Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

The Yihua Palace faction, controlled by Yaoyue and Lianxing, mainly infiltrates the martial arts world, the marketplace, and some local surveillance systems. Their information network is extremely well-connected, and they can even find out some officials' private words and deeds and local secrets.

Shangguan Haitang comes from the Dragon Guard Manor and is skilled in intelligence analysis and talent cultivation. The system she established is more inclined to place and support "her own people" in the civil service system, academies, and even the newly emerging chambers of commerce, and her influence is subtle and gradual.

Li Xiuning has a military family background and military experience. Her influence extends to the county and prefectural military system, ordnance and logistics, and even some border troops. Although she does not directly intervene in command, her influence on grassroots military officers and her grasp of the army's dynamics should not be underestimated.

The other imperial concubines also had their own focuses. Some were good at economics and cultivated their influence in the Imperial Household Department and emerging commercial guilds; others were skilled in education and expanded their influence in official schools at all levels and private academies; some even extended their reach to more specialized fields such as artisan guilds, medical clinics and pharmacies...

Listening to their clear and restrained reports on the development of their respective spheres of influence, the important personnel they had placed, and some key information they had obtained, Ying Xuan got a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Judging solely from the number of officials and the breadth of fields they associated with, one can tell how "unrestrained" and efficient these imperial concubines were during his absence from the capital.

They clearly took full advantage of their dual identities as "imperial concubines" and "inner study" and the "window of opportunity" when His Majesty was away from the capital and the First Emperor was focused on the front lines and state affairs and had little time to pay attention to the harem, and rapidly expanded, weaving a network that was extremely wide-ranging, yet relatively independent and mutually restraining.

However, Ying Xuan was not dissatisfied with this; in fact, he was pleased. As long as they did not cross the line, such as framing others, forming cliques, seriously interfering with normal government operations, or harming the overall interests of the Qin Dynasty, he considered this expansion of power based on "sharing His Majesty's burdens" and "consolidating their own position" to be "normal development."

Competition and checks and balances can prevent one party from becoming too powerful, and can also motivate the imperial concubines to work for him, while allowing them to supervise the government from different perspectives.

He particularly noticed that through the reports of these imperial concubines, he gained a much deeper and more vivid understanding of some subtle trends in the Qin region, the true performance of officials, and even some potential demands of the people than he could simply read memorials.

This insight, in some respects, even surpassed that of the First Emperor, who was extremely busy with state affairs and relied mainly on reports from the bureaucratic system.

Thinking of this, Ying Xuan couldn't help but turn his gaze towards the direction of the old imperial palace.

After returning to the capital, he issued an edict ordering the First Emperor to move back to that place. This was not only to demonstrate his superior status and save him the trouble of building another luxurious mansion, but also to keep him away from the harem and allow him to focus on the affairs of the court.

Now, in the imperial court, the First Emperor, a powerful and capable chief minister, oversees the overall situation and promotes various difficult national policies; in the harem, there are more than a dozen imperial concubines who check and balance each other, and are all directly or indirectly loyal to him, like more than a dozen pairs of eyes, observing and supervising the court and the country from different angles.

Even if the First Emperor held a high position and possessed great abilities, he would probably feel "uneasy" facing such a situation, wouldn't he? Ying Xuan's lips curled slightly. With these imperial concubines by his side, even as the Grand Secretary, the First Emperor probably wouldn't dare to relax in the slightest, let alone completely manipulate the court according to his own will.

This is exactly the kind of checks and balances he wanted.

From the concubines, Ying Xuan also learned that the First Emperor had been working with an almost frighteningly diligent pace for more than a year.

He personally reviewed the progress reports of the major officials in the country every month, and if there were any delays or irregularities, he would severely reprimand them and even directly order them to be dealt with.

Under his high-pressure push, officials across the country had no choice but to be fully focused and work with all their might, daring not to slack off in the slightest. It is said that the three chief ministers of the cabinet thus slept very little for a year, and officials across the country were also exhausted from overwork.

"Fortunately, most of the officials in the Great Qin Dynasty have now broken through to the first level of life, and their physical and mental strength far surpasses that of ordinary people. If it were in the past, such high-intensity operation would probably have exhausted and sickened a large number of people long ago."

One of the imperial concubines added with a touch of wistfulness.

"A large number of those who shirked responsibility and were mediocre and incompetent were dismissed and removed from their posts, while those who were willing to work and capable were promoted."

Outstanding graduates from county schools were directly appointed to positions at the township level. Existing township officials were either promoted or dismissed, with almost all being replaced, yet this did not lead to vacancies or administrative paralysis. Such decisiveness and control are truly extraordinary.

Upon hearing this, Ying Xuan sighed inwardly. Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, possessed not only a far-sighted vision and formidable political abilities, but also the decisiveness to implement policies without fear of difficulties, and the perseverance and tenacity to persist. He was undoubtedly the best candidate for the position of Grand Secretary of the Qin Dynasty at that time, and even in the course of history, it would be difficult to find a more suitable replacement.

The other imperial concubines also nodded in agreement, expressing their respect.

They had only heard rumors of the "Emperor Emeritus's" diligence in governing, but now that they had witnessed his work as Grand Secretary, they realized that the rumors were not entirely accurate.

I have never seen anyone who could stay in the cabinet office for almost twelve hours a day for more than a year, single-handedly propelling the entire world's massive machine forward at high speed and achieving such astonishing results.

After listening to the report, Ying Xuan lost his casual demeanor and became serious, his gaze slowly sweeping over each of the imperial concubines present.

"You may gather your power and cultivate your cronies without hesitation. But to manage the inner study, monitor the court and the country on my behalf, and gather talent, you must have reliable intelligence channels and your own forces."

Ying Xuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

"But you must always remember one thing—"

He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I am the true Emperor of Qin. I allow you to develop so that you can better share my burdens and make Qin even stronger."

"Anything that benefits the development and growth of the Great Qin, you must set aside your sectarian biases and give your full support. Differences in political views and power struggles in the court are minor matters; as long as they don't harm the foundation of the nation, I can turn a blind eye. But—"

Ying Xuan's gaze suddenly turned sharp as a knife, and an invisible pressure quietly spread out.

"The Great Qin world is my foundation! Only when the world is strong can I become stronger! If you hinder the overall development of the Great Qin and slow down the growth of the world because of your own selfish interests or power struggles... then even if you are imperial concubines, I will not let you off lightly! You may be banished to the cold palace, have your cultivation abolished, be expelled from the palace, or even... more severe punishments may be imposed."

His voice was as cold as ice, striking the hearts of every imperial concubine.

"I hope you will all behave yourselves well. The Inner Study is a tool, an eye and ears, an arm, but it must never become a hindrance, much less a source of chaos. Do you understand?"

The hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All the imperial concubines sensed the undisguised warning and resolve in His Majesty's words.

They quickly curtsied and responded in unison.

"Your Majesty's teachings will be remembered! We will certainly abide by our duties, follow Your Majesty's will, and prioritize the interests of Great Qin. We will never allow ourselves to be private and neglect public duty, or harm the foundation of the nation!"

Ying Xuan nodded slightly, saying nothing more. Having given them their warning, the rest was up to them. Competition and ambition were acceptable, but they had to be within controllable limits and on the right track—everything for the Great Qin, and ultimately, for him.

Deep within the Qin Imperial Palace, in a quiet room shrouded by layers of arrays and brimming with spiritual energy that seemed almost tangible.

Ying Xuan sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his mind completely immersed in the depths of his primordial spirit, closely connected with the core that represented the will and origin of the Great Qin world—the Seed of the World.

Divine sense, like the most intricate tentacles, slowly "touches" and "reads" the vast flow of information fed back from the core of the world, perceiving the current overall state of the Great Qin world.

The first thing you "see" is the invisible "membrane" of the outermost layer of the world. Compared to before, this "shell" of the world is significantly thicker and denser, exuding an aura of resilience and stability, and is drawing in and transforming violent semi-transformed energy from the void outside at a speed far exceeding that of the past.

On the amniotic membrane, in addition to the relatively complete and clear silver lightning-shaped runes formed from the thunder laws that he brought with him from the beginning, there are now several dim, blurry, but real phantom images of law runes!
A dark, deep-colored rune, carrying a sense of concealment, erosion, and dissolution, twisted and writhed on the fetal membrane like a shadow.

A blood-red, dazzling rune, exuding a mixed aura of slaughter, rage, and life essence, was branded onto a corner of the amniotic sac like a dried scab.

There are also several basic law runes of different colors and relatively peaceful aura, but equally incomplete—the sharpness of metal, the vitality of wood, the suppleness of water, the explosiveness of fire, the weight of earth, the swiftness of wind, the erosion of darkness, and the judgment of thunder—they are like fragments forcibly pieced together, with weak connections between them and their light flickering.

These are clearly the prototypes formed by the absorption and condensation of the laws contained in the spiritual roots of the Tianxing Sect cultivators after they unleashed their Dao techniques on a large scale by the Great Qin World.

"Sure enough, the world is spontaneously absorbing and condensing this information of external laws, no matter how weak or incomplete it may be."

Ying Xuan understood. The lightning-based laws were relatively complete because he was the main cultivator of them and had brought the core seed with him. The other laws, however, were like water without a source or a tree without roots, relying entirely on piecemeal supplementation, and naturally could not be complete.

Now that we have the foundation, let's make it... more solid and more widespread.

Ying Xuan had a sudden thought.

He did not directly use the power of the world to create or complete the laws out of thin air, as that would be too costly and might not be suitable.

He chose a more ingenious and "luxurious" approach.

He used his divine sense to look inward at the eight spiritual root talismans within his body that were generated in the mortal realm and engraved on the surface of his primordial spirit.

These eight spiritual roots were formed by him using his nearly pure Yang primordial spirit earth immortal body as a foundation, consuming the Heaven-Defying Heaven-Mending Pill, and devouring all the attribute spiritual energy and law powders from the vast sea frontier!

The quantity and quality of the law fragments it contains far exceed the spiritual roots that the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Heavenly Star Sect have nurtured for hundreds or thousands of years. It can be called the essence of the basic laws of this world!
"With my spiritual roots, I will mend the foundation of the world and nurture the seedlings of the future."

Without hesitation, Ying Xuan activated his divine sense, and the eight spiritual root talismans of different colors slowly peeled off from the surface of his primordial spirit, transforming into eight brilliant and gentle streams of light. They flowed directly into the chaotic world seed through the connection between him and the core of the world!
"Om-!"

The world's core trembled violently! It was as if a long-awaited rain had come after a drought, or as if the most powerful catalyst had been injected!

Those eight streams of spiritual energy originating from Ying Xuan and of extremely high quality were rapidly transformed into the purest and most fundamental eight-elemental streams of basic laws information, bearing the imprint of Ying Xuan's own "pure yang" aura, under the scouring and decomposition of the profound chaotic power within the core of the world!
These information streams, as if possessing a life of their own, actively surged toward the corresponding, incomplete, and dim fundamental law runes on the world's membrane!

The metal elemental source merges with the golden rune fragments representing sharpness; the wood elemental source nourishes the cyan rune phantoms representing vitality; the same applies to water, fire, earth, wind, darkness, lightning...
Visibly, the eight originally incomplete and blurry basic law runes on the world's membrane quickly became solid, clear, and complex, as if they had been infused with a soul and skeleton!
Although it is still far from being "complete", its stability and the power of laws it can mobilize have increased by at least several times! Even the newly formed "Blood Fiend Law" and "Darkness Law" runes seem to have become slightly clearer due to the stabilization of the basic laws.

This process lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

When the eight spiritual sources were completely exhausted and initially merged and stabilized with the law runes on the world's membrane, Ying Xuan sensed that the world power stored in the world's core had decreased by a full one hundred points!

It dropped from 580 points to 480 points.

It was a huge expense, but Yingxuan believed it was worthwhile.

"Next, it's time to sow the seeds."

Ying Xuan's divine sense, like the most skilled gardener, manipulated the power at the core of the world, performing a subtle "operation" on the law runes on the fetal membrane that had just been strengthened and become relatively "active".

He did not crudely extract the power of the laws, but used the power of the world as a "carving knife" and a "copying machine" to extract the most basic, stable, and "harmless" part of the law runes, namely the "patterns" and "Daoist rhymes".

Carefully "copied" and transformed into countless "law powders" that were so fine that they were imperceptible to the naked eye and ordinary divine sense, shimmering with various colors of light!
These "law powders" are firmly bound by the power of the world and are not scattered throughout the entire world—that would be too dispersed, and the effect would be unpredictable.

Ying Xuan's divine sense, like drawing a map, clearly outlined the actual territory currently under the control of the Qin Empire.

The next moment, this massive amount of "law powder," containing the eight basic laws and a trace of bloodlust and dark laws, fell evenly like a silent "rain of seven colors" covering the entire territory of the Great Qin, merging into every inch of soil, every breath of air, and every stream of water in this vast land.

A miraculous change occurred.

Within the Qin territory, the soil seemed to have been infused with some kind of "activity" and "weight," becoming more fertile and denser. Its "bearing capacity" and "spiritual affinity" per unit area were significantly enhanced, averaging more than ten times denser and thicker than other areas not covered by the "light rain"! (End of Chapter)