"Then should I get closer to Yan Shixiao from now on?" Li Qingxian asked tentatively.
A complicated expression crossed Zhou Chunfeng's face. "Best to stay neither too close nor too distant."
"All right." Li Qingxian pondered those words carefully.
"From now on, eunuchs from the Inner Factory will be stationed in the Patrol Bureau, the four regional halls, and the various offices as military supervisors. You need to get along with the eunuch assigned to your office."
"Then just assign Jing Guan to our office. We've worked very well together on the distillery business," Li Qingxian said.
"Do you think the Patrol Bureau belongs to your family?" Zhou Chunfeng asked.
"Oh." Li Qingxian paid that no mind at all.
Zhou Chunfeng said, "Next comes His Majesty's sixtieth birthday. Factory Superintendent Lu just spoke to me. Nether Mountain will undoubtedly stir up chaos in the Divine Capital during His Majesty's birthday celebrations. The first major task for our newly established Patrol Bureau is to sweep away Nether Mountain's forces in the Divine Capital. The success or failure of this battle will determine the Patrol Bureau's future. The factory superintendent has issued an absolute order. So you and I are both going to be busy. Very busy."
Li Qingxian perked up.
"So Nether Mountain is the Nether Lord's faction?"
Zhou Chunfeng thought for a moment before saying, "You'll learn about many of these things soon enough, so there's no harm in telling you now. After Great Qi was founded, the old loyalists of the former dynasty, their descendants, and the descendants of conquered minor kingdoms formed a secret society called the Heaven-Turning Society, dedicated to overthrowing Great Qi. Later, for reasons unknown, the Heaven-Turning Society split."
"One faction established Nether Mountain. They're more radical than the Heaven-Turning Society, using every possible means