87: Chapter 87 Inspection!

Official of the Ministry of Personnel.

This is an extremely rare existence within the Jing Dynasty.

Even the Holy Lands of the Immortal Sects, the great aristocratic families, and the renowned scholars whose students cover the world... dare not claim they can definitely force their own people into the Ministry of Personnel.

One can imagine how difficult it is to enter.

Within the Immortal Dynasty, the status of the Ministry of Personnel is crucial; whether it is Official Aura or the medium for driving Luck, both are tied to official positions!

Like those battle tactics... and the "Abundant Harvest," along with many other brilliant schemes, only officials of the Immortal Dynasty can employ them!

Even a defenseless commoner, upon becoming a Prefecture Lord, can with a single word command the heavens and earth to execute a Great Immortal Master of the Purple Mansion.

This shows the power of this vital pillar of the nation!

And those who wield this power are the officials of the Ministry of Personnel.

They are also known among the populace as... Heavenly Officials!

Although the Ministry of Personnel is not directly under the jurisdiction of the Saint... the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel must hold the title of 'Grand Tutor' and is undoubtedly a Chancellor of the Imperial Cabinet.

This background is something that, in the entire Jing Kingdom, those who can look down upon it do not exceed the number of fingers on one hand!

The evaluation for officials of the Ministry of Personnel is strictly demanding to the point of death... and their numbers are quite scarce!

Thus, this has created the current situation where officials of the Ministry of Personnel hold low ranks but great power.

The two Officials of the Ministry of Personnel who appeared in Qinghe Town were of the Eighth Rank... but even the Magistrate of Taiping County, who is of the Sixth Rank, must treat them with courtesy!

Untouched by wind and sand... Shen Yi stood at the entrance, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice.

"Greetings to the two Heavenly Officials."

Of the two, one had a gentle countenance and a slightly chubby face... looking refined and elegant.

The other was tall and slender, with a cold, hard, and gaunt face.

He looked somewhat unsociable.

The gentle-faced Eighth-Rank Heavenly Official smiled and said.

"Third Place Scholar Shen... I have long admired you."

Shen Yi was dispatched to Qinghe Town; according to the court's rules, he should be called the Town Chief.

Yet the title this Heavenly Official used... was the one he felt held the most value.

Clearly, the imperial examinations at the prefecture and Dao levels were still extremely important.

Hearing this, Shen Yi smiled and shook his head.

"A mere trifle of a reputation... not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

The cold-faced official saw this and said in an indifferent tone.

"I have been an official for seventy-five years now. It was only at forty that I entered the prefecture and Dao examinations, and I only managed to place thirtieth in the Second Grade."

"If Lord Shen considers the top three of the First Grade to be a mere trifle... then we must be nothing but mud-caked peasants rolling in the dirt!"

Shen Yi shook his head.

How could he not see that these two were playing the good cop and the bad cop.

He could only respond awkwardly.

"You are joking, my lord."

The gentle-faced middle-aged man chuckled...

"Brother Liu has always had this temper, please do not mind, Third Place Scholar Shen."

"The time is still early, why not take us around Qinghe Town for a look."

"I heard from Lord Feng that Third Place Scholar Shen is doing well..."

"Furthermore, a propitious omen recently appeared in the Sanchuan Sand Sea; it is a koi fish enlightened by the diluojiang."

"The Saint is also quite interested..."

"Third Place Scholar Shen has great Luck."

Shen Yi shook his head.

"The diluojiang is a miraculous object of the Dao; I merely happened to be there."

"Under the vast heaven, all is the King's land; to the shores of the earth, all are the King's subjects."

"Falling into the Jing Dynasty, it is the Karma of the Saint... I am merely a bodyguard and protector."

Responding appropriately, Shen Yi led them inside.

On the way, many commoners looked over with curiosity.

But they did not avoid them too much.

The gentle middle-aged man spoke slowly, asking with confusion.

"With the position of Third Place Scholar, you, Third Place Scholar Shen, should at the very least have been assigned to a prosperous town of over ten thousand households... how did you end up in this situation?"

"Could it be that someone obstructed you and delayed your career, Third Place Scholar Shen?"

"If that is truly the case, my Ministry of Personnel will certainly not tolerate it."

"Third Place Scholar Shen, just speak frankly..."

Shen Yi's origins were naturally an old debt that could not be settled.

For these border aristocratic families to obstruct him and manipulate an insignificant official of the Immortal Dynasty like him, it was simple and easy.

But Shen Yi did not say it explicitly... in the end, the imperial court would not blame an aristocratic Family for the sake of an insignificant official.

Even if they did blame the aristocratic Family, the crime would not be punishable by death.

However... Shen Yi would be the one to suffer.

If he were targeted by those aristocratic families, how could he continue to survive?

On the other hand?

If he did not expose this matter, he might even gain a favor born of guilt.

In this way, his own situation would be easier to bear.

One is far away, the other is right before his eyes.

How to choose, it is actually not difficult to decide.

Shen Yi shook his head, unable to help but laugh.

"I am a pedantic scholar; if I were sent to a prosperous town, I fear it would cause chaos."

"The sages often say, 'Of all things, a scholar is the most useless'... having just emerged from the imperial examinations, I was full of ideals, yet they were impractical."

"Clinging to high positions is not a good thing."

"It was also Shen Yi's own wish to come here... Shen Yi comes from a humble background; although ancestors in previous generations became scholars."

"And had some reputation... but times have changed."

"It has withered away, and the Legacy is no more."

"Until now, I have become a lonely soul."

"Even if I were given a prosperous town, without the support of an aristocratic Family, without the backing of resources, would I not just be harming the common people?"

"One... must have self-awareness!"

A trace of surprise flashed in the eyes of the gaunt old man, and he gave a rare nod.

The gentle middle-aged man then chuckled.

"You are quite similar to Official Liu... It seems the imperial court has gained another young talent, a good official who empathizes with the people."

"You flatter me."

Shen Yi quickly guided them, arriving at the yanbing platform, watching the rolling Evil Qi, and listening to the clashing of armor...

Shen Yi followed behind the two Officials of the Ministry of Personnel, like a subordinate handling a leadership inspection, explaining the pillar industry of his town.

"Several months ago, in Taiping County, Shen Yi obtained a rakshasa statue from a blind box."

"After several battles, it can now be considered to have some scale."

"There are now over seven hundred First-grade Dao Soldiers... and one Second-Rank Dao Soldier!"

"This wonder of the yanbing platform was purchased from Baohuang Heaven using the tianyuan tongbao I obtained after executing the evil sect Cultivators of the Great Black Heaven Mother Buddha Sect."

"It contains two Formations; one is Travel a Thousand Li a Day, and the other is One Against a Thousand!"

"The origins are clean!"

Official Liu picked up the dossier, and brilliant light flickered upon it.

He began to record it down.

These were all merits and evidence for the evaluation!

The gentle middle-aged man's eyes showed surprise, filled with astonishment.

One must know that an ordinary First-grade aristocratic Family only has about five hundred Dao Soldiers in their hands.

After all, aristocratic families have high incomes, but their consumption is also high.

Dao Soldiers, martial artists, Confucian studies, and even cultivation are all raised with vast amounts of silver flowing like water.

Yet this Shen Yi is merely a son of a humble Family, and to be able to reach this point is truly not easy!

Official Liu made a heavy mark under 'Martial'.

Seeing this, the gentle middle-aged man also said in a deep voice.

"With such troops, Lord Shen can rank in the top ten within a hundred li."

"Only top ten?" Shen Yi was thoughtful.

The gentle middle-aged man seemed to see this and spoke with an ambiguous smile.

"Those all have aristocratic families or Immortal Sects as their background... Lord Shen started from nothing, which is even more extraordinary."

"You flatter me, my lord."

The gentle middle-aged man looked ahead, his eyes filled with some emotion.

"A fine man..."

Shen Yi shook his head and led the two to the next wonder!

It was none other than the ancestral hall!