Chapter 120: Having just taken the throne, one must establish authority; the envoy from Yu State came to provoke

All the longing during the days we were apart turned into a kiss that surpasses a thousand words.

Before the kiss, Ning Jinli had no preparation at all.

It was only because, in that instant, emotion drove her, and she couldn't help herself.

Although the kiss was green and even clumsy, the moment it landed, the intense feeling struck Xiao Qidi's innermost heart, then exploded like a blazing fire, spreading over his whole body, enveloping him.

Xiao Qidi's mind went blank, yet because his thoughts paused, he could feel every emotion of his beloved.

He involuntarily held Ning Jinli tightly, as if he wanted to press her into his body, forcefully returning her kiss.

Even though it was his first kiss, his mouth stiff and unskilled, it was nonetheless full of his longing and love for Ning Jinli.

"Um…" Ning Jinli hummed lightly, a low sound from her lips, "I'm… I can't breathe, you're too… too hard…"

Xiao Qidi came to himself, hurriedly pulling away, "Sorry… I got too excited…"

Seeing his nervousness and clumsiness, Ning Jinli's eyes filled with tenderness and a shy smile; she hugged his neck again, her red lips near his mouth corner, and softly said, "You fool, I only told you to be gentle, I didn't tell you not to kiss."

Then the two shared another kiss, all feeling and no technique.

When the passion deepened, they both felt their blood boiling.

"Report!"

Outside the Great Hall, a eunuch's sharp voice rang out, dousing the dry fire inside the hall like cold water.

The two quickly released each other; Ning Jinli flushed and hid behind the throne.

Xiao Qidi adjusted his clothing, turned with his back to the hall's main entrance, cleared his throat and said, "Come in!"

After a moment, a eunuch bowed his head and entered the hall, standing at the threshold and saying, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Si Tu Wei requests an audience with Your Majesty."

Xiao Qidi's expression darkened instantly, "He still has the face to request an audience?"

The eunuch dared not utter a sound.

Xiao Qidi pondered briefly, "Fine, I'll go see him now and see what else he has to say."

"Yes, His Majesty."

The eunuch exhaled, stepped back and left.

Xiao Qidi walked to the side of the throne and said, "Jinli, I—"

"It's fine, you go handle your business first," Ning Jinli said, hugging him and planting a kiss, "Now I can go straight into the Royal Palace, and you can go from the Royal Palace to my side; the entrance to the Spacetime Portal here is inside a Wang Palace Storehouse."

"Alright, I'll go to the prison first."

Xiao Qidi, reluctant, kissed her once more before leaving.

——

In the dim prison.

Si Tu Wei, shackled, leaned against the corner wall and sat on the floor.

His eyes were hollow, vacant, lifeless.

Even Xiao Qidi, upon arriving at the cell, did not notice.

Torches were set into the wall, their light illuminating Xiao Qidi's stern face.

Xiao Qidi stared at the hunched figure inside the cell for a long time, then slowly said, "Si Tu Wei, I'm here."

Si Tu Wei came to his senses, struggled to stand, staggered a few steps forward, hands gripping the wooden bars, "Xiao Qidi, why do you treat me this way? If it weren't for me, the former king, the Empress Dowager, and you, Xuan Guo would never have recovered; if it weren't for me, Xuan Guo would not possess its current strength, rising from the end of the Seven Nations to become one of the top powers. Have you… have you forgotten?"

Xiao Qidi sneered, "I admit you have gratitude toward the former king, the Empress Dowager, and me, but you acted for your own career; of course, even so it's understandable, I never denied it. As for Xuan Guo's strength, it is the result of generations of accumulation; the credit is not yours alone."

Si Tu Wei's aged face trembled, teeth clenched, "No one today is more fit to be Prime Minister than I am. I… I may wish to wield great power, but it is for Daxuan; I have no personal ambition."

"Desiring sole control of great power is personal ambition," Xiao Qidi's gaze grew colder, "If you truly acted for Daxuan with no personal motive, why has it come to this state? If no one can be Prime Minister, I'll do without the position."

"Governing a nation is not a child's game!" Si Tu Wei shouted, "You are still too young; how can you lead Daxuan well, how can you deal with the other Six Nations, how can you unify the world! Without me… you can do nothing!"

A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Qidi's eyes, "Leaving Daxuan's western border unattended, letting drought ravage the people— is that what you call good governance? Si Tu Wei, I tell you, without you I can do better."

Si Tu Wei was speechless, his whole being sinking into despondency again.

Xiao Qidi didn't wish to say more, turned and prepared to leave.

"Your Majesty…" Si Tu Wei looked at his back, stammering, "Do you no longer have any sentiment for me? I… I could stop being Prime Minister, even quit office, as long as I can stay in Royal City, see you occasionally, that's enough."

Xiao Qidi halted, "Don't forget, today I haven't revealed your plot to replace me with a puppet. Do you think I have no evidence? If this were broadcast to the world, think of what fate would await you."

Having said that, he left without looking back.

Si Tu Wei stared at the direction of his vanishing back, dazed for a long while.

Only now did he realize he had still left a sliver of sentiment.

Attempting to replace the ruler with a puppet is as vile as a coup; once exposed, the minimum punishment would be gruesome tortures like dismemberment, and the infamy would last forever.

He gave a punishment of confiscation and exile, which was already the last dignity for a Daxuan minister protecting himself.

"Alas…"

Si Tu Wei looked up and sighed deeply, his expression becoming unusually calm.

Then he turned toward the opposite wall, closed his eyes, bowed his head slightly, and without hesitation used all his strength to slam into it.

Bang…

After a muffled thud.

Si Tu Wei fell to the ground, his forehead split, blood gushing.

When the jailer found him, he was already dead.

……

A few days later.

The Prime Minister's Residence was completely confiscated; all assets returned to the treasury, and every staff member was dismissed and expelled from Royal City.

Xiao Qidi had intended to ask Ning Shan to become Prime Minister, but Ning Shan refused without a second thought.

Not only did he decline the Prime Minister post, he also abandoned Qingyou Platform, declaring he would stay with Jinli's mother from now on, never part again, and hurried out of Royal City straight to Yuqi Mountain.

Xiao Qidi then handed over the Qingyou Platform to Li Yao to lead, and changed the original duty of the Qingyou Platform, which mainly monitored court officials, into gathering intelligence on the remaining feudal states.

After consulting Ning Jinli, Xiao Qidi decided to abolish the Prime Minister position, replacing it with the establishment of a Cabinet and a Military Affairs Bureau.

Select multiple officials to form the members of the Cabinet or the Military Affairs Bureau.

The Cabinet is responsible for drafting and perfecting Xuan Guo's laws, issuing general orders, and mainly handling internal affairs.

The Military Affairs Bureau directs nationwide military operations, mainly used for external affairs.

At the same time, they also needed to set up in the Royal City a more standardized division of duties, so they had to establish the six ministries: Rites, Personnel, War, Works, Punishment, and Revenue.

Xiao Qidi considered that, carrying out such a massive reform, many court officials would certainly find it hard to accept in a short time.

So he did not rush to immediately issue an edict to implement it.

Before that, he must establish sufficient prestige.

If the officials cannot wholeheartedly submit to him, when the reform is carried out, they will likely pay lip service while resisting, shirking and delaying, causing great difficulty for the reform.

Just as Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli were pondering where to begin to establish prestige,

Yu Guo dispatched an envoy.

Xiao Qidi then set up a banquet, bringing some officials to receive them.

In the main hall, several Xuan Guo officials sat to the right below Xiao Qidi's throne, while the Yu Guo envoy and his guards and attendants sat to the left.

After everyone was seated, before Xiao Qidi could raise his cup, the Yu Guo envoy picked up his own cup and drank it all in one go.

The Xuan Guo officials frowned slightly, but no one spoke; they wanted to see how the young king, who had just begun personal rule, would deal with this unfriendly Yu Guo envoy.

Xiao Qidi's expression did not change; he calmly watched the Yu Guo envoy.

The Yu Guo envoy sat with legs spread, behaving rudely; after finishing his drink, he began eating whatever was on the table in front of him, continuing until he had eaten everything clean, then he stopped and let out a loud belch.

All these rude actions showed that he did not take Xiao Qidi seriously.

Xiao Qidi took a light sip of wine and asked calmly, "Do you still need more food?"

The Yu Guo envoy laughed, "No need; the food you cook here with bronze utensils cannot compare to what my Da Yu prepares with iron utensils, I don't want to eat any more."

Xiao Qidi said, "Then why did you eat everything in front of you clean, not leaving a bite?"

The Yu Guo envoy, picking his teeth, said, "Isn't this just waiting for someone?"

Xiao Qidi asked, "Waiting for whom?"

The Yu Guo envoy looked around, "Of course I'm waiting for someone who can talk business with me; why hasn't Chancellor Si Tu arrived yet? I'm about to fall asleep waiting."

Before Xiao Qidi could speak, the Yu Guo envoy slapped his forehead and said, "Look at my memory, I almost forgot—His Majesty of Xuan Guo has already dismissed him; I heard Chancellor Si Tu ultimately committed suicide in apology. Alas, does that mean there's no one left to talk with? What should we do?"

"Am I not qualified enough to talk with you?" Xiao Qidi said expressionlessly.

The Yu Guo envoy showed a slight look of contempt, "Please forgive my frankness, even ordinary commoners, when two families discuss matters, it's the elders who step in; when adults speak, when does a child get to interject? Let alone state affairs."

Xiao Qidi's mouth corner suddenly curled into a faint cold smile, "Since you won't talk, I'll have to see you out—guards!"

"Wait!" the Yu Guo envoy looked displeased, "Even when Chancellor Si Tu received my Da Yu envoy before, he was especially courteous; how is it that you, the ruler of a state, are so ignorant of etiquette?"

Xiao Qidi set down his wine cup and said lightly, "If you still won't get to the point, I don't mind issuing an edict to Xi Tun Guan, ordering its commander to drag your crown prince off to reclaim wasteland."

He had already guessed that this time Yu Guo sent an envoy, nine times out of ten it was for their crown prince.

Rather than beating around the bush with this envoy, it's better to strike at his pain point.

Sure enough, upon hearing those words, the Yu Guo envoy's face changed, then he sneered, "I suggest Your Majesty quickly release our crown prince."

"Release? Sure," Xiao Qidi smiled faintly, "What are the conditions?"

"Conditions?" the Yu Guo envoy showed disdain, "If Chancellor Si Tu were still here, we could discuss terms. I'll just say it outright: you release my Da Yu crown prince, and you won't need to apologize to Da Yu anymore—isn't that enough?"

The envoy was arrogant to this degree, yet Xiao Qidi remained calm and unruffled.

This made the officials sigh inwardly; indeed, their own king is still too young to hold his own.

If Chancellor Si Tu were still present, he would have made the envoy kneel and apologize by now.

What a pity…

The Chancellor is gone.

Yu Guo also seized this opportunity, judging that at this moment the Divine Sea Needle was absent from the Great Mystic City, and the newly crowned king who had just begun personal rule still lacked the capability to respond, so they rushed over to demand the release of their crown prince.

That was indeed quite clever.

Although several officials were growing angry at the Yu Guo envoy's increasing insolence, they still remained silent.

Rather than endure this stifling resentment, they would rather use the envoy to give Xiao Qidi a humiliating setback, so that afterward he would naturally rely on them more.

Even if they cannot rival Chancellor Si Tu's dominance of the court, their status will still be higher and more secure thereafter.

"How about this?" Xiao Qidi idly played with his wine cup, speaking calmly, "If the Yu Guo royalty and nobility all submit to Great Xuan, and their lands are all merged into Great Xuan, I will agree to return their crown prince."

When his words fell, the officials were stunned.

The Yu Guo envoy's face was full of disbelief, and even his few attendant guards showed looks of incredulity.

After a brief silence, the Yu Guo envoy suddenly burst into loud laughter.

He laughed so hard he nearly rolled on the floor.

His attendants and guards also laughed openly, each as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

On the other side, the Xuan Guo officials either shook their heads speechlessly or covered their foreheads and sighed.

Their own young king is simply too naive.

What gives His Majesty the right to spout such wild talk? Earlier, Xi Tun Guan's defeat of the Yu Guo army was already a stroke of luck; capturing their crown prince was luck upon luck; he certainly shouldn't become arrogant because of that.

You must know, although Yu Guo is small, it sits on rich mineral deposits, especially excellent iron ore.

Thus its finances are abundant, and its military equipment is top-notch among the seven states.

Furthermore, Yu Guo can at any time supply iron weapons and equipment to the other five feudal states, thereby gaining support.

Even if Great Xuan already ranks among the top in comprehensive national strength among the seven states, it absolutely lacks the ability to resist a joint attack by Yu Guo and its allied states.

Therefore, even if the Yu Guo envoy acts rudely, His Majesty cannot be overly forceful; lacking that strength, yet boasting in words will only invite ridicule and bring shame upon Great Xuan.

"Is that funny?" Xiao Qidi said gloomily, "Don't you want me to release the hostages?"

"Pah!" the Yu Guo envoy stood up, pointed at Xiao Qidi's nose and cursed, "Even when your father was alive and the Minister of Education, who was also the Prime Minister, was alive, neither of them dared to openly demand that my Da Yu submit and be annexed into your Xuan Guo! Brat, you don't know what's good for you! Quickly release our Crown Prince, oh no, you must not only release him but also personally send him back to Yu Guo, and then kneel and apologize in front of the Da Yu monarch!"

"In that case, my Da Yu could consider letting bygones be bygones, after all we don't want to bully you, this poor wretch who was abandoned by your father from childhood and whose mother had to sell herself to earn money to raise you, over petty grievances."

When those words were spoken, Xiao Qidi's gaze had already turned cold.

Seeing that he had struck Xiao Qidi's sore spot, the Yu Guo envoy grew even more arrogant, and harshly jeered: "You might not even be the son of the former king of Xuan Guo; you're probably just a bastard left by one of the countless men who have slept with Jiang Peihuan—hahahaha!"