Sailerpeisi's expression turned displeased, but she didn't scold Xiao Xun. She merely said, "The position of Prime Minister is a matter of great importance, elected by two-thirds of the votes from all members of the House of Representatives. It's not something appointed by a mere word from your lips."
After speaking, Xiao Xun regretted it a little, realizing he had interfered with state affairs and caused disorder.
If it were someone else, or another dynasty, he might have been taken out and executed on the spot.
Xiao Xun didn't know that the Minister of Internal Affairs was the most favored candidate for the new Prime Minister. Although the Prime Minister's position was within easy reach, this incident led the Minister to be grateful to Xiao Xun for life.
This same Minister would later become the person who provided the strongest logistical support for Xiao Xun when he led his army on a campaign.
Returning to the castle from the Fire Shield God King’s palace, Sailerpeisi, who had been hungry all day, showed little interest in the lavish spread of food.
Her palate had been too accustomed to the tastes of that other world, and with Xiao Xun sparing no effort in preparing exquisite meals for her, she would rather starve than compromise her taste buds.
As the violin performance concluded, all the princes and ministers stood up to bid farewell to the Empress.
Xiao Xun followed closely behind her, "Your Majesty, would you like me to get you something to eat?"
"I'm tired now and have no appetite. We'll talk about it when we get back!"
With that, she quickly entered the elevator, then ascended a flight of stairs to the top floor master bedroom.
Although the castle only had seven floors, the ceiling height of each floor was equivalent to two floors of a regular building. Therefore, the actual height of this castle was comparable to a fourteen-story building. Here, both numbers were considered quite lucky.
Xiao Xun turned and closed the bedroom door, setting his robe aside. There was no central air conditioning or constant temperature equipment here, so he felt a bit cold after taking off his robe.
However, putting it back on made him feel too warm, leaving him in an awkward transitional state.
Mu Jiahe simply washed up and went to bed. She looked at Xiao Xun, who was curled up to the side, and asked him curiously, "What are you standing there for?"
Xiao Xun waved his hands, "It's nothing. I was afraid I'd disturb your rest if I came over."
Mu Jiahe let out a chuckle, not because of Xiao Xun's words, but because she remembered his sleeping posture from the morning.
"Come here! This room has too much ventilation, and it's quite cold this season. Don't catch a cold."
Xiao Xun shivered as he got into bed, "With such cold weather, what will we do in winter?"
Mu Jiahe snuggled closer to Xiao Xun, "Light a brazier! Haven't you seen them when you eat hot pot?"
"Relying on those things for warmth? We have electricity here, don't we? Why not install an air conditioner?"
Mu Jiahe moved even closer to Xiao Xun, "Air conditioners pollute the environment. Besides, I'm from the Blazing Flame clan, and I have fire within me. Relying on external sources for warmth would be embarrassing for me."
Xiao Xun leaned half of his body against the two pillows, "I've realized that in this world, if you don't know magic, then warming yourself is basically achieved by shivering, communication is by shouting, transportation is by walking, and entertainment is by..."
Mu Jiahe reached out from under the covers and gently patted Xiao Xun's head, "Stop talking nonsense. If you're cold, shall I conjure a flame for you?"
Xiao Xun blushed, feeling his body instantly heat up, "I'll pass on that. I feel quite warm now."
Mu Jiahe caressed Xiao Xun's chest, "Your heart is beating so fast!"
They fell asleep in each other's arms, neither of them speaking.
When the time came, they returned to the present world.
The first thing Xiao Xun did upon opening his eyes was to look for those red high-heeled shoes. He had become almost obsessed with them.
He had also forgotten to inform the housekeeping company not to send anyone else yesterday. Anyway, his relatives would arrive in a day or two, and then such incidents shouldn't happen again.
Otherwise, it was quite unsettling to have a stranger appear inexplicably in his home, even if they posed no immediate threat.
After searching everywhere, he couldn't find them in the bedroom, at the turn of the stairs, or in the entrance hall. If they were anywhere else, he wouldn't bother looking further; it was too much trouble.
Knowing that Mu Jiahe hadn't eaten anything in that world for a day, Xiao Xun prepared a new dipping sauce for her early in the morning, washed fresh vegetables, and prepared some thinly sliced beef. He then reheated yesterday's "old broth."
Eating hot pot early in the morning had a unique charm.
When Mu Jiahe saw it, she signaled Xiao Xun to turn off the hot pot, telling him, "Hot pot can only be eaten at night. Otherwise, the clothes on your body will smell of hot pot all day, which is impolite whether you're meeting clients or attending meetings."
Xiao Xun had no choice but to quickly cook some meat and vegetables, turn off the heat, and turn on the air purifier to its maximum setting.
Then, holding a bowl of cooked meat and vegetables, he said, "Eat this, and you definitely won't get the hot pot smell on you. I'll go change my clothes."
Mu Jiahe took the bowl, and Xiao Xun ran towards his original room.
A moment later, he rushed out with a startled cry.
Mu Jiahe looked at Xiao Xun's expression, "What happened? Did that aunt come into your room again?"
Xiao Xun looked at Mu Jiahe, "Not exactly, it's just... why don't you see for yourself!"
Mu Jiahe placed the bowl on the dining table and walked over. Upon looking inside, she couldn't help but gasp, "This... isn't this just a little black cat?"
Xiao Xun, who had been most afraid of such creatures since childhood, hid behind the table hesitantly, "Are you sure it's not a rat?"
A pure black Chinchilla, with small eyes like black beans, was looking at the two people at the doorway in terror.
Xiao Xun hid behind Mu Jiahe, "Miss Mu, it's up to you."
Mu Jiahe produced a crossbow from somewhere, "Look at your courage! You call yourself a man, yet you're afraid of this thing."
Seeing Mu Jiahe about to act, Xiao Xun quickly snatched the crossbow bolt away, "Miss Mu, it's a life, after all. I meant we should just drive it away. Heaven cherishes life."
Mu Jiahe put away the crossbow, stepped aside, and looked at Xiao Xun with a blank expression, "Why don't you do it?"
Xiao Xun quickly waved his hands and retreated towards the door, "No, no."
Just as they were engaged in their polite exchange, the black Chinchilla, resembling a "big rat," leaped down from the bed and rushed directly towards Xiao Xun.
Xiao Xun let out a startled cry and jumped onto the kitchen counter, his entire body trembling.
Startled by Xiao Xun's cry, the Chinchilla ran even more frantically and soon disappeared without a trace.
Just as Mu Jiahe was about to call the property management to deal with the situation, the doorbell rang.
"Go open the door."
Xiao Xun shook his head violently and let out a high-pitched scream, far sharper than his usual voice, "I'm not going."
Mu Jiahe shook her head helplessly, "Then you call the property management, and I'll open the door."
Xiao Xun patted his pockets and only then remembered that his phone was still on the bedside table on the second floor, next to the master bedroom.
Enduring his fear, he cautiously surveyed his surroundings. Finding nothing unusual, he suddenly leaped down and sprinted towards the second floor.
Meanwhile, Mu Jiahe had also reached the door. Upon opening it, she saw a pretty young girl with a ponytail, wearing a white pleated skirt, appearing to be in her mid-twenties. Her eyes were like black pearls, sparkling and lustrously black.
She said to Mu Jiahe, who had opened the door, "Hello, sister. I'm your neighbor. My little black cat is missing, and I saw on the surveillance that it ran out of my house. So, I wanted to ask if it happened to come into your home."