Late at night.
Isha stayed behind in the office alone, working overtime to handle official business.
She inspected the formal attire Li An would wear on the day of his inauguration ceremony as an imperial minister, double-checked his speech, and ensured nothing had been missed.
The inauguration ceremony was scheduled to take place in the Grand Banquet Hall of the Imperial Palace.
Since most of the empire's central nobility, high-ranking officials, and members of the royal family would be in attendance, there was absolutely no room for error.
“That man is really... What would he ever do without me?”
Isha spun the pen in her hand and sighed softly.
Sometimes, Li An's sense of responsibility was truly incomprehensible.
For instance, even though his inauguration ceremony was right around the corner, he actually had the peace of mind to run off to a banquet and drink.
Isha stretched her arms and massaged her slightly aching shoulders.
Still, Li An was a conscientious person at heart.
Surely nothing would go wrong.
And yet, something did go wrong.
Just a moment ago.
His lips had been stolen, completely catching him off guard.
Li An saw everything with absolute clarity.
The young girl in front of him had messy hair, and her breathing was somewhat rushed, yet her face was adorned with a smile brighter than ever before.
She even chuckled softly.
This woman, who usually loved to calculate and plan several steps ahead, had no plan whatsoever at this moment.
She simply wanted to enjoy this moment to the absolute fullest.
The girl's lips parted slightly, silently asking a question.
Once more?
“Aaaaaah! The Minister has a lover!”
Sushia's earth-shattering shout finally snapped Li An back to his senses.
He jolted awake.
Although no one had recognized the young girl in front of him yet, her true identity was the Second Princess of the empire, Serena Barba.
If he didn't smooth this over quickly, the front page of tomorrow's Imperial Magazine would probably read:
《The Empire's Youngest Minister Secretly Meeting a Mysterious Woman!》
By then, Li An would likely be labeled as “the empire's number-one playboy.”
The entire empire would be thrown into a massive uproar because of it.
Li An hurriedly shook his head like mad.
“Don't misunderstand, everyone! This was a talent performance I prepared in advance.”
“Trust me, I will definitely win first place for tonight's talent show.”
As he spoke, he desperately winked at Serena.
Please.
Just play along.
I'm begging you.
However, Serena merely squinted her eyes smugly.
Her expression seemed to say:
Guess what? If I don't play along, what are you going to do about it?
Li An fell silent for a moment.
Just then, he noticed that Serena's shoulders were trembling slightly from the cold.
And so, he immediately took off his own coat.
It was a high-grade coat made of fine wool.
Li An draped it over Serena's shoulders.
A bribe.
A blatant bribe.
Serena was visibly taken aback.
Afterward, she slipped into the coat, which was obviously a size too large for her, and nodded in satisfaction.
“I am Celi of the Breeze Troupe.”
“If everyone enjoyed themselves tonight, please come and watch our performance next time.”
Serena lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsied gracefully.
Her movement was as precise as a professional stage actress taking her final bow.
Only then did the tense atmosphere finally ease up.
Immediately after, applause erupted.
“Wow, that really scared me just now! I thought it was real!”
“The Breeze Troupe? We should definitely check them out when we have a chance.”
The banquet resumed its lively atmosphere.
Li An also finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That was close.
Just a bit more, and his reputation would have been completely ruined.
Just then, Serena walked up to Li An, leaned in close to his ear, and whispered:
“Please look after me in the future, Liar Prince.”
Having said that, she turned around and walked down the stairs.
Her retreating figure was so graceful that she looked exactly like an actress who had just finished her curtain call.
However, it wasn't long before...
...she poked her head back up from the staircase.
“...Um, could you lend me a carriage?”
Serena's cheeks were already incredibly flushed.
No matter what, she couldn't possibly walk all the way back in the dead of this freezing night.
Looking at her, Li An could only sigh helplessly in the end.
That night, Li An slept exceptionally soundly.
He had originally thought that after such an incident, he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at all.
In the end, the moment his head hit the pillow, he immediately blacked out.
The next day.
For the first time in a long while, Li An arrived at the office feeling completely refreshed.
In the empty office, neatly sorted documents were already placed on the desk.
On one of the copies of his inauguration speech, there was a familiar handwriting.
【Special attention is required for the pronunciation here.】
【This word needs to be emphasized.】
It was Isha's handwriting.
Just like preparing for an exam, she had carefully highlighted every key point in the inauguration speech and even written supplementary notes on the side.
Not only that.
The documents on the desk, which were originally a messy jumble, had also been neatly categorized and organized by her according to their usage.
...
For some reason, Li An felt a bit guilty.
“Li An, you arrived so early.”
Isha had entered the office at some point.
She tied her hair neatly behind her head and curtsied slightly to Li An.
“Good morning.”
“The custom-made formal wear prepared for your inauguration ceremony arrived today. Would you like to try it on now?”
“Let's try it on then.”
Although a semi-finished fitting had been done beforehand based on Li An's measurements, a formal suit for such an occasion ultimately needed to be checked one more time.
Soon, the formal attire was brought in.
Made of dark blue velvet adorned with gold thread, a single glance was enough to feel its sheer luxury.
Looking at these clothes, Li An even felt a sliver of trepidation.
Such expensive clothes...
Is it really suitable for someone like him to wear?
“Let me help you take off your coat...”
Isha stepped closer.
But in the next moment, her expression suddenly froze.
“What's wrong?”
“...There seems to be something on your shoulder.”
Isha reached out and gently brushed something off Li An's shoulder with the back of her hand.
Right at that moment.
Familiar footsteps approached from outside.
The office door was pushed wide open.
“Minister! Oh, wait! You are an imperial minister now!”
“Minister! Yesterday was so much fun!”
The newcomer was none other than Sushia.
Her face was practically painted with the word "excitement."
As soon as she stepped inside, she impatiently dropped a bombshell.
“She really is your lover, isn't she?”
“That woman from yesterday!”
“Even if you can fool everyone else, you definitely can't fool me, Sushia!”
Li An's lips twitched.
“I already told you that was a performance prepared in advance.”
“Lover?”
Isha's gaze locked onto Li An.
“A performance?”
“What does that mean?”
Sushia naturally wouldn't let such a prime gossip opportunity slip by.
She immediately opened her mouth and recounted everything that happened last night from beginning to end.
Isha listened quietly for quite a while.
Then, she spoke softly.
“Now that I think about it, as Li An's assistant, there still seem to be many areas where I haven't done well enough.”
“No matter how private the occasion is, one must exercise greater caution.”
“After all, no one knows when or what might happen.”
“No, you've already done perfectly.”
Li An said without the slightest hesitation.
“From today onward, whether you go drinking or attend to other matters, I will accompany you.”
Isha said with a serious expression.
“Don't—you—agree?”
Li An fell silent for a second.
“...Indeed, that is necessary.”
Seeing Isha begin to adjust her hair, Li An immediately nodded.
Exceptionally fast.
He was utterly terrified that delaying for even a single second would cost him his capable assistant.
Finally.
The highly anticipated day of the inauguration ceremony arrived.
An imperial carriage was already parked at the entrance of Li An's home.
Following his pay raise, Li An had moved into a much larger mansion.
What made him even more speechless was that Isha naturally knew his home address.
Just when on earth did this girl investigate him?
Isha was already sitting in the carriage, waiting for him.
Li An couldn't help but steal a glance at her.
At this hour, as the Third Princess of the empire, Elizabeth should already be at the palace preparing for her own part of the ceremony, right?
Yet she sat here right now with absolute confidence.
“Get in quickly.”
“I understand.”
Li An boarded the carriage.
As expected of a royal carriage.
The interior was soft and comfortable, and sitting inside, one could barely feel any jolts from the road.
Isha sighed softly.
“I am truly worried about leaving you by yourself, but due to identity issues, I can only get off at the palace entrance.”
“I understand.”
“After all, you've even let your hair down, haven't you?”
“Should we resolve this issue right now?”
“I was just joking.”
Li An immediately retracted his gaze.
Although it was during peak rush hour, the carriage still traveled through the main streets without any obstruction.
Traffic control had been established along the route ahead of time for today's grand event.
This was the power of authority.
Even the road leading to the palace was completely cleared.
As the carriage bearing the imperial coat of arms approached, the guards along the way parted to open a path.
“Read over your inauguration speech one last time.”
“Also, keep your back straight and keep your eyes forward.”
“Got it.”
Upon reaching the palace entrance, Isha was the first to disembark.
Yet even as she walked away, she still turned back from time to time to look at Li An.
Her behavior made Li An feel somewhat uneasy no matter how he looked at it.
Just then.
Another carriage approached from the side.
And it, too, bore the coat of arms of the imperial family.
Looking through the window, Li An spotted Bernstein inside.
Their gazes met through the glass.
Li An silently mouthed.
Save me.
Bernstein silently mouthed back.
Save you my foot! Why don't you save me? I was dragged here too!
This time around.
The two of them were becoming imperial ministers together.
Even for the fabulously wealthy empire, hosting two separate inauguration ceremonies would be excessively wasteful.
So in the end, the imperial family simply combined their ceremonies.
Thanks to this, the attention focused on Li An was somewhat reduced.
As expected.
Having a good friend to share the pain with was indeed highly important.
“Please step this way, Your Excellency Minister.”
Once the carriage came to a stop, imperial attendants were already waiting nearby to guide Li An to the venue.
Li An followed the attendant into the waiting room.
After a final appearance check, he finally made his way toward the Grand Banquet Hall.
As Li An stepped onto the corridor covered in a vibrant red carpet...
...the resounding blast of a horn suddenly echoed.
Immediately after.
Clap, clap, clap!
Thunderous applause erupted from all directions.
The empire's most distinguished nobles rose one after another, applauding the newly appointed minister.
At this moment.
Li An finally felt a tangible sense of reality that he had truly become an imperial minister.
“Oh!”
“Our Minister is here!”
“The future of the empire has finally arrived!”
At the very top of the banquet hall.
The Emperor was already seated upon a luxurious throne.
Due to his poor health, it was already difficult for him to move normally.
The Crown Prince stood by his side, responsible for presiding over today's inauguration ceremony.
When Li An saw the Emperor, he couldn't help but freeze slightly.
The Emperor was coughing.
In the past, when he was flanked by a group of ministers harboring sinister motives, the Emperor had still appeared highly majestic.
Yet now that those corrupt ministers were no longer around him, his shoulders sagged, and his face appeared pale.
He looked in every aspect like an ordinary old man who had lost his power and could only linger in the back garden.
A strange thought couldn't help but pop into Li An's mind.
This feeling...
...was like an old, retired father who had lost his source of income and had to rely entirely on the filial piety of his children.
Li An walked up the steps and was the first to salute the Emperor.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Cough, cough... As expected, the empire's Red-robed Ministers still have people like you.”
The Crown Prince stole a glance at the Emperor.
“Royal Father, since you are unwell, why don't you head back to the inner palace to rest?”
“Your health is what matters most, is it not?”
Judging solely from these words, the Crown Prince seemed like a perfectly filial son showing concern for his father.
But combined with his expression and actions, the meaning was entirely different.
This old geezer should hurry up and go sleep in the back.
Just leave this place to me.
“Cough, cough... It is not yet time.”
“Cough, cough... We are fine.”
Li An listened to the bouts of coughing.
Yeah.
It seemed the Emperor's condition today was indeed "not bad" at all.
“Now, it is time to make way for the future of the empire.”
The ceremony officially commenced.
Standing before the magic stone amplifier, Li An began to read the inauguration speech Isha had prepared for him in advance.
The content as a whole was fairly standard.
Concise.
Proper.
Without a single word of unnecessary nonsense.
Clap, clap, clap!
Applause rang out once more.
Soon after, Bernstein's inauguration speech also concluded smoothly.
Next, the Crown Prince personally retrieved an item.
It was a ministerial badge.
In the empire, every minister's badge had a different shape, usually featuring a certain animal as its symbol.
For the newly established Development and Innovation Department, the ministerial badge was a monkey.
As for Li An...
...it was a dragon.
Looking at the dragon-shaped badge, Li An's lips couldn't help but twitch.
Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?
The Crown Prince spoke with a deadpan expression:
“Last night, a massive dragon appeared in my dream.”
“It told this prince that your symbol, which is the badge of an imperial minister, must be a dragon.”
“...”
Li An was completely speechless.
He didn't even know where to begin complaining.
Following the conclusion of the badge presentation ceremony, the Crown Prince announced the end of the official proceedings on behalf of the royal family.
With that, the atmosphere within the Grand Banquet Hall underwent a shift.
The formal ceremony was over.
Up next was the banquet itself, which the nobles had truly been looking forward to.
The attendants began preparing the drinks and food.
Yet right at this moment...
...Li An suddenly reached up and detached the dragon-shaped badge from his chest.
“What is going on?”
A distinct trace of shock crept into the Crown Prince's voice.
On formal occasions within the palace, every single action could carry a specific political implication.
At a political level, Li An's act of taking off his ministerial badge could easily be interpreted as a single sentence.
I don't want to be this minister anymore.
The Crown Prince's expression instantly lit up.
“Could it be, Li An, that you...”
Taking off the badge meant refusing to continue serving as a minister.
But if one handed the badge over to another person, it represented swearing fealty to that individual.
Furthermore, doing so in front of so many nobles and members of the royal family.
Such an act of loyalty was not something that could be casually replaced by mere words.
For a moment, the Crown Prince was so excited he could barely breathe.
Over the years, just how much effort had he spent trying to plant his people inside the Evaluation Department?
Now, those efforts were finally paying off!
However.
Clutching the badge in his hand, Li An slowly walked in the direction of the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“Li An, as expected, you...”
Just as everyone held their breath.
Li An stopped in his tracks.
“Your Majesty, please accept my badge.”
“?”
“You are the true future of the empire! You are the only light of our Barba Empire!”
The Crown Prince's smile instantly froze on his face.
Li An bowed slightly.
The object of his badge presentation was not the Crown Prince.
It was the coughing Emperor seated upon his throne.
This Emperor, who no longer had any treacherous officials by his side.
This old man, who looked as if he had lost all his strength.
This Emperor, who had almost become a mere puppet.
But what did that matter?
Since there were no treacherous ministers left around him...
...then Li An would step up to be that treacherous minister.
Li An solemnly presented the dragon-shaped badge before the Emperor.
In the next instant.
...a single tear slowly slid down from the corner of the Emperor's eye.
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