Chapter 379 - 168: The Seven Azure Dragon Constellations, the Old Emperor’s Intent (Please Subscribe)

Words : 1256 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

When the Capital was once again caught in turmoil, Xu Qing and Feng Wu arrived at Yingtian Prefecture. It wasn’t that he intentionally took his wife back to visit relatives, but rather that Xu Qing had been reading intensively during this time, his Divine Soul growing, and had reached the point where he could breakthrough all Seven Azure Dragon Constellations. And to breakthrough the Seven Azure Dragon Constellations, the dragon spirit of Yingtian Prefecture naturally provided a great boost. The Government Office where his father-in-law, the Inspector, worked was one of the places in Yingtian Prefecture with a relatively strong dragon spirit. Xu Qing naturally stayed at the Inspector’s Government Office. On the other hand, before he came, he received a letter from Xie Quan, stating that Yan Shan was retained in the Capital as a Scholar of casual status. This year’s examination was a grace examination, which meant there was a major difference compared to previous years. In past years, the number of Second Rank Scholars varied between dozens to over a hundred, adjusted based on the performance level of the candidates in the Imperial Examination and the Emperor’s wishes. As this year was a grace examination—where the nation’s recruitment of talents aimed for Reform—the ranks of the Three Tripods remained unchanged, while the number of Second Rank Scholars was reduced to six, with the rest being Third Rank Scholars. Although Yan Shan’s performance in the examination was unspectacular, his essay during the Imperial Examination garnered the old Emperor’s favor. Remarkably, he was chosen as the second of the Second Rank Scholars, which is also the fifth place in the Imperial Examination. It is worth noting that Xie Quan only ranked tenth in the Imperial Examination, just outside of the Second Rank Scholars. If one were to say that Yan Shan’s Imperial Examination essays were better than Xie Quan’s, Xu Qing would not quite believe it. There’s also no question about Xie Quan’s psychological fortitude that he would perform poorly in the Imperial Examination. But the process of the Imperial Examination involved the bigwigs selecting ten papers to present to the Emperor for ranking. Generally, the Emperor primarily considers the first four places, the Three Tripods, as well as the first of the Second Rank Scholars. Of course, the first of the Third Rank Scholars can also be recognized, but that title carries little prestige in the world of academe. This time, for Yan Shan to have achieved the second rank in the Second Rank Scholars, with Xie Quan just being the first of the Third Rank Scholars—if one said this wasn’t intentional, Xu Qing would naturally not believe it. The ranking of the top ten was decided by the old Emperor. Originally, Xu Qing had reached an understanding through Master Wu and Vice Minister Zhang to allow Yan Shan and Xie Quan to return to South Zhili to take office. Although this might seem to break the system, the key point is that during the period of Reform, special circumstances require special handling. The Grand Secretary agreed, and the Ministry of Personnel just had to follow procedure; there usually wouldn’t be an issue. Unexpectedly, the old Emperor took interest in this small matter. Xu Qing wasn’t really surprised about it. Because regarding this matter, he was always prepared for both possibilities, like hitting with a rod regardless of whether there are dates or not. Now it seemed the old Emperor cared more about his affairs than he had imagined. It wasn’t that Xu Qing was arrogant, but the fact that Yan Shan could make it to the fifth place, and Xie Quan who was precisely the tenth, was just beyond the grace examination’s Second Rank Scholars, was undoubtedly the old Emperor’s deliberate doing. Was it an intentional attempt to create a divide? Yan Shan played an undeniable role in the early establishment of the Recovery Society and can be said to have been Xu Qing’s early Xiao He. Now having been selected as a Scholar of casual status, without going through a formal examination, it was clear the old Emperor intended to keep him in the Capital. As a co-founder during the Recovery Society’s initial stage, Yan Shan would be a sharp weapon if used against the Recovery Society in the future. As for Xie Quan, he was a later addition to the Recovery Society. Despite his prominent reputation, Xie Quan had two weaknesses: one, his age, and the other, being a son-in-law who joined his wife’s family, which naturally made him less respected when leading a faction. It would be difficult to use him as a future tool to divide the Recovery Society. Now, having him serve Xu Qing’s interests was just the right fit. The grand scheme of the Court was centered on the Southeast; for the affairs of the Southeast, some special consideration for Xu Qing was acceptable, but not without any precautions. Now that Xu Qing’s major backer, Mr. Wu, had already returned to the Inspection Bureau in the Capital, and his father-in-law Mr. Feng was soon to retire after June, even if Magistrate He was about to become the Assistant Governor of Zhili Province, Xu Qing’s power in South Zhili was not as strong as before. Xu Qing understood clearly, power that did not belong to oneself was transient; it arrived quickly and could depart just as fast. What is there to rejoice over when gained, and what to worry over when lost? He was no longer the insignificant Ant Realm of two years ago! As is well known, the power hierarchy within the Great Yu Dynasty fundamentally encompassed four levels. The Ant Realm, the Junior Realm, the Daoist Friend Realm, and the Senior Realm. When Xu Qing’s backing in South Zhili was strong, he securely held his place in the Daoist Friend Realm. Even if it temporarily waned now, with his own foundation, he was still firmly at the peak of the Junior Realm. But if the situation were to change, to the Capital, Xu Qing’s power wouldn’t allow him to stir up any trouble. A local snake might be formidable in its own territory, but in the domain of others... On the other side, upon arriving at the Inspector’s Government Office, Xu Qing, as usual, exchanged frank discussions with his father-in-law. "Grand Secretary, this time I owe you a great deal for my chance to return to the Capital as a Chamberlain for the Six Divisions," Mr. Feng, with a triumphant delight, more pleased than if he had acquired a concubine. The Chamberlain of the Six Divisions, an apex post for middle to lower tier Civil Servants, was like a fighter jet among orators in the Great Yu Officialdom. Moreover, it was within their responsibility to dare to openly criticize the Emperor’s decisions. The new role exhilarated his father-in-law. Additionally, the Chamberlain of the Six Divisions corresponds to the Six Ministries, but there is no hierarchical relationship between them; they are independently structured. As the Chamberlain of the Military Department, Mr. Feng didn’t have to consider the Ministry of War’s feelings, and even when facing the Minister of War, he could spew a mouthful of critiques. With this, the position of Imperial Censor suddenly seemed less appealing. In his father-in-law’s words, life is short, like a fleet fleet fleeting moment. It is essential to grasp the limited time and participate in central decisions, to accomplish significant affairs. Xu Qing thought to himself that his father-in-law simply couldn’t wait to berate those once untouchable central high-ranking officials.

Chapter 379 - 168: The Seven Azure Dragon Constellations, the Old Emperor’s Intent (Please Subscribe)

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