Let's just drift through life together in this quick transmigration story.

Chapter 449 Norio (42)

The retired emperor felt a long-lost sense of ease. There were no national affairs to attend to, only a close friend with whom he cultivated together.

Not long after Li Tian'ao ascended the throne, his ministers began urging him to select candidates for the imperial examinations.

They're so busy with court affairs every day, they don't have much time to linger in the harem.

These ministers must be spies sent by the Fifth Prince, hoping for his sudden death.

Li Tian'ao flew into a rage in the court, and then quietly slipped out of the palace and went to the Imperial Preceptor's residence.

The retired emperor and Fahe sat together, while Xiong Bufan watched the commotion from a distance.

Li Tian'ao's face was as bitter as a bitter gourd. He picked up his tea and complained, "Father, the ministers are urging me to hold a selection of concubines."

The retired emperor took a sip of tea and said indifferently, "If you don't want to choose, then don't choose. Just dismiss all the ministers who made the proposal."

"Father, this is not a good idea."

Xiong Bufan curled his lip. Li Tian'ao really was acting a bit foolish. The ministers were testing his bottom line.

If we give in to them this time, who knows what unreasonable demands they'll make next time.

The retired emperor said, "You are the emperor, the king of the world. You are in charge of the selection of imperial concubines."

"Yes, Father."

Xiong Bufan quietly approached the group and said, "Need me to raid your house? I can help you for free, and we'll split the profits 50/50 afterward."

Li Tian'ao was delighted to see Xiong Bufan, but remembering that the Emperor Emeritus was still by his side, he tried hard to suppress the upward curve of his lips.

The retired emperor thought of how Xiong Bufan robbed the imperial study, and he felt that there was no need to be so cruel to his former subjects.

But how exactly to do it depends on Li Tian'ao's intentions.

Fahe: "Xiong Bufan, you'd better stop doing such terrible things."

"You're a bastard!"

Xiong Bufan slapped Fahe across the face. She disliked that Fahe, with his shaved head, had wronged her for no reason.

She clearly wanted to contribute to the country and help Li Tian'ao govern it.

Li Tian'ao remained silent, but Xiong Bufan nudged him and said, "Long Aotian, what are you thinking?"

The retired emperor didn't know when his son had changed his name, but the name Long Aotian certainly sounded very imposing.

Li Tian'ao: "Then let's confiscate their property. After it's done, we'll split it 40/60, with the national treasury taking 60%."

"It's good enough to get paid," Xiong Bufan said with a smirk. "Alright then."

The retired emperor silently lit a candle for those ministers, hoping they hadn't embezzled anything, otherwise Xiong Bufan would get more and more excited as he raided their homes.

Xiong Bufan: "Long Aotian, can't I choose which company to plunder myself?"

Seeing Xiong Bufan's eager expression, Li Tian'ao refused, saying, "No, you have to follow my instructions."

"Ok."

All the ministers who allowed Li Tian'ao to select candidates for the imperial concubines were either dismissed or demoted.

Suddenly, everyone in the capital was on edge, and those who suggested holding a talent show were just being nosy.

However, they were not the worst off; some had their homes ransacked, with the plaster on the walls being torn off.

I don't know how the new emperor and the imperial advisor got together, but the two of them are causing havoc in the capital.

When Li Mingguang, who was far away in his fiefdom, heard the news from the capital, he felt that Li Tian'ao had brought this upon himself, and happily drank several large bowls of wine.

If the new emperor loses the support of the people, it will be easier to seize the throne.

The dynasty was full of talented people, and the vacant official positions were quickly filled by Li Tian'ao with his own people.

It was only then that everyone realized that their resentment towards the talent show was fake; their real intention was to plant their own people and make an example of them.

The new emperor wasn't as brainless as everyone thought.

The retired emperor and Fahe were playing chess. "Look at Ao'er and Xiong Bufan, they remind me of you and me back then."

"Your Majesty is too kind. I am ultimately different from the Imperial Advisor."

The two were once close friends, but the retired emperor was determined to keep Fahe as a mistress, and the very next day he married the second daughter of the prime minister's family, who is now the empress.

Fahe realized that their Crown Prince wanted to enjoy the blessings of having multiple wives.

He has feelings for the emperor, but he cannot bring himself to destroy someone else's happiness.

Fahe was just a minor Taoist priest at the time. This incident spurred him to start practicing Buddhism. He shaved half of his head and put a mark on the bald side to form the yin-yang head he has now.

The retired emperor: "Are you still blaming me?"

"I don't dare."

All these years have passed, and he has no grudges. Now, all he wants is to cultivate immortality and become a god like Xiong Bufan.

The retired emperor sighed, "I had my reasons back then; I had to be responsible for my subjects."

"Be responsible for your country, and do not disappoint your mother and father's high expectations."

"Your Majesty is a good emperor, and I wish Your Majesty a long and healthy life."

Both of them were initially moved, but then they heard the sound of eating, "crunch, crunch."

Xiong Bufan had somehow gotten to the nearest tree where the two were playing chess, and Xiong Bufan was watching the fun from above.

Fahe was already used to Xiong Bufan's elusive nature, and sighed, saying, "Xiong Bufan, could you eat somewhere else?"

Food crumbs have fallen on my head. As he spoke, Fahe patted his hair, from which white pastry crumbs fell.

"I was here first, so if anyone's leaving, it's you."

Actually, after Xiong Bufan took the snacks, he discovered that the two were playing chess. With a mindset of watching the excitement, he quietly flew up to the tree.

Fahe picked up his chess set, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, let's find another place to play chess."

The retired emperor didn't know when Fahe's temperament had become so good. Before, anyone who offended him would be met with a severe beating.

The retired emperor remained seated, not moving an inch. He was the emperor, after all; when did it become Xiong Bufan's place to shout and yell like that?

Xiong Bufan jumped down from the tree. "You're not leaving, are you? Then don't blame me for being impolite."

The retired emperor took out a gold ingot from his sleeve, tossed it to Xiong Bufan, and said, "Go and have some fun, don't bother us."

"good,

By the time the last word, "嘞," was relayed back, Xiong Bufan had already disappeared with the silver.

Fahe put down the chess basket, shook off the crumbs, and sat down again.

His state of mind was different from before. Now, despite being tormented by Xiong Bufan, he was as still as water, feeling as if he would ascend to immortality soon.

"Your temper has improved a lot."

Fahe didn't respond. "It's alright, Your Majesty. Let's continue our game."

"it is good."

Xiong Bufan took the silver and strolled around the streets, buying some food that looked appealing to him before returning to the Imperial Preceptor's residence for a meal.

Since the Emperor Emeritus left the palace, the food at the Imperial Preceptor's residence has improved considerably, and Xiong Bufan feels that he has gained more than a pound.

Gaining weight is a good thing, because it will make winter easier.

Lu Guanqi visited the Imperial Preceptor's residence less often, mainly because he was afraid of running into the Emperor Emeritus. Although the Emperor had abdicated, his aura was still overwhelming for ordinary people.

These things have little to do with Xiong Bufan. All she needs to do is be a good national advisor, and spend the rest of her time eating and drinking well.

Li Tian'ao was quite adept at handling affairs in the imperial court, and no minister dared to contradict him when he spoke, giving him a true taste of power.