Promoted...

"Inviting Moon of the Flower Shifting Palace?"

Song Xuan clicked his tongue twice. He hadn't seen his fiancée in years, and she had certainly made something of herself. In the blink of an eye, she had become the junior palace mistress of one of the Martial Arts World's sacred grounds.

If Lu Qingxue was the Flower Shifting Palace's future Palace Mistress Inviting Moon, wouldn't her younger sister, Lu Qingshuang, be its second palace mistress, Pitying Star?

Song Xuan rubbed his forehead.

He had been sitting at home when a wife fell from the sky. He felt that even if he started lying flat right now, his future would still be a smooth road.

With a fiancée who could one day command a sacred ground of the Martial Arts World, he, Song Xuan, had already earned the right to live off a woman!

Moonlight flowed like water over the ancient headquarters. Song Xuan raised his head and gazed at the full moon in the night sky. After a long while, he smiled faintly, turned, and left.

The moonlight was truly beautiful tonight!

For the next half month and more, Song Xuan had little to do. He clocked in at nine, left at five, and slacked off at work, enjoying a comfortable life.

The strange atmosphere in the Imperial Capital gradually dissipated as well. According to Zhao Dezhu, the court's grand division of the spoils-er, redistribution of power-was nearing its end.

The Ministry of Revenue's right vice minister, who had killed with a borrowed knife, got his wish and became acting minister of revenue.

The other factions at court each gained a share of the vacant positions.

As for the Zhou Emperor, half the Tian Household's assets had reportedly gone into the Imperial Treasury after the household was confiscated. With more than ten million taels of silver suddenly added to his coffers, the emperor was said to have been in an excellent mood lately.

Inside the palace's Imperial Study.

Curling incense filled the room. The emperor, whose hair had begun to whiten, yawned and sighed at the old eunuch beside him.

"Age really does sap one's energy. Ten years ago, I could have reviewed another hundred memorials without feeling tired."

The old eunuch seemed not to have heard him and looked rather sleepy.

The emperor glared at him. "I'm talking to you! Have you gone deaf?"

Looking as though he had just awakened from a dream, the old eunuch turned in bewilderment. "Did Your Majesty call me?"

He immediately bowed in alarm. "This old servant is getting on in years, and my ears have begun to fail me. I fear I won't be able to serve Your Majesty for many more years."

At the sight of his decrepit appearance, the anger faded from the emperor's face. He said wistfully, "Old companion, you're about the same age as I am, aren't you?

"I have an endless pile of memorials to review every day, and a mountain of affairs to worry about. How have you aged even faster than I have?"

The old eunuch wore a fawning smile. "Your Majesty is the true dragon, the Son of Heaven, and still in your prime. How could this old servant compare?"

"Ha ha..."

The emperor laughed twice. "You old rascal. You always pick the words I want to hear!"

As he spoke, he rose and stretched, looking thoroughly pleased. "This time, a great deal of silver has fallen into my lap. Keep a tight hold on my purse for me. I have an important use for this money!"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. Without your permission, not a single coin will slip through this old servant's fingers!"

"Mm. I've always trusted you to handle things..."

He casually picked up a memorial from the Imperial Desk. It had come from the Mingzhou Black Robe Guard Thousand-Household Office. The Zhou Emperor glanced over it, then said evenly, "Old companion, you practice martial arts too. Tell me, could a highly skilled martial artist lose consciousness after getting drunk and drown in a river?"

"That would depend on how skilled he was."

"At the peak of the Houtian Realm."

"Then this old servant would sooner believe he was beaten to death and thrown into the river."

The emperor chuckled. "Exactly. It's that ridiculous, yet here it is in a memorial submitted to me."

A cold light flashed in his eyes. "I'm not dead yet, but some people already can't wait. They're even infiltrating the Black Robe Guard. Do they really think old age has left me blind?"

"Go summon the Black Robe Guard Commander!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Once he left the Imperial Study, the old eunuch, who had looked so decrepit that a gust of wind might topple him, suddenly straightened. A single step carried him more than a hundred feet, and he vanished in moments.

Song Xuan had been promoted.

From Banner Captain in the Black Robe Guard, he had risen two ranks at once to become a hundred-household commander.

Even Song Qian had been promoted from Banner Captain to deputy hundred-household commander, with pay and benefits more than double what she had received before.

In Zhao Dezhu's private office, Song Xuan chatted with him over tea.

"You handled that last case very well. The emperor was pleased, and the commander specifically commended your service. Otherwise, the leap from Banner Captain to hundred-household commander wouldn't have been so easy."

Song Xuan smiled and nodded. Rising through the Black Robe Guard's ranks wasn't easy. His father had struggled for half his life and was still only a hundred-household commander. Song Xuan had barely started out and had already covered the road his father had spent a lifetime walking.

"A hundred-household commander in Mingzhou, Jiangzhe Prefecture, died unexpectedly. You'll be filling his vacancy. Get ready to take up your post!"

Song Xuan frowned. He had no objection to a promotion, but he was somewhat reluctant to accept a posting elsewhere.

Not only were the mountains high and the road long, but without Zhao Dezhu, the head of the Inspection Office, watching over him, slacking off at work would probably become less convenient.

"Uncle Zhao, how many people can I take with me this time?"

Zhao Dezhu shook his head. "You can only take Song Qian."

Then he lowered his voice. "That hundred-household commander's death was suspicious. Be careful after you take up your post. Also, serving as an official in the provinces is different from serving in the Imperial Capital.

"The Imperial Capital has plenty of powerful nobles and plenty of martial experts. Few people dare openly resort to violence and stir up trouble.

"But the provinces are different. You may encounter quite a few people from the martial world.

"Remember, if you can stay on the sidelines and watch, then watch. So long as they don't attack government offices or harm the common people, pretend you know nothing and keep your nose out of it.

"Of course, wherever there are people, there's a martial world. Who goes through life without relatives or friends? If you absolutely must get involved in martial-world affairs, remember not to wear your official uniform. Just use another identity and another name."

Song Xuan nodded.

Zhao Dezhu took a sip of tea, hesitated, then continued, "Originally, I thought you two would stay in the Imperial Capital for another few years, so I could tell you certain things bit by bit.

"But now that you're taking a post elsewhere, there are things I need to make clear.

"Remember, when you're out there, staying alive comes first. You and your sister have exceptional martial talent. As long as you live, your future potential is limitless.

"If your lives are in danger, forget all the martial world's customs and all the officialdom's rules. Ignore them all. Use the Black Robe Guard's power whenever you need to. Whoever threatens your lives, kill them if they need killing, no matter who they are!

"We're hereditary members of the Black Robe Guard. Our official status is a legacy our ancestors earned for their descendants by following the Founding Emperor as he opened new frontiers and expanded the realm. So long as Great Zhou stands, we are the emperor's most trusted support!

"So long as you don't raise troops in rebellion, even if you mishandle a case or kill the wrong person, the worst they can do is strip off your official uniform. It won't stop the next generation of your Song Household from inheriting the post!

"Out in the provinces, don't burden yourself with too many misgivings. Remember, here in the Imperial Capital, you have your Uncle Zhao watching your back!

"If I can't protect you, there's still the commander!

"And if even the commander can't manage it, standing behind us is... the emperor himself!"