The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

Three months.

It's not long, it's not long, it's not short.

It lasts long enough for the plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden to bloom and fade, yet it's also short enough that in this 300-year-old Great Zhou Palace, it's merely a fleeting moment.

But for some, three months is enough to change everything.

When Zhao Gao was transferred to the study of the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, he knew one thing: the transfer was only the first step.

How long one can stay by the manager's side, what level of affairs one can be involved in, and to what extent one can be trusted—these are the real keys to success or failure.

In his previous life, he served Qin Shi Huang for more than a decade and understood all too well that the essence of power was not position, but trust.

Position is given by others, but trust is earned by oneself.

The chief steward of the Imperial Household Department was surnamed Chen, and his given name was Ju.

Chen Ju, 56 years old, a sixth-rank martial artist.

In the power structure of the Great Zhou court, the position of the Director of the Imperial Household Department was neither particularly important nor insignificant.

In terms of rank, he was inferior to the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial; in terms of real power, he was inferior to the Director of the Imperial Horse Administration.

In terms of the convenience of being a close attendant, he was far inferior to the eunuchs who served in front of the emperor.

However, the Imperial Household Department has an advantage that no other government office can match: the entire logistics operation of the palace, from food procurement to warehouse management, from the allocation of palace staff to the repair of utensils, all have to go through the Imperial Household Department.

This means that Chen Ju holds the lifeline of the entire palace's resources and personnel files, making his wealth and information far superior to any other inner court office.

Zhao Gao observed Chen Ju for two whole months before making a complete assessment of him in his mind.

This person's martial arts talent was not top-notch; he only barely reached the sixth rank at the age of fifty-six, which is considered below average among the inner court stewards of the same level.

However, he was extremely capable of management. He managed hundreds of people in the Imperial Household Department in an orderly manner, keeping clear accounts and transparent procurement.

Emperor Wu of Zhou trusted him greatly. This trust was not because he was good at flattery. On the contrary, Chen Ju was a taciturn and serious person. The emperor trusted him because he managed the Imperial Household Department well and made things easy for him.

A person who earns trust through hard work can only gain trust through hard work in return.

So Zhao Gao did only one thing in those two months: make himself indispensable.

He was the first to arrive at the study every day and the last to leave.

He kept meticulous records in the ledgers and copied documents with utmost care. He secretly memorized the details of every purchase, every entry and exit record, and every file on the transfer of palace servants when he handled them.

He didn't try to impress or curry favor; he simply delivered a document to Chen Ju accurately and quickly whenever Chen Ju needed it.

This subtle and pervasive approach is more effective than any flattery.

By the third month, Chen Ju began to hand over some less important official documents directly to Zhao Gao for processing.

Initially, it was just routine purchase requests and warehouse inventory checks, but it gradually expanded to the allocation of allowances for the various palace ladies and the personnel assessments of the various departments under the Imperial Household Department.

Zhao Gao handled every official document impeccably, and occasionally offered suggestions that impressed Chen Ju on certain details. For example, he discovered that there was a batch of silk in the warehouse that had been stored for two years and would be infested with insects if left any longer. He suggested that it be allocated to the needlework bureau in advance to make autumn clothes, which would both clear the inventory and save on purchasing costs.

This suggestion may not seem like much, but it shows how much thought was put into it.

Chen Ju began to speak with Zhao Gao alone more and more frequently.

Ask him about his family background, what books he had read, and what he had done before entering the palace.

Zhao Gao answered fluently; his family background was implanted by the system, clean and innocent, without any flaws.

The books he read and the characters he wrote all relied on the foundation he had built up in the Qin Palace in his previous life, making it clear to someone as discerning as Chen Ju that they were genuine skills.

The turning point came on a rainy night.

That day, the capital city experienced an unusually heavy rain that lasted from evening until late at night.

Chen Ju was reviewing official documents in his study, while Zhao Gao served him with pen and ink.

As the hour of Hai approached, Chen Ju suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning deathly pale, and cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

Zhao Gao immediately recognized this as a sign of qi deviation. Chen Ju was practicing the Pure Yang Qi Technique, a technique commonly used in the inner court. This technique was balanced and peaceful, but each breakthrough required enduring the pain of yang qi backlash.

When Chen Ju was young, his foundation was not solid enough. Even when he tried to break through to the sixth rank at the age of fifty-six, the Qi in his body was always unstable.

Zhao Gao acted decisively, stepping forward to support Chen Ju. At the same time, he placed his palm on Chen Ju's back and, following the training method memory given to him by the system, slowly channeled his own weak blood and qi into Chen Ju's body, guiding the disordered qi within him back into its proper place.

His cultivation level was not high enough, and he had very little Qi and blood to pass through. However, the route he guided the Qi was incredibly precise. He could pinpoint every acupoint and follow every meridian perfectly, as if he had long been familiar with the circulation route of the Pure Yang Qi Technique.

In fact, he truly knew it by heart. When the system summoned the four of them, it implanted a set of basic techniques into each of them as a starting point.

Zhao Gao implanted the "Pure Yang Qi Technique," which was used in the inner court, but he had never revealed it to others before.

Although he was not skilled in martial arts in his previous life, his desire for power and control over information allowed him to master the entire technique from beginning to end in the first instance.

He had thoroughly studied acupoints, meridians, and the pathways of qi and blood circulation, but he had never formally begun practicing.

Half an hour later, Chen Ju's breathing stabilized, and his complexion gradually regained its rosy hue.

He slowly opened his eyes, looked at Zhao Gao, and remained silent for a long time.

"You've practiced the Pure Yang Qi Technique?" His voice was still somewhat weak, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife.

"Before entering the palace, I was taught some incantations by an old Taoist priest, but I only practiced the basics and it's not worth mentioning," Zhao Gao said, bowing his head respectfully.

"Sketch?" Chen Ju chuckled, a complex meaning in his voice. "Your guidance of Qi is more precise than mine, someone who's practiced for thirty years. That's not just skeletal skill, it's talent."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject, "Stretch out your hand."

Zhao Gao did as he was told and extended his hand.

Chen Ju grasped his wrist and closed his eyes to examine his meridians.

A moment later, Chen Ju suddenly opened his eyes, and his gaze toward Zhao Gao changed completely, as if an old stonemason had suddenly discovered a piece of uncarved, exquisite jade in an abandoned mine.

"Your meridians are naturally unobstructed, and your qi and blood circulate without any hindrance. This is a martial arts talent that is one in ten thousand." Chen Ju's voice trembled slightly, not with fear, but with excitement. "How old are you?"

"Thirteen."

"At thirteen years old, before even formally cultivating, you can already accurately guide the circulation of qi and blood of a sixth-grade martial artist." Chen Ju took a deep breath. "Zhao Gao, do you know that I have served as the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department for ten years and have handled countless palace servants, but I have never seen a talent like you."

Zhao Gao lowered his eyes and remained silent.

His expression remained calm, but his mind was racing. Chen Ju had no sons of his own and had adopted two godsons in the palace, but neither of them were any good. Their martial arts talent was mediocre, and their ability to handle affairs was also average. In Chen Ju's mind, they were never true successors.

My performance over the past two months, whether in terms of writing skills or the martial arts talent I displayed tonight, has far surpassed that of Chen Ju's two godsons.

The opportunity is here.

As expected, after a long silence, Chen Ju suddenly spoke, saying something Zhao Gao had been waiting for: "Would you be willing to become my disciple?"

Zhao Gao raised his head and met Chen Ju's gaze.

He did not answer immediately, but instead knelt down properly, placed his hands on the ground, and performed a very solemn bow.

The precision of this etiquette shocked Chen Ju once again. This was the standard etiquette for juniors in the inner court to acknowledge their elders as their godfathers. Ordinary palace servants would not understand it at all; only the veterans who had been in the inner court for many years knew it.

Zhao Gao had only been in the palace for three months, yet he had already mastered all these rules.

"Godfather, please accept my bow."

Chen Ju's lips moved, and his eyes even turned a little red.

He reached out and helped Zhao Gao up, carefully examining the boy's thin face, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye.

Steady, intelligent, diligent, and talented—you couldn't find a young man like that even with a lantern in the inner court.

"Starting tomorrow, you won't have to do chores in the study anymore," Chen Ju said. "I will personally teach you the Pure Yang Qi Technique. With your talent, you are expected to reach the first rank within six months and break through to the third rank within three years. As for how far you can go in the future, that depends on your own destiny."