Chapter 247: Wandering Cultivator Zhu Cong
Ming Dynasty, Beijing.
Xiyuan, inside Yuxi Palace.
"I can use those independent cultivators to smuggle spirit stones." Lu Fang said to Jiajing.
"No," however, Jiajing, who was sitting on the Taoist platform, shook his head slightly and said, "The goal of the Great Ming Immortal Sect is too big. In the future, it will be the main force in the layout of the world of immortal cultivation. I intend to build your "Tomorrow Building" into a huge chamber of commerce that runs through the world of immortal cultivation."
"When the power of the Great Ming Immortal Sect grows to the point where it needs to march into the Central Plains, it will contact your 'Tomorrow Tower'. By then, you will be the supporter behind the Great Ming Immortal Sect."
"Therefore, before the Tomorrow Building grows up, we must act with caution and never allow the academy to catch us."
"Yes, I understand." After hearing what Jiajing said, Lu Fang also knew that his master's consideration was correct. After all, the Ming Immortal Sect would definitely develop towards the Central Plains in the future, and it needed an internal response.
The "Tomorrow's Building" is the financial sponsor for Ming Dynasty to develop more bases in the world of immortal cultivation in the future, which requires huge financial resources.
We must not use the current spiritual stone business to rob Peter to pay Paul, which will affect the future layout of the Ming Dynasty in the world of immortal cultivation.
"What does the master plan to do?" Lu Fang looked at Jiajing.
"It's all thanks to your 'Tomorrow's Tower,'" Jiajing Yansong's face widened slightly, and he said, "You used the Ming Dynasty dust items brought by those scattered cultivators, and now they have been spread everywhere."
"And just two years ago, when I was watching the immortal cultivators around the world, I unexpectedly discovered that some independent cultivators had actually gone to the Western Continent."
"Doesn't that mean that our Ming Dynasty can directly enter the Western Continent to look for spirit stones, or do spirit stone business?" Hearing Jiajing say this, Lu Fang's face couldn't help but brighten with joy.
From then on, the Ming Dynasty would no longer be short of spirit stones.
After all, the spirit stone trading markets of various countries have been opened now, and what is lacking is a massive amount of spirit stones!
If they only controlled 30,000 to 50,000 people, the spirit stones they got from Li Changqing last time would be enough. But if they asked all the countries in the world except the Ming Dynasty to use the spirit stones, it would not be enough.
In the future, spiritual stones will become a resource in the world where the Ming Dynasty is located, or to be more precise, a strategic resource.
It can be said that this is the most effective weapon to quickly disintegrate a country or even a race, and it can also attract many people.
Just like the Sutherland family in Britain, they clearly knew that spiritual stones had great disadvantages, but they still agreed to start spiritual stone trade with the Ming Dynasty without hesitation, even at the cost of selling out their country.
In the future, as countries around the world develop spiritual energy factories, a large number of spiritual energy industrial products will be fed back to Ming Dynasty, enhancing Ming Dynasty’s strength.
Only when Daming begins to step out of this starry world and head towards the starry sea outside the domain, will the spirit stones of this world stop.
Because at that time, the whole world was the spiritual land of the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty would not allow Lingshi to continue persecuting.
Then the trade of spirit stones will be opened to the outer star world.
Of course, if there are living beings in these worlds, the role of the spirit stones will be played again, helping the Ming Dynasty to become stronger step by step, to erode step by step, to rule the entire universe, and to become the supreme immortal dynasty.
It can be said that the vicious plan proposed by Yan Song was indeed cruel, but also extremely beneficial.
"Who does the master plan to send to the Western Continent?" Suddenly, Lu Fang asked as if he had thought of something.
"I plan to go there in person." After a moment's hesitation, Jiajing shook his head and spoke slowly, "The Great Ming Immortal Sect in the Great Wilderness is now fully stable. We just need to develop step by step."
"Those who can gain here are trapped here," Jiajing said, sighing, "Because of the Great Ming Immortal Sect, my Great Ming has embarked on the path of cultivating immortals, but the existence of Li Changqing and the academy prevents me from acting rashly."
"A stable environment under the rule of law cannot be easily broken. If Ming wants to develop steadily, it needs to open up a new path without constraints and make multi-faceted arrangements."
That’s right, after considering for a long time, Jiajing decided to go to the Western Continent in person to plan the spirit stone business himself.
This was naturally a well-thought-out decision.
First of all, the Western Continent is much more dangerous than the Southern Continent. If you want to do the spirit stone business, you need cultivators who are strong enough and can stand on their own. The people of the Ming Dynasty are far from enough.
Secondly, he had brought a large amount of goods in the past, and it was not a small-scale business. Only when his cultivation was strong enough could he quickly gain a foothold and bring a large amount of spirit stones to Daming. Others were too slow.
Lu Fang also nodded in agreement.
He has already understood the survival rules of the immortal cultivation world of Arcturus. The Great Wilderness is a newly opened land, and the three branches of the academy are all planned out, so there will definitely be no chaos.
The Great Ming Immortal Sect can only develop step by step. It doesn't really matter whether the master is in person or not, unless something unexpected happens.
And the most important thing is that the current Daming Immortal Sect, located in a corner of the southeast of the Great Wilderness, although not a large sect, is already a conspicuous presence.
After all, he has Li Changqing behind him, and with the presence of a number of powerful clans from the Central Plains who are loyal to the Li family, it is even more eye-catching.
Once there is any disturbance, it may be noticed by someone with ulterior motives, so it is really not suitable to "move".
Therefore, the master himself cannot be too conspicuous.
This is equivalent to trapping the master, a great cultivator in the Jindan stage.
"Next, I will let the trade routes of the Ming Xian Sect gradually extend their focus to the Yanzhou area in the Central Plains. You must also vigorously develop the 'Tomorrow's Tower' and find the right time to connect with the Ming Dynasty."
"After all, our ultimate enemy is a behemoth like the White Horse Academy. Everything has its own clues and must be reasonable. If the contact is too abrupt, it will attract attention."
"As for the 'Fire Cloud Sect' in Beigang Town, just keep an eye on it. If there is a need for me to intervene, I will go there in person."
"Yes, I understand." Hearing this, how could Lu Fang not understand that the master had already made a plan in mind.
"The third and fourth phases of the land reform have come to a halt. What is the reaction in the court?" Jiajing asked again.
"Master is wise," Lü Fang smiled and said, "Others are fine, but Prince Yu is dissatisfied."
"Heh," Hearing this, Jiajing chuckled and said, "He and the fourth brother put all their focus on the army, waiting for the third and fourth stages of the land reform to start and make a fortune."
"But I didn't expect that the third and fourth stages of land reform have been shelved. When the spiritual energy industrial era is completed in the future and the countries are recovered, it is estimated that military strikes will not be necessary."
"As a result, he will naturally lack military merits and achievements, and his previous plans will naturally fall through."
"Zhu Zaizhen was smart and didn't put all his eggs in one basket. As for Zhu Zaizhen, he gave birth to a good son. Otherwise, I would be really disappointed in him."
Hearing this, Lu Fang's heart trembled and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
Listening carefully, how could he not hear the underlying meaning of his master's words, that he had never given up on Prince Yu and Prince Jing.
Was this meant for him? No, it was for him to pass on the message.
Before this, everyone in the court had tacitly accepted that the emperor's marriage to concubines and the birth of many princes meant that he had completely given up on choosing the future crown prince from between Prince Yu and Prince Jing.
The emperor has never responded to this before, but now he suddenly said this, and it is obvious that he has another plan.
In recent years, although Prince Jing and Prince Yu have controlled a lot of power, with the laying of twenty-seven spiritual veins in North and South Zhili and the entry of the Ninth Prince, the power of the two princes has been shrinking.
With the entry of Gao Gong and Zhao Zhenji, both Yan Song and the forces of Prince Yu and Prince Jing suffered some losses.
The most serious situation was that of the two princes. Although Zhu Yijun and Zhu Yijin had made arrangements in advance and saved a lot of things, most of the arrangements of these two princes were outside the court, and there was almost nothing left in the court.
The master saw that Prince Yu's Mansion and Prince Jing's Mansion were weak, so he wanted to help them. The territory of the future Ming Dynasty will be very large, and each prince is a great help to the dynasty, so they naturally cannot be lost.
Especially compared to the still immature Ninth Prince, Prince Yu and Prince Jing are already quite mature, so the master naturally will not give up on them.
Of course, regarding the rumors in the court that the master had given up Prince Yu and Prince Jing, Lu Fang had always scoffed at them.
"Master, the total number of spirit stones in my hand is about 100,000. Should we distribute the first batch of spirit stones?" Lu Fang said, pausing slightly, and then said, "I plan to give 50,000 spirit stones to each of the two factories..."
"Okay." Jiajing nodded, and then closed his eyes without paying any attention to Lu Fang.
Seeing this, Lu Fang bowed and walked out.
Soon, a piece of news spread from the palace and immediately attracted the attention of all parties.
In the main hall of Prince Yu's Mansion, Prince Yu and Prince An sat at the top, and below them were the Crown Prince Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng, the lecturer of Prince An's Mansion.
Ever since Zhang Juzheng became the lecturer in Prince An's Palace, Wang Chonggu, a direct descendant under Prince Yu, was asked by Prince An to become the Chancellor of the Palace. Prince Yu chose to support Prince An, which has been tacitly accepted by everyone.
Therefore, no one cared when Prince An went in and out of Prince Yu's mansion.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere in the hall became a little solemn.
All this happened because of a piece of news that came out of the palace today. To be exact, it was the first conversation between Lu Fang and Huang Jin, which was accidentally overheard by the little eunuch and then spread.
The content of the message was very brief, but the hidden meaning in it caused an uproar among the parties currently fighting in the court.
Just because the emperor made it clear the first time that he did not give up on Prince Yu and Prince Jing, this means that the two princes may also become the crown prince.
Some officials who had left Prince Yu and Prince Jing because of the entry of the Ninth Prince are now regretting their decision.
They are all smart people, so they naturally know how to choose what is most beneficial.
After all, compared to Prince Yu and Prince Jing, Prince Ninth's foundation is too shallow. If they knew that the emperor had never given up on Prince Yu and Prince Jing, they would not choose anyone else.
Now it's too late for anything!
Some people who did not leave the Erwangs were excited by the news.
Originally, they had all given up vying for the so-called merit of following the emperor, and only hoped that the emperor would not retire too early, so that they could continue to follow the second prince, gain more benefits, and allow themselves and their families to develop.
But who could have thought that the surprise would come so quickly and so suddenly? This is truly a ray of hope after a dark period!
However, the ones who were excited were the group of people below the six ministers. The group of people above them, such as the elders in the cabinet and those at the level of the six ministers, were somewhat surprised by the news, but not too excited.
They naturally knew that since this news could be spread from the palace, it meant that it was instructed by the emperor.
The reason behind this is simply that the Emperor saw that the Ninth Prince was becoming increasingly powerful while the Second Prince was becoming weaker, and he wanted to maintain a balance.
No matter what, the emperor's previous support and training for the Second Prince were all genuine. It was impossible for him to sit back and let the Second Prince be squeezed out of existence by the Ninth Prince and his subordinates, and be completely abolished.
Of course, this news also hides another meaning, which is to tell everyone that Prince Yu and Prince Jing may also be listed as the crown prince one day in the future.
However, the senior executives who have already chosen sides will naturally not change their sides because of this. At their level, once they have made their choice, they will never change camp easily.
"Fourth brother, I told you, father still supports you and third brother." The seventh prince, Prince An Zhu Zairun said with a smile.
He is only sixteen years old now. Although his voice is still a little childish and youthful, there is a sharp edge in his words and his eyes are fixed on Prince Yu.
Nowadays, everyone inside and outside the court knows that he has joined forces with Prince Yu, which makes him the most powerful among the many princes, and the other children regard him as a strong rival.
At this time, if Prince Yu has any other ideas, then everything he has now will be completely gone.
The most important thing is that his trusted master Zhang Juzheng might switch to Prince Yu's school again in an instant.
After all, Zhang Juzheng had been Prince Yu's confidant before, but they became estranged only later because his father might abandon Prince Yu.
At this time, if Zhang Juzheng wanted to return to Prince Yu's camp, it would be a natural thing to do with me as a link.
As for Wang Chonggu, there is no need to say more. This person is the confidant of Prince Yu.
How loyal is this ruthless man who is willing to give up his own destiny and hand over his own destiny field for the sake of Prince Yu?
Therefore, Zhu Zairun couldn't help but be nervous!
"Your Highness is still too young..." Hearing the words of Prince An Zhu Zairun, Zhang Juzheng, who was sitting below, sighed in his heart.
The fact is already like this. Although some people below will change because of the emperor's attitude towards the second king, for them, the arrow has been shot and there is no turning back.
In today's Ming Dynasty, since Li Chengwu's failed attempt to replace the cabinet, the cabinet has long since become in charge of the six ministries and all officials below them. Therefore, as long as these people do not defect to others, there will be no chaos even if the others under them have other ideas.
However, Prince An Zhu Zairun failed to see through this and was affected by it. It can only be said that he lacked tempering after all.
"Heh," Prince Yu chuckled as if nothing had happened. He turned his head to look at his young seventh brother and said, "Seventh brother, are you worried that I will compete with you for the throne?"
"This..." Prince An Zhu Zairun, who had already been tentative, was a little at a loss for a moment when he saw Prince Yu suddenly ask such a direct question. He did not expect that his third brother would not play by the rules.
Logically speaking, facing my temptation, shouldn't he be hypocritical to me, and then I can observe his words and analyze his attitude.
How come he was so straightforward and stated his purpose? Is he going to fall out with me?
"Hahaha," at this moment, Prince Yu suddenly laughed and shook his head, ignoring his seventh brother, and looked at Zhang Juzheng, saying: "Taiyue, you didn't teach this student well enough."
Even the Crown Prince Zhu Yijun had a smile on his face at this moment, but he did not act presumptuously, after all, this young man was his seventh uncle.
Facing Prince Yu's ridicule, and considering Prince An's face, Zhang Juzheng just nodded slightly at Prince Yu and said nothing.
Seeing this, Prince Yu didn't care. He turned around and looked at Prince An, saying, "Seventh brother, I promised you that I would support you, and I will not regret it."
"Let's just get it out now to avoid misunderstandings in the future," Prince Yu paused, then glanced at his son Zhu Yijun and said, "As I said before, you want the crown prince position, and Prince Yu's Mansion wants the crown grandson position."
"As long as the interests of Prince Yu's Mansion are not harmed, Prince Yu's Mansion can return the position of Crown Prince in the future."
"Since I have promised this, I will never change my mind, so you can trust me without any worries!"
The straightforward words stunned Prince An for a moment, and then he subconsciously looked at his master Zhang Juzheng, and saw the latter nodded slightly. After nodding, Prince An took a deep breath and said seriously:
"I'm sorry, Third Brother. I was judging you by my own standards. I hope you can forgive me and forgive me!"
After saying this, Prince An stood up and bowed to Prince Yu to apologize.
"Seventh brother, please stand up quickly." Seeing Prince An like this, Prince Yu did not neglect him, but smiled and helped him up, and said with emotion: "There are no relatives in the royal family, but I don't blame you for doing this."
"The kinship among the royal family can only be maintained by interests. This is also the helplessness of you and me in the royal family..."
The news that the emperor did not give up on the two princes did shock some people, but for people like Prince Yu, Prince Jing, and everyone in the cabinet, they were only slightly surprised.
For example, Yan Song and his son didn't care about this at all.
At this time, in Yan Song's study, Yan Shifan received the news and just sneered twice, then said to himself:
"Crown Prince? He has nothing to do with my Yan family. Besides, whether or not to give up Prince Yu and Prince Jing depends on the emperor's words and thoughts."
After that, Yan Shifan ignored him and whispered to his father Yan Song, who was handling official documents, "Dad, the markets of overseas countries have been opened. Who do you think should be sent as envoys to these countries?"
"In the report submitted by the Royal Guards a few days ago, my son believes that Britain is the most suitable because the Sutherland family, together with several other major families, have sidelined the king."
"We can just control a few other families and make them work for our Yan family..."
"Well, let Shao Ting handle this matter," Yan Song said without even raising his head, "The spiritual stone trade started in the southeast, and it just so happens that many families in the cultivation world have now surrendered to my Yan family."
"It's a good opportunity to use it. This way, if something happens in the future, it will be easy to discard it."
With just a few words, Yan Song arranged the fate of many people.
"Okay, then there is no time to lose. I will do it right away..." Yan Shifan smiled, bowed, turned around and left the study.
The same scene was played out in the homes of many people in the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, the Inspectorate, and the Hanlin Academy in the capital.
The upper class has its own concerns, and the lower class has its own considerations. Whether it is the possible resurgence of the two kings or the potential huge competition for interests under the Lingshi trade, Jiajing is unaware of it and is too lazy to care.
Because at this time, he had already arrived in the world of immortal cultivation, the Western Continent.
This time, his identity is the casual cultivator Zhu Cong!
"..."
(End of this chapter)
