His lips were trembling violently, as though ten thousand curses were jammed in his throat, all fighting to burst out at once—only to become hopelessly stuck because they were charging too fiercely.
His face was redder than it could possibly be. From his neck to his forehead, his entire face looked as though someone had splashed it with scalding chili oil, red enough to start smoking.
Seeing that the two were about to clash yet again, Cui Shifan finally spoke.
“Enough! Both of you, say a little less!”
The Senior Grand Secretary had spoken, and they still had to show him some respect.
Cui Shifan rarely lost his temper, nor did he usually throw his weight around as Senior Grand Secretary. But when he did speak, his words carried enough weight that even Hu Juzheng had to rein himself in, while even Shangguan Yuan found it difficult to openly challenge him.
Thus, although Shangguan Yuan was furious, his face practically glowing red with anger, he still forcibly swallowed it down.
His lips trembled several times before finally pressing into a thin line.
His fingers remained frozen in midair for two breaths, then curled inward one by one, forming a faintly trembling fist that he slowly lowered to his side.
He did not look at Gu Chengyin again. Instead, he turned his head away.
His gaze fell upon the waist-high potted pine in the corner, as though he intended to use the lush green of its needles to quench the anger burning in his heart.
Gu Chengyin had no intention of fanning the flames either. He turned his gaze back to Cui Shifan.
Then he said leisurely, “Senior Grand Secretary, even a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet can’t simply make things up out of thin air.”
“That is the Crown Prince’s Palace. I’m merely a humble Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.”
At those words, Hu Juzheng’s expression grew meaningful.
His eyes narrowed again—this time more tightly than at any point before, thin as two willow leaves gently pinched together between someone’s fingertips.
His gaze lingered on Gu Chengyin’s face for a moment, then on Shangguan Yuan’s, then on Cui Shifan’s. Finally, it settled on the teacup before him.
The tea had long since gone cold, yet Hu Juzheng felt that even this chilled tea had an unusual flavor.
As for Cui Shifan, although he had no idea what kind of double act Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan were putting on, he was no ordinary man. He had weathered every kind of storm and witnessed every sort of strange situation.
Besides, this was hardly the first time the two of them had caused trouble in front of him.
So with a single sentence, Cui Shifan smoothly changed the subject.
“If the Crown Prince’s Palace belongs to Her Highness, then naturally, the appointment of the chief female official should be Her Highness’s decision as well.”
What Cui Shifan asked was precisely what Shangguan Yuan wanted to ask but had not managed to.
Who, exactly, had the final say over the position of chief female official?
Was it Luo Zhao, or was it Gu Chengyin?
If Luo Zhao had the final say, then there was still room for maneuver.
But if Gu Chengyin had the final say, then an answer had to be given immediately.
After all, Gu Chengyin was sitting right in front of him, staring at him with an aggressive, pressing gaze.
Gu Chengyin gave a faint smile and nodded in confirmation.
“Pavilion Elder Cui, you’re absolutely right. The chief female official is Her Highness’s chief female official, so naturally, the decision rests with Her Highness.”
His tone was utterly sincere—so sincere that no one could find the slightest fault with it.
Every word seemed to have been drawn straight from the depths of his heart, warm, earnest, and perfectly frank.
He even straightened his chest slightly, as though sincerely proud of being able to convey Her Highness’s wishes.
Yet the three Grand Secretaries all sneered inwardly at his answer.
If Luo Zhao truly had the final say, she would never have thought of appointing Cui Zilu as the new chief female official.
Cui Zilu might be the legitimate daughter of the Cui clan, but how many times had she appeared before Luo Zhao? How many times had she spoken to her?
As far as Luo Zhao was concerned, Cui Zilu was nothing more than the eldest daughter of the Cui residence.
Would someone whose name might not even rank among the first in Luo Zhao’s memories be appointed chief female official?
No one would believe it, no matter how convincingly they put it.
But Cui Shifan was not angered. Instead, he followed Gu Chengyin’s words and continued, “Since that is the case, then as Zilu’s father, I should naturally report the matter to Her Highness in person.”
“Junior Preceptor Gu, rest assured. Once I’ve dealt with the affairs at hand and found the time, I will certainly pay Her Highness a visit.”
His tone was gentle and earnest, as though he were merely an ordinary father worried that his daughter might not be up to such an important responsibility.
Not the Senior Grand Secretary who could turn the court upside down with the flick of a finger.
Cui Shifan even instinctively glanced at the stack of official documents piled on the desk beside him, nearly reaching a man’s height.
He looked as though he truly were so entangled in the endless paperwork that he could not free himself.
This was clearly Cui Shifan’s strategy of delay.
He would report the matter in person—but when exactly would that be?
Once he had dealt with the affairs at hand.
And when would the Cabinet’s affairs ever be finished?
There were today’s matters, tomorrow’s matters, and the day after tomorrow’s matters.
Countless large and small issues, trivial and tedious alike, stood in line waiting on his desk.
Yet as Senior Grand Secretary, who could accuse Cui Shifan of doing anything wrong?
Gu Chengyin was not surprised in the slightest.
Cui Shifan was never going to give an immediate answer. That much was obvious.
Cui Zilu taking over as chief female official was a momentous matter for the Cui clan.
It concerned the clan’s future position at court, its relationship with the Crown Prince faction, and Cui Zilu’s own prospects.
If a decision on something so important could be made in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, then he would not be Cui Shifan.
Moreover, Cui Shifan was even less likely to announce his decision in front of Hu Juzheng and Shangguan Yuan.
Before the appointment was officially announced, the choice of chief female official was an internal matter of the Crown Prince faction.
Whether Cui Shifan agreed or refused, he would effectively be laying his cards on the table in front of his opponents.
Cui Shifan would never do something like that.
So Gu Chengyin nodded. “Of course. I will report everything to Her Highness truthfully.”
“Since that’s settled, I have nothing else to discuss. There’s no need for the three Grand Secretaries to see me out.”
With that, Gu Chengyin rose gracefully.
His movement was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
He pressed lightly against the armrests with both hands, and his body sprang up from the chair.
The robes of the Celestial Master’s residence swayed gently with his movement, then fell neatly back into place when he stood upright.
Gu Chengyin did not look at any of the three Grand Secretaries again. He merely turned around and walked toward the entrance of the council hall.
The three Grand Secretaries were left staring at one another in bewilderment.
Sunlight poured through the open doors, enveloping Gu Chengyin in a pale golden halo.
Backlit, his figure appeared exceptionally tall and slender. The light seemed to pass through the robes of the Celestial Master’s residence, their edges almost melting into the radiance.
But just as Gu Chengyin was about to reach the entrance, his footsteps stopped before the threshold.
The halt was so sudden that all three Grand Secretaries instinctively held their breath.
Then Gu Chengyin turned his head.
His face, silhouetted against the light, was hidden in shadow, making it impossible to see his expression.
“Oh, right. Her Highness said she’s willing to be the junior wife.”
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!
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.
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.
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
