Old Sixth didn't have the contact information of his other brothers. He was the only one among the secret forces who had contact with his brothers.
He didn't know how Old Sixth knew about Niu Youde's secret meeting. Niu Youde probably had Old Sixth's men by his side. To the Xiahou family, this was normal!
However, he couldn't confirm whether Old Sixth was telling the truth. Could Xiahou Ling actually have the intention of making a move against him?
There were some things that he didn't dare to think too deeply about. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. It was obvious that he was the secret brother. After his father passed away, he became the central point of communication between the brothers. He didn't know if Xiahou Ling had noticed something, but he was the biggest threat to Xiahou Ling. If Xiahou Ling wanted to take back his authority, he would most likely target him first!
Thinking about how Xiahou Ling had dealt with Ying Jiuguang, Cao Man felt a chill run down his spine. He could vaguely see a storm coming.
He wanted to strike first, but the checks and balances his father had left behind were only suitable for everyone to work together. It would be difficult for a single person to succeed. He didn't have concrete evidence that Xiahou Ling wanted to deal with him, so his brothers wouldn't easily jump out to support him.
What should he do? He was faced with a huge problem!
There was a knock on the door. Seven Absolutes entered and reported on the situation.
Just as he was about to leave, Cao Man raised his hand and gestured for him to wait. He paced around the room with his hands behind his back, then stopped and said, "I heard that Niu Youde has returned. Contact him and ask him to come over for a gathering."
Seven Absolutes could tell that his tone was different from when he asked Niu Youde to come over. After all, Niu Youde was no longer the phantom market's head mayor. His status was different now. He replied, "Yes!" and immediately took out the Starbell to contact Miao Yi.
After contacting him, Seven Absolutes replied, "Niu Youde said that he isn't free at the moment. He will visit again when he's free."
Cao Man nodded slightly and said, "Then contact him again in a few days." He didn't mention that Niu Youde might want to deal with him.
However, Seven Absolutes could feel his Master's eagerness to meet with Niu Youde …
After daybreak, Miao Yi accompanied Yun Zhiqiu to the mountain forest where his family members were gathered. A group of relatively high-ranking family members followed Yun Zhiqiu as they searched for a place to settle down. Miao Yi had a brief discussion with Linghu Douzhong and the others, then went to the Vitality Sect's base to meet with the people there.
After going through the motions, he returned to the governor's manor and entered a side hall. Over a hundred people were busy sorting out the name list of the 50 million troops. Yang Zhaoqing was in charge of this, and this was the most urgent matter at the moment.
After entering, Miao Yi didn't disturb him. Instead, he walked over to Yang Zhaoqing's side and asked, "How are the preparations going?"
Yang Zhaoqing turned around and hurriedly bowed before reporting, "Soon, the list of demoted personnel will be out by today."
There was nothing that could be done about it. The fifty million people were all at different levels, and it was impossible for all of them to be demoted.
Miao Yi nodded. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly received a message from Wei Shu. Miao Yi quickly went to a single room in the side hall, not wanting to disturb the others from outside.
As soon as they connected, Miao Yi politely asked, "Head Steward Wei, what orders do you have for me?"
Wei Shu was also very polite. How would he dare to instruct the Governor?
Miao Yi: "Head Steward Wei, feel free to instruct me."
Wei Shu: "Then I will be straightforward. Many of the Xiahou Clan's shops in Sky Street have encountered a disaster, and they need to transfer the manpower from other shops. Unfortunately, many of their hands are currently occupied by the people from the Vitality Miscellaneous Goods Store. I will have to trouble the Governor to urge the people from the Vitality Sect to return the store as soon as possible."
Miao Yi was secretly delighted. He probably knew that the people from the Vitality Sect had gathered here and didn't return to Planet Formless, so he had already sensed that something was wrong.
The people from the Vitality Sect had already successfully retreated from the Miscellaneous Goods Store. How could Miao Yi let them go so easily? According to the plan, he was going to have a little conflict with Xiahou Ling. Firstly, An Caoman's heart was on the line. Secondly, the matter this time had become so big that he had to deal with the aftermath. Participating in the matter that caused Ying Jiuguang's downfall was no small matter. Miao Yi reckoned that Guang Ling wasn't the only one who wanted to kill him. His appearance in Sky Street was only a test, so he had to appease those people a little. It was only natural for him to have a conflict with Xiahou Ling to alleviate the situation.
From the moment Yang Qing suggested Miao Yi to swallow Ling Hu Douzhong's fifty million troops, Yang Qing had already taken advantage of the situation to set up a trap. Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy to swallow these fifty million troops.
Taking down Ying Jiuguang would borrow the power of the Xiahou Clan, and dealing with the aftermath would alleviate the threat of those big shots by having a conflict with Xiahou Ling. Xiahou Ling wasn't someone to be trifled with, so he had to use Duke Yuan to sow discord between Xiahou Ling and Cao Man's brothers. This way, Xiahou Ling wouldn't be able to use his absolute strength to deal with Miao Yi. At the same time, he could form a good relationship with Cao Man. Only then would he be able to ensure that his fifty million troops could stand firm in the Nether Realm. In addition, the black market was controlled by Cao Man. If he wanted to swallow Ling Hu Douzhong and the others' businesses in the black market, he would need Cao Man's support!
The outside world didn't know that he had a chess piece like Duke Yuan here. He could gauge Xiahou Ling's confidence, and he could more or less blackmail Xiahou Ling with the matter of winning. He reckoned that those big shots were waiting to see him and Xiahou Ling start a fight. What he needed to fight for was this period of time, to stabilize the various parties and prevent them from targeting him.
In short, ever since the earth-shattering turn of events, Yang Qing had meticulously set up a trap one after another, borrowing power from all sides. Not only did he have to resist the pressure from all sides, but he also had to take advantage of the opportunity to maximize his profits. If he didn't have a countermeasure, Miao Yi would be courting death if he dared to make such a big move. Did he really think those big shots were pushovers? Previously, Miao Yi had swallowed Zhuge Qing's matter on the spot after receiving the news. It wasn't without reason that he had followed Yun Zhiqiu's method. He indeed didn't have Yang Qing's ability to devise strategies and plan from all sides.
Now that there was a ready-made matter, Miao Yi naturally wanted to use it to mess with Cao Man. However, he still gave Wei Shu a perfunctory reply, "Well said, well said. I will definitely urge them as soon as possible!"
When he heard that there was no definite reply, Wei Shu immediately replied, "I heard that the Governor has gained quite a number of troops. Congratulations. I remember that I haven't paid a visit to the Governor's Netherworld Command Manor ever since it was established. I wanted to pay a visit, but I don't know if the Governor would welcome me."
Miao Yi immediately knew that Wei Shu had the intention of coming to touch him. He passionately replied, "Welcome, welcome! It is my honor that Head Steward Wei could come. You are most welcome! "
The two of them had just finished communicating, and Miao Yi hadn't even come out of his room when Xiahou Chengyu sent another message. He said that the Imperial Guard Army had already taken control of the various Heaven's Avenues, and had already cooperated with him to appoint new Heaven's Avenues Great Commanders.
Miao Yi immediately went to the door of his room and transmitted his voice to Yang Zhaoqing to inform him.
When Yang Zhaoqing came over, Miao Yi instructed, "The new Heaven's Avenue Great Commander has been appointed. Take advantage of the fact that the Imperial Guard Army is still in control of the Heaven's Avenue, and no one below will object to the Heavenly Empress's appointment. Immediately notify all the manpower in the Heaven's Avenue and officially take control of the Heaven's Avenues. Once the manpower is in place, immediately execute the manpower replacement plan!"
"Understood!" Yang Zhaoqing quickly took out the Star Bell and informed his subordinates. After that, he sent a message back, "A large number of craftsmen have been organized to rush over from the Heaven's Avenues."
"Mm!" Miao Yi nodded, indicating that he understood. However, when his gaze fell upon Yang Zhaoqing's face, he fell into deep thought and didn't say a word for a long time.
Yang Zhaoqing felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He didn't know what was wrong with him, and couldn't help but ask, "Milord, do you have any orders?"
"Zhaoqing, you've been with me for so many years …" Miao Yi hesitated as he said this. Under Yang Zhaoqing's doubtful gaze, he finally revealed the truth, "It's not good for the people around me to be controlled by the Heavenly Court. If they are forcibly transferred by the higher-ups … I've already talked to Yan Xiu. He has no interest in military power, so I'm planning to use this opportunity to remove his status as a Heavenly Court official. He can follow me with a free body. That way, he can be less restricted. However, I don't know what you think. Of course, I won't force you to do this. If you're willing to lead an army, I can also use this opportunity to give you real power. That's why I need to ask for your opinion. "
Yang Zhaoqing was taken aback. He quickly took a step back and knelt on one knee, lowering his head and saying, "I'm willing to follow you with a free body!"
At this point, how could he not understand Miao Yi's intentions? Miao Yi wanted him to become Miao Yi's true steward. With his current identity, he had come into contact with too many of Miao Yi's secrets. It was indeed not suitable for him to continue holding an official position in the Heavenly Court. Otherwise, a transfer order from the higher-ups would be enough to put Miao Yi in a very passive position.
Of course, he knew what this meant. It was equivalent to completely giving up on his own future, and tying his own honor and disgrace to Miao Yi. To put it bluntly, he was going from being Miao Yi's subordinate to becoming Miao Yi's servant. However, from another perspective, he would also become Miao Yi's true confidant from now on. He would gain Miao Yi's complete trust and wouldn't mistreat him.
Miao Yi was a little moved. This was no small matter, yet Yang Zhaoqing agreed without hesitation. His loyalty was clear to see. Because of this, Miao Yi wasn't in a hurry to agree. He stood up and personally helped Yang Zhaoqing up, asking, "Do you want to discuss this with Lin Pingping?"
After all, if he became a servant, Lin Pingping's status would follow suit.
Yang Zhaoqing smiled. "No need. She will agree."
His emotions were written all over his face. Miao Yi didn't say anything else. He patted Yang Zhaoqing's shoulder and gestured for Yang Zhaoqing to continue with his work.
He didn't leave either. Instead, he hid in the single room and looked through the properties and name list that Linghu Douzhong and the others had just handed over. Most people would eventually succumb to reality.
Four hours later, the demoted name list of the fifty million troops was finally ready. Yang Zhaoqing brought the name list in. As Miao Yi looked through it, he explained to the side.
After confirming that the name list had achieved its goal, Miao Yi didn't let Linghu Douzhong and the others look through it first. Yang Qing's suggestion of dividing the troops was hidden within the name list. He was leaving a backup plan in case Linghu Douzhong and the others found out about it and couldn't approve it. He was prepared to let the Heavenly Court decide on it first.
He didn't leave the name list behind for too long. He had to send it to the Heavenly Court before Teng Fei and Cheng Taize's matters were confirmed. Only then would there be the least resistance, and the Three Heavenly Kings would have to cooperate with those two.
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