An unnamed island in the Qiantang River in southern China.
Surrounded by his secret guards, Prince Rong sat on the reef, gazing at the illusory reflection of the Yanhai City connected to the river, and asked, "How much of the money bag have you managed to protect?"
"Seventy percent of the assets are gold, forty percent are silver, and all the copper coins are lost, but eighty-five percent of the crystals and rare minerals have been preserved!" The middle-aged noblewoman, still charming, sat with him on the rocks to enjoy the scenery, succinctly stating the true state of their purse.
One sentence reveals Prince Rong's shrewdness.
When the Emperor Emeritus issued the decree to confine Prince Rong, Prince Rong was not in a hurry at all, because he had already made arrangements for his finances!
Protecting the money means protecting everything that's been secretly done.
At most, the loss was limited to a portion of the assets and personnel that were publicly visible.
But it cannot be denied that the real power lies in what remains hidden.
Even so, Prince Rong looked solemn and was not in a good mood: "That gentleman is Sheng Xiang, the interdimensional traveler. When did he start disappearing?"
"Your Highness, about ten days ago, Shengxiang withdrew the relevant personnel and stopped framing the Dynasty and the Donglin Army and sowing discord."
According to intelligence reports, Sheng Xiang is hunting down Xie Ming, and the two are vying for control of the South China Sea. What does Your Highness want to say? The noble lady is uneasy, unable to fathom his thoughts.
As Prince Rong's mistress, a concubine without any official status, she controlled eight or nine tenths of Prince Rong's assets and the army, so she naturally knew what Prince Rong wanted to do.
To plot rebellion and seize the throne.
It was originally a sure thing.
This was because Prince Rong had always feigned weakness, maneuvering in the vortex of Sheng Xiang's coercion to seize the throne and the struggles with various powerful families, pretending to be weak, doing his best to incite others to fight amongst themselves, and remaining on the sidelines while waiting for an opportunity to act.
The war triggered by the Dai Clan's Secret Realm, which drew cultivators from all over the world to Salt Sea City for a fierce battle, was undoubtedly fueled by Prince Rong's secret instigation.
Unfortunately, the effort ultimately failed, allowing Zheng Ya to assist the Donglin Army and Xie Ming in gaining an advantage and dividing the north and south territories of the Qiantang River.
After all, Zheng Ya had single-handedly created an invincible army of over a million, and Xie Ming had already secretly won over the support of the powerful families and divided the north and south of the Qiantang River, ruling in separate fiefdoms. He was simply no match for Prince Rong.
Failure was both expected and unforeseen.
Moreover, with Wu Wei and Sheng Xiang stirring things up, Prince Rong dared not act rashly.
Currently, the treasure map of the Dragon Palace Secret Realm is attracting cultivators from all over the world to the South China Sea. In addition, the temptation of the imperial seal in the capital has attracted the involvement of many people with ulterior motives. It seems that this is an opportunity for Prince Rong to start a rebellion.
But is this really an opportunity to conquer the world?
The noblewoman was uncertain, but Prince Rong gave her an irrelevant answer: "The Donglin Army is currently implementing benevolent policies to win over the people in the territory south of the Qiantang River. In time, the Jiangnan region will be a united front."
The territory north of the Qiantang River has been largely divided and controlled by the forces subdued by Xie Ming, leaving no opportunity for exploitation.
"Where does this king find his way out?"
"May I ask what Your Highness seeks?" The noble lady sensed something in his words, that he no longer seemed to be the ambitious and eager prince who once vied for the throne; had his mind changed?
A man's ambition will only grow bigger and bigger, without end.
This is the most terrifying part, making the noblewoman unable to see her future and causing her to panic!
Prince Rong once again gave an irrelevant answer: "The messenger from the capital indicates that the young emperor and the old emperor are at odds over the imperial seal."
Fu Ying, who was supposed to die in the assassination, came back to life?
Fu Ying returned to the Duke of Dai's mansion and had a private talk with Fu Qianshi, which alarmed the young emperor, who then forcibly took Fu Ying away.
Then the old emperor was kidnapped?
The situation is truly unpredictable; a wind is rising!
"Your Highness, is it possible to cultivate immortality and ascend to the upper realm?" The noblewoman earnestly advised, but dared not suggest that he retire into seclusion, or gather all forces to attack a secluded paradise, live a peaceful life as a king in a corner of the world, wouldn't that be better?
It should be noted that the collapse of the Immortal Dynasty three hundred years ago was precisely due to the conflicts and struggles among cultivators seeking ascension to the upper realm.
The Immortal Dynasty has collapsed, let alone the crippled cultivation system now?
The gap between them is too big.
This left the noble lady with no hope, yet she knew Prince Rong's temperament; once he made up his mind, he wouldn't turn back even if he hit a brick wall!
Prince Rong remained unmoved and made a decisive decision: "Activate the Golden Hairpin Plan!"
"Your Highness, isn't it a bit too early to launch the Golden Hairpin Project now?" The noble lady was startled and stood up to advise him.
Prince Rong shook his head and smiled, "We can't wait any longer."
"If I wait any longer, I fear the hairpin I've nurtured for so many years will be destroyed and completely destroyed."
"Your Highness is right, but once the Golden Hairpin Plan is launched, people will speculate that Your Highness has taken action."
"Then a severe test will be faced, and I'm afraid the Golden Hairpin Plan will be aborted halfway..." The noble lady took advantage of Qing's strength to stop it.
Prince Rong waved his hand to interrupt: "No, the Golden Hairpin Project is proceeding as planned."
I will personally lead a large army, braving the winds and waves, to storm into the Great Yan Dynasty from the northwestern mountains and cut off its rear.
In this way, the world's attention can be diverted, making it easier for the Golden Hairpin Plan to proceed smoothly.
"Ah, does Your Highness intend to take over the Great Yan Dynasty without bloodshed?" The noblewoman congratulated her with delight, instantly radiating a captivating charm that was beyond compare.
The army of the Great Yan Dynasty had previously been decimated by the invincible army of 30,000 to 40,000 men led by Marquis Ningwu.
Then, the Yanlong Iron Cavalry rose up unexpectedly and defeated the invincible army led by Ningwu Marquis, forcing the various families of the Great Yan Dynasty to hand over military supplies and soldiers, thus taking away the military power of the Great Yan Dynasty.
The remaining military force likely consists of the direct descendants of the Great Yan royal family and the elite troops of various families, capable of self-defense but lacking offensive capabilities.
The Yanlong Iron Cavalry's strong attack on Lingtian Pass took advantage of the Great Yan Dynasty's internal vulnerability.
Once Prince Rong leads his army to stab the Great Yan Dynasty in the back, even if the Yanlong Iron Cavalry returns to reinforce the Great Yan royal family, it will be too late.
One battle will decide the fate of the world. We will take the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, then target the treasures inside the Tianyan Mountains. With the full development of the Golden Hairpin Plan, the situation will become clear!
At that time, everything will be in Prince Rong's favor.
The noblewoman saw a bright future in her mind and burst forth with intense love, almost causing Prince Rong to lose his composure and embarrass himself in public: "Alright, don't get excited."
The key to this battle still lies with Baochai..."
"Your Highness, you can't do this! Sacrificing Baochai is not worth it..." The noble lady's face changed upon hearing this, and she knelt down to beg him to retract his order.
In fact, Xie Baochai was the legitimate daughter of a noblewoman and the Xie family, imperial merchants. She had been suppressed by Prince Rong, and the Xie family patriarch died an unnatural death, forcing the noblewoman Xie Qian to submit to Prince Rong in order to protect her children and family property.
Merchants are considered to be in a lowly profession, and their status is even lower than that of ordinary people.
Even if one were to acquire the empty title of "Imperial Merchant," using the guise of raking in wealth for the royal family to travel the world, their true worth would still be less than that of a lowly ninth-rank official.
Originally, the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce was the product of three generations of marriage alliances with major families in Kyoto. It was essentially a chamber of commerce that supplied money and resources to various powerful families, and thus had a certain degree of influence and was protected by these families.
However, ever since the former crown prince's attempt to force the emperor to abdicate failed and the emperor abdicated, many families have lost power, and the Xie family business association has been in even worse shape, walking on thin ice!
Taking advantage of the situation, Prince Rong naturally seized control of the Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce.
The Xie Clan Chamber of Commerce is currently in an awkward position. On the surface, it controls Prince Rong's money and military, but in reality, it is just an empty shell that follows orders.
Everything was done according to Prince Rong's instructions.
Prince Rong smiled faintly, "Thank you, Madam Qian, are you thinking of going it alone..."
"Your Highness, spare me..." Xie Qianshi kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy in terror...
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