Chapter 1138: Chapter 713: The Foundation of Absolute Power

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The deep and rugged voice from outside seeped through the formation into the room, instantly causing the ancient bronze ornaments in the corner to hum and vibrate.

A moment of silence.

Xu Yuan had not yet replied when a female voice sounded in the still room.

“It seems no one has properly taught that old thing a lesson in a very long time.”

The space of the Nine Dragon Pavilion chamber was not expansive, simple yet profound, with case files piled like mountains atop the desk.

Lou Ji was dressed in a refined purple cheongsam that outlined her soft, slender curves, draped with a white fur shawl. She reclined lazily on the armrest of the main seat, one hand resting on Xu Yuan’s shoulder and the other gently combing through his hair.

Upon hearing the voice from outside, Lou Ji’s movements froze immediately. Her captivating purple eyes darted toward the door as her enchanting yet chillingly sharp voice rang out:

“Breaking rules wherever he pleases, reprimanding whomever he likes—does he really take this Hidden Ink Pavilion for his Black Scale Army’s Military Headquarters?”

Speaking as she moved, Lou Ji rose from the armrest of Xu Yuan’s chair and headed toward the door.

Both for public interest and personal pride, she had to ensure that the old man outside remembered the line between ruler and subject.

But after only a few steps, Xu Yuan’s slightly weary voice stopped her:

“Sis!”

Lou Ji lightly furrowed her delicate brows and turned to speak softly:

“Changtian, Zong Qingsheng broke the rules and must be disciplined. If this continues, who will still respect you as the Prime Minister’s son?”

Xu Yinhè had already declared Changtian as the rightful heir at the Privy Council. Aside from him, no one within the Prime Minister’s Mansion now had the authority to chastise Xu Yuan, let alone posture in front of him.

In the power center, there was no consideration for age or seniority. All personal relationships had to be secondary to the hierarchy of ruler and minister.

Changtian was now the embodiment of the Prime Minister’s will.

If you’re upset, you suppress it. If you’re angry, vent it at home.

Who is Zong Qingsheng, and what status does Changtian hold? Yelling names in front of the Nine Dragon Pavilion’s door?

Xu Yuan slightly reclined, leaning into the main seat behind the desk, while lazily tidying his hair messed up by his elder sister. He spoke with some amusement:

“Wasn’t it you who broke the rules first?”

“……”

Lou Ji paused, turning back, her brilliantly vivid eyes filled with a trace of grievance and disbelief:

“Changtian, you… blame your sister?”

“……..”

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and replied rather irritably:

“Zong Qingsheng waited for Hua Hong for three days. You suddenly barging in—how could there not be temper?”

Lou Ji stared at Xu Yuan for a few seconds, pursed her lips, and vanished instantaneously. When she appeared again, she was already back in front of Xu Yuan, reaching out swiftly like lightning. But before she could touch him…

“Slap.”

Xu Yuan casually caught his elder sister’s delicate wrist that seemed about to grab his neck and said with helplessness:

“Zong Qingsheng just shouted. You’re already trying to resort to force on me?”

Speaking, Xu Yuan slowly stood up from the main seat and glanced at Lou Ji, only to see that his elder sister was staring fixedly at her seized wrist. She ignored his teasing entirely.

She seemed astonished,

She seemed puzzled.

Although she’d been in the Nine Dragon Pavilion chamber for barely the length of one tea’s brew, no one would casually use Will-spirit binding on even the closest person.

Xu Yuan released Lou Ji’s wrist and chuckled:

“Three days ago, I personally gave Xu Changge a beating. You didn’t know?”

“… What?”

Lou Ji’s enchanting eyes widened slightly.

The gentle voice echoed in the room.

She knew Xu Changge’s strength better than anyone. A Primordial cultivator daring to challenge her—a Semi-Saint—let alone the fact Changtian had actually defeated him?

“So, on that day, Father shielded all the Energy Mechanism inside the Sword Pavilion, huh.”

Saying this, Xu Yuan lightly laughed, reached out to pat his elder sister’s seemingly boneless, fragrant shoulder, and turned away, casually remarking:

“Oh, by the way, Xu Changge already broke through Mortal Transcendence…”

“I know that!”

The Big Charm Demon’s voice grew somewhat shrill.

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Yuan suddenly sensed something flying toward him from behind. Instinctively, he turned to see two soft masses rapidly magnifying in his view. His reflex was to use Step Void Slash to evade, but he eventually gave up the idea.

If he dodged, his elder sister would feel hurt.

So he didn’t evade.

Duang~

His face lightly touched softness, inhaling the scent of poisonous rose blossoms.

Then,

Fierce head rubbing.

This familiar sense of security~

After a while,

The softness withdrew from his face, and his long hair fell loose. Xu Yuan’s slender eyes held traces of gentle warmth.

Lou Ji cupped Xu Yuan’s cheeks with both hands, her mesmerizing eyes blinking as if she was gazing at a priceless treasure.

After several seconds of eye contact, her red lips moved slightly.

“Changtian…”

“What?”

“Can you give your sister some petty cash?”

“Slap!”

Xu Yuan swatted Lou Ji’s hands away.

So after all this drama, she wanted him to hand out money?

He glared at Lou Ji in exasperation, then turned toward the door:

“We’ll talk about that later. For now, I need to deal with the people outside.”

Lou Ji snorted softly, crossing her arms over her ample chest and standing behind him, speaking with faint resentment:

“You’ve gained cultivation and grown wings. The present-day Changtian sure is busy.”

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, replying tiredly:

“Sis, I have too many things to handle…..”

Back when they were still at the Prime Minister’s Mansion, she had already planned everything for their return to the Imperial Capital ahead of time.

The grand stage’s curtain was about to rise. Sitting in this position, he had to strive to grow stronger—yet nobody was born omnipotent.

Even with the experience he gained in the Enchantress Divine Illusion Realm, mastering the various spellcraft within the Blood Essence Meteoring Art required time. Not to mention, he had to perfect the Black Death Talisman and further develop his Life and Death Dao Charm.

This plan hadn’t barely begun before it was disrupted once again.

So much work.

If the 007 work culture from his past life was a sarcastic joke, then in this life, that lifestyle could materialize into reality.

Since returning to the Imperial Capital, Xu Yuan experienced such “joy” for the first time.

After defeating Xu Changge, Xu Yuan didn’t immediately return to the Inner Courtyard but came to the Hidden Ink Pavilion instead.

Originally, he intended to skim through a few case files, offer some guidance, and then return to the courtyard to rest. After all, his battle with Xu Changge had drained all his Origin Qi. But as soon as he entered the room and barely warmed the chair, old Hua Hong barged in uninvited.

Then,

During these three days of learning, Xu Yuan came to understand why his father wielded such unrivaled centralized authority.

He also realized,

The position itself was fundamentally inhuman.

“Governing a great nation is like cooking a small fish” didn’t apply to the structure of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Absolute power demanded absolute concentration of responsibility and workload.

You had to oversee everything.

In the modern era of his past life, this administrative model would’ve been outright impossible.

No individual could meticulously manage every detail of a country, nor could they master every skill and profession in existence. Yet, the system of the Prime Minister’s Mansion required precisely such a leader.

You needed to understand alchemy to preclude large-scale corruption by alchemists.

You needed to grasp formations and engineering to evaluate the costs and benefits of colossal infrastructure projects.

You had to be knowledgeable in military formations, troop training, ideological indoctrination, resource logistics, and even large-scale army command models.

And these responsibilities, which alone would cause anyone’s scalp to tingle,

According to Hua Hong,

Were merely the tip of the iceberg for the Prime Minister.