These past two days, Zhu Shou always felt restless. He couldn’t even bring himself to enjoy his favorite beauties, and last night he didn’t even have anyone accompany him—something that hardly ever happened in a whole year. He just had the feeling that something was about to happen.

Early in the morning, after washing up with the help of his servants, he was just about to have breakfast when his deputy rushed in, knocking on the door and walking quickly inside.

"What’s wrong?"

"My lord, something big has happened."

Zhu Shou’s heart skipped a beat and he thought, "So it’s true." He knew something was wrong these last couple days. He immediately waved away the surrounding servants and slaves, leaving only his deputy in the main hall.

"Last night, Lord Chen and Lord Wang ran into each other at the Flower House while drinking. The two never got along—and started arguing, then things escalated into a fight. Both sides got really heated, and Lord Chen was stabbed and nearly died. Lord Wang had his right eye blinded!"

"Chen Xiang and Wang Bai?"

"Yes, my lord. The news came early this morning, absolutely no mistake."

Zhu Shou heard this and wore a half-smile, pacing quickly back and forth in the main hall. The unease he’d felt before disappeared at once. Something was bound to happen, but he hadn’t expected such good news!

Chen Xiang and Wang Bai weren’t people from Fengri City’s brokerage—they were from the headquarters in the Imperial City. And they were the only two real rivals for Zhu Shou’s chance at promotion.

Unlike the local government office or the Xuanqing Guard, the brokerage didn’t keep promotion news very secret. As soon as the Fengri City Master was about to retire, Zhu Shou immediately knew exactly who stood in his way. After various maneuvers, Zhu Shou also felt that under normal circumstances, his chances weren’t great.

This was why Zhu Shou reached out to Shen Hao, offering allegiance to the Xuanqing Guard in exchange for their help in getting him promoted.

But now the situation had flipped completely on its head!

Chen Xiang and Wang Bai got into a big fight at the Flower House, both ending up seriously injured. Aren’t they just Qi Refining First and Second Layer? Recovering will take at least three or four months. Plus, Wang Bai was blinded in one eye—his official career is dead in the water.

So, the powerful rivals from yesterday are all finished today?

"My lord, now’s the time. You’d best make a trip to the Imperial City. The Master at headquarters is definitely furious about all this. If you show your loyalty, the odds of you taking over as Master are just about a sure thing!"

This deputy was sharp—he knew, once one man ascends, all his followers rise with him. Having followed Zhu Shou for years, if Zhu Shou became Master of the Fengri City brokerage, there’d be new positions needing to be filled—he’d surely be among them. He was even more impatient than Zhu Shou himself.

"Does the old Master know?"

"Probably not yet. I only found out so soon because I have eyes in the Imperial City."

"Let’s go—see the old Master first, then head to the Imperial City in the afternoon."

Zhu Shou was much more sophisticated than his deputy. At a time like this, impatience would be a fatal mistake. Appearing at headquarters to pledge loyalty wouldn’t look good, nor would it guarantee results.

Before, they wanted to bring someone down from above, but now the ideal candidates had taken themselves out. So, an external appointment wasn’t happening any time soon. That left only two possibilities: local promotion, or a transfer from elsewhere.

Both were possible. At this point, the old Master’s opinion became especially important. For local promotion, the first requirement was an appropriate candidate—the retiring old Master would give the higher-ups his input. If the old Master advocated for Zhu Shou, the outcome would be all but certain.

No time for breakfast, Zhu Shou took his deputy and went straight to the old Master’s house, shamelessly joining the old man for breakfast...

Luckily, Zhu Shou had never failed to show the old Master due respect. He’d always kept the subordinate-superior dynamic proper, never flaunting his position even though the old Master was about to retire. The old Master’s opinion of Zhu Shou was still quite good. He said outright that, if asked, he’d support promoting Zhu Shou as his successor.

Better to promote someone you lifted yourself—they’ll remember you and help your family for a while. If it’s a direct appointment from above, that kind of advantage is lost. No wonder the old Master was happy to recommend Zhu Shou, someone he didn’t dislike anyway.

Walking out of the old Master’s house, Zhu Shou looked utterly at ease, feeling on top of the world. In the afternoon, he’d run his connections in the Imperial City, pull a few strings there, and then everything would be set.

"Heh heh, congratulations, my lord! Soon you’ll be in complete charge of Fengri City’s brokerage—your word will be law." The deputy, too, understood what was going on. Impressed by Zhu Shou’s cunning, he was also full of joy.

"Haha, this really is heaven helping me. If Wang Bai and Chen Xiang hadn’t suddenly thrown their lives away, things wouldn’t be going so smoothly."

"Exactly, exactly! The two of them must have lost their minds. Who else would do something so stupid? My lord, your blessings really are immense..."

Zhu Shou didn’t hear the rest. His smile faded instantly, heart skipped a beat.

Stupid? What his deputy said actually reminded him—would normal men really risk their lives over a trivial quarrel in the Flower House, each nearly killing the other? Especially Wang Bai and Chen Xiang—the two weren’t fools. Old hands in officialdom for years, and with a critical promotion imminent, why would they act out of pride?

Think about it—what a load of crap, "grudge" or "verbal spat"! The whole thing reeks of something fishy!

All rivals conveniently out of the way, and who is left as the most likely candidate for promotion? This is exactly the kind of direct method those shadowy types excel at!

Zhu Shou pictured that smiling, scheming, and ruthless guy—suddenly he realized his so-called luck was just wishful thinking. None of this was a coincidence at all.

The Xuanqing Guard would never openly interfere in something as sensitive as the promotion to brokerage Master. If they wanted to help, it would have to be behind the scenes—for example, provoking the two main candidates to "destroy each other."

After work that afternoon, Zhu Shou met Liu Meng, the man he had placed to work inside the brokerage. The very first thing Liu Meng said was: "Congratulations, Lord Zhu, for soon taking charge as Master! Lord Shen asked me to give you his regards, and also sent this rank confirmation document for your signature."

With that, a confirmation document for Small Banner Officer of the Xuanqing Guard was laid in front of Zhu Shou. Everything was clear now. Wang Bai and Chen Xiang weren’t idiots—they got played. So this confirmation document was the answer from the Xuanqing Guard: we’ve helped—whether you succeed now depends on your own ability. But your "contract" also needs to be signed, right?

Zhu Shou was silent for a long time. Liu Meng didn’t rush him, just waited quietly.

"Hah... give my thanks to Lord Shen," Zhu Shou said, picked up the brush and scribbled his name on the document, then stamped it with his personal seal. Liu Meng took it away.

"I will make sure to relay your message."