You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Yu Xue emphasized: "Those who delay the organization's progress in building the cavalry corps and the northern granary must be held accountable to the end. If they dare to embezzle now, they will dare to rebel later. The corruption will start at the local level and continue all the way to our central government."

"On this auspicious day when the Heavenly Way descends, does Prime Minister Yu intend to instigate a great purge?"

"It's not that serious, don't let it slide. Local matters should be handled locally. You should send someone to supervise and investigate thoroughly; it's your duty."

"Some of the people we recommended are among them, and they have to write self-criticisms."

"Of course, I also need to punish myself."

The two exchanged a glance and reached an agreement, then looked at Feng Tianyin, who was flipping through the statistics table.

In the blink of an eye, she had memorized it and was able to calculate it.

"The Khans of the various tribes in the northern deserts have become too powerful and are colluding with the clerks we appointed. They have embezzled a lot of funding but have done nothing, resulting in slow progress. How can we tolerate the squandering of the people's wealth? How can Heaven tolerate this? This is a major case and must be investigated thoroughly."

These words silenced the room, filling it with a chilling atmosphere.

The big one is coming.

Whether it was the pillars of the state sitting on their left and right, the scribes recording the events beside them, or the Great Khan bowing low, they all remained silent as if trembling in fear.

Feng Tianyin defined the incident as a serious case that must be thoroughly investigated to serve as a warning to others.

On the other side, Li Zhengxuan also lost his temper.

He was writing records and approvals with heavy strokes, and his gaze was unfriendly.

"Erbala has been suspended from his duties pending the arrival of the investigation team, at which time he will cooperate with the operation. The rest will be handled in an official manner. The laws of our Great Qian are clear and straightforward, and these procedures should be followed."

Upon hearing this, the three officials immediately agreed.

No one dared to offend Feng Tianyin. She was already upset because her plans had been thwarted, and she felt that this affected the auspiciousness of the heavens, so she would definitely be severely punished.

Yes, sir.

Erbala immediately bowed and left, his face full of worry. But then he thought, resigning like this wasn't such a bad ending after all; he was even prepared to be implicated in some way…

"The matter on the grasslands is indeed not going to end so easily," Yu Xue sighed.

"In my opinion, Your Highness, why not approve the establishment of another city in the northern desert? To create a check and balance between them?"

"No need, I've already made arrangements for it, and Heaven will make the judgment."

The two replied in unison, "Yes, sir."

Of course, we must pay attention to that great being. It seems there's no need to worry. There will be a result. The place where the religious conflict once occurred will definitely be completely subdued.

Feng Tianyin did not explain further, because the arrangements for Linchun had already been decided:

Enfeoffment.

The next stage of the political system will have the benefits of enfeoffment, and the cost of separatism will be accompanied by the benefits of rapid development, which is just right for the control of the border regions.

After briefly reviewing the relevant survey results...

The three powerful figures who remained in the reception room soon moved on to the next session.

They may be annoyed, but they don't let their emotions dictate their work; otherwise, they wouldn't be in their current positions. Only the best among the permanent senior clerks can sit beside the High Priest at this moment, naturally demonstrating their exceptional abilities.

Seemingly due to a deliberately arranged agenda, the remaining individuals engaged in mostly polite greetings and official exchanges.

He's quite honest.

It made things much easier from then on; everything was done quickly by following the procedures.

The difference was that during this performance review, some senior clerical staff talked about the same thing: retirement.

The Daqian Dynasty has been formally selecting officials for several years now. In the previous generations, those who directly passed the imperial examination and ranked at the top were promoted in their twenties, a product of the era's benefits. However, their successors had to accumulate seniority and often reached a considerable age.

Because of the rapid development of the temple system.

This resulted in Yu Xue and Li Zhengxuan, who were among the top scorers that year, still being young and holding high positions. They were considered child prodigies, and it can be attributed to Feng Tianyin's eagerness to promote them.

What's left?

Having missed historical opportunities, I've gradually leveled up, and now I'm not young anymore.

Those who came to pay homage were all high-ranking clerks with excellent positions and benefits. As they grew old and their energy waned, and with no hope of promotion, they lost some of their ambition and simply proposed retirement on an auspicious day.

"Unfortunately, many of them are only in their fifties. The medical conditions in Daqian are inadequate, and the average life expectancy is a bit short."

Feng Tianyin sounded very young, even though she was fifty years old.

I'm already 68 years old, so of course everyone else seems like a young person. Of course, the low life expectancy is because the Great Qian Dynasty developed too quickly, causing the previous generation to grow old before they had a chance to eat well. Now that the problem of food and clothing has been solved, life expectancy will increase in the future. Besides, there's another variable: psionic energy.

"My lord, we have met with all the people we were supposed to see today, and overall it went fairly smoothly."

Yu Xue didn't give a summary until midnight, and another colleague nodded in agreement. Everyone looked exhausted.

"I agree to the retirement, and we'll conduct the assessment and selection process afterward."

Feng Tianyin's definitive answer.

He then walked to the balcony of the reception room with his hands behind his back. The midsummer night was cool and refreshing, and the lights of thousands of homes illuminated the entire Xia Yi. It was still in ancient times, yet it already had the splendor of a city that never sleeps.

Thanks to the lively atmosphere that lasted almost all night long on the eve of the Heavenly Dao Festival.

Time flies, and we watch buildings rise little by little, but people are not as long-lasting as them, at least not now; they will age quickly.

An era has ended with Feng Tianyin, and it's time to usher in a new era.

..........

The second day of the performance review meeting.

Having heard about the commotion, Gegentana got up early and rushed from the inner sanctuary to the temple office.

Unlike the high priest, who was always energetic and constantly active, she retained some of her sleep habits, though she only managed to sleep for about four hours a day.

The power of faith nourished the great prophet's body, making him far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

The servants and clerks in the outer hall quickly greeted her. This distance did not require carrying a sedan chair or taking a carriage; with Gedentana's stamina, she arrived at the top-floor room in no time.

According to the schedule, the two of them were supposed to preside over the festival together.

The divine will is about to descend, and as the one who is being promoted to bestow blessings, one should naturally shoulder the responsibility.

We arrived after a long and straight drive.

Stepping inside, I was greeted by a wave of steam, almost making me think that some steam-generating lady was performing massive calculations again.

After fanning herself, Gergentana realized that she was being separated by a thin gauze curtain.

Inside the office, a large bathtub was steaming, and Feng Tianyin was bathing with her back to it. Since she couldn't work on paper documents anymore, she simply picked up her long-forgotten carving work, her hands moving incessantly, making rustling sounds.

Her long hair was rolled up and pinned up at the back of her head, held in place by a jade hairpin and several gold threads, revealing her swan-like neck and a section of her cervical vertebrae.

Her shoulders had beautiful curves, were damp, and had a rosy white hue.

The smooth curve of the shoulder blade resembles the golden ratio, with water droplets slowly sliding down to outline a curve.

The priestesses around occasionally added hot water, making the entire office and study hazy with moisture. The bronze mirror was dampened, and a brief gap was created by the breeze, giving it an atmosphere of being half-hidden behind a pipa.

I was probably too busy last night, and I only just started taking a bath and burning incense.

Hibiscus from clear water.

Gedentana stood respectfully behind the sheer curtain of the bathtub, glancing at the table with various couplets and congratulatory messages.

These were presented by officials from various regions to be offered to the gods as a prayer for blessings and to revere Heaven and Earth.

She glanced at them casually; some were even newly approved documents—truly diligent in her work. In contrast, she had been chatting with her students the whole time, though such social interactions were part of the Great Prophet's duties and there was nothing wrong with that.

The high priest can disregard human feelings and even be devoid of emotions, which is a privilege bestowed upon him.

As someone elevated by the Heavenly Dao, they certainly don't need those trivial formalities...

"Spring breeze brings joy to the door, and wind and rain bring prosperity to all things."

After reciting a line, Feng Tianyin asked those around her, "This is how the couplet in the hand of the statue I carved is written. What do you think?"

“The high priest is absolutely right.”

Having seen countless echoes and agreement, she wasn't surprised; these ordinary priestesses were generally uncultured. If they were senior clerks, they'd probably be spouting off countless scriptures and platitudes. Of course, that would all be a load of nonsense.

She quickly finished carving, then stood up, and the people around her hurriedly helped her wrap herself in clothes.

The priests kept their heads down the entire time, not daring to look directly at him, for fear of offending the precious priest.

In the eyes of the people of Daqian, Feng Tianyin was personally promoted and resurrected by the Heavenly Dao and given divine protection, so he deserved the title of "Son of Heaven". Of course, they could not easily look directly at this body.

After she was dressed and the screen was removed, it was indeed Gergentana.

"Good morning."

The Great Prophet was much more casual than the other scribes, and his greetings were quite modern. It wasn't that they were all of similar rank, but rather that his style was noticeable.

In reality, we value simplicity and efficiency, but unfortunately, this era emphasizes etiquette and rules, so we have no choice but to follow the crowd.

"Are the offerings all prepared?"

Feng Tianyin got straight to the point, while simultaneously answering questions fluently...

Gedena memorized all the information, including but not limited to the categories and quality of items on the list, and highlighted the new products that were different from those at the last festival, such as Akhal-Teke horses, Tang tri-colored pottery, and a series of ironware.

Heaven seems to really like the new things in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Therefore, in addition to its religious function, it also serves as a "fair" once a decade. Unique products produced during this period are counted as tributes, which also serve as advertising.

Paying tribute was, of course, the duty of the priests in the inner sanctum, which is why Gegentana knew it so well.

"good.

Feng Tianyin nodded with great satisfaction and handed over the statue she had just seen.

"...You're not going to give it to me, are you?"

"It's appropriate to give festive gifts during holidays. Although they may be simple, I think you'll like them. This isn't an official gift, but rather a greeting from a friend."

Gedentana smiled as she carefully took the statue: "This is anything but simple."

Top-grade glass-type jadeite!

A piece the size of a fingertip could fetch a fortune, but this one is palm-sized, and the celestial incarnation carved on it is ethereal and graceful. Furthermore, it's engraved with couplets and poems, and the base is stamped—clearly a product of the High Priest, priceless indeed.

After accepting the document, she gestured to the table with her eyes: "You've approved quite a few retirement resignations."