Chapter 84: The Speaker

Chapter 84: The Speaker

"What?" Su Chiming was stunned by Yaoguang's words, failing to process them for a moment.

But a second later, as if realizing something, he came to a sudden halt. "The Liao family?!"

Yaoguang had already become a martial paragon! Any family that he would personally annihilate, even if it didn't reach the status of an aristocratic family, would surely belong to a level just below them.

However, among the families that were second only to the aristocratic families nationwide, there was no family with the surname Liao. Neither was there a Liao family within the nine great aristocratic families above them. The only one was the ancient existence that reigned above the aristocratic families, and had ruled Dayu for four hundred years!

Add to that Yaoguang's statement that this matter was more significant than their control over Tiannan... A shocking yet incredibly plausible guess was on the verge of being voiced!

"The Liao royal family?" Su Chiming's voice suddenly spiked in volume.

"Yes," Yaoguang replied. "Settling the accounts. Come quickly."

On the other end of the line, Su Chiming was completely dazed.

The Liao royal family?!

No matter how wild his imagination ran, it was difficult to think of the Liao royal family. The Liao royal family was an ancient lineage that had ruled Dayu for the last four centuries; they had always sat upon the hearts of the people like a massive mountain.

Never mind their Su family, even the Yue family of Tiannan paled in comparison to the Liao family. And yet...

Just a month ago, the Su family was still busy struggling for power within the Buzhou Group, and he was using every means possible to keep his position as chairman, all while being unable to secure a meeting with the head of the Yue family. Only a month had passed, and Su Yaoguang was calling him directly to say they had wiped out the Liao family and wanted him to bring people to inventory and take over their assets?

To jump from internal corporate power struggles at the provincial level to overthrowing the royalty and receiving their assets in a month?! Even movies wouldn't dare follow such a script!

"Yaoguang..." Su Chiming wanted to ask more, but Yaoguang interrupted him, saying, "You will understand when you arrive."

Then, he hung up the phone.

On the other end of the line, Su Chiming listened to the busy signal coming from his phone, unable to come to his senses for a long time.

The Liao royal family is gone? Just like that?

The Su family's current influence, at most, was comparable to that of level 4 government officials. Above them were powerful families at the deputy governor level, provincial overlords like the governors and aristocratic families, and top-tier aristocratic families like the Lyu and Jiang families. Only standing above all these did one reach the level of the Liao family.

But now, the Liao family, which was a full four levels higher than the Su family, had been annihilated by Yaoguang just like that. Had the Su family really achieved a four-level jump in one breath, leaping from a prominent provincial family to the level of Dayu's royal family?

His lifelong wish had been to lead the Su family to become an aristocratic family. The scene before him was something he didn't even dare dream about. Had reality become more fantastical than a dream?

As time passed, Su Chiming gradually regained his calm. Immediately, a surge of unprecedented joy, accompanied by unspeakable dread, welled up in his heart.

He worried about the terrifying consequences that might arise from Yaoguang destroying the Liao royal family, which could even lead the Su family into an abyss of no return. Yet, he was also exhilarated that the Su family had such an opportunity to bypass the status of an ordinary aristocratic family and become the top elite household within Dayu's borders.

This mix of gain and loss left him unable to settle his mind. He immediately shouted toward the door, "Quick! Call Chixin, Huaigu, Huaiyue, and the others. Emergency operation!"

***

The sky gradually brightened. The chaos that had lasted throughout the night began to subside under the concerted efforts of Kong Fang and the experts from the nine great aristocratic families.

A wise person knows when to yield. The armed forces in the capital loyal to the Liao family were not few, but most of them were only with the family for a paycheck and would not truly sacrifice their lives for them.

The core of the Liao family had been mostly slaughtered. Facing Kong Fang, who controlled them in the name of the Grand Prosecutor's Office, and the nine families who stepped forward to move them with emotion and reason, the remaining high-ranking officials of Dayu chose to defect one after another.

Consequently, although the entire city was under martial law, the frequency of gunfire and explosions dropped to near zero.

Inside the royal palace, Yaoguang met with Jiang Sheng, Lyu Jianfeng, and the rest once again. At the same time, many core personnel and armed forces newly dispatched from these aristocratic families also arrived.

During the meeting at Xingyu Center yesterday, Yaoguang and the nine aristocratic families had only expressed their intentions. After all, the Liao family still existed at that time, and it wasn't yet time to divide the cake. But now, it was time for each family to fight for their own interests.

"Lord Yaoguang, my father sent word half an hour ago. He has persuaded Zhang Jian. For the sake of stability and peace within Dayu, he will not launch any aggressive military actions." Lyu Jianfeng delivered this good news directly.

Jiang Sheng followed suit. "The commanders of the First and Sixth Legions are under our control. This military force, which reported directly to the Liao family, will no longer have the chance to start a military rebellion."

These words allowed Li Cunyu, Xu Dengfeng, Yue Xingzhou, and the others to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"Good." Yaoguang nodded slightly. "Let the following matters proceed in the usual manner."

He looked at the representatives of the nine families. "The nine of you will form a supreme council. From now on, the development of Dayu will be discussed and jointly determined by the nine of you."

"Just the nine of us?" Jiang Sheng was momentarily taken aback.

"Correct. The Su family has no intention of replacing the Liao family as the new royal family of Dayu, nor does the Su family possess the capability to become a royal family," Yaoguang stated directly.

As soon as these words were spoken, Yue Xingzhou looked quite surprised. Jiang Sheng, Lyu Jianfeng, and the others were also puzzled. Was there actually someone who didn't want to become the king of Dayu?

"Didn't we say previously that the capital and the three surrounding cities would be placed under your name, Lord Yaoguang..." Lyu Jianfeng said. "You mean—"

"The capital and the three surrounding cities shall be organized into a special zone with the right to autonomy," Yaoguang said. "You wouldn't want a power sitting above you, dictating your every move, would you? Divide and rule is for the best."

Immediately, the others understood. They truly did not wish to have a so-called royal family dictating their every move, but a lack of royal oversight also meant there would be no one to shield them from the pressure exerted by the Crimson Star Empire.

Did Yaoguang’s words imply that they were now on their own? That would never do.

Lyu Jianfeng said hurriedly, "Dayu is not a top-tier power. Given the current global situation, we stand strong together but fall apart alone. If we chose to rule separately, wouldn't that be the same as splitting Dayu into ten pieces? How would Dayu have any voice left on the global stage?"

"Let us proceed as we did in the past. Among the ten families, one must lead. We acknowledge the Su family as the tenth aristocratic family and honor Lord Yaoguang as the new king of Dayu, provided that Lord Yaoguang grants us sufficient autonomy." Jiang Sheng followed suit, making his stance clear.

"The Su family alone cannot sustain Dayu's current position, and I will be devoting most of my energy to cultivation in the future, hoping to reach the psychic-will realm, the unified martial paragon realm, and eventually the realm of a heavenly being..." Yaoguang said.

When he mentioned the term "heavenly being," the core members of the various families present felt a visible shock.

A heavenly being was a power truly capable of presiding over an entire world.

According to the records of their respective families, after the Artifact Sect occupied a world, they would either keep it for themselves or enfeoff it to a great cultivator, depending on the circumstances. That great cultivator would then typically dispatch a core team led by a heavenly being to ensure control over that world.

Thus, since ancient times, there had been a saying. "A heavenly being controls the world." And now, Yaoguang, who was a mere martial paragon, had already set his sights on the heavenly being realm. It was simply unheard of.

However, considering he was only nineteen and possessed the formidable strength they had just witnessed—single-handedly defeating two martial paragons—becoming a heavenly being was by no means an extravagant hope.

If Yaoguang truly achieved that, Dayu’s influence would inevitably spread across the Central and Eastern Continents. If he could even apprentice under a great cultivator after joining the Artifact Sect, it would not be difficult for Dayu to become a titan standing on equal footing with the Snowdragon Empire and the Crimson Star Empire.

At that point, what would this small plot of land called Dayu even matter? Each of the nine aristocratic families would likely possess territories and resources far exceeding those of the current nation.

With this in mind, Jiang Sheng spoke quickly, "The Su family indeed cannot sustain Dayu's position right now, but our nine families are willing to do our utmost to assist the Su family in maintaining its rule over the thirteen provinces.

"Even if we form a supreme council, it wouldn't make sense to lack a person in charge. I believe we should elect a speaker to coordinate the overall situation, and Lord Yaoguang is perfectly suited for this position."

Lyu Jianfeng and the others nodded in agreement. Yue Xingzhou glanced at Yaoguang, understanding why he had spoken those words earlier. It was a strategic retreat to advance. He was reminding the ten powers of exactly who the true core of this alliance was.

He looked at Lyu Jianfeng, Jiang Sheng, and the others; they had clearly guessed the reason as well. Originally, they had hoped to claim more advantages for themselves, but seeing that Yaoguang had pointed it out in advance, they hurried to follow the flow. In reality, everyone understood the stakes perfectly well.

"I do not have much spare time to take on the role of speaker," Yaoguang said candidly.

"That is no problem. We know Lord Yaoguang must prioritize cultivation. You can simply appoint a proxy for day-to-day matters," Jiang Sheng said with a smile.

The others smiled and nodded as well.

"Very well then."

Yaoguang hoped that Dayu could continuously provide nourishment for his Merchant branch, but he also understood that he was not skilled at governing a country. Since the families had pushed the matter to this point, he could hardly refuse. He decided to accept for now and find an opportunity to step down as speaker later.

"Let us proceed in this manner for the time being. Each of you shall leave personnel in the capital to handle communications, and then return to your respective provinces as soon as possible to stabilize the situation. We must ensure neighboring powers do not find an opening to exploit. In three months, once the situation has settled, we will convene an enlarged national meeting to formulate the next national development policy for Dayu," Yaoguang instructed.

"We shall follow Lord Yaoguang's wishes."

"We should call him Speaker Yaoguang now."

"Three months is enough. Please rest assured, Speaker Yaoguang, we will certainly maintain local stability and give no opportunity for neighboring forces to stir up trouble," Jiang Sheng, Lyu Jianfeng, Li Cunyu, Xu Dengfeng, and the others promised one after another.

Yaoguang nodded. This brief exchange marked the conclusion of the swift and overwhelming coup in Dayu.