After returning to the Shen residence, Shen Xuefeng remained a bit downhearted over Ji Wu’s indifferent attitude for quite some time. But after all, this was a matter of upbringing—a little prince with a nihilistic streak—and couldn’t be rushed.

His Majesty’s birthday brought a general amnesty throughout the realm, and the whole court celebrated. A grand palace banquet was imminent, and Shen Xuefeng planned to prepare thoroughly.

Because at this banquet, Shen Xuefeng would have the chance to see his greatest idol—Minister of Personnel Jiang Xuliu.

As the saying goes, “Every profession produces its champion.” If his father Shen Lan was a model official, a paragon of honesty, then Jiang Xuliu was the empire’s number one schemer. Shen Xuefeng had chosen the villainous faction initially simply because he adored the character of Jiang Xuliu!

Calling them the “villain faction” was a bit unfair, actually. During the early beta testing, players believed that Ji Changran’s faction was the truly righteous one, so they preconceived the rest as villains. But who among these factions was truly more just was hard to say.

Even though the Crown Prince’s faction seemed more legitimate, corruption and evil flourished inside. When it came to seizing imperial power, they were all equally rotten—no better than one another.

Jiang Xuliu was such a morally ambiguous figure. He entered officialdom much later than Shen Xuefeng’s father, but now, under one person, there were ten thousand, and at a young age he wielded supreme authority over state affairs.

Rumor had it he was talented in writing and rhetoric, with unmatched looks and charisma. He was hailed as the most handsome man in the capital. Though his background was tragic, he refused to remain lowly and climbed step by step to his current position by his own merit.

After becoming Minister of Personnel, Jiang Xuliu’s iron-fisted policies stirred much resentment, but no one dared to speak out.

Because no one could find any dirt on him—Jiang Xuliu pledged loyalty only to imperial authority. He was like a fierce dog that voluntarily chained itself; the other end of the chain was the current emperor. Whoever the emperor ordered him to kill, he did so without mercy.

This was exactly the perfect idol template Shen Xuefeng dreamed of!

His life’s ambition was to cultivate Ji Wu to rise to power and become the next Jiang Xuliu himself, enjoying the thrill of holding power behind the scenes.

But this task wasn’t easy. Compared to Jiang Xuliu, the emperor he served—Emperor Gan Feng—did not require cultivation. Putting aside personal character flaws, this emperor was diligent and somewhat intelligent in governance.

Ji Wu still needed to be cultivated, and Shen Xuefeng hadn’t figured out how to manage the right degree of incompetence for him as a foolish ruler.

First, he couldn’t be too capable. If Ji Wu ruled wisely, working hard from dawn to dusk and overworking everyone, Shen Xuefeng’s power as a minister-in-waiting would be useless.

Second, he couldn’t be too foolish either—if Ji Wu spent his days indulging in food, drink, gambling, and all sorts of debauchery, the throne would be wrested away and his head chopped off by scheming ministers and ambitious princes before it even got warm.

Ji Wu had to be just foolish enough—not harming the country, but also not interfering with the ministers’ machinations. That was the perfect balance.

At noon on the birthday itself, the palace banquet commenced. Shen Xuefeng specially had Bai Hua bring along writing materials and accompanied his family to the feast.

The Shen family of four rode in one carriage. After entering the palace, Princess Yongtai took Shen Yuhuai to the women’s seating area, while Shen Xuefeng followed his father.

Along the way, Shen Xuefeng saw at least a dozen foreign envoys, including the Nanzhao delegation he had met on the street a few days before.

He always felt like someone was watching him. When he glanced sideways, the blue-robed youth surrounded by the Nanzhao envoys was watching him with great interest—and upon their eyes meeting, the youth even flirtatiously winked at him.

Shen Xuefeng: ???

Why does this person look like he recognizes me? But that day at the tavern, I only glanced at him from afar.

“Xuefeng, stop dawdling and catch up.”

Shen Lan had already reached the entrance of the Taihe Hall, then turned around to glance at his son standing there looking confused.

“Oh, coming, Dad.” Shen Xuefeng felt inexplicably puzzled.

After taking their seats, he eagerly searched among the princes for Ji Wu, and sure enough, he spotted him in a corner. Ji Wu was still dressed plainly and sat there awkwardly, very different from how he appeared outside the palace.

Perhaps because they hadn’t met for over half a month, Shen Xuefeng felt his foolish prince seemed a little taller, and though his temperament was still gloomy, he wasn’t as terrifying as before.

Then he saw Princess Ji Ling, the Tenth Princess. He had heard she had fallen seriously ill after a nightmare fright recently, and seeing her now confirmed it—her face was thinner, and her spirits were not as good as before.

Next came the Imperial Noble Consort, the Empress, the Grand Empress Dowager… one by one they arrived and took their seats. Each time someone of higher rank than his father appeared, Shen Xuefeng would stand and bow. His father was a Second Rank Minister of Personnel, so he had to carefully observe the leaders’ moods.

According to protocol, the last to appear was Emperor Gan Feng himself. Except for the Grand Empress Dowager, everyone in the hall along with all the foreign envoys stood up.

Shen Xuefeng secretly looked over and was thrilled to find his idol right behind Emperor Gan Feng!

The emperor had just come from the council hall, a gentle smile on his face. Behind him were Minister Jiang Xuliu and the eldest princess Ji Yingqiu. One handsome, one beautiful, they walked side by side—left and right—and Shen Xuefeng’s eyes were fixed on them.

His idol was even more handsome than he imagined—tall and upright, elegant in demeanor, wearing a white robe like a celestial being. When he spoke, his voice was like jade striking jade, refreshing and pleasant.

The eldest princess was also beautiful. The pear blossom decoration on her forehead was delicate and graceful; her smile was quite charming, with a special kind of allure.

The emperor ascended the imperial throne. Ji Yingqiu sat on the east side; since she was politically capable, she temporarily took the crown prince’s seat. Jiang Xuliu sat at the lower end, close to them.

Then Emperor Gan Feng ordered the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat to deliver a congratulatory speech, and the guests began drinking.

Holding his wine cup, Shen Xuefeng imitated his father and slowly drained it. The burning liquor slid down his throat into his stomach, causing him to cough uncontrollably.

The hall was very quiet, and his father’s seat was close to the emperor’s. Fearing to draw attention, Shen Xuefeng covered his coughing with his sleeve, his small face flushed red.

The pre-meal rituals were lengthy, and soon it was time for the ministers to boast about their achievements.

On such a joyous occasion, the juniors naturally had to report what they had accomplished under their senior’s leadership over the past year. First came the Secretariat, then the Chancellery. Since Jiang Xuliu refused to speak, each of the Six Ministries spoke for themselves.

Shen Lan stood up proudly to report the Ministry of Works’ achievements this year. Listening, Shen Xuefeng thought that such a well-structured dynasty with complete ranks, orderly governance, and a long-lasting reign was not something a little villain like himself could easily change.

Finally, it was time for representatives of the vassal states and neighboring countries to speak. According to the story, after the provocation by Nanzhao, Ji Changran would step forward to respond.

Knowing the story spoiled the fun of watching the drama. Shen Xuefeng cracked nuts and waited. Sure enough, the Nanzhao envoy stood up.

Like him, Ji Changran at the table wore a confident expression. Everything was unfolding just as he had dreamed, gradually moving in the expected direction…

The previous chatter could be ignored for now, but then the envoy suddenly changed tone and said something completely unexpected.

“…This time Nanzhao comes with a friendly intention to expand trade… but… at the tavern… rude words were spoken… hurting our little prince! As the emperor of the Great Ji, could you give us an explanation?”

Shen Xuefeng blinked.

Why was the story different from what he imagined? Where was his arrogant attitude? The cocky momentum?

Could it be that because he stepped into the tavern two days ago, the storyline had changed?

Shen Xuefeng didn’t yet know if this was good or bad and felt a bit uneasy.

Across the table, Ji Changran frowned at these words.

Why was this different from the dream?

Emperor Gan Feng did not change the smile on his face because of the Nanzhao envoy’s accusation. “Where is General Zhongwu? Come out and explain exactly what happened.”

Before he finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a beard, looking haggard, stepped out. In just a few strides, he reached near Shen Xuefeng’s position, then knelt down with a thud and began to weep bitterly.

“Your Majesty, please rule in my favor. A few days ago, I nearly lost my beloved son. My son may be a bit unruly, but how could Nanzhao have gone this far?”

The Nanzhao envoy then said, “Lord Li, stop pretending here! Your son offended our little prince. If this had happened in Nanzhao, he wouldn’t be worthy to live!”

“Not worthy to live? Then do you really want him dead?!”

Li Chang’s attitude was even worse and fiercer. From Shen Xuefeng’s point of view, Li Chang was foaming at the mouth, his neck flushed red, and his roar was deafening, almost bursting Shen Xuefeng’s eardrums.

What’s going on here?

Shen Xuefeng was puzzled. Clearly, it was the Li family scoundrel who had been disrespectful first that day. Why was Li Chang acting so aggrieved?

“Your Majesty, the people of Nanzhao attacked my son viciously. They released poisonous insects that stung him all over his body, leaving him covered in wounds, and even used hidden weapons to injure his internal organs directly! My son only spoke disrespectfully to the Nanzhao little prince—who would have known he had been to the gates of death these past two days?!”

The hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone looked at one another.

Now the one who was dumbfounded was the Nanzhao little prince, Yin Lan.

Yes, he did release the insects, but they were not fatal. They were still in the Great Ji imperial capital; they wouldn’t cause trouble unless absolutely necessary… but that fatal wound wasn’t his doing!!

A huge accusation was pinned on Yin Lan’s head.

It was that person—yes, that person had to be somewhere in the hall, and Yin Lan was determined to find him!