Douluo Jueshi, world modulation mode

"An Zhen!"

After Anzhen paid generous severance pay to dismiss the eunuchs and most of the palace maids, the vast palace seemed quite empty. But today, the sounds of chasing and playing echoed through it.

Although Nan Qiuqiu didn't immediately understand what An Zhen meant by that, judging from the other woman's reaction, it was clear she had been "tricked." Having always been the "big sister" of the sect, Nan Qiuqiu had never been "bullied" like this before, and she immediately caught up. Taking advantage of An Zhen's deliberate evasion, she directly blocked An Zhen's path.

"Speak!" Nan Qiuqiu put her hands on her hips, showing a strong presence despite her small stature.

"What did you mean by what you just said?"

An Zhen smiled slightly, "Does Qiuqiu really want to know?"

"Or else?"

"Come here."

An Zhen's mysterious demeanor piqued Nan Qiuqiu's curiosity, and she subconsciously leaned closer. When the warm breath from An Zhen's mouth hit her ear, the strange sensation stimulated her brain, and an alluring blush rose on her cheek. Only then did Nan Qiuqiu realize how intimate this action was.

Nan Qiuqiu listened to An Zhen's explanation with her head spinning.

After understanding what it meant, Nan Qiuqiu's face turned even redder.

"Who...who wants to have your baby!" Nan Qiuqiu's voice trembled as her mind went blank.

An Zhen smiled and looked at the girl beside her, her gaze downwards. "It's indeed not very big."

"What do you know!" Nan Qiuqiu retorted, "I'm just slim."

Nan Qiuqiu's hands landed on the outside of her thighs.

Honestly, what's so great about something so big here?

An Zhen leaned closer, her gaze falling on Nan Qiuqiu's slender waist below. "I don't believe you unless you let me hug and touch you."

"You...you're not allowed to touch me!" The masculine presence so close to her made Nan Qiuqiu blush. She pushed An Zhen away with both hands. "And you're not allowed to look either!"

"Okay." Anzhen nodded, then continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

"Huh?" Nan Qiuqiu was taken aback.

Speaking of which, has she forgotten something?

For a while.

Nan Qiuqiu followed An Zhen with a pout.

You can't win an argument, and you can't win a fight.

Do you really want to beat his child?
But that's her child too.

No, no.

How could they possibly have a child together?
No, it's that she can't have his children!

Nan Qiuqiu felt her mind was in a mess.

"Speaking of which," Nan Qiuqiu thought of something important, "who are we going to see? Why haven't we arrived yet?"

An Zhen said calmly, "Because I'm leading you in circles."

Nan Qiuqiu: ?

"Don't you want to enjoy some time alone together?" An Zhen said with a smile, her dark eyes fixed on Nan Qiuqiu's eyes, making Nan Qiuqiu shyly turn her head away, her toes lightly touching the ground. "Well... there's still time later, so don't let it interfere with your business."

This girl...

Anzhen felt she could coax him into bed and have five children innocently.

"Let's go then." An Zhen naturally grabbed Nan Qiuqiu's wrist. Nan Qiuqiu was stunned for a moment, and was pulled away like that.

An Zhen's five fingers explored Nan Qiuqiu's fair wrist, moving downwards to grasp her hand and fingers. An Zhen gently pried open Nan Qiuqiu's clasped fingers and inserted them into her own, interlacing her fingers. Throughout the process, aside from some symbolic struggles due to the girl's reserve, everything went smoothly.

The two entered the side hall.

An Zhen began, “Normally when guests come, I have the Prime Minister receive them, but this guest is a bit special.”

"What?" Nan Qiuqiu asked, trying to hide her inner panic.

“A classmate’s mother.”

"Hmm?" Nan Qiuqiu looked at An Zhen.

The pink eyes seemed to be saying, "You have this kind of fetish?"

“At the same time,” An Zhen continued, “she was also the younger sister of the previous emperor of Douling.”

The guards at the door pushed open the gate.

Anzhen's eyes fell upon the figure of a middle-aged, beautiful woman standing in the hall.

"Xue Lingxun, the only surviving direct descendant of the royal family in the attack by the Holy Spirit Cult."

Looking at the still-charming beauty before him, An Zhen said, "I thought you would arrive in Lingdou City before the previous emperor's burial."

"After quelling the rebellion, burying the previous emperor, purging corrupt nobles and officials, rebuilding Douling, and now that everything has been settled, the Xuanming family, who chose to be born and join the Douling Empire, have come to Lingdou City."

Upon seeing the visitor, and looking at the face that was several years younger than her son, Xue Lingxun bowed and said, "This humble subject, Xue Lingxun, greets Your Majesty."

"Your Majesty, I have long been stripped of my princess status by Emperor Guangzong and am not qualified to participate in the late emperor's funeral."

"Heh." An Zhen pulled Nan Qiuqiu to sit in the main seat, her eyes narrowed slightly. "Whether it's a lack of qualifications or a lack of martial prowess, the Xuanming Family doesn't want to get involved in this mess with you."

"This humble subject..." "Enough." With his omniscient authority, An Zhen hated beating around the bush with people he wasn't interested in. He knew perfectly well that the person before him, after hearing about the upheaval in Lingdou City, wanted to return to take charge. Later, upon hearing of his ascension to the throne, he felt that An Zhen was taking advantage of the royal family's misfortune and was dissatisfied with him, a descendant of the royal family whose bloodline was distant and whose surname wasn't Xue.

But Xue Lingxun's husband, the head of the Xuanming family, didn't care who became the Douling Emperor. He only knew that the entire Xuanming family combined wasn't enough to defeat An Zhen alone, and he was even less willing to offend Shrek Academy because of something that had already been decided.

“Just say what you have to say,” Anzhen said. “Then leave the token that represents your status as a princess of the royal family. After all, you’ve already called yourself a commoner. If you want to say something like using this token to commemorate your father and your family ties, you can go and take away the clothes, weapons, and other things your father left in the palace and go home to reminisce about your family ties.”

"Your Majesty..." Xue Lingxun took a deep breath, "This humble subject begs Your Majesty to restore the Xue surname, from Tian Dou to Dou Ling, the ten-thousand-year-old tradition cannot be changed."

"Or, Your Majesty, please adopt your future children into the Douling royal family."

"Oh?" An Zhen gently squeezed Nan Qiuqiu's hand. "You've got some nerve, daring to ask me what surname my future child will have."

"What, do you think I can't break the Xuanming family's tortoise shell?"

An Zhen intently played with Nan Qiuqiu's hand, making the girl blush with embarrassment. However, in this seemingly formal setting, she dared not speak up to stop him. She could only let An Zhen do whatever he wanted with her hand.

Xue Lingxun showed no fear on her face. "This has nothing to do with the Xuanming family. Even if His Majesty Guangzong stripped me of my princess status, the blood of the Douling royal family still flows in my veins."

An Zhen succinctly uttered a single word: "Get lost."

"Your Majesty..." Xue Lingxun wanted to say something, but was interrupted by An Zhen.

An Zhen's cold voice rang in Xue Lingxun's ears, "If you displease me, you will bring trouble to your husband and your child."

Xue Lingxun clenched her hands at the hem of her skirt, then released them, bowed, and left.

Nan Qiuqiu then shyly withdrew her hands from An Zhen's, saying, "Stop playing around. Didn't you notice she didn't leave the princess token behind?"

An Zhen didn't care about this, including Xue Lingxun's little schemes. "If no one in the world recognizes the significance of the token, then even if it is the Imperial Seal of the State, it is nothing more than a piece of broken copper and scrap iron."

Prior to this, not a single official in the court, whether civil or military, had suggested that An Zhen should change his surname to Xue.

Because they don't recognize the Douling royal family, they recognize An Zhen as a person.

Although Anzhen did not subjectively intend to do so.

But in this process.

Indeed, it completely replaced the ruling class of the Douling Empire.

Many of these lawless nobles, who committed heinous crimes within their own territories, shared the surname Xue. But regardless of their surname, An Zhen judged people based on the specific crime they committed, not their surname.

The current ruling class of the Douling Empire consists of several groups. Some were borrowed from the Star Luo Royal Family, some are students from Shrek Academy, and some mid- to low-level officials are former low-ranking officials with a conscience who were promoted. The remaining members, occupying the middle and upper ranks, are the largest and most powerful sects and families who are subservient to An Zhen, with the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile School being the most prominent.

Now, they want Anzhen to stay in this position more than anyone else.

There were noble officials who had been left over from the previous dynasty.

However, after screening in terms of both conscience and competence.

Such people are very, very rare.

Now, they are too terrified to utter a word because of An Zhen's previous purges. No matter what An Zhen says, they simply cater to her.

In this situation.

Who will be Anzhen's last name?

Xue Lingxun's princess token was of no use to her.

The major sects and families wouldn't recognize it, not even the Xuanming family. The head of the Xuanming family would much rather his wife be obedient and not dare to have any thoughts about that supreme position.

Emperor Anzhen of the Douling Empire is now the heart and soul of all the civil and military officials, and even more so, the heart and soul of countless citizens of the empire.

“Speaking of which,” An Zhen suddenly said, “Xue Lingxun wants your child to have the surname Xue. Shouldn’t Qiuqiu be unhappy about that? Or is it that Qiuqiu wants her son to have the surname Xue?”

Nan Qiuqiu said subconsciously, "I don't want my son to have the surname Xue."

"No!" Nan Qiuqiu blushed as she realized, "I would never give birth to a son for you!"

“Then let’s have a daughter,” An Zhen said with a smile. “I love both sons and daughters.”

"In your dreams!"

……

One day later.

Anzhen arrived in Xingluo City.

I gave five medicinal herbs to my brother-in-law.

On one hand, there is the long-standing relationship, and on the other hand, the Xingluo royal family has helped a lot in this process.

Anzhen tried her best to treat everyone equally.

He gave two stalks of immortal herbs to the parents of the girls around him as betrothal gifts.

Wang Dong didn't send a gift to her parents, saying that he would personally visit them after they returned from their "traveling" trip.

As for Shrek Academy, we'll talk about that after he takes over.

Entrusting the affairs of the Douling Empire to the Prime Minister and his ministers, An Zhen immediately entered the monarch mode, taking Nan Qiuqiu back to Shrek Academy and guiding her through the inner court assessment. Nan Qiuqiu was already a genius, and with the immortal herb and two 100,000-year soul bones, her cultivation level now far surpassed that of her peers.

However, a tiny little mishap occurred during the assessment.

The examiner for the combat assessment was Wang Dong.

(End of this chapter)