The thick, gruff voice outside pierced through the array into the room, instantly rattling the antique bronze ornaments on the incense stand in the corner until they hummed.
A moment of silence fell.
Before Xu Yuan could reply, a woman's voice rang out in the quiet room.
"Looks like it really has been too long since anyone taught that old bastard a lesson."
Jiulong Xuan was not particularly large, austere yet profound, with dossiers piled like mountains upon its desk.
Lou Ji was dressed in a form-fitting purple qipao that outlined her soft, supple curves, draped with a white fur waistcoat. She leaned back against the armrest of the master seat, one hand resting on Xu Yuan's shoulder and the other gently caressing his hair.
Hearing the voice carry through the door, Lou Ji's movements froze. Her resplendent purple pupils instantly turned toward the door, her bewitching, delicate, and charming voice laced with chilling cold:
"To dare break every rule and scold anyone he pleases—does he really think Moyin Pavilion is his Black Qilin Army's command post?"
As she spoke, Lou Ji stood up from the armrest of Xu Yuan's chair, about to walk toward the door.
Whether in public duty or private interest, she had to make that old bastard outside remember the order of ruler and minister, of superior and subordinate.
Yet after only a few steps, Xu Yuan's tired voice called her back:
"Sis!"
Lou Ji's delicate brows furrowed slightly. She looked back and said softly, "Changtian, Zong Qingsheng broke the rules and needs to be punished. If this continues, who will still respect you, the crown prince of the Prime Minister's Manor?"
Xu Yinhe had already proclaimed Changtian as his legitimate successor at the Privy Council. Apart from himself, no one in the Chancellor's Manor had the right to berate Xu Yuan anymore, let alone pull rank before him.
At the center of power, age mattered not, seniority mattered not; all personal relations had to bow before the hierarchy of lord and subject.
Changtian was now the extension of the Prime Minister's will.
If you have grievances, choke them down; if you have a temper, take it home and vent it there.
Who was Zong Qingsheng, and what was Changtian's status, to be shouting his name right outside the door of Jiulong Xuan?
Xu Yuan leaned back slightly against the master seat behind the desk, smoothing the tied hair of this "crown prince of the Prime Minister's Manor" that his elder sister had ruffled. Amused, he said, "Wait, weren't you the one who broke the rules first?"
"......"
Lou Ji froze. Looking back, a hint of grievance crept into her gorgeous emerald eyes, tinged with disbelief: "Changtian, you... blame your sister?"
"..."
Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and snapped exasperatedly, "Zong Qingsheng waited for Hua Hong for three days, and you cut right in. It'd be weird if he didn't have a temper."
Lou Ji stared at Xu Yuan for several breaths, pursing her lips. Her figure vanished from the spot in an instant, reappearing right before Xu Yuan's seat. She reached toward him as fast as lightning, yet before her hand could touch him—
*Smack.*
Xu Yuan casually caught his sister's fair wrist as she tried to wrap her arms around his neck, sighing in exasperation, "Zong Qingsheng only yelled, but you're getting physical with me directly?"
As he spoke, Xu Yuan slowly stood up from the master seat. He glanced at Lou Ji, only to see her staring fixedly at her captured wrist, paying no heed to his teasing.
It looked like shock;
it looked like bafflement.
She had entered Jiulong Xuan barely a cup of tea's time ago, and no one would casually lock onto someone with their intent soul, even with the closest of kin.
Xu Yuan let go of Lou Ji's fair wrist and chuckled. "Three days ago, I personally beat Xu Changge up—didn't you know?"
"...What?"
Lou Ji's lovely eyes widened slightly.
Her soft voice echoed through the room.
She knew the eldest legitimate son's strength better than anyone—someone who dared trade blows with a Semi-Saint like her while only at the Origin Realm. And Changtian had actually defeated him?
"Looks like Father blocked all the qi dynamics inside the Sword Pavilion that day."
Saying this, Xu Yuan chuckled softly, reaching out to pat his sister's seemingly boneless shoulder. Turning around, he added offhandedly, "Oh, right. Xu Changge broke through to the Transcendent Realm before that..."
"Sister knows about that!"
The great succubus's voice grew rather excited.
The moment the words fell, Xu Yuan sensed something pouncing from behind. He instinctively turned, seeing two soft mounds rapidly expanding in his vision. His instinct was to use Void-Treading Slash to dodge, but in the end he abandoned the thought.
If he dodged, his sister would be hurt.
So he decided not to dodge.
*Boing~*
His face gently pressed into softness, inhaling the fragrant scent of venomous rose.
And then,
she ruffled his head vigorously like a puppy's.
Ah, this familiar sense of security~
After a while,
the softness pulled away, his long hair falling loose. Xu Yuan's narrow eyes held a gentle warmth.
Lou Ji cradled Xu Yuan's cheeks with both hands, her lovely eyes fluttering as if gazing upon a cherished treasure.
After meeting his gaze for a few breaths, her red lips parted softly.
"Changtian..."
"What is it?"
"Could you spare Sister some pocket money?"
*Smack!*
Xu Yuan slapped Lou Ji's hands away.
All these theatrics just to hit him up for cash?
Glaring exasperatedly at Lou Ji, Xu Yuan turned and walked toward the door.
"We'll talk about that later. First, let me deal with the people waiting outside."
Lou Ji let out a soft huff. Folding her arms beneath her ample bosom, she stood behind him and said plaintively, "Your cultivation went up, your wings have grown strong, and now Changtian is so busy, isn't he?"
Xu Yuan was silent for a moment before replying with exhaustion in his voice: "Sis, I have too much to do..."
While still at the Chancellor's temporary palace, he had already planned out everything for his return to the capital.
The grand curtain was about to rise. Sitting in this position, he needed to become as strong as possible, but no one was born omniscient.
Even with the experience gained in the Meishen illusory realm, adapting to and mastering the various techniques of the Blood Yuan Heart Calamity Art still took time—not to mention perfecting the Black Death Talisman and developing the Dao charm of life and death he possessed.
Yet before this plan could even begin, it had shattered once again.
He was too busy.
If the "007" schedule in his past life was a satirical joke, in this life that concept had materialized into a genuine working reality.
Returning to the Imperial Capital, Xu Yuan was blessed to experience such joy for the very first time.
After defeating Xu Changge, Xu Yuan had not returned to the inner courtyard immediately; instead, he had come to Moyin Pavilion.
Originally, he intended to simply look through a few dossiers, offer some cursory guidance, and head back to his courtyard to rest. After all, the battle with Xu Changge had completely drained his Source Qi. But before he could even warm his seat after entering the room, old Hua Hong slipped in without a sound.
And then,
through these three days of study, Xu Yuan came to realize why his father wielded such unquestioned, centralized authority.
He also realized
that this position was simply not meant for a human being.
"Governing a great nation is like frying a small fish" did not apply to the system of the Prime Minister's Manor.
Absolute dictatorial power meant absolutely centralized responsibility and work.
You had to oversee everything.
In his past life, this administrative model could never work.
Human capacity was finite; no single person could oversee everything in a country down to the finest detail, let alone master hundreds of professions and thousands of paths in the world. Yet the system of the Prime Minister's Manor demanded precisely such a leader.
You needed to understand alchemy to prevent large-scale embezzlement through melting-loss wastage by alchemists.
You needed to understand formations and civil engineering to evaluate the costs and returns of massive construction projects.
You also needed to be well-versed in military array drills, educational indoctrination, logistical management, and even operational models for commanding large-scale army groups.
And these things, which made one's scalp tingle just from reciting them,
were, in Hua Hong's words,
merely the tip of the iceberg borne by the current Prime Minister.
Chapter 717