On the twenty-eighth of November, a series of appointment and dismissal notices from Fengri City descended like a bolt from the blue, shaking the entire Li City Guard Station to its core.

Households Commander Jiang was promoted! Elevated to Jingxi Governor! Holding the rank of Junior Fourth Grade!

A man named Wu Changhe, a Thousand Households, was directly parachuted in from the Commander’s Office to fill the position of Fengri City Households Officer, with no local promotion.

Additionally, a Deputy Thousand Households in Fengri City surnamed Xu was transferred at the same rank to the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office. The vacancy left by this Deputy Thousand Households Officer Xu would be filled by Li City Hundred Households Officer Tang Qingyuan!

Tang Qingyuan was promoted too! Hundred Households is Senior Sixth Grade; promotion to Deputy Thousand Households moves him up to Junior Fifth Grade. It also meant Tang Qingyuan would bid farewell to the Li City he had presided over for many years.

But that was not all. What truly sent shockwaves through the ranks of Li City Xuanqing Guard was another appointment notice: Due to distinguished merit, Li City Xuanqing Guard Black Banner Camp Commander Shen Hao is ordered relieved of his post as Li City Xuanqing Guard Black Banner Camp Commander, promoted to Senior Sixth Grade, and transferred to Fengri City Thousand Households Station as Black Banner Battalion Hundred Households Officer. At the end, another line: Chen Yiyun is relieved of his post as Fengri City Black Banner Battalion Hundred Households Officer, with another assignment to follow.

Simply put, Shen Hao was promoted too, and squeezed Chen Yiyun out of his previous post.

And Chen Yiyun? He was merely relieved of duty, without any mention of a new appointment—clearly implicated. This time, he couldn’t spar with Jiang Cheng anymore.

The entire Li City Hundred Households Station was in uproar. Jiang Cheng’s promotion didn’t concern them much, as he was distant, but now Tang Qingyuan and Shen Hao had been elevated as well—this shock was no small thing, and only those involved could truly understand the taste.

Especially Shen Hao. This originally unremarkable fellow managed virtually a triple jump in less than a year: first seizing the Black Banner Camp posting, becoming a Senior Seventh Grade Flag Officer, then, not long after, securing two major cases and rising to Junior Sixth-Grade Flag Officer. Recently, everyone thought he’d offended the Wen Family and would face ruin, but instead he toppled the Wen Family outright and soared straight into the ranks of Senior Sixth Grade Hundred Households Officer!

The title "Sir" is something many spend a lifetime striving for in vain, yet this mere twenty-six-year-old novice had become "Sir" already?!

The sour, acrid scent rapidly spread through the entirety of Li City Guard Station, fueled by outrage that the heavens had allowed a brat to seize power. Yet no one dared openly challenge the appointments—they weren’t fools.

The appointment and dismissal notices were posted directly at the entrance of the Xuanqing Guard Garrison, the characters large enough to fill half a wall. The list included not only appointments for Fengri City’s jurisdiction but also several from other Governor’s Offices, making it clear to all that Xuanqing Guard was undergoing an internal purge.

Afterwards, Tang Qingyuan convened all officers at or above the rank of Flag Officer in the main hall to formally announce the changes affecting Li City. He stated that all transitions would be completed within half a month, and asked those present to cooperate with him for his final tour of duty.

Then came a torrent of compliments and congratulations.

Tang Qingyuan’s face was full of smiles, though his mood was somewhat complicated.

Promotion to Deputy Thousand Households was indeed a boon, signifying renewed breath in his official career. But there was a downside: as Deputy Thousand Households, he would no longer oversee specific affairs, effectively relinquishing the real power he had held for years. The sense of loss was hard to ignore.

Turning to look at Shen Hao, seated to his left, that young profile made Tang Qingyuan reflect whether he was truly growing old—now, on the eve of departure, beset by anxieties and doubts. He had never been like this before.

After making the announcement, Tang Qingyuan dismissed the others, keeping Shen Hao behind to offer a few words, urging him to make arrangements swiftly and settle everything as soon as possible.

Compared to Tang Qingyuan’s complicated feelings, Shen Hao had far fewer worries. He had already learned about his appointment before it became official; Jiang Cheng had even advised him on it.

Originally, Shen Hao hoped to succeed Tang Qingyuan’s position—overseeing more than ten surrounding cities as a hawk prowling his domain. But Jiang Cheng’s single remark wiped out that thought.

His cultivation was too low.

One key reason Tang Qingyuan had held Li City for so many years was that his cultivation was the highest in the Li City Guard Station, at Gathering Spirit Realm Eighth Layer. Shen Hao had only just entered the threshold of Gathering Spirit Realm. Thus, Shen Hao was simply not qualified to take Tang Qingyuan’s post; forcibly inserting himself might fail to win respect, making things worse.

In Jiang Cheng’s opinion, Shen Hao was far too anxious—at just twenty-six, he’d already entered Gathering Spirit Realm, with boundless prospects ahead. There was no need to vie for power prematurely; laying foundations was what Shen Hao needed now.

So, in terms of political foresight, Shen Hao was still behind old foxes like Jiang Cheng—he needed guidance.

Shen Hao had since seen reason. Indeed, his previous thinking was too simplistic—he had forgotten that to serve as the Xuanqing Guard’s city steward, one must hold the scene steady. Neither his cultivation nor seniority was adequate, so he abandoned unrealistic ambitions.

Following Jiang Cheng’s advice, he shifted his gaze back to the tasks before him, realizing that continuing in the Black Banner Battalion was his optimal choice for now.

First, after handling several cases, Shen Hao was now at the center of internal Xuanqing Guard attention—especially after the Wen Family and Jingbei Army’s illegal arms case, his name had spread beyond Jingxi, gaining notoriety. But this reputation was anchored in the Black Banner Battalion, granting him ever-deeper credentials within its ranks.

Second, after his promotion, taking office as Black Banner Battalion Hundred Households Officer in Fengri City meant overseeing all subordinate Black Banner Battalions across more than forty cities under Fengri City, allowing Shen Hao to act more freely, with far more responsibilities than in Li City and greater depth.

Finally, Shen Hao sensed that Jiang Cheng was particularly optimistic about the Black Banner Battalion’s prospects. After driving out Chen Yiyun, Jiang Cheng wanted the Black Banner territory in Fengri City to be inherited by his own. Shen Hao was undoubtedly the best candidate.

Shen Hao had weighed all these factors upon returning from Fengri City, and was now very much looking forward to what lay ahead. But before leaving Li City, as Tang Qingyuan had said, he had to settle all arrangements—otherwise, he would lose out.

What could be arranged was naturally his current post.

Who would succeed him as the next Li City Black Banner Battalion Commander? Promote from within? Wang Jian or Zhang Liao?

Shen Hao thought neither suitable.

Wang Jian was clever, with some connections, but not steady enough, prone to acting on impulse—he needed tempering. Zhang Liao was even less so; steady in tasks but incapable of scheming, unsuited for the Commander post.

This issue troubled Shen Hao for days. In the end, he had to consider another candidate—someone qualified in both seniority and ability to hold the Black Banner Camp Commander role, whose transfer would not be difficult and who was close to him.

That person was Chen Tianwen.