Wolf King And His Fox Consort [BL]

It didn't take long for the stunned silence to be replaced with a shower of protests. Voices raising higher than the last in red-faced fury.

Xiao Zai couldn't tell them all to shut up wholesale. So he gestured towards whoever seemed most in danger of bursting a blood vessel to allow them to go ahead and air their grievances.

The grievances were many and varied.

"Commoners in the civil service, his Majesty would condemn the fields to barrenness. Who will work the land?"

Rebutting stupid arguments was Chu Yun's speciality, so Xiao Zai left that up to him. From his place beside Xiao Zai he faced the angry ministers with an expression of complete neutrality.

"Maybe Minister Bin doesn't recall, but the civil servants exams will remain in place. Which means the number of posts will be the same. We won't be opening any extraordinary posts for the new students. Minister Bin can rest assured there will still be people to farm his land for him."

Xiao Zai leaned his elbow on the throne's armrest and raised the tips of his fingers to his lips in a gesture of mock thoughtfulness to disguise his smile.

The ministers wouldn't give up without a fight, more of them were eager to make themselves heard. Convinced their words of wisdom would be the one's to sway Xiao Zai.

He would have been happy to listen to them, weren't their concerns entirely selfish.

"The scent of omegas is very alluring, it will distract alphas and compromise the quality of their work," a young faced minister pleaded.

Chu Yun nodded thoughtfully. "The Minister makes a good point, perhaps it would be best if alphas were excluded from civil service. We wouldn't want their loss of control to affect matters of national security."

Those words were met with dismayed groans and shocked utterances.

Xiao Zai intervened with a placating gesture, quieting down the crowd.

"I think this example just goes to show that this court shouldn't base its arguments on old sayings, and centuries old folk wisdom. Just as everyone here gathered knows that not all alphas are lust-filled creatures incapable of self-control, so too should they know that omegas aren't wilting flowers incapable of complex and nuanced thought.

As are betas, whose unfitness for civil service seems to hang on the fact that they're neither alphas nor omegas."

Chu Yun met his eyes across the distance between their thrones. The corner of his lips curled up in a pleased smile. He was proud of Xiao Zai. The knowledge filled him with warmth.

The ministers weren't done complaining. One of them, a tall man of with a thin moustache kept a stern gaze fixed on Chu Yun. It was obvious why when he spoke. "His Majesty can, of course, propose any changes to the law he sees fit, but such big changes are usually decided in conjunction with the several ministers."

Xiao Zai smiled. "But I don't have full cabinets, do I? Because half my alpha ministers conspired to depose me." His smile widened when the faces looking up at him paled "At the behest of a beta prince from another nation. I guess it didn't matter much to them in that instance, did it?"

That shut him up, but his eyes remained trained on Chu Yun.

A woman with stern, thin lips was happy to pick up were he left off. "A change of this magnitude will cause social unrest. The common people will be distraught."

Chu Yun raised an eyebrow at her. "Will they? I supposed that's true for many people, but I think they'll be happy to put their shock aside for the opportunity of seeing their children take the civil servant exam."

Chu Yun had reminded Xiao Zai often and at length of the importance of what he called the 'two pronged approach'.

He had often reminded Xiao Zai while wearing very little, and with all his long, silky hair cascading down his body like a waterfall so Xiao Zai had to try very hard to listen. But Chu Yun could always be persuaded, at the expense of a few kisses, to repeat himself.

In the end he had gotten the gist of it. The way the reforms were structured benefited the common people as a class, as well as omegas and betas as a group. If the common people disapproved of the notion of omegas in civil service, they could be persuaded to ignore it with the promise of having a child join the civil servant ranks.

Likewise, if omegas and betas of noble birth disapproved of having commoners raised to high ranks in society, they certainly would look more favourably to independence outside of their family's good fortunes or good marriages of their own.

It was still likely to be met with resistance, but Chu Yun was confident that with Xiao Zai's recent triumph over the attempt on his life, he would have public opinion on his side, so the time to act was now.

The ministers were still loudly proclaiming their discontent, when the doors to the throne room swept open and in marched Xiao Ziyi in her full military regalia, with Xiao Yuan walking beside her in his courtly robes.

The two of them came to a stop at the bottom of the dais and kowtowed deeply. Xiao Ziyi got up to her feet and addressed Xiao Zai.

"His Majesty's decree about the new regulations for the civil servant exam is ready for distribution. A military escort will ride with the royal envoys."

Xiao Yuan said nothing, but his presence, along with Xiao Ziyi's, was meaningful enough. They supported Xiao Zai.

Xiao Zai came down from the dais and embraced his brother and sister with the requisite propriety of court, but with a warm smile.

"I think perhaps after the tragedies of this past year, we should greet the new one with a celebration. It would please me greatly to see my brother marry, as I know has been his wish, and it would please the people of Haolin greatly to join in on the festivities."

He turned towards the first minister, the one with the sour face. "And I think it would please Minister Bin greatly to supply the wine, his distillery is quite famous, and very profitable from what I gather."

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Chu Yun smiled sweetly, still seating regally on his throne. "Minister Bin isn't the only minister with a successful business, I'm sure other ministers would be pleased to make their own contributions."

For once, no one had anything to say.