"Grand Commandant, you..."
Cao Mao hesitated, leaving his words unfinished.
Zhuge Dan declared loudly, "Your Majesty entrusted me with important matters. How could I dare neglect them? This Xun Yi presides over the Imperial Secretariat, yet he is lazy and negligent. It is truly contemptible..."
"Negligent?!"
Xun Yi turned to stare at him in disbelief.
What damned nonsense are you spouting?
Your Lordship, negligent?
Do you have any idea how much work the Imperial Secretariat has had lately?
I deal with the secretaries in the morning, Zhong Hui in the afternoon, and you at night, and you call me lazy and negligent?
Had he been able to beat him, Xun Yi would have liked nothing better than to pounce on Zhuge Dan and strangle him right then.
Cao Mao invited the two to sit down, looking rather helpless. "Ah, Lord Xun, you are the only Senior Secretary in the Imperial Secretariat. I am truly sorry for the trouble. How about this?"
"Choose someone to promote as your deputy, to assist you with your work!"
Cao Mao's attitude was perfectly sincere. No one, whoever they might be, could possibly find fault with him.
What division of power? He was clearly looking out for Xun Yi, taking the initiative to lighten his burden. He was even letting the man choose the candidate himself. What more could anyone ask of His Majesty?
Xun Yi was deeply conflicted.
With the position of Right Senior Secretary unsettled, he was effectively the head of the Imperial Secretariat, governing the realm alone, with limitless prospects ahead.
Such power was beyond imagining.
But power often meant responsibility. Unlike the Three Excellencies and Nine Ministers, the Imperial Secretariat was a department that did actual work. He was not the Director of the Secretariat, either, so he could not simply