Within the Heavenly Labyrinth Palace, Xiahou Chengyu, who was wandering in the garden, rubbed her belly lovingly. The Netherworld Commander Manor wanted ten thousand broken magic bows, and His Majesty had agreed to it. This was the first time His Majesty had been so obedient to her. She knew that it must be because of the child in her belly. The child in her belly would be her future support.
"Your Highness, the Netherworld Commander Niu Youde has sent a message to thank Your Highness for your kindness." E Mei, who was accompanying her, held the star bell in her hand and reported.
Xiahou Chengyu smiled and nodded. It was good that Niu Youde knew that he was doing her a favor. It was not that he did not want to help Traversing Moon Palace, but he had no other choice.
Who knew that before he was done being happy, E Mei said, "Niu Youde has sent another message saying that the people of the Commander Manor cannot just sit around and do nothing. Furthermore, they have a small number of troops, so they need to train and improve their strength. They are preparing to station troops at the Nether Spring."
Xiahou Chengyu nodded, revealing a satisfied smile as he said, "As expected of someone skilled in battle. The Commander's Office hasn't even been built yet, but he's already brought up the matter of tempering and raising the strength of the army. Look at the other troops in the area, they only know how to seize territory and reap benefits. No wonder Niu Youde publicly declared that he could beat some people into cowards. Niu Youde has not disappointed this Prince!"
Not only did he not disappoint her, he made her very happy. Didn't she want to control a strong army that she could use at any time?
Hearing this, Xiahou Chengyu seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Xiahou Chengyu calmly said, "Tell him that this is his responsibility. As for how to deploy the troops, let him make his own arrangements. There is no need to report to me. I believe that he will do a good job."
E Mei had to remind him, "It's not just to station troops at the Nether Spring. Niu Youde wants to guard the entrance of the Nether Spring and collect taxes."
"Taxes?" Xiahou Chengyu turned around in shock. "Guard the entrance of the Nether Spring and collect taxes? What taxes? "
E Mei said, "Niu Youde said that training and improving the strength of the army cannot be just talk. It requires action and a lot of money. That is why he wants to send troops to guard the entrance of the Nether Spring. Anyone who goes to the Nether Spring to hunt has to pay taxes first, or they will not be allowed to enter. "
"…" Xiahou Chengyu sucked in a breath of cold air. There were countless cultivators in the world, but there was only one You Quan. Countless people went to the Nether Spring to hunt every year, so it was indeed a good business to make a fortune. Frowning, "Doesn't he know that Nether Spring's freedom to hunt is permitted by the Heavenly Court? What's with him controlling the entrance to collect taxes? "
E Mei: "Niu Youde said that he will not interfere with the freedom to hunt, and no matter what the identity of the person who goes in to hunt is, as long as they pay the tax, they can go in. As for how much the other party had hunted, he didn't care at all. Moreover, after paying the tax, he would receive the protection of the Presidential Office. "
"Protection?" Xiahou Chengyu frowned. "What protection? With so many people coming and going, could he protect all of them? Doesn't he know how dangerous it is inside the Quiet Spring after staying in the Ghost City for so long? Do you want your men to die inside? "
E Mei: "The troops will only guard the entrance to collect taxes, they will not enter the Nether Spring to protect it, they will only protect it from the outside. He said that there are too many evil-doers after the Quiet Spring comes out. Everyone should pay some taxes to support him to send troops to control the outside of the Quiet Spring. At least, it can guarantee that there will be no evil-doers outside. "
Xiahou Chengyu said in a low voice, "Those who can go to the Quiet Spring to hunt are people who are willing to risk their lives. To put it bluntly, they are people who don't have much money on hand. Otherwise, who would risk their lives to go in and hunt? They can only earn a little money by risking their lives, but he wants to collect taxes. Will the world agree? "
E Mei: "He also mentioned this aspect. He said that because there are many unpredictable dangers in the Nether Spring, there are many people with bad intentions waiting outside the Nether Spring. They wait for people to come out of the Nether Spring to rob them. There are many people who don't die in the Nether Spring but die outside the Nether Spring every year. In fact, for many hunters, the scariest thing is not inside the Nether Spring, but the people outside. And as long as everyone pays some taxes, he will immediately send troops to clear the outside of the Quiet Spring. This way, the people who come to hunt can get a good and safe environment, and the Governor's Office will have the financial resources to maintain its own strength. He said that it is a win-win situation, and there won't be too many people who will object. At least the few who object can ignore it. This is a good thing for the majority, so why not? In addition, Niu Youde said that the strength of the troops under the Governor's Office is not low, but their rank is surprisingly low. Relying on that little bit of salary to cultivate is not even enough to fill the gaps between one's teeth. Before being under the control of the Netherworld Governor's Office, everyone was scattered all over the place, and the Emperor was far away, so there was no one to care about them. They could even go out and do some private work to supplement their income. But now that they are under unified control, it is impossible to let everyone run around and do their own private work. However, it is not good to satisfy the Heavenly Court with money.
Xiahou Chengyu frowned. How could she not know that the troops of the Netherworld Governor's Office were of low rank? Most of them had a cultivation of Rainbow Lotus and above, but they received the salary of Mountain Deities and Earth Deities. White Lotus, Blue Lotus, or Red Lotus might be able to make do, but to satisfy the daily needs of a group of Rainbow Lotus troops, it was indeed not enough to fill the gaps between one's teeth.
"Sending people to control the entrance of the Quiet Spring to collect taxes, will it really not cause the people of the world to complain?" Xiahou Chengyu asked for E Mei's opinion. She really did not know about the situation at the Quiet Spring. Before marrying into the Heavenly Court, she had gone there to have fun, but she knew that going there to play with the protection of many experts was different from going there to hunt. She was also worried about her reputation as the Empress of Heaven.
E Mei said, "What General Niu said is the truth. There are indeed many evil-doers outside the Quiet Spring. If he can really guarantee the safety outside, and the taxes are not excessive, I'm afraid there will be people who will be happy to see it happen."
Xiahou Chengyu asked, "What does the family think?"
E Mei said, "The family has not expressed any opinion."
Xiahou Chengyu understood. This matter did not affect the Xiahou family's interests, and the Xiahou family did not care. She could make the decision, but she still had to worry about Lord Qing. If either one of them was dissatisfied with her, her days would be difficult.
Thinking of having to look for Qing Zhu again, Xiahou Chengyu felt a headache coming on. He had already looked for Qing Zhu several times in a row. He said unhappily, "Tell Niu Youde to report everything at once. Is there an end to this?"
E Mei immediately took out the Star Bell and did as she was told. After contacting Miao Yi and receiving confirmation, she reported again, "Niu Youde said that the only thing left is the matter at hand and the matter of choosing a location to build the Governor's Office. Once these two matters are settled, there will be no more major issues for the time being."
Xiahou Chengyu could not do anything about the matter of the Governor's Office. Lord Qing of Traversing Moon Palace was not willing to relent, but he did agree to the tax. Of course, it took Xiahou Chengyu a lot of persuasion to get it. Xiahou Chengyu also understood the predicament of having a group of people with high cultivation and low salaries. He was worried that this situation would not last long and would cause trouble. It was not easy to get a group of people under her control. Regardless of whether she was being manipulated by the Xiahou family, she did not want to give up so easily.
For this reason, she had indeed put in a lot of effort.
Lord Qing might have agreed, but he would not say anything about it. Since Xiahou Chengyu insisted on doing this, then he would let Xiahou Chengyu do it in the name of the Heavenly Night Palace. He would take responsibility if anything happened. At the same time, he mocked, "Your subordinate is really good. He just took office, and he's already making a fortune. How many benefits did he give you to make you work so hard?"
In the forbidden garden of the Albatross Residence, Wei Shu entered and looked around. He saw Xiahou Tuo, who was walking slowly in the garden with his hands behind his back, thinking about something. He quickly went to report the news.
"The Alliance of Stars? Niu Youde contacted the Alliance of Stars? "Xiahou Tuo stopped in surprise." What does he want? "
Wei Shu said, "Lord Liu received a report from Chu Antian, the leader of the Alliance of Stars. He said that Niu Youde's subordinate, Xu Tangran, found him and wanted to do business with Chu Antian. Lord Liu wanted to ask for your opinion. Do you agree or not?"
Xiahou Tuo asked, "What kind of cooperation?"
Wei Shu said, "The Alliance of Stars will provide manpower, and Xu Tangran will escort him as an official. I think he's going to do something shady."
Xiahou Tuo chuckled. "This Niu Youde is really greedy. He wants to seize the entrance of the nether spring and collect taxes. He has to do some dirty work. "
Wei Shu said, "That's understandable. He has a hundred thousand low-level cultivators with more than a hundred thousand colorful lotuses. It's a joke to feed all of them with their salaries. He's definitely going to make money to feed them. "
Xiahou Tuo kept walking with his hands behind his back. After a moment of silence, he nodded. "Inform Old Six and ask the Alliance of Stars to agree. Let's see what this Niu Youde is up to."
"Understood!" Wei Shu replied.
Miao Yi immediately gathered the relevant personnel to make arrangements for the tax collection. As for the establishment of the residence, he put it aside for now. He would go after Traversing Moon Palace after he was done with what he had to do. Since Traversing Moon Palace wasn't going to cooperate, he didn't bother to be polite. He didn't care if they had a complicated background. If he couldn't find a suitable place to settle down in the nether world, who else could he turn to?
Once the news of guarding the entrance to the Nether Spring to collect taxes was announced, the entire Governor's Office was excited. There was finally a way to make money.
After gathering a group of people for a discussion, they came up with a plan. They immediately sent people to put up notices throughout the entire phantom market, announcing that the Nether Spring was officially under the control of the Nether Hell Governor's Office. All hunters who entered the Nether Spring had to pay a toll. Those who didn't would not be allowed to pass. They were also forbidden from taking advantage of others outside the Nether Spring.
Once the news was announced, it caused a huge uproar in the phantom market. Soon, everyone in the world knew about it. Niu Youde became famous again. This time, it wasn't a good reputation.
Miao Yi didn't care about that. Was it reasonable for him to guard the treasured land and watch others make a fortune in his own territory while his own people had nothing to eat?
If it weren't for the fact that he didn't want to provoke the Pavilion of Loyalty and Justice, he could have sent people to control the stargate leading to the nether world. Even those who came to the phantom market would have to pay taxes.
The majority of the Governor's Office's army stationed at Mount Dang Yin began to move out. They headed straight for the entrance to the Nether Spring to clear it out. Although it was called a clearing out, it was actually no different from a robbery. Once the people who were hiding outside the Nether Spring were discovered, they would immediately be robbed along with their belongings. Their belongings would be confiscated. As for the people, they would be captured and refined into Core Formation. Those who resisted would be killed!
With such a ruthless method, those who were used to taking advantage of others outside the Nether Spring either died or escaped. In less than a month, the outer perimeter of the Nether Spring was completely cleaned up. A large number of troops began to station themselves. They completely controlled the entrance to the Nether Spring and set up a location for people to collect taxes.
Once the situation was settled, the phantom market immediately put up a notice again. Those who were not in line with the Nether Hell Governor's Office had been eliminated. Those who went to the Nether Spring to hunt could enter and exit the Nether Spring without worry as long as they paid the taxes.
It had been a rule for so many years. With a sudden change, one could imagine the repercussions. However, the internal reorganization of the Fourth Army was already in constant turmoil. The Fourth Army only paid attention to the movements in the Nether Hell. They didn't want to cause any more trouble at this time. In addition, the Nether Spring didn't affect their own interests. Thus, there was no movement in the imperial court. As long as there was no movement in the imperial court, the repercussions from the cultivation world were useless.
This was also the reason why Miao Yi quickly controlled the entrance to the Nether Spring. If he delayed it further, he didn't know what would happen.
Xiahou Chengyu, who had been paying attention to this matter from the Divine Valley Palace, heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that there was no disturbance. He realized that he was overthinking things. Niu Youde was the one who saw things clearly. He would definitely be a great help to him in the future.
"Milord, there is someone outside asking to see you. He says he's your friend. He says his surname is Guang. "
Miao Yi was talking to Xu Tangran as they walked towards the Conference Hall. Along the way, a guard suddenly came to report and handed over a jade archive.
"Guang …" Miao Yi was stunned for a moment. He quickly reacted. 'Could it really be that woman?' He took the jade archive and found that there was a transcendent seal in it. He realized that there was a transcendence seal inside. He quickly took out a Star Bell to compare. As expected, it matched Guang Mei 'er's transcendence seal.
Miao Yi furrowed his brows and said to Xu Tangran, "You go ahead first. Have them wait for a while."
"Yes!" Xu Tangran cupped his fists and quickly left.
Miao Yi hesitated for a moment. If Guang Mei 'er really came, with her status, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to be careless. After thinking for a moment, he decided to go and welcome her personally.
Phantom City's Main Town Manor. Several people were stopped outside. The leader of the group was a skinny man who was looking around curiously. When he saw Miao Yi appear in the courtyard, he immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Big Brother Niu."
It was a woman's voice. When Miao Yi heard it, he secretly smiled bitterly. It really was this woman. He waved his hand to let them in.
Guang Mei 'er, who was disguised as a man, immediately gave a few instructions to the people behind her. The people who were obviously guards were relieved and immediately turned around to leave. They didn't seem to be worried about Guang Mei 'er's safety in the Phantom City's Main Town Manor.
Guang Mei 'er quickly walked in and stood in front of Miao Yi. She tore off the disguise on her face and revealed her charming face. She smiled at Miao Yi.
Miao Yi looked her up and down, his gaze falling on her flat chest.
Guang Mei 'er instantly blushed. It was a disguise. She didn't want others to know that she was a woman, so she slightly bunched up her chest.
Miao Yi cupped his fists and said, "Greetings, Princess."
Guang Mei 'er immediately cupped her fists and said, "Greetings, Lord Lieutenant." She put down her hand and asked, "Is there a need to be so polite between friends?"
Miao Yi chuckled. "Why are you here?"
Guang Mei 'er asked, "Why? Am I not welcome? "
"Hehe, please!" Miao Yi turned around and extended his hand.
"I heard that this used to be the Ksitigarbha Temple. Later on, the monks were tricked by you and changed it to the Main Town Manor?" Guang Mei 'er asked as she looked around curiously.
Miao Yi smiled but didn't answer. Along the way, he took out the Star Bell and contacted Yun Zhiqiu, asking her to come to the guest hall.
Soon, Yun Zhiqiu arrived with Qian 'Er in tow. Yun Zhiqiu bowed and said, "Greetings, Princess."
"There's no need to be so polite. I'm friends with Big Brother Niu. Just call me Mei 'er." Guang Mei 'er seemed a little uncomfortable, but her gaze was fixed on Yun Zhiqiu. She really wanted to know why this woman was so attractive to Niu Youde.
"Hehe, Mei 'er. I still have some business to attend to. Excuse me." After handing Guang Mei' er over to Yun Zhiqiu, Miao Yi cupped his fists and left.
"Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll call you Little Sister."
After observing for a while, Yun Zhiqiu took the initiative to pull Guang Mei 'er's hand to the side and sit down.
Yun Zhiqiu was very observant and had a knack for interpersonal communication. She quickly dispelled Guang Mei 'er's uneasiness, and the two of them began to chat happily.
Inside the conference hall, Xu Tangran was chatting with two people. One was Duke Yuan, and the other was Mo Xinxiong. Both of them were Lotus Transformation realm experts.
As soon as Miao Yi entered, the three of them immediately stood up and cupped their fists. "Milord!"
Miao Yi walked to the seat of honor and sat down. His gaze lingered on Duke Yuan's face for a moment. When he saw this face, he was a little convinced that he was a descendant of the Xiahou family. That was because he didn't look like much, even though Mo Xinxiong beside him didn't look like much either.
He shifted his gaze to Mo Xinxiong's face and paused for a moment before saying, "Gentlemen, I believe Xu Tangran has already told you why he summoned you here."
The two of them nodded.
Miao Yi said, "Our hundred thousand troops can't survive on their salaries. I don't need to explain the reason. Even though we've opened up Quiet Spring's source of income, it's not safe. The Fourth Army is currently reorganizing and has no time to care about us. We don't know what the situation will be like in the future, so we should open up more sources of income. Vice General Xu has already found some connections outside. The two of you must cooperate with him and do your best to ensure his safety. If anything happens to him, I will hold the two of you responsible! Of course, I won't let you go empty-handed either. I will allocate a thousand elite troops to you, and another thousand Transcendence Piercing Bows. "
Xu Tangran smiled. He actually felt a little helpless in his heart because from today onwards, he would basically have to go out often. Miao Yi had given him the responsibility of going out to earn money. Not only did Miao Yi want to earn money, but he also assigned a scary guy to him. But he couldn't refuse. This was a form of trust from Miao Yi. On top of that, he was also given the position of Vice General.
Duke Yuan seemed a little worried. "Milord. We are still members of the Heavenly Court. Is it really appropriate for us to sneak out to do business, and to do business that doesn't see the light of day at that? "
Miao Yi said, "What's inappropriate about it? Which of the ministers in the Heavenly Court doesn't have some shady business? Look at the phantom market. Who doesn't know that the Xiahou family owns it? The Xiahou family specializes in shady business. Why can't we do it? "
Mo Xinxiong frowned. "Milord, there's something I don't understand. Why didn't you look for someone else? "
Duke Yuan raised his gaze and quietly observed Miao Yi's reaction.
Miao Yi pointed at the two of them. "Because the two of you have been demoted for a long time. There aren't many people who recognize you. Secondly, the two of your cultivations are considered high among those in the Lotus Transformation realm. It's not appropriate for me to send too many experts out. I can only send two of the better ones. Thirdly, the two of you don't look good. You don't attract much attention."
This reason … Xu Tangran's expression twitched. Only Milord could think of this.
Duke Yuan and Mo Xinxiong looked at each other speechlessly. The first two reasons were fine, but the last one was that they didn't look good. Honestly, Milord's words were really direct. He didn't give them any face at all!
Looking at their reactions, Miao Yi's expression darkened. He said indifferently, "What? Are you not willing to go? "
The two of them looked at each other and cupped their fists together. "We are willing to obey Milord's orders."
Miao Yi stood up. "Good! It's decided then. Remember, your goal is to earn money. Think of all ways to open up new avenues of income for the Netherworld Presidential Manor. The more money you earn, the more contributions you will make. Everyone will receive more of your hard-earned money, and I will be biased towards you when I promote you. When the time comes, no one will have anything to say. On the other hand, if there are rewards, there will naturally be punishments. Of course, I still have confidence in Vice Lieutenant Xu's ability. So the two of you must cooperate fully! "
"Understood!" The two of them answered.
"If there are any problems, contact me at any time. If anything happens, I will take responsibility." Miao Yi left with his hands behind his back.
"Let's go. Pack up and get ready to go." Xu Tangran chuckled and left as well.
Inside the house, the two of them looked at each other in dismay. In the end, they shook their heads and sighed.
Inside the Albatross Manor, the forbidden garden. Xiahou Tuo was still dozing off under his favorite tree.
Wei Shu walked over quickly and lightened his footsteps as he approached. He leaned over and said, "Master, there's news from Lord Sixth. He's met with some trouble."
Xiahou Tuo abruptly opened his eyes and tilted his head to look at him. "What trouble?"
"Niu Youde sent Lord Sixth to follow Xu Tangran outside to do some shady work for the Netherworld Presidential Manor …" Wei Shu briefly explained the situation.
Xiahou Tuo abruptly sat up and narrowed his eyes. "Has Old Sixth been exposed?"
Wei Shu shook his head. "According to Lord Sixth's own judgment, he shouldn't have been exposed. He's not the only one going. There's also someone called Mo Xinxiong. His cultivation is about the same as his. In addition, they've been assigned a thousand elite soldiers."
"Mo Xinxiong?" Xiahou Tuo's eyes flashed anxiously as he slowly stood up. "Even if there's a Mo Xinxiong, Niu Youde has thirty Infinite Transcendence Energy experts under him. Why did he pick Old Sixth? Don't you think there's a problem?"
Wei Shu sighed. "According to Lord Sixth, there's a reason. It's reasonable for Niu Youde to send the two of them there. He's even considered it meticulous."
"Meticulous?" Xiahou Tuo asked suspiciously, "Where is Meticulous?"
Wei Shu said, "Niu Youde picked Lord Sixth and the other two because they've been demoted for a long time. If they go out to do shady work, not many people will recognize them. Secondly, Niu Youde can't send too many Lotus Transformation experts out. Naturally, Qingyue and Long Xin can't be sent out for this. Lord Sixth and the other two are considered slightly stronger in the Lotus Transformation Realm. There's also … "
Xiahou Tuo, who was listening and thinking carefully, glanced at him. "What else? What's there to hide? "
Wei Shu said awkwardly, "Niu Youde said that Lord Sixth and the other two aren't good-looking. They're inconspicuous and won't attract much attention."
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