Surrounded by an entourage, Hua Hong departed.
Although Moyin Pavilion was the center of power in the Prime Minister's Manor, high-ranking figures of Hua Hong and Lou Ji's stature rarely appeared here outside of the year-end banquet or emergency meetings called by Xu Yinhe himself.
As the "crown prince" who had governed the Prime Minister's Manor in his father's stead for over a decade, Xu Changge knew full well how busy these individuals were.
Lou Ji went without saying; the days she spent in Di'an throughout an entire year could be counted on one hand.
Hua Hong was marginally better, but matters piled up like mountains before him, and running an entity like a merchant chamber required his personal presence for many partnerships and site inspections.
For both of them to arrive at Moyin Pavilion to report on their duties on the very same day was an occurrence that had happened scarcely a handful of times over the past decade.
Was it because of the change of heir this time?
Even within small clans, such a major event would cause ripples inside and out, let alone within the Chancellor's Manor.
Looking back at the history of Great Yan, a transfer of succession within a colossus like the Chancellor's Manor was almost always followed by a large-scale purge—a purge of the previous heir's close confidants.
However, given his father's long-standing authority, the tremors through the Prime Minister's Manor would likely not be too violent.
At the very least, heads would not roll—or at least none among the higher-ups.
Yet that was the extent of it.
With Changtian taking the reins of administration, differences in perception and judgment would inevitably lead him to overturn some of the policies Changge had implemented.
And that would inevitably affect the distribution of interests among several major institutions under the Prime Minister's Manor.
Lou Ji and Hua Hong had most likely rushed over to see Changtian for this very reason.
In that case, he would probably run into other familiar faces waiting on the top floor shortly.
After standing in place for several breaths, Xu Changge led the three young Feng siblings up toward the upper levels of the pavilion.
The high-vaulted corridor was magnificent and grand, the echoing footsteps underscoring its solemn, imposing majesty.
Xu Changge walked ahead without a word.
The three Feng youngsters followed behind him.
Having set foot in such a place for the first time, Feng Fangming appeared somewhat uneasy, yet her dark eyes could not resist darting around in curiosity.
After walking through the deep corridor for quite a while, the young girl finally could not help tugging at the hem of the sloth girl before her, asking in a whisper as soft as a mosquito's hum, "Sister Xunhua... who was that white-bearded grandfather just now?"
Feng Xunhua glanced lazily at the girl, tilted her head in thought, and murmured listlessly, "Probably... the President of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce."
"...The Tian'an Chamber of Commerce?"
Feng Fangming blinked her pretty eyes, her mouth opening slightly. "Is... is he a branch president?"
The Chancellor's Manor was too far removed from her world, but the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce was very close.
Back at Mount Qifeng, when merely the branch president of the provincial capital visited, their peerless Grand Elder—who was normally so aloof and cold—not only greeted him with smiles, but even personally went out a li to welcome him.
The sloth girl, however, seemed entirely indifferent to this. Tilting her head, she said softly, "I've seen his portrait... He's the president-general, Little Fangming."
Feng Fangming was somewhat startled, then asked timidly, "The old gentleman president's portrait?"
"Because... the Grand Elder is an old acquaintance of his, so he told me to remember him..."
"Remember him?"
"Because the Grand Elder said he is a traitor who betrayed his master for glory..."
"..." Feng Fangming.
"..." Feng Xianru.
The air abruptly froze.
Feng Xianru's heart skipped a beat. He turned inch by inch to look at his elder sister behind him, his eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.
Feng Xunhua tilted her head, her gaze perplexed. "Little Brother... what's wrong?"
"I... you..."
Feng Xianru wanted to say something, but ultimately could not squeeze out a single word.
He felt they really should have sent this older sister of his back home.
Feng Xianru took a deep breath and tentatively glanced at the green-robed figure ahead, only to find the man continuing forward with steady, measured steps.
With this man's cultivation, he had undoubtedly heard what had just been said.
Why was he pretending not to have heard?
In this silence so thick it felt tangible, none of them spoke another word.
On the top floor of Moyin Pavilion was an open-air hanging gallery.
On one side were elegant chambers, while the other overlooked the breathtaking scenery across most of Jiulong Di'an.
Feng Xianru, however, had no heart to admire the view, walking the entire way in sheer terror.
The Prime Minister's Manor—the Xu family—had already rewritten the history of those years. But as the very core among the Feng branch family, Feng Xianru had been told the truth behind the Feng family's decline.
A great many people had died during the coup that seized power back then, so Feng Xianru knew very well how perilous it was.
Because of this idiot sister's careless remark, the Grand Elder could very well be killed. Yet with the green-robed man ahead saying nothing, he did not dare take the initiative to offer an explanation.
They walked another several dozen meters. Just as Feng Xianru was agonizing over whether to speak up, a rough, raspy male voice drifted from the end of the hanging gallery before he could:
"It's been a long time since this old man saw any little brats from the Feng branch family, yet the moment you brats set foot in Di'an, you drop a bombshell like that."
Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw another old man.
Short, grizzled hair; loose, coarse clothes that failed to hide his burly, towering physique. But most striking of all was a scar that ran diagonally across his entire face.
Zong Qingsheng.
Commander of the Black Qilin Army.
Zong Qingsheng was squatting unceremoniously before the doors of Jiulong Xuan, his eyes slanted toward the approaching four as he puffed noisily on a long-stemmed pipe, resembling a gigantic iron bear hunkered in a corner.
When Xu Changge drew near, Zong Qingsheng did not bother getting up. He merely looked at the sloth girl and said, "What you said makes sense, little girl. To that old bastard Feng Zhoushu, Hua Hong truly is a traitor. After all, it was the Feng family head who saved him back then, yet he chose to help Miss Qian'er turn against his savior."
At this point, Zong Qingsheng grinned. Accented by the grotesque scar on his face, a wave of savage killing intent swept outward:
"But those words shouldn't be spoken aloud, girl."
"..."
Feng Xianru's breath caught in his throat, and under the crushing pressure, the sloth girl also averted her gaze.
Looking at the old man, Xu Changge did not take up the topic, asking calmly instead, "Old Zong, what are you squatting here for?"
Zong Qingsheng blew out a cloud of smoke that drifted away with the wind. He tapped the dark pipe in his hand, cast a glance at the room behind him, and looked back at Xu Changge, snorting with a curse:
"Some people don't know the rule of first come, first served! I waited right here for three whole days! I finally waited Hua Hong out, only for that Lou Ji bitch to dart straight inside, and Xu Changtian motherfucking wouldn't kick her out! Tell me, isn't that goddamn infuriating?"
He had been cut in line, and to prevent being cut again, he had staked out the doorway in advance.
Left speechless for a moment, Xu Changge said, "I am only here to deliver these people. Once that's done, I'm leaving."
"Good."
Zong Qingsheng took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaled, and stared through the latticed wooden railing at the city view of Di'an. "You feel quite different. Put down your burden, have you?"
"In a way." Xu Changge did not deny it.
"Heh."
Zong Qingsheng chuckled softly, sighing, "If it were up to me, this old man would rather—"
"Watch your words, Old Zong," Xu Changge interrupted, his eyes as placid as a lake.
Their gazes met for an instant.
Zong Qingsheng waved his hand in irritation, speaking bluntly:
"Quit beating around the bush. It's not like I'm one of your cronies, brat. I only preferred you in power because you could dole out more military pay and provisions."
During Xu Changge's administration, his relations with Hua Hong and Lou Ji had been strained, but his ties with Zong Qingsheng had always been close.
The reason was simple.
He wanted revenge against those sects.
And revenge required sufficient armaments to wage a war that would wipe those sects out.
Xu Changge was an outright hawk.
A hawk so radical that even an iron-blooded hawk like Lou Ji considered him too extreme.
Virtually every appropriation Zong Qingsheng demanded had been granted by him. Had their father not kept a lid on things from above, the entire Prime Minister's Manor would probably have shifted entirely into a wartime economy five years ago.
The high-altitude wind stirred his hair with a chill.
Xu Changge fell silent for a moment, then gave a slight shake of his head.
At this point, Zong Qingsheng's words were no longer meant for his ears.
Raising a hand, Xu Changge knocked on the chamber door and spoke toward the inside:
"Changtian, I've brought the people to you."
Having said his piece, he was just about to turn and leave when Xu Yuan's voice came from within first:
"Eldest Brother, wait a moment. I have something to discuss with—"
*Bang!*
Zong Qingsheng surged to his feet and slammed his pipe to the floor in fury.
"Xu Changtian! You just refuse to see me, is that it?! I've been standing stiff out here for three whole days! Three days!"
Chapter 716