Chapter 1175: Chapter 740 Secret Meeting_2

The people present understood what this represented, but instead of tension, their eyes mostly showed anticipation and excitement. Of course, there were also sighs for the chaos among them.

In the silence, someone soon subconsciously turned their gaze to the main seat on the left side, then involuntarily frowned.

The main seat on the left side was for the Mo Yin Pavilion Master, which was now the position of the successor to the Prime Minister’s Mansion, but at this moment, it was empty.

Lou Ji’s question outside the secret chamber was both a personal attempt to involve Xu Yuan in this core meeting and a professional reminder.

Since the establishment of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, these small ministerial meetings have been chaired by the Mo Yin Pavilion Master.

From the first mistress of the Xu Family,

to the Second Young Master Xu Chang’an,

and then to Xu Changge.

As Xu Yinhè remained silent, some expressions of dissatisfaction gradually appeared on the faces of several ministers of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Now that the Mo Yin Pavilion Master has been replaced by Xu Yuan, it should be his responsibility to chair the meeting. However, since the seat is empty, it’s hard not to think the boy is up to some mischief again.

Not all ministers of the Prime Minister’s Mansion accepted Xu Yuan. In fact, aside from Hua Hong and those direct lineages from the Feng Family, and Lou Ji, there were almost no supporters for Xu Yuan among the ministers.

According to ethics and standards, when the Prime Minister designates someone as an heir, they should unconditionally offer their loyalty, but expressing acceptance is completely different from doing so with genuine conviction.

Some of these people preferred Xu Changge; some only acknowledged Xu Yinhè; others simply longed for a share in the accomplishment of following the dragon.

Hence, they were indeed displeased with Xu Yuan suddenly ascending to power, but in deference to the Prime Minister’s prestige, they temporarily maintained their silence.

But it’s not their fault.

Among the ministers of the Prime Minister’s Mansion, aside from a few, most have been away from the capital for years, seldom returning, and relying only on internal reports isn’t enough to change their stereotyped views of someone they’ve watched grow up.

The silence lasted for about ten breaths; seeing that Xu Yinhè also remained silent, finally, a voice broke the silence:

“Third Young Master… did he oversleep?”

The speaker was a woman.

She was draped in a shawl bearing the emblem of the Inner Minister Department.

Tian Yuxue, Chief of the Internal Minister’s Office, responsible for high-level guest matters of the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

For matters like the strong military of the Black Scale Army and explorations of secret realms requiring high-rank cultivators, it was mostly from her that coordination and allocation were handled.

A proponent of strength supremacy,

a staunch supporter of Xu Changge.

Also, the person most opposed to Xu Yuan’s rise.

And just as she finished speaking,

Lou Ji’s gentle voice countered:

“The Prime Minister hasn’t spoken yet, Tian Yuxue, aren’t you being a bit too hasty?”

“…..”

The rest of the people were mostly unsurprised by the gunpowder-laden exchange between the two, and some even appeared entertained.

It would be strange if there were no internal strife and power struggles within a colossal entity like Minister Xu’s Family at the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Apart from the Tian’an Commerce Assembly and Geometry Institute, which remain above worldly concerns, there are often conflicts of interest within the factions in the Xu Family, primarily between the Black Scale Guards and the Inner Minister Department.

Both are portals under the Xu Family with a significant number of high-rank cultivators, and they are responsible for overlapping duties.

For instance, the two women would often clash over the ownership of promising talents. However, since Xu Changge and Lou Ji are incompatible, most promising talents end up in the Inner Minister Department, forcing Lou Ji to suppress her frustration and be compelled to venture ‘wild’.

Now with the Eldest Young Master removed from the position of Mo Yin Pavilion Master, replaced by the Third Young Master, some are happy while others are worried, quickly becoming apparent.

The relationship between Lou Ji and the Third Young Master is well-known among the ministers of the Xu Family; as an ‘outsider,’ if Tian Yuxue doesn’t express her stand now, she probably won’t have a good time in the near future. Even more so, if the Third Young Master were to be a bit absurd, he might directly allow the Black Scale Guards to divide the jurisdiction of the Inner Minister Department in the future.

The impact of changing the legitimate son is indeed much greater than imagined.

So she had to make a scene now.

Many things are distributed based on making a scene; only by creating value within the rules can one maintain the interests of one’s own faction, whereas behaving and following the rules will only see one’s interests chipped away and handed over to others.

And this is also the thought in many people’s hearts present.

However, most of them didn’t intend to speak at this moment.

These are turbulent times; inside and outside the Prime Minister’s Mansion, senior members are beset with responsibilities, and only half of them managed to find the time to meet the ‘New Crown Prince,’ so even if they want to cause a stir, they’ll wait until after gauging his attitude.

The other reason is that since Tian Yuxue has already spoken, if they joined in attacking now, both the target of the pressure and the nature of their remarks would change.

From pressuring Xu Changtian, to pressuring Xu Yinhè.

From dissatisfaction with the distribution of benefits to questioning the Prime Minister’s decision to change the legitimate heir.

These are two completely different concepts.

Because within the Prime Minister’s Mansion, no one can question Xu Yinhè’s decisions.

Thus, since someone couldn’t wait to be the first to take the plunge, they can just watch the drama unfold now; only the speed of its conclusion exceeded all their expectations.

In the past, the Prime Minister would not obstruct their efforts to fight for interests but would coordinate the allocation of benefits afterward. However, this time, just as Tian Yuxue was about to retort to Lou Ji’s words, a calm voice from the main seat abruptly quelled the two:

“Shut up.”

“…..”

The atmosphere in the secret chamber instantly became solemn.

Xu Yinhè’s calm voice resonated:

“Changtian has been assigned to other tasks by me; this meeting will be chaired by Jiang He.”