Chapter 1677: Qingyang's Guidance

Bai Tan went to see Chief Commissioner Liang, hoping to ask the Sky God to soon bestow blessings upon Tienshui City. However, when Chief Commissioner Liang inquired of the Sky God, the answer given was noncommittal.

Noncommittal meant disapproval.

Bai Tan would not dare to impose upon anyone, much less the Sky God, so he came to Qingyang for advice. This former Grand State Master of Beijia, who had dealt with deities for almost his entire life, was sure to have valuable insights.

Qingyang saw through his intentions at a glance and frankly stated, "At this critical juncture, what made you think of asking the Sky God for blessings?"

The Sky God had played a decisive role in the Yaogong incident. Countless people witnessed the Goddess Fengho manifest, opening the palace gates for Bai Tan, and also saw two Sky Gods descend to battle Yaoguo's guardian beast.

Bai Tan wanted to strike while the iron was hot. If the Sky God agreed to host a blessing ceremony in Tienshui City, it would be an endorsement of him, allowing him to link himself with the Sky God.

As long as he controlled divine grace, in Yaoguo, a nation where everyone worshipped the gods, his overthrow of King Yao's rule and his seizure of political and military power would be legitimate and justified.

However, the Temple was not easily swayed; how could they simply grant his wish?

Bai Tan said awkwardly, "Our uprising was sudden, and Tienshui City is still in fear and unrest. I thought the Sky God's blessings could soothe the fear and trauma of the citizens."

"The Sky God despised King Yao, which is why his rule ended through your hands; the people will also know this," Qingyang pointed out. "But if you want to win the Sky God's approval, your actions are far from sufficient!"

"The South Gate of the palace was opened for you by the manifestation of the Goddess Fengho. The Thousand Illusionist's clones were personally driven away by two Sky Gods. What did you do?" She gave him a cool glance. "You merely personally slit King Yao's throat."

Bai Tan hesitated, wanting to speak but holding back.

He had been working at full capacity on various tasks, both visible and behind the scenes. But Qingyang was right; the key steps of the operation had been cleared by the Sky God and Qingyang themselves.

Perhaps the gift he had just given had an effect, as Qingyang's tone softened. "Some things you've handled quite well. Distributing grain to aid the people and stabilizing prices can indeed calm public sentiment. However, you must eat one bite at a time and do things one step at a time; you are too impatient."

This afternoon, Bai Tan had ordered district and county governments to post peace notices, instructed shops to reopen for business, and grain stores to resume supplying grain, with prices pushed back down to seven wen per catty!

This was astonishingly low.

Although it hadn't fallen back to the floor prices of previous years, compared to the soaring grain prices before the Yaogong incident, this price felt like a godsend.

At the same time, Bai Tan also ordered the county governments to set up porridge kitchens to aid disaster victims and displaced people, stipulating that the porridge should not be watery, and each victim should also receive two steamed buns.

This was the classic carrot after the stick.

After an entire night of bloodshed and chaos in Tienshui City, Bai Tan had to provide some welfare to the common people the next day to appease them properly.

When King Yao was alive, the poor were on the verge of starvation; with Bai Tan in power, everyone had food to eat.

Comparing the two, General Bai was clearly better for the common people, wasn't he?

Moreover, to create the previous grain shortage, he and Qingyang had used a large amount of manpower to frantically buy up autumn grain from the market. Now, he was merely reintroducing this hidden grain back into the market, which was more than enough to supply Tienshui City.

At this moment, Bai Tan appeared very humble. "Please, Regent, instruct me!"

What he wanted to ask was how to gain the Sky God's support.

"In the Shanjing Plains, strength has always been revered; this is a rule even the Sky God respects!" Qingyang said lightly. "Yaoguo has always been the most powerful nation, thus it received the favor of Miaozhantian. King Yao was despised by the Sky God because of his incompetence and mediocrity. If you wish to usher in a new era of prosperity, rivaling Yaoguo's two centuries of glory, then you must prove yourself under the watchful eyes of the gods, prove that you are worthy of the throne!"

To ascend the throne and become king, there was only one path:

Defeat all competitors!

Just like the Shanjing Empire a thousand years ago.

Just like the founding ancestor of Great Yao two centuries ago.

The Sky God would only favor the victor, only support the sole victor.

Qingyang continued, "You have taken Tienshui City, and all of Yaoguo's wealth is now in your hands. Resources and soldiers are abundant, giving you a distinct advantage compared to forces like Chongwu and Luodian. Your starting position is far better than anyone else's."

Others leading an army would worry about where to establish themselves, about provisions, and about paying their soldiers. Bai Tan had none of these troubles!

Bai Tan stood silently for a moment before speaking in a low voice:

"I understand. Thank you, Regent, for enlightening me!"

He truly understood. It wasn't enough that he had killed King Yao and uprooted the royal family; it wasn't enough that he had taken the secret medicine and pledged loyalty to the Sky God.

He had to defeat all his opponents for the Sky God to acknowledge and bless him.

If killing King Yao could effortlessly bring the entire nation into one's grasp, without any struggle or effort, why had no one succeeded in doing so over the past two centuries?

Bai Tan had never dared to underestimate the difficulty of his path, but now he had an excellent start.

Qingyang glanced at the treasure chest on the carriage. Since he had come to her with sincerity, it wouldn't be right for her not to offer some advice. After all, the Secluded Lake Villa was still within Tienshui City, and she was residing on his territory.

One still had to show some courtesy to the local strongman.

"Very well, I will show you a way."

Bai Tan immediately clasped his hands in salute. "I was just waiting for you to say that!"

"You possess a great advantage you are unaware of: 'Divine Grace'."

Bai Tan's expression shifted. "But didn't you just say..."

...that he wouldn't receive aid from the Sky God before sweeping through all opponents?

"Most of the time, the deities are silent and observe impassively, both for you and for your opponents. However," Qingyang said slowly, "the manifestation of Fengho and the descent of the two gods during the attack on Yaogong happened in plain sight; countless people witnessed it firsthand. Since yesterday, the notion that 'the Sky God helped you defeat King Yao' has been spreading rapidly. Now, do you know what to do?"

Upon hearing the last two sentences, Bai Tan's lips curved into a smile. "If I say I am bathed in divine grace, neither the Sky God nor the Temple will object, right?"

Qingyang smiled but said nothing. For such minor matters, the Sky God would not bother to issue a clarification.

While it was true that the Sky God would not reappear to bless Bai Tan, they also wouldn't specifically state that they disapproved of him.

And Bai Tan had indeed received divine assistance yesterday — no, not "as if," but truly!

To the common people, to the vast number of believers in the Sky God, and even to most of Yaoguo, he was the chosen one!

If even the Sky God had chosen him, what reason would the populace have not to revere and love him?

Bai Tan understood, but still had one concern. "Will the Sky God not bless others?"

"Rest assured," Qingyang's words carried a deeper meaning, "They treat everyone equally."

The Sky God would not bless Bai Tan again, and similarly, the Sky God would not bless anyone else.

From now on, only the victor would catch their eye!

Bai Tan was overjoyed, a great weight lifted from his mind.

By this reckoning, his chances of victory were high. He had seized most of Yaoguo's resources and could also usurp divine grace to bolster his position.

The dual advantages of favorable geography and popular support were now on his side.

Having heard what he wanted to hear, Bai Tan no longer lingered and promptly bowed in farewell.

Qingyang smiled. "I am injured, so I won't see you to the door. Yuan Xuan, please escort General Bai for me."

Before turning, Bai Tan cast one more glance at Qingyang.

At this moment, he truly regretted his miscalculation on the night of the incident—that he hadn't kept Qingyang within the city.

After the Yaogong incident, she immediately moved back to Secluded Lake Villa on the pretext of recuperating, becoming a hands-off manager. This was her relinquishing power, leaving the vast Tienshui City for Bai Tan to manage and operate freely.

When she declared she wouldn't interfere, Bai Tan was initially somewhat pleased and even triumphant, as Qingyang and King Yao had been vying for power for over half a year. But once he truly consolidated power, he realized something was amiss.

Qingyang seemed to have returned to her former detached status, observing his frantic struggles with folded arms. In reality, her status had not diminished in the slightest.

This was because Bai Tan's power was seized, his claim to the throne illegitimate!

Yaoguo's dynasty had lasted nearly two hundred years, a rare longevity in the Shanjing Plains, and the people's identification with it far surpassed that of the common folk in Shanjing. Bai Tan's regicide would make it difficult to win the people's hearts.

In his youth, he had studied in Lingxu City and read many historical texts, knowing that in a national upheaval, the one who rebels and commits regicide is often not the ultimate victor.

What Bai Tan desperately wanted to avoid was doing the dirty work for others, overthrowing Yaoguo for someone else's benefit, only to fail to reap the fruits of victory himself.

However, the more chaotic the nation's situation became, the more transcendent Qingyang's position grew.

She represented the will of the Great Beijia Empire and could maintain good communication with the Sky God.

This meant that any faction wanting to collude with Beijia or gain the Sky God's recognition would have to seek her out.

She would become the central hub for communication among all parties.

Not to mention distant matters, if Bai Tan wanted to speak with Chongwu, wouldn't he have to ask her to arrange it?

This was the power Qingyang had reclaimed!

Seemingly not striving or competing, she was, in fact, controlling everyone.

The old Palace Master, firmly seated in the top position as Beijia's Grand State Master, was not senile in the least. Only those who directly confronted her could truly appreciate the pressure Bai Tan felt.

Bai Tan's steps as he departed were still somewhat heavy.

Indeed, as Qingyang had said, in the Shanjing Plains, strength was revered. To ascend the throne, he inherently had to defeat challengers.

Not one, not two, but all of them!

Respect and recognition had to be earned through strength.

"Come in," Qingyang said, her mood good as she toyed with the newly acquired Huangtian Staff after watching him leave. "Make me a fragrant tea with rose and cinnamon."

The moon was bright that night; there was no need for lanterns along the way, as the reflected light from the ice and snow illuminated the path.

However, on the way to Secluded Lake Villa, Bai Ziqi and his group encountered bandits.

These were displaced people who had fled the city.

Robberies occurring in the suburbs of Tienshui City were unimaginable before, but now no one was managing the situation.

When Bai Ziqi arrived, Qingyang had just finished changing her dressing and was having a meal.

"Commissioner Bai, you're late," Qingyang invited him to sit with her. "Last night, I brought back two jars of pear blossom wine from King Yao's palace. They say it's twenty-year-old aged wine, with a sweet and refreshing taste. King Yao never even spared any for himself before."

Her tone was amiable and casual, but if Bai Ziqi hadn't just left Tienshui City, he wouldn't have grasped the underlying terror in her words.