Half a month later, in the depths of the imperial palace in Heaven Dou City, at the Prince's Mansion.
The courtyard was silent. Two grand chairs sat beneath the covered walkway, with Qian Renxue and Qian Daoliu seated in them, their expressions calm.
Li Taibai stood at Qian Daoliu's side with his hands lowered, his gaze sweeping over the kneeling figure in the courtyard.
Xue Qinghe knelt on the ground, his back ramrod straight, though he could not hide the deference between his brows.
He wore the prince's everyday attire. Though he wore no jade ornaments, he already carried something of a crown prince's bearing. But before Qian Renxue, that bearing vanished without a trace, leaving only cautious reverence.
"Xue Qinghe, how are the matters I entrusted to you progressing?" Qian Renxue's voice broke the silence.
Xue Qinghe hurriedly kowtowed, his voice clear and respectful. "Reporting to my master: of Heaven Dou's two million troops, five hundred thousand elite soldiers have been organized into five armies. I have gained control of two of them."
"Of the remaining one and a half million miscellaneous troops, another three hundred thousand have also been placed under my command."
"Everyone at the Heaven Dou Royal Academy has also been replaced with my trusted men, ensuring that orders can be carried out without obstruction."
"Nicely done." Qian Renxue gave a slight nod.
Xue Qinghe hurriedly replied, "This is all thanks to my master's brilliant plans and your clearing the obstacles in my path."
"If you hadn't dealt with the First Prince's and Third Prince's factions, I could never have gained control of these forces so smoothly."
His words were half truth and half flattery. The pills and intelligence Qian Renxue had provided really had been crucial to his rise.
Qian Renxue tapped the armrest with