This understanding had not been arranged beforehand. It was a matter of all three men reaching the same decision at the same instant, based on the same considerations.
The three Pavilion Elders had all been old foxes steeped in court politics for decades. They knew better than anyone which words should be answered and which should not.
They also knew exactly which words, once answered, would leave them unable to extricate themselves.
Gu Chengyin’s remark had not only been outrageous on the surface—it was also a live explosive.
Whoever responded would be blown to pieces.
To respond would mean acknowledging that they had heard Her Highness was willing to accept a secondary position.
Once they admitted they had heard it, they would have to state their position.
To express support would mean showing contempt for propriety and indulging the Crown Princess in lowering herself.
To oppose it would mean setting themselves against the Crown Princess and against Gu Chengyin.
Whether they supported or opposed it, they would be dragged into this muddy pool and find it nearly impossible to escape.
So the best response was to pretend they had heard nothing.
Pretend the sentence had never existed. Pretend Gu Chengyin had said nothing before leaving.
Pretend that the three of them had merely sat in the Council Chamber, sipped a cup of cold tea, and stared blankly into space for a while.
Better yet, they could bring up some proper business as a distraction. That would make their pretense all the more convincing.
And so Cui Shifan was the first to break the silence.
“I propose adding Xiao Yuliang to the list of candidates.”
Hu Ju straightened in his seat. The leisurely, half-lidded posture he had worn while watching the spectacle had diminished somewhat.
Shangguan Yuan moved his hand away from the desk and straightened his back. His brows remained lowered, but his gaze had regained its sharpness.
Gu Chengyin had just come in and tossed out several thunderbolts, leaving everyone reeling.
But once the thunder had passed, the craters it left behind still had to be filled.
The list of candidates for Minister of Rites was the largest crater of them all.
“Xiao Yuliang, Governor of Luodu Commandery, has achieved outstanding results in local administration. For three consecutive years, he received the highest possible evaluation.”
“Under his rule, the people have lived in peace and prosperity, and the taxes have been paid in full every year. A talent for governance like his is rare even at court.”
Cui Shifan paused, his gaze settling on Shangguan Yuan’s face.
He knew someone would object next, and that person was most likely to be Shangguan Yuan.
“Although Xiao Yuliang has spent many years serving outside the capital, he is not entirely unfamiliar with the Ministry of Rites.”
“In the five hundred and thirty-sixth year of the Great Luo calendar, he served as a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites for one year and four months.”
“During that time, he oversaw the revision of the Regulations on Ritual Protocols for Tributary States. The regulations are still in use by the Ministry of Rites today.”
“In terms of experience within the Ministry of Rites, he is hardly a complete novice. And in terms of administrative ability, the complexity of Luodu’s affairs and the difficulty of coordinating them are no less than those of any of the Six Ministries.”
“The position of Minister of Rites requires precisely this kind of capable official—someone who can both study ritual institutions in depth and coordinate affairs on a broad scale.”
When Cui Shifan finished speaking, he folded his hands on the desk and looked calmly at the other two Pavilion Elders, waiting for their response.
He did not mention that Xiao Yuliang belonged to the Xiao clan, nor did he mention that Gu Chengyin had just recommended Xiao Yuliang as well.
He merely laid Xiao Yuliang’s record, achievements, and abilities out on the table, one by one.
It was as though he were conducting an entirely ordinary assessment of a potential appointee.
But the other two men present understood the weight of every word.
Shangguan Yuan’s brows drew together.
He did not speak at once. Instead, he remained silent for a full three breaths.
During those three breaths, he weighed his options.
He weighed the intentions behind Cui Shifan’s words and considered from what angle he should counter them.
Then Shangguan Yuan spoke.
“Pavilion Elder Cui, I do not deny Xiao Yuliang’s achievements in Luodu.”
“Three consecutive years of the highest evaluation are indeed no small accomplishment.”
“It is also a fact that taxes have been paid in full and the people have lived in peace under his administration.”
Shangguan Yuan began by acknowledging his opponent’s position.
Not because he truly agreed, but because in deliberations within the Grand Council, acknowledging part of the other side’s argument before refuting it was the most effective strategy.
By first recognizing the other party’s point, he was saying that he was not opposing it merely for the sake of opposition.
This shifted his position from that of an adversary to that of a constructive critic.
His words would consequently carry more weight, and it would be far more difficult for his opponent to dismiss them as factional infighting.
“But the Minister of Rites is not a local governor. A local governor governs the people; the Minister of Rites governs ritual.”
“Governing the people relies on laws and political skill. Governing ritual relies on scholarship and orthodoxy.”
“The difference between the two is not a single threshold. It is a vast chasm.”
“Xiao Yuliang served as a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites for one year and four months at most.”
“It is true that he oversaw the revision of the Regulations on Ritual Protocols for Tributary States.”
“But Pavilion Elder Cui surely knows that the initial draft was written by the Vice Minister of Rites then in office. Xiao Yuliang did little more than proofread and polish it.”
“To use that as proof that he is well versed in ritual institutions is stretching the truth.”
“The Ministry of Rites oversees four major areas: the rituals of the realm, sacrifices, the civil examinations, and tributary states.”
“Each has its own rules. Each is a field of specialized learning.”
“In the civil examinations, every procedure—from sealing candidates’ names on their papers, to transcription, to cross-checking—has a bearing on the future of every scholar in the realm.”
“In sacrificial rites, every ritual vessel, musical composition, and ceremonial procedure reflects upon the dignity of the dynasty.”
“With tributary states, every tribute mission, investiture, and diplomatic negotiation concerns the authority of the court.”
“Without at least ten years of deep experience in the Ministry of Rites, no one can truly understand the intricacies of these affairs.”
“And you want someone who served as a Vice Director in the Ministry of Rites for barely a year and a half to become its minister? Is this not a farce?”
Shangguan Yuan did not put much force into the final two words—“a farce”—but he enunciated them with perfect precision.
Like two nails hammered into a smooth wooden board, they were small, yet driven into the most conspicuous place.
Shangguan Yuan paused, then shifted his gaze from Cui Shifan to Hu Ju.
He knew that Cui Shifan’s position was already clear. A candidate personally proposed by the First Grand Secretary would not be withdrawn easily.
So the person he needed to win over was Hu Ju.
As long as Hu Ju stood with him, two votes against one would be enough to keep Xiao Yuliang’s name off the candidate list.
“Grand Secretary Hu, you have been in the Grand Council longer than I have, and you have also handled quite a few matters involving the Ministry of Rites.”
“Tell us—can the position of Minister of Rites really be filled by just any local official?”
Shangguan Yuan tossed the ball to Hu Ju.
It was a clever move. He did not directly ask whether Hu Ju agreed with Xiao Yuliang’s appointment.
Instead, he asked whether just any local official could occupy the position of Minister of Rites.
There was practically only one possible answer: of course not.
And once Hu Ju said, “Of course not,” Shangguan Yuan could smoothly carry the argument forward—
from “not just any local official” to “therefore, Xiao Yuliang is unsuitable.”
Hu Ju narrowed his eyes further.
He naturally knew exactly what Shangguan Yuan was trying to do.
The question itself was a trap, and the answer was obvious.
But if he followed Shangguan Yuan’s lead and said no, he would effectively be allowing Shangguan Yuan to use him as a weapon.
“Grand Secretary Shangguan is right. The affairs of the Ministry of Rites are indeed complicated, and only someone with deep experience can handle them.”
“I know that from personal experience. Back then, I held the nominal position of Vice Minister in the Ministry of Rites, but I resigned of my own accord after barely half a year.”
“All those ritual vessels and musical compositions, all those ceremonial procedures and regulations—just hearing their names was enough to make my head spin.”
“If you made me Minister of Rites, I doubt I could last three days.”
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.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”
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!
