Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 364 The Prime Minister's Fault

The high-ranking officials in the court had opinions, but not as strong as one might expect, which made Long Qinghuang even more uneasy.

Since the play is supposed to be about "being obsessed with men," even if the prime minister and others remonstrate to the death, the play will probably have to continue. Besides, the backlash isn't that intense, so it can be played out even more, right?
Long Qinghuang put aside her already small amount of guilt and quickly slipped back into the inner palace, heading straight for the Empress's bedroom.

This palace was built by her using human models. She has been building the harem area for so many years but has never used it. Now that people have finally moved in, can't she make me happy?
As soon as she reached the entrance, Long Qinghuang noticed something was wrong. She paused, looked up, and saw that the previously empty plaque now had words on it.

"The Palace of Rebellion".

Long Qinghuang's first reaction was that Yin and Yang were reversed and the universe was turned upside down.

She suddenly laughed, her eyes curving into crescents once more.

The little man is still expressing his dissatisfaction in this way, longing to turn the tables and become the master.

Forget about it. Whether you want to be up or down, that's negotiable, but you definitely can't go back.

It's good that the palace has a name, so that everyone doesn't just call it "Empress's Palace," which would be inappropriate. Long Qinghuang's mood was not affected at all, and she leisurely entered the palace with her hands behind her back.

Lu Xingzhou leaned back in his soft chair, looking at the materials she had given him, seemingly having gone through them countless times. A'nuo sat beside him, meditating cross-legged.

Long Qinghuang deliberately ignored Lu Xingzhou and leaned down to pinch A Nuo's face: "Little liar, it's rare to see you cultivating so honestly."

Ah Nuo opened her eyes helplessly: "When did I lie to my sister again?"

"Anyway, she's just a little liar." Long Qinghuang said with a smile, "How about it? Doesn't the spiritual energy here feel exceptionally rich, better than anywhere else for cultivation?"

Ah Nuo nodded, "Indeed."

She deliberately tried to cultivate her talent after discovering that it had a special effect against plant spirits like Xiao Kui.

The results showed that the efficiency of extracting spiritual energy far exceeded any previous time, even surpassing that of the Tianyao Holy Land.

While it is true that the Dragon Cliff Peak, where the Imperial Palace is located, is the place with the most abundant spiritual energy in the entire Demon Realm, it is also largely due to the fact that the spiritual energy here is more suitable for Anuo.

This is one of the important reasons why Lu Xingzhou brought A Nuo to the Demon Realm.

To put it bluntly, the spiritual energy here could be called demonic energy.

Long Qinghuang looked at A Nuo thoughtfully for a while, then lowered her voice and said, "What I told you before still works."

Ah Nuo paused, her mind racing for a moment before she realized what she was referring to.

Back in the Tian Shuang Kingdom, Long Qinghuang once tempted A Nuo, saying that if she learned from her, she would also have fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs.

Ah Nuo stole a glance at Lu Xingzhou and lowered her voice, "Really?"

Long Qinghuang said, "I'm not a pair of liars like you. When have I ever lied?"

Ah Nuo whispered, "Then what does Sister Long want Ah Nuo to do?"

Long Qinghuang said, "I advise your master to stay here obediently and stop trying to run away. Then I will teach you."

Anuo's little face showed some confusion.

For Ah Nuo, it doesn't matter where he is, as long as he stays by his master's side.

But she knew that this was something no one could persuade her of.

Ah Nuo's eyes darted around, and she whispered, "Master is currently working tirelessly to help Sister Long catch the traitor, and Sister Long is already plotting against him. Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Long Qinghuang said, "Isn't it precisely because we value him so much that we're keeping him here?"

Ah Nuo said, "To be good to someone, you should consider what they want, just like how Master is to Sister Long now."

Long Qinghuang paused, then fell silent.

"What are you all whispering about?" Lu Xingzhou finally spoke up: "Is His Majesty concerned about Anuo's cultivation?"

Long Qinghuang absentmindedly hummed in agreement.

Lu Xingzhou said, "Anuo mainly cultivates the path of the physical body, converting all energy into physical strength, which is very similar to the cultivation of the dragon race. If Your Majesty thinks this child has potential, perhaps you could offer some guidance?"

Actually, the cultivation methods of the Dragon Clan are quite different. Dragons usually have innate talents in the Five Elements. For example, Long Yan is, as the name suggests, a great fire dragon. Long Qinghuang is exceptionally talented and possesses multiple elements.

But he is indeed exceptionally gifted in physical and violent crushing, making him the most suitable teacher for Ah Nuo.

Long Qinghuang said, "If this little liar can please me, I can give her a few pointers and she'll benefit from them endlessly. I don't need you to tell me."

Lu Xingzhou smiled but did not answer.

Long Qinghuang hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to Lu Xingzhou: "Have you come to any conclusion?"

Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "It's nothing. I just don't like a few of these dragons. Could Your Majesty exile them?" Long Qinghuang immediately knew what he was talking about and smiled, her eyes crinkling.

She would be very happy every time Lu Xingzhou got jealous.

“They’ve already been defeated by you, why do you still care about this?” Long Qinghuang breathed softly into his ear, “You know that with just one word from you, the Empress’s position is yours.”

Lu Xingzhou said, "Putting everything else aside, could you let them decide on how to address me? Please stop calling me 'Your Majesty,' it just sounds awkward. Even if I stay here, I shouldn't be called that."

Long Qinghuang asked, "What do you humans call this?"

Lu Xingzhou said, "Seriously speaking, the Imperial Consort is usually given the title of Prince."

Long Qinghuang laughed and said, "That's simple. As long as you really become the Empress, I will immediately bestow upon you the title of Prince. You see, Gu Zhanting is only willing to give you the title of Baron, and the title hasn't been decided yet. I will directly give you the title of King, and you can choose the title yourself."

Such sincerity was enough to make most people give up, but Lu Xingzhou just smiled and said, "I was thinking, the court must have scolded me quite harshly today, right?"

Long Qinghuang immediately said, "They wouldn't dare!"

"I'd rather His Majesty also grant me a baronship; their criticism would be less harsh then."

Long Qinghuang was stunned for a long time before she realized what Lu Xingzhou meant.

The emperor's consort is a prince, while his subjects are barons.

But these words made Long Qinghuang even more incredulous: "You... are willing to serve as an official in my Demon Court? Isn't that also betraying the Great Qian?"

"What I care about has never been whether the Qianlong Emperor is powerful or not." Lu Xingzhou smiled. "Besides, there are instances where one person can hold the seals of six states."

"Then why did you do this?"

“Lu Xingzhou has always only wanted to stand openly in front of others. What do I have to hide in the inner palace to come up with ideas? Can’t I stand openly in the court and refute the Prime Minister? Do I need His Majesty to speak for me?”

Long Qinghuang stood there, stunned.

Lu Xingzhou said leisurely, "In my opinion, this prime minister is unqualified and not as good as Pei Qingyan."

Long Qinghuang was even more stunned. Over the past few centuries, her rule over the Demon Realm had been remarkably successful, and Long Yan's contributions were indispensable. Moreover, Long Yan was utterly loyal, and she trusted him implicitly. On the other hand, Pei Qingyan was said to have accomplished nothing in the Great Qian Dynasty, more like a peacemaker, only concerned with the private interests of his aristocratic family, and utterly helpless against the likes of the Huo family, who were deeply resented by the people. If Long Qinghuang were to give her assessment, Long Yan was far superior to Pei Qingyan.

In Lu Xingzhou's mouth, it was actually reversed.

"There are many things Pei Qingyan simply can't do; his biggest obstacle is the emperor himself. But even with Gu Zhanting's chaotic actions, Pei Qingyan has managed to maintain the stability of the Great Qian Dynasty, resulting in population growth and a full treasury. That's enough for a prime minister; what more could one ask for?"

Long Qinghuang subconsciously asked, "What about Long Yan? The Demon Realm is also experiencing population growth and a full treasury."

"First of all, you yourself need to be diligent in your duties for hundreds of years. You can't even stand the trivial matters of government affairs without me for a single morning. What use is a prime minister then? I can attribute the credit for governing the Great Qian Dynasty to Pei Qingyan, but should I attribute the credit for governing the Demon Realm to him or you?"

Long Qinghuang: "..."

"Secondly, the population of the Demon Realm has increased. I see that the Lion Mad Clan alone has an army of tens of thousands." Lu Xingzhou smiled. "But what about the Dragon Clan? Compared to hundreds of years ago, are there more or fewer dragons?"

"More..." Long Qinghuang had only uttered one word when she suddenly shut her mouth.

There are more sub-dragons, but fewer pure-blooded dragons.

Long Yan himself is not a pure-blooded dragon.

"At least Pei Qingyan can scheme for the Pei family's private interests," Lu Xingzhou said calmly. "Long Yan is indeed acting for the public good of the Demon Realm, but what about the Dragon Clan? Where is his contribution? To a bunch of subspecies?"

Long Qinghuang said, "It's difficult for pure-blooded dragons to reproduce, so it's not the Prime Minister's fault..."

If we're talking about who's to blame, we might have to blame Long Qinghuang herself. She doesn't care about the continuation of the pure-blooded dragon lineage and hasn't found a mate for a thousand years. If the higher-ups set an example, why would the other dragons want one?
"Does Your Majesty still think you should blame yourself?" Lu Xingzhou said calmly, "Your Majesty's matter, broadly speaking, is a matter of the imperial family, and narrowly speaking, it is a matter of personal matters, but neither of them is a matter of the propagation of the race. You, a dragon, cannot decide the propagation of the race."

Long Qinghuang asked, "Then what is the propagation of a race?"

"Have you taken any measures to ensure the purebred lineage? For example, given the difficulty in finding a match for dragons from the demon realm, have you tried intermarriage with sea dragons? Are there any bloodline purification methods for sub-dragon species? His Majesty, because he doesn't want to find a spouse, naturally avoids considering these matters, since he'd inevitably be bombarded with questions if the topic came up—that's understandable. As the Prime Minister, besides urging you to get married, why doesn't he consider anything else?" Lu Xingzhou concluded, "He may not have any selfish motives, he just doesn't care. If this isn't the Prime Minister's fault, then what is?"

Long Qinghuang pondered this in a daze. No wonder Long Yan was only concerned about the impact on his work, not the dilution of his bloodline, when it came to finding a human. He even said he would be willing to find a pig demon. Yes, he probably didn't have any ulterior motives; he just didn't care because he himself wasn't a pureblood.

As an outsider, Lu Xingzhou was initially even less concerned, but at least he noticed that this trend was not good for the dragon race itself.

“Long Lie and Long Yun are both pure-blooded dragons. It’s perfectly understandable that they pursue His Majesty, both for public and private reasons,” Lu Xingzhou said. “But here’s the problem… since they’ve failed to win His Majesty’s heart, why don’t they find other mates? Even if the dragon race is small, there are still several thousand dragons, right? Aren’t there any other female dragons?”

Long Qinghuang replied absentmindedly, "Yes."

"It seems there are quite a few things buried in your Demon Realm... and this is just the Dragon Clan itself, what about the many more?" Lu Xingzhou sighed. "Last time you said you'd take me to the Holy Mountain when you had time, and I think I really should go. The Holy Mountain happens to be related to the core of your Demon Realm's reproduction problem, doesn't it? I heard that His Majesty was also encouraged by the Holy Mountain during the Southern Expedition ten years ago."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes mid-month~
(End of this chapter)