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

Zhou Jing's words weren't harsh, but the meaning was clear: forming cliques is necessary, but it shouldn't be too obvious, and you shouldn't give the impression that you can't do anything but form cliques.

The Emperor favors capable people; this is a consensus within the entire Great Zhou court.

As long as you have the ability, even if you come from a humble background and have a weak connection, your father will use you and promote you.

"The spring hunt is in three days. Do your best," Grand Commandant Zhou Jing said finally. "Your father, the Emperor, will be at the hunting grounds, along with the Three Dukes, Four Marquises, and heads of various departments. This will be your first public appearance since you were promoted to the fourth rank. Make the most of this opportunity."

As he spoke, the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. "It's time for this old man of mine to show those people in the court that the Grand Commandant's mansion does have capable juniors."

Zhou Xun stood up and bowed deeply.

He didn't say anything more, turned around and strode out of the Grand Commandant's study.

The sunlight outside was perfect, shining on him and casting a long shadow.

He mounted his horse, his hand gripping the reins tightening slightly, his knuckles turning white.

Spring hunt in three days.

He wanted to show everyone at the hunting grounds that the Second Prince, Zhou Xun, was already a fierce tiger with fangs.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the imperial city, the Ninth Prince's side palace remained as quiet as a corner forgotten by the entire world.

Chunlan was hanging clothes out to dry in the yard, Qiuju was squatting by the flowerbed pulling weeds, and Zhouxing was sitting on a low stool by the window, holding an advanced edition of "The Art of Nourishing Qi" and reading it with great interest.

A gray sparrow landed on the windowsill, tilted its head to look at him, and then lowered its head to peck at a few grains of millet that someone had scattered on the windowsill.

A thin copper tube, as thin as a hair, was tied to the leg of the gray sparrow; it was almost invisible unless you looked closely.

Zhou Xing's lips curved slightly, and he tapped his fingers lightly three times on the windowsill.

After pecking at the last grain of millet, the gray sparrow flapped its wings and flew away.

He lowered his head and continued reading his book.

The dry text about the circulation of Qi and blood on the pages of the book looked to him like a newly released intelligence analysis report.

The Second Prince's promotion to the fourth rank, the Grand Commandant's office's actions, and the spring hunt three days later—all this information had been gathered on his desk before noon today. In Chunlan's eyes, it was nothing more than a few scraps of paper that His Highness had casually scribbled on while practicing calligraphy. After reading them, she burned them, and as usual, poured the ashes into the evergreen flowerpot.

Zhou Xing turned a page in the book, his fingertips lightly tracing the four characters "great accumulation leads to great success".

He accumulated knowledge and skills through literary cultivation and honed his martial arts skills step by step. He had spent more than half a year getting to know the cultivation system of this world.

Martial artists cultivate their qi and blood, strengthening their qi and blood by repeatedly tempering their bodies and refining their bones.

Before reaching the third rank, one lays the foundation, dispersing qi and blood throughout the limbs and bones. Starting from the fourth rank, one can locally concentrate qi and blood to form a short burst of power.

Upon reaching the fifth rank, the Qi and blood condense to their extreme and transform into True Qi. That is the true watershed of martial arts. True Qi can be released outwards, injuring people from a distance and taking their lives from a distance of ten feet.

Wenxiu, however, took a different path.

The cultivation of literature is about cultivating a righteous spirit. It is extremely slow in the early stages and requires extensive reading of classics, self-cultivation, and nurturing a righteous spirit within.

Many people may remain at a low rank for more than a decade, but once their righteous spirit accumulates to a certain critical point, they can break through with great effort and often jump several ranks in a row.

This is why civil officials of the same rank after the sixth grade can suppress military generals. Righteousness has a natural restraining effect on the blood and qi of martial artists, which can disrupt the opponent's qi circulation and prevent the opponent from using their strength.

Both paths have their advantages and disadvantages, but they lead to the same goal. The essence of rank is an assessment of combat power. Whether it is physical strength or righteous energy, the ultimate goal is to be able to fight.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was founded on military strength, and the Three Dukes and Four Marquises were all masters of the eighth or ninth rank. However, the court valued both civil and military affairs, and the civil service system was also full of talented people.

The princes can choose between martial arts and literature, depending entirely on their individual talents and the allocation of resources.

He closed the book and looked out the window.

The eldest prince has the civil service system backed by Grand Tutor Kong Yan.

The Second Prince has the military power of Grand Commandant Zhou Jing behind him.

The Third Prince's mother was a distant niece of Marquis Chen Jing.

The fourth prince married the legitimate daughter of Marquis Zhao Xi of Wu'an.

The fifth prince studied criminal law under Grand Tutor Yuwen Lie, and the sixth prince married Cao Jun, the Marquis of Anxi... Behind every competitive prince stood one or more powerful forces in the court.

These networks of relationships are clearly recorded in Zhao Gao's Imperial Household Department archives, and there is also a copy in Wei Zhongxian's personnel file. Lu Changfeng's Beggars' Gang intelligence network also has a version from the streets and alleys.

By comparing the three versions, the truth and falsehood can be clearly seen at a glance.

The Ninth Prince, Zhou Xing, had no maternal relatives, no wife's relatives, and no teacher; he was a person with none of these three things.

But Zhou Xing was never afraid of lacking resources or expertise. In his previous life, he started from scratch writing code, working his way up from intern to project leader at a major internet company, all thanks to his ability to build systems from scratch.

In this life, he started from a desolate palace, finding his own mother's clan when he had none, training on his own when he had no master, and building his own power base when he had none.

His dark web has now spread to four levels: the inner court, the imperial guards, the common people, and the business world. Although each level is still in its development stage, if he is given a few more years, once these pieces have grown into towering trees, the overall situation on the chessboard will be completely different.

But now is not the time to think about these things.

He withdrew his gaze and continued to peruse the "Qi Cultivation Manual" in his hands, the Qi vortex in his dantian still slowly rotating.

The deliberate suppression over the past six months has made his foundation extremely solid; it's time for him to break through to the second rank.

Spring hunt in three days.

The second prince is about to show his skills, the Grand Commandant's Mansion is about to flex its muscles, and all forces will focus their attention on the hunting grounds.

The more public the occasion, the more opportunities there are for someone like him, who is invisible, to do things quietly.

Zhou Xing closed his eyes and circulated the mental techniques of the "Qi Cultivation Manual" throughout his body. The Qi vortex in his dantian accelerated slightly, like a spinning top being gently turned, silently rotating and accumulating.