WWC | Chapter 4

Lu Xuan, a rather distinctive human points farm…

When Su Tingyan returned to the main hall of the Zichen Palace, holding the imperial decree in both hands, all argument and clamor seemed to be cut off at once, vanishing in an instant.

Countless gazes fixed on the volume of imperial brushwork in his hands, clearly written just moments ago.

Su Tingyan walked forward with steady steps, stopped before the imperial stairs, faced the assembled ministers, and slowly unfurled the scroll.

His voice was clear and bright. “On the matter of the Ministry of War, His Majesty has already rendered his judgment.”

As he spoke, he let his eyes drift over Xie Zheng, whose face was ashen with rage yet still forcibly restrained his doubt, then over those officials of the Lu faction whose expressions had turned uneasy.

“His Majesty has heard that last year, due to disasters and famine in all regions, the imperial coffers were strained. The Ministry of Revenue, in order to guarantee the total amount of military pay, had no choice but to make slight adjustments to the disbursement of supplies. Their circumstances may be excused.”

The moment those words fell, the officials of the Lu faction visibly relaxed, thinking they had escaped disaster.

Xie Zheng’s fist clenched outright, his handsome face flushed with fury.

But then Su Tingyan went on, “However, the soldiers at the frontier cannot be disregarded either. Therefore, by His Majesty’s grace, the Ministry of Revenue is ordered to urgently gather and reissue to the northern garrison within the day high-quality grain, fodder, and military equipment equivalent to twenty percent of last year’s total military pay. No delay will be tolerated!”

Xie Zheng froze completely. His clenched fist loosened, and disbelief filled his eyes.

The Lu faction members who had just relaxed went pale in an instant.

Twenty percent in high-quality goods and provisions, this was practically cutting flesh from their bodies!

Before they could object, Su Tingyan’s voice rang out again, cold as a sword drawn from its sheath, decisive in its killing intent. “To prevent such incidents from happening again, and to avoid waste of the court’s money, His Majesty has specially decreed that the Auditing and Clean Administration Office shall be established effective immediately, temporarily headed by this pavilion. Working together with the Three Ministries, appointed specialists will supervise and verify the flow of future special allocations from the imperial treasury, especially military expenditures.”

“The Auditing and Clean Administration Office answers only to His Majesty, and all results shall be presented directly before the throne.”

He held the scroll high, “The imperial brush has personally inscribed the awakening incense for the world. I hope all of us ministers can uphold public justice, awaken the world, and aid the people, so as not to fail His Majesty’s grace!”

With just these few sentences, he displayed the upright spine of a man standing above the court officials, someone who could write with a brush, and also wield one like a blade.

Truly a young and powerful minister, his bearing was extraordinary!

Everyone was stunned by these two consecutive imperial edicts. Reissuing twenty percent was real compensation for Xie Zheng, while the establishment of an auditing office directly under the emperor was like a sharp sword hanging over the heads of every member of the Lu faction.

Xie Zheng stared at the figure ahead, holding the imperial decree in his dark robes and lean frame, his expression extremely complicated.

In the army, he had waited day after day for a response, but there had been none. Those memorials that were returned along the same road forced him, just after returning victorious from battle, to rush to the palace without even having time to nurse his wounds.

Yet he had never expected that simply because of this man’s few words, he would obtain compensation, and even future guarantees for military supplies.

It was this civil official, whom he had once not even bothered to look at, who had so easily accomplished it in a way he had never imagined.

Su Tingyan met his gaze, paused slightly, then actually curved his lips, deliberately calling his name. “Does General Xie still have questions?”

Xie Zheng knew he was doing it on purpose, but still had to grit his teeth and bow. “Xie Shaoan thanks Your Majesty for his great grace!”

Ignoring the various gazes around him, Su Tingyan rolled up the imperial decree again and said to Zhang Ying, “Minister Zhang, please expedite the reissued supplies. This pavilion will send people to assist with the inventory.”

“As for the office’s premises and staff selection, please have all ministries submit their lists within three days as well.”

Zhang Ying’s expression changed several times, and in the end he could only bow and say, “…This official obeys the decree.”

System: [Successfully secured tangible benefits for Xie Zheng and demonstrated ability. Xie Zheng’s favorability +20, confusion transformed into curious interest, current favorability: 29.]

System: [Successfully intimidated the Lu faction and obtained status “New Vanguard’s Might.” But another target of the strategy［Lu Xuan］’s favorability has dropped by 100, now below zero.]

The system’s prompts rang out one after another.

Hah?!

Su Tingyan shouted, “Why is Lu Xuan also a target of the strategy?? Isn’t he that corrupt official?!”

He still remembered what the original novel had written. Lu Xuan was Da Zhao’s number one corrupt official, building a massive network of interests through bribery and commercial ventures, with assets worth ten years of Da Zhao’s national revenue.

System: [Because he’s handsome.]

Su Tingyan: “You can’t let your values follow your face! That’s not okay!”

System: [I feel like the player has completely lost himself in his own world and gone feral. You need a reminder, this is just a danmei harem eroge, it’s not some grand ancient power struggle game. How have you turned it into a big male lead route?]

Su Tingyan: “…”

“Don’t bother me. As long as I can raise my charm value and go home, that’s enough. Look at me, running an empire is way more reliable than messing around with men, I gained 500 charm points in one go!”

System: [Fine. Then may I ask whether the player will next choose to go to the Imperial Academy to begin a new storyline?]

Su Tingyan: “…”

Su Tingyan: “Tell me, who am I?”

The system was puzzled. [You’re the future Grand Chancellor, aren’t you?]

Su Tingyan: “You know that too? I’m the Grand Chancellor, not livestock!”

Su Tingyan: “The morning court is even earlier than an 8 a.m. class. I’m half dead from sleep, and now I have to go back and catch up on some rest.”

Only now did he finally begin to understand roosters. If he had to get up early every day, he would want to scream too.

The carriage carried him slowly back to the Su residence. Just as it came to a stop before the gate, he saw a carriage of extreme luxury already waiting outside.

Its interior could be faintly glimpsed from the outside, hazy and indistinct, yet impossible to fully see, restrained and private.

Before the carriage shaft stood a meticulously dressed butler. The instant he saw Su Tingyan’s carriage, he immediately came forward with a broad smile and bowed. “Lord Su, my lord has invited you.”

Su Tingyan lifted his tired eyes slightly. “Which lord is it?”

The butler’s smile grew even more eager. “It is Lord Lu Xuan.”

The moment the two words “Lu Xuan” entered his ears, the lethargy that had just been lingering around Su Tingyan’s body vanished without a trace.

Lu Xuan?

That Lu Xuan? The one he had just outmaneuvered, whose favorability had plummeted straight through the floor, who was simultaneously Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue, and also Chief Grand Councilor, equally powerful as he was greedy, and, goddamn it, also a target of the strategy?

And he had come straight to the door like this, this quickly?

The system’s electronic voice rang gleefully in his mind. [Emergency story event triggered: Lu Xuan’s invitation.]

[Accepting the invitation will begin your first direct confrontation with the target “Lu Xuan.” Refusing may escalate the conflict and cause the Lu faction to take unknown retaliatory action ahead of schedule. Please choose carefully.]

Su Tingyan: “This game has retaliation too? Am I going to get assassinated??”

System: [A death ending does exist. Death means game over by default, and data will be wiped and restarted until your charm value reaches the required amount to clear the game.]

Su Tingyan: “You can’t load a save??”

System: [Nope～]

Su Tingyan was speechless. Then what choice did he even have?

It was just two options, one led to death, the other led to getting screwed. He seriously suspected the developers had done this on purpose!

He took a deep breath and forced down the irritation in his chest. “So it’s Lord Lu who has invited me. May I ask where he is?”

Seeing that his attitude was calm, the butler hurriedly stepped aside and pointed toward the carriage that was impossible to ignore. “My lord is waiting for Lord Su inside the carriage. He said he merely wants to chat a little with Lord Su, and absolutely will not delay Lord Su’s return home to rest!”

Talk in the carriage?

This Lu Xuan sure knew how to avoid prying eyes, and he was arrogant enough too.

Su Tingyan glanced at the tightly closed curtains, weighing things up at lightning speed in his mind.

Wasn’t it just -100 favorability? He surely wasn’t going to stab him on the spot, right?

“In that case, this pavilion will comply with your kindness.” Su Tingyan motioned for Qinghai to wait where he was, then stepped toward the carriage.

The coachman had already set down the footstool, and the butler eagerly lifted the curtain for him.

The moment he stepped inside, a rich fragrance hit him full in the face. The scent did not drift in gently, but crashed over him all at once. It did not feel like smoke, but more like a wall.

The incense mist spilled heavily from the pores of the gilded Boshan burner, like a golden python, winding layer by layer through the carriage’s curtains, and between a person’s robes and hair, impossible to shake off, clinging like a shadow.

It hung down heavily, making the drape of the silk fall even lower, and tinting the light inside the carriage into something more hazy and ambiguous.

Like warm honey, it sticky-sealed Su Tingyan’s mouth and nose.

After smelling it for too long, an eerie sweetness even rose on the tip of his tongue, as if he had swallowed poison wrapped in gold leaf.

It was no longer just a smell, but a tangible oppression, a weight of luxury pressing down until one’s spirit softened, one’s bones turned light, and one could only wish to sink into this dazzling, suffocating net of heaven and earth.

As expected of the carriage of the court’s number one corrupt official.

Su Tingyan’s brows furrowed tightly. He shook his head, trying to clear the haze in his mind, and looked up. A man in a dark purple everyday robe was lazily reclining on the cushions, watching him with one hand propping up his cheek, fire in his eyes, a face beautiful enough to poison snakes and scorpions.

The system was right, this man’s looks were indeed unforgettable, but Su Tingyan had looked in the mirror before leaving home today.

With himself as the jewel before anyone else, he was immune to everyone else.

Lu Xuan was only around thirty years old, but the things settled in those eyes were far beyond what a man of that age should have.

“Lord Su,” Lu Xuan said, his voice low like a breath, with a unique magnetism. “I apologize for the abrupt invitation. Please forgive me.”

Though he said he was asking forgiveness, his posture was anything but courteous, with not the slightest intention of rising to greet him, as if Su Tingyan were not a newly appointed court minister, but a subordinate he could summon whenever he pleased.

Su Tingyan hated nothing more than people acting cool in front of him, so he said casually, “Lord Lu claimed illness and did not attend court today, yet he still came to see this pavilion while unwell. This pavilion is truly moved.”

Lu Xuan’s gaze swept over Su Tingyan lightly, but could not help lingering for a moment on that face that was far too beautiful.

“It’s nothing. I just hadn’t seen Lord Su in a long time, and I missed you terribly.”

“Seeing you today, I found that Lord Su still looks as striking as ever. No wonder among all civil and military officials in court, the only one to receive His Majesty’s personally gifted awakening incense is you.”

His tone carried laughter, but it was all mockery.

Su Tingyan did not bother arguing with him. He found a place to sit on his own, his back still straight, creating a sharp contrast with Lu Xuan’s laziness. “Lord Lu needn’t be jealous. It’s only because you didn’t go to court today. If you had gone, His Majesty’s favor would have been yours alone.”

“And if we’re talking about striking,” Su Tingyan glanced at him, the arrogance and provocation in his eyes almost flying out, “it’s Lord Lu’s stunning sickly appearance that’s more striking.”

His voice was as clear and pleasant as a spring river breaking through ice, a sound that should have been intoxicating, yet it froze the sweet, decadent fragrance in the carriage into frost.

Lu Xuan’s overly narrow eyes narrowed slightly, once again examining the young minister sitting upright opposite him, who spoke such astonishing words.

He smiled. “It seems Lord Su still wasn’t satisfied after today at court. Your mouth is quite formidable.”

Su Tingyan also smiled and deliberately said, “Actually, my mouth isn’t only good at insulting people. In other things, it’s even more formidable.”

He bit down heavily on each word. Clearly he was teasing the other man, a frivolous manner that should have been irritating, but the spirit in him was soaring, and in his eyes there blazed a fearless, contemptuous look.

It unexpectedly gave Lu Xuan, for the first time, the feeling of being unable to look away from someone.

Without realizing it, Lu Xuan was drawn by his words to lower his gaze and look at the other man’s pale lips, glistening with a layer of moisture.

Inside the dim carriage, only Su Tingyan’s jade-white face was like a deep-sea pearl, impossible to conceal in its brilliance.

Suddenly, the system’s voice rang sharply. [Detected a drastic emotional change in target character Lu Xuan, player’s charm value +1000!!]

Su Tingyan: !!!

Lu Xuan, a rather distinctive human points farm!!

Su Tingyan could not help blurting out, “Damn, what emotion of his is this powerful??? It actually added 1000 charm points!!!”

The system said coolly, [He’s hard.]

…………….

……………………

Su Tingyan suspected he had heard wrong. “Wha, t, did, you, say?!”

Author’s Note:

———————-

Su Tingyan: Are you a pervert?

Lu Xuan: Gradient

Current target of the strategy:

Xie Zheng, favorability: 29

Lu Xuan, favorability: -100

Current charm value: 1400.5