After Wu Qiankun left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhang Tie cleared his mind and sat quietly in the Mind-Nourishing Hall, cultivating his state of mind.
The most important reason Zhang Tie had chosen to recreate a Forbidden City in the Sky-Piercing Realm was that he felt the Forbidden City carried the cultural and traditional air of the Hua Clan. Take the two words "nourishing the mind," for instance—they could unfold into a whole host of principles for cultivating one's character and temperament. Such cultural depth was precisely what had allowed the Hua Clan, in the world Zhang Tie came from, to stand alone beneath heaven and look down proudly upon mankind.
Every brick and beam, every roof tile and room in the Forbidden City—even the names of its palaces and residences—held a special flavor. To someone far from home, that flavor stirred Zhang Tie's longing and settled his heart, making him feel at least a little less alone.
Unfortunately, Zhang Tie had not been cultivating his mind for long. Less than ten minutes after Wu Qiankun left the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Leng Manxue's familiar footsteps sounded by his ear once more.
"Your Majesty, this is the Thousand Mechanisms Office's work... report for the past month or so!"
Leng Manxue found the last four words slightly awkward and unfamiliar, because this so-called "work report" was a term Zhang Tie had invented. It was also one of the tasks he had assigned to Leng Manxue. As the chief steward of the Forbidden City, one of Leng Manxue's eyes had to remain fixed on Zhang Tie, while the other watched over the operations of the Thousand Mechanisms Office and the Five Great Courts on his behalf.
Zhang Tie rubbed the corner of his forehead, then opened his eyes. A document had