Chapter 614: Don't Try to Guess the Emperor's Mind (Part 1)

Facing the cigars and champagne eagerly passed over by a flurry of hands, Xia Xianze, seasoned and worldly-wise, naturally wouldn't slight the Emperor. He swiftly plastered a full smile across his face, took the tobacco and wine, and sat on the sofa beside the Emperor to drink with him.

Unlike the carefree fellows living it up in the main hall, those seated in this suite mostly held relatively high internal status, weren't willing to fool around recklessly, and possessed at least a modicum of reserve.

Besides, everyone had come to the imperial palace for the party today not purely to mooch drinks and shoot the breeze.

Apart from getting chummy with the rarely seen Cao Zong, another reason was to see the latest information Cao Zong had brought. The large multimedia LCD screen hanging on the wall was broadcasting news from another world — from the Lightning Five-Whip to the implementation of the Civil Code, from the Sleepy King ascending to power to the Northeast Tiger entering a village. This was the information Transmigrators craved.

Years after Crossing Over, while drastically reshaping the New World, the Transmigrators had also inevitably, step by step, integrated into the New World. Though the speed of individual assimilation varied, with the passage of time, regardless of whether one's mindset was willing or resistant, this slow yet inexorable process could not be reversed.

Thus, the hard drives of Old World information irregularly collected by the Cao Emperor had become precious spiritual sustenance. This information allowed these transmigrated souls to harbor a wanderer's longing deep in their hearts; even separated by time and space, it served as a letter from home anchoring them to the Old World. Whenever they saw this information, the transmigrated people's spirits were greatly comforted.

Xia Xianze was no exception. After sitting down with a cigar in his mouth, he quickly joined the "Dominant Spectating of the Old World and Roasting" salon. People drank champagne, now roaring with laughter at the Nation-Defending Master's brainless antics, now sighing with emotion over the nationwide mask-wearing.

Drinking and roasting as they went, the lively scene continued until past 1 a. m. What was different from usual was that throughout the entire process, the Cao Emperor, dressed in a plaid shirt and Western-style Trousers, was all smiles and chatter, enthusiastically discussing many amusing anecdotes of the Old World, truly achieving "reveling with the common folk."

At the end, raising his wrist to check his watch and finding it was past midnight, the Cao Emperor finally stood up, still reluctant to leave: "Can't keep up, after several days of drinking in a row, I need to go get some sleep. You all carry on."

Immediately, a perceptive sycophant spoke up: "Health comes first, Cao Zong, please rest early!"

Cao Chuan laughed heartily and casually patted the shoulder of Xia Xianze beside him: "You all continue. Here, Xia, let me give you a bit more to do."

Xia Xianze had anticipated this; after all, every time Cao Chuan "returned," he always had a private meeting. At these words, he set down his cup and rose. The two men threaded through a pile of still loudly carousing drinkers and entered the inner room of the suite.

Just as the suite door was about to close, it was suddenly pulled open again by the Cao Emperor, and three bottles of liquor flew out through the air: "Didn't notice there was still some left. Take it all and drink up! No one leaves until it's finished!"

"Holy shit, Macallan 40 Years!"

The drunkard who caught the bottle shouted at the first moment: "Back in my day, I only ever drank the 7-year stuff, and here's Cao Zong with the finest of the fine!"

The next moment, with a "Bang!", the suite door was shut. All clamor from the outer room was cut off behind the thick metal fire door.

In terms of importance, this suite with its sturdy door and walls, located deepest on the second floor, surpassed all Government departments. Because ever since the imperial palace was built, Cao Chuan had "relocated" here from Tainan, and the anchor point for traversing time and space had also been moved here.

After entering the room, Cao Chuan waved his hand with practiced ease: "Brew some tea to sober us up. Let me wash my face."

To date, Xia Xianze was the only person qualified to enter this suite. Familiar with the room's layout, he poured tea upon hearing this. Meanwhile, Cao Chuan washed his face, changed into a set of soft pajamas, and then sat face-to-face with Xia on the living room sofa.

Completely relaxed, Cao Zong slouched sideways onto the sofa before speaking with a smile: "Haven't been over for a while. So, Xia, I hear the snow disaster here has been quite severe lately?"

Xia Xianze likewise leaned back on the sofa, rarely revealing his true state of mind, his face showing pride: "No big deal. Who are we? We were prepared long ago, just waiting for this chance to infiltrate the Great Ming's grassroots."

Whenever they were alone like this, Xia Xianze's mood became very relaxed, because he and Cao Chuan shared a special bond that far surpassed that of other Transmigrators.

First, in terms of seniority, Xia Xianze was the undisputed "First Transmigrator." Back when Cao Chuan nervously brought Xia Beggar to the New World, that attempt was a life-altering change for both of them.

Moreover, that seemingly laughable "Backyard Audience" back then, looking at it now, had truly laid the Empire's Constitutional Framework and was an event worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.

That audience, just like today, was a private meeting between the two. It was the first time, and probably the last, that Cao Chuan opened his heart to someone. All subsequent Crossing Over activities became procedural; Cao Chuan would never again sit down with anyone else to discuss the true ideals in his heart.

This was an experience unique to Xia Xianze.

Later on, Cao Zong became the Emperor, and Xia Beggar became the Senior Grand Secretary.

The change in status not only didn't dilute their relationship but, due to practical reasons, made their Communication even closer: Cao Chuan, always in a rush, simply had no time for deep exchanges with other Transmigrators. The only person he could trust and talk to was Xia Xianze.

Xia Xianze did not betray this trust. Seizing the momentum, he rose to power, governed diligently to create a new landscape, and steadily held the direction, guiding the Transmigration Nation — a freak regime with no historical precedent to draw from — to its current state. His contributions were immense.

This was an unbreakable partnership.

And precisely because of this, Xia Xianze didn't hold back today either. After casually exchanging a few pleasantries about the snow disaster, he still frowned and directly voiced his displeasure: "Cao Zong, you might not be fully aware, but the Quota right now is very, very tight. When you host a banquet like today's, it puts me in a very difficult position. Besides, those drunkards can guzzle down any amount of liquor. Whatever they drink is all the same; our own domestically produced liquor is also good. I suggest we don't hold these kinds of wine parties anymore!"

Although the distribution of Import Goods had always been handled by the Cabinet coordinating with various Departments before issuing a list, this distribution rule did not include the Emperor himself. After all, the Ring was on his finger; if he was willing to bring some personal goods for himself, no one could say a word.

The reason Xia Xianze specifically pointed out this issue was out of sheer necessity; the scale of today's party was simply too large. From what he had seen, just the bottles and cigar boxes alone would add up to at least several crates in volume. To Prime Minister Xia, who was accustomed to allocating Import Goods by the cubic centimeter, this was an unforgivable Waste!

Furthermore, such a large-scale, "unauthorized," "off-plan" Import act also somewhat infringed upon the Prime Minister's sense of authority — although the Emperor was outside the rules, before this, everyone had tacitly observed the bottom line. Cao Chuan had never done anything so extravagant.

Therefore, Xia Xianze now needed an explanation.

In terms of personality, Cao Chuan was the bold and generous type. Usually, whatever the matter, he'd clarify it in a few words, rarely beating around the bush.

But today, when Xia Xianze needed an answer, he was uncharacteristically silent: "Oh... uh..."

After a long moment, seeing that the Prime Minister was still staring at him relentlessly, Cao Chuan finally let out an embarrassed laugh: "Well, about that... it does seem like a bit much, huh... Next time, I'll bring out less."

"Next time?!" Xia Xianze's mouth fell open. "There's a next time?!"

"Uh... no next time... well, not exactly, there still needs to be."

Seeing the usually decisive Cao Emperor become uncharacteristically incoherent, Xia Xianze, who knew his counterpart very well, furrowed his brow even tighter at this moment. He suddenly realized that perhaps something more important than the Quota had happened.

"Cao Zong, is there something I don't know about that's happened? Don't tell me the Ring has upgraded?"

"No, no, no upgrade." Cao Chuan probably finally realized he couldn't dodge this. He reached up and wiped his face, steadying his emotions, then slowly said: "Don't go guessing wildly. Here's the thing: I, well, recently have some extra time, so I'm Intending to shift my life's focus more towards this side."

As the saying goes, the fewer the words, the bigger the matter. Xia Xianze blinked, mulled over the keywords for a moment, and then cautiously pressed: "Could you, sir, explain what exactly this 'life's focus' refers to?"

"Hahaha." Cao Chuan seemed to have adjusted by now. After tilting his head back with an awkward laugh, he rubbed his hands together, organizing his words: "It just means I'll drop by more often when I'm free, show my face, and chat with everyone. No matter what, I'm still nominally an Emperor. Hiding away in the 'inner palace' all day without showing my face — wouldn't that make me like the Wanli Emperor? Right? A complete fool of a ruler!"

Xia Xianze took a deep breath. He more or less understood the hidden meaning behind Cao Chuan's words, but the most important thing now was still to figure out the reason behind this matter.

What Xia Xianze worried about most was always one thing: that Cao Chuan had run into problems over in the Old World. For the entire Crossing Faction, nothing could happen to Cao Chuan. Whether it was the input of Import Goods or the hard-won stability of the Constitutional Framework, neither allowed this key figure, Cao Chuan, to have problems in the Old World.

The next moment, Xia Xianze asked with a face full of solemnity: "Cao Zong, tell me honestly, has something gone wrong over in the Old World? If something's happened, you absolutely must not hide it from me. You understand the stakes involved here!"

"Ah, really nothing. Why won't you believe me?"

Cao Chuan gave a wry smile and thrust out his middle finger: "I swear on the Ring, everything's fine over there. The business is all operating normally, and no Organization or individual is onto me."

"Then why would you suddenly want to shift your focus?"

"Cough... I just want to actually be Emperor for a few days, to find the feeling."

Xia Xianze's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. He sprang to his feet with a "Whoosh!": "You want to personally rule and take charge of the government?!"