Gu Chengyin offered no explanation. That, in itself, was an explanation.
He had not come to the Grand Secretariat to show weakness, to ask for favors, or to ingratiate himself with anyone.
He had come to declare one thing: I, Gu Chengyin, am wearing the robes of the Celestial Master’s Residence and sitting before all of you.
It was then that Hu Juzheng spoke.
“Since Junior Preceptor Gu happened to be passing by, there is something I would like to ask your advice on.”
His voice was low and unhurried, as though it had been ground out from deep within his chest.
“The position of Minister of Rites is vacant, and the Grand Secretariat is currently drawing up a list of candidates.”
“Since Junior Preceptor Gu is the Crown Prince’s tutor, you must have your own views on the appointment of officials.”
“I wonder if you have anyone suitable in mind?”
This blow was even more direct than Cui Shifan’s.
Cui Shifan had asked about his robes, probing his attitude.
Hu Juzheng was asking about the list, forcing Gu Chengyin to reveal his hand.
Who in the entire court did not know that Gu Chengyin was the one most eager to take the position of Minister of Rites?
His identity, status, seniority, ability, and background—all of them were sufficient.
The problem was that His Majesty did not want him to have the position.
When the Grand Secretariat drafted its list, should it include his name?
If it did, it would offend His Majesty.
If it did not, it would offend Gu Chengyin.
Hu Juzheng had thrown this dilemma directly back at Gu Chengyin himself.
You tell us. What are we supposed to do?
The atmosphere in the chamber tightened abruptly.
Cui Shifan continued stirring his tea, while Shangguan Yuan continued pretending to look grave.
Yet all three men’s attention was now focused on Gu Chengyin.
This was a customary tactic of the Grand Secretariat: throw the difficult question to the person involved and make him give the answer himself.
If you say we should put your name on the list, then you will have asked for it of your own accord.
If His Majesty blames us later, we can say that Junior Preceptor Gu volunteered himself.
If you say there is no need to include your name, then even better. We will simply go with the flow. You were the one who declined, so the Grand Secretariat cannot be blamed.
Gu Chengyin did not answer at once.
He reached out, picked up the spare empty teacup on the long table, and poured himself a cup of tea.
The tea streamed from the spout, clear and emerald-green, swirling in the cup as wisps of steam rose into the air.
His movements were slow—so slow that the time it took to fill a cup was enough for the three pavilion elders to turn the gesture over in their minds several times.
Then Gu Chengyin lifted the cup, gently blew aside the foam, and took a small sip.
“Grand Secretary Hu is too kind. I would hardly dare call it asking for advice.”
He set the cup back on the table, his fingers tracing a slow circle along its rim.
“But since you have asked, I do have an immature suggestion.”
Gu Chengyin paused. All three pairs of eyes were fixed on him.
“Xiao Yuliang, Governor of Luodu.”
Cui Shifan’s hand stopped stirring the tea. This time, he made no effort to hide it—it came to a complete halt.
Shangguan Yuan’s hands, resting on his knees, tightened slightly. The bluish-white of his knuckles deepened.
The smile at the corners of Hu Juzheng’s mouth finally faded for an instant before swiftly returning.
But his eyes narrowed further, until they were almost reduced to a single slit.
Xiao Yuliang.
Governor of Luodu, and the sole surviving heir of the Xiao clan.
This candidate had taken everyone present by surprise.
Ordinarily, with the position of Minister of Rites vacant, the people best qualified to succeed him would either be the Left or Right Vice Ministers of Rites, or someone transferred over from another ministry.
Although Xiao Yuliang was the Governor of Luodu, both his seniority and ability were sufficient.
Moreover, transferring a governor directly to the imperial capital was hardly unusual.
But there was one major problem.
Xiao Yuliang’s surname was Xiao.
You, Gu Chengyin, did not recommend yourself. Instead, you recommended Xiao Yuliang?
You had reduced the Xiao clan to ruins, yet now you were recommending him for Minister of Rites?
Was this a gesture of goodwill, or a threat?
Or had you already reached some sort of understanding with Xiao Yuliang?
Cui Shifan was silent for a moment before slowly setting down his teacup.
“Xiao Yuliang.”
He savored the name once, as though appreciating the aftertaste of tea.
“He is indeed a mature and steady man. After so many years in the provinces, he is well versed in administration. It is only that…”
Cui Shifan did not finish, but everyone knew what came next.
It was only that Xiao Yuliang’s surname was Xiao. It was only that if you recommended him, how would His Majesty take it?
“Pavilion Elder Cui.”
Gu Chengyin’s tone remained calm and unhurried.
“The position of Minister of Rites is meant for someone who can get things done, not someone chosen according to who is connected to whom.”
“Xiao Yuliang has served as a governor for so many years. Which commandery has not praised his administration?”
“If a man like that is not put to use, are we supposed to appoint those who know nothing but how to kowtow and shout, ‘Long live the Emperor’?”
Gu Chengyin delivered these words neither hurriedly nor slowly, each one landing solidly in the ears of the three pavilion elders.
He neither denied the subtle relationship between himself and Xiao Yuliang nor explained why he had recommended Xiao Yuliang instead of someone else.
He merely steered the subject back to the matter of selecting officials.
The Grand Secretariat was drawing up a list to choose a Minister of Rites for His Majesty, not relatives for him.
Xiao Yuliang was qualified, so his name should be included.
As for how His Majesty viewed it, that was His Majesty’s concern—not something the Grand Secretariat needed to worry about.
Hu Juzheng’s brows shifted slightly.
The way he looked at Gu Chengyin now held something different from before.
It was the scrutiny reserved for an opponent worthy of serious attention.
Xiao Yuliang was indeed a brilliant choice.
It was as brilliant as Emperor Luo’s decision to promote Xiao Yuliang to Governor of Luodu after the Xiao clan had been purged almost in its entirety.
And if Xiao Yuliang became Minister of Rites, he would be entering the imperial capital directly from the provinces.
The Xiao clan would thereby return to the center of power once more. Even more cleverly, the position in question was Minister of Rites.
This was the Cui clan’s stronghold. To say that the Xiao clan would have no designs on the Cui clan would be so unbelievable that even a stray dog by the roadside would not accept it.
It was easy to imagine that if Xiao Yuliang truly became Minister of Rites, the one most troubled by it would be Cui Shifan.
And the person who had recommended Xiao Yuliang was Gu Chengyin.
That meant Xiao Yuliang would owe this favor not to His Majesty, but to Gu Chengyin.
“Is Junior Preceptor Gu suggesting that Xiao Yuliang be included on the list of candidates?”
Shangguan Yuan finally spoke.
His voice was as gentle as a warm spring breeze, utterly devoid of sharpness.
But the question itself was anything but gentle. He was forcing Gu Chengyin to make his position clear.
“I am merely making a suggestion.”
Gu Chengyin met Shangguan Yuan’s gaze, the corners of his lips curving slightly.
“How the list is drawn up is the Grand Secretariat’s affair.”
“I am merely a lowly Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. How could I presume to interfere?”
Hu Juzheng smiled.
The smile remained genial and refined, but there was no mirth in his eyes.
You had come here in person. You were wearing the robes of the Celestial Master’s Residence.
You had even spoken Xiao Yuliang’s name aloud, and now you claimed that you had no standing to interfere.
The more modestly those words were spoken, the more confidence they revealed.
After all, someone who truly had no standing would never have been sitting here in the first place.
The chamber fell silent for a moment.
The fragrance of tea drifted slowly through the air, mingling with the morning light filtering in through the windows.
Cui Shifan lifted his teacup again, but this time he did not stir away the foam.
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
