boyutpedia Chapter 151 Gathering of All Parties
Chapter 151 Gathering of All Parties
"Your Highness, we have reaped a total of 10.85 billion taels of silver this time. The first batch of houses has been sold out, and we have paid 5.425 billion taels of silver in taxes to the imperial court," Cai Chong immediately reported.
His face beamed with excitement.
This time they made a huge profit; the Prince's Mansion no longer needs to worry about running out of money.
Moreover, the imperial court has also made a considerable profit, so resolving this crisis should not be a problem for them.
Cai Chong still remembers Li Qing's smiling face and his very kind attitude towards him when he led people to pay taxes.
It should be noted that he had never received such treatment while he was in the palace.
Lu Yuan nodded and chuckled, "Use half of this silver to buy more land in the South City. Besides houses, you can build some restaurants and brothels, but they must be high-end and luxurious."
The amount of money spent is irrelevant; what matters most is that it matches the status of those students.
If this matter is accomplished, Nancheng will become a veritable money bag, bringing in a large amount of silver every year, although not as much as it is now, but its value lies in its longevity.
According to Lu Yuan's estimation, if the South City is fully established, it will be able to earn hundreds of billions of taels of silver, if not trillions.
By then, the Prince's Mansion will have sufficient resources, and the imperial court will no longer lack funds. The economy of the Northern Barbarians will fully recover in the next two years.
As for paying silver to the imperial court, Lu Yuan didn't care.
Given the relationship between the Xiao family mother and daughter, there was really no difference between keeping this silver in the palace and keeping it in their own residence.
"Yes, Your Highness." Cai Chong now held Lu Yuan in high esteem.
With a wave of his hand, he helped the imperial court solve such a huge problem. Who else could do that?
Perhaps only this prince in the world could be like him.
"Alright, you may leave. I will be leaving the capital for a while tomorrow. I'll be leaving the affairs of the mansion to you. Also, keep a close eye on things in the south city; there can't be any problems."
"Yes, ma'am!" Cai Chong replied hastily.
Then they left the lobby.
After Cai Chong left, Lu Yuan got up and stretched. He first went to the Lu family to say goodbye, and then returned to his own courtyard to prepare his things for leaving. The East Sea was within the territory of the Eastern Yi.
Lu Yuan had never been there before, and he was quite curious about it.
After tidying everything up, I took a break.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, as soon as Lu Yuan stepped out of the courtyard, he saw Xiao Hua already waiting for him. She was wearing a light red dress, her face was so white it was almost translucent, and she was full of vitality.
Beside him was Xiao Gu, and eight other experts from the Prajna Temple, each with a strong aura; at least Lu Yuan couldn't discern their cultivation levels.
In particular, one of the burly monks, holding a golden halo in his palm, stood there, giving the impression that he was connected to the earth.
Besides these skilled guards, there were also thousands of young people.
They should all be those who will participate in this test.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan, they all bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Xiao Gu patted Lu Yuan on the shoulder: "Let's go. The climate in Dongyi is mild, not as cold as in Beiman. You can have a good time exploring with the Crown Princess there."
The latter nodded.
Xiao Hua then walked over and said softly, "Brother Yuan, this time we can go fishing in the sea. I heard there are also dragons there, but they are very strong. I've never seen one before. I wonder if we'll be able to see one this time."
Lu Yuan pinched her cheek and said, "We'll definitely find it. I'll help you find it."
Xiao Hua blushed, but did not resist; instead, she showed a shy expression.
Xiao Gu, standing to the side, couldn't help but shake his head.
Then he said, "Let's go."
This time, the group did not choose the carriage. The powerful monk threw out the golden wheel in his hand, which instantly expanded to cover an area of several miles.
"This is Venerable Jinlun's natal weapon. Its biggest feature is that it can fly. Let's ride on this. Your Majesty, please take good care of the Crown Princess. Her cultivation is still at the Void Realm. If we fly too high, she might not be able to adapt," Xiao Gu arranged, stepping onto the golden wheel first.
Lu Yuan also pulled Xiao Hua up.
Then, the golden halo shot through the air and disappeared.
It left a trail of afterimages in the air.
When they flew into the sky, they traveled among the white clouds, and even Lu Yuan was very curious.
After all, he had never seen such supernatural power before.
Even now that my cultivation has reached the Core Formation Realm, although I can fly, it's not this exaggerated.
It can fly through the clouds for such a long time.
As if sensing Xiao Hua's nervousness, Lu Yuan kept holding her hand and didn't let go.
Along the way, Lu Yuan also saw people riding various things flying through the air.
However, their target was the location of the Eastern Yi.
Xiao Gu glanced at the figures that kept passing by and said in a deep voice, "It seems there are quite a few people going to the East Sea. Be careful then."
"Um."
Lu Yuan nodded.
Then, looking at Xiao Gu, he couldn't help but ask, "I wonder who was the last person to reach the top of the Heavenly Ladder?"
"It is said that he was the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. After ascending to the top, he received spiritual power, which made his physical body almost perfect. Hundreds of years later, he became the number one person in the world and founded the Great Zhou Dynasty."
However, after his ascension, the once vast empire fell apart.
"Our Northern Barbarian Ancestor was one of the fierce generals under the Great Zhou Emperor. He also ascended to the Upper Realm, but we haven't heard from him for a long time. We don't know what happened to him now," Xiao Gu said softly.
Now that the path to ascension is cut off, there are many things they don't know, and they can only get information from some incomplete books.
Moreover, since the fall of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the spiritual energy in the world seems to have become much thinner.
This has led to a sharp decrease in those with exceptional talent, and very few people are able to reach the top.
Some people have said that this heavenly ladder seems to be related to the path to ascension.
However, this information did not receive a clear response.
Next came the tedious journey, but Lu Yuan managed it well, since Xiao Hua was with him, so he didn't find it too much of a hassle.
Several days later, as they gradually approached the Eastern Yi, the weather became warmer.
When we arrived near Dengtian Cliff, there were already quite a few people there.
Looking up, Lu Yuan saw a huge peak on the rolling waves of the sea, covered in emerald green, shrouded in mist, hazy and indistinct, but encased in a protective shield.
It gives people the feeling of a blessed land of immortals.
There were hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the foot of the giant peak on the sea.
All of these events came from various forces; after all, such a grand occasion might not be seen even once every few centuries.
No one can predict when the Heavenly Ladder will be unveiled.
Some sects, or even entire sects, have come, sitting on huge cloud formations, which should also be the natal divine weapons of some powerful figures.
When the golden wheel came down, many people retreated.
Having ceded a large area, the Northern Barbarians, though currently the weakest among the various dynasties, are still one of the top powers.
No one dares to underestimate them.
When the golden wheel landed steadily on the sea.
Many people started discussing this at this time.
"See that? That's the King of Qin from the Northern Barbarians. It's said he earned over 10 billion taels of silver in just two days."
"Hehe, I've heard about it too. There are indeed some tricks to it, but for us cultivators, strength is the foundation. A little bit of wealth is just a minor thing."
"This time, we can see how talented he is. I heard that he was originally a general of the Great Yong Dynasty, but he was rejected by the Seventh Prince and used as a pawn by the Yong Emperor, so he went to the Northern Barbarians."
If he can demonstrate amazing talent this time, Da Yong might regret it.
......
Voices rang out all around, and many people were talking about Lu Yuan.
Xiao Hua glanced at him with some concern, afraid of affecting Lu Yuan's mood.
However, the other party smiled and seemed to completely disregard these discussions.
"Chirp!"
Just then, a clear voice rang out.
Everyone looked up and saw a giant bluebird carrying a palace, which landed on the sea. A figure emerged from the palace, dressed in a blue imperial robe. Although he looked like a middle-aged man, he had an extraordinary air about him.
Xiao Gu said in a low voice, "This is the Azure Emperor of Dongyi. I didn't expect him to come in person. This time, in addition to testing our talents, we have another purpose: to see if we can form an alliance with the Azure Emperor."
Although Dayong has refrained from attacking us recently due to its past vows, it has been continuously blocking our resources.
"If we can form an alliance with the Eastern Yi, we can not only buy grain and supplies from them, but also contain the Great Yong in the east should the Great Yong invade."
Lu Yuan nodded, glanced at the Azure Emperor, and said, "I will go to see him after the talent test is completed."
"Mm," Xiao Gu replied.
And just as they were talking.
The barriers that had been protecting the mountains on the sea completely vanished in the next moment.
Everyone knew that it was time to begin the ascent.
However, neither of them made a move first; instead, they looked at each other.
It seems they are waiting for others to try it first.
After all, the Heavenly Ladder Cliff hadn't appeared for many years, and for many young people, it was something they had only just heard of.
But this period did not last long.
After a few breaths, someone couldn't resist any longer and leaped forward.
They climbed the ladder to heaven.
This mountain doesn't look very high, and there are only tens of thousands of steps. Under normal circumstances, with these people's cultivation levels, they could probably reach the top in one step.
But now it's clear that many experts at the Core Formation Realm have just ascended.
His body staggered, then he gritted his teeth and climbed step by step, seemingly with great difficulty.
The next moment, there is a risk of falling.
And this is just the beginning.
Lu Yuan glanced at Xiao Hua beside him, and at the eager nobles and disciples behind him, and said, "Let's give it a try too."
After saying that, it flew up the steps.
His black python robe fluttered as he flew.
He was accompanied by a woman like Xiao Hua, even though the people around him were all from extraordinary backgrounds.
But quite a few people still turned their attention to it.
The Seventh Prince, who had arrived earlier, naturally saw this scene as well, and his expression turned gloomy.
Beside him, a middle-aged man who had come with him said, "That must be Lu Yuan. You are now the Crown Prince, why bother with such a nobody?"
This is the Prince of Polu, sent by the Great Yong Dynasty to protect the noble sons of the court. He is wearing dark gold armor and is standing on a divine weapon resembling a warship, which is floating in the air.
The seventh prince nodded, but he did not speak.
She simply kept her eyes fixed on the steps, hoping that Lu Yuan would fall down at any moment.
After all, the fact that the other party was made a king in the Northern Barbarians has already caused a lot of controversy, and if they can achieve good results now...
I'm afraid I'll soon be branded as someone who can't judge people well.
This is not what he wanted to see.