But the matter of selecting a concubine is imperative and cannot be ignored. In this regard, Uncle Long, can you teach me how to prevent the evil from taking the opportunity to sneak into the palace?"

Seeing that Ao Bing remained silent, Emperor Xin took the initiative to ask.

He was also forced into a corner. The matter of selecting his own concubine was brought to the fore, and it could not be stopped. If he dared to stop, believe it or not, it would not be long before his two sons would be in trouble.

At that time, whether he likes it or not, for the sake of inheriting the country, he, who has no children, will have to expand his harem and take in the daughters of princes from all directions.

Compared to Emperor Xin, his two sons, although of noble status, are obviously inferior to him. If the demons can't deal with Emperor Xin, can they also deal with his sons?
If he doesn't have a harem, he will be extinct and thus forced to have a harem. This is the determination of the devil.

Emperor Xin obviously anticipated this, so even though he knew the demons would take action, he still gritted his teeth and opened up his harem to give them the opportunity to take action.

I have to open it, the methods of the devil are too cruel.

"I already know about this matter. I came here to relieve the king's worries."

Ao Bing was relieved by Emperor Xin's reaction, and he listened to him speak confidently.

His words were still clear and his actions were not swayed by emotions. From this, we can see that although the backlash of humanity had an impact on Emperor Xin, it did not make him completely insane.

That's right, there should always be a gradual change process, so that it will appear natural. If Emperor Xin suddenly changed his temperament, everyone would know that there was something wrong.

"Please teach me, Uncle Long!"

Hearing that Ao Bing had a solution, Emperor Xin felt relieved a little and asked him seriously.

"Your Majesty, please delay this matter for now. Calculating the time, the messengers sent by Your Majesty should have arrived at Kunlun Mountain and the Western Religion. Once the disciples of the two religions arrive, it won't be too late to ask the princes of the four directions to offer their daughters."

"I just don't believe that there is really a demon who is so powerful that he can hide from the scrutiny of disciples of both sects at the same time."

Ao Bing said slowly, "Every profession has its own specialty. To deal with the devil, we have to look to the Western religion. As for the Chan religion, that's just a side job."

In short, we must drag the Chan Sect and the Western Sect into the mess of the Shang Dynasty and never let them stay out of it.

"The Yuanshi Saint is very dissatisfied with our Great Shang, and the Western religion is not allowed to preach in the East. Even if the messenger rushes there, will they really come back?"

Compared to Ao Bing, Emperor Xin seemed less confident about this matter. After all, what Yuanshi Tianzun had done before was just short of destroying the Shang Dynasty directly.

Under such circumstances, it would be strange for Emperor Xin to trust him to help the Shang Dynasty.

"Don't worry, my king. I have already taken care of the matter with the Western Sect. They will definitely send their disciples here."

"As for the Chan Sect, it's even simpler. If they don't come, the King can just issue an order not to allow the Yuqing lineage to preach in Jiuzhou."

"Back then, the Human Emperor had an agreement with Xuanmen that Xuanmen could preach to the human race, but the prerequisite was that they had to protect the human race."

"The Great Shang is in trouble right now, but the Chan Sect has turned a blind eye to it. Isn't that a violation of the agreement we made back then? In this case, it is only natural that we should not allow them to preach."

"No matter how great a saint is, he still has to be reasonable. Even if the case is brought to the Dao Ancestor, the human race is in the right. There is nothing to be afraid of."

"If anything goes wrong, the Holy Emperor will take care of it!"

Ao Bing's tone was extremely excited, and he even mentioned the Holy Emperor in his words. He kept encouraging Emperor Xin and trying to make him more confident.

"That's true. If we threaten them with preaching, we won't be afraid that the disciples of the two religions will not come."

Emperor Xin thought about it and felt that what Ao Bing said made sense. It would be best if the two sects sent disciples directly after receiving the news.

If they don't come, it would be tantamount to breaking up with each other. It's okay to threaten them at this time.

Anyway, they have already torn their faces apart, so why bother with so many things? If you don't threaten them, they won't stand against you.

"Just follow what Long Bo said and prepare for the beauty pageant first. When the disciples of the two sects arrive, let the princes present the beauties they have prepared."

After making up his mind, Emperor Xin agreed to Ao Bing's advice without hesitation. Then he continued:

"Long Bo opened up the Tianhe River and led the water from the sky to Tongtian Lake, extending the fortune of our Shang Dynasty. This favor is so great that we have no way to repay it. We are willing to appoint Long Bo as Yin to help govern the world."

As he spoke, Emperor Xin put his hands together and bowed to Ao Bing. This is called paying respect to the prime minister.

Baixiang is not an adjective, but a realistic term. In ancient times, if the emperor wanted to appoint someone as prime minister, he could not just issue an order, but had to invite him in person and treat him as a guest.

That is to say, the prime minister is not the emperor's subject, but his guest. If the prime minister pays respect, the emperor has to return the respect, so there is the saying of paying respect to the prime minister.

Since ancient times, prime minister has not been a specific official title. It has different names in different eras.

In the Shang Dynasty, the prime minister was called Yin.

Yin means governance. It means being by the king’s side and assisting him in governing the country.

Therefore, among all the official positions in the Shang Dynasty, Yin was the highest, second only to the emperor and above the three dukes and nine ministers.

When the king is away, Yin can handle government affairs on his behalf, so there is nothing wrong with saying he is the vice king. At the same time, Yin's power is so great that he was later called a powerful minister.

Why did Ao Bing plan so much before? Wasn't it to become a powerful official and then control the Nine Cauldrons?

And now, as Emperor Xin spoke, his goal was achieved. He only needed to nod and agree, and he would immediately become a powerful official second only to the emperor and above millions of others.

Of course, becoming a powerful official is just the beginning. He still needs to take the most crucial step to control the Nine Cauldrons, which is to seize the power of Emperor Xin.

Those who are below one person and above ten thousand people can be called powerful ministers. And those who can dethrone and enthrone can also be called powerful ministers.

Although both were powerful ministers, the difference between them was huge. One was a minister, while the other was a minister in name only, but in reality an uncrowned king. And what Ao Bing wanted to do was naturally the latter, the uncrowned king of the Shang Dynasty.

Because only in this way can he control the Nine Cauldrons and use them for his own purposes.

Thinking of this, under Emperor Xin's sincere gaze, Ao Bing nodded and said, "That is what I wish for, but I dare not ask you."

He had no reason to refuse Emperor Xin's invitation. If he wanted to become the uncrowned king, he had to sideline Emperor Xin and become the prime minister. This was the first and most important step.

Everything must have a legitimate reason, and Xiang Yin is that name. After becoming Yin Xiang, Ao Bing has a reason to intervene in all the affairs of Da Shang. This means that he can legitimately seize power.

As for how to sideline Emperor Xin, this should have been the most difficult point. But now, with the growing backlash from humanity, Emperor Xin will only become more and more confused, and his actions will become more and more absurd.

In this situation, Ao Bing doesn't need to do anything. He just needs to wait silently and he will naturally seize all of Emperor Xin's power.

Of course, big rewards often mean big risks. It is easy to become the uncrowned king of big business, but it is difficult to get out of the next storm.

Even though he was the uncrowned king of the Shang Dynasty, what would Ao Bing do if the Shang Dynasty was destroyed? Would he be buried with the Shang Dynasty, or would he find an opportunity to abandon it?

If you were buried with him, you would die, but your integrity would not be compromised. If you abandon the business at a critical moment, you can live, but your reputation will be ruined, and you will have difficulty in achieving anything in the future.

That's the risk!
But fortunately, Ao Bing was fully prepared for this.

Even if he was not a powerful official of the Shang Dynasty, his position would not allow him to abandon the Shang Dynasty. Therefore, his choice was the same as always, that is, to do his best and leave the rest to fate.

He should work hard to reform the Shang Dynasty and do everything he can. If the Shang Dynasty still cannot escape the fate of destruction, it is not his problem, but God's will.

This is God's will, what can he do?
He tried hard but failed. This is not a proper tragic hero. When he leaves as a tragic hero, who dares to say that he has a problem with his character?

Anyone who said this about him was just jealous and didn't explain. The question is, at that time, Ao Bing was the one who controlled the public opinion, and what he said was what it was, and he would not accept any rebuttal.

"With Long Bo's help, our Shang Dynasty will surely last for thousands of years and remain immortal in the world."

Seeing that Ao Bing agreed, Emperor Xin and the ministers nearby all looked excited.

There is no need to say much about Ao Bing's abilities. Just look at the recovering Tongtianze and you will know. The problems that have plagued the Shang Dynasty for millions of years have been easily solved in front of him. Isn't this a great ability?
There is no need to think too much, Ao Bing must be a person like Yi Yin. With him around, there is no need to worry about the prosperity of the Shang Dynasty!
"Having Long Bo is like our ancient ancestor having Yi Yin. Peace and tranquility will prevail in the world."

Unable to conceal his excitement, Emperor Xin tightly grasped Ao Bing's arm and said excitedly. The ministers around him saw this, not only did they not feel strange, but congratulated him in unison:

"We congratulate the king and the great Shang Dynasty!"

This is what it means to be the popular choice.

Almost all the ministers hoped that Ao Bing could take the position of Prime Minister. In this case, the two sides would be tied even more tightly, and Ao Bing would have no choice but to contribute to the Shang Dynasty.

As for Ao Bing's desire to monopolize power, that was a problem. The people of the Shang Dynasty did not mind it, because it was the tradition of the Shang Dynasty for powerful officials to monopolize power.

Haven’t you seen Yi Yin? He not only monopolized power, but also deposed and enthroned emperors and even exiled his own monarch.

But what was the result? After Yi Yin died, the Shang Dynasty not only did not settle accounts, but buried him with the rites of the Shang emperor and has been offering sacrifices to him ever since.

From this we can see the attitude of the Shang Dynasty towards powerful officials. As long as the Shang Dynasty can be preserved, it is no big deal to let them monopolize power.

……

According to Ao Bing's original plan, he was going to leave after meeting Emperor Xin, but now, he was appointed as Prime Minister by Emperor Xin and was in charge of state affairs, so it was not easy for him to leave Chaoge.

Helplessly, he had to put aside the affairs of the netherworld for the time being and concentrate on getting familiar with government affairs. Once he was familiar with government affairs, he would naturally be able to spare time to deal with other things.

As the prime minister, he was a minister who assisted the state and was in charge of all the affairs of the country. Therefore, not long after taking office, Ao Bing fell into a busy schedule. He had to familiarize himself with many officials of Dashang and handle many miscellaneous tasks. For a while, he didn't even have time to rest.

Fortunately, Ao Bing had practiced how to handle government affairs. Don't forget that he was the one who built the administrative structure of Renlong City.

Although the Great Shang and the Renlong Kingdom are different, the principles of governing a country are the same.

Therefore, not long after taking office, Ao Bing started the first thing he did as a new official, which was to reform the official system and divide the officials' responsibilities more clearly.

To put it simply, it clarifies the division of responsibilities among officials, and makes detailed regulations on what can and cannot be done, and who is responsible for handling what matters.

Ao Bing came up with a system similar to the six departments of later generations in advance. Although more departments were divided, the efficiency of work was greatly improved.

By doing so, Ao Bing can free himself from the complicated government affairs and have more energy to deal with other things.

Of course, this is easier said than done, especially since Emperor Xin has not completely given up power. If Ao Bing wants to accomplish this, he still has to discuss it with him.

(End of this chapter)