By the time he returned to the imperial palace after parting with the governors, dusk had fallen and the snow had eased. Xuanyuan Changying was full of ambition and thoroughly satisfied with everything that had happened today.
This was the first time since he had begun acting as regent that he had summoned the governors and high ministers of every province to Xuanyuan Hill to report on their duties. Great Xia's governors had all come. To a certain extent, this display of attitude from them was an acknowledgment of Xuanyuan Changying, and it pleased him greatly.
What pleased Xuanyuan Changying even more were the trump cards he had revealed today at the Divine Strategy Army's weapons testing range. After those trump cards had been laid bare, seeing that trace of awe in the eyes of Great Xia's regional lords was like drinking iced sour plum soup on a sweltering summer day—refreshing him from head to toe.
If he wanted to ascend the imperial throne, the attitudes and support of these regional lords of Great Xia were indispensable. If he could not earn enough respect and awe from them, the road upward would be rugged beyond measure. Even if he barely managed to reach that position, no one could say what effect the imperial palace's orders would have once they left Xuanyuan Hill. Throughout history, in every age and every land, emperors who had been hollowed out by their ministers or jointly deceived by them were as numerous as the hairs on an ox. Xuanyuan Changying had no desire to become such an emperor. If that were the case, what meaning would there be in ruling the four corners of the world? He would be nothing more than a puppet and an idol propped up high by others. He might as