OVPBM 20

Chapter 20 – “The First Thing to Do Is Abandon ‘Morality.’”

In the parliamentary hall of the Capital Planet’s imperial palace, a massive clock hung beneath the dark blue caisson ceiling.

With every swing of the pendulum, the corners of the chamber filled with high-ranking officials from all across the Empire.

“I heard the Regent is ill. Will he attend the regular meeting today?”

“He has never missed a single session.”

“They say the Regent’s starship is already at the Capital Planet… Of course he’ll come.”

Before the meeting formally began, the hall was unusually lively.

The senior officials of the Empire gathered in small groups, discussing the major events of recent days.

Lu Yunwan had not yet arrived, yet his name was mentioned again and again in their conversations. There was reverence, fear, and resentment.

Like a ghost drifting above the hall, he was everywhere at once.

The pendulum swung again, and a clear, melodious chime rang through the chamber.

At that moment, the gray-blue doors on the southern side of the hall, engraved with merfolk and spears, were pushed open.

In an instant, the parliamentary hall fell so silent that even a pin drop could be heard.

“Good morning, Your Excellency the Regent.” They paused their conversations and rose to face the doors.

At the same time, Chu Xuanzhou, who had already been waiting outside for a while, finally caught sight of Lu Yunwan.

Today, the Regent looked markedly different from usual.

Lu Yunwan wore a double-breasted black military uniform and white silk gloves. Very rarely, he was not wearing a cloak.

Without the loose outer garment to conceal him, the tailored uniform fully revealed His Excellency the Regent’s slender, beautiful, and distinctly human elegance.

He looked like a two-dimensional character stepped straight out of a comic.

Lu Yunwan stopped at the doorway with a smile. Without sparing the officials inside so much as a glance, he turned and nodded at Chu Xuanzhou.

“Very well, Your Highness. Stay by my side today.”

“Yes, Your Excellency the Regent.”

Today, Chu Xuanzhou had been brought to the Empire’s administrative regular meeting in the capacity of “the Regent’s personal assistant.”

Chu Xuanzhou noticed that, besides wearing the military uniform, Lu Yunwan had adorned his chest with medals for the occasion.

In addition to the red poppy medal representing Planet Cangrui, there was the blade symbolizing supreme command of the legion, as well as star map emblems representing the various star systems.

But the majority were military merit medals.

The cold light from the caisson ceiling fell upon Lu Yunwan, illuminating each medal until they gleamed with a blinding brilliance.

Lu Yunwan led Chu Xuanzhou through the gray-blue doors.

The massive carving upon them, symbolizing that merfolk would forever guard and rule the Empire, now seemed to serve merely as his backdrop.

“Good morning.” It was not until Lu Yunwan smiled and took his seat at the head position that the others finally came back to their senses.

This entrance was executed perfectly.

Lu Yunwan mentally awarded himself a full score!

Unlike other work matters, the Empire’s administrative regular meetings were not recorded on video. Lu Yunwan had absolutely no idea what the original host used to do during these sessions.

After several anxious days, he finally decided… he might as well just be a salted fish¹In modern Chinese internet slang, “咸鱼” (salted fish) does not literally mean a dried fish. It refers to a person who has no motivation, gives up on striving, becomes passive or laid-back or chooses a “lie flat / do nothing” lifestyle. The phrase originally comes from Cantonese slang, where a “salted fish” is something lifeless or lacking ambition. Over time it became humorous internet vocabulary..

When the meeting officially began, the Regent seated at the highest position remained silent throughout. He smiled as he watched the speaker, all emotion concealed within those dark, unfathomable eyes.

Lu Yunwan genuinely did not understand a single word of what the officials were saying.

He had only intended to feign profundity, yet he had not expected that this very performance would make every attendee of the administrative meeting grow tense.

…Did I say something wrong just now?

What does the Regent’s smile mean?

Is this matter not as simple as it appears?

Within mere minutes, someone had already broken out in a cold sweat.

“Um… The super optical-brain has been missing for several months now. Your Excellency the Regent, we suggest temporarily halting the search and developing a new generation of optical-brain instead.”

“Oh?” At this, Lu Yunwan finally perked up.

This had been written about in 《 The Merfolk Empire 》.

The super optical-brain was capable of accessing data from every optical-brain in the interstellar network and integrating it for extraordinarily complex calculations.

It was said that its existence could alter the course of history.

One month before Lu Yunwan’s arrival, the super optical-brain, which had taken tens of thousands of researchers more than thirty years to develop, had suddenly been stolen.

In the original novel, several months later, the officials proposed ending the search and using the funds to develop a second-generation optical-brain. However, the Regent rejected the proposal.

Lu Yunwan lowered his head and used his gloved hand to wipe away dust that did not exist from the poppy cane. He spoke softly, “No. Continue the search.”

Still recovering from illness, Lu Yunwan’s voice was light and faint.

Like a silver needle hidden in cotton, gentle in appearance yet capable of striking fiercely without warning.

“Your Excellency the Regent, up until now, we have not captured any signal at all. The super optical-brain has most likely been stolen and destroyed. Rather than expending enormous manpower and resources on a fruitless search, it would be better to invest the funds in developing the next generation,” the invited researcher could not help but interject.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Yunwan noticed that Chu Xuanzhou, seated behind him, had also cast a slightly puzzled look his way.

After all, from any perspective, the researcher’s speculation and proposal were perfectly reasonable.

…Most importantly, Lu Yunwan himself had no idea how to refute it.

A few seconds later, the Regent gave a soft cough. He suddenly smiled and nodded. “Very well. We’ll proceed as you suggest.”

Lu Yunwan deliberately followed along with his words.

“Ah…” The official who had first raised the matter froze.

When something is out of the ordinary, there must be something behind it.

His instincts screamed at him that Lu Yunwan’s sudden change of stance was far too abnormal.

The man quickly exchanged a glance with the researcher, then said nervously, “Y-Your Excellency… Um, the search has only been underway for a few months. There may still be factors we have not considered. We should… discuss it further and submit a detailed proposal to you at a later date.”

Lu Yunwan neither spoke nor nodded. He simply smiled and looked at him.

Under the Regent’s gaze, the official nearly forgot how to breathe.

He sat down stiffly, the clothes on his back already soaked through with cold sweat. He did not recover until the meeting ended.

The Regent did not spare him another glance.

Lu Yunwan had brought Chu Xuanzhou to the meeting so that he could quickly familiarize himself with the Empire’s power structure and routine affairs.

Yet Chu Xuanzhou, the protagonist, had placed most of his attention on Lu Yunwan instead.

At that moment, Chu Xuanzhou realized something.

Unlike everyone else in the parliamentary hall, power was not a weapon to Lu Yunwan.

It was his toy. Even an ornament.

* * *

The massive pendulum chimed again. The meeting had already been in session for three hours.

Today’s administrative meeting of the Empire had reached its final agenda item.

“Your Excellency the Regent, the investigation into Ren Songqing’s dereliction of duty case is nearing its conclusion. The Mecha Research and Development Department recommends demoting him as punishment,” a merman said.

Lu Yunwan lifted his brow slightly.

He leaned back and lowered his head toward Chu Xuanzhou. “Your Highness knows Ren Songqing, right?”

On the surface, Lu Yunwan seemed to be speaking privately to Chu Xuanzhou. In reality, he had not lowered his voice at all. Everyone in the hall heard his question.

Chu Xuanzhou nodded. “Last month, there was a blueprint leak in the Mecha R&D Department. As the primary person in charge, Ren Songqing was suspended pending investigation.”

What he did not say was that not long ago, Ren Songqing had drunkenly cursed the Regent. The incident had been captured by interstellar media and uploaded to the StarNet.

For a time, the matter had caused an uproar and become a popular topic of conversation among the citizens of the Empire.

Lu Yunwan nodded and lowered his gaze with a smile.

Then he leaned closer to Chu Xuanzhou’s ear in front of countless high-ranked officials of the Empire and murmured, “Your Highness, power is only worthy of being called power when it is used.”

Every word entered Chu Xuanzhou’s ears clearly, yet he still did not fully grasp Lu Yunwan’s meaning.

A beam of cold light descended from deep within the caisson ceiling, enveloping Lu Yunwan.

In that instant, he seemed infinitely distant.

The scene before him suddenly reminded Chu Xuanzhou of a line:

Your fate is to live in a theater, and your audience is the entire world.²The quote reflects the idea that a person’s life is constantly watched, judged, and interpreted by the world around them, as if they were performing on a stage. It emphasizes the themes of public scrutiny, destiny, and the inability to escape the gaze of society. ①

…At this moment, Lu Yunwan was the sole master of this interstellar stage.

Lu Yunwan gave a light cough and added to Chu Xuanzhou, “The greater the resistance you feel when using it, the greater the power you possess.”

After saying this, he finally straightened in his seat.

Ren Songqing was a representative official of the aristocratic faction. Although he and Lu Yunwan were at odds, in several previous similar cases, Lu Yunwan had chosen to handle matters lightly, using them as leverage in negotiations with the noble faction.

Just when everyone assumed he would do the same this time, the Regent gave a different answer.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table as if casually, his dark eyes sweeping faintly over the crowd below. Then he asked in return, “Dereliction of duty?”

“If I recall correctly, the blueprints were not merely leaked, but ‘accidentally’ sent to a foreign nation. Compared to ‘dereliction of duty,’ would not ‘treason’ be more appropriate?”

The moment his words fell, the entire parliamentary hall fell into a deathly silence.

Even Chu Xuanzhou stared at him in disbelief.

No one knew how much time passed before a familiar voice broke the suffocating quiet.

“Is Your Excellency the Regent joking?”

The one who spoke was Duke Pei Hanji.

Pei Zhaoan held no title or official position and could not attend the meeting. At present, Duke Pei Hanji was representing him.

Lu Yunwan’s skin was sickly pale, and his frame far more slender than that of a merman.

Yet upon him rested the overwhelming authority of one long accustomed to standing at the pinnacle of power, along with the killing intent carried back from the battlefield.

“Conduct a thorough investigation under the charge of treason,” Lu Yunwan withdrew his smile and cast a cold glance at Duke Pei Hanji. A moment later, he smiled again. “This is not a suggestion, Your Grace. This is my order.”

His tone was utterly firm.

Lu Yunwan had only just recalled the name Ren Songqing moments ago.

In the original novel, Ren Songqing had deliberately leaked the blueprints. It had not attracted much attention, and after a few days of suspension, he had been reinstated.

Yet not long after, he leaked classified information again, directly causing the deaths of over a thousand people on the battlefield.

Lu Yunwan could not stand by and watch those people march to their deaths.

—After all, the original host was the villain. Being ruthless required no justification!

More importantly, since he himself would eventually fake his death and withdraw, he had nothing to fear from retaliation.

If he was not going to go mad now, then when?

“What exactly are you trying to do?” Everyone present, including Duke Pei Hanji, believed that Lu Yunwan was using the case to settle a personal grudge.

“Very simple.” Chu Xuanzhou saw Lu Yunwan, seated in front of him, suddenly rise with the support of his cane. He cast a glance downward and, in the gentlest of voices, uttered the most terrifying words. “Death. I want him dead.”

The parliamentary hall was so silent that it was almost unnatural. Only Lu Yunwan’s voice echoed again and again in their ears.

He lowered his gaze toward Duke Pei Hanji and said in a tone of helplessness, “What can be done? Only his death will make me happy.”

The vast hall fell into absolute silence. Everyone held their breath, terrified that the slightest misstep, or even a prior offense against Lu Yunwan, might bring calamity upon themselves.

Only Lu Yunwan smiled as he sat back down. He stirred the coffee on the table with a spoon and, as if unaware of the storm he had stirred, even offered a smiling “reassurance.”

“Do not be nervous. It is only a small matter.”

At once, a chill crept into every bone.

Lu Yunwan was the Regent of the Empire, a beautiful asura who had clawed his way up from hell.

The meeting ended in an atmosphere where everyone felt in danger.

After leaving the parliamentary hall, Lu Yunwan suddenly stopped and looked toward Chu Xuanzhou.

“Your Highness, do you also think I should not have acted that way?”

He gently reached out and brushed his hand against Chu Xuanzhou’s cheek, the movement impossibly light.

Like the cold tail of a serpent brushing past.

The young man pressed his lips together and did not answer at once.

Lu Yunwan immediately grew alert.

In the original novel, Chu Xuanzhou had clawed his way up from the bottom ranks. He understood perfectly what kind of rotten place this Empire truly was.

And in the process, he had learned how to rule this twisted Empire through unconventional means.

Now Chu Xuanzhou had not walked that path.

He would have to teach the protagonist all those skills himself!

Seeing that Chu Xuanzhou remained silent, Lu Yunwan smiled. As his hand slowly slid across the medals on his chest, he said, “When you stand at the highest position in the Empire, you must be willful. You must never obey the rules. Instead, you must create them.”

“Even make yourself the rule.”

In the marginal world where Chu Xuanzhou had grown up, the law of the jungle had been the only rule.

He almost instantly accepted Lu Yunwan’s words.

The young man gave a small nod. “Alright.”

“Then do you know what you must do first to become the rule?”

Chu Xuanzhou frowned slightly. “Learn it?”

Light streamed in from the other end of the corridor, gilding Lu Yunwan in a faint layer of gold and casting a long shadow behind him. He looked almost holy.

Yet in truth, he was tempting Chu Xuanzhou word by word.

The Regent removed the hyacinth medal from his chest. He was not careful in doing so. The silver pin behind it pierced his fingertip at once, blooming into a patch of vivid red.

“No.”

He placed the medal into Chu Xuanzhou’s hand and smiled as he told the youth, “The first thing to do is abandon ‘morality.’”

“Break free from its restraints and do whatever you wish, Your Highness.”

Seeing the blood at Lu Yunwan’s fingertip, Chu Xuanzhou suddenly, almost involuntarily, asked, “What if it harms you?”

Lu Yunwan laughed with unmistakable delight. The laughter even triggered a brief cough.

He pressed his hand to his lips. The next second, several plum blossom-like stains of blood appeared upon the white silk glove.

His lips, too, were stained red.

“Have you forgotten our deal, Your Highness? I have always been looking forward to the day it arrives.”

Lu Yunwan said with a smile.

𓇼 ˚｡⋆ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞⋆｡˚ 𓇼

Author’s Note:

① Quoted from Cassius.³It is a quotation attributed to Cassius, a figure from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (It is not a direct quote from Shakespeare or Cassius). Cassius is known for lines about public perception, self-fashioning, and how people are observed or judged. The quote captures the spirit of those ideas, especially Cassius’s worldview that men live under the scrutiny of others and must shape their own reputation.

• 1
  In modern Chinese internet slang, “咸鱼” (salted fish) does not literally mean a dried fish. It refers to a person who has no motivation, gives up on striving, becomes passive or laid-back or chooses a “lie flat / do nothing” lifestyle. The phrase originally comes from Cantonese slang, where a “salted fish” is something lifeless or lacking ambition. Over time it became humorous internet vocabulary.
• 2
  The quote reflects the idea that a person’s life is constantly watched, judged, and interpreted by the world around them, as if they were performing on a stage. It emphasizes the themes of public scrutiny, destiny, and the inability to escape the gaze of society.
• 3
  It is a quotation attributed to Cassius, a figure from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar (It is not a direct quote from Shakespeare or Cassius). Cassius is known for lines about public perception, self-fashioning, and how people are observed or judged. The quote captures the spirit of those ideas, especially Cassius’s worldview that men live under the scrutiny of others and must shape their own reputation.