Huang Mei shook the jade fan in his hand so fast it blurred. "Quit putting on an act with me, like you're the only one with brains.
"Fine, I'll give you this: you played them off each other beautifully. You sat back and watched them first help you drive Chen Tingjun away, then force this bunch to hand over the benefits—and they still had to beg you three times before you'd agree to take the seat.
"You got all the credit and all the benefits. Be honest, did you plan the whole thing from the start, even when you were messing around with that ridiculous contract system? You're a damn schemer."
Xu Yi smiled faintly. "No need to praise me. If you have nothing to do, go back to the Starry Sky Ring and stay there. Don't go running all over the place, making a spectacle of yourself."
Huang Mei gagged. "You do your thing, I'll do mine. What's it to you?
"I've got three drinking parties today. The invitations came ages ago, and they even sent people to ask me personally. I can't turn them down. See you around."
Huang Mei staggered off, swaying with every step.
Meanwhile, Ren Cong and Jin Junmei came to see him again.
This time, Xu Yi had reorganized the personal guard and the joint council, and he was still putting the two of them in charge. But the various households had turned over considerably more resources, so Xu Yi also planned to expand the personal guard and the attendants serving the palace. He summoned the two men, discussed matters with them, then sent them off to get to work.
He didn't stay long at the Reverse Star Palace's central headquarters. The main reason was that the Primal Plains Gathering was fast approaching.
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