The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

“I didn’t become an official to kill my whole family—okay, it’s not all about killing my whole family, I also do my job properly.”

"So, excluding the murder of the entire family... the real business of the Imperial Household Department is to bring down the current Prime Minister?"

“The proper duty of an official is to serve His Majesty—in my heart there is only His Majesty as the sun, and this has nothing to do with what official position I hold.”

Qiao Yelan corrected.

“You never do anything unnecessary. This time, under the pretext of the Vice Minister’s appointment, you’ve come to visit me openly for the second time. There must be something you want to discuss.”

The Grand Tutor was too lazy to waste time with him, so he picked up his teacup and got straight to the point.

"Yes, there is. The matter in the southern sea has been verified, and it is no less serious than the matter of the northern demons."

puff--

The Grand Tutor swished a mouthful of tea in his mouth, then spat it all out. He jumped up from his chair, staring at Qiao Yelan with an incredulous expression.

"Can you say that again!"

Even the pitch was raised several notches.

“I said—I have already sent people to Iberia to investigate. The problem in the southern sea, although it can still be said to be somewhat distant, is no less serious than the problem of the demons in the north.”

Qiao Yelan repeated it carefully.

The old man slumped back into his chair, his face filled with terror.

He knew there was something wrong with the southern seas. Iberia was once known as the land of gold, and even arrogantly called its fleet the invincible fleet, yet few countries thought there was anything wrong with that.

As a result, after a great expedition, the invincible fleet was completely annihilated at sea, and the nation's fate was abruptly cut short. After that, the once sailing nation was left with only fear of the sea, and even spontaneously moved its people to the inland, with almost no one daring to go to sea.

No one dared to underestimate the power capable of destroying such a nation-destroying fleet, but even the Iberians themselves did not know what had happened, let alone anyone else.

The Great Yan Dynasty had been secretly funding ocean voyages in order to find out what was in the sea. Even some celestial masters participated in these voyages—but they either gained nothing or returned empty-handed.

Now, the truth has been brought back—but he would rather the other party hadn't told him.

The Grand Tutor knew better than anyone just how terrifying the demons were. He had witnessed firsthand how many resources and lives the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion in the northern border of the Great Yan Dynasty devoured each year.

Now, there is another terrifying existence in the south that is no less powerful than the evil demons. Does that mean that the Great Yan Dynasty would have to build a Heavenly Mystery Pavilion on the southern coast in order to suppress it?

The Heavenly Mystery Pavilion suppresses the Night Demon, the Jade Gate hunts down the Giant Beast, and the Year-Watching Platform guards the year's phase—now the South is adding an investment of the same level.

No matter how vast and abundant the Great Yan Dynasty is, it still has its limits.

"...Is this why you brought the Lungmen Dollar Project to His Majesty?"

"Why not?"

Qiao Yelan countered with a question.

Whoever controls the issuance of Lungmen currency holds the scythe to reap huge profits from merchants worldwide, without even needing to wield it—and it's practically risk-free.

The Grand Tutor wearily rubbed his forehead.

He knew that if Qiao Yelan started offering benefits instead of discussing things with him, it meant the problem had become so serious that it was giving the other party a headache.

The greater the benefit, the greater the problem.

Even he could see the benefits of Lungmen Dollars, so he knew just how serious the problems really were...

It's probably clear to anyone.

"We have to change this—we can't keep pushing ourselves to the limit like this."

After regaining his composure, the Grand Tutor spoke again.

"Tianji Pavilion, Yumen—even with the infusion of Lungmen coins, the Great Yan cannot afford to establish a third such institution and facility in the south."

"The plan you mentioned—the one that uses the phases of the year to fight against evil spirits—I can't devise it on my own. I need your help to develop a plan together."

Qiao Yelan shrugged.

"Alright, alright, thankfully I'm still in pretty good shape. I just finished working on a Lungmen Coin project with Prime Minister Cai and Minister Chen, and now I have to work on a Year Phase Project with you."

"Thank you."

The old man thanked Qiao Yelan very sincerely.

"You're welcome, you deserve it."

The man waved his hand.

"But have you thought it through? How are you going to deal with that guy inside?"

The Grand Tutor remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

The biggest problem with the annual phase has always been this second phase.

In the end, he made a deal with Da Yan. Every sixty years, he would challenge Da Yan's contemporary chess master. If Da Yan won, he would sit in the Si Sui Tai and study the way of chess for another sixty years. If he won, Da Yan would have to give him his freedom.

Last time, he actually defeated the national player of Da Yan.

Thirty-five years ago, no, thirty-six years ago, the Grand Tutor tricked him into playing a game of chess in the mortal world with the four words "all living beings are my children." Of course, Sui Xiang lost—but there was no one left in the Great Yan chess world who could play against him.

The Grand Tutor sighed.

Now, the Great Yan has another major enemy in the south, and his energy will definitely be drawn to it again. Not to mention that he has no further progress in the art of political maneuvering, his aging energy may not be able to maintain his ability to think.

In these sixty years, the Second Minister has learned not only the way of Go, but also the way of managing people—when the next challenge comes, even if he is still alive, he may not be able to beat his opponent.

At this point, the old man turned his gaze thoughtfully.

There seems to be someone over there who's really good at "chess".

He had just entered the capital in plain clothes and within a month had overthrown Cai Yan, who held immense power in the court, leaving him with no chance of recovery.

Qiao Yelan put down her teacup, looked up, and saw the Grand Tutor's gaze.

Why are you looking at me like that?

"How about we make a deal?"

The Grand Tutor's eyes were resolute.

"Tell me."

Qiao Yelan showed a hint of interest.

"When the sixty-year period comes, the Second Minister will surely request to play against the Great Yan again. He has studied all the chess manuals of the past thousand years, and all kinds of calculations are in his mind. I, the Great Yan master, will probably have no chance of winning again. So in the end, it will inevitably come down to him and me, in the mortal world, with all living beings as our pieces, to play a new game."

"I hope you can play this game for me."

The man frowned.

“You know, I don’t like staying in the Great Yan. On one hand, there are too many rules here, and on the other hand, as an immortal, it’s easy to clash with the Emperor of the Great Yan, especially when I’m helping you with something like this—I’m here to help the Great Yan, not to play games with you.”

"It's difficult to play against the second opponent while also deceiving the emperor—but it's not impossible for you, is it?"

The old man stared at him.

"...That depends on your sincerity."

Qiao Yelan composed herself and said seriously.

“You can ask me to do something for you, as long as it doesn’t harm the Great Yan, I can do it for you—even if it means I personally go and kill your whole family.”

The old man said very seriously.

Qiao Yelan narrowed her eyes.

"make a deal."

Chapter 101 The Matter Here Is Over

In the spring of 1078 in the Terra calendar, the Great Yan Dynasty sent letters to the surrounding countries, saying that Terra is a vast and resource-rich land, but trade and travel have been cut off, which is not a blessing for the countries. Therefore, the Great Yan Dynasty has established a new currency that can be exchanged for gold from all countries, hoping to help facilitate the flow of commerce among nations.

The world was immediately in an uproar.

At this moment, the Great Yan Emperor, who had caused all this turmoil, was in his study discussing with his ministers the countries he needed to visit.

"Don't worry about the Eastern Kingdom. After the Blood Summit Battle, they have already fully opened up the circulation of Great Yan silver notes. This time, they will definitely follow suit with Longmen coins—because if one side doesn't follow suit, the other side will definitely find nature's bounty in the fields."

Cai Yan spoke his domineering words in a calm tone.

"Rembiton and Letania have both responded positively to this project. One is a union of commercial city-states, and the other is a newly enthroned emperor. As long as the profit-sharing is agreed upon, they should be happy to join in."

Qiao Yelan's words were fair and impartial, as if they had nothing to do with him.

“Iberia and Sargon responded cautiously, and they were also interested in the terms of the trade. Colombia and Bolívar, on the other side of the continent, would have to wait and see whether the countries in between agreed – so the main issues are still Ursus, Casimir, and Victoria.”

Chen Fan concluded with his final statement.

"Minister Qiao, you are now the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. What is your view on the current diplomatic situation?"

"Your Majesty—in my opinion, the key to the problem actually lies with Victoria."

Qiao Yelan bowed in response.

"Oh? I thought Ursus would be the most troublesome one."

“Your Majesty, the Black Serpent of Ursus has been driven out of Lungmen. Five years ago, Ursus didn’t have the guts to directly wage war against Great Yan, and now, five years later, they have even less of a courage—and this trade route doesn’t necessarily have to pass through Ursus. They can only shamelessly try to squeeze benefits from us, so why should we take the initiative to go to them?”

Men's words naturally carry a sense of conviction.

"As for Kazimir, commerce there has been booming, so they can naturally see the benefits. Therefore, they may oppose, or even be jealous of, the idea of ​​taking away this right."