...
As the sun rose.
Su Yunying was at the most critical moment of absorbing the essence of the dragon core. Ding Bubuer watched as a phantom of the Mysterious Phoenix appeared behind her, its wings constantly beating, ablaze with flames.
If Shen Zhao hadn't set up an isolation barrier around the dense forest beforehand, this display would have inevitably attracted the covetous attention of countless factions.
The awakening of the Mysterious Phoenix bloodline meant she was destined to be a top-tier genius. No sect would miss such a massive opportunity to take in a young woman with a supreme spiritual vein.
But with opportunity came danger. Some evil cultivators, enemies of the righteous path, would also seek to eliminate such a potential variable.
"Hoo~"
After a long time, Su Yunying exhaled a breath of turbid air.
Ding Bubuer hurriedly called out, "Oh, my lady, you've finally come to your senses! How do you feel?"
Su Yunying felt the changes in her body and smiled faintly, "I haven't completely refined it yet, but I've broken through a major realm, ascending from the third grade of the Qi Gathering Realm to the fourth grade of the Soul Sea. If I have two more days to completely refine the dragon core, I can improve at least one or two minor grades."
"Oh, that's great! My efforts last night weren't in vain."
Hearing this, Ding Bubuer immediately collapsed onto the ground.
"Now that Lord Shen has spoken, I can finally give him an explanation. Otherwise, who knows how he would have tormented me."
Su Yunying, hearing this, realized Shen Zhao wasn't around. "By the way, where's Old Master Shen?"
"He went out to discuss business with someone and should be back soon."
"Hmm? Business?"
Su Yunying was puzzled when she saw Shen Zhao strolling into the dense forest.
"Boss!"
"How do you feel?"
"Well, I've reached the fourth rank of the Soul Sea."
"Only fourth rank?"
"There's still a small portion that hasn't been refined. After complete refinement, I can reach at least the fifth rank."
"Alright, let's find a place to take a bath first. You stink."
Only then did Su Yunying realize her body was covered in grime. It was all impurities discharged from the transformation of the dragon essence into spiritual energy, and the stench was unbearable.
"It's filthy. Where can I clean up?"
"There's a small town ahead. We can find an inn there."
"Okay!"
Su Yunying, with a smile that was as gentle as a young lady, walked towards the town, her hands behind her back and her steps light.
Watching Su Yunying's back as she bathed in the sunlight, Shen Zhao couldn't help but sigh softly and shake his head.
Ding Bubuer suddenly said, "Sir Shen, what are we still doing here? When do we leave?"
Shen Zhao: "I still have some small matters to take care of."
"What matters?"
"Clean up the Guhe Sect?"
"What?"
Ding Bubuer was stunned when he heard this.
"Master Shen, can you stop messing around? This old body of mine really can't take it anymore!"
On the other side, Yu Xiyan, worried about the state of the nation, flew her sword for two consecutive days and finally returned to the Imperial Capital.
However, all along the way, she looked down upon her homeland from the air, and what she saw were starving refugees everywhere, surging towards the Imperial Capital like a tide.
Knowing the situation was urgent, Yu Xiyan convened a court meeting as soon as she returned to the court.
"Your Majesty, floods in the seven southern states of Luzhou, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Yunzhou, Shenzhou, Jiaozhou, and Yanzhou have broken through the dikes, inundating countless farmlands. This has affected tens of millions of people. Please, Your Majesty, rush to provide disaster relief!"
"Your Majesty, the southern disaster victims have become refugees and are heading towards Chang'an. If they are not controlled and managed, they will surely flood into the Imperial Capital."
"Your Majesty, a million refugees have already arrived outside Yunxia Pass, awaiting aid. Friction between the guarding generals and the refugees is constant. There have been cases of robbery and murder in nearby villages and cities. We implore Your Majesty to make a decision on how to manage this situation."
This once-in-a-century natural disaster dealt a heavy blow to the Yin Tian Dynasty and was also a test of whether Yu Xiyan was a qualified ruler.
After listening to the officials' reports, Yu Xiyan turned her head and asked, "Have the officials in the various prefectures and counties along the way opened the granaries to distribute grain?"
Yang Gongyan, the Minister of Revenue, replied, "Your Majesty, officials from the various prefectures and counties have sent urgent reports, stating that the granaries do not have enough surplus grain. Furthermore, refugees are storming government offices, and the situation is about to spiral out of control."
"What!"
Yu Xiyan exclaimed in anger.
"Last month, I investigated the grain reserves in all the prefectures and counties. Weren't you all saying that the granaries were full, enough to feed the people for more than a year? Why are you now saying that the grain reserves are insufficient! Are you trying to deceive me?!"
Yang Gongyan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the officials who participated in the investigation of grain reserves in the prefectures and counties were not from the Ministry of Revenue."
"Minister Yang! How dare you! You manage the Ministry of Revenue of the world, and you're actually pushing this duty onto other officials?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This subject knows that this action does not conform to the rules, but this subject has no choice."
"What do you mean?"
Yang Gongyan glanced at Pang Yi not far away and, summoning his courage, replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, it was Grand Tutor Pang who detained the Ministry of Revenue officials who should have been investigating the grain reserves and replaced them with officials from the Ministry of Personnel."
Yu Xiyan, hearing this, immediately said in a deep voice, "Grand Tutor Pang, is this true?"
Pang Yi slowly walked to the center of the hall and bowed, replying, "Replying to Your Majesty, it was indeed this old subject who replaced the Ministry of Revenue officials."
Yu Xiyan: "Grand Tutor Pang, do you know the penalty for overstepping your authority?"
Pang Yi replied calmly, "This old official is naturally aware. However, before, Your Majesty exceptionally promoted Yang Gongyan to Minister of Revenue, and the entire Ministry of Revenue's officials were replaced.
This old official believes that investigating the matter of grain storage is of utmost importance, so I decided to take on this position. Everything this old official has done is for the sake of the country."
"Well said, for the sake of the country. Grand Tutor Pang, tell me, you reported in your memorial that the granaries in each county were sufficiently stocked, so why are they now insufficient?"
"Your Majesty, the officials sent by this old official would naturally not deceive Your Majesty in the slightest. It's just that Your Majesty is unaware that just half a month ago, this old official received a secret report that the granaries in each county mysteriously caught fire, thus leading to the lack of grain storage."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xiyan's face immediately turned ashen.
"Grand Tutor Pang, the grain storage of seven prefectures and counties collectively caught fire? Is there such a coincidence?"
"This old official has already sent trusted subordinates to investigate, and every word is true."
"Why didn't you report this to me sooner?"
"Official Shangguan said that Your Majesty was in closed-door cultivation and that no one was to disturb you. That's why this old official didn't report it."
"Very well. Have the officials in charge of the granaries in each county been arrested?"
"In response to Your Majesty, the officials in charge of the granaries in each county, knowing they had failed in their duties and could not face Your Majesty, have already committed suicide out of fear of punishment."
Yu Xiyan's exquisitely beautiful face was now terrifyingly grim.
Looking at Pang Yi's confident appearance, she truly wanted to slap him to death.
However, the forces behind Pang Yi were intricate and complex; she couldn't move against him just yet.
Therefore, she suppressed her anger, took a deep breath, and said, "Forget it, let's put this matter aside for now. Let's deal with the disaster victims first. Since the granaries in the southern counties are insufficient, we can only transfer grain from the Imperial Capital and the north to the south to solve the immediate crisis."
"Your Majesty, you cannot!"
Pang Yi suddenly interrupted her.
"Your Majesty, General Who Pacifies the North, Huang Tianhu, has sent a report. The Great Wilderness Barbarian Tribe to the north is eyeing our Yin Tian Dynasty with hostility. Three days ago, they launched a surprise attack on our Yin army camp. Although there were no major losses, they did burn down several storage warehouses.
This old official is planning to transfer grain and supplies from the northern states to replenish the losses, so the northern grain cannot be diverted south for the time being."
Yu Xiyan's gaze flashed with a sharp light upon hearing this.
"Grand Tutor Pang, according to you, is there no way for Me to provide relief to these millions of refugees?"
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. While the refugees are important, the army is the cornerstone of a stable society. Please consider this carefully, Your Majesty."
"Please consider this carefully, Your Majesty!"
As soon as Pang Yi finished speaking, almost all the officials, save for a few, knelt down to echo his words.
Yu Xiyan could easily hear the threat in his words.
However, she hadn't yet secured her position on the throne and couldn't afford to move against these parasites.
If Shen Zhao were here...
Thinking of Shen Zhao, Yu Xiyan clenched her fists.
In her previous life, Shen Zhao had resolved the issues with these family powers, paving the way for her to secure the throne. Who in the entire court would dare to oppose her?
But now, without Shen Zhao, she truly felt the difficulty of the situation.
Facing the aggressive Pang Yi and the others, she could only repeatedly choose to compromise, quietly waiting for the right moment.
At this moment, she realized how agonizing waiting could be.
"Your Majesty, this official has a plan that may alleviate the immediate crisis."
Yang Gongyan suddenly spoke up.
"Speak freely, Minister Yang."
"This official dares to suggest that the officials present should share the burden with Your Majesty and open their private granaries to release grain, thereby providing relief to the people of the world."
The moment these words left his mouth, the hall fell silent.
Yang Gongyan could clearly feel the murderous glares of his colleagues.
Yu Xiyan was also startled. Although the idea was good, she understood that asking these aristocratic families to relinquish their wealth to help the common people was tantamount to placing herself directly in opposition to them. It was simply unfeasible.
To prevent Yang Gongyan from being targeted by the officials, she could only rebuke, "Yang, you may step down. This plan is very inappropriate, how can we..."
"Your Majesty!"
Suddenly, Pang Yi spoke again, "This subject believes that what Yang said is very reasonable. The noble families of the Yin Tian Dynasty should contribute to the world. Now that the people are in trouble, how can they stand idly by?"
Yu Xiyan looked at Pang Yi in disbelief, "Grand Tutor Pang, are you serious?"
Pang Yi smiled, "This old subject receives the emperor's salary and should naturally share the emperor's worries. However, there's something I don't know if I should say."
Yu Xiyan closed her eyes slightly, "Speak."
Pang Yi said, "I wonder if Your Majesty has a suitable candidate for the Empress? In a few months, Your Majesty will be eighteen. According to the rites of the Yin Tian Dynasty, those in the royal family over sixteen should choose consorts and establish an Empress. This ritual cannot be abolished."
Yu Xiyan said, "This matter, I have my own plans, Grand Tutor Pang, no need to mention it."
Pang Yi interrupted her, "The matter of the monarch's marriage is a major national affair. How could this subject not be concerned?"
-----------------------
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