Xu Feng’s blood splattered on the golden, resplendent floor of the grand hall, a horrifying sight that made one’s heart tremble, the stench of blood permeating the chamber.
Qin Yu couldn’t help but retch twice, while Luo Shangyu turned her head away, unable to bear such a scene.
Many among the Court Civil and Military Officials turned pale, their bodies shuddering with fear.
Qin Yu called for the palace attendants and eunuchs to come and clean up the bloodstains in the hall.
When the dreadful scene was finally cleared away, Qin Yu spoke.
“Continue investigating the mysterious figure behind Xu Feng’s Faction. The rest are to be sent to the Imperial Prison to await execution!”
“Yes!” Zhong Chang Gong led the Imperial Guards to escort the prisoners out of the court.
Watching the backs of the rebels being led out of the grand hall, Qin Yu straightened her expression.
“I hope all my beloved officials will work diligently from now on, placing the interests of the people of Chengji Empire above all else. Strive to make our Chengji Empire the strongest Empire in the Fantasy Realm.”
“Do not indulge in corruption or form cliques for personal gain in your work, or else—the fate of Xu Feng’s Faction will be yours!”
Qin Yu’s words were concise and clear, providing guidance for the officials’ conduct in the days to come.
“Understood!” The officials responded in unison.
“Dismissed! Imperial Secretariat ministers, stay behind!” Qin Yu ended this emergency morning assembly.
The officials withdrew from the grand hall one after another, and the chamber became empty once more.
When the last person exited, the doors quietly closed.
Only a few people remained standing before Qin Yu.
They were Shangguan Rong, Secretariat Left Minister and Vice Chancellor of the Grand Secretariat; Yin An, Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor and Grand Secretariat Minister; and Han Youcheng, Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat and Grand Secretariat Minister.
These were the true heavyweights of the Chengji Empire’s political arena.
Qin Yu’s gaze swept over each of them in turn, then she spoke.
“The officialdom of the Chengji Empire is rotten. After this incident with Xu Feng, I trust you all have seen the signs?”
The group nodded, deeply agreeing.
“As high ministers of the court, you must set a good example and create an upright and clean government. Do you have confidence?”
“We do!”
Their voices weren’t loud, but rang out firm and powerful, with the strength to shake the earth.
“Very good!” Qin Yu smiled in relief.
It seemed the first brick on her path in politics had been laid.
“This coup was only repelled thanks to the desperate resistance of the Divine Strategy Army soldiers. They are all warriors of the Chengji Empire. Han Youcheng, you are responsible for comforting and compensating the families of the fallen. Do not let them feel cold to our cause!”
“Yes!” Han Youcheng accepted the order and recorded it on his tally board.
“Also, the remnants of Xu Feng’s Faction must be completely eradicated. Shangguan Rong, you are to follow up with the Ministry of Justice on the progress of the investigation—make sure not to wrongfully kill anyone, but do not let any criminals slip away!”
“Yes!”
After giving out these two tasks, Qin Yu let out a small sigh of relief, looking at the imperial desk before the dragon throne.
The desk was wide and imposing, noticeably larger than the one Qin Yu used as Crown Princess.
On the right side of the desk was a stack of official documents, along with a pen holder and inkstone.
On the left were finely carved jade paperweights and a tea set.
At the very center of the desk were the documents Qin Ling had been handling before fainting, and the Imperial Jade Seal.
The Imperial Jade Seal was large in size—about five centimeters wide, seven or eight centimeters long, and three or four centimeters high.
Atop the rectangular seal was a lifelike carving of a jade dragon.
A faint red majesty shone in the dragon’s eyes, intimidating all who dared meet its gaze.
Qin Yu picked up the Jade Seal and examined it closely.
Both the seal and the dragon were carved from a single piece of jade, white tinged with green, flawless and pure, with a noticeable weight when held.
Qin Yu turned the Jade Seal over, looking at its base.
There, eight large characters were carved: “Mandate from Heaven, Longevity and Prosperity”.
Seeing this, Qin Yu was quietly delighted.
This was so similar to the famous Jade Seal from her previous life!
The same name, the same inscription.
Worthy of the Fantasy Realm!
Qin Yu couldn’t help but think of that Ancient Legend: that the chaos of the Fantasy Realm was the imagination of the Creator God, and Pan Gu gave form to that imagination, separating it from chaos to create the world as it is now.
‘Perhaps this coincidence was proof of the legend!’ Qin Yu mused to herself.
She turned the Jade Seal over again and noticed that the rectangular body was engraved with a Secret Magic Array—densely packed and intricate, serving as decoration for the seal.
“What is this?” Qin Yu, curious, injected her magic power.
Suddenly, she felt a tremendous force pulling her magic into the seal.
As Qin Yu poured her magic in, the jade dragon gradually turned transparent and radiant, bursting forth with brilliant light.
Around the jade dragon, a faint dragon’s roar could be heard.
With the dragon’s eyes blazing, the roar echoed to the heavens.
Everyone in the grand hall heard the dragon’s roar, feeling its overwhelming pressure and the endless dignity of a supreme ruler.
Qin Yu, bathing in the dragon’s roar, felt a sense of dominance over the world—a strong presence that declared, “None can compare to me!”
“What incredible magic!” Qin Yu realized this was the same effect as her Crown Princess token: by using the emperor’s bloodline and magic, it could unleash an aura of dominance to deter others and display her status.
Seeing the three ministers on the court and Luo Shangyu beside her trembling from the dragon’s pressure, Qin Yu realized she’d gone a bit too far.
“Ahem!” Qin Yu cleared her throat and continued to discuss state affairs.
“Now that we’ve purged Xu Feng’s Faction, there are many vacancies in the court. Let me first decide on the names for the chancellor-level officials.”
Qin Yu took up a blank decree and wrote as she spoke.
“Promote Former Commander of the Palace Guards, Prince of Zhenping, Luo Shangyu, to Regent Prince, Shangshu Ling and Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, Grand Secretariat Academician, and re-confer as Prince of Ji!”
“Huh?” Luo Shangyu was stunned:
The Regent Prince could act on behalf of the emperor, nearly as important as Qin Yu’s own authority as the Crown Princess!
Shangshu Ling and Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi were equivalent to a chancellor’s authority, allowing attendance at crucial state policy meetings.
Being re-conferred as Prince of Ji was even more astonishing.
This one-character princely title outranked her original two-character title of Prince of Zhenping—the domain was now a level higher!
Even more, the significance of “Ji”: the Chengji Empire was named after the first emperor, who once called himself Prince of Ji by the banks of the Ji River, and after founding the Empire, took the name “Chengji”.
The Prince of Ji carried immense weight.
Together with the titles of Regent Prince and Chancellor, Luo Shangyu was at a loss.
“This, this… I can’t take on such heavy responsibilities. Please, Your Highness, choose someone more capable!” Luo Shangyu hurriedly waved her hands at Qin Yu.
“What? Afraid you’re not up to it?” Qin Yu leaned closer, resting her hand on Luo Shangyu’s shoulder, whispering softly in her ear.
“I…”
“I trust you, Luo Shangyu.” Qin Yu interrupted.
“Congratulations, Regent Prince!” Yin An, Han Youcheng, and Shangguan Rong all offered their congratulations in unison.
“…Thank you for your great favor, Your Highness! I will not fail your expectations!” Luo Shangyu finally had no choice but to accept.
Qin Yu smiled at Luo Shangyu and nodded: With Luo Shangyu’s support, she could certainly face the future with greater ease.
“Promote Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor and Grand Secretariat Academician Yin An to Grand Preceptor, Shangshu Ling and Zhongshu Menxia Pingzhangshi, and Grand Secretariat Head Minister.” Qin Yu took up the second decree.
“Your old minister thanks Your Highness!” Yin An said gratefully.
Grand Preceptor was a teacher of emperors, a first-rank official—how could Yin An not be excited?
“Grand Preceptor, please rise!” Qin Yu prevented Yin An from bowing further.
“It’s all thanks to your guidance these years that I’ve achieved so much!”
Since Qin Yu’s rebirth in the Fantasy Realm, Yin An had always taken care of her, guiding and teaching her.
Qin Yu was deeply grateful to him, her feelings even surpassing those for her father, Qin Ling.
“Your Highness overpraises me,” Yin An said humbly.
“Transfer Secretariat Left Minister and Grand Secretariat Academician Shangguan Rong to Zhongshu Menxia Department Left Minister and Vice Chancellor of the Grand Secretariat!” Qin Yu continued.
“Your Highness, I may not be able to fulfill this duty.” Shangguan Rong hesitated.
“I’ve always worked in the Secretariat, handling execution. I’m not familiar with the work of the Zhongshu Menxia Department.”
“Everyone starts from unfamiliarity. The fact that you became Secretariat Left Minister is proof of your ability. I believe you can do it. If you’re still worried, I’ll appoint a Zhongshu Ling to co-manage the Zhongshu Menxia Department with you. How about that?”
“Kneeling in thanks for Your Highness’s consideration!” Shangguan Rong said.
“Promote Right Vice Minister of the Secretariat Han Youcheng to Secretariat Left Minister and Grand Secretariat Academician.” Qin Yu took out the last decree.
“Kneeling in thanks for Your Highness’s promotion. I will not disappoint your expectations!” Han Youcheng did not refuse, accepting at once.
Having finally settled the appointments, Qin Yu breathed a sigh of relief and signaled for Yin An, Shangguan Rong, and Han Youcheng to withdraw.
Only Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu remained in the empty hall.
Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu sifted through the documents on the desk, checking what other tasks awaited them today.
“Your birthday is coming up soon, isn’t it?” Luo Shangyu suddenly said.
“Mm, it’s coming soon. Today is already November twentieth—just one week away from the twenty-eighth,” Qin Yu replied, glancing at the calendar.
“You’ll be fifteen, right?”
“Yes.”
“What sort of gift do you want?”
“A gift? Umm…” Qin Yu tilted her head, thinking.
“If you can’t think of anything, it’s fine. There’s still time before your birthday after all,” Luo Shangyu said, her eyes remaining fixed on the files before her.
There were so many files on the desk that even with both Qin Yu and Luo Shangyu organizing them, it took a considerable amount of time.
“Take a look at this,” Luo Shangyu suddenly handed over a letter.
“Hmm?” Qin Yu took the letter and opened it to read.
The letter wasn’t long—it was from the Saint Roppu Empire, saying they had received Qin Ling’s letter of permission to visit and would arrive in the Chengji Empire for a state visit on November twenty-first.
“Wait!” Qin Yu, finishing the letter, realized something.
“Today is November twentieth, so… they’re coming tomorrow?!”