Family Rise: Beginning with Grandfather.

Chapter 593 Chaos in the Darong Court

"It's better not to celebrate the birthday, so as to avoid trouble for the children!" Yu Qingyi said with a smile.

Yang Zhengshan looked up at her and said, "You sound old-fashioned. We are still young!"

Yu Qingyi smiled brightly upon hearing this, "Yes, you are still young!"

"Does Mingcheng want to come to Xingyue Island?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"Well, I guess so. He went back to Yangjia Village before the New Year and spent the New Year there. Now he has returned to Kyoto. I guess he can't stay in Kyoto anymore!" Yu Qingyi said.

"What happened? Did something happen in Kyoto?" Yang Zhengshan asked.

"He didn't say it in the letter, but he said Yang Zhengxiang's health is not very good!" Yu Qingyi said.

Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly.

After the New Year, the court was in turmoil.

At the grand court meeting in early February, Emperor Yanping was very angry. He dismissed a cabinet minister and a chancellor, and put several ministers in jail all because of the disaster relief issue.

The first Governor-General of Five Provinces Disaster Relief was dismissed from his post and imprisoned after serving for only three months. The second Governor-General of Five Provinces Disaster Relief was Qi Maoyang, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He was impeached by many officials before he even left the capital.

Anyway, there is a lot of commotion in the court now.

It’s just that Yang Zhengshan didn’t know all this. It’s not that he didn’t pay attention to what was happening in the court, but he was on Xingyue Island, so the transmission of information was extremely delayed. Usually, he would have to wait two months after something happened before he would get the news.

Moreover, he really didn't want to care about what was happening in the court right now, and even if he received the news, he was too lazy to take it to heart.

"How is the old patriarch's health?" Yang Zhengshan was still more concerned about Yang Zhengxiang's health.

Yu Qingyi said: "Mingcheng said that the old patriarch may not have much time left!"

Yang Zhengshan fell into silence while eating.

Yang Zhengxiang is already seventy-six years old this year, and even for a warrior he is already old and frail.

In fact, given Yang Zhengxiang's previous physical condition, it was impossible for him to live to such an old age. It was only because Yang Zhengshan sent him a lot of wine and tea over the years that he was able to live until now.

After dinner, Yang Zhengshan went to the study and wrote a letter to Yang Mingcheng, asking him to return to his hometown to express condolences on his behalf if Yang Zhengxiang passed away.

He himself had no plans to go back. Birth, aging, sickness and death were part of human nature and he was used to it now.

Lu Songhe, Mr. Lu, Liu Yuanfu, Xu Jin, etc., all these acquaintances have passed away. It is only a matter of time before Yang Zhengxiang passes away. It is useless for him to go back or not.

In the afternoon, Yang Zhengshan ran into the Lingquan space and started working again. However, he was not busy for too long before Lu Shou came to report: "Island Master, the third master of the Zhu family is here to see you!"

"Zhu family? Which Zhu family?" Yang Zhengshan asked puzzledly.

Is there a Zhu family on Xingyue Island?

no!
Lu Shou replied: "The Zhu family from Dihuo Island!"

Yang Zhengshan suddenly realized that the Zhu family of Dihuo Island was the most important partner of Tenglongwei in the southeastern waters, and was also the friendly force of the Yang family on Xingyue Island.

However, Luo Jinsong was in charge of these matters before, and Yang Zhengshan never asked about them.

Yang Zhengshan originally wanted to wait until he wanted to go out for fun and then visit the Zhu family, but he didn't expect the other party to come first.

Arriving at the main hall, Yang Zhengshan greeted him warmly, "Brother Zhu, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Hahaha!"

Zhu Changxing bowed and saluted, "Brother Yang has taken over Xingyue Island. I am here on behalf of the Zhu family to congratulate Brother Yang!"

"Haha, Brother Zhu, you are too polite. Please take a seat, please take a seat!" Yang Zhengshan invited Zhu Changxing to sit down and drink tea.

Yang Zhengshan had a clear understanding of Dihuo Island and the Zhu family.

Because both Lu Xinghe and Luo Jinsong have very detailed understanding of them.

Dihuo Island is located three hundred miles south of Xingyue Island. It is an island several times larger than Xingyue Island. It is called Dihuo Island because there is an active volcano on the island.

The lava in the volcano boils all year round, and the Zhu family uses the boiling earth fire to forge weapons.

The Zhu family is a famous forging family in the Southeast Waters. The weapons they forge are very popular among martial arts masters, so the Zhu family has become the manufacturer of high-end weapons in the Southeast Waters.

Moreover, Dihuo Island is rich in various precious minerals. In addition, the Dihuo steel forged by the Zhu family is also a very unique specialty.

Weapons forged with earth fire steel are extremely hard and are top-grade forging material.

Yang Zhengshan estimated that this kind of underground steel should be because the lava in the volcano contains special components, which makes the steel forged by the Zhu family have super high hardness.

Thinking of the underground fire steel, Yang Zhengshan couldn't help but get interested.

After the two of them finished their pleasantries, he asked, "I heard that Earth Fire Island is rich in Earth Fire Steel. I wonder if Brother Zhu can sell us a batch of weapons forged with Earth Fire Steel!"

Weapons forged from earth-fire steel are suitable for martial arts masters, such as those at the ninth level of the acquired realm and those half a step into the innate realm. Even innate martial artists can use weapons forged from earth-fire steel.

Earth Fire Steel is hard and heavy. Ordinary warriors may find it heavy when using it, but martial arts masters will find it very handy.

"Of course! I wonder how much Brother Yang needs?" Zhu Changxing agreed without thinking.

"How about 300 spears, scimitars and swords each?" Yang Zhengshan said.

How can a martial arts force not stockpile a batch of good weapons?
Zhu Changxing looked at Yang Zhengshan in astonishment, "Brother Yang, it's not that I'm trying to refuse, it's just too much!"

"A lot? Sorry, I've just arrived in the Southeast Sea not long ago and don't know much about the situation there!" Yang Zhengshan said.

He was lying with open eyes. He didn't know the situation in the Southeast Waters before, but now he is very familiar with many forces in the Southeast Waters.

This is also the reason why he found Deng Yuehe and brought Lu Xinghe to Xingyue Island.

Although the Zhu family is rich in ground-fire steel, their output is not large. Every year, the Zhu family sells no more than a hundred weapons forged with ground-fire steel. Yang Zhengshan asked for three hundred pieces each. The Zhu family estimated that it would take seven or eight years to complete this order.

Zhu Changxing smiled and said, "I can only give Brother Yang thirty pieces, and each piece of weapon is priced at fifty thousand taels!"

Yang Zhengshan smacked his lips. “Fifty thousand taels each. Damn, so expensive!”
It seems that I made a fool of myself just now.

If one piece costs 50,000 taels, wouldn’t 900 pieces cost 45 million taels of silver?
Xingyue Island is wealthy, but not to this extent.

"Then give me thirty items first, twenty spears, five swords, and five sabers! As for the silver, Brother Zhu can take it away now!" Yang Zhengshan said generously.

The weapons of the Zhu family are good things. If they are taken to Dayong and sold, the difference in price will allow Yang Zhengshan to make a fortune.

But the Zhu family is really powerful, much more powerful than the Shen family of Darong Xiangyuan Prefecture. The Shen family can only forge a dozen weapons of the same quality in a year, while the Zhu family can forge hundreds of them. And the weapons forged by the Zhu family are not only weapons forged with earth fire steel.

"Don't worry, don't worry. It will probably take two or three months to complete twenty spears!" said Zhu Changxing.

The Zhu family did have some inventory, but not much, especially since Yang Zhengshan wanted twenty spears, the Zhu family had to slowly forge them.

"Haha, how can I not believe in the credibility of the Zhu family of Dihuo Island? Take the silver first, and send as many weapons as you have now. The rest can be sent in three months!" Yang Zhengshan said proudly.

The word "integrity" is very important to a force, especially a force like the Zhu family that runs various businesses. Integrity is the foundation of their existence in the Southeast Waters.

"Well, I won't be shy. When I get back, I'll send someone to deliver ten weapons!" Zhu Changxing said with a smile.

The price he gave to Yang Zhengshan was really a preferential price. The Zhu family's Earth Fire Steel weapons usually sold for 70,000 or 80,000 yuan each. Giving Yang Zhengshan 50,000 yuan each was equivalent to a 30% discount.

The reason why he was willing to give Yang Zhengshan preferential treatment was because their Zhu family wanted to make friends with Yang Zhengshan.

The Zhu family has considerable influence in the southeastern waters, but they are only a family-based force after all, and they need the support of many other forces in many matters.

Although the Yang family represented by Yang Zhengshan is only a new force in the southeastern waters, don’t forget that the Darong Dynasty is behind the Yang family.

This is actually a misunderstanding. The Zhu family and many forces in the Southeast Waters thought that Yang Zhengshan was the spokesperson for the Dayong Dynasty in the Southeast Waters, but in fact Yang Zhengshan could not represent the Dayong Dynasty at all.

The reason why Zhu Changxing came to visit Yang Zhengshan was, firstly, because of the Darong Dynasty behind Yang Zhengshan, and secondly, because Yang Zhengshan and Tenglongwei were one and the same.

Now the Zhu family has to rely on Tenglongwei in many areas.

The Zhu family is an important partner of Tenglongwei in the southeast waters, and Tenglongwei is also an important partner of the Zhu family in Dayong.

This has to do with the trade needs of both parties. Tenglongwei needs the Zhu family to help open up the trade market in the southeastern waters, and the Zhu family needs Tenglongwei to open up the trade market in the northeastern part of Dayong, and at the same time they also need Tenglongwei to provide various scarce minerals.

As a force mainly based on forging industry, the Zhu family has a huge demand for various types of ores, and Tenglongwei now has a lot of ores among its trade goods.

The gold and silver mines of the Desheng Dynasty, the copper and iron mines of the Lisheng Dynasty, the ferrous metals of Liaodong, the rare metals of Liaoxi, etc., a large amount of ores were transported to the southeast waters via Tenglongwei's merchant ships.

In the past, the Zhu family had to spend a lot of money to obtain so many types of ores, and the supply was extremely unstable and often out of stock. But since the cooperation with Tenglongwei, the Zhu family has obtained a stable supply of metals, so the Zhu family attaches great importance to the cooperation with Tenglongwei.

After learning that Yang Zhengshan lived on Xingyue Island, several elders of the Zhu family discussed it and decided to ask Zhu Changxing to visit him as a sign of goodwill.

Yang Zhengshan indeed felt the goodwill of the Zhu family. He had a very pleasant conversation with Zhu Changxing. Not only did they make a deal, they also talked a lot about the southeastern waters and exchanged their cultivation experiences.

Zhu Changxing stayed on Xingyue Island for seven days before leaving on his own initiative. When he left, he said, "Brother Yang is already ahead of me in the way of cultivation. If it weren't for the things I have to deal with at home, I really want to stay on Xingyue Island for a year or so to learn from you."

During the seven days, he communicated a lot with Yang Zhengshan, especially on martial arts training. At first, he thought that Yang Zhengshan was not as good as himself and wanted to give some pointers to Yang Zhengshan, but he never expected that with just a few words, he would be instructed by Yang Zhengshan.

At this time, he was not flattering Yang Zhengshan, but he really wanted to ask Yang Zhengshan more.

Especially in terms of Taoism, he felt that there was a world of difference between him and Yang Zhengshan.

In fact, the gap between the two is really huge. Although Yang Zhengshan is much younger than Zhu Changxing and is not as good as Zhu Changxing in mysteries and subtleties, Yang Zhengshan is far superior to Zhu Changxing in terms of cultivation experience.

The reason is very simple. There are countless cultivation experiences of predecessors in Darong Zanggong Pavilion. Yang Zhengshan is standing on the shoulders of his predecessors to communicate with Zhu Changxing.

Those cultivation experiences may seem unimportant, and in Dayong anyone who is an innate warrior can check them at will, but in fact, for an innate warrior, those cultivation experiences are very important foundation.

The experience summarized by predecessors may not help Yang Zhengshan improve his cultivation, but it has increased Yang Zhengshan's knowledge and understanding of the innate realm.

In terms of cultivation experience, the Zhu family is far inferior to Darong.

The foundation of a dynasty is definitely not comparable to that of a family or a surname.

"Haha, Brother Zhu, if you have time to come to Xingyue Island again, I will definitely welcome you!" Yang Zhengshan said with a smile.

Although the Zhu family's foundation is not as good as Dayong's, it is also beneficial for Yang Zhengshan to communicate with other fellow practitioners. Every innate warrior has a different understanding of cultivation. Mutual verification and guidance will help Yang Zhengshan better understand the meaning of Tao.

During these seven days, Yang Zhengshan had gained a lot, so he was very welcoming to Zhu Changxing.

"Haha, well then, I'll come visit Brother Yang when I'm free!"

Zhu Changxing said goodbye and left Xingyue Island. Yang Zhengshan saw him off for more than ten miles. Then he took the opportunity to go out to sea and stroll around the four islands in the southeast, northwest, northeast and southwest of Xingyue Island.

Luo Jinsong has relocated 20,000 refugees to the four islands, and government offices have also been set up on the four islands.

Yang Zhengshan happened to go to the four islands and left some spiritual spring water.

Together with the more than 10,000 people on Xingyue Island, the number of people under Yang Zhengshan's rule now exceeded 35,000.

The population was not large, but it was enough for Yang Zhengshan.

In the following days, Yang Zhengshan practiced in seclusion on Xingyue Island while guiding the young men in their cultivation. His life was simple and fulfilling.

There was peace on Xingyue Island, but the Darong Dynasty was in dire straits.

The first year of Xingyue was the summer of the eighth year of Yanping.

Heavy rains hit several prefectures in Longnan for seven consecutive days. A large amount of rain water gathered in the Ru River, causing the Ru River in Shanhe Province to burst its banks in many places. The floods spread for hundreds of miles and countless people were drowned.

The famine in the five southern provinces had not yet eased, and floods occurred in the north, which made the civil and military officials in Darong's court extremely anxious.

In the Taiji Hall of the Kyoto Imperial City.

Emperor Yanping looked at the ministers in the palace with an extremely gloomy expression.

Emperor Yanping was really angry at this time. The Ru River broke its dike and the flood almost flooded Shuntian Prefecture. However, the Ru River dike in Shanhe Province had just been reinforced two years ago.

The court spent three million taels of silver to reinforce the river embankment, but what was the result?

It's only been two years and many river embankments have breached. It would be better not to reinforce them!
"Does the Ministry of Works have any regulations for repairing river embankments?" asked Emperor Yanping.

Yang Ziheng, the Minister of Works, had sweat all over his forehead. He stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Works has already formulated a plan for rebuilding the Ruhe River, but..."

"But what?" Emperor Yanping asked angrily.

Yang Ziheng glanced at Li Zhijie, the Minister of Revenue, and said, "But we need to recruit 100,000 civilians, 4 million taels of silver, and 150,000 shi of grain!"

Emperor Yanping looked at Yang Ziheng with a sinister expression, "Your rules are to demand people and money?"

"Your Majesty!" Yang Ziheng knelt on the ground, "I am incompetent, please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Yang Ziheng also felt aggrieved.

(End of this chapter)