### Chapter 26: Bi Gan, When the World Demands Your Heart, Will You Not Give It? - Ah? The Wives I Abandoned Turned Out to Be Real

### Chapter 26: Bi Gan, When the World Demands Your Heart, Will You Not Give It? Upon receiving this news, everyone was left in utter shock. Who could have imagined such a dire omen? Bi Gan, seated at the forefront of the ministers, could no longer maintain his composure. The heart with seven apertures. What do you mean by this? Are you saying you want to carve out my heart? Bi Gan was panicking. He noticed the looks in the eyes of the ministers and nobles. They were looks of extreme purity, devoid of malice, desiring only to offer him as a sacrifice. There had always been such a tradition in the Shang Dynasty. The higher the status of the person sacrificed, the more they could please the ancestors and deities. And as for him. Son of King Wen Ding of Shang, brother to King Di Yi, uncle to King Di Xin. As a sacrifice, he was undoubtedly a prime candidate! If there was anyone more noble than him, it would only be the king himself. But naturally, the king could not be sacrificed. Bi Gan's mind was in disarray. He looked towards you, seated on the throne, and Daji, his eyes filled with rage. In a short moment, he had surmised that it was you and Daji who had calculated against him! Bi Gan didn't linger. He left the sacrificial altar with his entourage. He knew very well. The longer he stayed, the more dangerous it would become. Bi Gan dared not gamble. If he stayed, even a commoner might dare to take a knife to his heart if they believed in the divine oracle! After Bi Gan's departure, you looked towards Daji. Daji's coquettish gaze turned serious, as if contemplating how to save the greater Shang. But you knew perfectly well, all of this was set in motion by just a single phrase of yours. A year had passed. Finally, the opportunity arrived. After the ritual ended, rumors began to spread in the capital, Chaoge. It was said that Bi Gan's refusal to use human sacrifices had angered the deities, prompting the divine oracle to demand Bi Gan's heart with seven apertures to appease them fully. The Shang people viewed life and death with indifference. Yet they held the deities in high reverence. No one wished to see the deities enraged, thus the number of people wanting to kill Bi Gan grew ever larger, regardless of his status, second only to the king. Upon returning, a sense of foreboding lingered in your heart. You feared that doing this might bring about something terrible. Observing Daji's usual demeanor, you finally couldn't resist asking. "Is this worth it?" Daji met your gaze directly. "It’s not about worth, it’s about whether I'm happy." Daji then explained that the treasures sent by various feudal lords harbored hidden malicious intents. The nine skull masks from the Eastern Yi embedded with the eyes of nine phantom spirits would subtly turn the wearer into a sea slave. Meanwhile, companions of the spirits had already been drawn into the subterranean water veins of Chaoge. The spirits believed in returning to the sea upon death. Before long, the underground waters would flood the entire city. The jade puppets from Southern Chu, scented with a peach blossom curse, would ensnare those affected, turning them into pawns for Southern Chu. The liquor vessels from the Gui Fang tribe would turn the drinker into a werewolf under the full moon, leading to massacre and chaos. The snake dance from Bai Yue, far from being a rain invocation, was an ancient dance capable of summoning calamity. The bronze sacred tree from Ba Shu, capable of deeply embedding into the earth veins, would destroy Shang's agricultural base. As you listened, cold sweat poured from your brow. Never would you have anticipated such malevolent intentions from the lords. Without regard for how many lives would be lost. Seeing your stunned expression, Daji spoke again. "But seeing the king awaken, the measures left by these lords won't be used." "However, I plan to use the nine skull masks." "It's time Chaoge had a bath." Hearing this, you remained silent and approached to embrace Daji. For the first time in a year, you held Daji tightly. Her familiar scent ignited the fire within you. In the scene, Daji initially resisted yet eventually acquiesced to Su Mo... Only on the ninth round, the scene faded to black. ... The next day, attending court, you felt invigorated and noted Bi Gan's rare absence. Previously, he would come to court regardless of weather. As you were about to hear reports from the ministers on recent events, a terrifying roar echoed from afar. It wasn't the roar of a beast, but the sound from the earth itself. Quickly followed by a shout from outside the hall. "Flood!" The flood lasted seven days and nights before subsiding. As the capital of the Shang, Chaoge was densely populated. Countless lives, both human and animal, were lost during the flood. The untimely cleanup of bodies combined with the heat led to a plague, lasting half a year. These catastrophes reduced Chaoge's population by more than half. Bi Gan's situation worsened. Now, he remained indoors, hoping the people would forget. But the cascading disasters were impossible not to associate with him. Numerous eyes watched him. Digging out Bi Gan's heart was now the popular opinion, and no one would stand in opposition. Seeing the opportune moment, Daji instructed you to issue an edict. The edict contained only one line. "Bi Gan, when the world demands your heart, will you not give it?" Left with no choice, Bi Gan emerged from his residence and headed to court. Upon learning of his emergence, the people cheered, beating drums in celebration. In their view. If Bi Gan offered his heart to appease the deities, they would obtain divine forgiveness. The disasters overshadowing Shang would dissipate. In court, surrounded by ministers who looked at him as though he were a dead man, Bi Gan was filled with despair. He felt dizzy, his consciousness blurring. Seeing Bi Gan's state, you knew the act must continue to its full extent. "Uncle Wang, do you have anything to say?" Bi Gan, in a daze, looked at you on the throne, unsure if agreeing with Daji's plan was right. After taking a deep breath, Bi Gan chose not to expose you. He knew revealing your actions would lead to Shang's collapse. "So be it, if the ruler demands my death, I accept it. Hopefully, my heart can save this perilous Shang." With that said. Bi Gan unsheathed a bronze dagger and thrust it into his chest. With all his might, he extracted the heart—petrified yet bearing seven apertures—presenting it to the assembly! (End of Chapter)