People Become Offices, Offices Give Birth to Fortune, and Within Fortune Lies Heaven and Earth

However, there were also those who showed goodwill toward Qiu Yan. Meng Qingbin, for one, congratulated Qiu Yan on the road.

"Brother Qiu, your obtaining this position is also a great blessing for the nation. With your abilities, you will surely accomplish something remarkable." As he spoke, Meng Qingbin noticed Ma Yang walking over and took his leave. He did not arrange a private meeting with Qiu Yan either. At their level, officials meeting privately too often—especially just after being promoted and immediately associating with one another—was deeply frowned upon. Should someone wish to attack or impeach them, this alone would serve as a target.

Of course, for high-ranking court ministers, such matters were not truly serious. Even if brought out into the open, they would not be fatal. Yet one of the foundations upon which a courtier stood in the imperial court was the emperor's trust. If such reports were repeatedly fed back to the throne, they would undoubtedly affect that trust, and thus affect one's future.

From this small detail, Qiu Yan could naturally see that this representative of the aristocratic families among the emerging interest faction genuinely wished to befriend him.

No sooner had Meng Qingbin left than Ma Yang approached. He looked Qiu Yan over several times, then nodded. "Since you possess such resolve, whatever your purpose, it is an extraordinary display of perseverance and determination. The feeling of having one's cultivation stripped away is certainly not easy to bear, and it creates no small amount of danger. That is why so few walk this path, and why those few remain permanently in the Imperial City rather than leaving it. You must take this matter seriously as well." Ma Yang shook his head. "I am old now, and my energy cannot compare to what it once