Steward Fang continued, "The officials of Huaixi Prefecture are divided into two groups: officials and clerks. Those who can be called officials are only the prefect and the nine Great Elders, along with the chief officers of the three departments and one guard. They are Star Envoys of the sixth to fourth ranks. As for the Fifteen Ranks of Five Revolutions, it means that every three ranks make one revolution. Those below the third revolution are clerks; those above it are officials."
"Clerks of the first to third ranks are called Star Officials. They include Deputy Division Envoys, Deputy Guard Envoys, and the heads of the major branches of power under the three departments and one guard. Though these people are only Star Officials, they are still powerful figures who hold sway over entire regions. There's a saying in Huaixi Prefecture's power circles: 'Touch a star, and you're noble; all beneath it is dust.'"
"Below the Star Officials are the Senior Officials, who serve as the deputies and assistants of each branch. Take Feng Ting Shu, for example. Though he had served for many years as a Chief Envoy, before he was promoted to Star Official, he was a Senior Official. After his promotion, he still held the same post, but became a Star Official. What matters isn't the position, but whether you've touched a star."
By this point, Xu Yi understood. Ambassador Song must have been someone who had not touched a star. Even so, the authority he had displayed was enough to make Xu Yi intensely envious. And Feng Ting Shu, who had touched a star—how overbearing must he be?
A powerful longing for that "star" rose in Xu Yi's heart.
He said, "So, according to you, to become a Star Envoy, I must first become a Senior