Xuanqing Guard

From the end of last year to late April this year, after almost half a year, the matters that were supposed to show results have finally proved fruitful.

Wang Jian stood in Shen Hao’s Public Office with a big smile, looking a lot better than before—at least none of that previous tiredness showed on his face.

This was thanks to proper rest.

After being guided by Shen Hao, Wang Jian went back and conducted some serious self-reflection, then began adjusting the "Four Divisions" under his command. Of course, Impermanence Department was still headed by Zhang Liao; he was just conveying some of Shen Hao’s ideas.

Broaden your horizons, dare to take more risks, refine your thinking further. Wang Jian felt like he’d grasped a bit of Lord Shen’s philosophy.

The first thing Wang Jian did was issue a "simulation" order to the intelligence collection and analysis arms—Little Ghost, Ghost Gate, and Judge—having the three collaborate to build a closed task loop with them in command. Then, he threw in the "secretly investigate Wu Kai" mission for them to process through this closed-loop system.

On the surface, it looked like making them act out a hypothetical mission, but in reality, all instructions sorted and issued by the three departments were to be actually executed by the Impermanence Department and the current roster of Secret Agents.

The results aren’t conclusive yet, but the progress is promising. They’ve already managed to gain control over several Decurions in Wu Kai’s Mixed Battalion, and are looking for opportunities to infiltrate further. At the same time, by leveraging these Decurions, they’ve also gotten a rough sense of some of the shady dealings in the Hai Xia Army.

Even without full conclusions yet, Wang Jian felt absolutely confident. He believed he was now on the right path, following Lord Shen’s instructions. The Four Divisions he’d established still had limitless potential to unlock, and as he tapped into them, he’d only get more relaxed along the way.

Grasp the key links and direction—everything else, just delegate, and naturally someone efficient would sort it out. Wang Jian looked forward to the day this would all come true.

After standing for about the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn, Wang Jian saw Lord Shen finally set down the copper rod in his hand and look up.

"Progress is this fast?"

Putting down the copper rod, Shen Hao’s face lit up with a broad smile. Inside, he was still relishing that lingering feeling—like he was reading a romance novel. No, like he was reading the sequel to a romance novel, the continuation of that previous one, Spy: The Minister Falls in Love with Me.

Marvelous—twists and turns galore, blending romance with cultivation and martial arts, with a dash of realistic spy drama. Miraculously, this crazy mix blended perfectly, without a single moment of cringe or melodrama that’d make you want to puke.

"Yes, my lord. Last time Lord Zhu arranged a plot point that worked very well, making the Xu Family Sisters’ shift in loyalty to Bai Changqing seem natural—it put them on the same wavelength as Bai Changqing’s mental state. Lord Zhu said this is what you once called a ’hot...hot...’"

"Hot romance!"

"Right, right! Hot romance! That phrase really twists the tongue—sounds so fake. Heh heh."

"You’re certainly original. At this rate you’ll end up alone for life."

"Alone for life? My lord, your subordinate doesn’t understand."

Shen Hao curled his lip, muttering inwardly, You’re bound to be alone anyway—does it matter if you understand? Then he pulled the topic back. "According to Zhu Shou’s plan, what comes next?"

"Reporting to my lord. Next, the Xu Family will, as per tradition, first take the Xu Family Sisters back home to Jingxi. Then Bai Changqing needs to arrange a matchmaker, present betrothal gifts, and carry out the marriage. There are all sorts of trivial details in between that’ll take time, but basically, the date for the wedding is already set. According to Lord Zhu’s plan, it’s all about not rushing things—just keeping that ’hot romance’ going between Bai Changqing and the two sisters. Everything else will follow naturally."

Excellent, impressive! At least Shen Hao thought that if he had to plan such a thing himself, he could never achieve that seamless, silent subtlety. From the looks of it, this seventy-five-year-old Bai Changqing really did have a late spring—he was truly invested now.

Don’t they say people in love lose IQ? Maybe Bai Changqing is lustful—no, his feelings are clouding his judgment?

Shen Hao shook his head with a smile. Whether Bai Changqing was muddleheaded or not didn’t matter; what mattered was that the two most important pieces in the Black Water Plan had been successfully placed at Bai Changqing’s side.

"Excellent. Just as Zhu Shou said, don’t change a thing. Pause all further actions on your end; let the Xu Family Sisters improvise. I’m sure that before the formal wedding, Bai Changqing’s people will keep digging into their backgrounds, so be ready. Make sure everyone in the Xu Family knows how to keep their mouths shut. Anyone liable to cause trouble, deal with it ahead of time—understand?"

"Understood, my lord!"

This was a big deal, and the Xu Family remained a potential leak. If anybody had skeletons in their closet, they’d have to be dealt with—harshly. Mercy had no place here; a moment’s softness could cost the lives of hundreds, thousands in the Black Banner Battalion. Even Shen Hao himself wouldn’t be spared if things went sideways.

"Let them lay low and act as if they really are the Minister’s Wife. Do as she would do. Both sides—avoid contact as much as possible. As for what comes next, I’ll assign new tasks when needed." Shen Hao paused, then continued, "The successful insertion of the Xu Family Sisters should give you plenty of experience to draw on. Use these lessons to keep adjusting your training program for elite Secret Agents.

It doesn’t have to be the ’delicate lady’ type—or even a woman at all. Men or women, tall, short, fat, skinny, even rabbits if need be. Feel your way through the specifics. Use your Four Divisions for more analysis, that’ll help you avoid many pitfalls.

Also, don’t pigeonhole your agents as just ’infiltrators’. You need some proactive elite Secret Agents too. Especially, you need to start training those with high Cultivation as soon as possible."

"High Cultivation agents? My lord, do you mean...?" Wang Jian didn’t quite get it. As of now, high Cultivation Secret Agents didn’t seem necessary. Cultivators stand out more than regular people and aren’t ideal for spy work—no need to rush to train that type, right?

Shen Hao shook his head, visibly displeased by Wang Jian’s response. He rapped his knuckles on the table: "You’re the one personally overseeing the Ma San Case, investigating Wu Kai, even probing deep into Barbarian Land. You control ninety percent of the Black Banner Battalion’s intelligence. Can’t you extrapolate a bit from your data?"

Shen Hao’s sudden change in tone startled Wang Jian. He dropped to one knee, frightened: "Forgive your slow-witted subordinate, my lord. Please punish me."

"Hmph. Scouts with Cultivation aren’t suitable inside the Dynasty—they’re hard to cultivate, harder to control, easily exposed. But what about outside the Dynasty? Have you not considered the current situation even a bit?"

With this hint, Wang Jian immediately understood and hurriedly replied, "Understood, my lord! I’ll make sure to train a squad of Cultivator Secret Agents targeting the Barbarian Territory, and while we’re at it, plant a few more moles in the Southern Border Army during this Wu Kai investigation."