Merit-based card draws, quickly become a Heavenly Emperor

Fang Zheng's gaze fell on that precious white card.

His heart skipped a beat; this was good stuff.

His current cultivation level in the Spirit Painting Dao has reached the eighth rank of the Artifact Control Realm. Coupled with this Hundred Weapons Diagram, he can be considered invincible among his peers.

Those two gray secret cards are also very useful.

Fang Zheng already had some basic understanding of Cangwu County through the supervisory files, and these two cards gave him an even better grasp of the area.

What is most valuable is that he had some basic intelligence on all the officials in Cangwu County, whether they were in office or had recently retired, which made it easier for Fang Zheng to distinguish between friend and foe.

With these two cards, Cangwu County was no longer a mystery to him.

Every place has its own political ecosystem, and the more remote the place, the more complex and intertwined the political landscape.

Fang Zheng was prepared that his appointment in Cangwu County would not be smooth sailing.

The White Tiger Society has already made contact with us; they are extremely rampant.

Furthermore, one can only know how deep the local power in the county government is after seeing it for oneself.

He didn't stop; he mounted his horse and continued onward.

As the wind and snow lashed at his face, he quickly reviewed the intelligence in his mind.

Only large counties have county magistrates; in Cangwu, a small county, the chief official is a county assistant of the eighth rank.

The lower ranks were county supervisors of the eighth rank, county lieutenants of the eighth rank, as well as officials such as merit officers, clerks, and scribes.

The current county magistrate, Shen Xingzhou, is from out of town and has served for seven years.

Fang Zheng had read his name in the supervisor's files. The files said that he was honest and upright, had a good reputation among the people, and there were often rumors that he would be promoted to the prefectural city.

As for County Commandant Huo Shouguang, he came from a local powerful family and had been operating in Cangwu County for many years. He was arrogant and vindictive.

He occasionally clashed with the county magistrate, appearing respectful on the surface but constantly hindering him behind the scenes.

The former magistrate of Cangwu County had committed a crime a few months ago and was impeached by the censor to the prefectural government, resulting in his dismissal.

Therefore, the position of Cangwu Supervisor has been vacant for several months. During this period, it has been concurrently held by Huo Shouguang, the County Commandant, who is in charge of supervising all matters in the county.

Without Fang Zheng's transfer order, Huo Shouguang would most likely have been promoted to supervisor without any problem. Although his official rank would have remained the same, his real power would have increased significantly.

Fang Zheng understood this perfectly.

He cut off a local tyrant's path to promotion, so the other party had no reason not to resent him.

I reckon Huo Shouguang won't let me take office so easily, and he certainly won't tolerate me controlling the Cangwu Supervisory Office, which originally belonged to him.

But would he be afraid? Of course not.

They rode at full speed and soon saw Cangwu County in the distance.

Guan Tieyi turned his horse over, reined in it, and exhaled a puff of white breath.

"Sir, look at this place. To the west of the county town are continuous mountains. This is the first time I've ever seen such scenery."

Fang Zheng smiled and asked, "Do you know why Cangwu County is called Cangwu?"

Guan Tieyi shook his head.

Fang Zheng urged his horse forward, saying as he went, "A hundred years ago, Dinghu County was the ancestral home of the tiger demon clan. The Great Qian Dynasty sent troops to drive them out, which led to the formation of human cities."

The name Cangwu has existed since ancient times.

Legend has it that in ancient times, a blue dragon once roamed this place. After it was killed, its blood seeped into the soil, and the mountain was covered with parasol trees.

Tiger demons thrived here, and nourished by dragon blood, their physiques were far more robust than those of demons elsewhere.

After conquering this place, the Great Qian Dynasty did not change its name, thus highlighting that both dragons and tigers were controlled by humans, which only enhanced its grandeur.

The two walked and talked, and soon arrived at the foot of Cangwu County.

Because it was a remote border region, the city wall was built solidly, constructed of bluestone, and was about two zhang high. It stretched more than three hundred zhang from east to west, showing that a lot of effort was put into its construction.

Soldiers were guarding the city gate. When they saw Fang Zheng display his official seal and documents, they dared not delay and someone hurriedly ran in to report.

"Please wait a moment, Your Excellency. I will go and inform Magistrate Shen and County Commandant Huo immediately."

Fang Zheng smiled and nodded. That made sense. When officials take office, they are usually greeted by other local officials. It's a kind of etiquette.

Fang Zheng and Guan Tieyi stood at the city gate for quite a while, but no one came out.

Guan Tieyi frowned: "Cangwu County is so small, it can't be that far, why is it taking so long?"

Fang Zheng shook his head, signaling him to calm down.

After a while, the soldier who had run out returned, covered in sweat and panting, saying, "Your Excellency, Lord Shen and Lord Huo are very busy with official duties and cannot spare the time. They said... they said they would like to ask Your Excellency to come into the city on your own."

Guan Tieyi was about to explode on the spot, but Fang Zheng glanced at him and made him swallow his words.

Fang Zheng didn't say much, just patted the horse's neck and strode into the city.

Cangwu County is not large; the main street can be seen from one end to the other, and the shops on both sides are sparse, some with the door panels still in place, as if they have been closed for a long time.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street. Occasionally, a few ordinary people wrapped in old cotton-padded coats would walk by, and when they saw Fang Zheng in his official robes, they would lower their heads and quickly walk around him.

The county government office was located in the north of the city. There was no need to ask for directions; the layout of Cangwu County's streets and alleys was already clearly etched in my mind from the "Cangwu County Gazetteer."

He walked through two streets, turned into an alley, and saw the old, black lacquered door.

Upon arriving at the gate, the guards actually stopped them and questioned them.

This infuriated Guan Tieyi.

"This is the newly appointed Superintendent Fang. It's one thing that your county magistrate and county lieutenant didn't come to greet him, but when he himself arrived at the yamen gate, you didn't even announce his arrival?"

This was clearly intentional, a deliberate attempt to humiliate the newly arrived supervisor; it was a blatant show of force.

If you lose your temper in this situation, it will make you seem domineering as a newcomer.

If you remain silent, people will think you're a pushover, and it will be difficult to establish your authority in the future.

In short, no matter what you do, it's wrong. You're at a disadvantage from the start, which is not a good thing for a new official.

Guan Tieyi understood these principles, so how could Fang Zheng not know them?

However, such methods were not enough to stump Fang Zheng.

"Brother Guan, let's go. We'll have Shen Xingzhou and Huo Shouguang come to invite us in person later."

After Fang Zheng finished speaking, he turned and left, and Guan Tieyi hurriedly followed.

"Sir, where are we going?"

Guan Tieyi was unaware that Fang Zheng already had a plan, and at this moment he looked worried.

After all, if a new official loses face like this upon taking office, he won't be able to establish his authority, and who will listen to him?

Fang Zheng remained calm and said, "I'm going to visit someone."

He had already figured out the political landscape of Cangwu County on his way here, and even knew many secrets that local officials were unaware of.

For example, Fang Zheng knew that the previous ninth-rank official in Cangwu County had been living a life of retirement in Cangwu County.

This official, Zheng Ping'an, served in Cangwu County for decades. Although he has recently resigned, he still wields considerable influence.

Most importantly, Fang Zheng knows a lot about Zheng Ping'an through the supervisor's files and secret cards.

Although this person is worldly and sophisticated, he still has a strong stance on important matters.

Therefore, he had a good relationship with the county magistrate Shen Xingzhou, and often clashed with the arrogant and domineering county lieutenant Huo Shouguang.

Even this resignation is not unrelated to Huo Shouguang.