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It paled in comparison even to the office of a typical guild leader, let alone the grandeur of the Imperial Cardinal Council’s offices, particularly that of Qin Ming. Yet, this modest room was indeed the workspace of Lu Ji, the Regent of the Empire.

“The third phase of the Northern Army’s reconstruction plan has been rejected by the Imperial Assembly. The Assembly insists on reselecting senior officers at the rank of colonel and above, and they’ve submitted nominations… nearly all of whom are from aristocratic families.”

“The Void frontline is showing signs of unrest again. According to intelligence, in about three months, the front will likely face a large-scale Void invasion.”

“The Tsarist envoy has just arrived in the Imperial Capital and is hoping for an audience with you.”

Lu Ji appeared to be an ordinary, elderly man with white hair. As he reviewed various documents, he listened to reports from his subordinates. His demeanor was calm and composed, despite the weight of the information being presented to him.

At that moment, a middle-aged man entered the office with some urgency. “Your Excellency, something has happened in Donghai!”

Hearing this, Lu Ji frowned slightly and waved his hand, signaling the other subordinates to leave. After they had exited, Lu Ji spoke in a calm, measured tone. “Some of them may already have been compromised.”

The middle-aged man, now at a loss for words, nodded silently. The arrogance of the aristocratic families had grown over the years, and now they even dared to extend their influence into the Regent’s Office.

The man’s name was Ren Xun, the head of the Regent’s Office of Attendants and a Level 59 Spellmaster, as well as one of Lu Ji’s closest confidants.

“What happened in Donghai?” Lu Ji asked.

“A Void invasion occurred in Donghai Province, leading to the destruction of the Divine Revelation Monolith and the deaths of thousands of examinees! The Donghai Provincial Assembly has initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Chen Beiguo.”

Lu Ji’s expression darkened upon hearing this. The loss of thousands of examinees equated to the loss of thousands of future professionals, some of whom might have risen to become key figures in the Empire’s strength. 

This was a significant blow to the Empire. The fact that Chen Beiguo was being impeached only deepened Lu Ji’s frown.

Chen Beiguo was someone Lu Ji had personally promoted. It had been Lu Ji who had pushed through intense opposition to appoint a governor of commoner origins like Chen Beiguo to the governorship of Donghai Province. He was one of the few governor-level officials under Lu Ji’s direct influence.

“What exactly happened?”

“It seems that a Void Follower managed to infiltrate the group of examinees. Governor Chen’s daughter vouched for this follower’s participation in the imperial examination, and as a result, the incident occurred.”

“The Provincial Assembly believes that Governor Chen is connected to the Void Followers and has initiated impeachment proceedings.”

Ren Xun handed over a few documents with a serious expression. “The Imperial Cardinal Council has already approved the impeachment and is demanding that Chen Beiguo undergo an investigation by the Imperial Surveillance Department.”

Lu Ji’s expression remained unchanged as he accepted the documents. After a quick glance, his face showed a trace of anger.

“Donghai Province has been stable for over a decade, yet in just three days, it has experienced consecutive Void sacrifice events and now a Void invasion?”

Ren Xun, hearing this, suddenly realized something. “You mean… it’s the Qin family?”

Understanding dawned on him as he muttered, “No wonder the eldest son of the Qin family suddenly went to Donghai…”

Qin Xian’s sudden departure from the Imperial Capital to Donghai City during the awakening ceremony, even at the cost of violating imperial law, had naturally drawn the attention of many factions. Now it seemed that this was all Qin Xian’s doing.

Ren Xun’s anger grew. “What is the Qin family planning? Their appetite is so large that they even want Donghai!”

Out of the Empire’s thirty-seven provinces, eleven governors were aligned with the Qin family. If they added Donghai Province, it would make twelve—nearly a third of the Empire under the Qin family’s control!

“Chen Beiguo can no longer remain as governor. Inform the Cardinal Council that we will agree to appoint Speaker Yu Feng as the new governor. However, the Surveillance Department should not investigate Chen Beiguo,” Lu Ji said after a moment of contemplation. 

“Transfer Chen Beiguo to the Northern Army to serve as Chief of Staff, and appoint Director Huangfu Zhe of the Statistics Office to be the Speaker of the Donghai Provincial Assembly.”

There was no denying that Lu Ji’s political acumen was extraordinarily refined. The Northern Army’s reconstruction had been blocked by the Cardinal Council and the Imperial Assembly, with their candidates for high-ranking positions rejected on grounds of insufficient qualifications. 

Since Chen Beiguo could not remain as governor, Lu Ji decided to shift him to the Northern Army instead. Given Chen Beiguo’s qualifications and experience, even the aristocratic families could not object.

By agreeing to the Qin family taking control of Donghai Province, Lu Ji was able to secure Chen Beiguo’s position as Chief of Staff in the Northern Army. The Qin family would likely agree, as pushing further could lead to a broader conflict. 

If Lu Ji brought the Donghai governorship to a vote in the Imperial Assembly, the aristocratic families would undoubtedly fight fiercely for it.

Moreover, Lu Ji was aware of the tacit understanding between him and Qin Ming…

By appointing Huangfu Zhe as the new Speaker of Donghai Province, Lu Ji was introducing a counterbalance. The Huangfu family, a prominent noble house, had long had a strained relationship with the Qin family. 

With Huangfu Zhe as the second most powerful figure in Donghai, the Huangfu family would certainly seize the opportunity to challenge the Qin family’s dominance in the province.

In this maneuver, Lu Ji not only protected Chen Beiguo but also stoked tensions between the Qin and Huangfu families while securing real power within the Northern Army.

Yet, despite this political chess game, the biggest winner was still the Qin family, having secured control over Donghai Province…

“By the way, what have you found regarding that other matter?” Lu Ji suddenly asked, his gaze intense as he looked at Ren Xun with a serious expression.

“It hasn’t gone well… We’ve been secretly investigating the Imperial Guard’s archives from that year, but many of the records have either been destroyed or are missing.”

“As for the whereabouts of His Majesty, we’re still searching. We suspect… that the Emperor may be trapped in some sort of dimensional prison!”