The matter of the dam breach is of great importance, and given the Emperor’s current inclinations, Qian Hui Chun is likely doomed, and his family cannot escape responsibility.

To ensure the survival of his eldest son, Qian Hui Chun must achieve merits by atoning for his crimes, begging the Emperor for mercy to spare his son’s life.

Meanwhile, Chen Zhao finally emerged from Dashan, wiping the sweat from his forehead and tightening his grip on the object in his arms. He looked at the road ahead and exhaled heavily.

At this moment, Chen Zhao was covered in mud and water, and it was barely discernible that the clothes he was wearing were originally a white undergarment.

Chen Zhao pursed his dry lips, looked around, and found himself facing a vast expanse of farmland.

This was the other side of the mountain, completely different from Changtian Prefecture, where there was no flood’s Silver. Chen Zhao’s heart was somewhat saddened.

The scene before him was harmonious, with distant figures of peasants working in the fields.

The flood had claimed the lives of his elders and neighbors, and even the Lord Prefect had committed suicide in atonement for the incident. He wondered how his family was faring.

His heart was filled with both grief and apprehension, uncertain of what awaited him ahead.

He took a few steps, looked up at the sky, which was not raining, and saw a ray of light through the gray clouds.

At this moment, Chen Zhao felt a glimmer of hope; as long as one is alive, what obstacle cannot be overcome?

He took a deep breath and continued forward. Having gone without food or drink for two days, he had survived by scavenging wild mushrooms and vegetables in the mountains.

If it weren’t for his skills, he would have long perished in the belly of a beast.

His stomach growled with hunger, his mouth parched, and his lips dried. Chen Zhao estimated the distance to the nearest village, finding it not far.

He decided to head to the village to ask for food and water and have a cart from the village take him to the Yingnan Prefecture Government.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly saw a cow cart approaching him, and his eyes lit up.

...

"Haha! Young nephew is so promising, now an Assistant Reader at the Hanlin Academy, I truly admire you!"

Yingnan Prefecture Magistrate Li Taixing laughed heartily, raising his wine cup to drink with Min Feng.

"Oh, Mr. Li praised me too highly, it’s really nothing significant," Min Feng was somewhat proud inside, but he couldn’t show it.

Li Taixing squinted slightly and continued to flatter him: "Nephew mustn’t be so modest, since entering officialdom, under three years you’ve already risen two ranks, that’s enviable! Your peers are still struggling at the seventh-rank level!"

Li Taixing sang praises outwardly, but internally he was muttering.

If it weren’t for having a Grand Secretary with overwhelming court influence as a teacher, would Min Feng alone have risen two ranks?

The court holds the imperial exam every three years to recruit officials, and each state is filled with talented individuals; it’s not lacking in those with both virtue and talent.

Yet why do these people fade into the background, unable to shine in their positions? Certainly, it’s due to a lack of connections!

If the imperial exam is like a thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge, entering officialdom becomes a battle of dragons and tigers, where one misstep leads to eternal damnation.

Of course, those with talent but without fortune, repeatedly unsuccessful in the exam, don’t even have the qualification to discuss this.

Min Feng came from a farming family, impoverished with no foundation in the court. To earn Xia Qing’s favor and be accepted as a closed-door disciple was truly a stroke of luck.

Li Taixing actually felt deeply envious inside; if he could align himself with the Chief Minister Xia, his promotion seemed only a matter of time!

He had once pledged allegiance to Prince Jing, but after failing to handle Prince Jing’s affairs properly, Prince Jing became greatly dissatisfied with him.

In the end, not only was the task mishandled, but it also caused Prince Jing considerable embarrassment.

Since then, Prince Jing has been dismissive towards him, unwilling to assist him further.

Moreover, now that Prince Jing has relocated to his fief in Fengqing Prefecture, all communication has been cut off.

He has not communicated with officials of Prince Jing’s faction for two years, and they seem to have forgotten him.

But next year will be another three-year term. He wishes to move on, unwilling to remain in Yingnan Prefecture. It would be ideal if he could go to the Capital.

Back then, Hu Maoshen, who took the same imperial exam as him, is now in the Standard Second Rank while he remains in the Standard Fourth Rank here; how can Li Taixing be content?

He believes his abilities are lacking only in opportunities!

Later, he considered befriending Hu Maoshen to pave his path forward, but found himself unable to voice his intentions when he saw Hu Maoshen.

Now, with Min Feng, it’s the perfect chance to ingratiate himself with the Chief Minister Xia. If he can win Min Feng over, surely Min Feng would speak favorably of him to the Chief Minister Xia?

When talking about the contemporaries, Min Feng’s smile involuntarily froze. Contemporaries? He had many, including Gu Chengyu naturally.

His promotion in under three years was indeed commendable, but compared to Gu Chengyu, who is already a Secondary Fifth Rank official, what does it amount to?

Thinking of this, Min Feng felt somewhat uncomfortable inside. Though his face again bore a smile, his heart grew increasingly dissatisfied with the tactless Li Taixing.

Sitting at the top position, Li Taixing caught the momentary embarrassment on Min Feng’s face and couldn’t help but secretly disdain him.

He realized the other was reminded of Gu Chengyu, who was in the prime of his career, feeling surely a stinging jealousy. But this was precisely his aim.

"Mr. Li speaks truly, Min Assistant Reader is already a Sixth-rank official at such a young age and surely will rise effortlessly in the future."

Along with Min Feng, two doctors from the Ministry of Industry joined the river embankment inspection, and the speaker was the doctor Rui Shiliang.

Once he spoke, other officials also chimed in, expressing that Min Feng was promising and destined to excel in the court.

Receiving such recognition from so many officials, Min Feng naturally felt somewhat elated.

"You gentlemen flatter me exceedingly; presently in the court, the renowned Mr. Gu Shaoqing is the Emperor’s favored one, and he has achieved the Secondary Fifth Rank within three years. He is the model for us! When compared to him, I am far inferior!"

Though Min Feng looked down on Gu Chengyu, he couldn’t deny his capabilities were truly impressive.

He knew well his own promotions were thanks to his teacher; without his teacher’s efforts, he would still be at the Secondary Sixth Rank.

What does Gu Chengyu have? Besides the Emperor’s favor, can his court connections compare?

Even if Gu Chengyu has three senior brothers; only one of them stands out — the eldest Yin Kun.

But Yin Kun’s promotion to Standard Third Rank was still achieved through his teacher’s support; his own abilities were somewhat lacking.

Since Liang Zhirui retired, Yin Kun has found it difficult to rise further all these years. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

As for the second senior brother, don’t even think about it; he’s still only a Standard Fourth Rank himself, how can he foster Gu Chengyu?

The last junior brother He Jisheng, he heard some news indicating an unharmonious relationship with Gu Chengyu.

Lacking any roots in the court, Gu Chengyu rising to Secondary Fifth Rank within three years is merely due to the Emperor’s favor.