277: Full of food and water

"Ling Qi."

Shang Wan Ning's mind stirred, and a divine sense was quietly sent out. "Come to Jiaotai Palace. I have 'important matters' to discuss."

Regarding how to "persuade" the Secretary-General to accept this "alternative publicity" that might drag the Netherworld's reputation through the mud...

Her Majesty the Empress felt that she might need to employ some "unconventional" methods.

After all, the length of one's fingers was of great importance... Inside Jiaotai Palace, the scent of agarwood mixed with a sweet, warm fragrance. Brocade curtains hung low, and the light was ambiguous.

Shang Wan Ning leaned lazily in her phoenix chair, her black phoenix robe draped loosely, revealing a section of her collarbone.

In her arms was Ling Qi, whose breathing had not yet settled.

The Secretary-General's usually meticulous purple suit was slightly disheveled; her gold-rimmed glasses sat crookedly on the bridge of her nose, the lenses covered in a thin layer of mist.

Just as she caught her breath, the sweat on her temples was wiped away by Shang Wan Ning's fingertip.

"Your Majesty," Ling Qi said with a post-coital rasp, attempting to rise from the embrace.

"What's the rush?"

Shang Wan Ning rubbed her chin against the top of her head. "AQi looks best when she's sweating."

These words made Ling Qi's ears turn bright red. She pushed up her glasses, feigning composure. "If Your Majesty has no official business, your Subordinate still has work to—"

Before she could finish, a finger pressed against her lips.

"Official business?" Shang Wan Ning raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief flashing in her phoenix eyes.

"Isn't a deep exchange between the Empress and her Secretary-General the top 'official business' concerning the harmony and stability of the Netherworld?"

Ling Qi: "..."

Looking at the Empress's beautiful face close at hand, which practically screamed "I'm teasing you," she took a deep breath.

As expected, such unsolicited kindness was surely a precursor to some ulterior motive.

The "intense exchange" just now was likely just the appetizer.

"Does Your Majesty have a favor to ask of me?" Ling Qi simply gave up struggling and leaned her delicate body back into the Empress's embrace.

However, the gaze behind her lenses regained its calm, even carrying a hint of scrutiny.

She knew Shang Wan Ning too well.

This woman only became exceptionally clingy and full of tricks when she needed a favor or felt guilty.

Shang Wan Ning smiled, her hand misbehaving as it slid into Ling Qi's slightly open collar.

"Ask? I am the Monarch, you are the Minister. This is called 'entrusting a heavy responsibility'." Her tone was matter-of-fact, full of flirtatious intent.

"Oh?"

Ling Qi pressed down on the wandering hand.

"Your Majesty, before you entrust this heavy responsibility, your Subordinate ventures to ask if you should first explain those few pieces of 'missing' intimate apparel from my wardrobe?"

She emphasized the words "intimate apparel."

Shang Wan Ning's smile stiffened, and her eyes flickered away.

[Oops, I've been found out!]

Those pieces of hollowed-out lace carrying the Secretary-General's unique cold fragrance were currently hidden in the most secret compartment of her bedchamber.

*Cough~*

Shang Wan Ning gave a light cough, trying to use her imperial dignity to cover her embarrassment. "I... I was merely observing the daily needs of my Subordinate, checking if the material was comfortable so the maids could improve their purchasing standards."

Ling Qi: "Your Majesty's observations are certainly 'deep' enough. You didn't even spare the old pajamas I've used for three years?"

Shang Wan Ning: "..."

[KO~]

Seeing that she couldn't bluff her way through, Shang Wan Ning simply threw caution to the wind. She tightened her arms, pulling the woman closer into her embrace. Resting her chin on Ling Qi's shoulder, she used the ultimate technique of acting spoiled.

"AQi~ I was wrong~" Her voice was soft and sweet, a far cry from her previous lazy dominance.

Ling Qi was caught off guard by this direct hit. Her heart skipped a beat unhelpfully, and the flush on her ears threatened to spread to her cheeks.

She tried to keep a straight face. "Wanling, please behave. We are discussing official business now."

"Fine, fine, let's talk business."

Shang Wan Ning knew when to stop, but her posture while holding the woman didn't change at all.

She cleared her throat, putting her imperial bearing back on her face, though the lingering passion of satisfaction still remained in the corners of her eyes.

"Secretary-General," Shang Wan Ning said solemnly.

"I have a heavy responsibility concerning the Netherworld's grand plan for the next hundred years that I must entrust to you."

Hearing this, alarm bells rang in Ling Qi's heart.

[Here it comes, there's definitely a trap. And judging by her tone, it's not a small one.]

"Please speak, Your Majesty." She remained impassive, her spiritual sense already rapidly calculating various potential troubles and their corresponding costs.

Shang Wan Ning weighed her words, trying to package the "plan" to sound more high-end.

"Mhm~ It's about the settlement of the Grass Spirit Dog Clan after their smooth migration into the Netherworld, as well as a strategic initiative to deepen the understanding and exchange with the Demon domain's culture."

Ling Qi pushed up her glasses. "Specific details?"

Shang Wan Ning's gaze drifted toward the bed curtains. "I have decided that Chen Yu, the Prefecture City God, shall serve as the 'Chief Cultural Ambassador of the Netherworld to the Demon Domain'..."

???

Chen Yu, Ambassador, Culture.

The combination of these three words carried an ominous aura.

"Its core mission..." Shang Wan Ning braced herself and spoke faster.

"...is to uphold the philosophy of 'The Netherworld is one family, building a harmonious multiverse together.' Through lively and unconventional forms, she will go deep into the grassroots of various clans in the Demon domain to widely spread our Netherworld's advanced cultural concepts, core value systems, and... uh, specialty cuisines."

Ling Qi's brow slowly furrowed. "Lively and unconventional, Chen Yu?"

In her mind, an image of the White-Haired Loli leading Iron-Haired Dogs in a square dance at a sacrificial altar already appeared.

Followed by a scene of setting up a hotpot stall at Zhu Yan's front door.

"Your Majesty, are you sure this is cultural exchange and not going to lose the Netherworld's face while incidentally lighting the fuse for an all-out war in the Demon domain?"

"Hey, you've got it all wrong!" Shang Wan Ning immediately countered, trying to salvage the situation.

"This is called 'differentiated competition,' breaking conventional thinking."

"Think about it, those old fogies in the Demon domain are used to schemes and intrigues. When have they ever seen such fresh, refined, and down-to-earth cultural output?"

"It will surely have the miraculous effect of catching them off guard and dismantling the enemy's psychological defenses."

"After all, culture is also a form of soft power."

Ling Qi watched the Empress talk nonsense with a straight face. "Speak plainly, Your Majesty. What exactly do you want her to do in the Demon domain?"

Shang Wan Ning felt her scalp tingle under the gaze, knowing she couldn't hide it from her Secretary-General's shrewd brain, which was comparable to a supercomputer.

She could only throw caution to the wind and quickly whispered the core: "Just let her cause as much trouble as she wants, the more ridiculous the better. Muddy the waters and annoy those old schemers under Zhu Yan until they show their faces."

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Ling Qi remained silent for a full ten seconds.

A red light representing "CPU Overload" flashed across the lenses of her gold-rimmed glasses.

She slowly raised her hand and adjusted the frame of her glasses, her knuckles turning white.

"Wanling~"

"Do you know how many years of public relations and how much incense offerings it will take to recover from the devastating blow to our cross-planar image once this plan is implemented?"

"Do you know where the upper limit of Chen Yu's 'social skills' lies? With that pack of Iron-Haired Dogs, how big of a mess can she create, and how much overtime pay will be needed to clean it up?"

The three soul-piercing questions hit home.

Shang Wan Ning stiffened her neck; her imperial aura could not be lost.

"I know, but this is a necessary price."