Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 129 Testing
Since she had never interacted with her sixth sister before, Murong Zhen really didn't know her character. Besides, as an emperor, she was used to others flattering her, and she never bothered to figure out what others liked.

But it doesn't matter, he can use money to buy his way in.

"These hairpins, jewelry, and clothes were specially made by the Empress, who had someone oversee the Imperial Household Department to rush their production. We Mohe people don't have those bad habits of the Central Plains people. We don't care about whether it's over the bounds or not. As long as you feel comfortable wearing them and they're good to use, just send someone to tell your brother, and he'll make you another batch!"

Murong Zhen looked every bit the doting brother, his expression sincere: "I have chosen a place between the Sword Forging Manor and Huangshekou to build you a villa. You can stay there in your spare time, and the people in the villa can also send me messages."

Inside the tent, the roasted mutton sizzled and dripped oil over the campfire. Murong Zhen even personally stepped forward, cut off a few pieces of mutton with a knife, and placed them in front of Murong Ruyan, remarking with emotion:
"Although it is said that a son should not speak ill of his father, the late emperor ravaged the Great Xiao Kingdom to a state of utter chaos. When I took over, it was riddled with problems. I worked diligently and conscientiously for four years to bring about a few days of peace. As for restoring the ancestral legacy, I don't know when that will be. It's a pity that even so, I neglected the imperial family and the palace, causing you, who should be the golden branches and jade leaves of the imperial family, to suffer instead. Alas! I am truly ashamed!"

Whether he was truly ashamed is hard to say, but he certainly put on a convincing act.

After all, the late emperor was indeed, as Murong Zhen said, unfit to be a ruler.

Such practices as increasing taxes three times a year and accumulating funds to build palaces were almost a constant throughout his more than ten years as emperor.

The most outrageous thing is that he was extremely ambitious and insisted on starting a war with the Southern Chu Kingdom. As a result, he was driven back to the outskirts of the capital. It was only after Grand Tutor Qi intervened and fought a seven-day and seven-night battle with the Grand Master of the Southern Chu Kingdom on the banks of the river that the Xiao Kingdom's kingdom was saved.

Of course, it also ceded hundreds of miles of land from the south of Baozhou to the Yellow River to the Southern Chu Kingdom, which is why the Xiao Kingdom was unable to recover for a long time.

However, it was precisely because of the late emperor's unreliability that when he wanted to go to war with the Bohai Kingdom again, with the tacit approval of the Grand Tutor, Murong Zhen, in alliance with the Empress Dowager, forced him to abdicate.

The following year, the retired emperor died in the detached palace and became known as the "former emperor".

Compared to the late emperor, Murong Zhen, the normal emperor, was praised to the skies by the ministers. Even the Grand Tutor stood up to endorse him in order to stabilize the court and help him gather the scattered troops.

Therefore, in the first few years after his ascension to the throne, Murong Zhen was indeed diligent and conscientious, and he fainted from exhaustion in the Renzheng Hall several times. What he said was not entirely false, but his acting was a bit exaggerated.

When it comes to acting skills, Murong Ruyan has never lost.

Her eyes immediately reddened, and tears welled up as she sobbed, "Brother, what are you saying? Compared to the fate of the nation, what do my personal gains and losses matter? The legacy of our ancestors is the most important thing!"

"Alas, though that is true, I am still sorry to you. You are so young, yet you have to endure hardship in Baishi Mountain. As your older brother, I cannot bear it. However, because of the Immortal Baishi, I cannot send palace maids or eunuchs to serve you. If there is anything lacking, you must submit a memorial to me!"

At this point, Murong Zhen emphasized, "When I return to the capital, I will establish this 'Immortal Healing Department' and entrust my sister with this responsibility as the Immortal Healing Commissioner. I will also send Mu Feng to assist you. In this way, any important matters can be submitted directly to my desk without having to go through the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs."

Murong Ruyan lowered her eyes, feigning fear, and said, "I have always lived deep within the palace and have no experience with this. I do not know what this 'Immortal Healing Department' is all about." "It doesn't do anything. It's just that I heard about the Immortal Way because the White Stone Immortal descended to earth."

"Whether it's you, my royal sister, or that young man from the Ye family in Jiangnan, you are ultimately born into the mortal world. I'm thinking of assigning a rank to the immortal path, compiling a register, and recording the deeds of the White Stone Immortal or any future immortal, so that we can compile history..."

Murong Zhen spoke tactfully, but how could Murong Ruyan not understand his true meaning?

His elder brother was a capable ruler, and therefore could not accept things that were completely out of his control.

However, he couldn't control a true immortal like Immortal White Stone, so he could only rely on himself to manage the information on Immortal White Stone and the cultivators...

Murong Ruyan sneered inwardly, but put on a troubled expression and said, "Your Majesty, you do not know that I have only just entered the sect. I really do not know much about the ranks of immortals, let alone evaluate my fellow disciples and master."

Upon hearing this, Murong Zhen's expression immediately turned rather unpleasant.

It's not that he didn't want to put on an act, but as the emperor, the supreme ruler, aside from needing to put on an act when he was a prince, once he sits on the dragon throne, why would he need to pretend? Does he really think that being an emperor is like the son-in-law emperor in some brainless modern TV drama, where he wouldn't dare to face concubines from some small tribe or county magistrates from remote areas, living a life even more repressed than Emperor Xian of Han?

His acting skills were subpar, which is why he was brought out on the spot.

Fortunately, Murong Zhen reacted quickly and immediately put on a regretful expression, saying, "Alas, since that's the case, let's reconsider! I'm really worried that the Southern Chu Kingdom will take advantage of the Ye family's early advantage. Today at this Immortal Affinity Gathering, the Ye family sent quite a few people, while all the people sent by the Imperial Academy and the National University combined only managed to get one person accepted! I'm very worried!"

After testing Murong Zhen's attitude, Murong Ruyan slowly suggested, "However, if Your Majesty is worried about the Southern Chu Kingdom, why not just have the 'Immortal Governance Division' file the sect? After all, the White Stone Immortal Sect is within our Xiao Kingdom's territory, and the Southern Chu Kingdom is too far away to reach it!"

The so-called record-keeping is to build a database, register the "White Stone Immortal Sect" in it, and then roughly write down who the sect leader is, who the person in charge is, etc. In reality, there is no truly useful information, but this method allows Xiao Kingdom to establish "authority" in the field of immortality.

My Xiao Kingdom has already recognized the "status" of the White Stone Immortal Sect. Even if your Southern Chu Kingdom wanted to, it couldn't—the White Stone Immortal Sect isn't even in the Southern Chu Kingdom!
Upon hearing this suggestion, Murong Zhen's expression softened slightly, and he nodded in agreement, saying, "That works too. We can discuss the rest later."

As he spoke, he urged her enthusiastically, "Your Highness, although you will be eating a lot of immortal food on the mountain, it's still not easy to get mutton and cheese. If you crave these, it will take time for the people in the other courtyard to prepare them. You should eat more, eat more!"

Murong Ruyan did indeed enjoy eating mutton, and wouldn't embarrass Murong Zhen over such a trivial matter, so she feigned gratitude and said, "Your Majesty is so thoughtful..."

(End of this chapter)