The Six Ministries?
Luo Zhao's heart stirred slightly.
This was the customary practice for cultivating a Crown Prince. Previously, Emperor Luo had her focus on controlling the Internal Affairs Department and a portion of the court's administration, never truly letting her go down to the lower levels.
"Let me think..." Emperor Luo seemed to ponder. "Right now, the Ministry of Personnel is shaken from top to bottom and urgently needs someone to take charge and reorganize it. You will start with the Ministry of Personnel."
The Ministry of Personnel!
Luo Zhao's heart jolted.
At this sensitive juncture, with a massive number of Xiao clan disciples falling from power and countless key positions left vacant, her imperial father was sending her to the Ministry of Personnel.
The implication could not be more obvious.
This was to tangibly hand over a portion of the power to appoint and dismiss personnel into her hands.
It gave her the opportunity to plant her own people in the Ministry of Personnel and build a team belonging to the Crown Prince.
This was not just a trial; it was an empowerment!
"Your child..." Luo Zhao suppressed the surging emotions in her heart and bowed deeply. "Accepts the decree! I will certainly do my utmost to reorganize the Ministry of Personnel and not disappoint Imperial Father's expectations!"
Emperor Luo nodded, his gaze turning to the other side. "Yanchen."
Luo Yanchen, who had been standing quietly to the side, was visibly taken aback.
He had thought that in today's discussion in the warm pavilion, he was just here to go through the motions and show the royal family's united front. He hadn't expected his imperial father to directly call his name.
He immediately stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Your child is here."
"Since Zhao'er is going to the Ministry of Personnel, then you shall go to the Ministry of Revenue," Emperor Luo said lightly. His tone was calm, but it made Luo Yanchen's heart pound wildly.
The Ministry of Revenue! The purse strings!
Although it had just experienced turmoil, it was precisely because of this that there was more room to maneuver!
"The two of you will have a term of three months."
Emperor Luo continued, "After three months, you will swap. Zhao'er will go to the Ministry of Revenue, and Yanchen will go to the Ministry of Personnel."
Taking turns to gain experience.
This was not only a tempering of their abilities but also a test of their character, as well as a certain degree of checks and balances between the two.
Before Luo Yanchen had time to think deeply, he heard Emperor Luo say, "In addition, regarding the pilot program for the new policies you petitioned for a few days ago, I approve."
Approved?!
Luo Yanchen jerked his head up, his eyes bursting with unbelievable ecstasy.
"Imperial Father!"
Overcome with excitement, Luo Yanchen lifted his robes and knelt on the ground, his voice trembling slightly. "Your child will definitely not disappoint Imperial Father's expectations! I will certainly work diligently to implement the new policies properly, enrich the state treasury, and benefit the common people!"
Emperor Luo gave an affirmative hum and raised his hand, gesturing for him to rise.
Luo Yanchen forcefully suppressed his excitement, stood up, and retreated to the side with his hands down, but the brilliance in his eyes could no longer be concealed.
The internal power balance and future layout of the royal family had quietly unfolded in these few words.
It was only then that Emperor Luo's gaze finally fell upon the figure who, since entering the warm pavilion,
had been hiding behind Luo Zhao, almost blending into the wall.
"Junior Preceptor Gu."
The voice was flat, betraying neither joy nor anger.
Gu Chengyin sighed inwardly, knowing he couldn't hide anymore.
He then slowly shuffled out from behind Luo Zhao, stood at the front, bowed, and cupped his hands, trying to make his voice sound respectful and fearful:
"Your subject is here."
Emperor Luo looked at Gu Chengyin's cowardly appearance, a strange look flashing in his eyes, seemingly amused, yet scrutinizing.
He paused before speaking slowly:
"You performed very well this time."
"Mm... handled it properly."
Emperor Luo's tone was very plain, but the words handled it properly made Gu Chengyin's scalp tingle; he felt there was a hidden meaning.
"Deeply to my liking."
The evaluation of these words could not be considered low.
The others in the warm pavilion couldn't help but take another look at Gu Chengyin.
Gu Chengyin could only bend his waist lower: "Your subject... is terrified."
"It is all relying on Your Majesty's heavenly might and Her Highness's trust. Your subject merely did his duty."
Emperor Luo seemed too lazy to listen to his platitudes and cut straight to the chase:
"Now that Zhao'er is going to the Ministry of Personnel to gain experience, someone must take over the affairs of the Internal Affairs Department."
Gu Chengyin's heart skipped a beat, having a faint premonition.
"Since you are the Director of the Internal Affairs Department, you are familiar with its affairs."
"You shall take over the position of Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department."
Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department?
Gu Chengyin jerked his head up, his face written with astonishment.
He had indeed prepared for a promotion, but he hadn't expected Emperor Luo to personally promote him.
Wait!
Gu Chengyin suddenly remembered a crucial detail.
Throughout the dynasties, the Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department seemed... appeared to... always be held by a eunuch!
He subconsciously clamped his legs together, cold sweat instantly pouring down.
Could it be that Emperor Luo, this old schemer, wanted to give him a sweet date first and then drag him out to be castrated?
Gu Chengyin wanted to be promoted and get rich, and he wanted his cultivation to advance.
But he never thought about sacrificing little Gu Chengyin!
This price was simply too great!
Gu Chengyin opened his mouth, just about to find some tactful excuse to test if he could decline or change to another position.
"Furthermore." Emperor Luo's voice sounded again, interrupting his thoughts.
Emperor Luo looked at Gu Chengyin, the strange look in his eyes even more obvious, and threw out a heavier arrangement:
"Aren't you the heir of the Qingyun Immortal Clan? This identity is perfectly suitable for dealing with those immortal cultivation sects."
"Since that's the case, take on the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites concurrently."
This arrangement once again exceeded Gu Chengyin's expectations.
Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department?
And Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites?!
Inside the warm pavilion, there was dead silence.
Cui Shifan, Hu Juzheng, and Yuan Zhengqing (the three of them) all showed obvious surprise on their faces.
Even with their shrewdness, they were shocked by His Majesty's sudden heavy appointment.
The ecstasy in Luo Yanchen's eyes faded, replaced by deep scrutiny and thought.
As for Luo Zhao, she furrowed her beautiful brows. Her phoenix eyes looked at Gu Chengyin, then at her imperial father behind the imperial desk, a complex and difficult-to-understand emotion flashing in her eyes.
Gu Chengyin hadn't recovered his wits yet. He just stood there blankly, his mouth slightly open, looking completely stupefied.
Emperor Luo looked at his reaction, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly, before immediately returning to calm. He said lightly:
"What? Does Junior Preceptor Gu feel that the burden I have given is too heavy to carry?"
As soon as these words came out, Gu Chengyin instantly woke up.
He immediately bowed deeply, his voice changing pitch slightly due to excitement and nervousness:
"Your subject would not dare! Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your profound grace! With Your Majesty's trust, your subject will definitely offer his life and not shrink from ten thousand deaths!"
Emperor Luo was fairly satisfied with this reaction and nodded slightly:
"Mm, take over the affairs of the Internal Affairs Department and the Ministry of Rites as soon as possible."
"Especially on the Ministry of Rites' side, dealing with the various immortal cultivation sects is the top priority."
"Since you are the heir of an immortal clan, you should know how to conduct yourself."
"Your subject understands," Gu Chengyin replied.
"Alright." Emperor Luo waved his hand: "That will be all for today. Go and make your preparations."
"Minister Cui, report the candidates for the cabinet additions within three days."
The few people bowed and took their leave one after another, walking towards the door.
This time, Gu Chengyin walked at the very back, for no other reason.
When Emperor Luo's golden words fell, he clearly felt the true qi in his body begin to stir restlessly.
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
