boyutpedia Chapter 136 Power
Chapter 136 Power
However, just as Lu Yuan and the others were preparing to go out...
The officials then surrounded him, with the Grand Minister of the Imperial Clan, Xiao Gu, leading the group. Dressed in a purple official robe, he addressed Lu Yuan, saying, "Prince Qin, come to my residence for a drink sometime and get to know my good-for-nothing grandsons better."
Although he looks rough, his voice is very kind.
Lu Yuan could sense that the powerful aura emanating from the Grand Master in front of him indicated that his cultivation was definitely above the Divine Origin Realm, and much stronger.
His words were a complete acknowledgment of Lu Yuan's status.
"Alright, I'll definitely visit your home another day."
"Haha, not bad, not as hesitant and timid as other people from Dayong." After saying that, Xiao Gu left.
The others also stepped forward to pay their respects.
A moment later, Lu Yuan was pulled out of the main hall by Xiao Hua.
Then, the latter said softly, "Da Zong is my third grandfather. He is very good to my mother and me. He is a very upright person and also very strong."
He even fought against Chang Dao, the Grand Commandant of the Great Yong Dynasty.
Lu Yuan turned his head curiously and asked, "Who won in the end?"
Chang Dao naturally knew that for someone of humble origins to rise to the rank of Grand Commandant and contend with the nobles of the entire Dayong Dynasty, he himself was a legend.
At least in the thousands of years of history of the Dayong Dynasty, only one such case has appeared.
"I don't know, Third Grandfather didn't say," Xiao Hua said with some disappointment.
Because she was also very curious.
The two had already left the palace gates while they were talking.
Lu Yuan didn't see the carriage and asked with some confusion, "Shall we walk there?"
"Of course, why would we need a carriage for such a short distance?" Xiao Hua said, then pointed to a manor next to the palace.
"How about it? This is your royal residence, the only one of its kind in the entire palace," she said with a smile.
Around the palace, due to certain special reasons, the buildings have long been demolished, and no one is allowed to build houses there.
"This manor has been built for a long time. My mother agreed to my request after she ascended the throne. It took two years to complete. At that time, I thought that if you came to the Northern Barbarians, you could stay here and we could be neighbors."
Inside, guards, maids, and servants were all ready.
"Go in and take a look quickly."
After saying that, he pulled Lu Yuan and headed towards the Prince's Mansion.
The courtyard wall is very high, about five meters high, only slightly shorter than the palace wall.
There were also guards standing above, the same Tiger Warriors that Lu Yuan had seen when he came to the imperial city.
They were dressed in heavy armor and carried weapons.
Just as Lu Yuan approached the gate.
Whether it was the guards standing at the door or those on the wall, they all knelt down in unison, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
"Creak!" As the door opened, even more people knelt down.
There were three people in charge.
One is Tiger Warrior Commander Man Gang.
He was two meters tall, covered in heavy armor, with two battle axes strapped to his back, and his cultivation level was at the Innate Realm.
Another one is the Beast Rider Commander Man Kuo, who is also tall and burly, and has the cultivation level of the Innate Realm.
The last one is the Prince's steward. He is dressed in a black robe, and his gray hair is neatly styled. Standing there, he gives people a feeling of unfathomable depth.
Xiao Hua whispered in Lu Yuan's ear, "This is an old eunuch in the palace who is preparing to retire. His name is Cai Chong. I specially asked my mother for him. Don't underestimate him. His strength is at the Divine Palace Realm. He is trustworthy. I asked him to protect your safety."
Upon hearing this, the latter was once again filled with turmoil.
During the Dayong era, I didn't even have the chance to meet such masters; they were all high and mighty.
Now, however, she has become the one serving him.
This is the taste of power.
A single sentence can make countless people willing to die for it.
However, it's really good.
"Get up, everyone," Lu Yuan said, looking at the crowd in front of him.
Then, they walked inside.
This manor is very large. Although it cannot compare to the imperial palace, it is the first time Lu Yuan has ever seen such a large estate.
As soon as you enter, you can see a shimmering lake.
Surrounding the artificial mountains of different shapes, with their craggy rocks, they are truly beautiful.
The surrounding area was filled with trees, and there was a misty atmosphere around them, so they must not be ordinary fruit trees.
On the outer perimeter, there are pavilions and towers.
Continuing further in, you'll find the quarters for the guards and servants. It's a very large area with interconnected courtyards, resembling a residential area.
In addition, there is a training ground covering dozens of acres, large enough for horses to run.
There were also servants' quarters at the back.
Upon reaching the inner courtyard, one arrives at Lu Yuan's residence, a complex of more than ten magnificent and exquisite courtyards surrounding the garden.
The pond in the center is home to various aquatic species, many of which Lu Yuan does not recognize, and they exude an astonishing spirituality.
Putting everything else aside, the spiritual energy within this house is in no way weaker than that within the Dayong Imperial Palace, and is almost dozens of times stronger than that of the border regions.
Lu Yuan only glanced at it briefly, but the number of guards and servants in the mansion totaled two to three thousand.
This made him click his tongue in amazement.
With so many people, how much do they spend each month?
After all, he had just discovered that even the maidservant was at the Enlightenment level of cultivation.
The servants were almost all at the Bone Forging Realm.
This doesn't even include the 1,500 guards and warhorses.
According to his budget, it would cost at least several hundred thousand taels of silver per month, and the maintenance costs of the village would be even higher.
He even saw that the inner courtyard had arrays set up in each of the courtyards.
These all require regular maintenance by a formation master.
However, during his time in Dayong, he wiped out many noble territories and brought some silver with him, not a lot, just over a million taels.
For the time being, it can still cover the household expenses.
Although Xiao Hua certainly had a plan, he didn't want to spend the other party's money. Now that he had an official position and was even a prince, it wouldn't be right to let the other party support such a large family for him.
Sure enough, just as he was thinking that,
After leading him to the stable, Xiao Hua said softly, "Each of these hundred imperial horses can travel five thousand li a day, traversing mountains and valleys as if walking on flat ground."
You can choose whichever horse you like and ride it in turn.
However, raising them is quite expensive. Mother has already said that we can just allocate funds from the palace treasury. After all, you've just arrived, so we'll discuss it later once things have stabilized.
Lu Yuan stepped forward and patted the back of a warhorse, saying, "This is not a good idea. I'll do it myself. I've saved up some silver over the years."
"We can't expect you and your aunt to support everything."
"Oh, you're still embarrassed to spend my money? I took quite a bit of yours back then," Xiao Hua said with a smile, covering her mouth.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Only she herself knows how difficult things were for the mother and daughter back then.
Lacking food and clothing, and with her mother suffering from chronic illnesses due to the sealing of her cultivation, every winter was almost an ordeal.
He almost lost his life.
As a child, I was filled with fear almost every day.
Lu Yuan gave her hope. He not only helped the mother and daughter, but also treated her mother's illness, so that they had food to eat and were no longer plagued by disease.
Especially in the wasteland, she believed she was doomed.
Looking at the pursuing Dayong army, Xiao Hua even prepared to commit suicide.
But Lu Yuan appeared as if a divine warrior had descended from the heavens, saving her and her mother.
These scenes will be enough for her to cherish for a lifetime.
The man before her held a place in her heart that no one else could replace.
"That's different. How much did I give you?" Lu Yuan said with a helpless smile.
"It's definitely different. You gave us hope to survive in a desperate situation. And at that time, you weren't well-off either. What my mother and I gave you couldn't compare to what you gave us," Xiao Hua said softly.
Lu Yuan waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this anymore. In short, I have only one thing to say: I will support this manor, otherwise, I don't want it anymore."
"Fine, whatever you say, I'll listen to you, okay?" Xiao Hua could only say helplessly.
Then, Lu Yuan carefully examined the warhorse in front of him.
More robust than the Red Scales, its muscles bulged as if about to explode, its scales covering it perfectly.
"It is said that the Northern Barbarian cavalry is the best in the world, and it is indeed true. These horses are not seen anywhere else. It is said that the imperial horses of the Great Yong can only travel three thousand miles a day."
Finally, Lu Yuan chose a warhorse that was entirely black, turned to Cai Chong and said, "From now on, I'll ride this one when I go out, and I'll get myself a set of light armor."
"Yes, Your Highness." Cai Chong's voice was somewhat high-pitched, but very respectful.
The mansion was so big that we couldn't see it all in a day.
However, as darkness fell, it was time to go to the palace for dinner. Empress Xiao had prepared a banquet for him, and all the officials were to attend.
Not only the officials, but also their families.
This was a banquet specially arranged by the Xiao family to introduce Lu Yuan; the prestige was truly overwhelming.
However, after leaving the mansion...
Lu Yuan turned to Xiao Hua and asked, "Do you have a suitable weapon?"
He was not polite at all about this; he was about to go to the battlefield, and he couldn't do without a suitable weapon.
His Green Dragon Crescent Blade and Crimson Scale Horse were lost in the Great Yong Dynasty, and he probably won't be able to get them back.
"Of course there is, come with me." Seeing that there was still some time before dinner, Xiao Hua pulled Lu Yuan into the inner palace after returning to the palace, and opened the door of the palace treasury as if presenting a treasure.
"Only my mother and I are allowed in here. Today, you're here too. Come and take a look. Pick whatever you like."
Despite saying that, Xiao Hua stepped forward and pointed to a blue dragon-inlaid battle sword, saying softly, "I know you are using a Green Dragon Crescent Blade, but that is a replica. Although it is a high-quality replica, it is still just an ordinary divine weapon."
This magical weapon seems perfect for you.
"Spiritual weapon?" Lu Yuan asked, somewhat puzzled.
Xiao Hua continued, "Spirit weapons are weapons that have developed spirituality. After recognizing a master, they can be made any size they want and can be stored and nurtured within the body."
It improves as its master's strength increases.
This weapon was once nurtured by a master of the Dharma Aspect Realm, and it is extremely powerful.
If one day you reach the Void Breaking Realm, this weapon will become an Emperor Weapon, and it will be incredibly powerful, enough to be a national treasure.
Lu Yuan stroked the blade. The sword was about three meters long, with a blade that was a full meter long and a hilt that was two meters long, perfectly matching his size.
Its appearance is similar to the Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
However, its power should be even greater.
"Breaking through the void? I've heard that's a legendary realm. Reaching that level grants the ability to break through the void and ascend. Is anyone actually capable of doing that now?"
Lu Yuan was very curious about this.
"It's impossible. Unless someone can unify the continent and connect the bridge between heaven and earth with the complete power of human destiny, no matter how strong they are, they will not be able to ascend."
But for thousands of years, no one has been able to do it.
"This continent has probably been abandoned by the upper realm long ago," Xiao Hua explained.
"How did you know that?" Lu Yuan asked, somewhat curious.
"Of course I know. Every dynasty's palace has records of it, and the princes should all know it. It's not a big secret."
Back when the Great Zhou Dynasty was still in power, that was truly a battle of gods.
Every few years, experts who have broken through the Void Realm ascend to the Upper Realm.
"My Xiao family's ancestor ascended to heaven. We used to be able to keep in touch, but now we've completely lost contact," Xiao Hua said nonchalantly.
These things were too distant for her, almost unreal; all she needed was for Lu Yuan to be by her side.
Lu Yuan nodded and tossed the battle sword in his hand: "How do you bind this to its master?"
"Drip your blood onto it, let it nourish your body, and it will bear your mark. From then on, you will be the master of this knife."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan squeezed out a drop of blood, which landed on his battle blade.
The next moment, a bright light emanated from the blade.
Then, with a thought from Lu Yuan, it actually transformed into a beam of azure light and entered his body.
Moreover, the weapons, which were originally a bit heavy, became very easy to handle.
"Alright, it's getting late, let's hurry to the Hall of Heroes." After putting away his weapon, Lu Yuan said with a smile.
Xiao Hua nodded, and the two left the treasure vault.
They headed straight for the Hall of Heroes.
As soon as they arrived outside the palace, they saw that it was already brightly lit. Lady Xiao had not yet arrived, but many court officials had already taken their places, accompanied by their families, a scene of bustling activity.
As Lu Yuan entered the main hall, many people turned their attention to him.
Then, everyone bowed in unison and said, "Greetings, Your Highness."
Xiao Hua waved her hand and said, "Rise, all of you."
Then, pulling Lu Yuan along, she began to introduce the ministers in the hall.
Everyone who met Lu Yuan was extremely polite.
He was dazzled by the sight, but also deeply impressed; these were all masters.
Each one of them, if picked out randomly, is above the Divine Origin Realm; I've never seen them before in the Great Yong Dynasty.
But now they're being so polite to him.
Just as they were speaking, a sharp voice rang out: "His Majesty has arrived."
Then, Xiao walked in and sat in the seat at the head of the table.
The officials quickly returned to their seats and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Please sit down, everyone. Today's banquet is to celebrate the return of the King of Qin. Please don't stand on ceremony. Hua'er, A Yuan, come here to me," Madam Xiao said with a smile.
Then, while Lu Yuan was still in a daze, he was pulled by Xiao Hua and walked up to the high platform, where they sat down on either side of Xiao Shi.
At this moment, the Xiao family officially announced Lu Yuan's status to everyone.
Because those who can sit in that place are completely isolated from their subjects.
In an imperial dynasty, only princes received this treatment.
Lu Yuan's ability to go up speaks volumes.
As the banquet began, after a few drinks, everyone became more lively. Today's protagonist was Lu Yuan, and many people kept coming forward to toast him.
Some of his disciples even wanted to befriend him.
I guess they came here with a mission.
In addition, the northern barbarians are known for their uninhibited nature and love of wine.
Therefore, Lu Yuan was destined to drink a lot.
What they didn't know was that Lu Yuan had a powerful physique, and every organ in his body had already been imbued with spiritual energy.
Let alone a few jars of wine, even a whole lake, he could drink it all as long as his stomach could hold it.
Xiao Hua sat opposite her, a hint of worry involuntarily showing in her eyes.
After all, this is no ordinary wine, but a special red ginseng liquor unique to the Northern Barbarians. Although it is very beneficial to cultivation, it is also really intoxicating.
Even experts can't avoid getting drunk after drinking.
It is said that even masters of the Dharma Formation could not withstand it.
However, Lu Yuan didn't care at all and just kept drinking the jars.
As night fell, even the Xiao family and the old ministers of the Northern Barbarians couldn't help but cast curious glances their way.
Clearly, no one expected Lu Yuan to be such a heavy drinker.
Because almost all the young people in the room have been drunk by him.
For a moment, the way people looked at Lu Yuan changed.
The northern barbarians love alcohol, and they believe that those who can drink are teachable.
Someone like Lu Yuan is truly someone I can befriend.
At this moment, the other party stood up and began to toast the veteran officials in the room.
The banquet didn't end until it had gone around to the next round.
After everyone left.
Xiao looked at Lu Yuan with a half-smile and said, "You drank all that wine? Did you use some kind of trick?"
"Of course I drank it all. My constitution is a bit special; I've never been drunk before," Lu Yuan said, patting his stomach.
"Well, I didn't expect that you would get to know all these officials today. You'll inevitably have to deal with them in the capital in the future."
Go back and rest for a few days. After a while, it will probably be time to go on the expedition.
"I'm available anytime," Lu Yuan said nonchalantly.
After bidding farewell to Madam Xiao and her daughter, he left the palace and returned to his own residence.
As soon as they entered, guards followed them until they reached the inner courtyard.
After being relieved by more than ten maids, she returned to her own courtyard.
The hot water is ready.
Butler Cai Chong was reporting from outside.
While taking a bath, Lu Yuan listened to Cai Chong say, "Your Highness, the spirit stone mine bestowed by His Majesty has been completely handed over this afternoon. The monthly output is 10,000 spirit stones, but half of them will be handed over to the court as tax revenue."
All ten pastures are large, each with tens of thousands of horses, and the annual income is approximately ten million taels of silver.
These figures left Lu Yuan speechless.
There are quite a lot.
"What's the ratio of spirit stones to silver?" Lu Yuan was a little curious, since he didn't have much of a concept of spirit stones and had never had any contact with them before. If he hadn't gotten some after killing Prince Lie's men last time, he really wouldn't have known that such things existed.
These are all high-end items played with by upper-class people.
"Your Highness, one spirit stone should be able to be exchanged for 100,000 taels of silver, but generally no one would do that. Firstly, ordinary people can't afford it, and secondly, it's a cultivation resource that only the upper class uses, so no one would exchange it for silver."
"I'll only use it for my own cultivation, or to buy some useful cultivation resources," Cai Chong explained.
This time, Lu Yuan truly realized just how powerful an imperial court was. The hundreds of thousands of people in Tianwang Village worked themselves to the bone, yet they couldn't earn as much as he did in a month.
The main problem is that these spirit stones are just too valuable.
However, he couldn't very well sell it, since exchanging it for silver was hardly worthwhile, and it wouldn't be shameful either.
After thinking about this, he asked, "Can the Prince's Mansion develop businesses outside?"
"Of course it is possible. Although nobles use spirit stones, servants and guards are short of money. Therefore, many adults start their own businesses. As long as they do not exploit the people or force them to buy and sell, no one will care."
"But Your Highness need not worry. After our manor was rebuilt, His Majesty specially approved a sum of money, amounting to tens of millions of taels, which has already been deposited into the manor's internal treasury."
After Cai Chong finished speaking, he glanced at Lu Yuan and said softly again, "His Majesty really dotes on the Prince, and the court's finances are very tight right now."
The border troops and the imperial guards are being paid out like water, and His Majesty is worried about their pay every day. I've heard that even the Crown Princess is scrimping and saving, yet he still managed to allocate ten million taels to you. It's clear that His Majesty truly considers you family.
A bitter smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face.
In that case, he would feel even more guilty about spending the money.
It seems that not only should we go to the battlefield, but we also need to earn money as soon as possible.
Otherwise, the expenses of his enormous royal residence would all fall into the hands of the imperial palace.
Although the Xiao mother and daughter wouldn't say anything, he couldn't do that.
"Let's go out and take a look after some time," Lu Yuan thought to himself, and then gestured for Cai Chong to leave.
He himself began to comprehend military formations once again.
Over the next few days, Lu Yuan was very busy, not only having to accept banquets from the Northern Barbarian court officials, but also having to look for suitable business opportunities.
After all, many of the profitable businesses in the Northern Barbarian lands have already been taken over. Although some court officials are willing to share their profits, Lu Yuan doesn't want to owe them this favor.
He planned to start his own business, which could not only cover the expenses of the Prince's Palace.
It can also help the Xiao family.
Now that the other party is treating him like family, he should do his part for the Northern Barbarian court.
As for his mother, Madam Lu, Lu Yuan planned to bring her over after the battle at Guhe Pass was over.
From now on, I can rest assured.
On this day, he had just finished eating and stepped out of the courtyard when he heard a series of intermittent sounds. It was the servants in the mansion chatting.
"Hey, have you heard? Dingsheng Pavilion is holding an auction today, auctioning off a fragment of a third-grade cultivation technique. Not only our Northern Barbarians, but also many wealthy merchants from Dayong and Dayu have come."
"I'm just waiting to buy this manual."
"Tsk tsk, this isn't cheap, it must cost a lot of money."
"The cultivation technique, what do you think?"
......
Hearing his servant say this, he seemed to have an idea to make money, and it might have a very big impact on the Northern Barbarians.
Thinking of this, he said to the guard beside him, "Bring Cai Chong here."
After saying that, he went to the pavilion.
At the same time, someone was sent to find Wei Yong and Zhang He.
A short while later, Cai Chong arrived at the inner courtyard.
Wei Yong and Zhang He also came over.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan, the three of them first bowed.
"No need for formalities, I've called you here today to give you some important instructions," Lu Yuan said.
He looked at Cai Chong and asked, "Are there large open spaces in the imperial city?"
"Yes, that area in the south of the city was originally just enclosed within the imperial city, but due to population and development issues, not many people lived there; it was a sparsely populated area."
"Yes, that area in the south of the city was originally just enclosed within the imperial city, but due to population and development issues, not many people lived there; it was a sparsely populated area."
Ordinary people can't move in, and those who can afford it don't want to live in the southern part of the city, so it's a bit of an awkward situation.
The imperial court has been trying to find a solution, but they can't force people to move here, so a lot of space has become vacant in the southern part of the city. It's not that there are no people, but compared to other areas, there are far fewer.
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.
He seemed to have seized a great opportunity. He knew how big the capital was; the southern part of the city alone could easily house hundreds of millions of people.
Thinking of this, he turned to Cai Chong and asked, "If I approve 30 million taels of silver for you, how much land can you buy in the southern part of the city?"
"Thirty million taels is enough to buy more than three thousand acres of land," Cai Chong said hurriedly.
Although land in the southern part of the city is not valuable compared to other districts, if it were actually put up for sale, even undeveloped land would cost tens of thousands of taels of silver per mu.
It's incredibly expensive; many people wouldn't even dare to dream of owning one.
Lu Yuan said softly, "I'll approve 40 million taels of silver for you. Go and buy 4,000 mu of land, find more craftsmen to build houses, and build small courtyard houses at a rate of one courtyard per mu."
First, build two thousand such courtyards.
"Give me a quarter of the land to build an academy, and the remaining quarter to build a larger residence, garden, training ground, and practice rooms—make sure everything is in order." Although Cai Chong was surprised and didn't know what Lu Yuan was planning, he still dared not be negligent.
He quickly bowed and said, "Yes, sir!"
Now that he is a member of the Prince's mansion, he only obeys Lu Yuan's orders.
This is how one survives as a servant.
After he stepped down...
Lu Yuan glanced at Wei Yong and Zhang He.
Then he smiled and said, "You've all been so bored lately, haven't you? I'll give you guys something to do."
After he finished speaking, he took out two booklets.
"Wei Yong, Lao Huang is going to accompany me to Guhe Pass. You and Zhang He stay in the capital. This cultivation technique is called 'Hun Yuan Jin Zhong Zhang'. It is a third-grade technique. Take it back and practice it first."
After returning, I sent a telepathic message to Wu Han, asking him to find a hundred old brothers at the Refining Realm. Just the hundred-man team that had been with me when I was in the village would do.
After arriving, I became familiar with this technique.
At least I can teach it to others later.
Lu Yuan's words excited Wei Yong. A third-grade cultivation technique! This was something that even military families treasured, and Lu Yuan had just taken it out like that.
Then, Lu Yuan turned to Zhang He and said, "You should practice swordsmanship. This is a fourth-grade technique called 'Spring and Autumn Sword Technique.' It also recruits a group of loyal old brothers to practice it."
My only requirement is that they pass on these skills after returning from the battlefield.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
The two immediately responded.
Lu Yuan waved his hand, signaling them to step back.
His idea was simple: since so many wealthy merchants wanted their offspring to cultivate but lacked the necessary techniques, he would create a complete cultivation method for them.
These things may be precious to others, but he has a system that can be continuously upgraded, so he can teach others the cultivation techniques that he didn't use before.
Anyone who buys his house will be qualified to practice in the academy and will be taught techniques by a teacher.
In that case, the prices of these houses will be quite high.
Moreover, he will be the first master of this academy.
Not only can you earn money, but you can also attract a large number of talented people.
After all, these houses will be priced very high, and those who can afford to buy them here must be very wealthy.
In the early stages, there will be no shortage of cultivation resources.
They will all become his students.
No matter what, there is a teacher-student relationship involved.
It is much more stable than a typical superior-subordinate relationship.
Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Lu Yuan's lips.
Once the entire southern city is developed, there will be no shortage of money in the future.
Moreover, he wasn't afraid that others would learn it. Firstly, no one would have so many techniques, and secondly, no one in any dynasty, except the royal family, would dare to do so.
If someone actually did it, who could match the advanced level of their own cultivation technique?
As far as he knew, even among the several dynasties, the strongest cultivation technique was only a seventh-grade technique.
It's something used by the royal family to suppress their fortune.
Who would be willing to take it out?
However, Lu Yuan was willing to give up any technique as long as it advanced to the eighth rank. He would throw out a seventh-rank technique as long as it gave his students a glimmer of hope that they could cultivate.
This will attract talented people from all over the world.
Which power would dare to do this? Even if they were envious, they could only watch from the sidelines.
Once the academy is fully established, that will be the time when Lu Yuan becomes famous throughout the world.
Then, Lu Yuan returned to his room.
More than ten days have passed, and my army should be able to advance to the next level.
He's going to give it a try.