Chapter 210: The Big Figures

Inside the General's Hall.

Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei, Assistant Military Advisor Jiang Lin, and four Garrison Commanders gathered together.

In addition, there were two others.

One was a middle-aged man with a unfamiliar face; the other was Li Rui.

The two stood out awkwardly among the group of fifth- and sixth-rank officers.

Li Rui was a junior sixth-rank officer; the middle-aged man was also a junior sixth-rank officer.

It was well known that within the Anning Guard, the Assistant Regional Commander and the Assistant Military Advisor were at odds; Jiang Lin and Cao Wei met no more than once a month, let alone in such an extremely formal setting with all four Garrison Commanders present.

Of course, this was to discuss matters of great importance.

Cao Wei cleared his throat.

The men seated below straightened their backs in unison.

"The position of Garrison Commander cannot remain vacant for long; it should go to the capable. Liao Wu is most suitable."

Ning Zhongtian glanced at the middle-aged man beside him and sneered inwardly.

After Gao Zhen died, the position of Garrison Commander in the Anning Guard had remained empty.

On the surface, it was said that Gao Zhen's body had not yet been laid to rest, so there was no rush to appoint a successor.

In truth, the big figures were secretly maneuvering, and no decision had been reached.

Now, finally, someone had risen above the rest.

Liao Wu had originally been a Platoon Leader in the neighboring guard battalion.

He had only just crossed the Dragon Gate these past two years; logically, even after breaking through, moving from junior sixth-rank to sixth-rank should have required at least six or seven years of waiting.

Unless he had powerful backing.

Liao Wu's patron was the Divine Weapon Manor.

Before becoming an Assistant Military Advisor, Liao Wu had already been a disciple of the Divine Weapon Manor; even after joining the Annan Army, the connection had never been severed.

Ning Zhongtian had heard that the Divine Weapon Manor had gone to great lengths over this matter—even the old Manor Lord had personally traveled to Annan Town and drunk with Regional Commander Xue for several days.

As for why Cao Wei had been the first to support Liao Wu today—

Who didn't know that Cao Wei had recently been frequently seen entering and leaving brothels with Elder Shi of the Divine Weapon Manor?

Clearly, this was a deal struck between them.

Of course, outwardly they still had to pretend they were impartial, selecting talent solely on merit.

Cao Wei scanned the room:

"Gentlemen, any objections?"

Feng Yu and Guan Xinrong nodded immediately without hesitation.

"Brother Liao is well known for his bravery in the Annan Army; as our Garrison Commander, he will surely ease the burden on our superiors."

They had already been warned in advance by Cao Wei, so they would never defy their superior.

Ning Zhongtian and Lu Jun first glanced at Jiang Lin.

Seeing their superior make no move, they chose to remain silent.

The hall fell silent for a long while.

Jiang Lin finally spoke slowly: "The capital has issued an order to establish a Trade Office in Qinghe County; the Guard bears the responsibility of oversight. The Ministry of Personnel has ordered one person appointed as Trade Officer, and Li Rui is most suitable."

At these words,

Feng Yu and Guan Xinrong's expressions changed.

Li Rui?

Although Li Rui had repeatedly achieved extraordinary feats, he was already quite old and still only seventh-rank; being promoted to junior sixth-rank as Patrol Officer was already an overreach—now he was being asked to leap an entire rank.

Military officers were not civil officials.

There was almost never a case where a man's realm was low but his official rank was high.

Liao Wu was acceptable—he had reached the realm and had the Divine Weapon Manor as his patron; Feng Yu and Guan Xinrong could tolerate it.

But Li Rui—

A former subordinate, whose cultivation was still a full realm below theirs, now to be placed on equal footing with them? They could not possibly accept it.

If Li Rui could rise, what did all those years they had waited in line amount to?

It would become a joke.

Not just Feng Yu and Guan Xinrong, the rivals—

Even Lu Jun was growing restless.

Before any of them could react, Jiang Lin spoke: "Li Rui is an undercover agent planted by His Majesty in Qinghe, for the sake of state affairs between two nations. He crossed the sixth-rank Dragon Gate thirteen years ago. Now, as our nation opens trade with Wu Country, Li Rui has rendered great service and deserves reward."

"Undercover agent?!"

Feng Yu and the others stared wide-eyed at Li Rui, disbelieving.

If memory served, Li Rui was a native of Qinghe and had once been a stable hand for decades.

'His Majesty's methods are truly unfathomable—he planned this so far in advance.'

'This Li Rui is also incredibly patient—he became a martial cultivator yet willingly endured servitude as a stable hand for over a decade.'

They asked themselves: they could never possess such restraint.

"Mm."

Li Rui nearly spat out his tea.

He had expected Jiang Lin to invent an excuse for him, but never one so absurd.

Undercover agent?

He had never even met the Emperor; the closest he'd come was receiving an imperial decree—how could he possibly be an undercover agent?

But none of that mattered.

The key was that although Jiang Lin's claim was bizarre, everyone present could only believe it.

Because there was no opportunity to question it.

Didn't Jiang Lin say it was His Majesty's direct order?

Would they dare go confront the Emperor themselves?

In the entire Anning Guard, only Jiang Lin had ever met the Dragon Throne's master.

Ning Zhongtian's eyes flashed with sudden insight.

It all made sense now.

Everything made sense.

No wonder Li Rui, once so ordinary, had repeatedly drawn the Emperor's favor.

Add to that the Merit Stele he received—effectively two imperial decrees.

Two full decrees.

Even Assistant Regional Commander Cao Wei had never enjoyed such fortune.

He had always wondered why, thinking it was merely because Li Rui's age had propaganda value—but now he saw clearly: Li Rui had been a mole embedded in Qinghe, and this was the Emperor's compensation!

Hss—

Ning Zhongtian sucked in a sharp breath.

'The big figures' methods are truly terrifying—they began plotting over a decade ago, and no one knew!'

'So terrifying!'

So treacherous!

Officialdom is a battlefield—you never know when a divine scheme might already be laid beside you by some big figure.

He looked again at Li Rui.

Calm and composed, in complete control—as if he could use a feather fan.

Tsk tsk. Li Rui's smile was slowly turning stiff.

What could he do?

Only pretend.

After all, no one could verify it—what Jiang Lin said was what it was.

That was the tyranny of having the final say.

Though the tactic was crude,

It worked.

If outsiders believed Li Rui was a martial cultivator who had infiltrated Qinghe for his country, then his rapid cultivation growth would be perfectly reasonable.

Because he had always been this strong.

Being appointed Trade Officer was then entirely reasonable.

=9+book_8

If men like Li Rui bear such burdens, how could Yu Country and Wu Country ever open trade?

As for the connection between infiltrating a small family or minor gang and cross-border trade—

Don't ask. Ask, and it's classified.

In short, Feng Yu, Guan Xinrong, and Lu Jun had no further objections.

They had served as officials, waited in line for years—yet Li Rui had spent over a decade as a slave to earn his sixth-rank status.

Unfair?

Not at all.

Look at Cao Wei.

His expression had not changed once from start to finish, clearly having known of this all along.

Feng Yu and Guan Xinrong were at a loss for how to respond, so they stared hopefully at their superior Cao Wei, waiting for a hint.

After a long while,

Cao Wei finally spoke: "Li Rui has a steady disposition and handles affairs with care—he is indeed an excellent choice for the position of Trade Corps Captain."

With those words,

everyone understood.

Li Rui's appointment as captain was settled.

Jiang Lin also said coolly: "Liao Wu has repeatedly earned battlefield merits; he is fit to serve as Garrison Commander."

Thus, the two elders completed their deal.

Cao Wei looked at Li Rui, his heart stirred slightly.

Jiang Lin had long ago informed him of Li Rui's situation; at first, he too had been utterly astonished.

But since it was the Emperor's will, he naturally had no objection.

Even if Jiang Lin were bold enough to defy heaven, he would never dare fabricate matters concerning the Emperor.

Moreover, the position of Trade Corps Captain truly demands unwavering resolve.

Li Rui is the most suitable candidate in the Anning Guard.

Should the Wu state and the Yu state come to blows, Li Rui could step in to mediate.

Wouldn't that give him the moral advantage of respecting the elderly and cherishing the young?

The crowd dispersed.

Ning Zhongtian stepped out of the hall and immediately slung an arm around Li Rui with a grin.

"Big Brother Li, you've kept this from me a long time."

Li Rui's relationship with him ran deep.

From the very beginning as a stable boy at the Zhu household, through the Qinghe branch to the Anning Guard, he had always been under Ning Zhongtian's command.

Ning Zhongtian could never have guessed that this cheerful little old man carried such a massive secret.

But he did not blame Li Rui for concealing it.

Hadn't Jiang Lin said Li Rui was serving the Emperor? Of course he couldn't let anyone know—otherwise, the whole mission would be ruined.

"Little Brother Ning, I didn't hide it out of malice—it's simply my duty."

If you're going to play a part, play it fully.

Since Jiang Lin had given him the identity of a spy, even if it wasn't true, he had to keep playing it.

Li Rui smiled faintly.

"Inscrutable!"

That smile, that demeanor—yes, it matched exactly the hidden masters from the storytellers' tales.

"Truly an eye-opener."

Ning Zhongtian considered himself well-traveled, but he had never before met in person someone who had endured humiliation for over a decade, only to rise suddenly into glory.

"Big Brother Li, how did you make contact in Qinghe?"

He couldn't suppress his curiosity.

Before he could finish, Li Rui cut him off: "Little Brother Ning, it's my duty—I cannot say."

Seeing Li Rui's enigmatic expression, as if to say: Don't ask—asking won't benefit you.

Ning Zhongtian instantly understood: "I get it, I get it."

His mind turned.

Li Rui was now a sixth-rank Trade Corps Captain—equal in rank to him. Though they had once been superior and subordinate, that was only because Li Rui had concealed his identity; now that his true status was revealed, he needed to use other means to solidify their bond.

After all, Li Rui had connections in the capital, even with the Emperor himself—he must be cultivated carefully.

Ning Zhongtian fell silent for a moment.

He had just thought of a perfect solution.

He looked at Li Rui and said: "Big Brother Li, I was wrong before. Now that your true identity is revealed, it's inappropriate for you to remain Deputy Leader. So, on behalf of my two elder brothers, I declare you the fourth Leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance—no, the First Leader!"

Li Rui froze.

Then he chuckled softly.

Over time, he had almost forgotten he still held the title of Deputy Leader of the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Ning Zhongtian was trying to bind them tighter through the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

Li Rui did not mind.

Ning Zhongtian was indeed a worthy ally to cultivate.

Li Rui chuckled: "Then from now on, I'll have to call you Fourth Brother."

Ning Zhongtian beamed: "That's right, Big Brother!"

At that moment—

A line of small characters appeared before Li Rui's eyes.

【Congratulations, Host. You have completed the "Famous in the Jianghu" Beginner Plot—Leader of a Gang.】

(End of Chapter)