Lu Yin was delighted when he heard Madam Nalan’s words. “I was actually planning on meeting with you so that we could discuss this.”
“I’d be happy to hear the details.” Madam Nalan and Lu Yin then each took a seat, Madam Nalan looking extremely elegant as she smiled at him.
Lu Yin coughed and went over the words he needed to say before opening his mouth. “The Great Yu Empire has already taken over all of Frostwave Weave, but we have a serious shortage of skilled people, and we cannot manage the territory we control. Would you perhaps know of any methods to help with this issue?”
Madam Nalan’s eyes lit up with a shrewd light. “Frostwave Weave shouldn’t be a huge problem for you on its own, should it, Your Highness?”
Lu Yin smiled. “I’m also talking about Grandtop Weave.”
Madam Nalan was shocked. “Have you already taken over all of Grandtop Weave, Your Highness?”
Although it was true that Lu Yin had killed Lei Long, that did not equate to conquering Grandtop Weave. Even though he had managed to subdue and take over the Nine Stacks Sect, that did not mean that Lu Yin had taken over Grandtop Weave yet. These achievements only meant that Lu Yin possessed the means to take control of the weave, but actually following through would take more than just a few days given how large the weave was.
The main reason why the Great Yu Empire had been able to unify the entire Frostwave Weave so quickly was due to Undying Yushan’s work over the years. Additionally, the Great Yu Empire was also a local organization from Frostwave Weave, so the resistance to their rule was much lower. Now that they wanted to conquer areas outside of Frostwave Weave, the difficulty would be much higher. Even if Grandtop Weave did not have any powerhouses who were able to stop the Great Yu Empire, having some rebels lurking around in the dark would be enough to stop the empire from achieving its goal anytime soon.
“No, but it’ll be done soon. The successor of the Nine Stacks Sect is loyal to me.” Lu Yin chose not to hide this detail and revealed it to her right away. The Nalan family had business ventures throughout the Outerverse, and to be completely honest, there was no chance that the Nalan family would have sought help from the Great Yu Empire if not for the dramatic changes in the universe. The Nalan family had enough funds to pay for an Enlighter’s protection.
Madam Nalan immediately understood the situation and eyed him with praise. “So you’ve already set things up. I admire that a lot, Your Highness. It makes sense that you’re in a bind for the moment. Now that you have another weave to oversee, you also require more people to manage the area as well as manpower to subdue the territory.”
After pausing for a while, she continued, saying, “Actually, even though the universe is vast, managing it is actually very simple. Have you ever heard of the Spider Web Theory?”
Lu Yin was curious. “The Spider Web Theory?”
“Yes. It’s essentially about arranging the management of an organization much like how a spider constructs its web so that everything converges at the center. A spider web has thousands of threads and looks complicated, but it’s actually very simple. The spider has complete control over it and can use the web to catch its prey. For spiders, no matter how large their web may be, it is essentially still a part of its body. It’s the same for the Great Yu Empire. You…”
In King Zishan’s palace, Lu Yin and Madam Nalan expounded on the details for three whole hours until her mouth became dry. It was only then that they stopped their discussion.
After licking her lips, Madam Nalan smiled at Lu Yin. “Do you understand, Your Highness?”
Lu Yin nodded and answered gratefully, “Thank you very much. I didn’t have any idea before, but after hearing all this from you, everything’s become much clearer to me.”
Madam Nalan smiled. “This is all just theory. Governing a region is different from a business. If you want to learn how to properly govern a region, then it would be better for you to read more books and also to ask some professionals. All I have is business experience, which isn’t of much help to you.”
Lu Yin gravely replied, “You’re wrong. For the Great Yu Empire right now, strategies to govern the empire aren’t actually that necessary. All it takes is one decree. That’s because, in this universe, the strong are respected. If I didn’t have the power to kill an Enlighter, then there would be numerous people in the empire who would refuse to submit to me.”
Madam Nalan smiled superficially. “Perhaps, but ruling by force isn’t something that will work long-term.”
Lu Yin agreed with that point. Governing a region during times of peace was very different from doing so during a time of war. He knew nothing of such things. If this was a time of war, then he could do as he wished since the entire region would be united against the outsiders. But the moment the war ended, many problems would quickly spring up, and these problems would be able to be resolved through power alone.
The most obvious issue at the moment was the rejuvenation of the economy. Military expenses, education, transport, research, and so on… All kinds of problems were bubbling right beneath the surface, and Lu Yin needed to find someone who could handle all of these issues before the war ended. He needed to groom someone to govern the empire, or else war would never stop.
This conversation with Madam Nalan had given Lu Yin an idea of how to manage the empire. He did not know if this was the best choice, but he needed to give it a try, because what remained of Undying Yushan’s glory would be completely destroyed if he did nothing.
Madam Nalan’s mouth was dry from all that talking, and she took a sip of her tea.
Lu Yin suddenly recalled that she had been the one who had approached him, so she might have a problem of her own. He hurriedly asked, “We’ve been talking about my issues all this time… May I know why you came to me?”
Madam Nalan put her cup down and replied, “It’s nothing important. I just wanted to recommend someone to you who might be able to help share your burden.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. “Who is it?”
“You must have met Grand Marshal Shui Chuanxiao from Erudite Flowzone, correct?” Madam Nalan looked at Lu Yin as if she was trying to read something in his eyes.
Lu Yin was surprised. “Shui Chuanxiao? Of course I did. He’s the wisest grand marshal in human history. He was the one who confirmed my merits in battle, but there are rumors that he committed a sin and betrayed humanity. I heard that he’s been imprisoned in Gaia’s Swamp for ten thousand years.”
“Do you believe that he betrayed humanity, Your Highness?” Madam Nalan stared into Lu Yin’s eyes as she asked this question.
Lu Yin thought about it. “It’s hard to tell, but it’s not my place to talk about such things.”
Madam Nalan’s eyes shone. “In that case, do you dislike him?”
Lu Yin shook his head. “Of course not. He was the one who agreed to my plan to draw out the Sheng Ao. He was also the one who let me become a war drummer for the battle drums at the border. To be honest, he’s very charismatic.”
Madam Nalan nodded. “Yes, he is indeed very charismatic, but he has been stained by the crime of betraying humanity. At times, conspiracies can be terrifying.”
Lu Yin looked at her in confusion. “You’re not telling me that the person you’re recommending is the grand marshal himself, are you?”
She chuckled. “Of course not! He’s currently imprisoned in Gaia’s Swamp. That prison is the nadir of despair for humanity, and nobody can save him from that place. The person who I’m recommending is someone else whom you’ve met before. Her name is En Ya, and she’s right outside of the Zishan palace.”
Lu Yin immediately had Bronsen bring the woman in.
Not too long after, Lu Yin saw her and was shocked. It was her!
After Lu Yin’s merit had been recognized, and he’d obtained some Honor Points, En Ya had taken him to Planet Cangyuan and explained the situation to him there. Lu Yin had quite a deep impression of this beautiful, blonde vice-commander, especially since it was rare for women to be in the military.
En Ya saw Lu Yin and immediately bowed, her face serious. “Greetings, Your Highness.”
Lu Yin immediately stopped her and asked, “I remember that you were the marshal’s vice-commander. Why aren’t you at Erudite Flowzone’s border warfront right now?”
En Ya explained, “The Human and Astral Beast domains have agreed to a truce for now. The Grand Marshal was captured, and some of us were sent to work far away, while others were expelled from the military. I was quite lucky and sent to the Outerverse.”
“En Ya unwittingly saved me, which is why I decided to recommend her to you. She’s been a part of the military since a young age, and since that place is no longer open to her, she has nowhere to go.” Madam Nalan stood up as she spoke.
Lu Yin nodded and looked En Ya up and down. She was an Explorer and rather strong. The fact that she had worked directly with Shui Chuanxiao showed that she was exceptionally capable. “I’m planning to build a Lu Ministry of Defense that will help me handle military affairs. Are you willing to join?”
En Ya immediately agreed.
Madam Nalan immediately expressed her gratitude as well. While the Lu Ministry of Defense had not been established yet, the fact that it was meant to serve Lu Yin by way of the word “Lu” in its name indicated that serving in it would definitely lead to gaining power in the future.
“I’m the one that should thank you. The Great Yu Empire has a huge shortage of manpower, and yet here you are, sending me a valuable worker right away.” Lu Yin chuckled.
Madam Nalan and Lu Yin exchanged a few pleasantries before she finally left. Lu Yin then arranged for En Ya to remain in the King Zishan palace. When the Lu Ministry of Defense was properly established, she would be in charge of handling its affairs.
Concerning both the Lu Ministry of Staff and the Lu Ministry of Defense, Lu Yin was planning on establishing both of their headquarters close to his residence so that it would be easier for him to keep an eye on them.
Lu Yin did not believe in the saying that one should only use people that they absolutely trusted. He did not think that he had the charisma to win people over to his side right away, and he also needed to observe people for a period of time before he could determine whether or not they were trustworthy. If someone was not trustworthy, then it didn’t matter how capable they were.
The conversation with Madam Nalan had been very useful to Lu Yin. Ten days after their meeting, during the morning meeting with the ministers, Lu Yin announced some changes in the Great Yu Empire’s power structure. He officially established the Lu Ministry of Defense and the Lu Ministry of Staff, which would have priority over the other ministries. They would help him take care of matters relating to politics and the military, respectively. And right below them in the hierarchy would be the Lu Office of Civil Affairs and the Lu Office of Defense.
There would be one Lu Office of Civil Affairs for every ten filaments. This was the system that Lu Yin had devised. Each branch of the Lu Office of Civil Affairs would oversee the governance of ten filaments. From there, the most important issues would be passed up the office and be properly organized before finally being handed over to the Lu Ministry of Staff and the Imperial Cabinet. And only after passing through the Lu Ministry of Staff and Imperial Cabinet would the most important issues finally be handed over to Lu Yin.
The same system would also take place in the Lu Office of Defense. There would be one branch in every ten filaments, and they would run the military affairs in their region.
This was all according to the Spider Web Theory, and each Lu Office of Civil Affairs and Lu Office of Defense could be considered as a section of Lu Yin’s spider web. There might still be room for corruption or incompetence, but such things were unavoidable. This method would temporarily keep the empire stable and would also be useful for nurturing talented individuals.
After Lu Yin announced the changes in power at the meeting, he was immediately met with major disapproval from the members of the Imperial Cabinet.
While the Lu Ministry of Staff had already been established, it could only be considered as a personal department to assist Lu Yin, and its members did not even have the right to take part in the morning meetings. However, if the cabinet gained an official status, then the power in the Great Yu Empire would truly become diluted, and the Imperial Cabinet’s power would diminish. That was unacceptable to them.
The Great Yu Empire was right about to unify Frostwave Weave and merge with Grandtop Weave, so this was the time when their power should increase drastically. However, Lu Yin was instead redistributing the authority that they already had. Nobody would stand for such treatment.
However, all of their objections were only met by Lu Yin’s ruthlessness. He had not forgotten the wretched voices and faces of these ministers back when Karthika had been on Zenyu Star. Two particular ministers of the Imperial Cabinet had been utterly shameless.
Back when Undying Yushan had been in power, the Grand Yu Empire had followed its own system of governance while not being in a state of war. Removing a minister from power was not possible unless there was good reason and proof for doing so. However, Lu Yin possessed an absolute power that had the ministers now cowering in fear. Even Garope, who’d always been very stubborn, remained silent.
Lord Garope was very intelligent. While he was willing to voice his opinions, he also knew when it was a good time to speak up. Rebutting Lu Yin at a time like this would essentially be going directly against the regent, and Garope wasn’t willing to do that.
