Chapter 1960: Open and Direct

The court once again descended into debate, as it had before.

The Demon Emperor gave Nie Xiaolou a long, unreadable look. Though her face was expressionless, the reproach in her eyes made Nie Xiaolou lower his head. She had intended Nie Xiaolou to play along with her, not to derail her plans.

The matter of "aiding Qingyang" was only suitable for discussion in a smaller council, not for a full court assembly. Otherwise, it would lead to chaotic, indecisive chatter, wasting much time and energy. If Qingyang were still the Imperial Advisor, the Emperor wouldn't have to concern herself with such details. While Nie Xiaolou was intelligent and loyal, he had only recently taken up his post and hadn't yet become a seasoned political operator.

Would these court officials truly be anxious about the situation in the Blinking Gold Plain? The Demon Emperor knew perfectly well they wouldn't! What if He Xiao defeated Qingyang and Baitan in Blinking Gold? What if He Xiao even annexed the entire Blinking Gold? That was a distant conflict, thousands of miles away. What did it have to do with Beijia, or its citizens? They still had to argue over daily issues, collect their meager salaries, and contend with their long-standing rivals. What threat could a remote, insignificant He Xiao pose to Beijia? Conversely, even if Beijia eliminated He Xiao and removed the threat from the Blinking Gold Plain, it would only please the Heavenly Gods. What benefit would it bring to Beijia itself? It would be a lot of effort for no tangible reward.

They would be better off concerning themselves with more practical matters, focusing on domestic affairs. For instance, why had the high walls of Lingxu still not been completed after four or five years, and how much longer would they take? What shady dealings were involved? That would be worthy of impeachment. Or who was secretly colluding with the State of Mou, funneling benefits to the enemy — yes, that was worth vigilance. Or if the grain fields in the south had once again inflated their yield reports, or which minor states had reduced their tributes recently... yes, those were worth discussing. For a nation of this size, were there not enough troubles to deal with every single day?

Seeing the ministers' discussion gradually drift off topic, the Demon Emperor sighed heavily: "Manpower to aid Qingyang!" Her voice was deep and authoritative, resonating in every heart. Only then did the ministers' disorganized discussion cease, returning to its proper course.

The Demon Emperor exhaled a puff of white mist. With Qingyang absent from court, she often found herself irritated when dealing with these cunning individuals. Sigh, sometimes she truly wished she could breathe out dragon's breath and freeze all these troublesome figures into solid blocks of ice!

***

Beyond the western border of the State of Yao, lay Qiucheng. This city was an essential passage for entering and exiting the State of Yao. In the past, Xue Zongwu had also passed through here when returning to Yaodu from Gongdi.

After the chaotic conflict in the State of Yao concluded, Qingyang left Tianshui City and held her first meeting with foreign envoys in Qiucheng. Calling them "foreign envoys" was an overstatement. In reality, these "envoys" represented the local powers still existing on the Blinking Gold Plain. They were survivors of the first phase of the Dragon God War, or what could be called local magnates. The Dragon God Army had swept across the Blinking Gold Plain like a tide, surging past the borders of their territories without actually entering their domains.

But the local magnates naturally couldn't feel at ease. Everyone knew that the Great Emperor Jiuyou, having initiated such a large-scale war, would not conclude it hastily. They were all obstacles, big or small. The Great Emperor Jiuyou would not let them off, sooner or later.

With the situation precarious, and the local magnates feeling uneasy, the Heavenly Palace Protector had timely extended an olive branch. Consequently, all parties dispatched envoys to inquire about the situation. The more the Dragon God Army sought to isolate them, the more they desired to connect with each other, even if they had not interacted for centuries.

Yuan Xuan followed Qingyang into the council hall. Glancing up at the envoys, he couldn't help but mutter to himself: "What a motley crew!" Envoys from smaller states surrounding Beijia, especially those sent to Lingxu City, were always dignified and refined in appearance. However, among the dozen or so envoys present, three had dark skin, three had distinctly thuggish faces, and two were demons whose expressions were unreadable. They hadn't even bothered with appearances. Was it unwillingness or simply a lack of care? But Yuan Xuan knew his disdain could not show on his face, for these envoys had been invited by Baitan and Qingyang!

Qingyang, without even a flicker of an eyebrow, sat straight down: "Time is short, so let's dispense with pleasantries and get straight to the point. Esteemed envoys, your masters are still present today; in three or four months, perhaps less than twenty percent of them will remain." She knew very well what kind of characters sat across from her. Too gentle an attitude would only be perceived as weakness. So, she chose to be blunt and had no intention of beating around the bush.

But her opening remarks were so alarmist that the envoys' faces darkened. How ominous! These envoys and representatives were all confidants or family members of their respective factions. If such a blatant threat had come from anyone else, they would have certainly slammed the table and retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

However, the speaker was the Heavenly Gods' earthly representative, the so-called "Heavenly Palace Protector." These local magnates were either commoners who rose to power, or individuals who had spent their lives entrenched in their small domains. A few, having received patronage from minor or wild gods, would become overly arrogant and flaunt their power everywhere.

What was the standing of the Heavenly Palace? Beijia had to obey the Heavenly Palace absolutely; the former State of Yao had to obey Beijia absolutely; and these minor powers on the Blinking Gold Plain, in turn, had to obey the former State of Yao absolutely. Thus, the Heavenly Palace was like a star, suspended high in the sky, unattainable. Now, its light had suddenly shone upon them, leaving them somewhat dazed. So, everyone looked at each other, and surprisingly, no one jumped up to challenge her.

Then one envoy stood up: "Protector Qingyang, you didn't invite us here just to tell our fortunes, did you?"

"Do I have that much free time? Does the Heavenly Palace have that much free time?" Qingyang said, her posture elegant and her demeanor conveying authority without anger. "I invited you here because I wish to arrange a path to survival for your masters!" With that single statement, she had gauged the attitude of these factions toward her, and a cold sneer formed in her heart.

"We are eager to hear the details."

Qingyang countered, "The talk of the reincarnated Dragon God has swept across Blinking Gold. How do your masters view this, and what are their plans?"

The envoys exchanged glances, and two of them said, "This Dragon God must be fake, right? We don't believe it."

"Of course it's fake," Yuan Xuan, standing behind Qingyang with his hands clasped behind his back, said with a look of disdain. "He's merely a common man deceiving the world for fame and glory, exploiting the Dragon God's prestige for his own selfish gain!"

"But where the Great Emperor Jiuyou is entrenched, a black flood dragon totem has indeed appeared," another person added. "This time, it has remained for a long time, not vanishing after three days."

Other envoys asked curiously, "Is that true?"

"It is true. My nephew saw it with his own eyes in White Tower Town, which belongs to Duocheng. From his arrival until he completed his duties and left, for seven or eight days, the black flood dragon mark remained on the gray wall of the town hall and never disappeared."

Qingyang's gaze subtly shifted. This was indeed a new and interesting development. The ways of heaven are constant. As the former Imperial Advisor of Beijia, she was well aware that the laws between heaven and earth had always been slowly changing, but in recent years, this change seemed to have noticeably accelerated.