The Literary Assembly welcoming Mi Prefecture's officials to their new posts quietly drew to a close, and "Ode to the Willow" made the Ding Ranking of the Literary Ranking, while also stirring considerable discussion on the Discourse Ranking.
In many people's eyes, "Ode to the Willow" brought the struggle over Ning'an County's Palace Examination to a close. The Left Prime Minister's faction had been like willow catkins filling the sky, only to be brought to an end by the Empress Dowager, the Minister of Literature, Fang Yun, and the others, like a clear frost.
After the first day of the fourth month, Ning'an County truly lived up to its name: tranquil and peaceful. Fang Yun began taking full charge of the county. With his aides and the scholars from the Sacred Academy there, Ning'an County was governed in excellent order. Some officials even described it as a place where "no one pocketed lost belongings on the roads, and no one locked their doors at night."
In the days that followed, Fang Yun settled down just as Ning'an County had. Without the urgency of confronting the Left Prime Minister Faction, he handled government affairs only during the day. Unless something pressing arose at night, he stayed home to read and study, reciting the Classics of the Sages and consolidating his literary qi.
Fang Yun began concealing his brilliance and nurturing his strength.
He had already passed the Tongue Sword Realm and begun drawing in his sharp edge. He needed to be able to both unleash that edge and withdraw it, or he would never become a Hanlin Academician.
Throughout the fourth month, apart from that one Literary Assembly, no further news of Fang Yun appeared on the Saint Origin Continent. Both the Literary Gazette and the Discourse Ranking seemed to have