Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

"West Sea. huh."

After listening to Jiang Chengyue's introduction, Lu Chen paused for a moment and then said, "I remember there is a Dragon Palace there, right?"

"Have."

Jiang Chengyue nodded and continued to play the role of secretary.

"Moreover, during the reign of Emperor Guangwu, the Yunchi tribe of the West Sea sent envoys to Beijing to establish diplomatic relations with our dynasty. However, later on, civil strife broke out in the Dragon Palace of the West Sea, and since then, they have lost contact with the imperial court. It was also from that time that the Western Ocean route was cut off by the sea tribe, making it difficult to navigate."

Hearing this, Lu Chen suddenly fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Jiang Chengyue couldn't help but ask, "Lu Shaobao, do you want to... restore the route?"

"Ah."

Lu Chen responded straightforwardly.

"There are countless resources, wealth and opportunities hidden in the sea. If we can restore the shipping route and strengthen trade ties with Western Continent, it will be extremely beneficial to the current increasingly corrupt situation and will also have many benefits for future development."

Fu Hua asked in confusion, "Huai Yu, are you worried about the situation in the south?"

"If that's the case, you can rest assured. With His Majesty the Holy King here, even if the south is completely rotten, His Majesty the Holy King can clean up the mess with lightning speed and eliminate all the rebels one by one, giving His Majesty a stable south."

"We just need to stabilize the situation in the west and southwest."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengyue curled her lips inexplicably.

Lu Chen didn't notice her strangeness and shook his head.

Looking at Fu Hua, who was born in Cangming Realm, once served as the chief general of the Holy Realm, and is now the commander of the Xuanji Guard, he hesitated for a moment, then slowly said:

"Although the Saint King is powerful, he is still an external force to the imperial court. The imperial court can temporarily rely on the Saint King's power to revive, but it must not rely on him too much."

After all, Fu Ya was once a high-ranking official in the Holy Land. Although she was young and had little experience, and the political ecology of the Holy Land was relatively simple, she was still one of the people in power. Naturally, she understood what was said.

This also made her suddenly realize a reality.

Although it is unknown why the Holy King is helping the Queen of Da Xia with all his might, in essence, Da Xia and the Holy Realm are still two forces that are not subordinate to each other.

No matter how good the relationship between the two sides is, there will be a day when they will be separated, and the Holy King cannot stay in Daxia forever.

As a high-ranking official in the Holy Realm, the right-hand man of Saint King Cangming who was promoted against all odds, and the absolute commander of the Black Tortoise Guard, she will eventually return to the Holy Realm. Even the Saint King has said that as long as the situation in Daxia is stable, the Holy Realm will not interfere in the affairs of the secular dynasty as it did in the past.

Not only her, most of the middle and high-level leaders of Xuanjiwei will leave Daxia sooner or later.

Therefore, to the empress, she was an external minister, just a borrowed friendly minister. As for Lu Chen, as a senior official of Da Xia, even though they had a good personal relationship and could trust each other, there was still an unbreakable barrier between their positions.

Although Fu Ya had some vague feelings, she instinctively avoided thinking about it that way. However, Lu Chen was always very clear-headed.

He could clearly realize that no matter how good the holy realm was, it did not belong to Da Xia. Therefore, as the actual helmsman and leader of the Da Xia court, he thought long-term and would not be fooled by the holy realm's overwhelming support in front of him.

Daxia, in the end you have to rely on yourself.

After thinking it through, Fu Ya couldn't help but lower her eyes, a hint of sadness flashed across her eyes, while Jiang Chengyue on the side looked at Lu Chen in surprise, her beautiful eyes full of admiration.

Although she was upset, Fu Hua still nodded and said, "I see. I understand."

After a pause, she continued, "The Dragon Palace in the West Sea has been in decay for a long time. Most of the routes in the Western Ocean have been occupied by sea monsters, pirates, and rebels. It may not be easy to restore it."

"Ok, I know."

Lu Chen nodded slightly.

"But things still need to be done. We can't just give up when we encounter difficulties."

"Whether it can be done or not, let's do it first."

Chai Hongyu stood up and asked softly, "What are you going to do, sir?"

"There is too little information. I have no idea what to do right now. Let's first understand the situation thoroughly."

Lu Chen turned to look at Jiang Chengyue and said, "Your Highness, could you please take some people to collect some information about the Western Ocean route, the Western Sea Dragon Palace, and the Dragon Clan? Try to find as many Westerners who have come from the ocean to inquire, sort out this information, and then summarize it for me."

As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly think of something, and said, "Oh, by the way, let's also collect information about the recent situation in Xizhou, the distribution of forces, local customs, etc., especially the Holy Sword Principality and Sword Princess."

Hearing this, Chai Hongyu and Fu Ya frowned at the same time.

Fu Hua hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help interrupting, "Huai Yu, are you interested in Jian Ji?"

"Ok?"

Lu Chen looked at her in some confusion.

"The Holy Sword Principality is the first stop after crossing the Western Ocean Route. It is the closest to us and a country that we cannot avoid no matter what. The attitude of its leader towards the Great Xia court is very important, so I naturally need to learn more about it."

He explained a little, then asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with this sword girl?"

Hearing him say this, Fu Hua's eyes relaxed slightly, then she shook her head and said softly, "Nothing."

She obviously didn't want to say more, and Lu Chen didn't care too much.

But Chai Hongyu, who was standing by, glanced at her in a rather subtle way, with an inexplicable look in her eyes.

Lu Chen continued, "As the saying goes, if you know yourself and your enemy, you can fight a hundred battles without danger. The Central Continent Dynasty has severed diplomatic relations with the Western Continent countries for a long time. The current situation in Western Continent can only be described verbally by Westerners who come from the ocean and foreign merchants who travel to the Western Regions. These people either have no status and limited knowledge, or have ulterior motives. The information they provide can only be used as a reference and cannot be used to make a decision."

After saying this, he paused for a moment, then turned to look at Jiang Chengyue again, and said solemnly: "The information collection is very complicated. This is a big project. It may be a little difficult for Your Highness, but it is also a rare opportunity for training."

"I plan to open a Foreign Affairs Department in Lingyun Mansion. If Your Highness can do a good job, I will let Your Highness temporarily serve as the director and specialize in overseas confidential matters. How do you think?"

This is the benefit of establishing a government office.

Not only can he select talents from within his jurisdiction for his own use, but he can also establish institutions according to his own ideas. He has full control over personnel appointments and dismissals without asking for permission, and can directly bypass the Ministry of Personnel.

Such powerful authority is now possessed by only three ministers in Daxia: him, Saint King Cangming, and Gu Simiao.

The frontier governor was no more than this in front of him, the governor-general of seven provinces.

Faced with Lu Chen's promise, Jiang Chengyue agreed without much hesitation, not knowing whether the empress had told her anything.

If Lu Chen didn't have anyone to use right now and the chances of restoring the Western Ocean route were not very high, and if Jiang Chengyue's performance in recent times was indeed good, whether it was organizing files, collecting information, or sorting out government affairs, she could handle all matters, big or small, in an orderly manner, showing a great talent for government administration, he would not have handed this matter over to this little girl.

After all, Jiang Chengyue was too young, even younger than the empress, and had no previous experience in work.

After all, assisting in government and governing are two completely different things. Jiang Chengyue's outstanding ability in assisting in government does not mean that she is now qualified to be in charge.

But the reality was like this, and he could only add a little more burden to this young girl. After Lu Chen explained it again and gave a few ideas, he handed the seal and the talisman to Jiang Chengyue, gave her the corresponding authority, and the latter bowed and left the hall.

After Jiang Chengyue left, Chai Hongyu walked to Lu Chen's side, looked at the little princess's back as she left, and asked hesitantly, "Is it really okay to leave such a big thing to a little girl?"

Lu Chen shrugged.

"I will send someone to help her. As for whether it can be accomplished, I'll leave it to fate. It's better than doing nothing."

The matter of Xizhou is, after all, just a matter of trying to gain something. If it succeeds, that would be the best. If it doesn't, there won't be much loss. With Yuzhou's current financial situation, this loss is nothing at all. It's just a bit of a pity.

For him, the most important thing now is still the military and political affairs in the seven provinces, as well as the situation in the southwest, central south and south.

Although holding on is not a problem, and even letting various places rot is not a big deal, as long as it can reduce the pressure on the eastern front and prevent the rebels in the west from merging with the main force of the rebel army in the east, but that is totally not his style.

No matter it was the limitation of the system or his own will, having experienced the real dark side of this world himself, it was impossible for him to give up in this position.

Chai Hongyu nodded, not quite understanding.

She was a pure warrior. She did not have Fu Ya's experience of having held a high position in the Holy Realm. Her political talent was average, and she only roughly understood what Lu Chen meant.

But since Lu Chen said so, there shouldn't be any problem.

Fu Ya had no opinion on this and said nothing.

"All right."

Lu Chenshen stretched.

"Let's leave it at that."

He put down the last document he had just approved, stood up and said, "The governors and prefects of various prefectures should have arrived by now. Let's go over now. Don't keep them waiting for too long, or they'll think I'm putting on airs and trying to intimidate them."

"Ah."

Soon, the three of them packed up, and then Fu Ya and Chai Hongyu followed Lu Chen on the left and right, walking towards the council hall to the south of Lingyun Mansion.

click
At the moment when the three of them left the main hall——

"Ok?"

Chai Hongyu and Fu Ya's eyes suddenly fixed at the same time, and then they raised their heads at the same time and looked towards the roof of an attic not far from Beixuanmen.

The next second, the two men inexplicably stretched out their hands, gently placed them on the swords at their waists, gripped the hilts, and strode forward to block Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was just stunned for a moment, and then he reacted the moment he met the two people's suddenly solemn eyes.

He didn't say much, but just moved slightly closer to the two of them.

"tsk"

A clicking sound suddenly came from the rooftop of the attic where the two were staring.

"As expected of you at the Guiyi Realm, you were able to detect my presence through the Wuxiang Formation so quickly."

Along with a slightly hoarse voice, the air in the originally empty place suddenly shook violently, and then a figure dressed in purple and black tights and holding a Miao Dao slowly appeared in the sight of the three people.

Immediately afterwards, the figure suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his body instantly shot towards Lu Chen and others like a sharp arrow.

Seeing this, Fu Ya did not hesitate at all, her spiritual power burst out instantly, and the sword body of the ancient sword inside the hilt instantly burst into a strange black light.

Ding!
There was only a crisp sound, and the ancient sword was pulled out a little.

The moment the cold light was exposed in the air, a huge magic circle instantly appeared under the feet of the three people.

The magic circle was activated, and the spatial force field within a radius of dozens of meters changed instantly. The power of the earth suddenly increased dozens of times. All matter on the ground stuck to the ground under the huge suction force, and the ground cracked in an instant.

Even the air became extremely heavy.

As if sensing the abnormality in the space and realizing the threat of the formation, the figure suddenly stopped when it was about to rush to the main hall of Lingyun Palace. Finally, it stood at the edge of the wall, looking down at the three people at the door of the hall.

"Tsk tsk, the Ancient Dao Sword, one of the legendary treasures that was transformed from the legacy of a saint. I never thought that I, Ding, would have the honor of seeing it."

A rather emotional voice was heard.

Lu Chen finally saw the figure clearly.

The moment he saw clearly who was coming, an extremely strong anger and hatred suddenly emerged instinctively from the depths of his heart.

"It's you!"

Seeing Lu Chen speak, it seemed that he knew the person. A look of surprise flashed across Fu Hua and Chai Hongyu's faces. They slowed down their movements a little, wanting to figure out the situation first.

However, they still watched the newcomers with extreme vigilance, and would take action immediately if the other party made the slightest unusual movement.

Hearing Lu Chen's exclamation, the man's mouth corners slightly raised.

"Hey, little brother."

There is a profound meaning in the words.

He raised his eyebrows, and met Lu Chen's eyes with his wild eyes, and said in a frivolous tone: "It's been six years since we last met, and you have become a big shot in charge of the seven provinces. You are so rich and powerful, and you actually recognize me, your second brother. I am really flattered."

As he spoke, he looked at Fu Hua and Chai Hongyu in front of Lu Chen, then smiled wickedly and continued, "Hehe, I never thought that the iron tree that had worried Master and Senior Brother so much back then would actually blossom not long after leaving the sect, and he is also so lucky to have two peerless beauties as his companions. I am really envious of him."

Lu Chen had managed to suppress his body's instinctive emotions with great difficulty. When he heard these words, especially when he mentioned the word "senior brother", the anger in his heart suddenly surged out again.

"shut up!"

He raised his hand angrily, pointed at the so-called second senior brother, and said in a serious tone:
"You are a scum who slaughtered your fellow disciples and harmed our senior brother. You are a shameless villain! How dare you mention him in front of me?!"

Upon hearing this, Fu Hua and Chai Hongyu's expressions changed at the same time.

Is he really an enemy, not a friend?
Realizing this, the two of them no longer hesitated, and their spiritual power surged wildly again.

The spiritual powers of the two powerful men in the Return to One Realm were stimulated, and the intersection of their terrifying power actually caused the surrounding space to begin to distort.

The next moment, Lu Chen ordered in a cold voice: "Liangyu, Hongyu, help me catch this shameless guy!"

After the words were spoken, the two women nodded at the same time.

"Okay!" (End of this chapter)