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

The next morning, Fang Xuanling had just sat down in his office at the Ministry of Revenue.

Before he could even open the tax ledger on the desk, the old servant gently knocked on the door and brought in a brocade box.

The brocade box was small, entirely black, with no decorations on its surface, except for a small clay seal on the clasp.

The seal on the clay seal clearly reads "Yingchuan Chen Clan" in ancient seal script.

Fang Xuanling dismissed the old servant, placed the brocade box on the table, and used a paper cutter to remove the seal and open the lid.

The brocade box contained no gold or silver jewelry, no ancient books or paintings, only a few thin pages of paper.

The paper is of the highest quality, Chengxintang paper, with deep, rich ink, and each character is neat and upright.

The first line reads.

"The Wenxin Dharma Gate, a family tradition of the Chen family."

"Ordinary people spend twenty years reading and cultivating their inner energy, but their energy is so full that they cannot enter the gate of non-Buddhism. I now record this method and present it to Master Fang."

Fang Xuanling's finger lingered on the four characters "Wenxin Famen" for a long time before he slowly read the pages from beginning to end.

This is a complete method for achieving breakthroughs in literary cultivation.

From the crucial point of advancing from the third to the fourth rank, to the circulation path of righteous energy after reaching the fourth rank.

Every step is written out clearly, and every acupoint is clearly marked.

Compared to the Buddhist teachings he had seen in his previous life during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, its subtleties were even greater.

More importantly, this method follows the pure path of classical studies.

Introduce the essence of the classics into your vital energy, nourish your mind with your vital energy, and connect with literature through your mind.

It is not a shortcut or unorthodox method, but a legitimate method that has been passed down for hundreds of years.

Such a method would be an insurmountable barrier for scholars from humble backgrounds.

In the hands of powerful families, however, it becomes a lifeline passed down through generations.

He gently placed the Dharma on the table, leaned back in his chair, and remained silent for a long time.

His original self in this life was just an ordinary scholar who studied diligently for ten years and passed the imperial examination.

He was sent to serve as an official in a local area and cultivated his upright character for more than 20 years, but he was always stuck at the threshold of becoming a third-rank scholar.

It's not that he didn't work hard enough, nor that he lacked talent.

There is no way to do it.

No matter how many books a poor scholar reads or how much righteous spirit he cultivates, without the right method, he will never be able to break through to the fourth rank.

During his years as a sub-prefect in Runzhou, he saw countless local officials like himself, stuck at the peak of the third rank.

Some worked themselves to the bone until their hair turned white, some ruined their health, and they never even reached the threshold of the fourth rank before they died.

This is the cruelty of the Great Zhou's literary cultivation system.

The teachings were only held by aristocratic families and lineages, never written down, and never passed on to the common people.

Now, the Chen family of Yingchuan has handed this method to him.

There were no conditions, no contracts, and no exchanges.

Chen Jing'an's casual remark in the waterside pavilion last night.

"Just consider it as making friends."

Looking back now, it weighs more heavily than any real gold or silver.

This method is certainly not given away for free.

What Chen Jing'an gave was not a method, but trust.

A sophisticated investment strategy built on accurate judgment.

This Chen family head was gambling that Fang Xuanling was not an ungrateful person.

I'm betting he'll remember this favor when he rises higher in the court.

This was an extremely clever move.

We will not seek favors in return, we will not sign contracts, we will not leave any evidence against you, we will only hand you a key when you need it most.

If you accept it, you will owe the Chen family a favor.

If you refuse, you will also sever your relationship with the Chen family.

Chen Jing'an didn't mention a word about when or how this favor would be repaid.

It all depends on his own conscience.

This is the Chen family of Yingchuan.

An ancient family with a history spanning hundreds of years, never vying for power in the imperial court.

Instead of vying for a position in the cabinet, they maintain their influence in a more sophisticated way.

They don't fight because there's no need to fight.

We don't rob because the things we rob are too cheap.

The Chen, Zheng, and Lu families, ancient clans with hundreds of years of history, have long since transcended the stage of relying on their sons to compete for a place in the imperial court.

They control land, wealth, legal codes, and lineages, using these more fundamental resources to weave a power network far more intricate than that of the imperial court.

Scholars from humble backgrounds who wish to break through to the fourth rank must seek their guidance.

Local officials who want to stay in their positions must be mindful of their moods.

Those in power at court who wanted to build connections had to form marriage alliances with them.

They may not stand at the center of the stage of power, but they often decide where the stage lights shine.

He put the Dharma back into the brocade box, closed the lid, and gently pressed the clay seal on the lid.

Then he spread out a blank sheet of Xuan paper, picked up a brush, and wrote a thank-you note to Chen Jing'an.

"Mr. Chen, please grant me your wisdom: I have received your teachings and I am deeply grateful. What you have given me is not just a piece of paper, but the backbone of a poor scholar."

"Xuanling will certainly live up to your expectations and his own original aspirations."

The post was very well worded, expressing gratitude without making any specific promises.

He simply kept this favor in his heart, but defined himself as a "scholar from a poor family".

This was both an expression of gratitude for the teachings bestowed by the Chen family and a declaration that he would not change his fundamental nature as a "pure minister" because of these teachings.

After finishing writing, he put down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and looked out the window at the old locust tree.

I suddenly remembered Chen Jing'an's last words last night.

"I never make hasty judgments about the people Your Majesty chooses, but after tonight, I feel that you are at peace with yourself, and more than just at peace with yourself."

He didn't respond then, but now he suddenly understands.

Chen Jing'an wasn't evaluating Fang Xuanling, but rather something much grander.

An emperor who could promote a righteous local official like Fang Xuanling to the position of Vice Minister of Revenue deserves Chen's reassessment.

The Chen family of Yingchuan will likely have to regroup and choose sides.

He picked up his pen again and added another line at the end of the thank-you note.

"Furthermore, regarding the matter of household registration and land records mentioned last night, I have already made arrangements."

"When the time is right, I will report to His Majesty. At that time, I would appreciate your guidance, esteemed Mr. Chen."

This line of text was an olive branch he had proactively extended.

Last night, Chen Jing'an mentioned that the Chen family had once presented a household registration and land register to Emperor Taizu of Zhou, which exposed loopholes in local taxation.

He is currently in the Ministry of Revenue investigating tax accounts.

If Lady Chen is willing to cooperate with him to find out the truth about the land tax in Jiangnan, he is willing to speak well of Lady Chen before His Majesty.

This is not a transaction; it's mutual trust.

Chen Jing'an believed that he would not betray the kindness of the Dharma, and he believed that Chen Jing'an would not falsify the land tax.

Such mutual trust is built on the foundation of both parties maintaining integrity, and is more solid than any contract.

He sealed the thank-you note and handed it to the old servant to deliver to his villa in Yingchuan.

Then he picked up the Dharma teachings from the brocade box, turned to the first page again, and began to study them word by word in the morning light.

With the method for advancing from the third to the fourth rank established, the next step is to patiently and diligently work on it.

The original body, having cultivated its righteous spirit in Runzhou for over twenty years, finally found the key to a breakthrough.