Finally finding an opportune moment, Zheng Shangming sought out Jiang Wang for a celebratory feast.

Jiang Wang, acting as a bridge, smoothly introduced Zheng Shangming and Lian Que, harmonizing the atmosphere of the gathering.

By the end of the banquet, spirits were high and laughter echoed.

Zheng Shangming, keen to forge a connection with Jiang Wang, was exceedingly warm towards his “humble” acquaintance. Lian Que, on the other hand, also needed to broaden his influence and solidify his position as the Lian family’s young master without delay.

Naturally, the depth of their future relationship would depend entirely on subsequent collaborations.

On the twentieth day of the fifth month, the Ministry of Rites finalized the candidate list for the Yellow River Meeting and submitted it for the Emperor’s perusal.

This matter was not subject to secrecy, and thus, the list, having been distributed in the morning, was known throughout Linzi by afternoon.

The three candidates selected from within the Inner Prefecture were Jiang Wang of Qingyang Town, Lei Zhanqian, the young master of the Lei family, and Cui Zhu, Vice General of the Prisoner Lightning Army.

The three candidates chosen from the Outer Tower were Bao Bozhao, the eldest son of the Earl of Shuofang, Xie Baoshu, nephew of Court Scholar Xie Huai’an, and Chao Yu, Main General of the Winter Silence Army.

As for those like Bai Zhimoliancheng or Bi Wuyangjing, they simply did not possess the qualifications to even be considered for the candidate list.

Regarding the unrestricted selection field for those under thirty years of age, the Ministry of Rites submitted only a single name:

Ji Zhaonan.

He held no official post, no title, and due to his infrequent appearances within the kingdom, he lacked any significant fame.

He possessed but one identity: the second disciple of the Military God.

Great Qi’s Military God, Jiang Mengxiong, had accepted three disciples.

The eldest, Chen Zeqing, inherited his strategic brilliance. The youngest, Wang Yiwu, inherited his martial prowess. The former was renowned as the Nine Corps’ strategist, having served in each of Qi’s Nine Corps, commanding respect from even the most arrogant and fearsome generals. The latter strived for first place in every realm he entered, both achieving immense renown.

Only the second disciple, Ji Zhaonan, remained largely unknown to the common folk.

Yet, given that the Ministry of Rites had submitted only this single name, it was impossible that the entire Ministry had collectively gone mad, daring to deny the Qi Emperor the opportunity to choose.

Rather, it was because the Ministry of Rites, from the Prime Minister down to the nine Court Scholars, all acknowledged him as the foremost cultivator under thirty years of age within Great Qi!

This was an indisputable selection.

Only with such certainty would they dare to present a single name to the Qi Emperor.

This alone hinted at Ji Zhaonan’s formidable power.

Just how much attention did the Yellow River Meeting truly garner?

On Great Qi’s side, the Qi Emperor had not yet made the final selection; the Ministry of Rites had merely presented a candidate list.

Yet, the individuals on that list had already become figures of immense scrutiny!

Since the list’s release, the influx of visitors to the Xia Mountain estate was so great that the threshold was nearly worn through.

Jiang Wang was forced to announce his seclusion early to avoid offending too many people. Simultaneously, he urgently messaged Chongxuan Sheng in the Taixu Realm, urging him to return and handle these social obligations. After all, some visitors were directly linked to the development of the Desheng Trading House, and simply shutting the door was not a polite approach in the end.

Chongxuan Sheng, brimming with grievances, his old and new resentments surging, sent dozens of paper cranes filled with thinly veiled mockery to Jiang Wang… Yet, he still set aside his affairs in Tianfu City and returned to Linzi.

Naturally, Jiang Wang did not open a single one of those plump paper cranes from the Taixu Realm.

Sending so many at once, he could easily surmise there were no pleasant words within. If truly important matters arose, the fatty would have met him in the Star River Space.

Thus, upon meeting in Linzi, the two remained quite amiable. One had vented his frustrations to his heart’s content, while the other had simply ignored whatever was said.

After the shrewd and adaptable Chongxuan Pang returned to Linzi, the world suddenly became tranquil.

What was a tremendous headache for Jiang Wang was, for Chongxuan Sheng, fundamentally no issue at all. For several consecutive days, banquets were held without pause, and visitors from all sides were treated with utmost courtesy.

Of course, this was unavoidable, and Chongxuan Sheng’s endless chatter in Jiang Wang’s ear was part of the package.

For instance, such as how he, the distinguished young master of the Chongxuan clan, the future Marquis of Bowang, was actually being forced to act as a doorkeeper on his behalf and so on…

One day, Jiang Wang, suddenly recalling something, interrupted him, saying, “Oh, right. I went to your Chongxuan clan’s land earlier. Bao Zhongqing sent subordinates to find me, and I’m not sure what the matter was. You told me to be wary of him, so I didn’t pay him much mind.”

“He sent subordinates to find you?” Chongxuan Sheng asked.

“Yes, that fellow named ‘Covering Sea Hand’.”

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but the lack of follow-up made him somewhat puzzled.

He couldn’t fathom why the other party had contacted him, and it seemed rather insincere.

He didn’t believe he could have any connection to Bao Zhongqing.

The Chongxuan and Bao families were political adversaries. And he and Chongxuan Sheng were famously united in their endeavors.

Chongxuan Sheng seemed to have already understood, shaking his head and saying, “It’s not that Bao Mazi intentionally acted rudely; he wouldn’t botch the social niceties. It’s just that he couldn’t go to find you personally.”

“What do you mean?” Jiang Wang asked.

“Why do you think he wanted to find you?” Chongxuan Sheng said with a smile. “The answer should be on this Yellow River Meeting list.”

Jiang Wang frowned, “I’m getting more and more confused.”

“You really are dense!” Chongxuan Sheng mercilessly unfolded the humiliation. “No wonder people say you’re easily deceived; you truly are quite gullible!”

Jiang Wang was even more completely bewildered. “Who was I deceived by?”

Chongxuan Sheng, of course, couldn’t expose his own shortcomings. He let out a cold laugh, sidestepped the topic, and turned to say, “Do you only focus on your own small plot of land? Didn’t you notice Bao Bozhao on the Outer Tower list? Bao Mazi at that time didn’t want to find you, but rather, through you, to find Yan Fu!”

Listening to just a few sentences, this fatty actually seemed to know more than Jiang Wang who was personally present. “He wanted to use Yan Fu’s connection to prevent Bao Bozhao from appearing on this list. If he had visited you personally, his motive would have been too obvious, so he only sent subordinates to invite you. And he couldn’t explicitly state his purpose. After all, stopping his own brother from gaining fame wouldn’t sound good if it got out… Presumably, your attitude was cold?”

“Somewhat,” Jiang Wang touched his nose, forced to admit that this fatty was indeed remarkably clever.

Chongxuan Sheng laughed again, “If you had gone to see him at that time, you could have presumably gotten a large sum of benefits. However, as for the spot in the Yellow River Meeting, you wouldn’t have been able to count on Yan Fu.”

“Why?” Compared to Chongxuan Sheng, Jiang Wang felt he really was a bit lacking in intelligence; this he couldn’t figure out, nor that.

Chongxuan Sheng countered, “Do you know why Bao Mazi didn’t find you later?”

“If you don’t say, how would I know!” Jiang Wang said, both annoyed and ashamed.

“Ha ha ha ha.” Chongxuan Sheng was finally happy, laughing heartily. “No matter how much influence the Yan family has in the Ministry of Rites, regarding the Yellow River Meeting, they can at most intervene in one spot. It’s not that they can’t do more, but they cannot do more. These are national matters; the Yan family meddling here and there, what do they intend? Yan Fu is a sensible person; he won’t do foolish things.”

Jiang Wang then suddenly understood, “Yan Fu helped me secure a spot on the list, then he couldn’t possibly make another move to push Bao Bozhao down. And vice versa?”

“Ai.” Chongxuan Sheng leaned back lazily. “You see, even a blockhead like Bao Mazi can see things clearly, yet you… tsk tsk!”

“Isn’t it perfectly normal for us pure-hearted individuals to be unable to see through these schemes and intrigues?” Jiang Wang retorted indignantly.

Chongxuan Sheng laughed heartily, “This is the first time I’ve heard someone describe stupidity so refreshingly and elegantly! It’s not that difficult to understand with even a little bit of brain, ha ha ha ha…”

As for why Bao Bozhao absolutely had to get on this list, and why Bao Zhongqing was desperately trying to stop him… one only needed to look at how many people had come to visit Jiang Wang during this period to know.

Regardless of whether one could ultimately participate in the Yellow River Meeting or not, or whether one could showcase their skills on the Viewing River Platform, simply being on this list meant being publicly recognized by the Ministry of Rites as one of Great Qi’s top three. The significance was immense!

However, while the analysis was perfectly reasonable, this repeated mockery, Jiang Wang might not tolerate.

He turned his head to look at Fourteen, a warm smile gracing his face. “Fourteen girl, would you mind stepping out for a while, please? I feel I need to have a private chat with Chongxuan Pang.”

Chongxuan Sheng sneered with disdain.

How would Fourteen… wait, Fourteen?

Watching Fourteen’s resolute retreating back, he hurriedly stood up, “Fourteen, wait, first…”

Jiang Wang had already pressed him back into his seat with one hand, stifling the words “don’t go”.

That day, they had a very pleasant chat.

At least, Jiang Wang did.