Yingtian Prefecture, the inner hall of the yamen.
This was where the prefect handled important daily affairs, received trusted subordinates, or conducted preliminary hearings in certain cases. Though it lacked the solemnity of the main hall, it was quiet and elegant.
The furnishings were simple yet dignified. A plaque reading "A Clear Mirror Hangs High" hung behind the redwood desk, and the bookshelves on either side were packed with case files and books. The air carried a faint scent of ink and sandalwood. Everything needed for official business stood ready along one side of the hall, while several stalks of green bamboo outside the window added to its quiet charm.
"..."
At that moment, the newly appointed prefect of Yingtian—or, more accurately, the reinstated prefect of Yingtian, Jia Yucun—sat upright behind the desk.
He wore the crimson cloud-patterned robes of a fourth-rank immortal official, with a black gauze hat on his head. Three wisps of dark beard hung over his chest. His face was lean, and his eyes deep-set. Though his Golden Core cultivation was not on display, he carried the steady bearing of a man long seasoned in officialdom who had now reclaimed authority.
Three months earlier, with a letter of recommendation from Lin Ruhai and the help of Jia Zheng of the Rongguo Immortal Estate and Wang Ziteng of the noble Wang Family, he had finally been reinstated and regained his post as prefect of Yingtian. He had only just taken office today.
Though he was merely a fourth-rank official posted outside the capital, and his position could not compare to that of a prefect over a single ward in the Divine Capital, reclaiming his post as an immortal official over a region was already a very good outcome for him.
However, before he could even light the