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The Grand Secretariat's Council Chamber.

When Gu Chengyin and Lin Qingyan arrived together, the clerks on duty had already rushed inside to announce them.

Before long, the four Grand Secretaries hurried over upon hearing the news.

Senior Grand Secretary Cui Shifan walked at the forefront, closely followed by Junior Grand Secretary Hu Juzheng, Yuan Zhengqing ranked third, and finally Shangguan Yuan, who had recently joined the Grand Secretariat.

As the four entered the council chamber, their eyes first landed on Lin Qingyan before shifting to Gu Chengyin.

Compared to the familiar face of Gu Chengyin, these powerful Grand Secretaries clearly paid more attention to Lin Qingyan.

Especially Cui Shifan, the newly appointed Senior Grand Secretary, who surprisingly showed a rare hint of restraint at this moment.

He took a step forward, bowed, and cupped his hands toward Lin Qingyan, his posture as respectful as if he were facing Emperor Luo:

"We were unaware of Lord Jingzhe's arrival and failed to welcome you from afar. Please forgive us, Lord Jingzhe."

This was spoken with great solemnity; he even referred to themselves as "your subjects" instead of the usual "this old man" or "this official" used with other bureaucrats.

This scene made Gu Chengyin click his tongue in wonder.

Aside from Emperor Luo and Luo Zhao, this was the first time he had seen Cui Shifan adopt such a posture before a third person.

It seemed that Lin Qingyan's status in the Celestial Master Manor, or rather her personal deterrent power, far exceeded his imagination.

Lin Qingyan's face remained calm and unruffled, as if she was entirely accustomed to all this.

She didn't even look at Cui Shifan, merely giving a slight nod in response, before gesturing toward Gu Chengyin:

"There is no need for such formalities, Grand Secretaries."

"For this sect inspection, although I am the representative of the Celestial Master Manor, His Majesty has ordered that Gu Chengyin will take the lead in all matters."

These words were concise but carried immense weight.

Not only did she invoke Emperor Luo, but she also clearly established Gu Chengyin's leading role in this matter.

After speaking, she said no more, walking straight to a high-backed chair on one side of the council chamber and sitting down, as if she were merely there to hold the fort rather than participate in the discussion.

Cui Shifan exchanged a glance with the other three Grand Secretaries and said no more.

They had some understanding of Lin Qingyan's personality: cold and aloof, averse to socializing, and entirely straightforward in her words and actions, never beating around the bush.

Since she had stated that Gu Chengyin was in charge, the ensuing matters should be discussed with him.

"Junior Preceptor Gu, please." Cui Shifan extended a hand in invitation.

The five of them took their seats one after another.

The seating arrangement in the council chamber was very particular: as the Senior Grand Secretary, Cui Shifan sat in the main seat in the north.

As the Junior Grand Secretary, Hu Juzheng sat in the first seat on the left.

Yuan Zhengqing sat in the first seat on the right.

Shangguan Yuan, who had newly joined the cabinet, sat in the second seat on the left.

Gu Chengyin sat opposite Cui Shifan; this was the guest seat, which also presented a posture of equal dialogue.

The remaining seat, because the fifth Grand Secretary of the cabinet had not yet been decided, was occupied by Lin Qingyan.

It was angled slightly toward Gu Chengyin's side while maintaining a certain distance, neither appearing overly intimate nor leaving any doubt that she was on the same side as Gu Chengyin.

Cui Shifan glanced at Lin Qingyan again, and after confirming that she had no intention of speaking, he turned his gaze to Gu Chengyin, pondered for a moment, and said:

"Regarding the Ministry of Rites and the Celestial Master Manor's inspection of the sects, the Grand Secretariat is currently going through the procedures."

"The official approval documents and announcements will be processed within three days. Junior Preceptor Gu need not worry."

These words were spoken smoothly and steadily, both showing the Grand Secretariat's supportive attitude and implying that they were already working on it.

However, Gu Chengyin heard the subtext: the approval documents and announcements were procedural matters that the Grand Secretariat would handle, but anything else was hard to say.

Sure enough, Cui Shifan changed the subject:

"This inspection holds a special significance, so the Grand Secretariat has considered not sending civil officials to accompany you this time."

He spoke tactfully, but the meaning was already very clear.

Previous inspections were merely formalities. Officials from the Ministry of Rites would take people from the Celestial Master Manor, make the rounds at the various sects, distribute some rewards, say a few polite words, and then return to the Divine Capital to report back.

Sending civil officials along to keep records during such inspections was standard practice.

But this time was different.

Sending civil officials along again would be no different from throwing meat buns at a dog. Most civil officials had low cultivation levels, and encountering an assassination attempt would mean certain death for them.

The Grand Secretariat did not want to lose personnel for no reason, which would also invite criticism behind their backs.

It was better not to send them at all; after all, Gu Chengyin alone was worth a hundred civil officials.

Therefore, Cui Shifan's calculations were quite shrewd, expressing support while avoiding risks.

But Gu Chengyin raised an eyebrow and immediately asked:

"Lord Senior Grand Secretary, let's put aside the matter of civil officials for now. What about the accompanying escorts?"

It didn't matter whether there were civil officials or not, but escorts were a must.

And the more, the better; the stronger, the better.

Cui Shifan gave Gu Chengyin a strange look, then glanced at the quiet Lin Qingyan, his meaning obvious:

You already have this Lord Jingzhe; what other escorts do you need?

What escort could compare to her? She is a mighty Golden Core expert.

Gu Chengyin immediately said decisively:

"That won't do."

"My little aunt has a noble identity and an exalted status. We can't have her take action against just any random nobody, can we?"

"If we encounter a few blind petty thieves on the road and Lord Jingzhe has to act personally, wouldn't that be too degrading?"

He spoke with self-righteous confidence, even carrying a hint of heartache for his elder.

But there was indeed some truth to it. If they really encountered some minor characters and Lin Qingyan had to act, it would indeed be beneath her status.

Cui Shifan, however, wore a strange expression and said:

"But Junior Preceptor Gu, I recall you just came from the Crown Princess's Palace, right?"

This question was asked cleverly.

You just came from the Crown Princess's Palace, so you must have already seen Her Highness the Eldest Princess.

Given Her Highness's high regard for you, didn't she assign you any escorts? Are the Golden Feather Guards just for show?

Gu Chengyin narrowed his eyes, sneering in his heart.

This was passing the buck.

Luo Zhao giving him the Golden Feather Guards was his own ability; what did that have to do with the Grand Secretariat?

"Lord Cui's meaning," Gu Chengyin said slowly, "could it be that for this sect inspection, the Grand Secretariat will just issue an official approval document and an announcement, and that's it?"

These words were straightforward, bordering on an interrogation.

Cui Shifan nodded as a matter of course, a look of helplessness appearing on his face as he said in a deep voice:

"Nowadays, the imperial court is experiencing tremors from top to bottom, people's minds are unsettled, and personnel are needed everywhere."

"Junior Preceptor Gu, it's not that the Grand Secretariat won't help you, but even the cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice."

These words were spoken with genuine sincerity, and coupled with Cui Shifan's expression of worrying for the country and its people, anyone who saw it would feel that the Grand Secretariat was indeed in a difficult position.

But the corner of Gu Chengyin's mouth twitched slightly.

They were all thousand-year-old foxes, yet here he was playing mind games with him.

The imperial court is in a difficult position?

Yes, the downfall of the Xiao clan had indeed triggered some tremors, but it hadn't reached the point of having no rice to cook.

Furthermore, the Ministry of Rites' inspection of the sects was a major event for the imperial court to begin with. No matter how difficult the Grand Secretariat's situation was, they should allocate resources to support it.

This clearly meant they didn't want to give anything, or they wanted to bargain.

Gu Chengyin glanced at the other three Grand Secretaries.

Hu Juzheng wore an amiable smile on his face, but that smile was deeply meaningful, clearly indicating he was watching from the sidelines.

Yuan Zhengqing kept his eyes focused on his nose and his nose focused on his heart, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

As for Shangguan Yuan, he alone was watching the show with complete peace of mind.

Gu Chengyin leaned back against his chair and said bluntly:

"Since there is a shortage of personnel, as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, how can I sit idly by?"

"I will ask Her Highness to submit the inspection report directly to His Majesty for approval."

"This way, I'll be sharing the burden for the Grand Secretariat."