Chapter 490: Where Did These Poor Relatives Come From?

Huh?

Upon hearing the title Younger Imperial Brother, vivid images of a queen, a bald man, a talking pig, and a monkey instantly flashed through Chu Liang's mind.[1]

However, the people in this world were surely unaware of this story.

What the emperor said was not entirely wrong; after all, they belonged to the same rank within the generational hierarchy. Thus, granting him the title of Imperial Younger Brother would bring no shame to anyone.

But the problem was that the whole world had no idea of Di Nufeng's background, and the imperial family could not publicly disclose her affairs.

No one would know that Chu Liang had received this title due to his esteemed teacher. They would merely assume that the emperor had whimsically decided to recognize a young talent as his younger brother.

What was the difference between this and suddenly pledging brotherhood with Xu Bashan?

In truth, there was no difference at all.

The only distinction lay in the fact that the emperor could not actually swear brotherhood with Chu Liang due to his status, which was why he bestowed upon Chu Liang the title of Imperial Younger Brother. However, the underlying meaning was largely the same.

Chu Liang couldn't help but wonder if these influential figures derived pleasure from such formalities.

However, upon further reflection, he began to piece together the underlying connections.

The explanation was rather complex.

Since the rise and rapid expansion of Taotie City, the imperial court have had the intention to acquire the entire city. After all, this city was making so much money. It was practically a money-eating behemoth in the Northern Regions.

Strictly speaking, Taotie City was built by the imperial court during the rise of the Demon God era as a stronghold for human society against the Demon God. Given its location on the border of the nine provinces, it should rightfully belong to the human dynasty.

Yet, Taotie City refused to comply.

While they acknowledged their origin as a city developed by the imperial court, they insisted that this imperial authority belonged to a bygone era—three thousand years ago.

Over these years, the land of the nine provinces had undergone tremendous changes. In the days when Taotie City struggled to survive in poverty, no one came to their aid. Only after they had prospered did anyone remember them and seek to bring them back under human rule.

They had no intention of complying—not a chance.

After the chaos brought by the Demon God, the human lands lay in disarray. Many of the city gates erected during the war had long since fallen into disrepair. It was normal that Taotie City was left to die on its own.

It was indeed rather unreasonable for the imperial court to still seek to claim Taotie City as its own after all that had happened. Even the immortal cultivation sects would oppose such a decision.

Since then, Taotie City severed all ties with the imperial dynasty of human society.

However, with such a treasure trove lying within their borders, it was difficult for others to resist the temptation to scheme and covet what was not theirs.

Even though Taotie City had consistently offered generous tributes to the imperial court, it still occasionally fell victim to underhanded schemes.

Fortunately, the immortal sects also refused to let the imperial dynasty take ownership of Taotie City. Together, they united to ensure that Taotie City remained independent.

Then the Yu Dynasty was established, facing the same issue that plagued every great dynasty at the beginning of its reign: a lack of funds.

The common people lacked food and jewels, while cultivators sought treasures of nature; it was all just different forms of poverty.

Despite this, the Yu Dynasty retained some sense of pride.

While they didn't target Taotie City directly, they began to devise a plan inspired by Taotie City.

If Taotie City could thrive in the desolate northern wilderness—an area where nothing grows—then surely a similar establishment in the capital of Yu, the prime location in the land of the nine provinces, would attract cultivators to its shops.

Wouldn't the imperial court profit handsomely from such ventures?

With such a grand vision in mind, the Yu Dynasty designated an area in the expanding capital known as the Immortals' Square, specifically for cultivators to engage in activities and transactions.

However, they were met with a harsh blow from reality.

Just because the imperial court had money and resources didn't guarantee success in business operations.

The entire Taotie City was united in their pursuit of wealth. But did such like-minded individuals exist in the capital of Yu?

When Chu Liang managed Red Cotton Peak, his first challenge was recruiting merchants; the Yu Dynasty faced a different dilemma altogether.

Their issue was that there were too many people eager to open shops.

Since the construction of the Immortals' Square started, various factions had attempted to get involved.

The imperial family, high officials, aristocrats, scholars, and military generals—all sought to stake their claims. Each wanted their share, openly and secretly competing against one another.

It was like marking lines on a cow and fighting over which piece of meat would belong to the calf, even before the cow had been impregnated.

After the Immortals' Square was constructed, the Yu Dynasty quickly encountered its first problem.

If Taotie City already offered a more comprehensive variety of options, why would people choose to shop in Immortals' Square or set up their businesses there?

Chu Liang's strategy for Red Cotton Peak was to waive rent for shops, offer discounts to customers, and heavily promote Berry Wonderland. Although this approach required significant initial investment, it ultimately set the Red Cotton Peak on the right path.

However, the interest groups made up of nobles and high officials at that time lacked such foresight; they were eager for immediate profits and unwilling to invest in attracting customers.

The Immortals' Square lacked unity, which made it impossible to implement many initiatives.

There were smart officials in the imperial court who recognized this issue. The emperor couldn't directly confront these interest groups, so he resorted to subsidizing prices in Immortals' Square from the national treasury, essentially having the court cover the mounting expenses.

However, once the various interest groups noticed this, they realized they didn't even need to sell anything to turn a profit; the money was simply flowing in.

Whether it came from customers or was allocated from the treasury, did it really matter?

They pocketed the subsidies and paid even less attention to proper management. The worse they managed, the more continuous support the court provided.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

If customer numbers increased, the imperial court would no longer need to allocate funds. They felt that putting in the effort to handle business operations would be too tiring.

Without price discounts, scattered customers showed no interest whatsoever.

During the opening period of the new shops, everyone arrived eagerly to browse but ultimately found that Taotie City was still more affordable.

They initially tripled the original prices and then claimed that all customers would receive a fifty percent discount to celebrate the grand opening. It was nothing more than a trick to deceive the gullible.

Large immortal sects, such as those in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, were vying for influence against imperial authority at that time. They had no interest in seeing the Immortal Square thrive and succeed, let alone conducting business there.

With obstacles on both sides, it would be weird if the Immortals' Square even managed to develop and expand at all.

After hundreds of years of effort from several generations of emperors, a small-scale commercial street has finally emerged, gradually displaying some signs of prosperity. However, it remained a far cry from the original vision of Immortal Square.

For competitive reasons, the Yu Dynasty could not openly engage in setting up businesses in Taotie City.

It was indeed true that the development of the Immortals' Square was struggling. Consequently, the imperial court secretly set up shops in Taotie City under various identities.

However, any factions associated with the imperial court maintained a firm stance against collaborating with Taotie City, avoiding it altogether out of respect for the imperial authority.

This illustrated the complex relationship between the imperial court and Taotie City.

Red Cotton Peak, managed by Chu Liang, was quite similar to Taotie City.

Not long ago, the emperor lamented over the investigation into Red Cotton Peak, wondering how it had reached such a level of development in just a few months while the imperial court had struggled for hundreds of years to achieve even a fraction of that success.

If he granted Chu Liang's request to set up shops in the name of the imperial court at Red Cotton Peak, it would effectively acknowledge the legitimacy of Red Cotton Peak. Consequently, major factions associated with the court would feel less pressure to establish their businesses there.

This move could bring about significant repercussions.

The first to arrive would undoubtedly be internal pressure; those with a stake in Immortals' Square or who had avoided the troubles caused by Taotie City over the years would surely voice their grievances.

This was why the emperor hesitated.

But in an instant, he thought of an optimal solution: to grant Chu Liang the title of Imperial Younger Brother and appoint him to manage all the shops.

In this way, the shops wouldn't be regarded as businesses of the imperial court in Red Cotton Peak but rather as gifts from the emperor to his younger brother.

The nature of this arrangement would be completely different.

With this, it would effectively silence the gossipers and complainers.

...

Although this is all just Chu Liang's speculation, it was likely quite close to the truth.

After some conversation, Lao Santai came in again to report that General Wu Anmin had arrived.

The emperor's expression suddenly darkened. After providing a few more instructions regarding subsequent matters, he allowed Di Nufeng and Chu Liang to leave.

As the teacher-disciple duo stepped out, they spotted two individuals waiting outside the Night Dragon Hall.

One was a middle-aged man dressed in purple robes, appearing rather unwell. The other was a handsome young man in bright yellow robes, with sharp brows and bright skin, appearing rather energetic.

As the two stood together, they shared some resemblance.

Lao Santai led them out and addressed the middle-aged man, saying, "Great General, you may enter now."

The middle-aged man nodded, took a deep breath, and then stepped into the hall.

He must be the Great General Wu Anmin; during this expedition to the Roupu Kingdom, he not only failed to secure what should have been easy military achievements, but the captives he brought back from the Roupu Kingdom nearly caused a mess in the palace.

Although the trouble was caused by the Celestial Charm Sect, as the person in charge, he would undoubtedly face blame for negligence and would certainly be punished.

The young man in yellow robes smiled and asked Lao Santai, "Who are these two?"

Lao Santai introduced them, saying, "This is Di Nufeng, a peak master of the Mount Shu Sect, and this is Chu Liang, a young hero of the Mount Shu Sect."

He then turned to introduce the other, saying, "And this is His Highness the Second Prince."

The emperor of the Yu Dynasty had many children, but only three were born with the Divine Fire Spirit: the Second Prince, the Sixth Princess, and the Thirteenth Prince.

The Second Prince, the legitimate son of Empress Wu, held the highest rank among the three and was always regarded as the crown prince.

From a young age, he was diligent and studious, earning a good reputation both within and outside the imperial court; he was widely considered to be the next emperor.

As a result, both Di Nufeng and Chu Liang knew about him.

"Ohhh." Di Nufeng nodded enthusiastically and said, "Little Second Prince, you can call me grandauntie[2]."

"Eh?" The Second Prince was about to greet her when he was momentarily stunned by her words.

His reaction clearly conveyed his thought,

Why the sudden insult?

Lao Santai quickly whispered, "Your Highness, she really is your grandauntie."

"..." The Second Prince finally understood. He had certainly heard about a certain grandauntie who had raged at the royal relatives in the palace last time, but he hadn't expected his father's second aunt to look so young.

After gathering his thoughts, he smiled again and said, "I've known the name Di Nufeng, one of the Mount Shu Sect's peak masters, since I was young; I didn't realize we had this connection. What a pleasant surprise!"

Not wanting to dwell on the matter of seniority, he quickly turned his attention to Chu Liang. "Young Hero Chu, you previously slayed the Taowu, and I've also heard that you were the one who did the detoxification for the recent incident, saving countless lives. I have long been aware of your great reputation. Among the talented individuals in today's immortal sects, you are undoubtedly one of the best."

"Oh, no, no, I wouldn't say that," Chu Liang quickly replied with a friendly smile. "Your Highness doesn't need to be so formal; we'll soon be family."

"Hmm?" The Second Prince glanced back at Lao Santai.

Lao Santai quietly explained, "His Majesty just granted Young Hero Chu the title of Imperial Younger Brother, so he will be Your Highness'..."

Uncle?

The Second Prince looked at his uncle's youthful smile and then at his grandaunt's bright and beautiful face. He suddenly felt that he should have never greeted them in the first place.

"It's our first time meeting someone of the younger generation. We should give him some greeting gifts," Di Nufeng said as she nudged Chu Liang with her elbow.

"I have some," Chu Liang replied, raising his hand to pull out two cards. "It's just a small gift."

"Oh, there's no need for such formalities," the Second Prince said with a quick smile as he accepted the cards. With this, he could no longer deny their relationship and awkwardly added, "From now on, you two... elders, please visit the palace often so we can get to know each other better."

"Of course, of course," Chu Liang responded with a radiant smile.

After chatting a bit more, the teacher-disciple duo finally left together.

As the Second Prince watched them walk away, he glanced down at the gifts in his hand. They were two specially made cards that read,

Red Cotton Peak Discount Coupon: Spend 10,000 spirit-stone coins to receive a discount of 5.

The Second Prince felt so speechless. It truly was a "small" gift.

Where did these poor relatives come from?

he couldn't help but wonder as he observed the two figures moving farther and farther away.

1. This title references

Journey to the West

, where Monk Tang, the pig, and the monkey visit the Women's Kingdom. The queen refers to Monk Tang as 御弟哥哥 (Yu Di Ge Ge), with 御弟 meaning 'Imperial Younger Brother' and 哥哥 meaning 'Older Brother.' Monk Tang holds the title of Imperial Younger Brother because he has sworn brotherhood with Tang Taizhong, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Although the queen is younger than Monk Tang, she calls him 'older brother + Imperial Younger Brother' while using his title, which can sound very confusing. ☜

2. In Chinese culture, the term grandauntie "姑奶奶" (gū nǎinai) can be perceived as rude or disrespectful. ☜