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

She can certainly use force to suppress it, but how long can that last?

She couldn't stay at Cui Weishan forever.

Once she leaves, everything will go back to square one, or even worse, and the situation for those outsiders will be even more dire.

Therefore, she could only remain silent.

The True Lord is incredibly powerful; her fist is mighty, and she can use absolute force to compel people to sit down and listen to her reasoning.

But the True Lord is not omniscient or omnipotent, and he cannot conjure resources out of thin air.

Even she felt powerless in the face of this deeply entrenched, cannibalistic system that arose from the continuous scarcity of resources and had been operating for hundreds of millions of years.

She even considered whether the puppetry techniques of the Puppet Sect could be used to replace some of the manpower, thus "upgrading the industry" and fundamentally reducing the exploitation of mortals.

But she rejected the idea as soon as it came to her mind.

Puppetry is an advanced technology; the puppets themselves are expensive to make, and the costs of driving and maintaining them are even more staggering.

In a world where human resources (especially ordinary human labor) are almost free, why replace cheap ordinary people with expensive puppets?

No rational family manager would do such a "losing proposition".

this is the truth.

Cold and cruel.

Suppressing the helplessness in his heart, Zuo Qingqiu withdrew his gaze and looked at the three elders: "These three points are my expectations for the clan. As for how to implement them and how to formulate the details, you can discuss them yourselves and then report back to me."

She provided the direction; the specific implementation was left to the elders familiar with family affairs. Her role was simply to grasp the overall direction and oversee its execution.

The three elders bowed deeply, saying, "We will obey the ancient ancestor's decree! We will do our utmost to implement the ancient ancestor's instructions!"

Their initial thought of "tearing this young girl a lesson, showing her that managing a family isn't so simple" had long since vanished. This ancient ancestor not only possessed extraordinary cultivation, but his ability to manipulate people's hearts and control situations was also by no means inferior!

The three demands were all to the point, establishing her authority, drawing clear lines, winning over the hearts of the lower classes, and silencing dissent—after all, all she asked for was to treat her fellow clansmen well, which was reasonable and no one could refute.

With these skills and this insight, how could she possibly be a "little girl" who only knows how to cultivate herself and is ignorant of worldly affairs?

They're even more cunning and experienced than those old folks who've lived for nearly a thousand years!

Zuo Qingqiu said no more, her gaze sweeping over the clansmen below, some excited, some deep in thought, and some in awe, finally settling on the faces of the mortals whose eyes were filled with tears and whose expressions were excited because of her third request.

That's all she can do.

Hopefully, these ordinary people with the same surname will be able to live a better life because of this.

-

The ancestral worship ceremony and family gathering slowly came to a close amidst an atmosphere of fervor, reverence, excitement, and trepidation.

The clansmen began to leave in an orderly fashion, the cultivators rode away in their escape lights, and the mortals slowly descended the mountain along the path. Many people were still immersed in the excitement of seeing the ancient ancestor's true face and hearing his instructions, discussing in twos and threes. Their voices were noisy, but they all deliberately kept them very low, as if afraid of disturbing the immortal chariots that had not yet left.

After the three elders and several core members of the Purple Mansion respectfully saw Zuo Qingqiu off from the altar, they did not disperse immediately, but instead gathered in a quiet room in a side hall of the family hall.

The door is closed, and the soundproofing is activated.

Zuo Xiuxian, Zuo Zhaocheng, and Zuo Yuxuan sat at the head of the table, their expressions somewhat solemn. Zuo Chunqiu and the other young Purple Mansion cultivators stood at the foot of the table, hands at their sides, not daring to utter a sound.

"You have all heard what the Ancient Ancestor said today," Zuo Xiuxian said slowly, his voice tinged with weariness. "What are your thoughts?"

Zuo Zhaocheng stroked his long, white beard and pondered, "The first rule is to restrain the clansmen and act with discretion. This is a wise and prudent advice, and it is indeed necessary. In the past, although my Zuo family was considered a force to be reckoned with, we were ultimately just a first-rate family affiliated with the Taihua Sect, and we still had to be careful in our actions. Now that our ancestor has been promoted to True Lord, the status of my Zuo family has risen accordingly, and it is inevitable that some petty people will become arrogant and take advantage of our power to bully others. Our ancestor's early warning and prevention of such troubles is indeed a far-sighted strategy."

Zuo Yuxuan interjected, but his tone was somewhat complicated: "The second point is to establish a fair promotion channel and break the resource monopoly... This is going to take away some people's interests." His gaze swept over the few young Purple Mansions below, and the expressions of two of them changed slightly. Obviously, among their direct descendants, there were those with mediocre talent who occupied a lot of resources.

"Let it be done." Zuo Xiuxian snorted coldly. "When the Ancient Ancestor speaks, who dares to disobey? Moreover, in the long run, this matter is beneficial to the family. In the past, we placed too much emphasis on our own direct bloodline, resulting in a severe imbalance of resources and causing many talented individuals from collateral branches to be buried and harbor resentment. Now that the Ancient Ancestor's power is overwhelming, it is the perfect opportunity to integrate the family's strength and revitalize it. Allocating resources according to merit and talent will make the family even stronger."

He paused, then looked at Zuo Chunqiu: "Chunqiu, you are the most outstanding young member of the Zuo family. What are your thoughts on this?"

Zuo Chunqiu bowed deeply: "Elder, you are wise. Our ancestor's move was farsighted. If the family is to prosper in the long term, it cannot be complacent and engage in nepotism. Only by selecting the best and nurturing the most talented can we ensure that every generation produces outstanding individuals. I will certainly set an example and support our ancestor's decision."

Zuo Xiuxian nodded in satisfaction.

Zuo Chunqiu is the most skilled and has the greatest potential among the younger generation. He is the undisputed future clan leader, and his attitude is very important.

"As for the third point..." Zuo Zhaocheng sighed, "Treating ordinary clansmen well... this matter is not difficult to handle. It's simply a matter of allocating some funds and provisions from the public treasury to establish almshouses and relief halls, and setting some rules to ensure that clansmen have support when they encounter disasters or illnesses. The cost will not be too high, but it can win over the hearts of the lower classes, demonstrate the benevolence of our ancestors, and benefit the reputation of our Zuo family."

"Exactly," Zuo Yuxuan said. "This move may seem like a waste of resources, but it is actually extremely profitable. Those mortal people will be grateful and work harder, and they will be more active in having children. With a larger family population, the probability of producing talented offspring will also increase. The ancient ancestor's thinking was indeed thorough."

The three elders took turns explaining the intentions, advantages, and disadvantages behind Zuo Qingqiu's three demands in a very logical and thorough manner. The more they talked, the more alarmed and impressed they became.

They had initially assumed that this ancient ancestor, being so young and having spent so much time cultivating away from home, would be completely ignorant of family affairs. They assumed his speech today would consist mostly of high-sounding platitudes or unrealistic demands. They had even secretly prepared their own words, ready to subtly "admonish" the ancient ancestor if he "made a fool of himself" or made excessive demands, thus highlighting the indispensability of these old folks.

Who would have thought that they wouldn't play by the rules at all!

The three requirements are all aimed at the heart of the matter, combining swift and decisive measures (to restrain clansmen), a policy of appeasement (to treat ordinary people kindly), and a long-term plan (reform and promotion). The balance is just right, establishing authority, winning over people's hearts, avoiding touching fundamental interests (ordinary people from other clans), and leaving room for maneuver (the specific details are to be formulated by them).

How is this anything beyond common sense?

This clearly demonstrates a deep understanding of how to manage subordinates and maintain balance!