Chapter 1511: A Once in 150 Years Event

You Rongzhi quickly said, "Even with his extraordinary abilities, he still depends on a powerful figure like you, otherwise he would be nothing."

This wasn't entirely flattery. He Xiao was a foreign merchant with no power or money in the State of Yao. The fact that he could amass such a vast fortune in just one month was entirely due to the King of Yao's authority.

The King of Yao grunted and murmured, "Nothing at all."

The old palace attendant, Qiu Long, stood behind him, knowing that the monarch was feeling somewhat displeased.

He Xiao indeed relied on the monarch; otherwise, Qingyang would have easily crushed him.

Officials paid money to demonstrate their loyalty to the King, and the King would have to properly reward them later. Yet, He Xiao took 40% of every single payment!

Forty percent!

The monarch didn't mind him making a small profit, but forty percent of that colossal sum of three billion was an astonishing figure.

The palace renovations over the past two years hadn't even cost that much.

Qiu Long whispered, "He Xiao is a clever man; perhaps he will come to report to you tomorrow."

If He Xiao didn't understand the joy of sharing, then he wasn't smart enough.

Perhaps the monarch was right; this fellow was too greedy.

"You Rongzhi," the King of Yao said, "some of the millions of taels he earned is your money. You must supervise him to ensure the Tranquil Lake Villa is built properly and that he doesn't play any tricks or run off."

"Yes," You Rongzhi replied, knowing the matter was significant, and accepted the task.

After he bowed out, the King of Yao stood up and paced a few times, then instinctively looked towards Jade Spring Palace.

This was a habit formed over many years. Only as he turned did he remember that the old pear tree was gone.

Damn it!

"Why has Supervising Regent Qingyang made no moves in the past few days?"

The old palace attendant carefully replied, "Indeed, none. The Regent has been living in seclusion at the Tranquil Lake Retreat recently, but her subordinates have been active in Tianshui City."

"Who have they contacted?"

"Some have gone to the homes of princes and ministers, some frequently visit the temples, and some go in and out of the marketplace to buy food and supplies."

The King of Yao rubbed his temples. The implication was that no useful intelligence had been gathered, as Supervising Regent Qingyang couldn't truly be cultivating her mind and character at the Tranquil Lake Retreat indefinitely.

She must be secretly plotting something.

"Speaking of which, He Xiao's actions in Tianshui City have exceeded my original plan." The King of Yao had summoned He Xiao to the State of Yao primarily because of Qingyang.

Of course, he didn't think He Xiao could do anything substantial to Qingyang. However, the idea of the Tranquil Lake Villa forced the officials to take sides and immediately suppressed the arrogance Qingyang had accumulated.

The oppressive influence of the "Regent" on the entire Yao Royal Court significantly decreased within a few days.

Tianshui City was known for its abundance of talent, surpassing all others in Shining Gold. But why hadn't his capable subordinates and officials come up with such an idea in the past year or so?

Qiu Long bowed. "It is all due to Your Majesty's excellent selection of personnel."

Why would a monarch need to do everything himself? The greatest ability of a ruler is to know how to use people effectively.

The King of Yao smiled. "He Xiao's actions must not exceed the plan any further."

As a pawn, He Xiao was excellent... too excellent.

If a pawn suddenly started making its own decisions and moving on its own, what would the player be for?

The situation was beyond his control, and the King of Yao disliked this feeling.

Tranquil Lake Retreat.

"Palace Mistress."

A soft call came from outside the door, and the lights in the Warm Heart Pavilion lit up.

The red door opened on its own, and Qingyang's calm voice drifted out:

"Come in."

Yuan Xuan entered the Warm Heart Pavilion, seeing Qingyang curled up on the couch, resting her chin on her hand, and gazing up at the bright moon outside the window.

On a small table lay the pink teacup.

After Heyang's death, Yuan Xuan was promoted, taking on the important role of the Azure Guard's Left Commander.

Qingyang didn't turn her head. "Is the Red Fortress auction over?"

"It's over. All the residences He brought out tonight were snatched up," Yuan Xuan reported, not daring to keep her in suspense. "The last one was auctioned for 120,000 taels."

"That's quite something. A muddy piece of land sold for millions of taels of silver. I underestimated him before." Qingyang smiled faintly. "But if he's truly clever, he should know that these millions of taels, even if earned, are pointless, as he won't be able to keep them."

Yuan Xuan replied, "Indeed."

Qingyang glanced at him. If Heyang were still here, he wouldn't beat around the bush; he'd immediately ask why.

She had been involved in scheming and intrigue her entire life, so she didn't want the people around her to be devious or have hidden agendas.

Sigh, what a pity.

"Why do you think that is?"

Yuan Xuan thought for a moment. "Does wealth stir people's hearts?"

"His previous moves were well-executed," Qingyang said slowly, "but if he truly understood human nature, he should have first understood the King of Yao's temperament. Working for someone like the King of Yao, hah, be careful of being discarded once your usefulness is over."

"Indeed!" "So the Palace Mistress hasn't made a move recently, precisely to wait for a natural estrangement between the King of Yao and He Xiao?"

But then again, the surveillance on the Tranquil Lake Retreat and the Palace Mistress's subordinates was as strict as ever.

Qingyang asked him, "Is there anything else?"

"A message from Red Lodge," Yuan Xuan reported. "They plan to come to Tianshui City."

"Dawdling!" Qingyang frowned. "The King of Yao's birthday celebration is over, and Tianshui City is no longer under full lockdown, which is a good opportunity for them."

"Yes."

Just then, the golden bell on Qingyang's wrist suddenly stirred, ringing on its own without any wind.

Her expression changed, and she immediately ordered Yuan Xuan to withdraw.

Afterward, she personally closed the doors and windows, placed a statue on the long table against the wall, and lit several incense sticks.

The smoke floating in mid-air stilled and coalesced into a blurred face.

"True Lord Tongming."

"In just over three months, the Imperial Nectar will greatly surge!" True Lord Tongming didn't bother with pleasantries.

"I just heard about it too." Qingyang stood with her hands behind her back. "A conflict in the Divine Realm resulted in the fall of one True God, nine Lesser Gods, and forty-seven Subordinate Gods. Over eight hundred divine commoners without deity ranks also died."

There were only thirty-six True Gods in total, so the fall of one was a major event that shook the Divine Realm.

"This is the most severe conflict in 150 years, all for a few Dragon-Punishing Pillars!" True Lord Tongming continued, "There are only 3,600 Subordinate Gods in the Divine Realm, and even fewer Lesser Gods, just 128. And this time, seven percent of them died. Regardless of which factions suffered losses, it's a loss the Divine Realm cannot bear!"

Qingyang remained expressionless.

This meant that the Imperial Nectar, which would descend upon the world in just over three months, would be the most abundant in 150 years!

What a blessing for the mortal realm.

"So?"

"Revered Sage Lingxu is furious and demands that the spiritual energy between the two realms be rebalanced," True Lord Tongming said. "But over the past year and a half, the nightmare energy in the Shining Gold Plains has been too scarce, and several Principal Gods believe that you have achieved almost nothing in the State of Yao."