bioinnovel Chapter 81 My mind is made up
Chapter 81 My mind is made up
Inside the magnificent palace was a huge pool filled with water lilies. Schools of plump fish swam in the clear water, seemingly floating aimlessly.
A young man dressed in a magnificent black robe was fishing by the pond. His long, jet-black hair cascaded down his back, and he wore a hideous mask, obscuring his face, but revealing skin as white as snow.
Standing next to the young man in black were several high-ranking officials of the Yue Kingdom, including the Prime Minister of Yue, Gao Changqing.
"Does Your Majesty really intend to ascend the Divine Martial Platform? This is unacceptable. Duan Qi's cultivation may be inferior to Your Majesty's, but with the Empress's backing, the outcome is unpredictable. Your Majesty is the ruler of Yue Kingdom and cannot afford to fail. I implore Your Majesty to rescind your order," Gao Changqing said, bowing.
The others quickly echoed his sentiments.
"Empress Fuyao only wants Your Majesty to make a statement. Why must Your Majesty fight a losing battle?"
"Your Majesty, Empress Fuyao is known for her ruthlessness. She herself is at the peak of the mid-stage Spirit Emperor realm, and she also has six Grand Elders at the Spirit Emperor realm. Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
"The Yue Kingdom has been ravaged by the tyrant Gu Lan, and we've finally found His Majesty. If His Majesty falls from grace, who can the Yue Kingdom rely on?"
Each person spoke at their own pace, and Gu Yan waited quietly until they finished. Once everyone had quieted down and looked at him, he asked, "If we were to become a vassal state of the Fuyao Empire and pay tribute, where would the money come from?"
This question left everyone speechless, and Gao Changqing was dumbfounded.
Gu Yan continued, "The Yue Kingdom has long been unable to support its enormous annual tribute. Do you want me to follow the example of Gu Lan and exploit our people to the bone? Or do you hope that I will launch a war, invade other countries, and plunder their wealth?"
Gu Lan didn't care about the lives of the Yue people, so he ruthlessly exploited them to satisfy his enormous annual tribute, and even used various methods to plunder rare treasures to present to Empress Fuyao. How could Gu Yan possibly do such a thing?
Whether it's plundering the people's wealth, paying tribute out of their own pockets, or invading other small countries to plunder, Gu Yan could not accept it. Besides these reasons, there was another reason: he was unhappy.
Making him submit to someone and pay tribute is unacceptable, extremely unacceptable.
So let's fight.
Actually, there is another way to resolve this peacefully without fighting: go find Dugu Xun. This kind of thing can be settled with just a word from the Dugu family head; even if Empress Fuyao is powerful, she can't act so arrogantly in front of the four families and five sects.
But if he went to Dugu Xun for something like that, he wouldn't be Gu Yan. Besides, he didn't intend to reveal his identity as Li He, and he didn't plan to tell anyone except his parents.
Gu Yan's words left Gao Changqing and the others speechless and ashamed.
Their feelings were complex, a mixture of shame, excitement, and worry. They were ashamed that they hadn't considered the heavy burden that continuing to pay tribute would place on the entire Yue Kingdom; they were excited that after decades of turmoil under the tyrannical Gu Lan, Yue had finally found a wise ruler; and they were worried about what would become of Yue if this wise ruler were to fall from grace.
"Your Majesty..." Gao Changqing hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
Gu Yan raised her hand:
"No need for further words! My mind is made up. My beloved ministers, you may all withdraw!"
After exchanging glances, Gao Changqing and the others bowed to Gu Yan and left the area.
After Gao Changqing and the others left, Gu Yan glanced at Huo Yun standing beside him and asked, "Minister Huo, is there any news about the Yuanhun Fruit I asked you to find?"
Huo Yun asked, then knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent, please forgive me!"
"Get up, don't kneel so easily. I'm not a tyrant, if you can't find it, keep looking," Gu Yan said.
Huo Yun stood up and looked at Gu Yan. Gu Yan's attention had already shifted to his fishing rod, while Huo Yun looked at his profile.
Like everyone else, Huo Yun was curious about the face beneath the mask. He always felt that His Majesty possessed an irresistible magic, drawing him in effortlessly. Yet, his mystery and power also inspired awe, making people hesitant to meet his gaze.
A gentle breeze blew, causing Gu Yan's robes to flutter.
Red lotus flowers, green lotus leaves, a clear pond, vermilion pavilions and white jade railings, and a young monarch fishing—all these elements combine to create an exquisite picture.
Huo Yun stared at the young king in black, momentarily stunned.
He didn't come to his senses until the water splashed.
A fish took the bait. After reeling in the line, Gu Yan released the struggling fish back into the water. As soon as it entered the water, the fish panicked and scurried away to the lotus leaves in the distance, disappearing from sight. Gu Yan suddenly turned to look at Huo Yun, who immediately straightened up.
"Minister Huo, how long have you been stuck at the late-stage peak of the Spirit King realm?" Gu Yan suddenly asked.
"It's been over two thousand years," Huo Yun replied.
The peak of the late-stage Spirit King realm seems to be just one step away from the Spirit Emperor realm, but that one step has blocked countless powerful individuals.
Huo Yun had almost given up hope of advancing in rank. Reaching the peak of the late-stage Spirit King realm in this lifetime was already the envy of countless people; perhaps he shouldn't be so greedy.
After hearing this, Gu Yan nodded slightly and then remained silent. Huo Yun didn't pay much attention to the matter, assuming that His Majesty had just asked casually.
Bao Jian, the envoy of the Fuyao Empire, quickly returned to the empire. Soon after, Empress Fuyao's new decree arrived: a month later, the Yue and Song kingdoms resolved their dispute over the thirty-six cities at the Shenwu Terrace. This event quickly caused a sensation throughout Qizhou, with monarchs, ministers, sects, and ordinary people alike discussing it extensively.
"My goodness, the new king of Yue is really audacious. He actually went his own way, refusing to pay tribute to the Empress and even agreeing to a duel with the Grand Master of Song at the Divine Martial Platform."
"Li He, King Li He of Yue? I've never heard of Li He before. Where did this Spirit Emperor Realm expert come from?"
"It is said that he killed the former King of Yue, Gu Lan, with ease, and he also possesses several spirit weapons of the level of a master soldier."
"How did that grand master win?"
"Are you stupid? With the Empress backing us, nothing is impossible."
In teahouses and taverns, you could see people talking about the affairs of the Yue and Song dynasties, their words flowing freely.
Leaving aside the situation in Song, the people of Yue were suddenly gripped by fear. For the people of Yue, they had finally gotten rid of that cruel tyrant, and the new king was so good. He abolished slavery, freed all the slaves in the country, abolished exorbitant taxes, and granted a general amnesty.
If something were to happen to His Majesty, who knows what kind of beast would ascend the throne in the future? They never wanted to return to those days of misery.
Whether they were commoners, powerful clans, or officials from various factions, none of them wanted the Yue Kingdom to fall apart or for another tyrant like Gu Lan to become king.
Gu Yan paid no attention to the gossip outside; he was busy refining pills.
Nine days after refining the pills, Gu Yan sent a telepathic message to Huo Yunlai, who was refining the pills in his palace.
"Your Majesty, this humble subject pays his respects!" Huo Yun entered and bowed.
Gu Yan stood before a massive alchemy furnace, its fire just extinguished. The newly refined pills were yet to be ready. Still dressed in black, Gu Yan glanced at Huo Yun and asked him:
"Do you wish to reach the Spirit Emperor Realm?"