Snow swirled in the air, blanketing the world in white.
Fairy's Capital of the Great Ji stood majestically between heaven and earth.
In one of the palaces of the Imperial House, Siao Qi and Siao Shi sat around a fireplace. Both of them wore snow-white coats that reflected off their jade-white faces.
There was a pile of memorials on the short table beside them. Both of them were reading one each.
The sound of snowflakes falling to the ground could be heard clearly.
After a while, footsteps could be heard.
"Come in," Siao Qi said.
Suru wore a bright red cloak as she walked in. She was holding a purple sealed box with memorials in her hand. They needed to personally open the seal to prevent the memorials from leaking out.
The bright red cloak made her snow-white face look even redder. She was charming.
She turned around and closed the door. The cold wind blew a snowflake into the hall, bringing with it a chill. The fireplaces in the hall swayed a little. The two women looked up.
Suru's face was solemn, "It's an urgent memorial from the Ministry of Revenue."
Siao Qi extended her hand.
Suru presented the purple box with the memorials and took two steps back. She poured tea for them.
Siao Qi opened the box and took out three memorials. She passed one to Siao Shi and opened the other one. After a while, she frowned and her expression became more solemn. She sighed.
After Siao Shi flipped through the three memorials, she shook her head, "Can't they do something new? They're always complaining and asking for money from the imperial court. What are they trying to do?"
Siao Qi said, "There's a disaster over there but it's not as serious as the memorials say. They're just using this as an excuse to get more money. This is the usual tactic of the imperial court officials."
"They're audacious!" Siao Shi sneered, "I think they're just seeing that the Emperor has just ascended the throne and is mainly appeasing. That's why they're sure they won't dare to do anything to them. They're also trying to test the Emperor's mind!"
Siao Qi nodded, "It's human nature!"
"Younger Sister, do you think we should indulge them?" Siao Shi frowned.
Siao Qi said, "The new Emperor ascends the throne. We should focus on appeasing them. It's not too late to deal with them when the foundation is solid. Otherwise, it'll be inevitable that the people will panic and the government will not follow orders."
Siao Shi shook her head, "Little sister, you're being too careful. They won't be able to do anything!"
"Second Eldest Sister …" Xiao Qi said helplessly, "We can't just blindly do whatever we want. How many of the imperial court officials are good people? However, we still need to rely on them to govern the world. We can't personally govern a county or a prefecture, can we?"
"Then let Lu Yu Rong do it." Siao Shi scoffed, "Didn't she investigate a lot of corrupt officials? Kill a bunch of them and get rid of their prestige. Let them know Your Majesty's methods and they will naturally be well-behaved. Don't worry, they won't dare to disobey Your Majesty and won't give up their power. I guarantee that they will all become well-behaved. "
Xiao Qi sighed and shook her head, but she did not refute.
The two of them had different views on governing a country. She was particular about the harmony of Yin and Yang, the balance of hardness and softness, and could not blindly kill. Siao Shi, on the other hand, advocated hanging a sword above the heads of the officials of the imperial court, to make them fearful.
Neither of them could convince the other, so they could only compromise.
Lu Yu Rong leaned towards Siao Shi's idea. She hated the imperial court officials and was merciless in her actions. The Secret Guardians Hall had already investigated many of the officials' dirty deeds, but they were always suppressed by Lu Yu Rong.
It was not that Xiao Qi did not want to pursue the matter, but she felt that the time was not right. Xu An had yet to gain a firm foothold.
Everyone thought that as long as one was an Enlightened Master, after inheriting the throne, no one would dare to oppose. However, they did not know that the officials below had many ways to oppose the Emperor. As long as there were enough benefits, even an Enlightened Master would dare to oppose.
Therefore, she planned to use Xu An's first year as a conciliatory approach. A year later, she would start killing. By that time, she would have made arrangements for her own people, and the main authority would be in her hands. She would not be afraid of stirring up a storm if she made a move.
Unfortunately, Siao Shi and Lu Yu Rong were impatient and could not wait.
Two against one, sometimes she still had to act according to their ideas.
"It's decided then!" Siao Shi said. She threw away the memorial and stretched her body. She sighed, "Chu Li should come back to take a look, right?"
"It's not easy for him over there." Xiao Qi shook her head.
She heard from Chu Li about the situation in the Outland and knew that it was difficult to move forward. It was extremely difficult to integrate and grasp authority. It was difficult to take care of this side, and she could not help much. All she could do was to stabilize the rear and not make any mistakes.
Although Chu Li had gone to the Outland, his prestige was still there. The Six Nations' Enlightened Masters worked together against the Asuras, and with the help of Li Xinghe's Stargazing Pavilion, they managed to repel the Asuras' invasion.
"He …" Siao Shi sighed. "He's born to be busy!"
Xiao Qi smiled and nodded.
"This can't go on. Why don't you become an Enlightened Master as soon as possible?" Xiao Shi frowned. "From the looks of it, he's spending more time over there. He can't be separated forever, right?"
"Recently, his Spirit Beast heart technique has progressed quite well. Second Eldest Sister, you should hurry up too," Xiao Qi said.
Siao Shi sighed. "I don't have the time. There are too many things to do in the imperial court."
"It's time to start building the Purple Light Pavilion." Xiao Qi frowned. "Or else we'll be dragged down by politics and can't do anything."
Before Chu Li left, he had suggested to build a Purple Light Pavilion. It was an organization that was independent of the imperial court and only responsible to the Emperor. It could help the Emperor to be free from politics and focus on important matters.
They did not implement it because they were worried.
"We have to wait and see. We can't rush the Purple Light Pavilion," Siao Shi said. "If we don't figure out the Chancellors' thoughts, we can't make it impossible to get rid of them."
"The next time Chu Li comes back, ask him to help choose the candidates," Xiao Qi said.
Siao Shi smiled sweetly and the hall brightened. "Alright, Chu Li has a good eye for people. Let him help choose the candidates."
"Building the Purple Light Pavilion?" Chu Li's voice suddenly rang.
He suddenly appeared in the hall.
Xiao Qi's eyes lit up as she stared at him.
Siao Shi glanced at him. "You're finally willing to come back?"
Chu Li smiled. "It's time to build the Purple Light Pavilion. You'll lose everything by getting involved in politics."
Siao Shi rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. "Then I'll leave it to you. Before you leave, decide on the candidates for the Purple Light Pavilion. With the Purple Light Pavilion, we can slack off!"
"Leave it to me," Chu Li smiled.
Xiao Qi had already walked to his side and held his hand.
Siao Shi waved her hand. "Hurry up and leave. Don't be an eyesore!"
Chu Li chuckled and disappeared from the hall with Xiao Qi.
The two instantly returned to the High Duke's Public House's Jade Guardian Island. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
After the deed, the two hugged and chatted.
It was snowing outside but it was as warm as spring inside.
Chu Li hugged Xiao Qi's jade-like body and told her his plan.
He would help Xiao Qi with empowerment to improve her Spirit Beast heart technique. Then, he would cultivate the Sword of Insensibility to greatly improve her cultivation level. With the two combined, it would not be difficult for her to become an Enlightened Master.
"It won't hurt you, right?" Xiao Qi snuggled in his arms. Her beautiful face was blushing. She frowned slightly. "I heard that empowerment consumes a lot of cultivation level and it's dangerous."
"It's fine. It's just a drop in the bucket for me," Chu Li said.
Xiao Qi hesitated. "I can't leave now. Second Eldest Sister is too busy."
"She won't be so busy after building the Purple Light Pavilion," Chu Li said.
Xiao Qi said, "I'm still worried."
"After you become an Enlightened Master, you won't be going to the Outland right away. You can stay here and go wherever you want." Chu Li smiled.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
