At Fifty That Year, He Stood Like a Lackey in the Vermilion Bird Hall
Inside the "Celestial Stars True Spirit Diagram), within the online prefectural government office, when Kong Wenxuan's mind and consciousness materialized into the office, he discovered that the magistrates of the other four counties were already waiting there.
He immediately stepped forward to greet them one by one. It is said that the Kong Household has been on good terms with several "True Spirit Lineage" such as the Ya Household and the Jiao Household for many years, but this is the first time Kong Wenxuan has met the magistrates of these counties.
Those I've met and interacted with in the past are either the heads of each family stationed in the county seat, or the people in charge of external liaison and communication for Lineage and the county magistrates are basically stationed in their respective counties, either handling county affairs and Lineage matters, or cultivating and improving their cultivation. They rarely leave their counties to go to other counties to carry out any diplomatic affairs.
At most, he would occasionally go to Bifang Commandery City to handle some business.
The Kong Household was like this. Whether it was Kong Wenxuan, the county magistrate, or Kong Changgeng, the clan head, they spent most of their time in Peacock County, either in seclusion to cultivate or handling various miscellaneous affairs. They would only go to the prefectural city when there was something to do.
Thus, Kong Wenxuan and the other four county magistrates had never met before, let alone known each other. Now, they were meeting for the first time and getting to know each other.
In response to Kong Wenxuan's greeting, the magistrates of the other four counties returned the greeting with smiles, praising Kong Wenxuan for his youth and talent, and congratulating the Kong Household on their successful advancement to the Eighth-Grade True Spirit position.
Even the county magistrate of the He Household, who had some grudges against the Kong Household, was all smiles and full of praise at this moment, showing no sign of any animosity.
One shouldn't slap a smiling face, so Kong Wenxuan naturally wouldn't make trouble for himself in the county government office. He also praised the other four families and the county magistrate with a smile.
The sedan chair is carried by many people, and everyone flatters each other.
During this process, Kong Wenxuan humbly sought advice from his seniors on what to do next at the small court assembly in the Vermilion Bird Royal Court, and what the procedure was.
In response to his question, Magistrate Ya Xinghe of Fire Crow County smiled and said, "Actually, the small court assembly is not a big deal for us magistrates. Most of the time, we just act as background figures, standing in our positions. As long as the higher-ups don't call us or ask us questions, we basically just stand there from beginning to end, waiting for the small court assembly to end."
"Those who truly participate in the small court meetings are all officials from the Six Ministries of the Royal Court, the State Government, and the County Government; it has nothing to do with us lowly officials."
"After the small court assembly, there will be a banquet where you can invite friends and acquaintances to meet officials from other prefectures and counties, and even make some deals and connections."
"Excellent!" Magistrate Wildebeest County nodded in agreement, "For us low-ranking county officials, the banquet following this small court assembly is even more important and must not be missed."
Kong Wenxuan nodded upon hearing this, thanking the two seniors for their guidance. He now had a better understanding of the upcoming "small court assembly".
As for the banquet after the small court assembly, and the networking, transactions, and collaborations that could be made there, he didn't care too much. It would be good if there were any gains, but he wouldn't care too much if there weren't.
Kong Wenxuan was well aware that although their Kong Household was already Eighth-Grade True Spirit Lineage, they were already in the middle position among the lower Third-Grade True Spirit Lineage, and their status was not too low.
However, the Kong Household's rise and development has been too short, only a little over twenty years. Even the Peacock County, which the Lineage has expanded and controlled, has not been fully developed and managed, and there are not many resources, Spirit Stone, or other wealth. Naturally, they are powerless to develop, manage, and expand their network of contacts and business relationships.
That's already pretty good.
He didn't expect to gain anything from the banquet following the small court assembly.
As they were talking, the gates of the prefectural government office opened wide, and the figure of the Bifang Commandery walked in. Upon seeing this, the five county magistrates, including Kong Wenxuan, immediately stepped forward to pay their respects.
"No need for formalities!" In response to their greetings, the Bifang Commandery waved his hand to help them up, then nodded and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's set off."
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and produced the "Official Seal of the Bifang Commandery Governor," from which starlight burst forth, engulfing everyone.
Kong Wenxuan and the others also summoned their respective "Magistrate's Official Seal," activating starlight that merged into the starlight of the prefectural governor's seal, rising together with the starlight towards the higher "True Spirit Heaven."
Whisper!
In the higher-level "True Spirit Heaven", a faint phoenix cry could be heard, and a magnificent, dazzling, and fiery red starlight descended, guiding the starlight of Kong Wenxuan, Bifang Commandery, and others directly into the "Second-Grade True Spirit Heaven".
This fiery starlight, at this moment, was not just a single beam descending, but dozens or even hundreds of beams, drawing up from the various grades of "True Spirit Heaven" below, leading dozens or even hundreds of groups enveloped in starlight, directly into the "Second-Grade True Spirit Heaven," into a starlight area where vermilion birds circled amidst burning crimson flames.
Within that starlight region where vermilion birds circled and flames burned, various palaces, pavilions, and halls could be faintly seen standing tall.
However, Kong Wenxuan's consciousness, guided by the starlight of the Chihuo, rapidly entered this starlit pavilion and palace, and he didn't have time to see anything else clearly.
Once he landed, he looked around and found himself in a grand hall.
Inside the grand hall, the carved beams and painted pillars were adorned with various flames and the image of the Vermilion Bird, all appearing almost alive, even exuding a sense of holiness and oppression, making him dare not look at them for long.
At the same time, a message appeared in his mind, telling him that this was the "Vermilion Bird Hall," the place where the Vermilion Bird Royal Court held small court assemblies. This message also included many rules, etiquette, and basic information.
This gave him a basic understanding of the "Vermilion Bird Hall," the Vermilion Bird Royal Court, and the small court assembly.
Through this information, he learned that the position he was standing in was his current official rank in the "Vermilion Bird Royal Court." He could only move within a half-zhang radius around this position, and without orders from above, he had no way to leave this half-zhang radius.
Looking around, he could see the Bifang Commandery County standing in front of him, the Magistrate of Fire Crow County, Ya Xinghe, and the Magistrate of Wildebeest County, Jiao Shihuan, standing on his left and right, and the Magistrates of Pit Viper County and Black Crane County standing behind them.
Clearly, this area was the location assigned to the officials of "Bifang Commandery" by the "Vermilion Bird Royal Court".
Looking further into the distance, one can see officials from the surrounding counties and even the governor of "Extended Net Moon Deer Prefecture" in the distance.
However, the other person was shrouded in starlight and had their back to him, so Kong Wenxuan could not see their appearance clearly.
After looking around and walking around, Kong Wenxuan realized that he couldn't go more than half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) outside. He then composed himself and looked at the two county magistrates, Ya and Jiao, who were standing still with their heads bowed and hands clasped, seemingly following the rules, or perhaps their minds had already wandered off somewhere else.
So Kong Wenxuan followed suit, bowing his head and standing with his hands clasped, but a thought couldn't help but surface in his mind:
He awakened his bloodline at the age of fifteen and embarked on the path of cultivation. He cultivated for eight years in the Qi Refinement stage, twenty years in the Foundation Establishment stage, and has now been in the Purple Mansion Stage for six years. He is now nearly fifty years old.
Upon entering this "Vermilion Bird Hall," one feels as if standing like a lowly servant!