Chapter 112 : Chapter 112
Chapter 112. Taking Up His Post at Changlin Ward
Late at night, in the inner courtyard.
Inside a spacious and elegant room, candlelight flickered softly.
On the desk by the window, a gilt openwork Boshan incense burner was releasing a thin wisp of agarwood incense. The smoke drifted faintly, slowly curling through the air.
Shangyang Qingcheng sat behind a zitan wood desk, flipping through stack after stack of dossiers in his hands.
He was tall and slender, with handsome, well-proportioned features, and there was a gentle, composed bearing about him.
Though it was already deep into the night, he still wore a moon-white brocade robe, with a jade tassel hanging at his waist. Under the candlelight, he looked both noble and refined, yet not overbearing.
Piled across the desk were the recent reports submitted by the various wards in the Level Three zone: routine affairs, battle losses, and personnel shortages.
His brows furrowed slightly as he turned to the next page.
Only after he set down his brush did the old servant standing nearby, Gao Sheng, speak softly.
“Second Young Master, the elders have been discussing Xu Yuan and wish to know your thoughts.”
“Xu Yuan?”
Shangyang Qingcheng paused, somewhat surprised. “What else is there about him? Hasn’t everything already been settled?”
Gao Sheng lowered his head and dropped his voice even further. “It concerns his marriage.”
Shangyang Qingcheng raised a brow and waited for him to continue.
“The Council of Elders had previously discussed that once Xu Yuan settled down in the medicinal fields, they would choose a suitable young woman from a collateral branch for him to marry.”
“That arrangement had already been drafted. It was only waiting for him to complete a month in office before being carried out, except…”
Gao Sheng paused briefly before continuing, “Except no one expected him to break through to the Sixth Meridian so quickly.”
Understanding dawned on Shangyang Qingcheng, and he let out a quiet laugh.
“So the elders are no longer certain? Pairing a five-meridian Chief Guard with a collateral-branch woman would already be considered an elevation, but a six-meridian ward master is another matter entirely. What does Father think?”
“The Family Head said… you may decide this matter yourself.”
Shangyang Qingcheng did not answer at once.
He leaned back in his chair, his gaze resting on the incense smoke curling upward, as though lost in thought.
Outside the window, the night was heavy and still, with the faint chirping of insects drifting in.
After a moment, the corner of his lips curved slightly, his smile faint. “Since Xu Yuan’s aptitude is so outstanding, there is no need to rush.”
“No need to rush?” Gao Sheng froze slightly.
Shangyang Qingcheng’s tone remained calm. “Let us first see just how far he can go.”
“If he falls silent at the Sixth Meridian and fades into mediocrity, then we will follow precedent and find him a collateral-branch woman. That would not count as mistreating him. But if…”
He lifted a brow. “If his pace continues upward and his progress remains this swift… then we will have him marry into the Shangyang Residence directly.”
Gao Sheng lowered his head and acknowledged the order, but he understood clearly in his heart.
Though the Second Young Master’s words sounded casual, he had in fact already placed Xu Yuan among the kind of people who required long-term attention.
Shangyang Qingcheng closed the dossiers on the desk, then abruptly changed the subject, his tone casual. “By the way, my elder sister should be returning soon as well, shouldn’t she?”
Gao Sheng was slightly startled, then answered, “Yes. Eldest Miss is currently traveling abroad, and she should return to the residence in about half a year.”
“Half a year…”
Shangyang Qingcheng shook his head, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness. “I really am a little envious of my elder sister. I am stuck here every day, busy with one thing after another, while she lives quite leisurely.”
Gao Sheng replied with a smile, “Second Young Master is wise beyond his years, and Eldest Miss is astonishingly gifted as well. It is only that your strengths are different. Each of you shines in your own way.”
“You, you always do love saying the proper things.”
Shangyang Qingcheng cast him a sidelong glance and let out a soft laugh.
He pushed the dossiers he had already reviewed to one side and said lightly, “Bring me the newly submitted reports.”
Gao Sheng answered at once, then took another stack of fresh dossiers from the shelf nearby and carefully placed them on the desk.
The candlelight continued to burn quietly, stretching that moon-white figure into a long shadow.
Outside the window, the night was black as ink.
…
The next day, the fourth day of the ninth month.
The weather was fine, the autumn sky high and crisp.
Xu Yuan stood in the courtyard wearing a brand-new white robe embroidered with dark patterns, dazzling enough to catch the eye. At his waist hung the family warrior token he had only recently received.
He lowered his eyes slightly, his fingers brushing across the delicate patterns carved into the token.
Outside the courtyard, the carriage had already been prepared.
The carriage reserved for family warriors was different from ordinary ones. Its body was broad, its curtains deep blue-green, with bronze bells hanging from all four corners. Even the horses had been carefully selected for fine steeds.
Driving the carriage was the servant Xiao Qi. He sat upright on the driver’s seat, his back ramrod straight. His face strove to maintain a restrained dignity, yet he could not hide the excitement in his brows, as though he too basked in reflected glory.
It was said that even a seventh-rank official gained prestige by standing before a prime minister’s gate.
Now that he served a master who ruled an entire ward, he naturally carried a certain dignity and presence whenever he went out to speak or handle affairs.
Three more people stood beside the carriage.
Two maidservants of about fifteen or sixteen, Chun’er and Qiu’er, had both been newly assigned by the residence, and both were pretty and delicate in appearance.
There was also an older serving woman surnamed Wang, a sturdy and kind-faced woman in her early forties, who was in charge of cooking and laundry.
Xu Yuan swept them with a glance, said nothing, and merely gave a slight nod before boarding the carriage.
The wheels rumbled as it left the Shangyang Residence and headed toward the Level Three zone.
…
Afternoon, Changlin Ward.
The ward master’s office was not especially ostentatious, but it occupied a central position, open to both the north and south, with two main streets connecting to it from east and west.
When Xu Yuan stepped out of the carriage, the guards at the entrance froze for a moment. It seemed they had never seen such a young Sixth Meridian martial artist before. Once they recovered, they quickly lowered their heads and saluted.
Xu Yuan stood before the entrance and looked on quietly for a moment.
The surrounding streets crossed in every direction, crowded with people coming and going. Shops lined both sides, their wine banners fluttering in the air, while patrol teams of martial artists occasionally passed through.
This was Changlin Ward.
The territory he would be managing from now on.
Xu Yuan let out a quiet sigh of emotion, instructed the servants to wait outside, and entered the courtyard alone.
Crossing the central courtyard and stepping into the main hall, he saw a man standing with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing absentmindedly at the streets outside.
The man was broad and powerfully built, dressed in a dark brown fitted outfit. Though he had already stepped down from office, the hardened aura of someone long seasoned by battle had not faded from him. It was Ward Master Xue Zhan.
Xu Yuan’s steps paused briefly, and he cupped his hands. “Ward Master Xue.”
At the sound of his voice, Xue Zhan turned around. His gaze fell on Xu Yuan, and he froze for a moment before shaking his head with a smile.
“I’m no ward master anymore. You are.”
He looked Xu Yuan up and down, his expression carrying emotion, gratification, and a trace of indescribable daze.
“I truly never expected this…”
Xue Zhan paused, as though choosing his words.
“Not long ago, I was still trying to persuade you to stay under me and continue working for me. Yet who could have imagined that in such a short time, you would already be sitting in my position yourself?”