The Empress’ Livestream

That was a living thing. When others left work, he worked overtime. When others celebrated festive seasons, he worked overtime. When others were on leave, he continued to work overtime. While others flirted, got married, prepared for the birth of a child, he still worked overtime. Even if one sought to see highs and lows from him, when that person looked back, he was still working overtime.

If one went to Xiangyang district’s government office, one would find many such living things. After repeatedly working overtime, even the most hardworking subordinate will harbor feelings of disdain, especially if the lord neglected her work while subordinates slogged like dogs.

“Ever since Zixiao got slightly better and took over some work, the lord’s slacking ability has increased significantly…” Qiguan Rang softly sighed.

“The end of the year was approaching, and numerous work of all kinds was piling up. Unfortunately, his superior engaged in frivolous activities all day.

What brought him joy was that although his new colleague, Wei Ci, appeared cold and proud, he was actually gentle and amicable. He was highly competent in his work and didn’t like to talk much.

What frustrated him was his lord neglecting her work all day. In the past, she would come by the government office to pretend to be working. Now, even her shadow was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Ke didn’t bother about his image while he laid on the thick stack of bamboo scripts. He opened his eyes with great difficulty.

During the past few days of approving petitions, he used an entire box of ink slab. If this went on, there wouldn’t be enough.

“Having been slogging out these few days, the lord mentioned that we’ll be given a few days off work to rest, seven days in total,” Wei Ci said. “Why does Ke feel that we’ll only be given these seven days for the rest of the year?”

Qiguan Rang raised his brows and unapologetically said, “I don’t believe any of the words the lord says.”

Xu Ke was momentarily startled. He slowly arose from the pile of documents. He sat up straight and said in a serious tone, “Ke concurs with you.”

They were cheated by an empty check multiple times. Jiang Pengji’s credibility was already deemed questionable. Now, even her subordinates refused to believe her.

Wei Ci wanted to laugh but controlled himself. His throat became itchy, so he clenched his fists and pressed his lips together. A fragmented cough emerged from the side of his lips.

After a few coughs, he felt better and said, “This is considered alright already… Cough, cough… I fear it will only worsen…”

His thin and beautiful brows subsequently appeared distressed. Those at the side saw that and became worried for him. They wished they could help him finish coughing in one breath.

Wei Ci naturally loved silence, yet if he sincerely wanted to build a good relationship with others. There were few who disliked him. Even Qiguan Rang, who guarded his heart very well, had completely accepted Wei Ci. Their exchanges at work were joyful. An intelligent comrade was always better than a brainless colleague who was lovable.

Seeing Wei Ci suffering, Qiguan Rang’s heart became softened. He said, “Since you are coughing so badly, why don’t you rest for a while?”

The side of Wei Ci’s lips curled somewhat. He smiled and replied, “It’s nothing, just an old illness. Once the deep winter passes, I’ll be fine.”

Qiguan Rang saw that it didn’t look forced, so he was less worried. His attention shifted to another matter. “Did you say next year will be even busier?”

Wei Ci nodded his head. He was afraid the war would drag on from the start of the year to the end. Everyone knew Jiang Pengji would conquer the Tsing Yi army occupying Fengyi County after the beginning of spring. He still felt that her words could not be trusted, at least not completely. She always acted on what she thought. She would go to war with whomever provoked her, almost never following the rules.

“Looking at the current situation, Prince Changshou and the Emperor are facing each other at war across the river,” he said. “During early spring next year, it will be a tumultuous war ahead. Regardless of who wins or loses, Dongqing will be plagued with division across the lands, which will turn chaotic. At the opportune time, all kinds of people will emerge. What is strange is… Cough, cough… The lord has governed Xiangyang district so well. Even if she doesn’t dispatch soldiers to challenge them, there will be jealous people who present themselves for a beating.”

Wei Ci’s eyes were filled with compassion. He knew that consistent with Jiang Pengji’s character, even if the others didn’t pick a fight, she would find excuses to enter other people’s houses to survey.

Qiguan Rang’s expression became stiff. Xu Ke’s reaction was even more aggravated. He almost threw the ink slab. He was rather frustrated as he looked at Wei Ci

“Can you pretend you don’t know about this incident?” he asked.

Wei Ci looked shocked, but he involuntarily laughed. It revealed a stunning bright smile. “Sure.”

From his perspective, this lord would surpass the lord from the previous generation. In this century, at least she care about infrastructure and fighting wars slowly. In the previous generation, she was only interested in conquering territories.

If Qiguan Rang and the rest knew what their lord in the previous life was like, they would draw their swords, commit suicide and pray that in their next life they wouldn’t need to work overtime. As Wei Ci imagined this scenario, the sides of his lips uncontrollably raised by a few degrees.

Xu Ke muttered, “Next year, when the lord is completely settled down, I wonder if we can advertise to hire virtuous people.”

If they didn’t start publicizing for new hires, he felt the few of them would be exhausted and die on their case documents.

Wei Ci knitted his brows and thought for a moment before saying, “The time has not yet come. If we were to publicize for hires of virtuous people, the lord will become a target for public criticism. I have good relations with some close friends with whom the lord was also classmates and friends. I will write to them to ask if they are willing to come.”

Xu Ke’s eyes lit up. He thought, How did I forget about this?

Since Wei Xi was the disciple of Master Yuanjing, he would have a wide network. If he cast his net wide, they would certainly find some incredible people.

Qiguan Rang thought more holistically and said, “The best would be if their background was simple.”

Wei Ci understood this deeply and nodded in agreement. Except for Feng Jin, the rest of Jiang Pengji’s workforce weren’t of noble birth. Their backgrounds were rather uncomplicated. The benefits and conflicts they might be associated with was greatly minimized. This was advantageous to the unity of a new and expanding internal department.

If not for Dongqing’s earthquake, Feng Jin may not have landed in Jiang Pengji’s hands. It was a surprise to all for him to join them. Fortunately, Feng Jin was open-minded and possessed a transparent personality. He was truly a humane gentleman. He wasn’t entrenched by the mindset of rich descendants of aristocrats nor did he have the bad temperament of the high and noble men.

Feng Jin blended in well with Jiang Pengji’s subordinates. They all had good working relationships. There were no divergent viewpoints or conflicts, and everyone discussed things in harmony. If an unfamiliar and unfriendly person comes along, Qiguan Rang was worried the internal harmony would be affected.

Wei Ci wished to help Jiang Pengji ascend the throne. Since it wouldn’t hinder her progress, it was highly advantageous. It was better than the previous century when she had no literate scholar by her side to serve her. Back then, she basically started from scratch.

Once her concrete goals slowly took shape, an aristocratic family wanted to scheme against her. They tried to hijack her authority behind the scenes. It was proven that such actions were no different from challenging the god of hell. Because of the incident, she could no longer be bothered with people offering themselves. She preferred people she identified with.

This created an interesting trend. When Jiang Pengji started her dynasty, except for a group of military generals, 80 percent of her strategist officials were identified by her personally, and they all had a previous lord they worked under. Their ex-bosses were beheaded by her.

With regards to those she defeated at war, they either followed her to establish a new regime or drew their swords to end their lives. She was domineering and wilful, and she never gave anyone a third choice.

Wei Ci loved and worshipped such a willful and free-spirited woman like her. He was mesmerized by her.

To establish and unify the nine prefectures and lord over the broken lands required immense courage and determination. It was a relief that she didn’t lack either.