Chapter 493: Giving in to the Talented (1)
After years of construction and migration, the folk customs of Buzhou have gradually returned to simplicity, and the organizational structure of Buzhou is still the same one that Shan Zhongfeng personally helped to build when he was still alive.
Therefore, after Shan Zhongfeng arrived in Buzhou, Ji Zhuang only worked with Shan Zhongfeng for five months before leaving for Xizhou.
The Western Continent differs from the other continents; the Western Continent has a large indigenous population and complex relationships.
Besides that, Niu Fen is only good at farming. Although he has managed Tang and Shan, he has no experience in governing a continent. Gu Qingqing can only teach him little by little. It will take at least ten or eight years to teach him properly.
But Niu Fen has his advantages. This guy is lucky. Except for a period of time when he was sold and lived in fear as a child, his life has been smooth sailing ever since. He has never participated in any major calamities, but his status has been rising step by step. When Jiao Jue transferred him here, it was actually equivalent to transferring his master Xi Tong here, in order to intimidate the three continents of Liang, Xi and Bu.
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When Ze Peng returned to the Dragon and Phoenix Palace, Jiao Jue had him sit at his usual desk and receive the greetings of officials from various regions. He then gradually taught him his methods of governing the Nine Provinces.
Some time later, Ji Rong privately asked Jiao Jue, "What does elder brother think of Ze Peng?"
Jiaojue squinted and said, "Rainbow Bird, do you want to hear the truth or something nice?"
Ji Rong glanced at him and said, "Between you and me, we should speak the truth. Given our current status, if I want to hear something nice, I only need to stand in that lively place and I can get a mountain of good things to say without spending a single spirit crystal."
Jiaojue then laughed and said, "Then I'll tell you, Cai Niao, don't even think about shirking your responsibilities."
"Your disciple, after all, comes from the Puppet Path. He prefers quiet, and while his personality seems gentle, he's actually stubborn. He's fine for managing the affairs of the Nine Provinces, but he's not quite up to the task of being the supreme ruler."
Ji Rong nodded and smiled, "It is indeed the truth. My opinion is the same as mine in the past."
Among the great clan cultivators of Kyushu, Jian Zepeng must be my eldest disciple, the first junior disciple chosen by Senior Brother Wanfa. He has a good temperament, so they are all very enthusiastic.
But their plans are most likely to fail. Judging from Zepeng's past actions, he may not be willing to take my chair.
"Brother, I still have so many disciples. If I see any good ones among the mountain lords and river lords of Kyushu, I can spare some time to train them."
Jiaojue sighed, “I think so too. If we only consider ability, I, the Mountain and Water God, Yinpan, Xitong, and Sinu are all capable of it. But we are all remnants of the old era. If we really go up, we will definitely not be accepted by the new cultivators.”
Your senior brothers and sisters who have attained immortality are actually quite good, but once they take office, the various deities will certainly not be content..."
“Brother, I’ll talk to Ze Peng in a while and have him take over for now,” Ji Rong said. “We’re not short of hands and feet to do the work anyway. Once the millennium is up, I’ll just stay in office and wait until we find a good candidate for the throne before we discuss this further.”
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Jiaojue wanted to help Zepeng familiarize himself with his duties, so Qingpingzi asked Jirong to release the tree trunk so that he could continue to review and learn new things. Jirong did as he was told, released the tree trunk, and then returned to Shoudao Palace.
Having finally gotten a few days of leisure, she naturally invited Qing Guanzi, who also wouldn't have many days of leisure, to enjoy some refreshments and fruit, since Qing Guanzi would be leaving soon.
Because of the plan to go beyond the heavens, Qingpingzi had a long talk with Qingguanzi all night as soon as he arrived at Longfeng Mountain, hoping that he could go beyond the heavens with him. However, Qingguanzi said frankly that he did not like eating soil or mining and was unwilling to go.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade his junior brother Tu Jiao, Qing Pingzi said that he would have the Dragon and Phoenix Palace release the news that he had come out of seclusion, so that Qing Guanzi could think about where to retire; otherwise, after he and Ji Rong left, Qing Guanzi would be left without anyone to take care of him and might accidentally eat him to death.
Qingguanzi didn't want to sleep for so long and be so bored, so he agreed.
As soon as the Dragon and Phoenix Palace released the news that the Great Sage of Guanshan had emerged from seclusion, dragon-related tribes from all over the country sent letters to invite him. Ji Rong asked Qing Guanzi if there was anyone he liked. Qing Guanzi said that those tribes were only after his Dao and would never restrain him. On the contrary, they would try to please him by offering him more gifts, so he rejected them all.
But last month, after receiving a formal invitation from Shan Zhongfeng, Qing Guanzi was tempted; because being the "guardian beast" of the Blood Pill Sect by the Bitter Water Lake in that province was a very good job.
Once there, he could sleep whenever he wanted, teach whomever he wanted, and have a whole bunch of aquatic cultivators vying to call him "Grandpa."
Without any constraints, he was relaxed and carefree. The cultivators of the Blood Pill Sect treated him like an ancestor, only feeding him pills. It didn't cost him any money, and he didn't have to worry about gaining weight. It was truly comfortable.
Ji Rong and Qing Guanzi were enjoying their meal when a servant came from outside to report that Dao Zepeng had arrived.
"Has something happened that led to this?" Ji Rong thought to herself. She told the servants to tidy up the table and add another cup before letting the servants bring Ze Peng in.
As soon as Ze Peng entered, Ji Rong said calmly, "Peng, you should be in the hall learning about governance at this time. Why did you come here?"
Ze Peng respectfully bowed and said, "I have some private words I would like to say to my master."
Upon hearing this, Qing Guanzi and Ji Rong exchanged a glance, then immediately got up and left, closing the palace gate behind them. Once the gate was closed, Ji Rong said, "Peng, now that there's no one else around, sit down and talk. Be more at ease."
Ze Peng then sat down as instructed and said, “Master, since you are going to expand your territory in the outer heavens with your senior brother and Jue Jun, why not summon Xiao Hua, Shan He and the others back for a meeting as well?”
Upon hearing this, Ji Rong, who was seated at the head of the table, straightened his neck and said, "Peng, do you know why I didn't call them back?"
Zepeng also looked up and said, "I know, but they are also Master's disciples."
Xiao Hua and Shan He have both reached the Emperor realm in recent years. They are good at socializing and their abilities are no less than mine. I am just older than them and became disciples of a master earlier.
Ji Rong looked at Ze Peng and said solemnly, "Do you know what you will lose after saying these words?"
This time, Ze Peng didn't get up. He stiffened his neck, as if he needed to exert a great deal of effort to look Ji Rong in the eye, and said, "Master, I know. Jue Jun said that He chose me because the money I collected was the most complete."
But these past few days, I've thought about it. If any cultivator were in my position, as long as they weren't stupid, they would collect all the money they could.
Looking at this disciple who had grown so much since entering the sect, Ji Rong sighed, "You should know that if you step down, you will not be able to stay in Kyushu."
Zepeng had already said the most difficult part, and the tension in his body relaxed. He said, "Master, I want to go to the outer heavens with you. I can do everything: farming, building roads, calculating the new calendar, and crafting mining puppets."
Seeing Ze Peng's serious expression, Ji Rong suddenly laughed and said, "You really don't want to deal with them? This is the position of the supreme ruler. You said it yourself, anyone who isn't stupid can do it well."
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