Hot flashes

Suddenly, Xiao Jue reached out and pulled him into his arms.

Zhou Heng was stunned for a moment.

She lowered her head and placed a kiss on his lips.

Zhou Heng pushed him while saying, "I'm being serious."

Xiao Jue released him, pressed his forehead against his, and looked at him.

"Aheng," he said, "why do you always manage to surprise me?"

Zhou Heng felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and turned his head away.

Xiao Jue cupped his face in his hands and turned his head back.

"Just how many brilliant plans are tucked away in your little head?"

Zhou Heng was stunned for a moment.

Xiao Jue looked at him.

Zhou Heng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't say anything.

Xiao Jue pulled him into his arms.

The next day's court meeting

Xiao Jue sat on the throne and waited until everyone was standing before speaking.

"I have a decree to read to you all."

The people below looked at each other, wondering what this person was going to do next.

The eunuch received the imperial decree, unfolded it, and began to read it aloud.

"I cherish the loyalty and virtue of the noble families, and in order to ensure that all members of these families can enjoy glory, I hereby grant that the territories under the direct line of officials of each noble family may be assigned deputy positions to accommodate talented members of collateral branches and jointly manage local affairs..."

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clearly audible to everyone.

After the reading was finished, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

No one speaks.

Xiao Jue waited for a while, and when no one spoke, he nodded.

"Since none of you have any objections, then it's settled."

"After each aristocratic family returns, submit a list of their collateral relatives. Arrange for the necessary deputy positions as soon as possible."

The drums signaling the end of the court session sounded.

Zhou Heng stood still, watching those people pass by.

As Shen Yu walked past him, he paused for a moment before continuing on his way.

Shen House.

Shen Cheng sat in the main seat, his expression very unpleasant.

He was the current patriarch of the Shen family, over sixty years old, with most of his hair already white, but his eyes were still very sharp. At this moment, those eyes were fixed on the people present, looking at them one by one.

"You all know about His Majesty's decree?"

No one speaks.

Shen Cheng looked at his eldest son, Shen Jun. Shen Jun was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, in his forties, and served as a vice minister in the Ministry of Rites. He was usually not talkative, but at this moment his face was more unpleasant than anyone else's.

"Jun'er, what do you say?"

Shen Jun remained silent for a while.

"Father," he said, "His Majesty is trying to divide our family property."

Shen Cheng remained silent.

Someone spoke up. It was Shen Cheng's nephew, Shen Hong, from a collateral branch of the family, in his early thirties, and a principal officer in the Ministry of Works.

"Brother, you're mistaken," he said. "His Majesty said he was assigning deputy positions to collateral relatives, how did that become a division of the family?"

Shen Jun looked at him.

"You make it sound so easy. What are deputy positions? They're just allowing people from collateral branches to get involved in local affairs. Originally, the governor of a prefecture had the final say. Now? There are deputy administrators, advisors, and regional governors below them. Who do those people listen to? To us or to the imperial court?"

Shen Hong's expression changed.

"They're family too, how can they not listen to us?"

Shen Jun sneered.

"Our family? Your family and my family are both members of the Shen family. But are your family and my family the same thing?"

That's a bit harsh.

Shen Hong's face flushed red.

"What do you mean by that, brother? Aren't both the direct and collateral branches of the Shen family? What will people think if they hear this?"

Shen Jun said, "What they think is their business. All I know is that with this decree, half of the territory we control will be taken away. From now on, we won't be able to make decisions on our own."

Shen Hong was about to say something when someone else spoke up.

He was from another collateral branch of the family, surnamed Shen, named Huan. He was younger and spoke without much restraint.

"Brother, I don't like hearing that. What do you mean by taking half? We, the collateral branch, are also members of the Shen family. What's wrong with working for the Shen family?"

"Over the years, the direct descendants have occupied the best positions, while we collateral branches have only been able to get scraps. Now His Majesty has given us a chance to rise up, so how has this become a family division?"

Shen Jun's expression turned even uglier.

"What do you know? This is His Majesty's scheme. He wants us to fight amongst ourselves, to let the direct and collateral branches kill each other. In the end, no one will benefit from this infighting."

Shen Huan said, "Then what do you suggest we do? Disobey the imperial decree?"

Shen Jun was speechless.

Just as an argument was about to break out, Shen Cheng finally spoke up.

That's enough.

Two words, and the room fell silent.

Shen Cheng's gaze swept across the faces of those people one by one.

"What's there to argue about? The imperial edict has been issued; you have no choice but to agree. Do you intend to defy it?"

No one speaks.

Shen Cheng remained silent for a while, then looked at someone who hadn't spoken.

"Shi Yu, what do you think?"

Shen Ji raised his head.

He sat there, half his face hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable.

Shen Ji was the most talented child of the Shen family in this generation. As Shen Cheng's eldest grandson, he was expected to achieve great things from a young age.

Shen Ji's gaze was indifferent.

"Without waiting for the imperial court's order, he submitted a memorial requesting that his sons and brothers be granted fiefdoms."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Shen Jun was taken aback: "Submit a petition yourself? Isn't that like jumping into a pit?"

Shen Ji remained silent.

Shen Jun suddenly understood something.

He took the initiative to submit a petition to bestow titles upon his sons and relatives—he could decide where they were assigned, who they were assigned to, and how they were assigned.

The remote, barren, and difficult-to-manage areas can be allocated to collateral branches. The good, fertile, and core areas can be reserved for the direct descendants.

The core fiefdom inherited by the eldest son remains untouched.

In this way, members of the collateral branches got official positions and local authority, which looked good on the surface. But in reality, what they got were things that the direct descendants didn't want.

Shen Jun understood.

He glanced at Shen Ji, but said nothing more.

Shen Hong hadn't figured it out yet and was about to ask when someone next to him pulled him back.

Shen Huan was younger and quicker-witted. He glanced at Shen Ji, then at Shen Cheng, and his expression changed.

"This..." He wanted to say something, but the words stuck in his throat.

Shen Ji's gaze swept across his face.

Shen Huan lowered his head and remained silent.

The room remained quiet for a long time.

Shen Cheng finally spoke.

"Shi Yu is right," he said. "Let's do it this way."

He stood up and walked outside.

He stopped at the door.

"Jun'er, you draft the memorial. Write it neatly, so no one can find fault with it."

Shen Jun responded.

Shen Cheng pushed open the door and went out.