As Expected, Dissatisfaction

In the Imperial City Luoyang of the Great Gan Dynasty.

Numerous powerful factions had already arrived.

"Eunuch Wang, this is the Imperial City of the Great Gan Dynasty. The dragon energy here is a hundred times more potent than it was in the past, far exceeding the calculations of the Imperial Observatory..."

The person leading the group had temples streaked with white hair, wore plain clothes that made him appear unremarkable, and his aged eyes held a deep sense of apprehension.

"Such potent dragon energy... not even when the Old Ancestor of the Ye Family was alive before his Ascension could it have reached this level. Truly strange..."

Wang Jingzhong raised his head, observing the bustling crowds on the street, golden lists posted everywhere, and magnificent flowers adorning both sides of the road.

"Have the people from the Imperial Observatory secretly investigate around the Imperial Palace. The sudden surge of dragon energy within Great Gan is too bizarre. And it coincides with that woman's wedding. I have a feeling there's a connection. Perhaps that Imperial Sovereign is not as simple as they seem..."

"Your subordinate obeys."

After his subordinates departed, the old eunuch casually found a place to sit and listened to the conversations of the surrounding citizens.

It was exactly the same as the information they had gathered. Ye Qinglian's Imperial Sovereign was appointed suddenly, and she even went against established rites to do so. For any dynasty, rites were paramount. This action was equivalent to throwing the Ye Family's royal dignity to the ground, especially if this Imperial Sovereign wasn't a person of extraordinary talent.

What else could have caused Ye Qinglian to act so impulsively?

Was the surge in dragon energy related to him?

But no matter what.

He had come to the Great Gan Dynasty.

Once the news was confirmed, he would personally make a trip to the Great Gan Dynasty.

The Imperial Sovereign could be killed, or must be killed.

But the Empress, that would depend on the situation.

If the dragon energy originated from the Empress, she must be killed. But if not, to maintain the current balance among the Five Great Dynasties, her cultivation would have to be crippled.

After all, killing this Empress would be tantamount to telling the other nations that they intended to unify the world. However, Great Zhou was not yet in a position to crush the combined forces of the Four Great Dynasties.

If they were to kill her, the Four Great Dynasties would inevitably join forces, leading to immense trouble. But if they didn't kill her, even if the Great Gan Dynasty fought to the death, it would merely take a small effort to conquer the nation, thus maintaining stability.

Suddenly, Wang Jingzhong sensed something and slightly raised his eyes, looking towards a grand procession not far away.

"The Luohan Dynasty has sent so many people? Heh heh, it seems they're not here with good intentions..."

The old eunuch already had a plan in mind, his gaze fixed on the face of the person leading the procession.

Soon, the aura emanating from him became identical to that of the people sent by the Luohan Dynasty, and he produced a human skin mask.

The old eunuch accepted it, narrowing his eyes slightly, in an excellent mood.

The Four Great Dynasties had already gathered in the Imperial Capital Luoyang.

Some people were here with ill intentions, while others intended to form alliances, seizing this opportunity.

Everyone was waiting, waiting for the opportune moment to present their price and methods.

Another five days passed in a flash.

Inside the Imperial Palace, in Mingde Hall.

Prime Minister Qiu Zun was surprised to see Chu Ning also appear in Mingde Hall, but he quickly remembered Ye Qinglian's previous arrangements.

They would jointly manage state affairs. His Majesty actually wasn't joking...

Never mind. It was His Majesty's empire, and she could do as she pleased. Anyway, His Majesty's cultivation was formidable, so there was no fear of Chu Ning usurping the throne or anything.

"This old minister pays his respects to Your Majesty, and to the Imperial Sovereign."

Chu Ning, standing beside them, smiled and waved his hand.

"There are still ten days left. The wedding hasn't happened yet. The Imperial Sovereign title is only official after the wedding."

Ye Qinglian glared at Chu Ning with displeasure.

The Prime Minister was greeting them according to protocol. You didn't need to say anything extra.

The elder chuckled, "Your Majesty's decree has been issued, and you personally promised Mister the status of Imperial Sovereign earlier. It is not inappropriate for this old minister to address you as Imperial Sovereign."

"What business do you have to see me?"

Ye Qinglian felt it was best to change the subject and spoke indifferently.

Upon hearing this, the elder's face was filled with excitement!

"Your Majesty's foresight is profound. This old minister only now realizes Your Majesty's methods. Truly brilliant!"

Can't find the book title? Try searching for the author, perhaps the name has changed!

Ye Qinglian frowned, somewhat confused.

"What happened?"

She hadn't done anything significant these past few days, so why was she being praised for foresight?

Qiu Zun tremblingly produced a memorial and handed it over.

"This is an urgent memorial sent from Jiangnan today, detailing the current situation in the Jiangnan region!"

"Three days ago, over ten thousand passenger ships carrying nearly thirty million catties of grain intended to be sold in Jiangnan were directly blocked by the authorities with iron chains on the Cang River!"

"Local gentry couldn't afford to buy, and those merchants couldn't leave, so the government opened its granaries to distribute grain!"

"Those merchants couldn't sit still. In the early hours of last night, they dumped their stock one after another. Two of them went from fifty taels per shi to eight hundred wen per shi, a drop of dozens of times. The price is still plummeting!"

Ye Qinglian was stunned upon hearing this and immediately opened the memorial. She stared intently at the words on it.

On it, not only were merchants dumping grain as Qiu Zun had said, but even the local gentry couldn't hold back as dawn broke, continuing to sell off their stock.

It was estimated that the grain prices in Jiangnan would fall to around one hundred wen, even lower than the previous grain prices!

The government planned to start acquiring grain when the prices hit their lowest point, using it to relieve the disaster victims.

Thirteen days!

It had only been thirteen days since Chu Ning wrote his countermeasure!

The grain prices in Jiangnan had even been driven down to a lower price than before!

Qiu Zun was overjoyed and said with a smile, "Your Majesty's move, this old subject didn't understand at first. Why not open the granaries? The local officials also had many complaints, but now that the dust has settled, everything has come to light!"

"Those Jiangnan gentry, some even went bankrupt buying grain at exorbitant prices, intending to earn more. Little did they know, they had already become pawns in Your Majesty's game. Now, news has spread that many Jiangnan gentry have hanged themselves at home."

"Your Majesty's move this time was truly a stroke of genius. This old subject congratulates Your Majesty. The disaster in Jiangnan has been resolved!"

Ye Qinglian took a deep breath, her heart filled with exhilaration. She immediately picked up her brush.

She ordered the Ministry of Revenue to mobilize funds from the national treasury to aid the people of Jiangnan in their reconstruction, and dispatched cultivators to assist.

She also ordered people to arrest the Jiangnan gentry. Anyone involved in price gouging would be investigated thoroughly from top to bottom. Anyone within the court implicated would be executed!

During this time, a long-suppressed anger could finally be released!

These damned profiteers, who had driven up grain prices hundreds of times over. If they weren't all eliminated, it would be impossible to quell her rage!

If not for their actions, the grain prices in Jiangnan would have only risen two or three times at most, not leading to so many deaths!

The long-accumulated gloom completely dissipated at this moment, and this move would undoubtedly be recorded in history as a brilliant stroke by Ye Qinglian.

Qiu Zun bowed and retreated, taking the memorial with him to carry out the orders.

Now, it was time to wrap things up.

All the troubles were resolved, and it was the perfect time to welcome her wedding!

After the elder left, Ye Qinglian looked at Chu Ning, who was beside her.

She had initially expected Chu Ning to say something at this moment, perhaps using this matter as an excuse to gain some advantage. However, she saw no change in expression on Chu Ning's face. He was simply sitting there, looking at a book.

Ye Qinglian asked in confusion, "Did you not hear what Old Qiu just said? Aren't you happy?"

Chu Ning looked up and closed his book.

"I expected it. I just didn't expect it to be so fast. I thought it might take a month or two. I didn't expect it to only take thirteen days..."

"Is your waterway transportation that fast?"

Ye Qinglian was a bit taken aback by this scene.

No, do you really not know what you've done?

Or do you feel like I've stolen your rightful credit?

"The trouble in Jiangnan has been resolved."

She reiterated, as if afraid Chu Ning hadn't heard.

"Mm, I heard."

Ye Qinglian's heart sank.

So you are unhappy...