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

The following day, Zhao Gao saw Kong Yan's draft proposal for the allocation of personnel in the Imperial Observatory in the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

This draft is written in a very formal manner.

The eldest prince and the sixth prince were each assigned two Lingtai Lang (spirit attendants), the second prince and the fourth prince were each assigned three, the third prince was assigned two, and the fifth prince and the ninth prince were each assigned two. All assignments were based on the number of prefectures they inspected and the severity of the Yin energy.

Zhao Gao read the draft from beginning to end, his gaze lingering for a long time on the line "the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince will be paired together as two people".

Then he gently put down the draft, picked up his teacup, took a sip, leaned back in his chair, and slowly tapped his fingers on the armrest.

two.

The Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince went to the Northern Border together, and the area they inspected was the largest among the several prefectures.

The northern border is vast and sparsely populated, with the Yin energy nodes scattered between various towns, making travel a time-consuming process.

If only two Lingtai Lang are assigned, these two people will be too busy to handle everything, as they will have to survey the earth's veins, deduce celestial phenomena, and deal with the Yin energy in various towns.

More importantly, the northern border is the territory of the Grand Commandant's Mansion, the Fifth Prince is backed by the Grand Protector's Mansion, and the Ninth Prince is invisible to everyone.

If this patrol team wants to achieve results in the North, it must be equipped with the strongest technical capabilities.

It wasn't due to the princes' power, but rather to Lingtai Lang's true abilities.

He put down his teacup, picked up his vermilion brush, and lightly added a horizontal stroke next to the character "two" in the draft, changing it to "three".

Then, he added a line at the end of the draft: "The northern border is vast and sparsely populated, with scattered Yin energy nodes, many of which are located in abandoned border passes and ancient battlefield sites, making surveying far more difficult than in inland prefectures."

"The experience in Qingzhou shows that a three-person team—one for geomancy, one for divination, and one for sealing off the yin energy—is the best configuration for dealing with yin energy. It is recommended that Guo Pu, Li Chunfeng, and Lai Buyi be transferred to the northern border together to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

"Furthermore, since this is His Highness's first inspection tour outside the capital, assigning him three Lingtai Lang (a type of official) is also a sign of respect for the prince."

He put down his pen, resealed the draft, and sent it to the Grand Tutor's residence.

Kong Yan read Zhao Gao's annotations and did not object.

Zhao Gao's reasons were all well-documented and verifiable.

The northern border is indeed vast and sparsely populated, and the Qingzhou trio's efficiency in handling matters is far superior to that of other places. Moreover, although the Ninth Prince is born out of wedlock, he is still His Majesty's own son, so it is reasonable to assign him an additional Lingtai Lang as a sign of respect.

He simply wrote "Approved" on the draft and instructed the Ministry of Personnel to proceed accordingly.

When the news reached the side hall, Zhou Xing was sitting by the window, reading through the geographical records of the various towns in the northern border.

After reading the note Zhao Gao handed him, he tapped his finger lightly on the three names "Guo Pu, Li Chunfeng, and Lai Buyi," a faint smile appearing on his lips.

He had been wondering how Zhao Gao would arrange for these three people to be placed by his side.

After all, each inspection team was assigned to someone from the Imperial Observatory. If these three most outstanding Lingtai Lang were to be placed in the group of the Fifth Prince and the Ninth Prince, it would inevitably attract attention.

But Zhao Gao handled the matter flawlessly with just one line of annotation.

The North is sparsely populated, so the three of them splitting up is a good way to complement each other.

Guo Pu observed the earth's veins, Li Chunfeng calculated celestial phenomena, and Lai Buyi suppressed malevolent spirits; each performed their respective duties.

This is a technical requirement, not a personnel arrangement.

When the Ninth Prince left the capital for the first time, he was accompanied by an extra official, Lingtai Lang, to show the dignity of the royal family.

This is a matter of etiquette, not special treatment.

Every reason is perfectly legitimate and can withstand scrutiny from anyone.

He held the note up to the candle flame and burned it. Gazing at the ashes in the bronze dish, he began to plan his journey to the North.

Guo Pu and his two companions were their own people. After arriving in the northern border, every step they took in surveying the earth's veins and dealing with the yin energy could legitimately involve Huo Qubing and Li Wenzhong.

For example, soldiers may be needed to excavate the veins of an abandoned pass, or troops may be needed to temporarily seal off the evil spirits at an ancient battlefield site.

These reasons are readily available, and no one can find fault with them.

Huo Qubing and Li Wenzhong were stationed in the northern border, and through these normal official exchanges, he could bypass everyone's notice.

They gathered all the latest military intelligence, information on the Hu people's movements, and the distribution of the Li family's influence in the north.

He unfolded the self-made relationship diagram, wrote the names of Guo Pu and the other two under the "Northern Frontier" column, and drew an arrow next to it pointing to the positions of Huo Qubing and Li Wenzhong.

Then he put down his pen, got up, and went to the window.

The journey to the North is getting more and more interesting.