Countless cultivators in the Fifteen Northwestern Circuit Provinces toiled to cultivate spirit fields, mine spirit mines, and run businesses, yet their total taxes over five years amounted to only eight billion.
Yet Qing Chen needed only to secretly stir up conflicts between a few kingdoms, then sell batches of military equipment and medicinal resources to both sides, to rake in five billion spirit stones.
Once war broke out, spirit stones truly lay everywhere.
"They still aren't fighting fiercely enough." After reading the secret accounts, Qing Chen actually looked somewhat regretful.
"If a few more people died in the Western Regions' kingdoms, and the Ten Thousand Saints Demon Kingdom and the Southwestern Circuit fought a little harder, our business could at least grow some more."
Xu Jiuling lowered his head without speaking.
If outsiders heard those words, Qing Chen's grand façade of guarding the frontier for the nation and keeping its lands and people safe would probably shatter all over the ground in an instant.
But he had long known what his lord was like. This was his good lord indeed.
"Jiuling."
"At your service."
"Allocate eight hundred million spirit stones from the Secret Treasury and two hundred million from the Governor-General's Office to establish an Open and Secret Merit Treasury." Qing Chen swept his hand, his tone exceedingly generous.
"Xu Jiuling, Su Zixuan, Xin Bairen, Ye Wushang, the Guanyin Tower Master, Jia Daoyi, Sun Wudi, Lei Bao, Hua Tieshou, Han Shi, Jueqing, and the others, along with the old hands who have followed me all the way from the Gouwu Sea to the Northwestern Circuit over the years, are to receive secret annual rewards based on their cultivation and contributions. Handle future earnings the same way."
"I spent five years in seclusion this time, while you stayed outside guarding my