"Do you recall the Xinke Asteroid Belt?" Jiang Ye asked.
Ju Lanlan paused with his chopsticks, shaking his head blankly.
"Fu Qiuyan agreed to hand over the Xinke Asteroid Belt. I have no use for it, so I'm giving it to you," Jiang Ye said, his tone more like he was talking about a neighbor's cat than an asteroid belt containing trillions in mineral resources.
Ju Lanlan shook his head. "I can't leave the exchange right now. It's only recently gotten on its feet, and I'm incredibly busy. If I just find anyone to manage it, it's bound to have problems."
"Haven't you trained a successor?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Not yet. I have a few subordinates who are quite capable, but they're only proficient in their own areas and don't understand the overall picture," Ju Lanlan said.
"Then how long will it take you to train a qualified successor?" Jiang Ye asked.
"At least a month," Ju Lanlan thought for a moment.
"That's fine. I estimate Fu Qiuyan's matters will take at least a month to handle. After a month, you can go to the Xinke Asteroid Belt," Jiang Ye said. "At that time, recommend the qualified successor you've trained to me, and I'll see how they are."
"Understood," Ju Lanlan nodded obediently. "The asteroid belt can't be inhabited, right? Is it for some other purpose?"
"Mining. The mineral resources of this Xinke Asteroid Belt are several times that of the few planets I own. It can be mined for many years," Jiang Ye said. "This is your area of expertise, so it's most suitable for you."
Ju Lanlan stared at the table, thinking for a long time, then nodded. "Alright, I'll do it if you tell me to. What specific powers will I have? What obligations and rules?"
"I don't care. Operate it however you wish. You can set up a mining company, or an asteroid kingdom," Jiang Ye said. "But try to keep the money as clean as possible. Don't earn dirty money."
"Understood," Ju Lanlan nodded. "How much profit should I submit?"
"Submit based on the situation. I'm not short of money right now, so you don't have to submit anything," Jiang Ye said. "But if my planets are in urgent need of funds, I might ask you to submit a lot. I'll notify you in advance."
"Okay," Ju Lanlan nodded.
"That asteroid belt is too desolate and uninhabitable. You can live on a spaceship or come to Daughter Star. Fu Qiuyan will be one of us from now on. On the surface, we'll still be two independent families, but in reality, we'll be one. Get along well in the future," Jiang Ye said. "This month, besides training your successor, also assess the situation of the asteroid belt and think about future plans. Come back and tell me about it."
"Actually, I do," Ju Lanlan said.
"You do?" Jiang Ye's expression immediately became interested.
"I want to do it like Tian Rao," Ju Lanlan said.
"Tian Rao?" Jiang Ye was confused. "Isn't she selling clothes?"
"You don't know?" Ju Lanlan was also taken aback.
"Know what? What new business has she expanded into?" Jiang Ye asked in surprise.
"A lot. She's still nominally a clothing group, but around the clothing industry, she's developed many derivative profit points. She's already monopolized related industries on many planets, and is now making huge profits," Ju Lanlan said. "For example, the textiles used to make clothes, from cotton cultivation to contracting plantations, as well as chemical fabric factories and raw chemical materials. As far as I know, it has already spread to over twenty planets. She's even venturing into human resources markets and stock manipulation. She's also invested in some film and television industries and internet companies."
Jiang Ye blinked. "It all sounds like small-scale operations."
"It doesn't sound that profitable, but she's operating it very well, and the scale is already extremely large," Ju Lanlan said. "When our planet previously compiled a list of the wealthiest people, for various reasons, Tian Rao wasn't included, but in reality, she could rank in the top few on the list. I estimate her group can make a trillion in profit each month."
Jiang Ye was shocked, gasping. "How is that possible? A trillion in profit per month? That's insane! Even a trillion in sales isn't easy!"
"And that's a conservative estimate. The actual data is likely even higher," Ju Lanlan said. "You can ask her later. She's building a very large and complex system. I'm also very surprised she's managed to achieve this. I plan to seek her advice later."
"Alright," Jiang Ye nodded.
They ate and chatted, discussing many specific matters regarding the asteroid belt and the planetary exchange. The conversation lasted for two and a half hours. Finally, Ju Lanlan left Jiang Ye's office with a box of top-secret documents and returned by spaceship.
...
The summit was held successfully.
Fu Qiuyan had invited over two hundred planets, but only eleven alien heads of state dared to attend the summit. The rest either did not come or only sent ambassadors.
Although most alien heads of state did not attend, Fu Qiuyan was satisfied. After all, the summit had taken place, sending a signal that she still held supreme authority on this planet and in this galaxy. The previous mutiny was merely a minor incident that could not shake anything.
Cen Yemeng attended the summit as the leader of the exile star, but Jiang Ye did not appear.
While the summit was underway, Jiang Ye, along with a group of officials, took up residence in the Governor's Mansion and began intensive work.
First, he needed to understand the detailed data of Fu Qiuyan's three planets, including population, economy, and military. He reviewed and extracted top-secret documents from the database.
Each planet had its own secrets and its own top-secret plans. Jiang Ye read some of the top-secret documents from Daughter Star and was greatly shocked, his worldview overturned.
In addition to understanding the data, Jiang Ye also secretly met with a large number of local high-ranking officials, engaging in long conversations in his office. The specific content of these talks was known only to the parties involved, becoming one of the many mysteries in history.
Fu Qiuyan presided over the summit during the day, and in the evening, she returned to Governor's Mountain and also had long talks with Jiang Ye in his office.
Sometimes they talked in front of other staff, discussing planet development plans, analysis of cosmic powers, and so on, with an atmosphere as harmonious as two old partners discussing their work.
Sometimes, as they talked, they would clear out nearby personnel, close the door, and have secret discussions, the content of which was also unknown to anyone, and the duration was extremely long.
What the staff could feel was that whether it was Fu Qiuyan or officials at all levels, after long secret talks with Jiang Ye, they left his office in a relatively positive mood.
Some were excited, some had smiles in their eyes, and some had thoughtful expressions, not of worry, but of contemplation after encountering new knowledge and broadening their horizons.
Meanwhile, the liquidation of the rebels was also being carried out swiftly.
The gendarmerie units were dispatched for several consecutive days, arresting over eight thousand people and detaining them in the capital city prison.