"A seat in the Liyue Qixing? I'll pass," Ryou said, shaking his head at his father. "You're in your prime—you can keep working for Liyue a few more years. I'm not taking your spot."
"You brat, you're actually being picky," his father scoffed. "People would fight tooth and nail for a chance at the Liyue Qixing, and you've got an opening right in front of you, yet you're not interested. I don't even know what to say to you."
He glanced at Ryou, then looked away. "I could tell a long time ago you didn't care about this stuff. But you married Keqing, and you promised to join the Ministry of Civil Affairs. There are things you can't dodge."
"Even if you don't want it, she'll find a way to push you into the right position. Fine—if you don't want my seat, that's your choice. But you remember your Uncle Tian, right? He's getting old. I've heard he's already thinking about picking a successor."
His father's tone stayed casual, but the meaning didn't.
"When the time comes, our family will have three seats in the Liyue Qixing. And Ningguang—under your father's care—will lean our way too. You could say Liyue will be almost entirely in our hands. As long as you don't do anything evil, who in Liyue would dare give you trouble?"
He patted Ryou's shoulder. "Think it over. I'm heading home. Don't forget to bring your wife back for lunch."
With that, he left.
Ryou turned his father's words over in his head, and the more he thought about them, the more weight they carried. The family's influence in Liyue really was enormous. Two members of the Liyue Qixing had already come from our family before—never mind his father, who currently held a seat.
If what his father said came true, then nearly four seats would be aligned with the family.
That kind of power wasn't always a good thing.
So why tell him all this now?
Was his father planning something bigger for the future?
Ryou pulled his thoughts back in. "Maybe I'm reading too much into it," he muttered. "With his personality, he wouldn't do anything reckless. Enough. I should just go home."
…
Back at the house, Ganyu arrived at Keqing's invitation.
The two of them were genuinely close. When Keqing got married, Ganyu had even come by to see her. But today, the moment Ganyu saw Keqing, she caught something off.
Keqing's complexion looked great—almost too good—and there was a mature glow to her that hadn't been there before. Still, the faint weakness between her brows stood out. Ganyu could already guess what that meant.
"Keqing-san," Ganyu said carefully, "I know you haven't been married long, but… you should still take care of yourself. I don't mean anything else. I'm just worried."
Her voice dropped. "You look worn out. You need to build yourself back up."
Keqing's face went crimson. Even her words stumbled. "G-Ganyu, what are you saying? You can't just say that out loud. Just… just knowing it is enough, okay?"
She forced herself to continue, cheeks still burning. "And it's not like I can help it. I overdid it. I probably can't handle any work for the next few days."
Keqing shifted the topic fast. "I sent Ryou to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to deal with the paperwork. He's really capable—civil matters, construction, all of it. With him handling it, there's nothing to worry about."
"I heard," Ganyu said with a smile. "Even Ningguang-san speaks highly of him. From how you're talking… you're very satisfied with him?"
"Ganyu…" Keqing hesitated for a long moment, then asked anyway, voice low and face still red. "You've seen so much, and you've lived for so long. Do you have any way to help with… my situation?"
She swallowed. "Or is there something that can help me recover faster?"
Ganyu's own face flushed. "Keqing-san, how would I know about that?"
She waved her hands in a panic. "And your body is already strong. You have a Vision, and you train regularly. This might just be a special case for the first few days. You'll… you'll get used to it."
"Used to it?" Keqing said, looking miserable. "The first time was still manageable. But the next day it got worse—more than doubled. It goes on for hours.. Even with a Vision, I can't keep up."
Ganyu froze. "Wait—for hours?"
She sucked in a sharp breath. "That… that's really like that?"
Then, as if something clicked in her head, she blurted, "I heard a female secretary at the Ministry complaining—she said her husband only lasts a few minutes every time, and he always tries to brush it off like it's nothing!"
The words left her mouth—and she immediately saw Keqing staring at her.
Ganyu's face lit up bright red in an instant.
Oh no.
What did I just say in front of Keqing?!
[End of chapter]
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