Investiture of the Gods: Childhood Sweetheart Daji, Starting with Quasi-Saint Cultivation

"Externally, you must help me deal with Xiqi, the Chan Sect, and those covetous feudal lords."

"Domestically, you must help me stabilize Chaoge, develop national strength, and accumulate the resources to resist the great calamity."

He paused.

"I know this is difficult. But it's our only chance, the only chance we two time travelers have."

"The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods is a matter of life and death. I don't want to die, and neither do you."

Su Yunbai remained silent for a moment.

"You want me to be your weapon?"

"No," King Zhou shook his head, "I want you to be my ally, my partner."

"You will have full authority over matters of the court. You will lead the military reforms. You will strategize foreign policy."

"I will only support you and stand up for you when necessary."

"What we need to do is not maintain this corrupt dynasty, but to create a new power that can survive this catastrophe."

Su Yunbai looked at King Zhou.

The weariness and helplessness in this fellow villager's eyes were real, but so were the deep-seated ambition and will to survive.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll become too powerful and turn the tables on you?" Su Yunbai asked.

King Zhou laughed.

"If you really have that intention, I'll accept it. At least you're a time traveler, which is better than letting the Shang Dynasty fall into Ji Fa's hands."

"And," he said earnestly, "I believe in you. Because we are the same kind of people. Neither of us wants to be pawns; we both want to survive and thrive in this game."

Su Yunbai picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"And his official rank?"

"What do you want?" King Zhou asked in return.

"I want real power, the ability to mobilize the army, to interfere in politics, and to access core secrets."

King Zhou thought for a moment.

"The position of Grand Tutor already has Wen Zhong. The position of Chancellor has Shang Rong and Bigan. The head of the military generals is Huang Feihu."

"I will give you a new position: General Who Guards the Nation, concurrently in charge of the Heavenly Strategy Office, in charge of the deployment of all the troops in the country, supervising all officials, and reporting directly to the Emperor."

"The Tian Ce Mansion can appoint its own officials and recruit its own staff, and is independent of the Three Departments and Six Ministries."

"how?"

Su Yunbai raised an eyebrow.

That's a lot of power.

General of the State, holding military power.

To oversee all officials and the government.

The Tian Ce Mansion appoints its own officials and has the power of personnel appointment.

They could speak directly to the emperor, bypassing the court's decision-making system.

It was almost equivalent to another central government office.

"Will those ministers agree?" Su Yunbai asked.

"They won't agree," King Zhou sneered, "but I'll force it through. I'm still the Emperor, and I still have that much power."

"But you will be under tremendous pressure."

"Therefore, I need you to produce results as soon as possible." King Zhou looked at him. "Once you demonstrate sufficient ability and value, those dissenting voices will naturally subside."

Su Yunbai nodded.

"Can."

"But I have a few conditions."

"explain."

"First, Ji Province must be safe. Su Hu's marquisate must be secured, and the Iron Blood Army must be legitimized."

"Yes. I will issue an edict to bestow upon Su Hu the title of Duke of Jizhou, and the Iron Blood Army will be incorporated into the imperial court's ranks, still under the jurisdiction of Jizhou."

"Secondly, I want to be able to see you anytime, without any hindrance."

"The Tian Ce Mansion is located within the palace. I will give you a pass token, which allows you to enter the inner court directly."

"Third, I want intelligence sharing. I need to know all the information about Xiqi, Chan Sect, Jie Sect, Western Sect, and Nuwa Palace."

King Zhou hesitated for a moment.

"Some intelligence was reported to me directly by the secret guards, and even Wen Zhong didn't know about it."

"Then I need to know even more," Su Yunbai said. "I am your ally, not your subject. Without transparent intelligence, I cannot help you."

King Zhou gritted his teeth.

"Alright. I'll have the commander of the secret guards report to you."

Su Yunbai was satisfied.

"One last condition: I need resources. Cultivation resources, military training resources, and talent recruitment resources."

King Zhou smiled bitterly.

"The national treasury is not abundant, and the nobles control most of the resources. What I can give you is limited."

"But I will support you as much as possible. And you can figure it out yourself."

"for example?"

"Confiscate their property." A fierce glint flashed in King Zhou's eyes. "Which of those nobles and ministers doesn't possess millions in wealth? Which of them hasn't hoarded vast amounts of resources?"

"Since you are in charge of supervising all officials, you can naturally investigate their crimes. Execute those who deserve to be executed, and confiscate those that deserve to be confiscated."

"Half of the proceeds shall go into the national treasury, and the other half shall belong to your Tian Ce Mansion."

Su Yunbai smiled.

"This is the right attitude for cooperation."

He raised his teacup.

"make a deal."

King Zhou also raised his cup.

The two glasses clinked together.

"Fellow countryman," King Zhou said earnestly, "we must win this game together."

"Yes, I will," Su Yunbai said. "But before we start playing chess, you'll have to give me a few people first."

"Who?"

"Fei Zhong, You Hun."

King Zhou was taken aback: "You want those two treacherous ministers?"

"Even treacherous officials have their uses," Su Yunbai said calmly. "They are familiar with the court and the backgrounds of those ministers. If used well, they can be a sharp weapon."

King Zhou understood.

"Alright. I'll have them report to the Tian Ce Mansion."

"Also," Su Yunbai added, "at tomorrow's morning court, you need to act assertively. When it comes to bestowing an official title upon me, suppress any objections."

"I will."

King Zhou stood up.

"Then I'll head back to the palace first. I'll watch your performance at the morning court tomorrow."

He turned to leave, then stopped.

Look back.

"Su Yunbai, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Thank you for being willing to shoulder this burden with me." King Zhou smiled. "After bearing this burden alone for so long, finally there's someone I can speak the truth to."

After saying that, he disappeared.

Su Yunbai sat in the courtyard.

The moonlight shone down.

He picked up his teacup and slowly drank it all.

King Zhou's predicament was more serious than he had anticipated.

But this is also an opportunity.

An opportunity to completely control Chaoge, and even the Shang Dynasty.

"The Heavenly Strategy Mansion... the Great General Who Protects the Nation..."

Su Yunbai's lips curled up.

Tomorrow's morning court session will be quite interesting.

He summoned the system.

"System, exchange for skills or knowledge related to 'Emperor's Mindset' and 'Strategic Maneuvering'."

[Ding! Searching...]

[Recommended: The Art of Emperorship (Advanced)]

Price: 5000 points

Description: Includes core knowledge of power politics such as talent identification and utilization, checks and balances, the art of managing subordinates, and court intrigue, directly imparted for instant mastery.

Do you wish to redeem?

Su Yunbai looked at his remaining 2625 intimacy points.

not enough.

"Redeem the basic version".

[Ding! Found: Introduction to Political Strategy (Basic)]

Price: 1000 points

Description: Basic knowledge of political maneuvering suitable for beginners.

Do you wish to redeem?

"exchange."

[Ding! 1000 Intimacy Points consumed!]

[Current intimacy level: 1625 points.]

A wealth of basic knowledge about power politics flooded my mind.

Although it's just the basics, it's enough to handle tomorrow's court affairs.

The rest depends on strength and adaptability.

Su Yunbai closed his eyes to digest the information.

A moment later, he opened his eyes.

A deeper look appeared in his eyes.

"Tomorrow, it's my turn to take the stage."

He got up and went back to his room.

Conserve your energy and build up your strength.

Prepare for the first battle in Chaoge.