If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

After familiarizing himself with his cultivation level and divine sense after the breakthrough, Zhou Ming spread his divine sense and scanned the palace.

The palace remained unchanged, with the imperial guards stationed in an orderly manner and eunuchs and palace maids performing their respective duties.

Emperor Yongchang has not attended court for several days.

It's not that he doesn't want to go, it's that he'd have nothing to do even if he did.

All government affairs were delivered directly from the imperial palace to Su Mingyue at the front lines via eagle messengers.

From the taxes and corvée labor of each prefecture to the allocation of provisions for each army, from the imperial edict announcing the new emperor's ascension to the throne to the movements of each prefecture and county, there was nothing that required his approval and seal.

The dragon throne in the imperial palace, placed neatly and spotlessly on the golden brick floor of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, had not been sat on for several days.

However, Emperor Yongchang was not idle either; he was busy playing cricket fighting with his eldest son, Su Mingli.

In a side hall of the Qianyuan Hall, two people were lying on the dragon table, with a gilded cricket jar between them, in which two black-headed crickets were fighting to the death.

Su Mingli rolled up his sleeves, his face flushed red, and he almost poked the cricket grass in his hand into the jar, while he kept shouting, "Bite it, bite it, bite it!"

Emperor Yongchang was slightly more reserved than him, after all, he was still wearing a bright yellow imperial robe, but his eyes were wide open and a determined smile was on his lips.

His black-headed general was pinning Su Mingli's red-bearded general against the jar wall and biting it hard, even gnawing off half of its wings.

"I lost, I lost, I lost!" Su Mingli slammed the grass in his hand onto the table, plopped back into his chair, and looked utterly unconvinced.

Emperor Yongchang pushed the cricket jar aside, took the handkerchief handed to him by the eunuch, wiped his hands, and then waved for all the palace maids and eunuchs to leave.

Looking at Su Mingli, he suddenly asked casually:

"Mingli, was Zhou Ming previously the steward of your Marquis's residence?"

Su Mingli, feeling sorry for his red-bearded general, casually hummed in agreement.

"He used to be the head of the kitchen at my sister's Haitang Garden. My sister loved listening to storybooks, so he told her some storybooks. I don't know how, but he gained my sister's trust and she entrusted the entire Yuyang County to him."

He added, "He's so skinny, he used to be so strong he'd fall over in the wind at the horse farm, but now he's trembling."

Emperor Yongchang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and glanced at Su Mingli with an impassive look:

"So, this person is quite capable."

"What ability do you have?!"

Su Mingli scoffed, draped his arm over the back of the chair, and crossed his legs.

"All he does is flatter my sister. Yuyang County is militarily strong and well-equipped; anyone could manage it. Why would they need him?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yongchang put down his teacup and remained silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

Then he leaned back on the dragon throne and asked in an extremely casual tone:

"Mingli, what do you say... that I'm entrusting Yuyang Prefecture and the imperial palace to you?"

Su Mingli was sitting with his legs crossed, swinging his feet. Upon hearing this, he stopped swinging his feet, and his expression underwent a complex transformation in just a few breaths.

First, he was stunned, then incredulous, then flattered, and then... then he thought of something terrible, and the excitement on his face vanished in an instant.

He pursed his lips, his eyes darting around: "This...this...this is probably inappropriate, isn't it? If...if my sister finds out, she'll skin me alive."

As he spoke, he shrank his neck, his shoulders almost reaching his ears. The way he acted, like a mouse seeing a cat, when his sister was mentioned was completely different from how he used to swagger around in public.

Emperor Yongchang was not angry at his cowardly appearance; instead, he laughed.

He smiled kindly, his tone carrying a hint of brotherly indulgence:

"You coward. She's your own sister, what, would she eat you?"

"At most, they'll give you a good scolding, but they won't take a piece of your flesh."

Seeing that Su Mingli was still hesitating, he leaned forward a little more and lowered his voice slightly.

"Besides, you're doing this for the country. If you manage Yuyang County well and keep the palace guards in order, the rear will be stable, and your sister can fight the enemy on the front lines with more peace of mind, right?"

Su Mingli's brows were furrowed, and his fingers tapped on his knees, revealing a fierce internal struggle.

He grew up being suppressed by Su Mingyue. If his sister said to go west, he wouldn't dare to go east. If his sister asked him to walk the cat, he wouldn't dare to tease the dog.

Although he still only worked sporadically, at least outwardly he never dared to disobey.

Now he was being asked to take over the things his sister had arranged, which made him feel extremely uneasy and anxious.

Emperor Yongchang, having gauged the situation, added fuel to the fire:

"As long as you manage the guards of Yuyang County and the Imperial Palace well, when the time is right in two years, I will promote your inherited marquisate to duke."

"When the time comes, your Marquis's family will have two dukes. How prestigious that will be when you stand in the court!"

"Your sister fought bravely on the front lines, while you guarded the capital from the rear. Both of you will be remembered in history."

"Think about it, your grandfather was a duke, and your father's marquisate has been posthumously granted the title of duke. If you were to be granted the title of duke as well..."

"The Su family is full of noble and distinguished members; no other family has ever enjoyed such an honor since the founding of the Great Xia Dynasty. When your sister sees you, she will have to address you as Duke."

Emperor Yongchang's tone carried a hint of teasing that only the two of them understood, as if he were talking about something that was a sure thing.

Su Mingli's eyes lit up. The words "two dukes from one family" hit him hard, making his mouth slightly open and forget to close it.

His fingers tapped faster on his knees, his gaze shifting back and forth between the cricket jar on the dragon table and the faintly visible walls and buildings outside the window.

He could imagine himself standing in the court wearing a duke's python robe, with all the civil and military officials bowing to him.

However, he didn't agree immediately, which showed that he was still worried about Su Mingyue's reaction.

Emperor Yongchang did not give him any further chance to hesitate.

He placed the teacup on the table, leaned back in his chair, pointed at Su Mingli with his chin, and slowly uttered his last sentence:

"What's wrong? Are you lacking confidence? Even a kitchen manager can manage Yuyang County and the Imperial Palace well. You, the eldest son of the Yongning Marquis's mansion and the future Duke, can't manage them?"

These words were like a red-hot needle, piercing precisely into Su Mingli's most vulnerable pride.

What he hated most since he was a child was when people said he was inferior to others.

He couldn't tolerate his sister as much, since Su Mingyue was indeed better than him in every way.

But a kitchen manager? Zhou Ming? That Zhou Ming, the servant of the Marquis's mansion?

That Zhou Ming with his pointed face and skinny appearance?

If I, the eldest son of a noble family, am not even as good as Zhou Ming, how can I face people if word gets out?

Su Mingli jumped up from his chair, his face flushed red with excitement, from his forehead to his ears, and even the veins on his neck bulged.

He slammed his hand on the table, causing the cricket jar to bounce on the surface. The black-headed cricket inside chirped twice from the shock.

"How could that be! How could I be less capable than a kitchen supervisor!"

"Don't worry! Leave Yuyang County and the imperial palace to me, and I guarantee I'll guard them like an iron fortress!"

He became more and more excited and confident as he spoke, his voice rising a notch, "Leave it to me!"

Emperor Yongchang looked at Su Mingli's impassioned appearance and a very satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He pushed the cricket jar back between the two of them, gently nudged the tentacles of the black-headed cricket inside with some grass, and said slowly, "Then it's settled."

Zhou Ming withdrew his divine sense from the side hall of Qian Yuan Hall, picked up the teacup beside him, took a sip, and gently shook his head as he looked out the window at the sky gradually being dyed red by the morning light.

Emperor Yongchang is really not being honest.

They've actually started talking about bewitching Su Mingli.