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

The mornings at Runzhou Prefecture were awakened by the boatmen's chants on the canal.

As dawn broke, shouts and calls echoed from the direction of the dock.

Fang Xuanling had been sitting behind his desk reviewing official documents for most of the hour.

He is forty-two years old this year, with a thin face and slightly graying temples, but his eyes are as bright as those of a twenty-year-old.

He held the position of Tongpan (assistant magistrate) in Runzhou for five years.

Over the course of five years, he managed the criminal law, finances, household registration, and canal transport of Runzhou Prefecture in an orderly manner, but he never took credit for it or tried to show off.

In every Ministry of Personnel evaluation, he was always above average, neither outstanding nor at the bottom, as if he deliberately hid himself in the most inconspicuous position in the crowd.

When the bailiff knocked on the door and entered, he was annotating a canal transport document with a vermilion pen, without even looking up.

The yamen runner presented an official document with both hands. The document was stamped with the vermilion seal of the Ministry of Personnel, and the sealing wax at the seal was intact. The official seal of the Minister of Personnel was also pressed on top of it.

Fang Xuanling put down his vermilion pen, took the official document, and lingered on the cover for a moment before picking up the paper cutter on the corner of his desk and slowly peeling off the sealing wax.

The official document was slowly unfolded in the morning light, and his gaze swept over the formal and cold words line by line.

"Fang Xuanling, the Vice Prefect of Runzhou, has served for five years with integrity and diligence. He is hereby transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official, and is required to report to the capital within ten days."

After reading it, he gently placed the document on the table, his finger lingering for a moment on the line "Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue" on the paper.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a third-rank official, was in charge of reviewing and allocating the nation's tax accounts. He held a position of real power among the Six Ministries, second only to the Minister and the Left Vice Minister.

He endured so much hardship in Runzhou, leaping from the fourth rank to the third rank, a jump of two ranks.

This is extremely rare in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty, especially among local officials without any background.

He knew, of course, who was behind this, but he also knew that this moment meant the end of his years of dormancy.

He put the official documents away, stood up, straightened his clothes, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips, a smile that only he knew.

Then he pushed open the door and walked towards the prefect's main hall.

Zheng Ke was in the main hall reading today's official gazette. When he saw him enter, he put down the gazette, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke casually as if chatting about everyday matters: "Lord Fang is here. Have you finished checking today's accounts for the grain transport?"

Fang Xuanling handed over the official document with both hands.

He said he had just received a transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel, and was being transferred to the position of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He was to go to the capital to report on his duties within ten days, and had come to bid farewell to Lord Zheng.

When Zheng Ke took the document, his fingers paused slightly before he slowly unfolded it and read it from beginning to end.

He served as the prefect of Runzhou for many years and worked with Fang Xuanling for a full five years, so he knew Fang Xuanling's abilities very well.

Every account handled by Fang Xuanling over the past five years is crystal clear.

Every case was handled flawlessly, and every task was completed perfectly.

Yet he never took the initiative to claim credit, never deliberately showed off, and always received above-average performance in every evaluation, as if he was deliberately hiding himself in the crowd.

He had long suspected that this person was extraordinary, but he never pointed it out.

Concealing one's talents and remaining humble is the wisdom to survive in officialdom, and he himself had learned it this way.

He closed the document and placed it on the table, then stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the old plum tree in the yard that had just sprouted new buds. He remained silent for a long while.

Then he turned around, looked at Fang Xuanling with a very complicated gaze, and slowly said, "The position of Vice Minister of Revenue is a good one, but with Lord Fang leaving, my office will lose an arm."

"From now on, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle all the affairs in Runzhou by myself."

He then asked if we should prepare a farewell feast for him.

Fang Xuanling politely declined.

I am deeply grateful for your care over the years, but the ten-day deadline is fast approaching.

We're packing our bags and about to set off, so let's skip the farewell drink. We can have it when we meet in the capital.

Zheng Ke nodded and did not keep him any longer.

As he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at Zheng Ke, saying, "These past five years in Runzhou have been the most peaceful five years of my life. Take care, sir."

Zheng Ke paused for a moment, then waved his hand, telling him to quickly pack his things and get going.

Don't miss your journey to the capital. Remember to write to him once you arrive.

Fang Xuanling bowed in agreement, then turned and stepped out the door.

The spring sunlight filtered through the branches of the old plum tree in the courtyard, casting dappled light and shadow on his blue official robe.

He walked along the covered walkway of the government office, his steps lighter than usual.

But it wasn't the kind of lighthearted joy that couldn't be suppressed; rather, it was a calm, confident lighthearted feeling that everything was progressing according to plan.

He had been waiting for this game of chess in the capital for far too long; now it was finally his turn to make his move.

The transfer order to Changzhou came two days later than that to Runzhou.

When Du Ruhui, the Sima of Changzhou, received his transfer order, he was squatting in the cramped archives room in the backyard of the government office, checking last year's criminal case files by the light of a small oil lamp.

He is 41 years old this year. He has a thin face and high cheekbones. Years of working at his desk have made his back slightly hunched, making him look 10 years older than his actual age.

He managed criminal cases and finances in Changzhou for many years, keeping the city's accounts of money and grain very clear. Every income and expenditure was documented, and every case was recorded.

But he has a problem.

Refusing to curry favor with superiors.

The steward of the prefect of Changzhou hinted more than once that he should give gifts during festivals, but he always pretended not to understand and only sent two catties of tea during festivals, which was tea grown by his own family.

Therefore, he had extremely poor interpersonal relationships in the Changzhou officialdom.

Every year, the evaluation results are "too rigid and not good at socializing".

If it weren't for the fact that he had never made a mistake in his work, he would have been demoted to some remote prefecture long ago.

The transfer order was personally delivered by the prefect of Changzhou.

The prefect's surname was Ma. He was fat and big-eared, and his belly made his official robes bulge. He usually ignored people when they saw him.

Today, however, he personally went to the door of the archives, holding official documents from the Ministry of Personnel in his hands, his face full of fawning smiles.

The person hadn't even entered the room before their voice arrived.

"Lord Du, great news! The Ministry of Personnel has issued a transfer order, appointing you as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. This is truly a cause for celebration!"

"I knew long ago that Lord Du was no ordinary man; he's been wasting his talents all these years!"

He presented the official document to Du Ruhui and then diligently dusted off the dust from his cuffs.

He solemnly promised that when he arrived in Beijing, he would take good care of his old colleagues from Changzhou.

Du Ruhui took the official document, opened it, and read it word by word.

There was no surprise on his face; he simply folded the document and put it into his sleeve.

Then he looked up at Magistrate Ma's smiling face and said lightly, "Thank you for making this trip in person, sir."

Prefect Ma rubbed his hands and said, "This is my duty. If Lord Du needs any cooperation from Changzhou after he goes to the Ministry of Works, just let me know."

Du Ruhui stood up, straightened his clothes, and without responding to his words, simply picked up the case file from the corner of the table and handed it to him.

He said these were review files of criminal cases from Changzhou last year, several in total. He had attached his review comments to each one and asked the esteemed person to take a look. If there were no objections, he would file them.

Prefect Ma took the file without even glancing at it, nodding repeatedly and saying that he trusted Lord Du's work and had no objections.

Du Ruhui didn't look at him again, turned around and walked out of the archives room, walking step by step along the corridor towards his duty room.

Several colleagues who usually wouldn't even greet each other when they met in the corridor all came up to offer their congratulations.

This says, "Lord Du has been promoted; his future is limitless."

The one who said, "I knew long ago that Lord Du was the most capable man in Changzhou, and sure enough, the imperial court has taken notice of him."

Du Ruhui returned the greetings one by one, his face still expressionless, but he was thinking to himself.

You didn't say that back then.

Back then, you all criticized me behind my back for being old-fashioned and out of touch with reality, but now that a transfer order has been issued, you've all changed your tune.

He went into the duty room, closed the door, sat on the old wooden chair he had sat on for many years, took out the transfer order from his sleeve, and looked at it again.

The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, a third-rank official, was in charge of national water conservancy projects and government-run workshops.

This is a position that requires practical skills, which happens to align with his years of experience managing practical matters in Changzhou.

He leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the mottled gray wall of the Changzhou government office, and suddenly chuckled.

He had waited for this day for far too long, not for a promotion, but for a position where he could realize his ambitions.