Chapter 136: No Changes for Five Hundred Years
Xie Qiang had always agreed with the saying that a man is very handsome when he is working, especially when his natural appearance is already striking. In those moments, personal charm seems to radiate explosively.
His well-defined fingers tied back his smooth, deep blue long hair, revealing a lean and sharp facial structure. He then picked up a fountain pen with a silvery metallic luster, leaving clear and smooth handwriting on the proposals. Beneath his gold-rimmed glasses, his grey-blue snake pupils moved slightly as he read, exuding a sense of cool and calm composure.
His voice was cold and refined as he pointed at the proposals, explaining them to Xie Qiang bit by bit like a private tutor. Xie Qiang couldn’t help but prop up her cheek, admiring the scene with unblinking eyes.
“Princess, do not look at me. Look at the proposals.” Detecting Xie Qiang’s gaze, Wanyan Jin looked up, clearly displeased by her distraction. “In the future, when you inherit the throne, these will be matters you must handle. You should learn ahead of time.”
“I’m not reviewing them,” Xie Qiang said righteously. “I’m not interested in this.”
Wanyan Jin reflexively frowned. “Are you joking?”
“Don’t you think this way of working is too inefficient?” Xie Qiang propped up her head and looked at him with a smile. “Generations of Emperors have been troubled by these proposals, trapped in this palace for their entire lives handling these trivial matters instead of being able to do more important things.”
Wanyan Jin actually looked her in the eye for once, surprised that she had identified a deep-seated issue within the Imperial family.
“So?” he said calmly. “What are you trying to say?”
“I can change this status quo,” Xie Qiang said confidently.
Wanyan Jin’s eyes flickered, and his snake pupils narrowed slightly as he looked at her thoughtfully. “By what method?”
“You want to know?” A cunning smile appeared on Xie Qiang’s face. “Let me hear you call me ‘Sister’.”
Wanyan Jin frowned. “You…”
Would she ever stop? When they were children, she was terrified of hearing him call her “Sister,” but now she was obsessed with making him do it.
“Hmm?” Xie Qiang tilted her head, feigning surprise. “No way, surely the dignified Financial Officer wouldn’t want to get something for free? He wouldn’t be so shameless, would he?”
Wanyan Jin’s snake pupils shifted slightly. Seeing Xie Qiang’s vivid expression, he looked away slightly and pursed his lips, whispering, “Who knows if your method is actually useful.”
“Then let’s make a pinky swear.” Xie Qiang extended her pinky finger. “I’ll tell you the method. If you think it’s no good, the agreement is void. If you think it’s good, you must call me ‘Sister’.”
“Pinky swear, cross my heart, no changes for five hundred years.”
Wanyan Jin looked down at her pinky. The girl’s finger was slender and fair, slightly curved, appearing quite small and cute.
When he was a child and learned his sister had been born, he had greatly looked forward to linking fingers with her and becoming her protective umbrella.
But now, he no longer wanted that.
He only wanted to leave the palace and live for himself.
The moment their fingers touched, a warm wave of purification power spread from her cool finger up his arm, causing a slight tingling sensation. Meeting Xie Qiang’s soft smile, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, he withdrew his hand expressionlessly.
“Speak. What is your method?”
Xie Qiang picked up a metal pen and wrote rapidly on a piece of paper.
Originally, the Emperor was similar to a CEO in a company. When noble families submitted applications for resource extraction, he would approve funding to execute the plan or reject it.
But now, she intended to turn the Emperor into a “shareholder.”
The Imperial family would confirm the development of a certain resource, and then the various great noble houses would bid for it. Whoever offered the higher price would receive the extraction rights. This would not only intensify internal conflicts among the nobles but also reduce the Emperor’s workload, allowing more focus on how to resolve the Zerg threat more efficiently.
As for whether this reform plan would receive unanimous approval from the Imperial ministers, Xie Qiang wasn’t worried. After all…
Her trump card was the “strongest speaker” of the original novel—Jiang Qingwan.
As long as the female lead was there, there was no “persuasion” task she couldn’t complete. Whether it was through righteous speech or moral kidnapping, as long as the goal was achieved, the process didn’t matter at all.
“Specialized talent should be used effectively, not suppressed.”
This was a lesson her foster father had taught her. So when Jiang Qingwan had previously used moral kidnapping to make her purify Sentinels, she hadn’t taken it to heart or suppressed Jiang Qingwan’s personality. Instead, she had silently reserved the position of Imperial “Diplomat” for Jiang Qingwan in her heart.
In the future, the work of persuading ministers can all be pushed onto the female lead~
After finishing the restructuring of the Imperial organization, Xie Qiang pushed the Imperial reform plan toward Wanyan Jin. “What do you think, Brother?”
Looking at the plan, a flash of amazement crossed Wanyan Jin’s eyes. He couldn’t help but look up at Xie Qiang. It was hard to imagine that she was so young yet could come up with this.
“Can you call me ‘Sister’ now?” Xie Qiang blinked expectantly.
“…” Wanyan Jin put away the plan and said calmly, “It’s quite average. Not worth a ‘Sister’ from me.”
“Wanyan Jin!” Xie Qiang jumped up and widened her cat-like eyes. She hadn’t expected him to go back on his word. “How can you be so shameless!”
“It is truly the Empire’s sorrow that the Princess is so naive,” Wanyan Jin said with a composed expression. “I am merely warning the Princess ahead of time.”
“I’m ignoring you!” Xie Qiang slammed her pen down, kicked her office chair aside, and ran out of the study in a huff.
“Her temper is still so arrogant.”
A hint of an amused smile flickered in Wanyan Jin’s eyes, but he immediately realized his abnormal reaction. He frowned slightly, leaned down, and picked up the metal pen from the floor.
“However, the method is indeed feasible. It seems her head has cleared up significantly since leaving the palace.”
The man gripped the pen and continued reviewing the proposals until, at a certain point, his pen tip stopped. He looked up toward the study door.
“…”
Wanyan Jin finally realized belatedly, “Did she pretend to run away in anger just to leave all the work to me?”
The First Prince’s Palace.
Xie Kong was about to explode with rage.
He felt his mania levels skyrocketing—not because of the noise from the Zerg, but because Xie Qiang’s repeated belittling had made his ears ring and his heart restless. He wanted to smash everything in sight.
“She hates Sentinels as much as ever, but how does she dare to discriminate against me for being an A-class Sentinel?!”
He had gone through countless hardships to get those S-class Sentinels to support his bid for the throne. Yet his sister only had to beckon and, relying on a Guide’s purification ability, she could make those S-class Sentinels and even A-class Sentinels from the war zone serve her in just a few months. It simply wasn’t fair!
Thinking of how those S-class Sentinels had almost defected on the spot because of a few words from Xie Qiang, Xie Kong couldn’t help but grit his teeth. “No, I must find a way to completely kill any thoughts they have of being fence-sitters.”
What could he do? Is there a way to ensure that no matter how excellent her achievements or how great her merits, she can never have the right of inheritance…
Xie Kong paced back and forth in the room anxiously until, at a certain moment, he suddenly saw himself in the mirror. His blue eyes were like stars obscured by clouds and mist. Although they weren’t as brilliant and dazzling as Emperor Xie’s, they were a unique symbol of the Xie Imperial family.
“Ha!” Xie Kong couldn’t help but let out a crooked smile. “I almost forgot. There’s still that method…”
Recommended Reads
