Chuxue smirked secretly, then placed another cup of chilled plum juice, brought by a serving girl, in front of Zong Shou.

"The Heir Apparent should drink this, iced plum juice. It helps reduce internal heat and detoxify. For us in the Demon Race, drinking this soup usually helps restore our voices when they change." Zong Shou was meticulously recalling every note he'd read concerning the vocal transformations of the Demon Race.

It was a pity that the books he’d read in his previous life were either martial arts compendiums or secret treatises on talismanic magic. Or perhaps those that were beneficial for his "game," allowing him to glean ancient history about the era of the Divine Emperors.

Although he had browsed through some entertaining anecdotes in his leisure time, there was truly nothing related to the Demon Race’s voice changes.

He only knew such a phenomenon existed; as for the specific details, he was utterly ignorant.

At this moment, seeing a bowl of reddish soup presented by Chuxue, Zong Shou didn't think too deeply and took a large gulp.

Then his entire face, nose, and eyebrows, right down to the roots of his ears, puckered into a single knot. What the hell was this stuff? It was far too sour. It felt like it was about to melt his very teeth.

Finally recovering, Zong Shou glared silently at Chuxue with an expression of accusation.

This was revenge, it had to be revenge! This was blatant, naked malice! This girl was too petty. He had only left a few slap marks on her backside. Was that really enough to warrant this?

Chuxue's lips twitched involuntarily at first. Then she forcibly restrained herself. With a blank expression, she took the bowl away, her voice soft, her demeanor innocent: "Is the Young Master blaming me again? It's not Xue'er's fault this time. I already said it was plum juice. You just didn't listen clearly."

Zong Shou snorted coldly inwardly. He gestured with his hands that writing was too cumbersome, intending to switch to writing instead. Just then, Ruoshui presented him with a stack of animal hides.

While mentally noting how quick Ruoshui was, Zong Shou casually took the hides and brought them before his eyes. Then, he froze completely, utterly dumbfounded.

After a long moment, Zong Shou finally snapped back to attention and fixed Ruoshui with a questioning gaze.

Ruoshui frowned in confusion, then pointed at the pile of hides and declared righteously, "Young Master, these are all the most important ones!"

Zong Shou's face twisted into bitter contemplation; for a moment, he didn't know how to articulate his thoughts.

Fine, these hides were indeed important. But it was only because the hide itself was valuable, quite precious, and rather rare. In Ruoshui's eyes, that naturally made it "important."

Neither of these two maids was reliable.

Shaking his head, Zong Shou let out a light sigh. He then picked up the stack of costly hides and began to examine them closely.

Upon looking, he realized that Ruoshui’s action was, in fact, a stroke of unexpected luck.

The generals and officials of Qiantian City weren't just obsessively trying to save money. When matters were truly important, they chose slightly more expensive hides to record them, hoping to gain the attention of their superiors.

What lay before Zong Shou now were mostly backlogged affairs. In truth, more than half had already been handled by his subordinates; he merely needed to act as a human stamp, affixing his Demon King's seal.

However, his personal 'seal' hadn't been carved yet, so he had to substitute it with signatures and seals of approval.

Yet, among them were quite a few freshly documented matters reported to him.

"The statistics from the Northwest Second City on damaged dwellings show a total of twenty-four thousand three hundred and twenty-six units. This has left tens of thousands of our citizens homeless, forced to endure the elements. If this situation drags on, it may damage the prestige of the Lord. We request an appropriation of fifty thousand third-tier Beast Crystals from the Lord's inner treasury to provide relief to the populace and rebuild homes! Your subject, Ren Bo, submits this petition, imploring the Lord to decide swiftly." Zong Shou's brow immediately twitched. He himself had been planning to extract funds from the Qiantian national treasury to compensate for his recent losses in the Ruohai Strait. And here was a minister trying to dip his hand into his own pocket—how could he allow this?

He understood nothing of governance. He had only barely managed to earn some money in Jiefu City by relying on knowledge from his future life; it hadn't been easy for him! Such good fortune might not come again.

Naturally, he would not permit it!

Zong Shou unhesitatingly drew a large cross mark. However, just as the pen touched the parchment, he let out another sigh and wrote the character for 'Approved.'

Forget it. Fifty thousand third-tier Beast Crystals isn't a huge sum; he could afford it. He bore some responsibility for those houses, after all.

Next was the second document, and Zong Shou's brow was completely knotted now.

"Your subject calculates that the total rewards and consolations for all armies two days prior amount to three million two hundred and twenty thousand third-tier Beast Crystals; this matter cannot be delayed. However, in my view, matters in Qiantian Mountain City should maintain a clear distinction between public and private affairs. The six hundred and ninety thousand troops within the city were for private contention, not public war. Having the Lord pay for this would better secure the loyalty of the army..."

Zong Shou's lip was twitching now. Three million two hundred and twenty thousand third-tier Beast Crystals. This was no small amount, enough to give him a severe headache.

The difference between a third-tier and a fourth-tier was a hundredfold, but their value was equivalent to thirty thousand two-hundred fourth-tier Beast Crystals, or thirty-two seventh-tier Beast Crystals. Even with the current slump in Beast Crystal values, this was still substantial.

Looking at the signature below, it was Ren Bo again.

Who exactly was this fellow, trying to siphon money from his pocket through various schemes?

He beckoned Chuxue over with a finger, signaling her to stand behind him, then pointed at the name on the hide. The young girl was initially confused, but after Zong Shou gestured again, she finally understood.

"The Young Master means Prime Minister Ren? I know him."

Chuxue's delicate chin bobbed like a chicken pecking rice: "He was brought back by the late Lord years ago. He said Ren was extremely skilled in governance, exactly what Qiantian Mountain lacked, and then he was appointed Prime Minister. Previously, Qiantian Mountain didn't even have that official position. It’s said that the Young Master met him at the Heaven Worship Ceremony earlier. This man is remarkable; ever since he became this so-called Prime Minister, Qiantian Mountain has become bustling. People from many tribes and cities travel great distances just to do business here." Zong Shou thought for a moment but couldn't recall anything specific. In any case, tomorrow would be his first court session, where he would naturally meet him; he didn't dwell on it. He flipped through a few more hides, then subconsciously patted the money pouch hanging at his waist, feeling a chill in his heart.

This guy was demanding money too ruthlessly. Replacements for damaged equipment, compensation for injured warhorses, relief for surviving families...

In short, he was finding ways to extract money from the Lord's coffers.

A minister who constantly reaches into the Sovereign's purse is never a good minister!

Mentally branding Ren Bo as a (useless/corrupt minister) and a villain, Zong Shou proceeded to pull out any document bearing this man's name and toss it aside for the moment. Simply seeing this person's name annoyed him.

"Hmm, a day and a half ago, Xuanyuan Tong, Lord of Xuan Mountain City, was drinking heartily in the Slope Lord’s residence. Upon hearing the report from his subordinate, he suddenly laughed three times, declaring, 'I, Xuanyuan Tong, truly possess unmatched insight; my daughter has found an excellent son-in-law for the family!' After that, his true energy surged, and he broke through to the Heavenly Rank. Haha! So my father-in-law also recognizes that I, Zong Shou, am quite the desirable son-in-law. However, the Heavenly Rank? This really isn't the best timing!" Zong Shou sighed inwardly. If Xuanyuan Tong hadn't broken through to the Heavenly Rank, he could still have kept one faction in check; after breaking through, he became less helpful. This father-in-law was truly too unreliable.

He looked at the sign-off area and saw elegant, neat handwriting at the top: "Report submitted by Ruoshui, Commander of the Shadow Guards."

"Commander of the Shadow Guards, Ruoshui?"

Zong Shou startled, looking at Ruoshui and then pointing at her submission.

The latter nodded, then pointed to her delicate nose, a hint of amusement in her beautiful eyes.

Zong Shou gasped inwardly. It turned out his 'Sister Ruoshui' was not only commanding the Shadow Guards and protecting his safety but also held the responsibility of gathering intelligence from all quarters.

To have manpower reaching into the home of Xuanyuan Tong, and for his own father-in-law not to know about it—this skill in espionage was truly remarkable.

He read further and finally found something that piqued his interest.

"One day prior, Feng Nu, Lord of Yunxia Mountain City, hosted a grand banquet for his officials. A swift message arrived via a Red Swift Bird. He immediately flew into a rage, killing several servants with his bare hands during the feast, proclaiming, 'This brat conceals his ambitions and plots deeply; he will certainly become my great enemy in the future! He must be executed soon!' Afterward, he held secret discussions with numerous Yunxia generals and officials regarding recent events—details cannot be fully ascertained yet—"

"—Lord Xiong Ba of Blazing Flame Mountain became heavily intoxicated and lost control yesterday. He first lamented, 'Since Heaven gave birth to me, Xiong Ba, why must it also birth a Zong Weiran?' He then praised, 'One's son should be like Zong Shou; Zong Weiran has truly raised a fine son; all my sons are inferior to him.' Afterwards, he held a private council with his youngest daughter, Princess Xuanyu, and this morning, he deposed the Crown Prince Xiong Kui, establishing Princess Xuanyu as the heir apparent."

Of course, the signature below was also Ruoshui's.

Zong Shou read this with a grin, feeling a little proud that he had indeed proven himself to be a man of surprising ability when he chose to act. He was also secretly astonished by Xiong Ba’s boldness. To disregard his many sons and flout tradition by appointing a woman as heir apparent!

Did this Princess Xuanyu possess some extraordinary quality? When he had time later, he would have to question Xiong Kui about it.

Speaking of the former Crown Prince of Blazing Flame Mountain, Zong Shou hadn't paid much attention to him since he had rushed day and night to Qiantian. He wondered how he was doing now. Was he still alive?

Flipping to the next report, Zong Shou smiled again. This one was from Qiu Wei.

"The criminal camp is overcrowded. The three thousand seven hundred men from Zhenshan Pass, totaling forty-four thousand within Qiantian City, have all been escorted ten miles outside the city for supervision. Your subject wishes to divide them into five garrisons, each with an appointed commander; requesting the Lord's approval!"

Zong Shou's attention, however, was fixed on the three thousand seven hundred men from Zhenshan Pass.

It was rare that these soldiers, who had personally witnessed him execute two Profound Martial Grandmasters using the Six Divine Blade Art, had not disappeared.

He had expected that the methods of the Five Solitudes Villa and the Taiyuan Sect would lead to these men 'vanishing,' if not outright slaughtering them to silence them.

That they managed to return to Qiantian Mountain City whole and unharmed suggested that those powerful figures no longer felt they could suppress the situation, or perhaps the dispute over discipleship had reached a resolution, leading them to cease their obstruction.

If his thoughts were correct, this would be a good thing. It meant he was now close to obtaining the ancestral martial arts texts of those two peak powers.

Under the word 'Commander' on the petition, he scribbled hastily, 'Xiong Kui,' and then moved to the next submission. Zong Shou’s eyes immediately lit up, and his interest surged suddenly.