The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

The incense table and offerings on the altar were quickly removed.

Zuo Qingqiu did not step down from the altar, but stood at the highest point, facing the thousands of clansmen who were still kneeling and prostrating below.

The morning light had fully spread, its golden glow bathing the white marble square and illuminating the deep purple, aloof figure on the altar. The mountain wind rustled, stirring her robes and long hair, adding to her otherworldly majesty.

The three clan elders and several core Purple Mansion members stood respectfully on either side of the lower steps, heads bowed, awaiting orders.

The square gradually quieted down, and everyone held their breath, looking up at the figure at the top of the altar, waiting for the ancient ancestor's instructions.

Zuo Qingqiu's gaze slowly swept across the area below. Her gaze seemed to carry weight, and wherever it passed, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.

"Get up, everyone." She spoke, her voice clear and cold, yet carrying an undeniable power that resonated clearly throughout every corner of the square.

"Thank you, Gu Zu!"

Everyone then stood up, but remained standing with their hands at their sides, in a respectful posture.

Zuo Qingqiu remained silent for a moment, as if organizing her thoughts or helping the crowd below process the excitement brought about by the ancestral worship ceremony.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice soft yet carrying a peculiar rhythm that resonated directly in everyone's hearts:

"Today, as we pay homage to our ancestors, we announce that Qingqiu has by chance attained the Golden Elixir and risen to the rank of True Lord. This is not solely due to Qingqiu's efforts, but rather the legacy of our ancestors and the result of the collective efforts of all clansmen."

The opening remarks set the tone—the credit belongs to everyone, and the glory belongs to the family. This made the hearts of many clansmen below, especially those mortals who shared in the glory, even more fervent.

"However," she changed the subject, her tone still calm but with a hint of sternness, "the position of True Monarch is not the end, but the beginning. For my Zuo family, it is both an opportunity and a test."

The crowd below tensed up and listened intently.

"Since Qingqiu is a descendant of the Zuo family, he should naturally protect the clan. However, there are some things that must be said beforehand." Zuo Qingqiu's gaze swept over the core cultivators of the Zuo family in the front row, especially the three elders. "First, from this day forward, everyone in the Zuo family must be careful with their words and actions, and keep a low profile. They must not use my name to act arrogantly and cause trouble outside. They must not have the wishful thinking that 'if trouble is caused, the ancient ancestor will take care of it'."

She paused, her voice turning cold: "As a True Lord, I have my own karma and my own adversaries. If my clansmen are unworthy and bring me powerful enemies, causing my clan to suffer, don't blame me for not showing any mercy to our blood ties."

These words were extremely harsh, like a bucket of ice water poured over the heads of many clansmen who were eager to make a name for themselves and thought their family could now act with impunity. In particular, those young members who were usually somewhat arrogant turned pale and shrank back.

The three elders were also alarmed and quickly bowed, saying, "We will remember our ancestor's teachings!"

Zuo Qingqiu nodded slightly and continued, "Secondly, within the family, a more open and fair promotion channel needs to be established. Resource allocation should be based on talent, character, and merit, not blood ties. The capable should rise, and the mediocre should fall. Resource monopolies must be strictly prohibited, and nepotism must be eliminated to prevent it from discouraging talented individuals."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of many young cultivators below, who came from collateral branches and possessed good aptitude but whose progress was slow due to a lack of resources, immediately lit up, and their breathing quickened. Meanwhile, the faces of some disciples who relied on their status as direct descendants, who monopolized abundant resources but were mediocre and unproductive, turned rather ugly.

The three elders exchanged a glance, each seeing the gravity and a hint of helplessness in the other's eyes. This directly threatened the interests of some of the existing power holders. But since the ancestor had spoken, they dared not disobey.

"Third," Zuo Qingqiu's voice softened slightly, but the content sent a shiver down the spines of many lower-ranking clansmen, especially those mortals unable to cultivate, "treat your clansmen well, regardless of whether they possess the Aperture Point or are capable of cultivation. Clan members share the same bloodline and are bound together by fate. If any member of the Zuo clan suffers injury, illness, loss of labor, or family misfortune, the clan should have a system of relief and compensation to ensure they are cared for and have support, so they are not left homeless and destitute in their old age. Mortals are also the foundation of the Zuo family and should not be despised."

These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves among the mortals below!

Many ordinary people, dressed in coarse linen and with pale faces, suddenly raised their heads and looked at the figure on the altar in disbelief, their eyes instantly turning red.

For generations, they toiled for the Zuo family, paid taxes, and supported the high-ranking immortals, yet they were often regarded as insignificant ants and weeds, their lives and deaths ignored.

Now, the ancient ancestor has actually spoken up himself, asking the family to treat these "useless" mortals kindly?!

Is this...is this real? Or am I dreaming?

Some of the older mortals trembled with emotion, tears streaming down their faces. They thought of their own parents who had died young, of their children who had perished from illness due to lack of money for treatment, of their kinsmen who had collapsed from exhaustion on the ridges of the fields… If, if the words of their ancestor could truly come true…

Zuo Qingqiu took in the reactions of the crowd below, but her heart remained largely unmoved.

These three points are the result of her careful consideration.

First, draw clear lines to avoid trouble.

She knew all too well how much trouble those spoiled brats who relied on their backgrounds to act arrogantly could bring to their families. Throughout history, countless sects and families had been destroyed because of trivial matters, but ultimately, the arrogance of their juniors had attracted formidable enemies.

The second point is to optimize the internal structure and stimulate vitality.

The biggest drawback of the Zuo family's clan model is its tendency to solidify and encourage inbreeding, leading to wasted resources and the burying of talent. She cannot forcibly change the deeply ingrained clan culture, especially the distinction between men and women, but she can start with the promotion system to establish a relatively fair competitive mechanism. When more talented and capable female cultivators can also gain resources and rise to higher positions based on their merits, the old ideas will naturally loosen. This will take time, but it is worth doing.

The third reason was partly her selfish desire, and also a way of making amends for her father's early death and her mother's lifelong toil.

She couldn't change the fundamental rules of this cannibalistic world, nor could she save all the oppressed mortals. But at least she could allow the mortals within the Zuo family, those of the same bloodline as her, to live with a little more dignity and some security. If they got sick, they could be treated; if they lost their ability to work, they would have food to eat, unlike her father, who died from a cold, leaving behind orphans and a widow struggling to survive.

As for the even larger number of ordinary tenant farmers, miners, and craftsmen from other surnames, numbering in the millions...

Zuo Qingqiu sighed softly to herself.

She was ultimately not the Buddha, and could not save all sentient beings.

Granting more benefits to the mortal members of the Zuo family only affected a portion of the interests of the family's upper echelons and the wealthy class, remaining within the scope of her authority and power.

However, if we demand improved treatment for all non-family members and reduced land rent, it would be tantamount to affecting the interests of everyone in the Zuo family from top to bottom, and the consequences would directly shake the foundation of the entire Zuo family system.

This is not a gain or loss for a single group, but a shock to a dual structure:

First, it would shake the foundation of the Zuo family's immortal path. The cultivation, breakthroughs, and even the pursuit of immortality by the Zuo family's immortals all depend on a stable "resource supply system." The cultivation resources provided by millions of mortals from other families are the most important and indispensable part of this system. Reducing land rent is equivalent to directly reducing the material basis for immortals' cultivation, which will inevitably trigger collective resistance from the entire immortal class.

Secondly, it could easily provoke resentment among the mortal race. For them, struggling to survive on the edge of poverty, seeing outsiders receive more assistance could easily breed a sense of relative deprivation. They might question, "We ourselves are barely surviving; why should we give up our precious resources to these outsiders?" "Our ancestral property belongs to the Zuo family; it's already an act of kindness to share it with outsiders. Why should their land rent be the same as ours?"

This sentiment is similar to how, in a previous society, a country's desire to improve domestic welfare easily garnered support, while increasing welfare for immigrants easily provoked widespread opposition—blood ties and identity drew clear boundaries of interests.

Therefore, once the issue of the treatment of ordinary people from other families is raised, the Zuo family will inevitably form a silent but solid alliance: the immortals will see it as cutting off their path to immortality, and the ordinary people will see it as taking away their livelihood.

If she were to forcefully issue the order, the entire Zuo family would likely outwardly comply but inwardly resist.