"May I ask your esteemed name, brother?"
Xu Tianran asked Meng Chen.
"My surname is Meng, and my given name is Chen."
Huh?
That answer left Xu Tianran and Ju Zi stunned again.
He was a younger member of Ye Xishui's family, yet his surname was Meng. Was he a cousin, then?
Xu Tianran was lost in a fog. He promptly stopped dwelling on the matter and merely said politely, "So it's Brother Meng."
Then he turned to Ye Xishui and said respectfully, "But... Elder Ye, your decision to have large numbers of Holy Spirit Cult members withdraw from the empire has already had an impact. The court is in turmoil, and the ministers have quite a few complaints about me. How about we hold a celebration of your ascension to godhood...?"
Ye Xishui shook her head. "There's no need. Don't publicize it, understood? I'll be staying in Mingdu for a while. That should be enough to demonstrate my support for you."
Hearing this, Xu Tianran had no choice but to agree. "Yes, we'll do as you say, Elder Ye. I'll have someone arrange accommodations for you near the Eastern Palace. Would that suit you?"
Ye Xishui nodded once. "That will do."
With the matter settled, Ye Xishui and Meng Chen left and went to the residence Xu Tianran had arranged.
The arrangements made by Crown Prince Xu Tianran were extraordinary indeed. Perhaps the Holy Spirit Cult's withdrawal over the past few days had truly frightened him, for the place he had arranged was actually an independent complex of palaces within the Eastern Palace.
With carved beams and painted rafters, it was lavish in the extreme. Servants kept carrying precious ornaments and silk bedding inside, while countless guards stood watch. The scale and pomp were tremendous; even an emperor moving