Chapter 219 - 155: Grade 6 Mysterious Skill
Chapter 219: Chapter 155: Grade 6 Mysterious Skill
"Reporting to you, Prince, our Academy Palace in the Royal City is complete. The first batch of nearly fifteen thousand students and over a thousand teachers have all moved in. The two thousand additional teachers you transferred can begin their duties at the Academy Palace as soon as they arrive. On the land purchased last year, all the surrounding houses have been built. Construction has also begun on the more recently acquired plots, with the second phase expected to be completed after the start of summer. The treasury currently holds over eighty billion taels of silver, although investments are ongoing. People are still flocking here to enroll in the academy and purchase property. Taverns, brothels, and street-front shops have all been constructed. With the exception of a few large buildings, the rest have been leased out."
Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction as he listened to Cai Chong’s report.
He then said, "Well done. You’ve worked hard during this time. Here are the cultivation resources needed to break through to the Divine Power Realm. Take them and use them."
With that, he placed a Storage Ring into Cai Chong’s hand.
A look of delighted surprise appeared on the man’s face, and he said to Lu Yuan, "Thank you, my Prince."
"It is what you’ve earned." Lu Yuan was not short on resources at the moment.
He wouldn’t be stingy if it meant strengthening his subordinates.
He then waved his hand, dismissing Cai Chong.
Now, all the preparations were made; he was just waiting for the opportune moment.
The only thing left was to see if the court ministers would agree to his proposal to attack the Shengman in tomorrow’s assembly.
As for the Vassal Towns in the various regions, they had, just as Lu Yuan expected, already begun fighting amongst themselves. They had split into two factions and were locked in a bitter struggle.
One faction, led by the Manku Tribe, was unwilling to submit to the imperial court.
The other was the Mancen Tribe, which, after deliberate efforts by the court to win them over and sow division, was now leaning toward submission.
To gain the court’s support, the leader of the Mancen Tribe had even sent his own son to cultivate at the Academy Palace, making his attitude and position clear.
Therefore, the imperial court remained relatively stable for the time being.
In any case, as Lu Yuan saw it, the Shengman had to be dealt with. Not only did they have to be fought, but they had to be beaten into submission.
Only then could the Northern Barbarians be qualified to contend with other major powers.
At the very least, they could negotiate on equal footing, perhaps even from a position of slight superiority.
If things remained as they were, then even with their newfound wealth, they would be good at defending what they had, but lack the ability to expand.
His mind made up, Lu Yuan drank a cup of tea and headed toward his own courtyard.
He planned to present his memorial to the court first thing in the morning.
The next morning was a crisp spring day, the ground blanketed in white frost. When Lu Yuan left his residence at the crack of dawn, he saw a crowd already gathered outside the palace gates.
Upon seeing him, they all came forward to greet him.
"My, it’s not often we see Prince Qin here so early. Usually, you don’t enter the palace until after the gates have opened," someone teased good-naturedly.
It was an elder from the imperial clan who was quite fond of Lu Yuan.
"Heh heh, you jest, Elder Zong."
"Prince Qin, this must be about the expedition against the Shengman, isn’t it? The court has been arguing about this for days. All the ministers are against it. I think you should just drop it. Don’t pursue this idea," Elder Zong advised in a low voice.
But Lu Yuan shook his head. "No. If we don’t strike now, we’ll lose our chance."
Hearing his words, the surrounding ministers shook their heads helplessly. This Prince Qin was truly stubborn.
He wouldn’t even listen to the Prime Minister’s persuasion and was dead set on attacking the Shengman.
But something that past dynasties had failed to accomplish for generations—they truly couldn’t believe someone from the current dynasty could achieve it.
In truth, the most important reason was the belief that the Shengman could not be conquered. Simply starting a war would be meaningless for the Northern Barbarians.
Although Lu Yuan claimed he could conquer the Shengman, who in the court would believe him?
If things went wrong, it could provoke the Shengman and the Ancient Barbarians into rebellion, and the Northern Barbarians would be plunged into war once again.
By then, all the silver they had painstakingly accumulated over the winter would likely be thrown away.
As they were speaking,
RUMBLE!
The palace gates opened, and after a Eunuch finished announcing the names, the officials began walking inside, one by one.
They had just entered Chaotian Hall and taken their positions when Xiao Clan walked in.
"We greet Your Majesty!"
"You may all rise." The indifferent voice of Xiao Clan sounded.
Just then, Lu Yuan, who had just taken his seat, stood up again. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your subject believes that now is the perfect time to attack the Shengman.
I am willing to sign a military pledge. If I cannot annihilate the Shengman and return with the Shengman Race Leader in custody, I am willing to accept military punishment!"
He spoke with unyielding determination.
Below, some of the younger generals also chimed in, "We are willing to go with Prince Qin."
Seeing this, Li Qing and the others could only manage a bitter smile.
These days, the young and vigorous generals of the Northern Barbarians all idolized Lu Yuan. But war was never that simple.
Therefore, Li Qing said, "Your Majesty, we are not trying to stop Prince Qin from going to war. But what if we wait another year? Let the common people have a chance to breathe. We’ve just managed to become a little more prosperous. If we go to war and something goes wrong, all our progress will be undone, and who knows how long it would take to recover."
As he spoke, he looked pleadingly at Lu Yuan.
He hoped the prince would agree.
Because Li Qing knew that if Lu Yuan was insistent, Xiao Clan would likely relent. ’I thought I already had a high estimation of this young man’s standing with His Majesty, but I still underestimated him. Yesterday, His Majesty almost agreed to let Lu Yuan lead the troops on an expedition. All of us old men have been thoroughly outshone by this Prince Qin.’
At this moment, the Grand Minister of Rites also frowned and spoke up, "Your Majesty, this old subject also disapproves of going to war now. I believe it is more appropriate to wait."
Having experienced the chaos of war and the court’s hardships, these old ministers now only wanted a period of stability.