Chapter 168
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Chapter 168: Each with Their Own Plans
The high priest and the two men left the stone house, utterly shaken.
For Zhong Ren and Feng Yue, their plan was actually successful.
This was because Yi Chen almost fully endorsed their Migration and Reformation Plan.
This also meant that Yi Chen recognized their capabilities.
Moreover, Yi Chen did not reject the governance proposal hidden within a series of initiatives.
The so-called governance proposal meant that once the Royal City was completed, Yi Chen would set aside one day each month to meet with all the ministers in the meeting hall.
They came up with many reasons for this arrangement. For example, it could prevent the Political Council from being controlled by a decision-making layer, avoiding the issue of Yi Chen being uninformed.
Additionally, it would allow for listening to multiple opinions from other ministers and give the newly appointed ones a chance to be seen, fostering hope and motivation for their promotion…
The entire Migration and Reformation Plan served two purposes: to showcase their abilities to Yi Chen and to promote governance.
They wanted the opportunity to meet with Yi Chen once a month.
This way, they could get closer to Yi Chen, or even control him.
To achieve this, they willingly made a sacrifice, proposing to add a Vice Councilor and additional branches.
The more people involved, the more suggestions there would be, thus increasing the likelihood that Yi Chen would agree to spend a few hours each month on governance.
Of course, whether it was the addition of Vice Councilors or branch establishments, both felt this was the trend of the times.
If they didn’t bring it up, with Yi Chen’s intellect, he would eventually do it anyway.
By proposing it proactively, they would be riding the wave and gaining Yi Chen’s recognition while positioning their own people for promotion.
Despite the success of the plan, they were not truly happy.
This was because, in the stone house, they had hesitated and failed to boldly provide counsel, missing out on a significant opportunity.
"Now that I think about it, I even suspect the chief was testing our attitudes…" Feng Yue said with worry. "With the chief’s intellect, he must know that expanding the Royal City tenfold is detrimental to development. By proposing it, he is likely testing whether we would dare to speak out for the tribe’s interests and argue reasonably."
“The fact that the chief quickly recognized the downsides of the noble title system and proposed solutions shows this clearly."
"Our attitudes likely disappointed the chief greatly."
"Oh…" Zhong Ren couldn’t help but sigh.
He gritted his teeth and declared, "A great mistake has already happened; it’s too late to regret. Let’s go back and discuss how to persuade him to reconsider the expansion of the Royal City through written documents, trying to regain some lost points!"
"That’s all we can do," Feng Yue nodded helplessly.
On the other hand, the high priest’s face was filled with anguish.
With the Migration and Reformation Plan confirmed, the decision-making level of the Political Council increased from three to seven members, causing his power to plummet once again.
The only small comfort was that he was the only one awarded the title of baron in the entire noble title system plan.
“Did you hear that the Tribe Leader called you and the other two Vice Councilors? Is it about the Migration and Reformation Plan?”
Lou Xing waited outside the courtyard.
He wore a precious silk short robe from the tribe.
At nine years old, he still had a youthful face, but he was nearly one meter and forty centimeters tall.
“Let’s talk inside.”
The high priest glanced around and pulled Lou Xing inside.
The courtyard was spacious and bright, and someone cleaned it every day.
Sword marks were visible all over the walls.
These were made by Lou Xing when he practiced swordsmanship and lost control of his strength.
“Xing’er, you were right. The Tribe Leader agreed to those two fellows’ plans.”
The high priest sighed. “Before long, the Political Council will need to add four more Vice Councilors.”
“Tell me everything that happened.”
Lou Xing urged.
This outcome had been expected.
Because this was the trend of the times.
In the Flame Mountain Tribe, Yi Chen, who held both political and spiritual power, represented an unstoppable force of benefits and intentions.
The high priest was used to Lou Xing’s wisdom; in fact, he often consulted this beloved son about important matters.
So without hesitation, he explained the whole process.
Lou Xing sighed in relief.
He looked at the high priest with a strange expression.
“What’s wrong? Is something not right?”
The high priest showed confusion.
“I must say, the Tribe Leader treats you very well.”
Lou Xing felt a pang of envy.
That old man really had incredible luck.
When it came to intellect, he was decent among the natives.
But compared to many fake heavy criminals, he was far from remarkable.
In terms of experience and vision, he seemed entirely lacking.
Yet, the old man seized the opportunity: he was the only one who could help Yi Chen manage the Flame Mountain Tribe and organize the logistics for the four armies when Yi Chen first took over the tribe.
To others, the high priest might seem unaccomplished, even envious of talent, greedy for wealth and power.
But in Yi Chen’s eyes, the high priest had saved him a lot of time and energy in the early days.
Moreover, although the Tribe Leader was domineering and ruthless with deep schemes, he was undeniably nostalgic and loyal, treating the high priest with clear kindness.
The salary was unique throughout the Flame Mountain Tribe.
The high priest received a storage ring.
This time, the noble title was only intended for the high priest.
"Of course! I am the only noble in the Flame Mountain Tribe! Zhong Ren and Feng Yue thinking they can become the first nobles is just a foolish dream."
The high priest’s mood improved a bit.
"Don’t think about being the only one. The noble title system won’t be implemented until after the migration. With the connection between Eastern Army leader Guli and the Tribe Leader, she will definitely be included."
Lou Xing waved his hand. "If Leader Guli achieves extra merits, then the first noble titles will surely be awarded to you and Leader Guli alone."
"If she doesn’t achieve extra merits, to appease the leaders of the other three armies, they will definitely share the honors as well."
"With all four army leaders receiving noble titles, the newly added Vice Councilors will be included too; Zhong Ren and Feng Yue will inevitably share in the glory."
"If it happens like that, wouldn’t it be a wasted joy?"
The high priest’s face instantly fell.
"The fact that the Tribe Leader only awarded you one noble title shows his attitude toward you."
Lou Xing felt a sense of assurance, his heart settled.
"What attitude?"
The high priest was somewhat confused.
"Don’t worry about the attitude; just do whatever you want in the future."
Lou Xing felt relatively good.
Although the high priest was favored by Yi Chen, not him,
in Yi Chen’s eyes, he was the only adopted son and successor of the high priest, which meant he would surely be treated differently.
"I can’t just do whatever I want… With four new Vice Councilors added, my position as the Councilor will become a decoration in major decisions. Small matters will all be split among the branches."
The high priest looked troubled.
"You’ll understand when the time comes."
Lou Xing didn’t want to explain.
When the decision-making body had only three people, Zhong Ren and Feng Yue’s biggest goal was to remove the high priest.
They naturally teamed up.
Once the decision-making body increased to seven people, the situation shifted.
Although Zhong Ren and Feng Yue would still aim for the same goal, wanting to showcase their abilities to Yi Chen individually, the two veteran Vice Councilors would likely engage in secret struggles.
Holding the majority, the high priest would actually start to become more sought after.
Moreover, Lou Xing had seen the entire Migration and Reformation Plan. According to this plan, the addition of Vice Councilors and branch leaders would be implemented soon.
The main reason was the surging population of the tribe; expanding the Political Council and establishing branches would allow for more effective management and development of the tribe.
But at a deeper level, it also hid another purpose for Zhong Ren and Feng Yue.
That was to seize important positions ahead of time, making it difficult for the clearly allied fake heavy criminals of the Sacred Water Tribe to rise quickly.
Yet, the Flame Mountain Tribe was in a stage of rapid development, with many opportunities.
The group of fake heavy criminals from the Sacred Water Tribe, having been through life and death together, were much more united than the fake heavy criminals from the Flame Mountain Tribe.
This group was undoubtedly the leading faction in the Flame Mountain Tribe at present.
Once they understood Yi Chen’s attitude toward power struggles and became familiar with the current power structure of the Flame Mountain Tribe, they would start to take action.
Even if the high positions in the Political Council were occupied, they could still cause divisions, setting traps to bring down a few members and gradually infiltrate the decision-making body.
When that time came, the Political Council would become even more dynamic.
Once the fake heavy criminals from the Sacred Water Tribe gained momentum, no matter which side, they would be sure to suppress and draw in the high priest.
The high priest, with a majority vote, would only become increasingly important.
Not to mention, among the entire Political Council, only the high priest, as the Councilor, had the qualification to seek out Yi Chen.
This was the core reason why all the fake heavy criminals were envious, thinking of ways to bring down the high priest and take his place.
It was also why those in less favorable positions needed to win over the high priest.
Having the privilege of the high priest allowed them to reverse situations in crucial moments, bypass the entire Political Council’s decisions, and directly display their abilities in front of Yi Chen, the big boss.
Considering all these factors, he did not prevent the high priest from opposing the Migration and Reformation Plan, even knowing it was the trend of the times.
He wanted to use this to further confirm Yi Chen’s attitude toward the high priest, so he could plan his future path.
Allowing the high priest to do whatever he wanted was due to confirming Yi Chen’s attitude.
Long ago, Yi Chen had already positioned the high priest as the scapegoat for policies that could affect his righteous image, always having the high priest issue those policies in his personal name.
Given this, it was unwise for the high priest to seek fame at all costs.
It would be better for him to act freely, making small mistakes would only lead to more people cursing him behind his back.
One day, if he found himself bearing a heavy blame thrown at him by Yi Chen due to popular discontent, he definitely wouldn’t face a tragic end.
If tasks remained uncompleted, he might have to stay on the exile planet for many years.
As the only son of the high priest, Lou Xing’s future development path was simply too promising.
