Chapter 1960

The court fell into debate again, just as before.

The Demon Emperor glanced at Nie Xiaolou with a faint look, his face showing no expression, but the reproach in his eyes made the latter lower his head.

He wanted Nie Xiaolou to sing a duet with him, not to tear down the pillar.

"Supporting Qingyang" is something suitable only to be raised in private council meetings, not to be discussed in court; otherwise it would just be this chaotic bickering, indecisive, wasting much time and effort.

If Qingyang still held the post of National Preceptor, such details would not need his concern. Nie Xiaolou is shrewd and loyal, but having just taken office, he has not yet been refined into a seasoned official.

Do these ministers truly worry about the situation on the Jinjin Plains? The Demon Emperor knows full well—no!

Even if He Xiong defeated Qingyang and Bai Tan on the Jinjin Plains, so what?

Even if He Xiong annexed the entire Jinjin Plains, so what?

That is a change ten thousand li away—what does it have to do with Beijia and its people? They still have to argue these matters daily, draw this pittance of salary, and contend with these old rivals.

What threat could a He Xiong hanging in the sky, not yet formed, pose to Beijia?

Conversely, if Beijia struck down He Xiong and removed the threat to the Jinjin Plains, that would merely please the heavens—what benefit would it bring Beijia themselves? It would be all effort for no gain.

They would be better off worrying about practical matters, about domestic affairs—such as why the high walls of Lingxu have been under repair for four or five years and still aren't done, how much longer it will take, and what sort of cat-nap has appeared in the meantime—worthy of impeachment.

Such as who secretly colludes with Mou Guo, sending benefits to the enemy—hm, worth vigilance;

Such as whether the grain fields in the south have again falsified their yield per mu, or which small states have recently reduced their tribute—hm, worth discussion.

In such a great nation, are there not enough vexing matters to fill each day?

Seeing the ministers' discussion drift, the Demon Emperor sighed deeply: "The manpower supporting Qingyang!"

His voice sank with authority, exploding in each person's chest.

The ministers' chaotic debate paused, returning to the proper course.

The Demon Emperor exhaled another mouthful of white vapor. Qingyang absent from court, he often grew vexed facing this pack of treacherous men.

Ah, sometimes I truly wish to spew a draconic breath, freezing these troublemakers into solid ice lumps!

…

Beyond the western border of Yaodi, Pucheng.

This city is the necessary passage in and out of Yaodi; previously, Xuezongwu returned from Gongdi to Yaodu and also passed through here.

After the Yaodi civil war ended, Qingyang left Shuicheng and first met foreign envoys in Pucheng.

Calling them envoys is already giving them too much credit.

In fact, these "envoys" represent the local powers still existing on the Jinjin Plains today; they are survivors of the first phase of the Dragon God War, i. e., the so-called local magnates.

The Dragon God army swept across the Jinjin Plains like a tide, also surging past the edges of their territories, but never entering their domains.

Yet the local magnates could hardly rest easy—everyone knows that the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor launching this grand war would not end hastily.

They are all roadblock tigers, big or small; the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor will not let them go, sooner or later.

The situation is perilous, the local magnates anxious, and the Heavenly Palace Guardians timely threw out an olive branch—thus all sides sent envoys to inquire.

The more the Dragon God army seeks to isolate them, the more they wish to communicate with each other, even if originally they had no contact for eight hundred years.

Yuan Xun followed Qingyang into the council hall, looked up at these envoys, and couldn't help muttering:

What a bunch of misshapen melons and rotten dates!

The small states surrounding Beijia, when sending envoys to Lingxu City, are normally dignified and graceful, but among these dozen or so envoys, three have dark skin, three are full of bandit spirit, and two are monsters, their expressions unreadable.

Not even bothering with face-saving—is it unwillingness or lack of thought?

But Yuan Xun knows disdain must not show on his face, for these envoys were invited by Bai Tan and Qingyang!

Qingyang even furrowed not a brow, sitting down directly:

"Time is pressing, we won't waste time on pleasantries—let's get straight to the point. All envoys present, the sovereign remains; in another three or four months, perhaps less than two-tenths will remain."

She clearly knows what sort of people sit opposite her.

Being too gentle would only be seen as weakness—so she simply cuts to the chase, with no intention of beating around the bush.

But as soon as she spoke, her alarming words made all envoys' faces darken—what ill omen!

These envoys and representatives are the confidants or kin of all sides; if such a blunt threat came from another's mouth, they would surely slam the table: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

But the other party is the earthly mouthpiece of the Heavenly Gods, the so-called "Heavenly Palace Guardians."

These local magnates are not from the wilderness, nor have they long wallowed in their own three-fen plot of land—occasionally a few receive protection from minor or wild gods, becoming so pleased that snot bubbles seem to rise, strutting about showing off their might.

What weight does the Heavenly Palace carry?

Beijia must bow low and listen closely to the Heavenly Palace;

Former Yaoguo must bow low and listen closely to Beijia;

These small powers on the Jinjin Plains must bow low and listen closely to former Yaoguo.

Thus the Heavenly Palace is like a star—high in the heavens, unreachable. Now starlight suddenly shines upon them, they feel a bit dazed, so everyone looks at each other, and surprisingly no one jumps up to protest.

Then one envoy stood up: "Qingyang Guardian summoned us—shouldn't it be for more than just fortune-telling?"

"I have no such leisure, and the Heavenly Palace has no such leisure either!" Qingyang sat with dignified composure, not angry yet authoritative, "I invited you all to devise a path of survival for your sovereigns!"

With one sentence, she tested these powers' attitude toward her, and smirked inwardly.

"Please elaborate."

Qingyang countered: "The wind of the reborn Dragon God has swept across the Jinjin Plains—how do your lords behind you view it? What plans do you have?"

The envoys exchanged glances, and two said: "This Dragon God is fake, isn't it? We don't believe it."

"Of course it's fake." Yuan Xun stood behind Qingyang, hands behind his back, face full of disdain, "Just a common fellow deceiving the world and stealing fame, borrowing the Dragon God's authority to seek private gain!"

"But the place where the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor dwells indeed has a black jade dragon totem appearing." Another said, "This time it endures, not vanishing after three days as before."

Other envoys wondered: "Really?"

"Indeed. My nephew, stationed in Baidi's Bai Ta town, personally saw it—from his arrival until finishing his duties and departing, over seven or eight days, that black dragon mark remained on the gray wall behind the office, never fading."

Qingyang's eyes twitched slightly. This was a new development—interesting.

The way of heaven is constant. As the former State Preceptor of Bekia, she knew very well that the laws between heaven and earth had always been changing slowly, but in recent years it seemed to have noticeably accelerated.