When Shen Hao left home in the morning, he noticed government officials moving in and out of a nearby courtyard. He ordered his guard to inquire, and was told that the house had been robbed during the night, with some property stolen. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Is the security in Fengri City really this bad?" Shen Hao frowned slightly. It was known that on this street, only those with Xuanqing Guard status or officials from the Government Office resided; even merchants had no right to live here, let alone common folk. Yet, even a place like this could be burgled?

"Sir, it wasn’t like this before. It’s mainly because lots of refugees have arrived from the east lately, and many scoundrels have hidden in among them, which caused this situation."

"The east?"

"Yes, from the Pingshun City direction. I heard there was a disaster; refugees are all along the official road."

At these words, Shen Hao said nothing more, boarded his carriage, and made his way directly to the Thousand Households Station. This went on for five days: he busied himself with nothing but commuting between two places. He turned some of his initial ideas and plans for his new post into written form, which enabled him to better control his thoughts and make adjustments more clearly, with less risk of oversight.

Afterward, Shen Hao spent an additional day revising and polishing before finally closing the documents with satisfaction—over thirty pages in all, the fruits of his labors these last few days.

He reported leave to Wu Changhe, explaining he needed to visit the Imperial City. Having been in office for days now, Shen Hao still hadn’t called on the Black Banner Battalion’s Households Officer or Jiang Cheng in the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office; this time, he planned to visit both.

Wu Changhe’s face was as usual, but his gaze toward Shen Hao had clearly lost all warmth.

Shen Hao also realized he was no longer welcome—a "tenacious holdout" in the Thousand Households Station, with powerful connections above, real authority in hand, and real ability to match. He was difficult to rein in, let alone tame. If he were in Wu Changhe’s shoes, he’d probably have just as much of a headache.

...

The Imperial City, officially called Celestial Wave City.

This was Shen Hao’s first visit to the Imperial City. The moment he stepped out of the Teleportation Array, an overwhelming sense struck him: "prosperity"—it put Fengri City completely to shame.

He even saw many foreign races of peculiar appearance gathered around the Teleportation Array. For example, there was a member of the Elephant Race with a huge red swelling on his forehead; Shen Hao had read of such foreigners in odd tales before, but this was his first time seeing one in the flesh.

There were many others besides the Elephant Race. Yet, regardless of how splendidly these foreigners dressed—often in the most fashionable robes of the Jingjiu Dynasty—none of them displayed the self-assured confidence of the wealthy. On the contrary, they all seemed cautious and deferential: if one so much as encountered a Jingjiu Dynasty "Qingpi" on the street, they would instinctively give way.

Shen Hao saw the scene with his own eyes: a towering, seven-foot Elephant Race brute accidentally knocked a skinny Qingpi to the ground. The Qingpi showed no fear at all, leaped up, kicked the brute, cursing for half a day. The Elephant, though his eyes turned blood-red with anger, did not utter a word—he lowered his head and backed away. Shen Hao even noted that the patrolling government officials who witnessed the scene laughed and commented amongst themselves.

This is what it means to "suppress a region with might."

It’s not just the wolfish, ever-vigilant soldiers on the frontiers; it’s also the kingdom-spanning, deeply rooted sense of supreme honor and self-assurance.

So what if the Elephant Race is big and strong? This is the Jingjiu Dynasty’s Imperial City! If you’re a dragon, you coil here for the masters; if a tiger, you squat for the lords. Try leaping up—someone will draw steel and chop you to pieces to feed the dogs. You think anyone’s joking?

This is the reason the Jingjiu Dynasty has enjoyed peace and rest for so many years—the foreigners are frightened out of their wits. When they arrive, their very soles are clenched tight in fear: so cowed that not even a single Qingpi dares to provoke. Just imagine the state of terror they’ve been ground into.

Moreover, Shen Hao, well-versed in Jingjiu law, knew that within the Dynasty’s borders, the life of a foreigner was valued no more than that of a slave—contemptibly cheap. If one or two died, even the Government Office couldn’t be bothered to take notice.

The visible sense of superiority and exalted pride bubbling through made even an outsider like Shen Hao feel a surge of feverish excitement, marveling at the might of the realm.

"Sir, this is Changhong Street, running east to west across the entire Celestial Wave City, spanning forty-seven li. It’s lined entirely with various shops, selling everything from southern seafood to northern mountain produce, all manner of sundries from east and west. There are hundreds of winehouses and restaurants, every flavor from all corners of the land, and even foods unique to foreign races can be found here.

Running north to south is Junhou Street, which leads straight from the South Gate to the Palace Gate. It’s divided into Upper Junhou Street and Lower Junhou Street, with the central Teleportation Array as the dividing point.

The Jingxi Governor is near the West Gate—a long way from here. A carriage has been arranged; this way, sir."

Wang Yiming accompanied Shen Hao to the Imperial City. A son of the Imperial City through and through, Wang’s family belonged to the high-ranking Nobles—a prestigious Noble Family, with ancestors who had even served as Third-Grade Officials in the Dynasty. Raised here, he was naturally very familiar with the place.

Shen Hao looked around with great interest, unconcerned if Wang Yiming thought him provincial. After all, Wang had no idea that what Shen Hao saw in Celestial Wave City’s flourishing bustle were glimpses reminiscent of scenes familiar to him elsewhere—particularly those five- and six-story towers and pavilions.

Even in a carriage, making progress on the avenue was slow. It wasn’t that the road was narrow—on the contrary, the main road was ten zhang wide—but that there were far too many vehicles and horses for a brisk pace.

It took more than half an hour to travel from the Teleportation Array to the western part of the city, then leave Changhong Street for a side road. Shen Hao noticed that the crowds quickly dwindled; there were more government officials on the streets, and many tall gates and red walls appeared.

The carriage stopped by the roadside. After disembarking, Shen Hao saw a whole row of carriages and horses parked in formation up ahead. Many bore conspicuous family crests, some of which Shen Hao recognized from a reference manual published by the Moon Shadow Tower—they belonged to prominent Nobles or Cultivation Race families.

Alighting, and guided by Wang Yiming, Shen Hao soon found himself before imposing black lacquered doors, each brass nail on them gleaming, two stone beasts snarling on either side, and sentries outside the gate inspecting everyone who entered.

This was the Jingxi Xuanqing Guard Commander’s Office.

After presenting his Waist Token and registering his identity, Shen Hao was issued a token and sent to a teahouse to wait.

"How long will the wait be?"

"Not sure. On average, half a day." Wang Yiming had accompanied Chen Yiyun here before. Each time, it was "five minutes of talks, half a day in line." There was no help for it: the Governor’s Office had too many matters to handle and people from all walks gathered here for official business—one could only take a token and wait in turn.

As expected, the wait dragged through to the afternoon. Shen Hao didn’t go out for a meal; he simply sat cross-legged in the teahouse, even making rare use of the time to quietly cultivate.

It was nearly time for the Lower Emissaries’ shift change before his token was finally called. Led by a Small Banner Officer, he made his way through the huge buildings, eventually reaching a small courtyard at the center, where the scene was one of utter bustle.

"Knock knock, sir, the Hundred Households of Shen has arrived."

"Send him in."

Shen Hao immediately pushed open the door, finding Jiang Cheng hunched over his desk writing, huge piles of documents stacked before him. Shen Hao had never seen Jiang Cheng so busy before.

It seemed the difference in authority between a Households Officer in Fengri City and a Governor here was displayed perfectly by these scenes of "busyness" and "leisure."