World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 944 - 439: Fu Lingxi kneels down! Witch Yuanyuan!_2

Chapter 944: 439: Fu Lingxi kneels down! Witch Yuanyuan!_2

Zhi Ning said, "There’s nothing wrong with that."

"Of course there is something wrong," Fang Qingzhuo said. "You and I are not the same, you are still young. Besides, my husband is dead, while Suo Lun is still alive."

Zhi Ning’s beautiful eyes dimmed, she shook her head and said, "It’s impossible between Suo Lun and me. In his eyes, I’m as light as a cloud. And my feelings for him aren’t so deep that I have to cling to him. In fact, if it weren’t for going back to Rage Wave Kingdom, I might have already forgotten him. Neither of us will take the initiative, so it’s impossible."

Fang Qingzhuo’s face turned slightly red, and she said embarrassingly, "What about that night, when... when he squeezed you, didn’t you feel anything?"

Zhi Ning remembered that scene at night.

Because Suo Lun played a trick, feeding the baby spicy vegetables, Zhi Ning couldn’t help but slap him. And Suo Lun then took liberties with her, giving her butt a twist.

How to describe that feeling?

During her time in the Flame Empire, she had forced herself to be strong; her entire world was filled with the child about to be born.

After the baby was born, her heart was completely occupied by the baby, she nearly forgot about Suo Lun.

However, since Suo Lun saved her and the baby at the crucial moment, especially when she saw how happy the baby looked in his arms, Zhi Ning felt her heart gradually melting.

Tonight, as everyone sat together for dinner, the baby was in Suo Lun’s arms.

That warm feeling, like a tide, flooded her entire being.

All this time, to protect the baby, she could become strong, wrapping herself in a hard shell on the outside.

But now Suo Lun appeared, effortlessly taking the baby from her arms, becoming the new protector.

Suddenly, Zhi Ning felt her posture become lazy, and she unconsciously wanted to lean in closer.

What bothered her greatly was that, when she was with Suo Lun, there was a barrier between them, as if they had nothing to say. This made her doubt whether there was still any affection between them?

But then, when Suo Lun was bad to the baby, she spoke up to blame him, even slapped Suo Lun.

This kind of playful scolding seemed extremely natural, completely diluting that barrier of having nothing to say.

And that twist on her butt from Suo Lun!

How to put it? Zhi Ning was too embarrassed to say it out loud, but she felt half her body go numb, her body was very mature, and in the moment of being twisted, she even felt an itch between her thighs.

Of course, she would die before she admitted such a thing.

"No feeling, in any case, I will not forgive him." Zhi Ning burrowed into the quilt, turning her back to Fang Qingzhuo and said, "Alright, sister-in-law, I’m going to sleep now."

...

After all the family had gone to bed, Suo Lun still worked late into the night.

The court and administrative structure of the Rage Wave Kingdom were also inherited from the Flame Dragon Empire of the Dragon Emperor.

The cabinet and Commander-in-chief’s Office stood side by side.

The cabinet had one Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, and six Ministers.

Sometimes, the Deputy Prime Ministers had specific duties, while at other times they were also Ministers of one of the six departments.

The six departments were modeled after the ancient Chinese dynasties: the Ministry of Personnel, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Rites, Ministry of War, Department of Punishments, and Ministry of Works.

However, the authority of the Ministry of War here was greatly curtailed and was basically only responsible for the second-line military forces in each province and county.

In this world, the level of martial power far exceeded that of ancient China, and martial artists were ranked above scholars.

Moreover, the main theme of the Rage Wave Kingdom for over a hundred years has been military expansion. Thus, the Commander-in-chief’s Office is not only on par with, but even supersedes the cabinet.

Members of the Commander-in-chief’s Office are generally six to seven people.

The Grand Marshal, four Corps Commanders, and the Commander of the Imperial Guards accounted for six people.

And sometimes, the Crown Prince of the royal family would have a concurrent position in the Commander-in-chief’s Office, so there would be seven people.

Cabinet plus Commander-in-chief’s Office formed the core ruling structure of Rage Wave Kingdom. Suo Lun’s blood replacement in the Rage Wave Kingdom’s court had to start with these two core areas.

Power comes from the barrel of a gun; the replacement in the Commander-in-chief’s Office was already complete, without even informing the cabinet.

Suo Lun personally took the position of the Grand Marshal of the Commander-in-chief’s Office, Chu Ye became the Dragon Guard Legion Commander, his father-in-law Yan Yan became the Northern Legion Commander, Count Tuli Yun became the Southwestern Legion Commander, and the Southeast Corps Commander was temporarily assumed by Suo Lun.

The reshuffling of the cabinet had just begun.

Duke Zhi Ting replaced Yan Wuzhi and became the Prime Minister of the cabinet.

Next, Yan Wuzhi and Gui Xingfu will also enter the cabinet, with Gui Xingfu joining the Department of Punishments to control the prisons across the land. This will facilitate the forthcoming thorough purge of the officialdom in the Rage Wave Kingdom.

Minister of Personnel Heimu is considered one of our own, and he will definitely cooperate.

Yan Wuzhi will enter the cabinet as the Governor-General of Zhi Du.

Though Zhi Du is not a province, apart from a royal city, it governs five prefectures and thirty-seven counties. Both in terms of area and population, it is no less than a province.

The last Governor-General of Zhi Du was personally held by Zhi Li, so the City Defense Army of the royal city has always been firmly grasped in Zhi Li’s hands. This military force is the main target of Lord Suo Lun’s upcoming thorough purge and reshuffling.

Among the cabinet members, there is one more person Lord Suo Lun must replace.

That is Finance Minister Suofu. Yes, he also bears the surname Suo, but he has no relation to the Su Family of Tian Shui City, and he is a direct loyalist of Zhi Li. Lord Suo Lun is determined to eliminate him.

So, who will fill the vacated position of Finance Minister?

Lord Suo Lun truly has no candidates in hand, not even half a person.

He has two ideas, one is to have Duke Zhi Ting temporarily take on the role. Although it may not be completely in line with the rules, it’s not without precedent. For instance, if a member of the cabinet suddenly dies or is arrested for corruption, the Prime Minister or the Deputy Prime Minister will temporarily fill the vacancy of a ministerial position.

The other idea is to have Hai Gang take on the role.

Because Hai Gang is currently drafting a memorial to request Yingzhou Island Province’s annexation to the Rage Wave Kingdom, which would be a grand gift for Princess Zhi Yan’s ascension to the throne.

From then on, the Hai Family of Yingzhou Island will become the nineteenth noble house of the Rage Wave Kingdom, displacing the Ashi Clan to become the primary noble house of the Rage Wave Kingdom.

Hai Gang is only decent in warfare, but his abilities in making and spending money are quite extraordinary.

However, it is very inappropriate for him to join the cabinet right after annexing to the Rage Wave Kingdom.

If there is really no other way, then Duke Zhi Ting will have to take on the role, more work for the able.

The Minister of Rites also needs to be replaced, but not immediately.

The Minister of Rites is crucial, not only in charge of the kingdom’s foreign affairs but also responsible for liaising with the Dragon Temple, as well as handling all affairs related to the kingdom’s nobles. Moreover, the Royal City Academy and all academies in the provinces, prefectures, and counties are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites.

Lord Suo Lun intends to give Jian Yong a chance, as he is already the dean of the Royal City Academy. Lord Suo Lun plans to let him serve as Deputy Minister of Rites first. If he proves sensible, in the future, he might be promoted to Minister of Rites and join the cabinet.

After the reshuffling of the cabinet and the Commander-in-chief’s Office is complete, it will be the turn of the provinces and counties below!

This is a lengthy process, and in order not to cause political turmoil within the kingdom, it will be like slowly boiling a frog in warm water.

The entire transition of the court will need at least two years.

As for the southern expansion into the Barbarian Domain, that is at least five years away.

Governing a large country is like cooking a small dish; one must not be hasty.

...

"Master!" Zhuang Zhixuan’s voice came from outside.

Lord Suo Lun noticed that Zhuang Zhixuan’s voice was filled with trembling, which had never happened before.

"What’s wrong?" Lord Suo Lun asked.

"My former master has come," Zhuang Zhixuan said.

And then, the entire princess manor was permeated with an enchanting fragrance.

Princess Yuanyuan of Yaozhou slowly stepped in and cast a flirtatious glance at Lord Suo Lun, her voice soft, "A man should be regarded with a new eye after being apart for three days. Who would have thought that Lord Suo Lun has now become the ruler of a nation?"

Lord Suo Lun looked at this witch and said coldly, "What business do you have coming here?"

Princess Yuanyuan of Yaozhou said, "I have come to take Zhuang Zhixuan with me. My dear, let’s go. You’re coming home with me."

...

Note: The first update of four thousand words is here; I ask for your support, thank you, everyone!