Can I take this as you begging for mercy?

Situ Xuan closed the last file, tossed it to the right, then leaned back in his chair and stretched. His bones cracked, his muscles loosened, and an indescribable comfort spread through his entire body.

"Take them away."

Wang Dongchen stepped forward, stacked the files on the right, held them in his arms, and turned toward the door. After two steps, he stopped again and said without looking back, "Grand President, Gu Yuena is already waiting outside."

Situ Xuan nodded.

"Let her in."

Wang Dongchen pushed the door open and walked out. The door closed behind him with a dull thud.

Situ Xuan sat in his chair, crossed one leg over the other, and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest. His eyes were half open, half closed, his gaze deep and calm, giving nothing away.

Handling government affairs over the past few days had given him a new understanding of those aristocratic clans and powerful families. With the starlight marks Vasha had planted, the surviving councilors had fully demonstrated what ten-thousand-year-old family foundations truly meant.

Anyone who could become a councilor was a master among masters. They were versed in power politics, economics, law, diplomacy, and every skill needed to govern a nation.

It was just that in the past, because of tangled interests and mutual obstruction from all sides, they had never been able to fully display their talents.

All factions held one another back. No one let anyone else have an easy time, and no one could even think about taking a slice of the cake.

But now things were different!

Under the threat to their lives and their nine generations of kin, Mingdu's various great families had formed an executive force like precision machinery. Their initiative was astonishingly high, their efficiency terrifyingly fast, and their coordination