When Yang Wenqing heard this question, he finally understood why the provincial governors elsewhere did not openly appoint their own people: they could not get past the Second Seat Council.
But Jade Whale Island's circumstances were somewhat unusual. It had been swallowed in a single gulp, and at the time, everyone Yang Wenqing could use was one of his own. By the time others wanted to intervene, it was already too late.
Now, faced with the Second Seat Council's questioning and the attention of thousands of people present, Yang Wenqing was not remotely flustered. He understood the importance of having a thick skin, so he said with a smile, "The Jade Whale Island campaign was a military operation. Apart from my clansmen, nobody else was willing to participate in a mission that could cost them their lives."
"When we captured Jade Whale Island, we needed large numbers of administrative personnel, so I appointed officials from those close at hand. These were the people beside me at the time. It was a stopgap measure."
This was a veiled jab at certain people eyeing a slice of the cake: they had hidden in the shadows and refused to contribute when people were dying in battle, but now that the territory had been conquered, they had come demanding benefits.
The moment he said this, quite a few people began whispering among themselves. Some members of the Third Seat Council even laughed aloud, particularly the Metal Element Sect cultivators, who all but called out the Azure Wave Manor and Cangwu Sect by name for their shamelessness.
Nothing unpleasant actually happened, however, since everyone was speaking among themselves, and many simply pretended not to hear the others' foul language.
"Quiet!"
Jiang Yi's loud rebuke brought silence back to the hall.
Then he asked, "Director Wen