Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

Chaoge City was bustling with activity.

This place is no longer just the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty; it's now the most fashionable area in the entire prehistoric world. Ever since Lin Xuan gradually instilled his modern concepts into the area, the people here have undergone a complete transformation in their mental outlook.

Jiang Ziya followed behind Lin Xuan, his palms sweating profusely.

For the first forty years of his life, he cultivated Taoism on the mountain, knowing nothing but how to fetch water and water the pine trees; if he hadn't met Lin Xuan in the last forty years, he would probably be squatting in a corner selling noodles right now, with the wind blowing all over his face.

"My...my lord," Jiang Ziya's voice trembled slightly, "are we really not going to set up a fortune-telling stall? I heard my master say that I have some kind of...worldly tribulation, and I have to suffer a bit before I can prosper."

Lin Xuan walked ahead, waving a folding fan in his hand, without even turning his head: "Suffering? Your master just wanted you to experience life so that he could make you his slave later. Follow me, and you won't have to suffer like that. Let's go straight for something big."

The two walked through the bustling city and arrived directly at the notice posting area at the palace gate.

There was an imperial edict posted there, announcing that Emperor Xin was eager to recruit capable people to govern the country. A crowd had gathered around, pointing and whispering, but no one dared to take it down. After all, everyone knew Emperor Xin's temper; going up there without real ability would just be suicide.

Lin Xuan stopped and tapped the imperial edict with his folding fan: "Go, take it down."

Jiang Ziya swallowed hard: "Really?"

"I'll take the blame if anything goes wrong."

Jiang Ziya steeled his resolve; he was already on the pirate ship anyway. He stepped forward and ripped down the imperial edict.

The surrounding crowd scattered with a whoosh, and the guards, wielding long spears, surrounded them: "Who has answered the call to arms?"

Jiang Ziya took a deep breath, recalling the lines Lin Xuan had taught him, and straightened his back: "Jiang Shang, a cultivator from Kunlun Mountain, possesses a strategy for pacifying the country and has come to meet Your Majesty!"

……

On the Nine-Room Hall.

Di Xin sat on the throne, looking down at the white-bearded old man kneeling below, and Lin Xuan standing next to the old man, who looked pleasing to the eye no matter how you looked at him.

If anyone else had brought an old man, Di Xin would have had him thrown out long ago. But this was brought by His Majesty the Holy Father, so he had to give him face.

"Did you come from Kunlun Mountain?" Di Xin asked.

Just as Jiang Ziya was about to kowtow, Lin Xuan coughed. Jiang Ziya immediately remembered the "Interview Guide" he had memorized on the way, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This humble subject, Jiang Shang, though from Kunlun, has his heart set on humanity. Now, seeing Your Majesty's wisdom and might, I offer you my 'Ten Strategies for Strengthening the Nation'."

"Oh? Read it aloud." Di Xin became interested.

Jiang Ziya took out the book "Strategies for Governing the Country and Ensuring Peace (Lin Xuan's Revised Edition)" that Lin Xuan had given him from his bosom. Although his hands were still trembling a little, his voice grew louder and louder.

"The first policy is to abolish the practice of burying slaves alive with the dead, free up the labor force, and carry out large-scale construction projects as a form of relief."

"The second strategy is to reform the currency system, with the state minting spirit stone coins to circulate throughout the world and control the economic lifeline."

"The third strategy is to establish a 'Cultivation Academy,' where all human children, regardless of social status, can enroll to study literature and martial arts, and the outstanding ones can join the army..."

As these points were read aloud, the jaws of the entire court officials nearly dropped to the floor.

The old prime minister, Bi Gan, had initially listened with a critical eye, but by the third point, his eyes were shining like light bulbs. When he heard the later discussions on "streamlining the army and simplifying administration" and "promoting national prosperity through commerce," he became even more excited, his beard trembling.

This isn't some rustic, unsophisticated viewpoint; it's practically a panacea for the world!

Some of these strategies were things that large merchants wanted to do but dared not, while others were things they had never even considered. In particular, the "liberation of labor" strategy was a stroke of genius for large merchants who were currently facing a shortage of manpower.

After Jiang Ziya finished reading, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Bi Gan was the first to step forward, and he knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty! This is a man of great talent! Heaven blesses the Shang Dynasty!"

Although Di Xin didn't quite understand the specific economic theories, he knew it was a good thing, and judging from Lin Xuan's ambiguous smile, he knew it must be the work of His Majesty the Holy Father.

"Excellent! What a brilliant ten strategies for strengthening the nation!" Emperor Xin slapped his thigh. "Jiang Shang, receive your investiture!"

Jiang Ziya was startled.

"I hereby appoint you as Right Chancellor, placing you among the Three Dukes, and entrust you with the sole responsibility of implementing these ten policies! Anyone who dares to obstruct you will be executed without prior notification!"

Jiang Ziya's head was buzzing.

So... he's become the prime minister?

No more fishing on the Wei River? No more selling flour? No more being called a good-for-nothing by my wife?

He glanced at Lin Xuan furtively. Lin Xuan was winking at him, the meaning clear: How about it, I wasn't lying to you, was I?

"Your subject... Jiang Shang, accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude!" Jiang Ziya bowed sincerely, tears welling in his eyes. He had endured forty years of cold treatment on Kunlun Mountain, but unexpectedly, upon descending the mountain, he found dignity in the great Shang Dynasty.

What number of days? What is the meaning of "Xiqi will rise again"?

To hell with it! I'm the Prime Minister of the Great Shang Dynasty now!