Golden Ranking Appears, My Empress Turns Out to Be Wu Zhao

[Renowned Minister Ranking – Rank 1]

[Mu Yi]

[Nation: Vast Sea Dynasty]

[Potential: Capable of becoming a Top Prime Minister of the Nine Provinces]

[Governance Capability Rating: Six Stars]

[Strength: Super First-Rate]

[Reward: 1x Saint-Tier Civil Minister Skill Card, 3x Saint-Tier Spiritual Power Enhancement Card, +100% National Fortune]

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"Mu Yi? Who is that? Why have I never heard of him before?"

"Yeah, me neither. And it's the Vast Sea Dynasty again?"

"Just how much is the Vast Sea Dynasty hiding?"

"This is unbelievable."

"Out of the entire Renowned Minister Ranking, nearly half are from the Vast Sea Dynasty. Isn't that a bit much?"

"The other ministers only have a Governance Capability Rating of Five Stars, but this Mu Yi actually has six."

"Does that mean he's even more capable than Xiao He, Zhang Juzheng, or Li Si?"

"Then why has he always remained unknown?"

"I asked around. There's no one named Mu Yi in the Vast Sea Imperial Court!"

"This person called Mu Yi has Super First-Rate strength, meaning he's at least in the Land Immortal Realm."

"Amazing. Absolutely incredible."

For a moment, everyone across the Nine Provinces looked puzzled.

The name Mu Yi was completely unfamiliar to them.

Even more so than the name Xiao He.

But starting today, the name of the Rank 1 minister in the Nine Provinces would resound throughout the world.

Known to all, remembered by everyone.

Whether in terms of ability or strength, he stood at the very top.

What truly stirred envy among all ministers and Emperors was the final Heaven Dao reward.

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Ming Imperial Palace.

Mu Yi!?

Zhu Houzhao stood up sharply the moment he saw that name.

This was one of his past avatars.

One he had only used for a very short period of time.

It was precisely when acting through the identity of "Mu Yi" that he laid the deep foundations of the Vast Sea Dynasty.

Back then, after much deliberation, Zhu Houzhao had decided to establish the Vast Sea Dynasty in the southern territories of the Southern Song Dynasty.

However, in its initial stage.

The foundation was far too weak.

And the establishment of a new dynasty had to be kept completely secret from others.

Thus, he had to bear it all on his own.

Zhu Houzhao took a different approach, directly using the avatar identity of the Vast Sea Dynasty's Prime Minister "Mu Yi" to navigate the political chaos in the south, recruit talent, and suppress opponents.

He established the unique political systems and military regulations of the Vast Sea Dynasty.

At that time, the Vast Sea Dynasty was just a tiny territory.

Barely larger than a single city.

Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, Li Jing, Yue Fei, Han Xin, not one of them had been recruited yet.

It was solely through "Mu Yi" himself that a firm foundation was laid.

Only after Zhu Houzhao had recruited many talents across the Nine Provinces under other identities did the "Mu Yi" avatar retire.

However, the institutions and policies left behind by "Mu Yi" continued to influence the now-vast Vast Sea Dynasty.

In terms of contribution, even Xiao He could not compare to "Mu Yi".

Of course.

All of that was achieved by "Mu Yi" in a relatively short period of time.

For the Renowned Minister Ranking to rank "Mu Yi" as Rank 1.

It was both surprising and completely justified.

Perhaps the other dynasties outside the Vast Sea Dynasty had never heard of Mu Yi's name.

But within the Vast Sea Dynasty, no Imperial Court official could deny his achievements.

Zhu Houzhao quickly calmed down.

Savoring the benefits brought by the Heaven Dao reward.

Especially his spiritual power, which underwent another astonishing transformation.

Moreover, the bottleneck of his current realm was shattered.

Though his cultivation had not yet broken through, the barrier was already gone.

Given time, he might ascend to another realm.

He had gotten one step closer to the realm beyond the Sage Realm.

What he valued the most was the increase in National Fortune from the Heaven Dao reward.

As more names were revealed on the ranking.

The National Fortune surrounding Zhu Houzhao grew increasingly powerful and terrifying.

Constantly influencing both of his dynasties.

"Interesting. Even a forgotten avatar of mine is still remembered by the Heaven Dao of the Nine Provinces?"

"If I didn't have the 'One Leaf Obscures the Heavens' skill, I'm afraid all my secrets would've already been exposed!"

Although Zhu Houzhao was not afraid of his secrets being exposed, the consequences would still be troublesome.

His carefree life would come to an end.

Most crucially.

The Nine Provinces world ran incredibly deep.

There were surely unknown threats lurking beneath, ones even he hadn't detected.

Individually, they might not be a match for him.

But if all those hidden forces united, even he might be hard-pressed to handle them.

Before reaching an invincible state.

The "One Leaf Obscures the Heavens" skill must remain active at all times.

In the future, once he truly became invincible, that would be the moment he crushed the entire Nine Provinces.

By then, those so-called enemies and rivals would surely be utterly shocked.

Their expressions would be most entertaining.

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Vast Sea Dynasty.

"Oh my god, it's Lord Mu Yi. He has returned!"

"Lord Mu Yi is still alive. This is wonderful!"

"Yes, I deeply miss the days we fought alongside Lord Mu Yi!"

"In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed."

"If it were anyone else surpassing Lord Xiao He, I wouldn't accept it."

"But if it's Lord Mu Yi, I wholeheartedly accept it!"

"Naturally. Before Lord Mu Yi left, the "Book of Mu Yi" he authored was truly profound."

"We have been studying it all this time, yet still haven't fully understood it."

"The entire book encompasses everything in existence, covering every aspect of imperial governance."

"If we truly implement everything written in it, our Vast Sea Dynasty will become absolutely unrivaled."

"Lord Mu Yi is simply too incredible."

"Alas, Lord Mu Yi was never attached to fame or profit. His heart yearned for the Dao and the vast heavens!"

"Otherwise, our Vast Sea Dynasty would be even stronger today!"

The Imperial Court officials all began discussing, filled with emotion.

Their eyes glowed with admiration and reverence for the long-departed Lord Mu Yi.

Even those as powerful as Xiao He, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui felt the same.

What they respected most about Lord Mu Yi was his lack of desire for fame or power and his noble, unyielding character, something they could never match.

To them, Lord Mu Yi was a true celestial being in mortal form.

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Tang Imperial Palace, Taiji Hall.

"Wuji, how much do you know about this Mu Yi?"

"Why has his name never reached my ears?"

"To be ranked 1st on the Renowned Minister Ranking, he must be extraordinary."

"Your Majesty, I know nothing of him either. The Vast Sea Dynasty has hidden far too much."

"My impression is that they may even surpass the strength of the Ming Dynasty."

"In the future, they will be our Tang Dynasty's greatest rival, more dangerous than even the Ming Dynasty."

"Investigate. Thoroughly. Not a single trace of information about him is to be overlooked!"

Li Shimin said gravely, immediately dispatching the Bad People to infiltrate the Vast Sea Dynasty and collect every shred of intelligence on Mu Yi.

If he were to become an enemy in the future, they had to know their opponent thoroughly.

Only then could they avoid being manipulated.

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Northern Song Imperial Palace.

"Mu Yi? A name I've never heard before."

"Yet he's Rank 1 on the Renowned Minister Ranking. He must be extraordinary!"

"Now that the current Prime Minister of the Vast Sea Dynasty is Xiao He, what of Mu Yi?"

"Was he driven out by the Vast Sea Emperor?"

"Minister Huang, what if we invited him to join our Song Dynasty? What do you think?"

"Your Majesty, what position would you offer him?"

"If he ranks 1st on the ranking, I shall grant him a Proper Second-Rank title. How about that?"

"If he renders great service, I won't be stingy with rewards!"

Emperor Zhao Ji declared with pride.

He even believed that a Proper Second-Rank post was already quite generous.

But Minister Huang Shang secretly shook his head.

Such lack of boldness.

Even ministers ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 4rd are already Prime Ministers, yet the Rank 1 is offered a second-rank post?

Is that a reward, or an insult?

Moreover, someone who can be ranked 1st must possess immense insight.

The great currents of the world are already clear to him.

Would the Northern Song Dynasty even catch his eye?

If the Emperor treated him so lightly, not only would he fail to recruit the man, he might even provoke resentment, which would be disastrous.

Not to mention, the man's strength was formidable.

Even Huang Shang himself, head of the Imperial City Guards, might not be his match!

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Qin Imperial Palace.

"Someone come!"

"Your Majesty, your subject is here!"

The one who appeared was the Black Ice Platform Vice-Leader.

As for the leader, Black Shadow, he had already joined forces with Li Si, Shang Yang, and Bai Qi to eliminate Xiong Qi.

He would not be returning to Xianyang any time soon.

For now, the Black Ice Platform Vice-Leader was responsible for the Emperor's safety.

"What is the origin of Mu Yi from the Vast Sea Dynasty?"

"Why is there no record of him in the intelligence gathered by the Black Ice Platform?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, this man is no longer present in the Vast Sea Dynasty. There is no such person in their Imperial Court!"

"He was one of the founding ministers of the Vast Sea Dynasty, but vanished later for unknown reasons."

"As for why, the Black Ice Platform has long been investigated."

"As for whether he remains on good terms with the Vast Sea Dynasty, that too is uncertain."

"Perhaps the Vast Sea Emperor grew wary of him, or perhaps he simply disdained fame and politics and withdrew voluntarily. All are possibilities."

The Black Ice Platform Vice-Leader gave his report and offered his personal speculation as well.

"Continue the investigation!"

"If this man can be recruited by our Qin Dynasty, it would be like adding wings to a tiger."

"I wish to see for myself what this genius, one who surpasses even Li Si, is capable of."

For such a small southern country to grow into a mighty colossus of the Nine Provinces.

This man must have played a critical role.

Otherwise, the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking would never have placed him at the top of the Renowned Minister Ranking.

More importantly.

If they could recruit this man.

It would be of immeasurable value in understanding and eventually defeating the Vast Sea Dynasty.

Mu Yi was not just a talented individual.

His true worth went far beyond imagination.