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.
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
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!
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
