Chapter 2114

He asked again: "By the way, did the Island Lord just return from the Shanjin Plains?"

But before he could finish the first five words, a sudden argument erupted two zhang behind him, drowning out the rest of what he was saying.

It turned out that three ship owners had started a quarrel right there on the spot.

Yes, mediation, arbitration, and witness services can also be conducted here.

"Wait here a moment." The steward took the visiting card and documents and walked off toward the back.

He Yue didn't wait long—about twenty or so breaths later—when the man returned:

"Leave your lodging address with us, and we'll notify you if there's any news."

"We're staying at the Glory Inn."

After coming out of the group, He Yue took his guards and strolled around, and the more he walked, the more he marveled at how busy yet orderly this place was.

……

Central Government Office of Suoding Island.

A huge blue-flowered plane tree blocked half of the second floor of the office; looking out from inside, it was as if a curtain of hazy dreams hung before one's eyes.

Fu Shanyue was lying in a recliner on the second-floor corridor, sunlight filtering through the dense blue blossoms and green leaves onto his face, making him so comfortable he was almost falling asleep.

Almost.

At that moment, someone stepped out from inside the house and stood in front of the chair, blocking the light:

"Your Highness, please sign these few documents."

Fu Shanyue didn't even bother to open his eyelids: "Why don't you just sign it? You've practically mastered my signature—nine out of ten times already."

"This one needs to be sent to Lingxu City, that one back to Chiyan State—both require handprints."

Fu Shanyue sighed, opened his eyes halfway, and sat up: "Bring them over."

The person handed over the documents; he glanced at them quickly, signed his name, and pressed his handprint. As for stamping—well, that's Taozi's job.

Seeing him so perfunctorily going through the motions, Taozi pouted and said: "Everyone says Island Lord He is diligent and hardworking—I've heard he does everything himself. Your Highness, dumping all your duties on me like this is really too lazy."

Fu Shanyue laughed: "He Ying is born to toil—he doesn't know how to enjoy blessings, so it serves him right to work himself to death. Besides, doesn't my father have palace attendants who specialize in handling state affairs for him?"

"Then I want a raise." Influenced by him, Taozi also let out a yawn: "The workload is too heavy—the physician said I'm at the prime age for growing taller, so I need more sleep, more food, and more rest to grow properly!"

Taozi is twelve years old now—no longer the bean sprout look she had six years ago. Her eyes are like almonds, her skin fair with a hint of red, her small face truly resembles a peach: plump, soft, and pink, though she's a bit short in stature.

Fu Shanyue just likes to rest his hand on her forehead—it's the perfect height. So she's eager to grow taller.

"Fine, fine—each time you cultivate, I'll give you two more killing pearls."

Fu Shanyue sat back down, placed the book on his face to block the light.

"Just two more? Stingy!" Taozi pouted.

At that moment, someone tiptoed upstairs and placed a basket of letters on Taozi's desk.

"So many again!" Taozi frowned, idly flipping through a couple.

Fu Shanyue's voice came from beneath the book: "Do a good job—after work, I'll take you to drink soy milk stewed with three delicacies, and we'll also have a hot pot on the side. This is the latest trend in coastal Mou State lately."

Before, this little girl was always willing to work hard—never the type to shirk duties or avoid tasks.

Taozi snapped: "I want to eat a golden abalone as big as a washbasin!"

"Fine, fine." Anything that can be settled with money is trivial—Fu Shanyue never worries about such things.

Speaking of which, since he took over the Yangshan Archipelago, even though he had been mentally prepared, he was still startled by the island group's booming commerce and enormous traffic.

This truly is a golden goose that lays eggs—the wealth extracted bears no proportion to its size at all!

Before King Fushanlie of Chiyan State returned to his homeland, he had once reviewed the past two years' revenue from the Yangshan Archipelago and sighed deeply, for the income from this single archipelago alone accounted for one-third of Chiyan Yao State's total!

Chiyan State's geographical location is unfavorable, and its national strength and economic power are not outstanding among the many vassal demon states—but after all, it is one-thirteenth of Bei Jia, making it wealthier than the vast majority of countries in the world.

Yet compared to the land area of Chiyan State, the Yangshan Archipelago is like a few green beans placed beside Taozi—nowhere near the same scale.

Realizing this, He Yue came to appreciate He Lingchuan even more. The man was willing to give him such a feng shui treasure land, and even left the original management team in place, so that when He Yue took over the islands, he wouldn't be overwhelmed.

But in fact, the Yangshan Archipelago and the Shanjin Plains were only able to overcome their previous difficulties by relying on Chiyan State's takeover. Otherwise, the Yangshan Archipelago would have been caught between Bei Jia's suppression and embargo on one side and Mou State's invasion on the other—facing enormous threats in both commerce and security, which would have also disrupted foreign trade and diplomacy on the Shanjin Plains.

At present, no power exists that can remain unscathed under the pincer attack of the two great powers of the age.

Thus, the mindset of the Yangshan people is also very peaceful. During the handover period, the archipelago operated smoothly, with hardly any incidents.

After Chiyan State took over the Yangshan Archipelago, Bei Jia swiftly lifted its ban on the islands; Mou State temporarily also had no plans to invade.

With the two great mountains weighing on them lifted, Yangshan revived its former prosperity, and the documents piled up on Taozi's desk grew higher and higher.

She yawned again, idly picking up a visiting card and glancing at it twice.

Having assisted the Crown Prince in handling official duties, she had trained her eye-speed—ordinary documents only need two glances to grasp the gist, enough to decide whether to toss them in the trash or send them to the Prince.

This visiting card was delivered by an envoy from Shen State, claiming to have come at the Island Lord's invitation.

Shen State? She had processed so many documents, yet this was the first time she'd seen the name "Shen State" appear.

"Your Highness, did you invite people from Shen State to visit?"

"Of course……" Fu Shanyue said lazily, "No. I've been here this long—how could you not know whom I've invited?"

"That's true." Taozi tossed the visiting card into the trash can at her feet: "This envoy even shares the same surname as Island Lord He."

The number of people seeking audience with the Island Lord each day is unknown. If there's no earth-shattering matter, Fu Shanyue simply ignores them.

Is the Island Lord someone whom any random cat or dog can see?

The envoy from Shen State, surnamed He?

Fu Shanyue's drowsy mind was suddenly jolted by these two keywords—he lowered the book: "Huh? Surname He? He Ying's He?"

"Yes."

"Wait—is Shen State just the former Yan State?"

"Yes, Your Highness, you actually still remember this neighboring state!"

Taozi's exaggerated tone and expression earned her a white-eye from Fu Shanyue.

When the Kite Kingdom fell, although he was practicing cultivation in the Yangshan Archipelago, he regularly obtained the latest intelligence from Chiyan. The Kite Kingdom was right next to Beijia, and its dynastic change was summarized in a single sentence in the intelligence received by Seeing Fushan Yue:

He Chunhua destroyed the Kite Kingdom, established the Shen Kingdom, and proclaimed himself king.

Seeing Fushan Yue remembered this sentence so vividly because He Chunhua was none other than He Xiong's father!

Yes, He Lingchuan's origins were known to the Heavenly Gods, known to Lingxu City, and thus He Lingchuan no longer concealed them from Seeing Fushan Yue.

The concealment back then was to protect himself;

The honesty now is because he fears nothing.

With different strength and status, one's state of mind naturally differs as well.