Empress: Your Majesty, please respect yourself, I don't want to be promoted

After the Xuanji Guards left, Xiao Yun walked to Xiao Zhan's corpse, glanced at the old face that was already like a skeleton with a complicated expression, and then slowly raised her hand.

With swift movements of his ten fingers, he rapidly cast one spell after another.

A moment later, accompanied by a surge of spiritual energy, Xiao Yun's unique spiritual technique was instantly activated—

"An incarnation outside the body."

Swish!
The surging spiritual energy quickly gathered around Xiao Yun, and in an instant, it materialized into a graceful figure.

Upon closer inspection, the beautiful figure looked exactly like her.

Whether it's appearance, aura, or the presence of a Unity Realm expert, there's no difference between the two.

After creating the clone, Xiao Yun, the avatar, suddenly raised her foot and stepped on Xiao Zhan's corpse, and then her ten fingers changed again.

"Breath Freeze - A Thousand Changes!"

She slammed her hands together and her avatar outside her let out a delicate shout.

The next second, Xiao Zhan's corpse gradually disappeared, while the figure of his avatar changed at the same time, transforming from a beautiful and charming woman into an old man who looked exactly like Xiao Zhan.

Even his aura was exactly the same as when Xiao Zhan was alive.

Upon seeing this bizarre scene, the two young women beside Xiao Yun widened their eyes simultaneously.

Although they had followed Xiao Yun since childhood, Xiao Yun was too low-key and rarely showed her true strength in front of others. Very few people knew that she was a Guiyi Realm expert.

This was also the first time they had ever seen Xiao Yun's magic in person.

Xiao Yun had no intention of explaining to them. Instead, she suddenly turned her head and looked at a small magic array that was operating not far away.

"Commander Fu, at midnight tomorrow, the main force of the Xiao family will simultaneously attack the city defense formations of Huxian, Pingxian, Yuanxian, Yongpingxian, and Suizhou City. I will lead the direct descendants of the Xiao family toward Lingyun Prefecture. You should prepare the reversal formation on your side."

A moment later, Fu Hua's voice slowly echoed from within the small magic circle:

"clear."

Xiao Yun added, "Furthermore, I will use Xiao Zhan's identity to command all the rebels. Tomorrow, we will gather all our forces to attack the provincial garrisons and destroy the city defenses. Tianxin City, Guiyuan City, and others will directly launch an uprising. Commander Fu, you must immediately notify the Xuanji Guards in various places to prepare to close the net."

"it is good!"

Upon receiving a response, Xiao Yun's solemn expression did not fade at all; instead, she took a deep breath.

“Commander Fu, once the seven provinces are completely stabilized and under the complete control of Lingyun Prefecture, I will be able to spare the time to support the eastern front and assist Huaiyu in coordinating the various armies to march south.”

"The faster the seven provinces are pacified, the safer Huaiyu will be. Therefore, we must not make any mistakes. In any case, this operation must not fail."

After she finished speaking, there was a long silence on Fu Hua's end before a response came—

"I understand."

"That's good."

Xiao Yun nodded slightly before turning off the magic array.

On her way out of the attic, she seemed to suddenly remember something. She glanced at the two subordinates who were silently following behind her, then pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Xuanmo, Hongling, you don't need to participate in the following operations."

The two of them were slightly taken aback.

Before they could ask any questions, Xiao Yun continued, "After you return, you will immediately take the people from your respective branches to Luyang to protect Lu Shaobao's safety."

Upon hearing this, Xuanmo and Hongling immediately understood.

However, they did not immediately agree, but looked at Xiao Yun with worried expressions.

"Chief, most of Red Oriole's main fighting force is in our branch. What will you do if we take them away? Should we wait until after this operation before going to Luyang?"

“Yes, Chief, although this old thief has been executed, the Xiao family is, after all, a top family that has prospered for a thousand years and has an extremely strong foundation. Even though you are a cultivator in the Unity Realm, you cannot guarantee that everything will go smoothly. To be on the safe side, let’s stay.”

Xiao Yun shook her head and said calmly, "I know what I'm doing. Just do as I say."

She naturally knew that what the two said made sense and was the best option at the moment.

But lately she's been feeling uneasy, with a constant feeling that something terrible is about to happen.

There is only one person who can make this usually composed woman feel uneasy—Lu Chen. His safety is at stake, so no amount of caution is too much.

She was willing to take the risks herself, but she couldn't allow any possibility of something happening to Lu Chen.

Since that's the case, why not send Hongying's strongest and most trusted subordinate, besides herself, over there? This is the only force she can currently utilize.

If the workload is increased further, Yuzhou will not have enough manpower.

Although Lu Chen's safety should not be a concern since the Holy King of Cangming is personally protecting him, she cannot feel at ease if she does nothing.

Seeing her insistence, Xuanmo and Hongling, though worried, said nothing more and could only bow and accept the order.

At this moment, Hongling raised her head and asked, "Chief, should we hide our identities from Young Master Lu?"

Xiao Yun pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"No need. Just take my seal with you and go directly to him when you get to Luyang. I will explain the situation to him in advance."

At this point, she suddenly took out a commemorative scroll from her bosom.

"Take off your masks, and I'll send you your images first."

Upon hearing this, the two were taken aback and exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

However, they didn't say much. After realizing what was happening, they nodded slightly and raised their hands at the same time.

The next second, two identical, perfectly oval faces appeared in front of Xiao Yun.

Although she was slightly less stunning than Xiao Yun, she was still a rare beauty, and they were clearly twin sisters, which would cause a sensation if they were out in public.

Seeing their appearance, Xiao Yun couldn't help but frown.

"It's been three years since I last saw you. You've all grown up to be even more beautiful than before."

Upon hearing this, Xuanmo and Hongling immediately lowered their heads in embarrassment.

"You flatter us, Chief. You are the true beauty. We were just young girls you kindly took in back then. We don't deserve your praise."

Xiao Yun shook her head.

"Get ready."

"Yes, leader!"

Northern part of Luyang.

Tianyuan County.

Completely unaware of the troubles he was entangled with inappropriate romantic advances, Lu Chen was currently sitting in a private room of an ordinary restaurant with Fang Yu, Tang Wu, and more than ten other disciples. They had just returned from investigating local conditions, and each of them looked travel-worn, clearly having been to many places.

This was also the last time Lu Chen took them to experience the local conditions.

After a satisfying meal, Lu Chen looked around at the familiar faces and inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

"Consider today's banquet a farewell feast for you all."

Everyone was shocked when they heard this.

Chai Hongyu, who was standing next to Lu Chen, suddenly frowned, her expression tightening slightly as if she had just thought of something.

Fang Yu quickly stood up and bowed to Lu Chen, saying, "Why do you say that, Master?"

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "I have already taught you everything I needed to teach you. You have also learned the essence of my books, such as 'On National Politics' and 'Pacifying the People'."

"Since I have nothing more to teach you, you should naturally go where you belong, play your roles, and carry forward the knowledge I have imparted to you, so that our time as master and disciples will not have been in vain."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood, but even so, Fang Yu and the others still showed reluctance on their faces.

These past three months have been the most fulfilling days of their lives.

Lu Chen lectured them every day, earnestly teaching them various principles of governance and administration. He personally led them to visit various places, using the situations of the surrounding prefectures and counties as examples to teach them how to formulate development strategies according to local conditions.

Should the focus be on developing commerce, promoting handicrafts, or emphasizing agriculture and animal husbandry? How can we boost the local economy, stabilize people's livelihoods, maximize the use of limited resources, and allocate resources to key transportation routes?
He taught everything clearly, no matter how small or big it was.

He painstakingly dissected and digested his astonishing knowledge, feeding it into their minds, which enlightened them like a sudden awakening. Many problems that they couldn't understand or solve in their previous governance were now readily resolved, and their thinking became clear.

The gains were enormous.

Even his cultivation, which had not slackened for a long time, was rapidly improving through continuous enlightenment.

Although no one broke through to the Unity Realm, there were several more Void Realm experts.

Unfortunately, his master remained the same as before. While others' cultivation levels soared during his teachings, his own remained stagnant. Perhaps it was because he was born with innate knowledge and was a scholar of unparalleled learning.

Now that Lu Chen suddenly says they're about to part ways, how can Fang Yu and the others bear to?

But no matter how reluctant they were, they dared not oppose Lu Chen's decision.

Since Lu Chen said to let them go where they belong and carry forward the way of helping the world, they must do so. This is the best way for them to repay Lu Chen.

Thinking of this, Fang Yu choked up and said, "Master, I will listen to you."

The others also spoke up, indicating that they would follow Lu Chen's instructions.

Lu Chen nodded with a look of satisfaction.

"Good, you are all my good disciples."

Despite being quite young and looking rather immature, he spoke in such an old-fashioned manner, yet no one present found it strange; they only felt reluctant to leave their master's side.

"Master."

Fang Yu picked up his wine glass, gestured to Lu Chen, and then said:

"Your disciple toasts you, to thank you for not looking down on us martial artists when we were in Yuzhou, and for treating us with sincerity. I also thank you for patiently teaching us the way to help the world, which has enabled us to achieve what we have today."

"As the saying goes, a drop of water in need is repaid with a spring of water. Your disciple will always remember your kindness. No matter whether I achieve success or not in the future, I will do my best to carry forward your teachings on saving the world and pass them down for generations!"

Tang Wu also stood up, raised her wine glass: "Master, your disciple also toasts you, wishing you long-lasting good fortune and boundless success, and assisting His Majesty in creating an unprecedented golden age!"

After the two of them started, the others stood up one after another, raised their glasses to Lu Chen, and expressed their gratitude and wishes to him, or stated their aspirations.

Seeing this scene, Lu Chen's eyes welled up with tears, and he was deeply moved.

What a fine disciple!
I never expected that teaching them something on a whim back in Yuzhou would lead to this unexpected joy.

Seeing their confident and ambitious expressions, Lu Chen felt that his life had not been in vain.

His name will be remembered for generations to come.
No wonder the ancients were so persistent and obsessed with this; this feeling is truly captivating.

He even had an impulse to stay in this world and continue to strive to create a prosperous era.

However, impulsiveness is just impulsiveness, and he calmed down the next second.

The Great Xia Dynasty still cannot do without the Cangming Saint King as its pillar of strength; otherwise, everything would be a meaningless castle in the air, easily shattered.

At the very least, it will take until the Illusionary Spirit Array and other era-changing technologies, such as the Spirit Pivot, are fully deployed, completely overthrowing the oppression of the dynasty and its people by powerful clans and sects, before the court can break free from its dependence on the Holy King.

But he simply couldn't wait until then.

Shaking his head, Lu Chen composed himself, then smiled slightly at everyone and raised his glass to drink.

The current atmosphere isn't suitable for thinking about these things.

After putting down his glass, Lu Chen felt a little drunk, but instead of leaving immediately, he shook his head and continued:
"Let me give you one last lesson."

Upon hearing this, Fang Yu and the others did not notice anything unusual, simply assuming it was the final discussion of this "special training."

However, Chai Hongyu's expression suddenly changed, and her face turned somewhat ugly.

At the very last moment. In the end.
She keenly sensed the special meaning in Lu Chen's words, and her already preoccupied state instantly turned into deep worry.

Having always been by Lu Chen's side, she had witnessed the changes in him during this period.

As others have said, it truly felt like arranging everything before death and entrusting one's affairs to others.

It's unclear what exactly made Lu Chen so pessimistic.

But Lu Chen didn't tell her anything, so she had no way to proceed and could only try to be more vigilant and prevent any possible accidents from happening.

Inside Lu Chen's clothes, Fu Xuan gently stroked her slightly protruding belly. Upon hearing Lu Chen's words, she sighed with a complicated expression.

Lu Chen, oblivious to the unusual expression on Chai Hongyu's face, addressed Fang Yu and the others who had just sat down:

"I won't talk to you about governing the country this time. I've already taught you everything on that subject without holding back, so there's nothing more to say. Instead, I'll tell you about the way of being an official."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately sat up straight and listened attentively.

"Being in a high position requires more than just being good at your job, because you are dealing not only with ordinary people, but also with people in the officialdom."

"The reason you are doing things smoothly and your orders are being issued without hindrance is because His Majesty, me, General Gu, and the Holy King are keeping you in check. It's not because you control everything. So you still need to understand some of the principles and methods of being an official, and at least know some of the rules."

"Take this most basic communication between superiors and subordinates, for example."

At this point, Lu Chen felt a little thirsty, so he picked up the tea that Chai Hongyu had handed him.

The taste was a bit strange, not unpleasant, but it seemed to have an added plum blossom fragrance. I didn't know if it was from the alcohol or if Chai Hongyu had added something. (End of Chapter)