They lay prone on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
"Boss, you've finally arrived! Waaaaah, I thought you'd abandoned me and left me behind!"
Wang Mang knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably with snot and tears streaming down his face.
"Get up. What kind of behavior is this, crying and sobbing like this?"
Xiao Ning's face darkened, and she stopped him.
Upon hearing his words, Wang Mang fell silent, immediately stopping his performance, composed himself, straightened his clothes, and gave a slightly respectful bow.
"Your Excellency is right. I was rude. Please come in, Your Excellency!"
He turned to the chief eunuch following behind him and whispered, "The court assembly is adjourned today. Have all the officials leave!"
"promise!"
The elderly eunuch, his voice like a duck's, quietly rose from the ground and gestured for the others to leave.
Soon, the ministers, eunuchs, and guards who had surrounded them retreated like ants, leaving a huge, empty square.
As if descending a flight of stairs, Xiao Ning walked down step by step and stood in front of Wang Mang, carefully examining him.
Half a year later, Wang Mang looked energetic and had a rosy complexion, indicating that he had been doing quite well during this time.
"Boss, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for you for almost half a year!"
Wang Mang stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Please come into the hall to speak, sir. I have many questions I would like to ask you!"
Xiao Ning nodded slightly and replied, "Alright!"
He then took the lead and walked towards Weiyang Palace, which was not far away, with Wang Mang following slowly beside him.
Upon entering the palace, the two sat facing each other. Without needing to give any instructions, a eunuch served them drinks and then quietly withdrew.
"Boss, where have you been for the past six months? I've sent people everywhere to inquire, but we haven't found a single piece of information about you!"
Wang Mang was clearly in a good mood, as if he had found his pillar of support, and a huge weight had been lifted from his heart, with a happy smile on his face.
"I randomly chose an unnamed hill to comprehend the Dao of Heaven, but when I opened my eyes, I found that half a year had passed!"
Xiao Ning shrugged, looking completely innocent.
"Well... alright, you truly are a master! I admire you wholeheartedly and humbly submit!"
Wang Mang opened his mouth, somewhat surprised yet seemingly expectant, and flattered him with admiration in his eyes.
Xiao Ning picked up the bronze cup on the low table in front of him, and saw that it looked like tea, but not quite, with some unknown foam floating on top, making it impossible to tell what it was.
He took a small sip, and a hint of sweetness filled his mouth; surprisingly, it tasted quite good.
"This world doesn't even have tea leaves, how backward!"
"This is iced tea that I had my subordinates make based on my memories from my previous life. What do you think, sir?"
Seeing that Xiao Ning did not refuse the drink, Wang Mang proudly explained the origin of the drink.
"Let's not talk about that. How have you been doing in reforming the government over the past six months?"
Setting down the bronze cup, Xiao Ning looked up at Wang Mang and asked.
"well!"
Upon hearing Xiao Ning's question, Wang Mang's happy expression faded, replaced by a hint of displeasure.
"Thanks to your help, I was able to quell the Green Forest rebels led by Liu Xiu. However, in the vast new kingdom of nine provinces, the prefectures and counties north of the Yellow River are all taking a wait-and-see attitude and have not yet submitted to me. The Red Eyebrow Army is developing rapidly in Shandong and its momentum is growing stronger day by day. There are also separatist forces such as the Three Kings of Hebei, Tongma, Youlai, Weixiao, Gongsun Shu, etc. In short, it's a complete mess!"
"I'm so upset by all these troubles that I can't sleep or eat properly!"
"Thank goodness you're back, sir! I've been needing your help!"
Wang Mang poured out his grievances, looking utterly dejected.
"So, you're saying that your position as emperor of the new country is just a figurehead? In reality, you're just a mascot?"
Xiao Ning frowned, not expecting the situation to be so dire.
After all, Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han dynasty was a very short period, with few historical records, and Xiao Ning didn't know much about it either.
Moreover, this is not a historical world, but a Journey to the West world that is similar to history but not quite. Previous information can only be used as a reference, not taken seriously.
Xiao Ning didn't delve too deeply into it. In the mortal realm, most cultivators at the Great Completion Tribulation Transcending Realm hid in the deep mountains, unwilling to come out and get involved in troublesome matters. As for the other low-level cultivators, who was Xiao Ning afraid of?
Reaching his level of attainment, he is practically invincible in the mortal realm, except for immortals in the heavens.
Moreover, those immortals rarely interfered in the changing of regimes in the mortal world.
Of course, the Investiture of the Gods at the end of the Shang Dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty was an exception. It happened during a great calamity of the era, a calamity of gods and immortals, and the change of dynasties in the human world was used as a battlefield to bring disaster to the human world.
“What you say is not wrong, sir. The Great Xin Kingdom only controls eight prefectures, including Guanzhong, Guannei, Hanoi, and Nanyang. The remaining twenty-eight prefectures have been occupied by rebels!”
The entire Nine Provinces were divided into thirty-six commanderies, but only eight commanderies remained in his hands. All the commanderies of the remaining commanderies were lost, so it's no wonder that Wang Mang was extremely anxious.
"Alright, you can tell me now what your plans are for the future. If you want to cultivate, I won't hesitate to pass on a cultivation technique to you, since we're both from the same planet!"
"I won't make you an immortal or a god, but I can certainly extend your life by several hundred years! However, you can no longer be an emperor!"
Xiao Ning thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "If you want to reclaim your lost territory and enjoy a lifetime of wealth and honor, I can also help you rebuild your empire and ensure that your descendants will enjoy endless wealth and honor!"