Prince of Cangwu Commandery Building Upgrade

The Great Qian Imperial Palace, the Golden Luan Throne Room.

The assembled officials stood in solemn silence, not a single sound to be heard.

Sunlight from outside the hall spilled in through the carved window lattices, casting patches of mottled light and shadow on the golden brick floor.

The dragon throne was empty. The Emperor had not attended court today, only sending an old eunuch to read an imperial decree.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

The Ninth Prince, Zhao Heng, has shown a deficiency in moral character. He is hereby stripped of his title as Imperial Prince and demoted to the Prince of Cangwu Commandery. He is to leave the capital this very day to take up his fief in Cangwu Commandery and shall never return to the capital without an imperial summons.

Respect this!"

As the imperial decree concluded, the entire court of civil and military officials instantly froze.

"The Ninth Prince has been demoted? How is this possible!"

"That is His Majesty's most favored son! Just last year on his birthday, he was exceptionally promoted to Imperial Prince!"

"Cangwu? That is the most barren commandery of all!"

"What kind of moral deficiency could an eight-year-old child possibly have?"

"What exactly happened?"

"I heard it might be because of the Ninth Prince's mother..."

"Silence!"

An old official had barely spoken when the person next to him pulled his sleeve.

That person's face was deathly pale as he gave him a pointed look.

The old official hurriedly shut his mouth, a layer of fine, cold sweat seeping out on his forehead.

The Ninth Prince, Zhao Heng; his mother was Consort Chen.

Consort Chen was not of high birth, but she was stunningly beautiful and had a gentle disposition. In her more than ten years in the palace, the Emperor's favor towards her had never waned.

The Ninth Prince had been intelligent since childhood and deeply loved by the Emperor. Just last year, upon turning seven, he was enfeoffed as an Imperial Prince, making him the youngest and highest-ranking among all the princes.

Everyone thought that Consort Chen and the Ninth Prince had a boundless future.

But yesterday, a rumor suddenly spread that Consort Chen had been deposed and cast into the Cold Palace.

Today, the Ninth Prince was demoted to a Commandery Prince and banished to Cangwu.

No one knew the reason.

Some vaguely knew a bit of the inside story, but they kept it a closely guarded secret and did not dare to speak of it.

...

Qingyun Mountain.

Now with three spirit veins.

The spiritual energy was dense.

"Sys, I want to upgrade the sect buildings!"

Previously, the system had rewarded a brand-new sect building complex, covering an area of ten thousand square meters, expanding it entirely by a hundred times!

The old eunuch rolled up the imperial decree, swept an expressionless glance over the hall, and said in a shrill voice, "Court is dismissed."

He turned and left through a side door.

The officials looked at each other in dismay; some shook their heads and sighed, some remained expressionless, and some looked thoughtful.

The Ninth Prince, Zhao Heng, stood at the palace gates, wearing a plain-colored brocade robe with a white jade belt tied around his waist.

He was only eight years old, his stature not yet fully grown, and he looked particularly thin and small standing beneath the towering palace gates.

Beside him was only an old wet nurse, carrying a bundle in her hand.

There was no honor guard, no guards, not even anyone to see him off.

Zhao Heng turned his head and looked at the palace gates behind him.

The vermilion door nails gleamed in the sunlight, and the golden plaque on the lintel bore three large characters—"Chengtian Gate."

He looked for a long time, then turned around and boarded the old carriage parked at the entrance.

The carriage slowly drove out of the capital, heading in the direction of Cangwu Commandery.

...

Qingyun Mountain.

The spiritual energy from the three spirit veins intertwined and coiled, so dense that it almost condensed into white mist. A single breath made one's whole body feel refreshed.

Lin Yan leaned back in the rocking chair under the Dao Enlightenment Tree, let out a yawn, and casually ordered:

"Sys, upgrade the sect buildings."

[Ding! Please select a style, Host!]

Lin Yan glanced at the light screen.

"Keep it traditional Chinese!"

[Received!]

[Sect buildings are upgrading...]

[The footprint has been increased to 10,000 square meters. The buildings are automatically restructuring...]

The ground began to tremble.

At the summit of Qingyun Mountain, the entire building complex began to expand outward.

Right in the center, the Sect Master's Main Hall rose from the ground.

Vermilion gates, carved beams and painted rafters, and the roof of the hall was paved with golden yellow glazed tiles that sparkled in the sunlight.

In front of the hall stood two stone pillars carved with coiled dragons. The pillars were engraved with cloud patterns, and the dragon heads were held high, looking incredibly lifelike.

On the left and right sides of the main hall, the Technique Transmission Pavilion and the Cultivation Pavilion stood facing each other, several times larger than before, with the bronze bells on the pavilion roofs jingling in the wind.

Further back were the residences for the inner sect disciples.

There were a total of ten independent courtyards, each with a main room, side rooms, a cultivation room, and a small garden, featuring black tiles and blue bricks, serene and elegant.

The residences for the maids and servants were arranged behind the Sect Master's Main Hall in a neat row of side rooms, clean and tidy.

Aside from the expansion and reconstruction of these original buildings, there was also an additional garden covering three acres.

A pond had been dug in the garden, with clear water and koi swimming about.

Weeping willows were planted by the pond, their branches brushing the water, and in the center of the pond was a stone bridge with a babbling stream flowing beneath it.

Right in the center of the garden, the Dao Enlightenment Tree had been transplanted there, its canopy like a cover, casting a large swath of deep shade.

Looking at the completely renewed sect courtyards, the corners of Lin Yan's mouth curled up slightly.

In ancient times, this would at least be a courtyard on the level of a prince's mansion!

Lin Yan carried his lounge chair over to the Dao Enlightenment Tree, then leaned back comfortably in it, one hand resting behind his head and the other holding a fishing rod that had come from who knows where.

The fishing line hung into the pond, the bobber gently swaying on the surface of the water.

Lin Yan narrowed his eyes. Sunlight filtered down through the leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on his face, feeling warm and cozy.

"Master! Master! It got bigger! It got bigger! Master is so amazing!"

Liu Ruyan ran in from the garden entrance, her ponytail bouncing behind her head, her little face filled with excitement.

She ran to the edge of the pond, crouched down, and looked at the koi in the water, her eyes sparkling.

"Master, it's so big! Such a big fish!"

The corners of Lin Yan's mouth twitched. What kind of wild talk was this?

On the other side, Zhao Xiangru came walking gracefully from the garden entrance, carrying a plate of washed fruit.

She walked up to Lin Yan, crouched down, picked a grape from the fruit plate, and offered it to his lips.

"Master, try your servant's grape. It's very sweet."

Lin Yan: ...

Fine, fine, fine!

So this is how we're playing it?

Watch me use my Word as Law, a pool of wine and a forest of meat...

Ahem.

"Alright, alright!"

Lin Yan rubbed the little girl's head.

In a few more years, he wouldn't be able to rub it like this anymore!

He rubbed it two more times, and the little girl seemed to enjoy it very much, leaning her little head closer.

Lin Yan smiled and said, "Let me tell you some good news. Cultivating in the Cultivation Pavilion is about fifty percent faster than outside!"

"Really?"

Hearing this, Liu Ruyan's face was indeed full of pleasant surprise.

Lin Yan nodded. With two flawed spirit veins and one complete low-grade spirit vein, the bonus of the Cultivation Pavilion had reached a terrifying 150%!

"Then your disciple will go cultivate!"

Liu Ruyan flew off like the wind!

My sister's revenge is still waiting for me to take it!

Zhao Xiangru smiled.

"Master, try your servant's grape."

Her slender, jade-like fingers held a translucent grape, about to offer it to Lin Yan's lips.

At that moment, the little girl came back.

"Zhao Xiangru! You haven't mopped the floor in the Cultivation Pavilion yet!"

Lin Yan closed his eyes and waved his hand in a manner completely devoid of the will to live.

"Go, go!"

Zhao Xiangru covered her mouth and smiled.

"Then your servant will save her grape for Master. Whenever Master wants to eat it, just let your servant know!"

After saying that, she left behind a wisp of fragrant breeze and followed Liu Ruyan away.

Lin Yan's ears were finally at peace!

"Open the system panel!"

[Strongest Sect System 2.0]

[Host: Lin Yan]

[Cultivation Base: 208 years]

[Sect: Tianyan Sect]

[Sect Level: Two-Star Sect]

[Sect Range: A radius of ten miles]

[Sect Master Attributes: Guarding the Mountain Gate, Word as Law]

[Sect Scale: 3/5 (Inner Sect) 5/10 (Outer Sect)] (Click to view disciple information)

[Sect Points: 3980]

[Disciple Trait Library: Empty]

[System Shop: Click to view]

[Sect Buildings: Sect Core, Skill Transmission Pavilion, Dao Comprehension Tree, Cultivation Pavilion, Heart-Questioning Pavilion]

[Sect Master Trait Draw Chances x 0]

[Inner Sect Disciple Trait Draw Chances x 2]

[Outer Sect Disciple Trait Draw Chances x 0]

[Current Quest: Suppress and Defend Cangwu] (Click to view specific details)

"View quest details!"

[Suppress and Defend Cangwu: Sects are numerous in Cangwu Commandery, and undercurrents surge. Since the Tianyan Sect is the guardian sect, it must defend this territory and deter all scoundrels.]

[Quest Requirement: Achieve an approval rating of ≥ 60% among all sects/cultivators/commoners within Cangwu Commandery.]

[Current Progress: 3%]

"Sys, what the heck is this approval rating?"