Faced with such gentle yet meaningful words, Luo Zhao suddenly found herself at a loss for how to respond.
Gu Chengyin, however, had no intention of continuing the subject. Instead, he turned to business.
“I just returned from the Cabinet. They’re drawing up a list of candidates for Minister of Rites.”
“I recommended Xiao Yuliang, and while I was at it, I told Cui Shifan that I wanted Cui Zilu to serve as Chief Lady-in-Waiting.”
“I also told them that I’ll be joining the Celestial Masters’ Office this afternoon.”
Luo Zhao had been immersed in the tenderness of the moment, but this string of news instantly left her bewildered.
Her mind began racing as she tried to find the connection between these matters.
The Cabinet. The list of candidates. Xiao Yuliang. Cui Zilu. Chief Lady-in-Waiting. The Celestial Masters’ Office.
Any one of these matters would have been enough to shake the entire court, yet Gu Chengyin had rattled them off in a single breath, as casually as if he were reading out a menu.
Before Luo Zhao could sort out what was important among them, Gu Chengyin delivered another piece of news that left her utterly stunned.
“I also told them that Your Highness is willing to become the secondary wife.”
As he said this, Gu Chengyin fixed his eyes firmly on Luo Zhao.
His gaze was filled with scrutiny, as though he wanted to pierce through the thin veil of moisture in her eyes and look straight into the deepest part of her soul.
He wanted to see Luo Zhao’s first reaction to the news.
The other matters, though significant, were not enough to touch her core.
He needed the most sensitive subject to test her—to see what would flash through her eyes first.
Shock? Anger? Resentment? The humiliation of being used?
Or something else?
Whatever it was would greatly deepen his understanding of Luo Zhao.
A person’s first reaction when their core interests were touched could not be hidden.
It came too quickly—so quickly that reason had no time to filter it, no time to conceal it, no time to put on the mask they wore so tightly every day.
And after the initial confusion, the first emotion that surfaced in Luo Zhao’s eyes was obedience.
Yes. Obedience.
Gu Chengyin was certain he had not seen wrong.
After that blank confusion, before reason had time to take control of her expression, the first thing to appear in the depths of Luo Zhao’s eyes was not shock, anger, or the humiliation of being insulted.
It was complete, unquestioning obedience.
The sheer volume of information had clearly left Luo Zhao somewhat dazed.
Her mind was still processing those several major matters of the court. Her fingers were still holding the candied fruit she had not finished eating. Her entire being remained caught in a dizzying overload of information.
Yet there was not the slightest trace of shock or resistance in her eyes.
Gu Chengyin had announced to the public that she was willing to become the secondary wife.
That was tantamount to proclaiming to the entire court:
Crown Heir Luo Zhao was voluntarily willing to lower herself to the position of a secondary wife and share a husband with Fairy Jingzhe.
What a momentous scandal that would be.
It was enough to ruin her reputation, strip the imperial family of all dignity, and unleash a storm of accusations from every official in the court.
Yet there was not the slightest hint of anger in Luo Zhao’s eyes.
Only boundless obedience.
It was as though whatever Gu Chengyin said became reality. No reason was needed, no explanation, and no prior discussion with her.
Whatever he said was something she accepted as fact.
Whatever he did was her decision.
Forget becoming a secondary wife—even if he announced to everyone that she was the most obedient little puppy in the world, Luo Zhao would accept it without hesitation.
Because that was what she was.
“Mm. I understand.”
Once Luo Zhao had sorted through the various matters, she nodded.
She was indicating that she knew. There were no unnecessary emotions, no further questions—only acknowledgment of what he had told her, followed by silence.
At that moment, Gu Chengyin withdrew his scrutinizing gaze.
He had already obtained the answer he wanted.
Luo Zhao’s obedience was not only genuine; it ran extraordinarily deep—almost to the point of reverence.
That was both within his expectations and beyond them.
It was within his expectations because Luo Zhao’s obedience had never been an act.
It was beyond them because it was far more complete than he had imagined.
Gu Chengyin then explained the matter concerning Xiao Yuliang.
He knew Luo Zhao would not ask, but he still needed to explain.
Not because he was the Crown Heir’s Junior Preceptor and therefore owed her an explanation for personnel arrangements at court.
Rather, Luo Zhao’s obedience was genuine. He had tested her with the most sensitive subject, and the conclusion he had reached was that Luo Zhao was worthy of an explanation from him.
“When I was in Luodu, I met Xiao Yuliang once. He’s willing to serve Your Highness with all his might.”
As he said this, Gu Chengyin’s gaze lingered on Luo Zhao’s face for a moment.
Her expression remained as calm as ever. Only when she heard the name Xiao Yuliang did her brows move slightly, as though she were searching her memories for the man and had finally found the right place.
Then Luo Zhao nodded again.
“Mm. I understand.”
She did not ask why Xiao Yuliang was willing to serve her. She did not ask what Gu Chengyin had done while he was in Luodu.
She did not ask what kind of schemes or exchanges lay hidden beneath it all.
She simply learned what Gu Chengyin told her, accepted it, and asked no further questions.
At this point, Gu Chengyin said nothing more.
He had already confirmed nearly everything he wanted to know.
Luo Zhao’s obedience was genuine, and so was her trust.
The contrast between her before him and her at court was enormous, yet both sides were the real her.
This was not an obedient little puppy she was pretending to be.
She had truly become his obedient little puppy.
This state of affairs was practically indistinguishable from hypnosis.
No—it might even be better than hypnosis.
Hypnosis left a person unconscious. The hypnotized individual was merely an empty shell, ready to be manipulated at will.
Once they awoke, they would remember nothing and know nothing.
But Luo Zhao was awake. She was conscious.
She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew exactly what she was placing in his hands.
She clearly understood what every word he spoke and every action he took meant.
And yet Luo Zhao still chose to obey.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Chengyin instructed her, “As for the list of candidates, just let matters take their natural course. There’s no need to do anything special.”
“As for Cui Shifan, you can urge him a little. Have Cui Zilu come to the Divine Capital as soon as possible.”
Luo Zhao remained completely obedient.
“Mm. I’ll do whatever you say.”
As she spoke, she tilted her head slightly to look up at Gu Chengyin.
Sunlight streamed through the window lattice and happened to fall across her face, making her phoenix eyes shine especially brightly.
There was no hesitation, no testing, and no restraint in them.
Only complete, unreserved obedience.
By now, everything that needed to be understood had been understood, and everything that needed to be said had been said.
Gu Chengyin said one last thing.
“Then I’ll be off to the Celestial Masters’ Office.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the palace doors.
As he passed by, he did not forget to rub Gu Xiaoli’s head.
He also said goodbye to her.
“Xiaoli, I’m leaving Her Highness in your care.”
“Don’t worry, Big Brother! Leave Her Highness to Xiaoli!”
Gu Xiaoli nodded emphatically, assuring him that everything would be fine.
Luo Zhao showed no intention of getting up to see him off.
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!
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
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.
