The Ministry of Revenue manages all affairs related to the livelihood of the people in the Dynasty and holds the power over finances; it is one of the Six Ministries of the Dynasty.

The Minister of Revenue is a Senior Third Grade official and participates in state affairs.

In terms of official rank, he is on par with the Commander of the Xuanqing Guard, but his influence in the court is even greater. After all, the public authority he holds covers every aspect and cannot be compared to a specialized department like the Xuanqing Guard.

Shen Hao held the Copper Rod but did not rush to read it; he was waiting for Jiang Cheng’s words, already aware that what followed might not be ordinary.

"Minister Bai Changqing of the Ministry of Revenue is a key figure within the Noble Group, and among civil officials he is highly representative. Not only is his position high enough, but more importantly, he was once the royal tutor to King of Qin, King of Chu, and King Wei, carrying considerable weight in the hearts of the three princes. Therefore, he has always been a force not to be underestimated in the Temple Hall.

Previously, it was Bai Changqing who first proposed placing military supervisors when the civil official faction attempted to intervene in the military, and later, using the excuse that the Xuanqing Guard lacked internal supervision, sought to reach into our Xuanqing Guard as one of the core members behind it.

Just a few days ago, he again attacked at the Temple Hall, citing chaos in the Xuanqing Guard’s internal interrogation procedures, and advised to revoke our independent authority over interrogations.

Hmph, Bai Changqing is clearly determined to go against us in Xuanqing Guard."

As someone from the same interest group, Shen Hao understood why Jiang Cheng’s words were so cold when speaking of Minister Bai. Once the Xuanqing Guard lost its current status and power, all that awaited its members would be retribution. If someone wants you dead, is there ever a lack of a reason?

Besides, the Xuanqing Guard’s own internal affairs were already in a deplorable state.

"So what does Your Lordship intend?"

"Bai Changqing possesses First-Layer Cultivation of the Gathering Spirit Realm, which is already quite advanced among civil servants. He is now seventy-five but in excellent health. A few days ago, his primary wife passed away, and his concubine has long since lost her beauty, so I’ve heard he intends to take a new concubine. However, the political atmosphere in the Temple Hall is currently unstable, and there are many whispers inside the Bai Family as well.

But Bai Changqing is a stubborn man—once his mind is set, he will not easily change it. I estimate that at the latest, by the end of this year, he will seek a suitable candidate. Do you understand what I mean?"

A new concubine?

Shen Hao understood. No wonder Jiang Cheng had been urging the matter of training elite scouts—he wanted to catch this moment.

"I understand, sir. However, I do not know Minister Bai’s preferences, and the identities of those two girls still require some more work in preparation."

"Find a way to deal with the identity issue yourself. As for Bai Changqing’s preferences, after this, go see my Personal Guard Captain, Chen Sheng—he’ll inform you.

I expect you to spare no effort in handling this matter. You know well enough what a great achievement it will be if you succeed, don’t you?"

Shen Hao hurriedly bowed. "I will exert my utmost!"

"By the way, the reward from the Governor’s Office for the underreported plague case and discovering the Special Land has actually been deliberated quite some time ago, but I held it back. Do you have any objections?"

"None, sir. I obey your arrangements."

He had not expected Jiang Cheng to suddenly bring up the matter of rewards. In truth, Shen Hao felt some confusion about this but had no real objection; he was more inclined to believe that the Governor’s Office had other considerations, not that his merits would be taken from him. While the Xuanqing Guard was a strict and shadowy organization, there was never a precedent of not rewarding merit.

Jiang Cheng smiled and said, "Your contributions are not small. Your handling of the underreported plague was particularly outstanding, and after the discovery at the Special Land, you withstood pressure from all sides until Chen Sheng’s reinforcements arrived—your merit is unrivaled. However, significant as your achievements are, your current cultivation limits you from being awarded an official post-ranking reward; it wouldn’t be cost-effective. That’s why I’ve shelved your reward for now.

If you can, within three months, advance one more small realm and reach the Fourth Layer of Gathering Spirit Realm—entering the Middle Level of the God-Gathering Realm—I’ll secure a position of Deputy Thousand Households for you.

Dare to fight for it?"

With Jiang Cheng’s Primordial Pill Realm cultivation, he could, of course, discern Shen Hao’s current realm at a glance. Honestly, each time he saw Shen Hao’s rapid progress, he was astonished—secretly pleased that in the Xuanqing Guard, he’d unearthed another dazzling talent.

In truth, to take the post of Deputy Thousand Households, Fourth Layer of the Gathering Spirit Realm was already the minimum requirement; normally, one wouldn’t even consider it without Sixth Layer cultivation. But since Shen Hao was Jiang Cheng’s disciple, and now handled the concrete implementation of the Black Water Plan, some special dispensations made sense.

Even so, Shen Hao was a little excited after this speech.

Though it was only half a step up, in the career of most officials, it was the difference between heaven and earth.

"Thank you, sir! I will intensify my cultivation and strive to break through to the Fourth Layer of the Gathering Spirit Realm within three months!"

...

When Shen Hao left the Governor’s Office, his mood was anything but calm.

Three months—that was the absolute limit for which Jiang Cheng could suppress the reward. To complete the breakthrough from Third to Fourth Layer in Gathering Spirit Realm, for most people, was close to impossible, and not even genius cultivators would claim certainty.

But Shen Hao was not most people. While his cultivation talent was unremarkable, he possessed a strange and mysterious Black Beast Tattoo, which was absolutely heaven-defying when it came to devouring and converting energies. The rapid progress in Shen Hao’s cultivation—advancing from Qi Refining Fourth Layer to Gathering Spirit Realm Third Layer in just over a year—was mostly thanks to this tattoo.

Moreover, he still had plenty of elixirs in his possession, so Shen Hao was quite confident he could break through another small realm and ascend to the Fourth Layer of Gathering Spirit Realm within three months. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

By then, the increase in official rank would open up much broader prospects for his future.

Of course, the reward was only Jiang Cheng’s verbal promise for now—whether it could actually be realized depended on his subsequent performance.

On one hand was the investigation into local illegal traders; on the other, helping Bai Changqing obtain a new concubine.

The former was relatively easy; as long as Jiang Cheng’s support was in place, results could be produced within two days, after which he’d report in and wait for instructions. The latter, however, was quite troublesome.

First, given Bai Changqing’s status, even if he merely intended to take a concubine, it would never be a casual choice—conditions on age, appearance, figure, temperament, character, education, and family background all had to be met.

Second, how to present the candidate was crucial. He couldn’t just lead them to the door and volunteer, so a fitting opportunity was needed.

Finally, Shen Hao was not sure if he could make it on time. It was already July, less than five months until year’s end. Given the training schedule at the brokerage, those two girls had completed less than half by now. It seemed he’d have to find a way to speed things up.

After returning to Fengri City, Shen Hao first detoured to Pingshun City to seek out Chen Sheng, who was still stationed in the Special Land, to inquire about Bai Changqing’s situation, and then immediately hurried back to Fengri City.