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

In the business sector, Heshengyuan completed its cross-shareholding integration.

Both business scale and profits have experienced explosive growth.

The money exchange business expanded from the capital to three major regions: Jiangnan, Huguang, and Shanxi.

With branches throughout more than 30 prefectures in the north and south, the company's total assets have exceeded two million taels of silver.

Lei Lutai's bank account network has initially acquired three major functions: intercity remittance, deposit and loan, and credit guarantee.

They are planning to launch standardized issuance of banknotes.

Mao Honghui's branch management regulations are hailed by major shareholders as a "business bible".

The reconciliation and risk control system overseen by Li Hongling ensures that every account is clear and transparent.

The business empires of these four Shanxi merchants are no longer just money-making machines.

It is also a strategic platform for penetrating all walks of life, collecting economic intelligence, and establishing alliances of interests.

In the literary world, Yao Guangxiao, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi all made key progress in their respective fields.

With his profound knowledge of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, Yao Guangxiao gained a number of unseen supporters among princes, nobles, and scholars.

He himself has also broken through to the fourth rank of literary cultivator, and his righteous spirit has begun to take shape, but he rarely shows it outwardly.

Wang Anshi's private school in Wangjiazhuang had been expanded into a rudimentary academy called "Gonggeng Academy".

He took in more than 80 poor students from the outskirts of Beijing and personally taught them classical texts and policy essays.

He subtly instilled the ideas of reform into the minds of these students, and he himself also broke through to the third rank of literary cultivation.

Su Shi was at the height of his fame in the literary world of the capital, and his poems and essays had spread throughout the country.

Even the senior scholars of the Imperial Academy publicly said, "Su Shi's talent is rare in a hundred years," and his cultivation level also broke through to the third rank of literary cultivation.

Everyone is waiting for this spring imperial examination.

This is the only ladder that scholars from humble backgrounds can use to gain entry into the imperial court based on their genuine talent and learning.

It was also the final examination hall for Yao Guangxiao, Wang Anshi, and Su Shi, who had studied diligently for many years.

Zhou Xing closed the booklet and tucked it back under his pillow, gazing at the increasingly dense spring rain outside the window.

The rain pattered on the newly sprouted sycamore leaves, and the air was filled with the scent of freshly turned earth.

Two years ago today, he had just transmigrated into this world.

The six-year-old child sat alone in the side hall, without a single trustworthy palace servant by his side.

Two years later, he sits here today, with a crisscrossing power secretly growing in his hands.

The rain grew louder, and another clap of thunder rolled by, closer and deeper than before.

The imperial examinations were approaching, but his game had only just entered the middle stage.

Meanwhile, the lights were burning brightly in the office of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

After reviewing the last stack of memorials, Wang Zheng put down his vermilion pen, rubbed his aching temples, and casually asked Zhao Gao, who was organizing documents beside him, "Little Zhao, how many years have you been with that old geezer Chen Ju?"

"Reporting to Eunuch Wang, it has been more than two years." Zhao Gao continued working on the documents in his hands, his voice as calm and respectful as ever.

"In just over two years, you rose from a menial servant to a court eunuch, reaching the sixth rank at the age of sixteen. Our family has been in the Directorate of Ceremonial for twenty years; your achievement is truly unique."

Wang Zheng leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, took a sip to moisten his dry throat, and said, "That old bastard Chen Ju has a sharp eye and good luck; he picked up such a treasure like you for free."

Zhao Gao put down the document and looked up.

Wang Zheng rarely chatted idly in the duty room, and even less often used such a half-joking, half-serious tone to evaluate his colleagues.

He pushed the teacup towards Zhao Gao, gesturing for him to refill his cup, and then slowly got to the point: "I'm sixty-three this year, and I've been sitting in the position of Director of Ceremonial for eleven years. I'm tired."

"His Majesty's energy has not been as good as before these past two years. He often reviews memorials until late at night, and I have to stay with him. My health can't take it anymore."

"I have mentioned to His Majesty several times that I want to retire, but His Majesty has not allowed it. But I know in my heart that this position will have to be handed over to the younger generation sooner or later."

He paused, watching Zhao Gao steadily refill the teacup with the teapot.

The tea was poured just enough, about three-tenths of an inch from the rim of the cup, and then he raised his wrinkled eyes and looked directly at Zhao Gao: "Chen Ju gave you a foundation, but our family cannot give you a better one."

"But we can offer you a higher realm. We ask you, is your heart only in the Directorate of Ceremonial?"

Zhao Gao picked up the teacup and presented it to Wang Zheng with both hands, then lowered his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Wang Zheng knew better than anyone the weight of his words.

Chen Ju gave him a roof over his head, but Wang Zheng wanted to give him a palace.

It wasn't the real power of a "chief steward" like the head of the Imperial Household Department, but rather the pinnacle of power within the entire inner court.

The duty room was so quiet that only the crackling of the charcoal fire could be heard. In the distance, the faint sound of the watchman's clapper could be heard from outside the window; it was already past midnight.

Zhao Gao finally raised his head, looked directly into Wang Zheng's eyes, and said in a soft but clear voice, "Your Excellency, my heart is not in this office."

"What I am thinking is that if there is no one to command the twelve directorates, four departments and eight bureaus of the inner court, they will eventually be a disorganized mess."

"If I can share the burdens of Your Majesty and Eunuch Wang, it will be a blessing I have accumulated over many lifetimes."

Wang Zheng looked at Zhao Gao and slowly smiled.

This child speaks with perfect tact, not directly asking for the seal of office, but saying "to share the burden for His Majesty and Eunuch Wang".

Instead of directly stating that he would oversee the twelve prisons, he said, "If there is no one to oversee them, they will ultimately be a disorganized mess."

This shrewdness and sense of propriety are far superior to what I had when I was twenty.

"You are sixteen this year. I will take care of you for another three years. After three years, I will personally recommend you to His Majesty."

Wang Zheng put down his teacup, stood up, walked over to Zhao Gao, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "But there's one condition: you'll have to walk this path by yourself for the next three years."

"If you do a good job, you will be the youngest Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"If you don't do well, Chen Ju will still give you a job, but in the history of the inner court, you will be the young man who was praised the most and fell the hardest."

Zhao Gao knelt down and kowtowed properly, his eyes remaining calm when he raised his head.

But beneath that calm exterior lay an ambition that had been suppressed to the extreme: "Thank you for your guidance, Eunuch Wang. Within three years, I will certainly live up to your expectations."