Liyue had already entered winter.
Although it rarely snowed due to its geography, there was still a faint chill lingering in the air.
Early morning.
Ganyu was tending to the flowers she had specially planted—ones that could bloom even in winter.
Morning dew clung to the petals. After glancing at the sky, she judged that today's weather was fairly nice.
Paimon, busy ordering breakfast, helped Ganyu at the same time.
The door to the master bedroom opened.
Gu Chen stepped out and stretched lazily.
"Huh? You're up so early?"
Paimon turned her head, a little surprised to see him.
"Early to bed and early to rise is good for your health," Gu Chen said with a laugh.
Paimon nodded, then noticed how lightly he was dressed.
"Put on some more clothes. It's getting colder."
At Gu Chen's level, external temperature hardly mattered anymore, but hearing Paimon's concern, he still nodded.
"You've got a point."
As he spoke, his clothes rippled like water, thickening slightly in the next instant.
"So what's for breakfast?"
"I don't know either," Paimon shrugged.
"So I asked Xiangling to adjust things according to her preferences."
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"You sure she won't make something with slimes? Abstract ingredients are kind of…"
"Don't worry!"
"I specifically reminded Xiangling—there definitely won't be any slime-added dishes!"
When it came to food, Paimon was especially serious.
Hearing that, Gu Chen felt completely reassured.
"Is Ei awake yet?" Ganyu asked.
"She's a bit tired—she won't be up until at least ten," Gu Chen shook his head.
Paimon crossed her arms, clicking her tongue in amazement.
"Too much exercise?"
Gu Chen leaned back slightly.
After being momentarily impressed by Paimon's breadth of knowledge, he smiled.
"You could understand it that way."
"Alright, then we won't wait for her—time to eat!"
After breakfast, Ganyu still had half an hour before work.
"Rest a bit first. I'll walk you to Yuehai Pavilion later," Gu Chen said.
"Eh?"
Ganyu froze for a moment. "You're walking me to work?"
"Mhm." Gu Chen nodded.
"Okay!"
Ganyu's eyes curved into crescents—she was more than happy.
Seeing Raiden Makoto and Buer busy with something, Gu Chen asked curiously,
"What are you two up to?"
"Hehe—knitting you a sweater," Paimon answered eagerly.
"Knitting me a sweater?"
Gu Chen stroked his chin. "Picked up a new skill?"
"Don't underestimate us," Raiden Makoto said with a smile.
"Buer is the God of Wisdom—even if I can't do it, she definitely can."
Buer smiled gently.
"It's getting cold. Even though we're not afraid of the cold, dressing too lightly still looks a bit odd."
Thinking it over, Gu Chen felt that made sense.
They didn't have much to do daily, and women tended to like going out shopping.
Wearing too little might look nice, but it would stand out awkwardly on the streets.
And of course, dressing warmer felt more reassuring.
"Then I'll be waiting to wear it," Gu Chen laughed heartily.
"Hehe, I've got one too,"
Paimon said, beaming.
"Matching parent–child outfits~" Lumine added with a grin.
"So I just gained a very food-loving daughter out of nowhere?"
Gu Chen bared his teeth at Paimon.
"I don't mind that either."
"Tch!"
Paimon stomped angrily, then sighed in resignation.
"Fine—parent–child outfits it is. As long as I get one."
Gu Chen chuckled.
Checking the time—it was already 8:55.
"Let's go."
He stood and extended his hand.
Ganyu hooked her arm through his, waving to everyone with her free hand.
"Then I'm off to work!"
Gu Chen and Ganyu left together.
Gu Residence was very close to Yuehai Pavilion.
Even five minutes was more than enough—half that time would still suffice.
At this hour, Yujing Terrace was filled with finely dressed nobles.
Seeing Gu Chen and Ganyu walking arm in arm, the nobles greeted them warmly.
Gu Chen smiled and returned the greetings.
After just a few hundred meters, they arrived at Yuehai Pavilion.
With two minutes left before nine, the pavilion was already bustling with activity.
Yuehai Pavilion handled a vast amount of work—it was one of the core hubs of Liyue's administrative operations.
"Lady Ganyu is here! Oh—and Mr. Gu Chen too. You walked your wife to work?"
A secretary teased when she spotted them.
Hearing that Gu Chen had come to escort Ganyu to work, the secretaries immediately dropped what they were doing and gathered around.
"Yay! We saw the real Mr. Gu Chen today—just as handsome as in the videos!"
"Hehe, looks like Mr. Gu Chen and Lady Ganyu are really loving—yay!"
"Seeing Lady Ganyu so doted on puts my heart at ease!"
Ganyu's face turned bright red.
"If you don't get back to work, you'll be the ones delaying your own quitting time!"
"Hehe, Lady Ganyu is embarrassed!"
"Looks like Lady Ganyu still isn't used to this~"
Even after living for thousands of years, Ganyu was still no match for them.
Though teased into embarrassment, she felt genuinely happy inside.
Gu Chen laughed for a while—until he couldn't anymore.
After finishing with Ganyu, they turned their teasing toward him.
Surrounded by a group of girls, Gu Chen felt utterly helpless.
"Ahem!"
Ganyu coughed lightly. "Alright, back to work!"
"Sisters, retreat! Lady Ganyu is protecting her husband!"
"Back to work~"
The secretaries dispersed with laughter.
"Come with me,"
Ganyu said, leading Gu Chen to her office.
The office was spacious, with bookshelves on three sides filled with books and documents.
The desk itself was piled high with files.
Seeing this, Gu Chen frowned slightly.
"So much—can you handle it all?"
"Mhm, I can,"
Ganyu nodded.
In the past, seeing this many documents would have given her a headache.
But the current Ganyu was no longer the same.
With the expectation of seeing her husband every evening after work, she found that although her working hours were shorter than before, her efficiency had multiplied—so much so that Ningguang and Keqing were both shocked.
"Just don't overwork yourself,"
Gu Chen said, reaching out to touch her qilin horn.
"Mm—"
Ganyu covered it with her hand, her cheeks flushing.
Horns were sensitive—both psychologically and physically.
With just that touch, Ganyu panicked slightly and whispered,
"This is the office!"
"Relax,"
Gu Chen chuckled, shaking his head.
Knock, knock.
The door was knocked.
Gu Chen turned and opened it, revealing a familiar cat-eared head.
"Mr. Gu Chen."
Keqing smiled when she saw him. "I just heard you were here. Good morning."
Seeing the stack of documents in her arms, Gu Chen smiled.
"Up early as always. You came from the General Affairs Department, didn't you?"
"Yes. Now that Liyue has entered the era of human governance, there's simply too much to do—so many loose ends…"
After placing the files on Ganyu's desk, Keqing's face lit up with a cheerful smile.
"But once things are sorted out, it should get easier."
After reviewing the files and stamping them, Ganyu said,
"This road will probably cost quite a bit of Mora to build, but it'll greatly improve travel efficiency for residents on both sides."
"Don't forget we still have Tartaglia," Keqing said.
"Using him doesn't cost any Mora."
Ganyu's ahoge bobbed before she realized,
"That's true."
Tartaglia, a Fatui Harbinger, was extremely strong.
When it came to building roads, he could clear obstacles with brute force—and that alone was incredibly useful.
On top of that, his strength made him excellent for transportation work, saving enormous manpower and resources.
Using a Fatui Harbinger like this…
Gu Chen felt it was perfectly reasonable.
"Do the Qixing have to submit decisions to Yuehai Pavilion now?" Gu Chen asked curiously.
Keqing froze briefly, then smiled.
"Yes."
"Entering the era of human governance means all decisions are made by humans."
"The Geo Archon is still here, but he obviously won't watch over everything. To avoid wrong decisions, the Qixing decided that every resolution should pass through Yuehai Pavilion."
"That way, there's a record to check—and Yuehai Pavilion can also supervise the Qixing's decisions, preventing any one of them from abusing power."
Gu Chen nodded slightly.
As long as Ganyu was at Yuehai Pavilion, obviously flawed decisions would never get approved.
Though this approach restrained the Qixing's own authority, it also proved their integrity and strict self-discipline.
No wonder Zhongli felt comfortable retiring—he must have seen all this and felt reassured.
"I'm more and more looking forward to how the era of human governance will develop," Gu Chen said with a smile.
"We'll definitely see that day!"
Keqing nodded firmly.
Most of the time, the progress of an era was slow.
Although Liyue's transition into human governance brought drastic changes, its peak was still far away.
Keqing truly looked forward to that future.
In the past, she believed she might never live to see it—but she would still strive for it.
Now, things were different.
The emergence of the Taixuan Sect and the spread of the Taixuan Scripture gave her hope of witnessing that day!
With gratitude, Keqing said,
"Sect Leader—thank you!"
Gu Chen was momentarily surprised, then understood what she meant.
"If a talent like the Yuheng Star were to perish simply because of lifespan, that would be Liyue's loss—and the era's loss as well."
Keqing was flattered, feeling both shy and proud.
After all, the one praising her was the renowned Taixuan Sect Leader!
"Just remember—balance work and rest," Gu Chen reminded her.
"Mhm~ Most people working under Keqing leave because they can't handle her high-intensity schedule,"
Ganyu said with a light laugh.
Keqing stiffened, then said awkwardly,
"…That's true. After referencing the work schedule you set for Ganyu, I've had many ideas. I believe this issue will be resolved soon."
"Keep it up," Gu Chen encouraged.
"Mhm!"
Keqing nodded, then said,
"Since everything's recorded, I'll get back to work. Tartaglia's taking leave during the Lantern Rite, so we'll have him deal with the toughest spots before then."
"Exploiting labor before his vacation, huh?" Gu Chen teased.
"You could put it that way. Osial's situation is similar,"
Keqing nodded with a smile.
Criminals—use them however you like.
After chatting a bit more, Keqing left briskly with her files.
"The Yuheng Star is really decisive,"
Gu Chen remarked as he watched her go.
"Starting to like her?"
Ganyu asked with a teasing smile.
"Hm?"
Gu Chen raised an eyebrow.
"She's good-looking and capable—anyone would admire her, wouldn't they?"
Ganyu nodded lightly, then said,
"I have quite a lot of work today. If you stay here with me, I might get distracted and end up leaving late."
"Kicking me out?"
Gu Chen pinched her cheek.
"Mhm~ For your wife to get off work earlier, won't husband have to suffer a little?"
Ganyu smiled sweetly.
"Then I'll suffer a bit,"
Gu Chen replied.
"I'll come pick you up later."
"Okay~"
Leaving Ganyu's office, Gu Chen saw the many secretaries hard at work.
Clearly, Yuehai Pavilion's workload had increased significantly in the era of human governance.
He even overheard discussions about recruiting more staff.
If Liyue was this busy… then Inazuma—
Lost in thought, Gu Chen headed home.
Back at Gu Residence, he saw Buer knitting a sweater, Raiden Makoto standing beside a frowning Raiden Ei while lecturing her, and Guizhong and Lumine laughing on the side.
"What happened?" Gu Chen asked, confused.
"Hahaha! There's too much going on in Inazuma. Kamisato Ayato couldn't handle it anymore and messaged Ei to deal with it,"
Paimon explained.
"Husband, save me!"
Seeing Gu Chen, Raiden Ei looked as if she'd found her lifeline.
Gu Chen shrugged.
"I'd love to save you, but I really don't want to go to work."
Raiden Ei's hope shattered. She puffed her cheeks and sat there pitifully, being scolded by Raiden Makoto.
Paimon rubbed her round chin thoughtfully.
"Suddenly remembered—doesn't Boss Gu have perfect-grade puppet-making techniques? Couldn't you upgrade the Shogun to be smarter?"
Raiden Ei's eyes lit up.
"Great idea!"
Raiden Makoto froze.
When Ei was in the Plane of Euthymia, it was the puppet handling state affairs.
The puppet was too rigid—acting strictly by rules. Most governance was handled by the Tri-Commission, then submitted for approval.
And what could the Shogun approve?
She just stamped everything through.
If the Shogun could be upgraded—made smarter—then Ei really might be freed.
"That's a good suggestion,"
Buer nodded after a pause.
"Right?!"
Paimon grinned smugly.
Gu Chen fell into thought.
He did indeed have the ability to upgrade the Shogun—he was just considering how far to take it.
"What do you think would happen if the Shogun gained wisdom and self-awareness?"
Gu Chen asked.
"Wait—self-awareness?"
Lumine caught the key point and shot him a sidelong glance.
"That's a bit of a dangerous thought."
If the Shogun gained self-awareness, wouldn't that mean two consciousnesses in one body—Ei and the Shogun?!
"Alright, alright—you really know how to play this!"
Paimon was utterly awestruck.
"A path never before imagined…"
Even Guizhong felt it was outrageously wild.
Buer smiled meaningfully.
"One body, two minds… during exercise… just imagining it already counts as forbidden knowledge~"
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