The imperial grandson successfully ascended the throne, and next was the discussion about the era name.

This year, "Wanshou" would continue to be used as the era name.

However, the reshuffling of the Cabinet was the real focus.

Logically, after Elder Liang's reinstatement, Huo Jing, feeling ashamed, would likely retire. But with the advent of a new dynasty, the Great Yu Dynasty's flourishing age was inevitable. Retiring now would be akin to Xu Qing joining the national army at forty-nine in his previous life.

Huo Elder wasn't that foolish.

If he truly retired, his family would probably tear down his ancestral home.

Once you reach a certain height, retiring isn't an option!

Thus, Huo Jing shamelessly stayed in the Cabinet, taking the Vice Chief position.

This irked Elder Liang somewhat.

But there was nothing he could do since if he vehemently campaigned to oust Huo Jing, others would think Elder Liang lacked tolerance. After all, Elder Liang's political persona was that of a good-natured person.

If you acted so ruthlessly, did it mean your previous demeanor was all an act?

Losing political credibility is a significant setback, and recovering it could cost ten to a hundred times more effort, sometimes without success.

On the other side, Wang Gong managed to retain his position as Minister of Personnel because he aligned with Xu Qing early on.

Moreover, seeing Xu Qing not holding Wang Gong accountable, the Court's civil and military officials naturally settled down, making the political transition quite smooth.

Compared to the Wanshou Emperor, everyone preferred to serve Xu Liushou.

Because Xu Liushou was generous and could always involve everyone in lucrative endeavors.

The old Emperor only squeezed money out of everyone!

Xu Qing wasn't fond of abstract matters, but sometimes they were necessary to unite people's hearts.

So, after the new Cabinet was formed, the first task was to decide next year's era name.

"Thus it begins, enlightened by the heavens." Huo Jing, after years as Left Imperial Censor and leader of the Pure Stream, was rich in theoretical knowledge.

He referenced classics to propose the era name "Tianqi."

It implied a prosperous world and also suggested political reform and consolidation of the imperial administration.

These were Xu Qing's political slogans.

One must admit, the flattery was spot on.

Huo Jing's youngest son, born of his favorite concubine, was particularly cherished.

But sons born of concubines held no real status in the future.

Therefore, his beloved concubine had been whispering in his ear to secure an Ascension Order for the boy as future assurance.

Unable to resist the concubine's persistence, he agreed.

Of course, he had someone examine the boy's aptitude, which was deemed well-suited for cultivation.

However, Huo Jing himself didn't know that the Taoist from Chaotian Temple had already received lavish rewards from the beloved concubine.

The young Taoist at Chaotian Temple understood well that a noble family practicing cultivation wouldn't lack resources; even minimal effort would yield substantial results. Once in the Immortal Sect, the boy was bound to make a name for himself.

If he declared the little master average, it would offend them for no reason.

After all, Huo's Madam had long passed away, and the position of the main wife was currently vacant.

In such circumstances, the concubine equaled a wife!

The era name crafted by Huo Jing didn't please Grand Secretary Liang, as the flattery was just too precise. Even Elder Liang himself couldn't come up with such a good implication.

The key issue was that privately, Huo didn't consult him, the Grand Secretary.

Did he disregard the former Grand Secretary just because he had once held the position?

Elder Liang completely forgot how he himself had dismissed Zhang Tai'a.

People only remember their grievances, why bother with others' issues?

Besides, Elder Liang saw himself as Xu Liushou's right-hand man. If he still esteemed Zhang Tai'a, where would that put Xu Liushou?

Never mind Zhang Tai'a; now even the Supreme Emperor was of little concern to Elder Liang!

When Xu Qing heard the era name "Tianqi," he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

Because this era name had been used by the Great Ming in his previous life.

What if the young Emperor took a fancy to carpentry, and everyone thought it was Xu's intention? At that point, not wanting to be seen as a traitor, he wouldn't be able to explain it away.

Additionally, these days, the Two Empress Dowagers were always looking for excuses to talk to him in the palace.

Xu Qing naturally turned them down.

Otherwise, any rumor would turn him into the protagonist of speculative tales in future literature.

Little did Xu Liushou know, there were already tabloid stories circulating about him and the Two Empress Dowagers.

No choice, readers loved such material!

It was all for a living.

As an era name, "Tianqi" was undoubtedly decent.

The only thing that bothered Xu Qing was the overlap with his past life, but that reason couldn't be aired publicly.

On the other hand, if he rejected it, Huo Jing would likely believe Xu Qing held a grudge, and the Outer Court would assume Huo Jing had lost favor.

This wouldn't be conducive to unity.

The veteran faction following Xu Qing was feeling very buoyant.

Thus, from a balance perspective, Xu Qing had to employ people like Huo Jing and Wang Gong; otherwise, these veterans would eventually cause a major incident.

Xu Qing had always disliked founding emperors settling scores with meritorious officials when he studied history.

But once he was in this position, it seemed there was reasoning behind such actions.

Of course, Xu Qing wouldn't go as far as to 'cook the hunting dogs after the hares were caught,' but precaution was necessary.

Furthermore, internal competition drove vitality.

On another note, Xu Qing was principled enough not to allow his subordinates to engage in capturing young men and women as a Tri-legged Cauldron.

However, human desires needed channeling, not blocking.

Thus, Xu Qing didn't eradicate Heart Moon Fox's Pavilion of Bliss.

There must be places for these Powerful and nobles to vent their desires. If completely obstructed, who knew what tricky games they'd devise.

In a broken world, no matter how patched up, there'd always be unsightly places.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Xu Qing agreed with Elder Huo's proposal.

Big decisions, small meetings to finalize.

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