Ren Bo, standing nearby, also knitted his brow, leaning forward slightly. "My Lord, I implore you to reconsider! Do not discard this beneficial policy out of momentary anger!"

Someone had broken the silence, and it was Ren Bo, the most esteemed Chancellor in Qiantian Mountain City. The several hundred councilors who had been silent until then immediately erupted into wails and pleas. Chai Yuan, slyly, dabbed the onion juice from his sleeve against his eyes. Instantly, his eyes reddened, tears streaming down, and his voice pleaded earnestly: "My Lord! Today we councilors have been remiss, offending Your Majesty's dignity—we deserve death! But surely, for our sake, this greatest policy ever conceived cannot be abandoned! Your Lordship is wise and surely knows that governance cannot be lightly cast aside, nor laws easily annulled!"

Hu Qianqiu knelt to one side, yet he was silently mocking them.

When he had first attended the council in the Hall of Deliberation and understood the authority and responsibilities of the councilors.

That old rogue Chai Yuan had personally told him: The Lord is too young; this move is utterly foolish.

What had he said back then? Did he nod in agreement? No! Back then, he had loudly denounced it! He, Hu Qianqiu, was the first to see the benefit of these councilors debating policy.

He could not weep now, nor did he dare mimic Chai Yuan’s theatrics. He could only look aggrieved. "Your Highness, though Old Man Chai and I often fight, once we step out of the Hall of Deliberation, we are brothers who would face the blade together. Furthermore, none of us have actually harmed state affairs today. This tariff issue is purely Chai Yuan bullying others! If a policy truly benefits the people, we would raise no objection. Didn't the Chancellor’s budget this year reflect that?"

Chai Yuan’s face shifted slightly, and he shot Hu Qianqiu a fierce glare, as if wishing his gaze could turn to daggers and slice the man into a thousand pieces. There was not a trace of brotherly affection between them.

After the two, a middle-aged man in scholarly robes stepped forward—a Human: "Your servant, Xu Shu, was fortunately selected as a councilor two years ago. At the time, I was somewhat perplexed, but now, I am filled with profound respect for Your Lordship. This Hall of Deliberation is truly an imitation of the actions of the ancient Sage Emperors! We Humans living under the governance of Qiantian Mountain have always carried a measure of unease. Only in recent years have we realized that Your Lordship treats us with absolute impartiality! Therefore, your servant begs Your Lordship to be merciful and retract the decree!"

As his voice faded, he knocked his head against the floor three successive times. His expression was solemn, and blood already stained his forehead.

Zong Shou’s expression softened slightly. He had never truly intended to abolish the Councilor system; he merely wanted to save face. With a viable escape route presented, he naturally took it. He spoke in a cold voice: "Very well! I shall temporarily retain the Hall of Deliberation. However, the crime of dissent before the throne cannot go unpunished. Look at yourselves! Disheveled, all of you aged men acting today like three-year-olds—what an image! Since you are not afraid of losing face, then I shall let you lose all the face you have. Go back today and meditate on your faults. Tomorrow morning, you will all roll out onto the main street. Each of you will sweep one street by hand, forbidden to use spiritual arts, for six months!"

Hu Qianqiu and Chai Yuan, along with the others, first relaxed their expressions, then froze, their faces etched with bitterness.

What were their stations? How could they sweep the streets? Wouldn't this utterly disgrace them? They would almost prefer Zong Shou to give them several dozen strokes of the heavy cane—that would have been easier to bear.

Next, Zong Shou’s gaze shifted to Hu Zhongyuan and Chai Zhou.

"You two, you were the most audacious! Eighty strokes each, followed by one month in the cangue on public display! And it must be a ten-thousand-pound cangue—"

After saying this, Zong Shou still felt simmering resentment. A sudden thought struck him: "After the public display, you will both go clean the sewers for three years! No outside help allowed!"

Hu Zhongyuan and Chai Zhou had initially accepted the beating; they were thick-skinned and not afraid. As for the ten-thousand-pound cangue, though arduous, it wasn't impossible.

But when they heard the second part, their faces turned ashen. The sewers! Such filthy places—wasn't that a death sentence? Three years without True Qi or spiritual arts, and no assistance. They would likely become so fetid and odorous that they wouldn't dare enter the grand brothels or even approach the courtesans they knew.

After administering the sentences, Zong Shou turned away, his face icy, wearing the two eggshells on his head, and started toward the exit.

But as he moved, several anxious voices rang out.

"My Lord! My Lord, you cannot! There is one more matter for deliberation today! My Thousand Snow City wishes to formally submit to Qiantian’s direct jurisdiction! We implore Your Lordship to deliberate on this matter before you leave!"

The voice came from the spectator gallery in the upper left. It belonged to a stout man whose face was currently twisted with urgency. Beside him, another middle-aged man in blue robes also cried out his grievance: "Upon returning to our city, we too have admired Your Lordship's mighty virtue. Our entire populace wishes to become subjects of Your Highness!"

Zong Shou paused, scanning the hall. In this chaos, how could they deliberate?

"We will forgo today’s session. These two proposals can wait another seven days. It is only a delay of seven days—"

The moment his words fell, Hu Qianqiu and Chai Yuan both shifted their expressions, looking deeply troubled. Conversely, a flicker of concealed joy shone in Ren Bo’s eyes.

Zong Shou suddenly understood. This entire affair today might not have been what Hu Qianqiu and Chai Yuan desired. The true mastermind might well be Ren Bo, and the goal of staging such a dramatic disruption was not about the Profound Star Bamboo Tariff, but rather to obstruct the return of Thousand Snow and Fang Hui Cities to Qiantian's direct rule.

He sighed inwardly. Politics truly was complex, unpredictable, and treacherous; he should remain distant from it!

Meanwhile, in the viewing stand above, the silver-armored girl was utterly stunned.

It was not surprising that the Qiantian nobility would fiercely oppose Zong Shou’s move to abolish the Hall of Deliberation; those holding power would never yield it easily. But the scholar named Xu Shu—his words stirred profound ripples in her heart. Was this Councilor system truly modeled after the ancient Sage Emperors? How could it be? As a scholar, how could he utter such treasonous words?

Looking again, she saw that whether it was the councilors or the spectators, their respect for the Demon King seemed genuine, issuing from the heart, with no pretense visible. She looked back at Zong Shou; the two eggshells remained on his head, making his appearance somewhat comical.

She had heard others mention the Thousand Snow and Fang Hui cities—both were regional strongholds. Their city lords held absolute power over life and death. Yet now, they were apparently begging, tearfully, to join Qiantian’s direct jurisdiction and become vassals to another. If this were their Great Shang, it would be understandable. But Qiantian Mountain was merely a minor state, which in her view was tottering and liable to collapse at any moment. This baffled her completely.

The silver-armored girl felt that a thick mist had suddenly enveloped the young man, obscuring him from view. After pondering for a moment, she snorted coldly: "Though he is a muddled and absurd ruler, the people’s hearts remain with him. He might still be useful—"

Emerging from the Hall of Deliberation, Zong Shou’s first move was to return to the Misty Smoke Palace atop Qiantian Peak. He took a luxurious bath, scrubbing every inch of himself clean until utterly refreshed. Then, taking Ren Bo and Chu Xue with him, he headed straight north of the city.

One hundred and twenty li outside the city lay a vast military camp, sprawling nearly three hundred li in area, encompassing an entire cluster of hills. The security was incredibly tight; forty thousand troops were stationed there, and it was no exaggeration to say there was a guard post every ten steps and a sentry every five.

As Zong Shou arrived, over a dozen spiritual senses flooded toward him. Upon realizing it was him, they quickly withdrew. Before long, the main gates of the camp swung open. A troop of soldiers stood in perfect formation, greeting him from either side. The one leading was General Qiu Wei of the Left Court Pillar, followed by more than a dozen commanders, all at the level of Xuanwu Sect mastery.

Zong Shou’s eyes immediately lit up. Qiu Wei’s organization of the troops was indeed showing initial success.

It was unclear what rank these soldiers held within the Qiantian Army, but they appeared stronger than the elite troops under the King of Han.

After greeting Qiu Wei, the dozen or so officers gathered and proceeded directly toward the core area of the camp. Zong Shou rode his horse swiftly, observing his surroundings. Indeed, as the great general who fought ceaselessly alongside Zong Weiran, this camp layout was extremely rational. As they passed, the soldiers and officers of various garrisons followed their routines, making no unusual movements despite his arrival.

He turned to smile at Qiu Wei: "Uncle Qiu, of military garrisons of equivalent standard, how many do we have within Qiantian Mountain City?"

Qiu Wei paused in thought, then shook his head. "These forty garrisons within this area are actually the weakest! The true strong armies are currently stationed at the borders. The Cloud Scar and Blazing Flame Mountains have largely recovered their vital energy, supported by the Thousand City Alliance and the Eastern Lin Sect. They are growing restless. Just three days ago, there were ten conflicts along the border. Now, Qiantian Mountain must exert its full effort just to maintain suppression!"

Zong Shou frowned, thinking how fast things moved. Qiu Wei continued, "In my estimation, we should ideally add another forty ten-thousand-man garrisons to cope. Prime Minister Ren once mentioned to me that by collecting slightly fewer revenues from some directly ruled cities this year, we could afford it!"

Zong Shou paused, then glanced at Ren Bo again. The Chancellor maintained a perfectly placid expression, showing not a single emotion. Zong Shou shook his head. Now, even the motive was apparent—the instigator behind the great upheaval in the Hall of Deliberation today must undoubtedly be this treacherous minister!

"I will consider this matter," Zong Shou replied. Forty garrisons required not only 400,000 elite martial masters but also corresponding equipment, costing no less than hundreds of millions. Zong Shou neither agreed nor refused. As he approached the hidden location of the Blood Cloud Cavalry nearby, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking his path.

"Qiao Han?"

Zong Shou paused, looking questioningly at Ren Bo. Ren Bo offered a helpless smile. "Nearly thirty percent of all the spiritual weapons and armor secretly purchased by Qiantian Mountain were acquired from the Kong Artifact Sect. Since we are indebted to them, we naturally cannot prevent him from entering this area. We can only strive to keep him away from the critical zones—"

The critical zone, of course, referred to the quarters of the Blood Cloud Cavalry. Zong Shou nodded slightly. However, just as he urged his horse closer, he heard Qiao Han scoffing, "Has Your Lordship ridden all this way to inspect the Blood Cloud Cavalry?"