After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 404 Thoughts

"Of course there is no problem. As the emperor of the Great Xuan, you govern all officials and people. You can appoint whomever you want to be."

The patriarch of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace spoke slowly, but then changed his tone and solemnly warned:
"But I must remind you that you are a descendant of the Zhao family. This Great Xuan world was built by the Zhao family ancestors. Everything you do in the future must be worthy of the ancestors of the Zhao family and the Great Xuan royal family."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muning cupped her hands, bowed respectfully, and solemnly said:

"Thank you for your teachings, Ancestor. Mu Ning will always remember them."

The patriarch of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace waved his hand, slowly closed his eyes, and said:

"Take this cat and leave. If you encounter any problems you can't solve in the future, you can come back to me."

Zhao Mu Ning nodded slightly, called out to the big black cat, and then took her leave from the palace.

The big black cat was very wary of the ancestor of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace and dared not linger in the palace before it. It immediately followed Zhao Mu Ning away.

Zhao Muning brought the big black cat to her temporary palace, which was guarded by her two senior uncles and some experts from the Yaoyue Palace.

Zhao Mu Ning readily agreed to the black cat's request to become an official, even though it sounded absurd to make a cat an official in the Great Xuan Dynasty.

But the big black cat is Li Musheng's pet, and even if it wasn't Li Musheng's idea, Zhao Muning wouldn't refuse it because of their relationship.

"Then I will appoint you as the official cat of the Censorate. In the future, you can directly tell me any advice you may have."

Zhao Muning looked thoughtful and spoke to the large black cat sitting in front of her.

Upon hearing this, the big black cat's bright green eyes lit up, even though it didn't know what the Censorate did.

But the Empress of the Great Xuan before her was clearly worldly-wise and wouldn't likely try to fool her with some insignificant official.

However, it glanced at Zhao Muning in front of it, and then stretched out its paw to gesture again.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Muning frowned at first, but quickly showed a look of realization and said:

"It was my oversight. I will immediately draft an imperial edict for you as proof that you are an official appointed by our court."

The big black cat in front of me was cautious in its actions, afraid that she might not have any proof, so I had to ask her for a note as evidence.

Even after Zhao Muning finished writing the decree, the big black cat specifically reminded her not to forget to affix the emperor's jade seal.

After everything was done, the big black cat was satisfied and put away the decree written by Zhao Mu Ning, hiding it under its belly.

It didn't linger with Zhao Muning and left in a hurry, since it had been a long time since it ran away tonight and it had to get back to the inn as soon as possible.

If Li Musheng wanted to pet it but couldn't find the cat, and learned that it had secretly run off to do private business, that would be bad. After the big black cat left, an old woman emerged from the shadows of the palace. She looked at Zhao Muning on the jade chair, pondered for a moment, and said:
"It is truly against common sense for Your Highness to bestow an official title upon a cat. If the Eighth Prince of Dali were to make even more demanding requests of Your Highness in the future, would Your Highness agree to them all?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muning picked up the memorial on the table in front of her and spoke without looking at him:

“The Eighth Prince is not that kind of person. He has no interest in the Great Xuan Dynasty. Otherwise, he would have had far more extreme means to control me, the Ancestor, and the entire Great Xuan Imperial Family.”

The old woman frowned slightly and said:

"Your Highness is now the Emperor of this Great Xuan. You cannot simply take things for granted. Anything can happen in this world."

"Moreover, that person is a prince of Dali, which belongs to two countries, Daxuan and Dali. Your Highness should take precautions and make comprehensive plans for the worst-case scenario in the future."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Muning withdrew his gaze from the memorial in his hand, then glanced outside the main hall and said:
"Uncle-Master, don't forget, if it weren't for the Eighth Prince, my brother and I would probably have died at Zhao Kuang's hands long ago."

"And my current throne was given to me by the Eighth Prince. If he ever wants my throne, I will hand it over to him without hesitation."

"I have only one request for Your Highness, which is to treat the people of Da Xuan well. Whether I sit on the throne or not is not important."

The old woman's expression shifted slightly, and she gave Zhao Mu Ning a deep look before saying nothing more.

In the past few days, Zhao Muning has ordered the withdrawal of the army from the border of Dali and plans to send envoys to form an alliance with Dali after everything has stabilized.

Zhao Muning didn't tell Li Musheng about these things; in her view, these were things she should do.

Moreover, these events did not harm the interests of Da Xuan; on the contrary, they averted war between the two countries, benefited the people of the world, and prevented widespread suffering.

"For the past hundred years, the five kingdoms have been in constant conflict, but I would much rather see the day when the world is at peace. I cannot do this, but Your Highness may be able to."

Zhao Muning spoke softly, then looked away and continued reviewing the memorials.

……

Meanwhile, after Zhao Muning left with the big black cat, the ancestor of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace disappeared and came to a secret chamber beneath the main hall.

The long-lost head of the Great Li Secret Intelligence Bureau was imprisoned here, and the patriarch of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace already knew his true identity. However, he never intended to let him leave.

"Still unwilling to speak? You are indeed loyal to that Emperor Yuanwu."

The patriarch of the Great Xuan Imperial Palace looked at the middle-aged man before him, whose cultivation had been destroyed and whose body was covered in blood, and a shadowy look appeared deep in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)