Chapter 65: As long as you have enough strength, everyone around you will be a good person!

"This..." Xiao Ming hesitated for a moment, his brain unable to process the thought.

"Heh, if you can't even accept this, how can you have the face to say your feelings are sincere? She was willing to sacrifice herself and endure pain for your sake, and you think she's 'unclean' and don't like her anymore, right?"

The Sage's remnant soul could have guessed how Xiao Ming would answer next even with his eyes closed.

"No! As long as it's her, I can accept anything, even if I have to take her child's surname! But do I still have a chance?"

The reason Xiao Ming had charged straight toward the Imperial Palace was that he felt there was no hope, and he might as well risk his life in a final struggle.

The Sage's remnant soul had already guessed Xiao Ming would say this; Xiao Ming just needed a glimmer of hope—a pie in the sky.

And painting pies in the sky was the Sage's remnant soul's specialty.

"As long as you want to, this master can point you toward a bright path that will allow you to win over the Chu girl!"

"Master, please, tell me quickly! How can I go on living without her?"

Xiao Ming's words nearly made the Sage's remnant soul choke.

As a former Sage Realm expert, he had seen all sorts of storms and waves, but this was the first time he had seen someone act so much like a sycophant.

Still, it was within the range of what he could tolerate.

The Sage's remnant soul said, "You can enter the imperial court as an official. With your abilities, plus this master's help, in three to five years you'll have some small achievements. After another ten years or so, you might even become a powerful minister. By then, you can sideline that dog of an Emperor, and everything will be yours! The Chu girl will naturally return to your embrace."

To hoodwink Xiao Ming, the Sage's remnant soul let him go to the officialdom to temper his character, while giving him a hope that he could reasonably interact with Chu Ruoyan.

The Sage's remnant soul had also considered letting Xiao Ming go into seclusion to cultivate.

But this brat couldn't sit still, and his luck was too good—just like his journey from the border to the capital, every time he left one woman, another would appear.

If he happened to meet an even prettier woman and his sycophant habits flared up again, wouldn't all his efforts be in vain?

As long as he entered the officialdom and maintained occasional contact with the Chu girl—even if it was just seeing her from afar—he could stabilize his inner heart.

The Sage's remnant soul could not let Xiao Ming give up on Chu Ruoyan.

"Master, is there a simpler way?"

"Yes, become a eunuch; you'll be able to see her very quickly."

"... Never mind, let's talk about becoming an official."

Seeing that Xiao Ming had taken the bait, the Sage's remnant soul began to explain how to become an official.

In the May Tian Ce Dynasty, if one wants to get on the payroll, graduating from a prestigious school is undoubtedly the best choice.

But that took too long, and Xiao Ming likely didn't have the patience.

The next option was participating in various recruitment exams.

To put it bluntly, these exams were just a formality.

Getting to the interview stage depended on one's background; everyone else was just there to make up the numbers.

Every time a position opened up in the capital's departments, many powerful figures would try to shove their own people in; most were already spoken for.

While the Shattering Void Realm was decent, this was the capital, and the capital was never short on talent.

Hearing this, Xiao Ming asked suspiciously, "Then wouldn't I be unable to get in?"

The Sage's remnant soul said speechlessly, "Look at you, getting impatient again. Since this master said so, there must be a way."

The various departments in the capital also had what were called "external hires." This kind of position didn't pay well, and there was no official status.

With Xiao Ming's strength, he was certainly qualified to be an external hire.

The best way to quickly transition from an external hire to an official position was to perform meritorious service.

Which department in the capital was the easiest to perform meritorious service in?

Naturally, the Ministry of Justice.

Other departments compared seniority and qualifications—to put it bluntly, they just waited out the clock.

The Ministry of Justice had a massive backlog of cases; if Xiao Ming solved a few major ones, it wouldn't be long before he was officially on the payroll.

Then he could climb the ranks quickly.

The power of Ministry of Justice officials was immense, and there were many strong experts within it.

The Sage's remnant soul used the destruction of Xiao Ming's family as an example.

Once Xiao Ming became a mid-to-high-level official in the Ministry of Justice, wouldn't dealing with his enemies be simple?

Not to mention mobilizing the power of the Ministry of Justice, even if he asked the local Garrison Commander to cooperate, the Commander would be very willing.

An official sent from the capital, no matter how small, was someone the local officials wouldn't dare offend. Then, through his official status, he could bribe the eunuchs and palace maids, and that way, he could see the Chu girl.

If you aren't an official, where would you find the opportunity to enter the Imperial Palace?

Perhaps he could even find an opportunity to elope with the Chu girl.

Wasn't this much faster than burying his head in cultivation until the Sage Realm and then dueling the Emperor?

Finally, the Sage's remnant soul concluded that as long as Xiao Ming became an official, all his problems could be solved.

If they couldn't be solved, it just meant your rank wasn't high enough.

Look at that new Emperor; isn't it because he has high rank that he can do whatever he wants?

In any case, the Sage's remnant soul just kept on hoodwinking him to stabilize Xiao Ming first; his own future resurrection depended entirely on Xiao Ming.

"Fine, Master, I'll listen to you. I'm going to report to the Ministry of Justice right now!"

Xiao Ming didn't want to wait even a second; he wanted to use work to numb himself.

!

As long as he was idle, his brain would fill in images of his goddess with that ugly, fat Emperor.

Inside the Imperial Palace, when Li Chen came out of the room, the sky was almost dark, which showed just how strong his combat power was.

At this moment, Li Sining walked over with a mischievous grin, her expression as wicked as could be.

"Brother, are you really that powerful, or were you just stalling for time inside because you were afraid your little sister would look down on you?"

Li Chen rolled his eyes at her, not wanting to speak.

Didn't you see that your Imperial Sister-in-law can't even get out of bed? Does this still require questioning your brother?

Li Chen was an old hand in this regard; how could Chu Ruoyan withstand it? She didn't even know how many times she had fainted.

"Has anything happened during this time?"

Li Chen began to change the subject, not wanting to chat about this with Li Sining.

"Oh, the Empress Dowager came at the very beginning, but she was blocked by Eunuch Cui."

Li Sining indicated that when she saw Li Chen and Chu Ruoyan gradually entering their prime, she had slipped out.

Then she ordered the eunuchs not to disturb Li Chen.

Li Chen was very satisfied with this; she was indeed a thoughtful sister.

Who knew that at this moment, the segment where the Empress Dowager came to spoil the fun would be triggered.

Li Sining wanted to block her, but she was very afraid of the Empress Dowager; she had been afraid of her since she was a child.

In her heart, the Empress Dowager was a shadow even more terrifying than the late Emperor.

Just as she was bracing herself to go out, Eunuch Cui arrived in time.

According to Li Sining's account, the Empress Dowager was quite angry at the time; a Chief Eunuch actually dared to block her path—did he not want to survive in the Imperial Palace anymore?

The Empress Dowager's aura at the time was so intense that even Li Sining, hiding in the corner, was terrified.

Eunuch Cui explained the situation with a fawning smile, indicating that Li Chen was 'busy' at the moment.

When the Empress Dowager heard that it was such a matter, she chuckled and made a snide remark about it being 'broad daylight' or something similar; because she was too far away, Li Sining didn't hear it clearly.

Before leaving, the Empress Dowager also ordered Eunuch Cui to keep a good watch on the place; if anyone disturbed His Majesty's business, he, the Chief Eunuch, wouldn't need to be one anymore.

However, no one knew exactly what the Empress Dowager wanted with Li Chen.

But one thing Li Sining saw clearly: Eunuch Cui was a truly loyal minister!

She also didn't understand how Li Chen could make these people in the palace so loyal.

Clearly, after Li Chen ascended to the throne, he hadn't done anything.

"When you reach the Sage Realm, you will understand."

As long as you have enough strength, everyone around you will be a good person.

Li Chen knew this, so until he reached the Great Perfection of the Sage Realm, he couldn't even be bothered to come out.

Seeming to think of something, Li Chen said to Li Sining, "I happen to have something to go see the Empress Dowager about. Do you want to come along?"

"No, no, I haven't finished the homework Brother assigned me yet. I'll go cultivate first." After saying this, Li Sining ran away in a flash, not even asking for details about the recent battle.

Letting her go see the Empress Dowager was worse than letting her cultivate.

After a while, Li Chen stepped into the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, only to see the room was warm and elegant, with the Empress Dowager sitting upright on a soft couch, chatting happily with a beautiful woman who was a stranger to him.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 66 =====