Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, falling precisely upon the cup of tea before Hu Juzheng, which had long since gone cold.
A small patch of dazzling light shimmered across the surface of the jade-green tea. Under its reflection, the celadon rim of the cup gleamed with a warm, lustrous sheen.
It was as though something invisible lay hidden beneath that layer of radiance, quietly waiting to be revealed.
But this time, Hu Juzheng did not offer an opinion. Instead, he abruptly changed the subject.
He did not first smooth things over, weigh the pros and cons, and then cast his vote at just the right moment as he had earlier.
He even skipped the smoothing-over entirely. He merely lifted the cup and took a sip of cold tea.
Then he set it down and tapped the lid twice with his fingers, unhurriedly.
Only then did he speak in his usual leisurely tone.
“Pavilion Elder Cui, Grand Secretary Shangguan, there are five Grand Secretaries in the cabinet, after all.”
“The candidate list for Minister of Rites is of great importance. Shouldn’t we let the other two participate as well?”
“Otherwise, if His Majesty blames us, neither you nor I can afford to bear the consequences.”
Hu Juzheng’s voice still carried that faintly careless lilt. Every word seemed to roll lightly from the tip of his tongue.
It sounded as though he had just thought of some insignificant matter and mentioned it in passing.
At this, Cui Shifan’s brows furrowed slightly.
His fingers stopped rubbing the edge of the memorial. Instead, he pressed down on the paper with a little force, pinning it against the desk.
There were indeed five Grand Secretaries in the cabinet.
After Xiao Song’s downfall, Cui Shifan had risen from Junior Grand Secretary to First Grand Secretary, while Hu Juzheng had been promoted to Junior Grand Secretary. Shangguan Yuan had then entered the cabinet as an additional member.
Besides the three present, there were two others: Yuan Zhengqing and Zheng Shixing.
Like Hu Juzheng, Yuan Zhengqing came from a humble background.
He represented those officials in the court who had no powerful family behind them and had entered the bureaucracy solely through the imperial examinations.
Zheng Shixing, by contrast, was a direct descendant of the Zheng clan of Xingyang and represented the aristocratic families.
He had entered the cabinet directly as Vice Minister of Personnel after Xiao Song’s downfall and the purge of The Xiao Clan, at this unusual turning point.
This was perfectly normal. As the center of power in the Great Luo, the cabinet had to maintain a balance.
When an aristocratic family fell, the replacement naturally had to come from another aristocratic family.
Shangguan Yuan’s appointment to the cabinet was due not only to his sufficient seniority and qualifications, but more importantly because he represented the rising aristocratic families.
He would not disrupt the cabinet’s existing structure. Instead, he added another variable.
The original confrontation between the aristocratic and common-born factions had thus become a tense three-way standoff.
And as everyone knew, a triangle was inherently stable.
Therefore, Shangguan Yuan’s addition had actually made the court more balanced.
However, the two Grand Secretaries who were absent always advanced and withdrew together during cabinet deliberations.
Whatever Hu Juzheng supported, Yuan Zhengqing supported as well.
Whatever Hu Juzheng opposed, Yuan Zhengqing opposed as well.
This was not because Yuan Zhengqing lacked opinions of his own. It was because the common-born faction was already weak in a court dominated by aristocratic families.
Without banding together, they could only be slaughtered at the others’ mercy.
Thus, bringing Yuan Zhengqing in would merely add another vote to Hu Juzheng’s side. It would not alter the balance of the vote.
The same was true of Zheng Shixing. His position in cabinet deliberations was likewise aligned with Cui Shifan’s.
Not because the two shared an especially close personal relationship, but because they represented the interests of the same social class.
Moreover, there were many members of the aristocratic families, and Cui Shifan had contributed to Zheng Shixing’s eventual entry into the cabinet.
Therefore, summoning Zheng Shixing would merely add another vote to Cui Shifan’s side.
The cabinet’s current structure was, in reality, a contest among three forces.
The aristocratic faction, represented by Cui Shifan and Zheng Shixing; the common-born faction, represented by Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing;
and Shangguan Yuan, who represented the rising aristocratic families while maintaining ties with both the Crown Prince’s faction and the imperial princes’ faction.
Five Grand Secretaries, three factions.
Nearly every cabinet vote was a subtle contest.
Even if Yuan Zhengqing and Zheng Shixing had not come to today’s deliberation, the outcome would have been the same.
Calling the two of them here would at most change the vote from two to one into three to two, or even four to one.
It would not change the final result.
Hu Juzheng could not possibly be unaware of this.
He knew perfectly well that summoning the other two Grand Secretaries would change nothing, yet he had brought it up at precisely this moment.
And when they had voted on Xiao Yuliang earlier, he had said nothing of the sort.
During the vote on Xiao Yuliang, Hu Juzheng had never once suggested that the other two Grand Secretaries should participate.
Shangguan Yuan had opposed Xiao Yuliang, while Cui Shifan had supported him. After smoothing things over for a while, Hu Juzheng had cast his vote in favor without hesitation.
Two to one. Xiao Yuliang had entered the candidate list.
The entire process had been quick and decisive, without any unnecessary complications.
Why had he not said then that the matter was of great importance and that the other two should participate as well?
Yet when it came to Gu Chengyin, this particularly sensitive figure, Hu Juzheng had raised the issue.
What exactly did this mean?
Cui Shifan’s gaze lingered on Hu Juzheng’s face for a moment.
Hu Juzheng still wore that same expression: eyes narrowed, teacup in hand, a faint, elusive smile at the corners of his mouth.
There was not the slightest flaw on his face, nor any additional information to be read from it.
After studying him for a while, Cui Shifan withdrew his gaze without saying anything more.
After all, this was the proper procedure.
All major personnel appointments ought to be decided by a vote of the entire cabinet.
An appointment to the position of Minister of Rites, one of the Six Ministers, certainly qualified as a major matter.
Hu Juzheng was invoking procedure, and his argument was entirely legitimate. There was no fault to be found with it.
If Cui Shifan refused, he would be dismissing the rules governing cabinet deliberations—a charge he could not afford to bear.
Therefore, neither Cui Shifan nor Shangguan Yuan raised an objection. They simply sent someone to summon the other two Grand Secretaries.
Cui Shifan lightly clapped his hands. The clerk waiting outside the deliberation hall answered the summons and entered.
Cui Shifan gave him a few quiet instructions. The clerk bowed, accepted the order, and hurried out.
His footsteps gradually receded down the covered passageway before soon disappearing at the far end of the corridor.
Cui Shifan then gave a slight nod and closed the memorial listing the candidates before him.
He placed it in the upper-right corner of the desk and waited for the other two Grand Secretaries to arrive.
Shangguan Yuan shifted his gaze away from Hu Juzheng and once again looked out the window at the little birds still hopping from branch to branch.
The corners of his mouth drooped slightly, as though silently expressing something.
Before long, Grand Secretaries Yuan and Zheng arrived.
Once the two had taken their seats, the clerk closed the doors of the deliberation hall again. Cui Shifan briefly explained what had happened.
The candidate list for Minister of Rites had already included Xiao Yuliang, and they were now discussing the second candidate, Gu Chengyin.
Cui Shifan supported him, Shangguan Yuan opposed him, and Hu Juzheng had yet to state his position.
After saying this, Cui Shifan turned his gaze toward Hu Juzheng.
It was as though he were saying: Everyone is here now. Say what you have to say.
Hu Juzheng then spoke decisively.
“I oppose adding Gu Chengyin to the candidate list.”
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!
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
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.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
