Chapter 531 - 457: The Lobbyist

Chapter 531: Chapter 457: The Lobbyist

「Three more days passed.」

Men from the Northern Plains returned to Ling Province, bringing news with them.

"The Celestial Heart Sect has been completely taken over by the Demon Seed. The Soul-Chasing Tower has moved north, the Sect Master of the Demon Sect remains in seclusion, and the southern Northern Plains are now entirely under the Demon Seed’s control."

Bai Yuan’s brow furrowed slightly as he listened to the spy’s report.

The situation was even trickier than he had imagined.

At this point, it didn’t matter whether the Demon Seed was real or fake.

As long as the Celestial Heart Sect acknowledged it, then even if it was fake, it would eventually become real.

Based on his understanding of the Northern Plains from his previous trip, the region was practically leaderless because of Mr. Yuan. If the Celestial Heart Sect made a move now, while the other factions continued to honor their promises of seclusion, it wouldn’t be long before they posed a massive threat to the Northern Territory.

’When did the Celestial Heart Sect become so docile?’

Bai Yuan had dealt with the Celestial Heart Sect on numerous occasions and knew all too well how unruly the organization—a mix of humans and demons—was.

To think they were unknowingly brought under the Demon Seed’s command.

He wondered just what kind of demonic charm the Demon Seed possessed.

Han Jiu was also frowning deeply.

Over eighty percent of the Cao Bang’s business in the Northern Plains was in the southern part. Now that the south was controlled by that Demon Seed, doing business there would be exceedingly difficult.

"I just can’t accept this."

Han Jiu let out a long sigh.

He knew the situation was beyond saving; the Cao Bang was no match for a behemoth like the Celestial Heart Sect.

Perhaps the Northern Territory could contend with them.

But how could Bai Yuan start a war just for the sake of business? War was a bottomless pit, a clear money-losing proposition.

Han Jiu stood up.

"Lord Bai, if there’s any chance for the caravan situation to improve, please let me know."

Bai Yuan nodded.

The current situation was indeed no longer suitable for business.

In any era, the primary condition for doing business had to be stability. Otherwise, any goods transported would only end up lining someone else’s pockets.

He watched Han Jiu leave.

He was lost in thought.

’The caravan income is cut off now, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to make money.’

"Spread the news about the Demon Seed. Let the whole world know."

he said to Yang Fangyu.

Yang Fangyu nodded. Although he didn’t understand why Bai Yuan wanted to do this, he was sure there must be a deeper meaning behind it.

...

Soon, news of the Demon Seed spread throughout Xuan Yang.

「The Zhenyuan National Capital.」

This was the provisional capital Li Kang had declared to the outside world after proclaiming himself emperor.

The official capital was, of course, the Capital City.

Since the two Princes had successively proclaimed themselves emperor, the common people, for the sake of convenience, had simply taken to calling them Emperor Zhenyuan and Emperor Tianyu.

At this moment, Emperor Zhenyuan, Li Kang, sat on the Dragon Throne, looking down at his assembled court officials.

"My loyal ministers, what are your thoughts on the matter of the Northern Demon Sect?"

The matter of the Demon Seed was now causing a great stir throughout Xuan Yang, and panic was spreading through the Central Plains where his domain lay. Compared to Emperor Tianyu and the rebel army, he was the closest to the Northern Territory.

If the Demon Sect were to march south again, the territory of the Zhenyuan nation would be the first to suffer.

As the ruler of a nation, Li Kang naturally had to plan ahead.

"Why not send an envoy to negotiate?"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhou Xianhai, stepped forward.

After siding with Li Kang, this veteran Minister of the Ministry of Rites had retained his post as Minister—neither a promotion nor a demotion.

The old Minister had no complaints about this.

After all, with the head of all officials, Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang, above him, he didn’t expect to advance any further to the rank of the Three Ducal Ministers.

Without reaching the transcendent realm, one simply wasn’t qualified.

Li Kang nodded. "What Zhou Aiqing says is reasonable."

The other court officials all nodded one after another.

The chaos caused by the Demon Sect had only ended a few years ago. They had all experienced it firsthand and knew all too well how powerful the Demon Sect was.

They had no desire to be backstabbed by the Demon Sect while fighting a major war against the Celestial Universe Dynasty and the rebel army.

Li Kang swept his gaze over the crowd once more.

"Do any of my loyal ministers have other suggestions?"

Since becoming emperor, his majesty had grown day by day, making him seem more and more like a true emperor.

A silence fell over the court.

Then, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Situ Nan, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, perhaps we can use the strength of the Northern Territory to resist the Demon Sect. It would be no issue to offer them some silver coins."

Everyone turned in unison to look at the former Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

If one were to name the most successful man in the Zhenyuan Dynasty, it would have to be Situ Nan.

He was the earliest to pledge allegiance to Li Kang. He then broke through to become a Mingxin Grandmaster and was appointed the critically important Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. His status as one of the Six Celestial Ministers was beyond doubt.

He had even surpassed veteran ministers like Zhou Xianhai.

Moreover, Situ Nan’s temperament had changed drastically since he became the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

He was no longer the gentle and refined man he once was. He had even led troops on multiple occasions to suppress the rebel army’s uprisings in the west, making him one of the few in the Zhenyuan Dynasty involved in both civil and military affairs.

Li Kang’s expression showed his interest.

"Situ Aiqing, continue."

Even when he was still a Prince, he had a good relationship with Situ Nan.

Now that he was emperor, his reliance on Situ Nan had only grown.

Only after becoming emperor did Li Kang understand the weight of the title. Others only saw the glamorous side, unaware of an emperor’s difficulties. This was especially true for an emperor like him, who could be coerced and marginalized by his own officials at the slightest misstep, becoming a mere figurehead.

Therefore, he had to cultivate his own confidants.

Grand Tutor Liang Yuan Kang was too lofty a figure.

He actually stood for the principles of the Confucian Family, so Li Kang had settled for the next best option: he chose Situ Nan and secretly helped him build up his power.

It was precisely because of Li Kang’s tacit permission that Situ Nan’s influence was able to span both the civil and military branches of government.

Situ Nan slowly walked forward.

He no longer had the appearance of a dashing young gentleman. Having grown a beard, he seemed much more composed.

He began to speak slowly.

"Shuofang Jiedu Envoy Bai Yuan has a powerful army that hasn’t seen much combat. Since he is entrenched in the Northern Territory, why not send an envoy to Shuofang to negotiate? We could have him defend our borders on our behalf. Offering him some fame and fortune wouldn’t be an issue."