Fengshen Tianxia - Golden Volume (Part 1)

Author: Bai Yi, Phoenix, Chongtan, Jinmozhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: The architectural scale of the Yin Dynasty royal palace is extremely grand. The overall horizontal length of the entire complex reaches 800 meters, and the vertical width exceeds 600 meters. During the reign of King Xingshen, tens of thousands of craftsmen were mobilized to expand the original palace, which took fifteen years to complete this magnificent palace complex. Countless craftsmen poured their hearts into this splendid palace, and the construction cost was astronomical, which is also one of the reasons why Xingshen was criticized by later generations. As a result, Xingshen was given the infamous title of "tyrant" by posterity. However, the one who now possesses this palace that embodies human extravagance is not the tyrant Xingshen, but Emperor Yi.
[Character Introduction] Emperor Yi:
Appearance: 180 cm tall, 74 kg, tall and imposing, with a long beard, pale and stern facial features.
Personality: Strong-willed, violent, suspicious, melancholic, and solitary.
Weapon: Sword
Mount: Red-maned fierce horse
The number of rooms in the royal palace reaches a thousand, with nine palace gates arranged around the complex. Entering through the front gate to reach Emperor Yi's sleeping quarters requires passing through at least twenty-five gates. For ordinary people, this path is an undeniable maze. Besides the attendants, few could navigate these twenty-five gates correctly, and even Emperor Yi himself dared not say he had visited every room in the palace, let alone spent the night in any of them.
The current era is not one of peace. In fact, since Emperor Yi ascended the throne, the Yin Dynasty has never been free from the shadow of war. The northern barbarians have always been a mortal threat, and now even the vassal states under Yin have been constantly rebelling. Of course, all this blame cannot be placed on Emperor Yi—it is not his wish, and the wars were not the result of his ambition. In fact, when he ascended the throne, the wars had already begun. The stability of the Yin Dynasty in recent years is inseparable from Emperor Yi's relentless campaigns and successive victories.
The center of the palace is Emperor Yi's sleeping quarters, with the queen's quarters adjacent to it. Emperor Yi is pacing anxiously outside the sleeping quarters, surrounded by palace maids bustling about. Just a moment ago, heart-wrenching screams could still be heard from the queen's quarters, but now there is no sound at all. Similarly, no loud cries of a newborn baby have come, only an inexplicable silence.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something is wrong! The Queen is about to pass away!" A palace maid, panicked, runs towards Emperor Yi, shouting in fear.
"Nonsense!" Emperor Yi roars, and the maid is almost knocked to the ground. Only then does she realize she has uttered an inauspicious phrase.
"It won't happen! It won't happen!" More like self-consolation than certainty, since just moments ago, the news of the queen's difficult labor had spread. Since then, Emperor Yi has been standing outside the sleeping quarters for over an hour, only to receive such news.
"Quickly, what is the Queen's condition?"
"The Queen... the Queen..." The maid stutters, unable to express herself.
Emperor Yi pushes her away and heads towards the sleeping quarters.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, do not!" Several attendants kneel down, begging Emperor Yi not to forcibly enter the sleeping quarters. If the queen is startled or catches a cold, the consequences would be even worse.
"Hmph!" Emperor Yi stamps his foot in anger, turns around, and leaves the gate of the sleeping quarters, shattering a green stone slab with his foot.
"O gods, O Nuwa!" Emperor Yi suddenly kneels to the ground, raising his hands and looking up at the sky. Since his father's death, he had not made such an act in over a decade.
"If Nuwa the Goddess has mercy, please protect them, the mother and child, please protect them, the mother and child..." His recitation grew faster, the words simplifying to just, "Please protect them, the mother and child."
The guards and maids around him also knelt down, praying alongside Emperor Yi. Sweat dripped from Emperor Yi's face, and then he touched the ground with his head, making clear thumping sounds.
"Your Majesty, take care! Your Majesty, take care!" Some guards and maids broke into tears on the spot.
Emperor Yi glared furiously at them: "Mother and child are safe. Why are you crying?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Mother and child are safe, mother and child are safe."
"Mother and child safe" became a spell, circulating among Emperor Yi and those around him.
Only one person watched calmly. His name was Wen Zhong, a close guard officer in the palace. He was only twenty years old and would soon be transferred to the Shang army as a guard commander during the queen's labor. This was his last duty in the palace.
"Mother and child safe," he thought. If anything went wrong, he hoped Emperor Yi would not meet with misfortune.
Wen Zhong was skilled in divination, but the affairs of the palace were naturally not within the purview of a mere guard officer. A few days ago, the diviner had declared "mother and child safe," but Wen Zhong had noticed something amiss in the diviner's expression. He secretly divined himself and found the results vastly different.
However, the diviner might not have reached conclusions as different from Wen Zhong's as he seemed. With the queen's labor approaching, at least "mother and child safe" could protect him for a while.
Wen Zhong genuinely hoped the queen would give birth safely, but compared to the fate of the Shang Dynasty, this was not the most important matter. At the very least, before this child, Emperor Yi already had two princes—Weizi Qi and Weizi Yan. Even if the queen and the prince met an unfortunate end, it would not shake the foundation of the dynasty.
Therefore, what worried Wen Zhong most at this moment was Emperor Yi.
Suddenly, the gate of the sleeping quarters opened, and a doctor appeared at the entrance. In an instant, the surroundings seemed to become a silent wilderness. Emperor Yi knelt on the ground, his eyes fixed on the doctor, while the doctor stood motionless, staring blankly at the king.
After a long while, the doctor fell to his knees, crying out loud.
Without needing to ask, everyone could guess what had happened from the doctor's reaction. At least, between the mother and child, one had met with misfortune.
"Your Majesty, the Queen and the Prince..." His voice barely finished, and the surrounding area was filled with cries of grief. Yet Emperor Yi did not shed a tear. He knelt motionless, speechless for a long while.
"Don't cry! Stop crying, all of you!" Emperor Yi suddenly roared, then drew his dagger and wildly hacked into the air. After swiping a few times, the dagger flew from his hand and pierced into the pillar of the hall.
"Why? Why do the gods not help me! I am the master of the world, why do the gods not help me!" He slowly stood up, his face wooden and grim.
He suddenly thought of his youth. Why did he think of this now? Emperor Yi did not know—just as if someone had deliberately evoked such memories. That was over ten years ago, when he was still a prince, and the queen was just a newlywed wife.
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