Yu State, Dengzhou Prefecture.
Adjacent to the East Sea, it had replaced Shanyang City to beco the new power center, the administrative office of King Jing in Ninghai State.
The walls still bore the remains of cut-paper "Double Happiness" characters, while the study, filled with a thick festive atmosphere, was where they sat facing each other.
Zhou Jinghuan and Duan Zhiyin, who had her hair done up in a married woman’s hairstyle and was dressed in a light aqua, modest palace attire, sat opposite each other.
The desk was piled with docunts sent from the counties of Dengzhou Prefecture.
At that mont, had a Qi Observer opened their Dharma Eye to observe this only surviving second prince of the Great Yan Imperial Family’s direct lineage,
they would’ve seen Dragon Qi tumbling above his head, transforming into a Water Virtue Flood Dragon that gradually grew claws and was striped in black and gold.
With fangs bared and claws dancing, it swallowed clouds and exhaled vapors, surrounded by a purplish aura, already exhibiting the semblance of taking flight.
It was the very embodint of "Nine in the fourth place: The dragon at the brink of the abyss; this is not a mistake!"
The current state could not be maintained indefinitely. He could either seize the mont to soar to the Nine Heavens or sink back into the abyss, all dependent on timing.
Obviously, once the Great Yan Qi Fortune Golden Dragon fell into complete disarray, he too would have his share, and as the sole survivor, the portion allotted to him was by no ans small.
Of course, this also ant that the burden of causality and debt he carried was the heaviest!
If he harbored any thoughts of preserving the status quo for personal benefit, he would find himself without a place to be buried in death.
"Husband, the Dragon Qi within the mansion has reached its current limit. With the help of City God Nie, the Dragon Qi Core has been completely transferred and stabilized in Ninghai State.
The radiation range has expanded nearly a hundred miles over the sea.
Within this range, all sorts of demons and deceitful creatures on the sea will be strongly suppressed, significantly enhancing the safety of mariti trade, which won’t be hindered even in tis of war.
In addition, the inspection and survey results of the fields in each county have already been reported.
Thanks to the dredging of rivers and construction of water conservancy projects starting from last year, as well as the presence of the Little Concubine, the Dragon King of the Turbid River, the production of this state and its nine counties has not been drastically reduced.
It is expected that the corn planted in the spring can be harvested by the end of August..."
Now serving as the de facto steward of Dengzhou Prefecture, Duan Zhiyin was reporting to Zhou Jinghuan on the important affairs carefully selected.
And from her current attire, it was clear that she had already married Zhou Jinghuan, who was nearing the age of thirty, and beca his wife.
In fact, they had received news from Wang Yuan one or two months earlier,
knowing that the Sect and the Nine Soldiers would make significant moves in Yunjing City, suspecting that peaceful days may not last much longer.
They promptly completed their wedding under the auspices of the elder Qingyan, also calming the hearts and minds of a large group of subjects.
Zhou Jinghuan was well-regarded in all aspects, but he always lacked an heir, which was a major concern for his subjects.
Moreover, according to the ritual propriety of Great Yan, a prince could marry one Princess Consort and two concubines.
Zhou Jinghuan was much stronger than his brother-in-law.
He not only married Duan Zhiyin, a talented lady with a "Heart Light" of three feet, but also "Palm Dancing" Xie Yanji, the younger daughter of the Xie family, was taken into King Jing Mansion.
The two consorts, one literary and one martial, truly enjoyed an enviable fortune.
As for who was the principal and who was the concubine, the issue did not trouble Zhou Jinghuan, for the straightforward and unconstrained Xie Yanji volunteered to step back and beco a concubine.
Old Master Duan, who had the authority over military inspection and purging during his lifeti as an Imperial Censor, often interacted with Xie Tianke, the military commander, with whom he had a good private relationship.
Their children having been familiar with each other from a young age naturally reduced the potential for rivalry.
Zhou Jinghuan nodded, earnestly taking up the teapot to refill his Princess Consort’s cup:
"Zhiyin, you’ve worked hard. Are there any other difficulties in dostic affairs?"
Duan Zhiyin made herself at ho, efficiently pulling out an account book from a pile of docunts.
"The resources required to sustain the combat power of the five ’Daoist Soldiers’ in our hands are enormous. It’s manageable if we don’t go to war, but once we do, consumption will skyrocket dramatically.
We must plan ahead and prepare at least a three-month surplus to confidently seize the lands of the surrounding prefectures.
Then there’s the issue of carefully settling the tens of thousands of family mbers sent back by our brother-in-law.
They are not like those refugees who ca with nothing—their upkeep is substantial as well."
"Hmm, that’s easy to handle. I’ll just go ask Wang Xiaoyuan for so support," Zhou Jinghuan said.
Seeing the girl raise a finger and tap her cheek with a smile that was not quite a smile, looking at him,
Zhou Jinghuan scratched his head and said sheepishly:
"Ahem, isn’t it just a matter of making that scheming guy obediently call ’brother-in-law’ a few tis?
A great man can bend and stretch, what’s the big deal?
It’s only because I, Zhou Jinghuan, have a good sister to cover for . If it were soone else, even if they called him ’grandpa,’ they definitely couldn’t pluck a single feather from that iron rooster.
’Using the mountain to feed off the mountain, using the sea to feed off the sea,’ relying on my brother-in-law is also my own skill!"
The more he spoke, the more justified he felt, his face beaming with pride.
"Having a wealthy brother-in-law is indeed not bad!
Besides, when I no longer need to rely on anyone, I’ll still be my brother-in-law’s only cousin."
Duan Zhiyin, now more aware of the costs of running a household, nodded continuously like a pecking chicken, clearly in full agreent with her husband’s words.
With such a brother-in-law, what more could one want from a husband?
After discussing serious matters, Zhou Jinghuan took his wife’s hand:
"By the way, why haven’t you been wearing the bracelet my sister gave you?
And the golden hairpin from Empress Wendu of Great Zhou, the garnts sewn from chimaexia... At our wedding, didn’t Manager Tao send you several carts full of treasures?"
Duan Zhiyin put down the account book, but she smiled and shook her head:
"All of it has already been sealed and stored away.
Concubine knows well when to do what.
Although the current situation in Dengzhou Prefecture is far better than other places in Red County Shenzhou, the people all know the world is going through hard tis.
Droughts, famines, plagues, military calamities... they can co at any ti, and we still have a long way to go with tightening our belts and enduring hardships.
If the people and soldiers see that we, the family of their Lord, start donning luxurious clothes and fine jewelry even when the enterprise casts no shadow, what will they think?
And how could they share weal and woe with us and overco difficulties together?"
"The previous Emperor, even though not very good at ruling, was right about leading by example with strict austerity.
Unless that era which Brother-in-law spoke of, when the ’Jade Mansion Thunder Pivot’ is widely implented and productivity greatly explodes, and spending money can boost the economy, cos into reality,
Concubine will also encourage her husband to take the lead in spending money.
But in this age where there’s a cap on annual production, every bit we cut back on our expenses is one more bit others can use.
Husband is the only heir to the Imperial Family; he must be all the more mindful of his conduct."
Seeing his Princess Consort so considerate, what more could Zhou Jinhuan say?
"Having a virtuous wife saves one from misfortune indeed!"
Never in history had the population of a Dynasty’s Imperial Family proliferated as much as in Great Yan, and everyone had a rank and a salary.
Just to support them, the Great Yan Dynasty had long been under unbearable strain.
Their annual tax silver and grain were fixed amounts, and initially, the people could support them.
But as the number of these dragon descendants kept increasing, while their entitlents didn’t decrease, the people’s burden naturally grew heavier.
For instance, during the Jianming Period, Junzhou barely produced a million stones of grain in a year, but the salaries required for those Zhou surna Princes amounted to a whopping 1.92 million stones!
Even if the people didn’t eat or drink at all, it wouldn’t be enough to feed those Princes.
As a matter of course, the Great Yan Imperial Family naturally beca sin-laden exploitative vermin, seen with more contempt than those corrupt officials by the people.
Ever since ancient tis, when Dynasties fell, the old Imperial Families were mostly abhorred by the people and Human Dao, bearing the vast causality from everyone, and the backlash they received from all sides was especially brutal, with most unable to co to a good end.
Without a doubt, the experience of this Great Yan Imperial Family would only be more perilous than those of past Dynasties.
Although none of this was Zhou Jinhuan’s fault, causality and debt would not consider such things.
To avoid being implicated, one must first renounce benefits!
He was enjoying the benefits that ca with his identity, and naturally, he would also have to bear the consequences of those debts backlashing upon him.
If he wanted to change the established impression in the people’s hearts, he had to start with the details, right now, bit by bit.
The requirents for being a King and being a Cultivator are ultimately different.
Sigh—!
Just then, a fierce wind suddenly whipped up in the courtyard, and a petite figure clad in Mystic Armor with a graceful figure descended from the sky.
She gathered her black wings behind her and stepped into the study.
Picking up the teacup from Zhou Jinhuan’s table, she drank it down in gulps as if it were wine.
Concubine Xie Yanji took a relieved breath before rapidly speaking to the couple:
"Just now, ’Tai Bai Through the Sky’ appeared in this world, and many Major Forces in the surrounding counties started to stir restlessly.
In particular, the City God of Dongchang, who had already been subdued by Brother-in-law, has just inford us that a branch belonging to the heterodox ’Demon Master Dao’ has raised the banner of rebellion.
It is said that they have evil demonic thods in their army, and Gongqiu County, originally under Court control, collapsed instantly upon contact.
Furthermore, after they broke through the county, they imdiately rallied refugees to strike everywhere, and a detachnt is about to enter our jurisdiction."
Zhou Jinhuan’s expression turned solemn, realizing that what was expected had finally arrived.
Without hesitation, he waved his hand grandly:
"Issue the order, deploy troops, and break the enemy!"
...
Almost at the sa ti.
The group that had finished their mission in Yunjing City had already returned to Pengxuan Grotto Heaven and begun to divide the spoils.
In the Ziwei Heavenly Palace, Wang Yuan rubbed his hands excitedly, catching a silver-white Treasure Mirror tossed to him by the Great Fate.
The mirror was round with a round knob and base, featuring a plain border.
Engraved around the base was a ring of inscription that read clockwise, "Righteous light follows man, suitable for prolonging life," with small nails interspersed between each character.
Two rings of mystical patterns divided the back into inner and outer bands, the inner ring depicted the four divine beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise, arranged around the mirror knob, with mountain and cloud patterns interspersed.
The outer ring was divided into twelve sections, each containing a lifelike representation of the twelve zodiac animals, with cloud patterns filling the gaps.
This was one of the Deceit Objects born from the Corpse of the No-Life Buddha: the "Four Symbols Twelve Celestial Branches Daylight Realm".
Its ability was straightforward and powerful.
——It could adjust the flow of ti within a mile radius, with a maximum of ten tis faster!
This was the very breeding Divine Artifact Wang Yuan had once longed for in his dreams!
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