Am I the only one who didn't ascend?

Chapter 557 Nine
This farce on Shi Street appeared almost simultaneously in every corner of Zhuwang. The names on the list, whether familiar or unfamiliar, instantly touched the hearts of hundreds of millions of people, and then triggered a heated discussion across the country.

Why is it him/her? Why can't it be him/her? What makes you say it's him/her? Do you understand Taixu Painting Scroll?
The Taixu national team was officially established in this chaos.

The concept of the so-called Taixu national team comes from the "Nine Immortal Alliance Painting Scroll Competition" announced by the Taixu Palace of the Immortal Alliance a few months ago. The hundred countries of the Immortal Alliance will each select a team to represent their country to participate in a grand event with the theme of Taixu Painting Scroll.

Since the birth of the Taixu Painting Scroll, it has played an indispensable role in the Taixu Painting Scroll. However, this is the first time that the Taixu Painting Scroll has been given such high-level treatment by the Taixu Mansion, the most authoritative official agency of the Immortal Alliance.

The Nine Lords Competition, just from the name, is unprecedented. After the catastrophe, Jiuzhou was divided into two, and the concept of "nine" became quite politically sensitive. The people may not care about the taboo and continue to respect nine. However, the official activities and names of the Immortal Alliance rarely use the word "nine", with very few exceptions.

Of course, since this round of land reclamation was a great success, Rong City was located on the east bank of Crazy Lake, and half of Mozhou was annexed in one fell swoop, the taboo of "Nine" has been loosened, as if the unification of the Nine Provinces is no longer out of reach. But the title of "Nine Lords" still has a very different meaning, and such an extraordinary name, being given to a competition of Taixu Painting Scroll, is beyond the expectations of too many people.

Or maybe the fact that the official Immortal Alliance hosted the Taixu Painting Scroll Competition has already exceeded many people's imagination. Once upon a time, it was just a tease for the common people, but now it has become a high-brow music!

There are many explanations for this, both privately and officially, and conspiracy theories are rampant. There is no shortage of celebrity owners in Taixu Qinglu who give advice on state affairs, such as "Viewing the World" and "Talking about International Issues"... But for those who actually deal with related matters, the disturbances in the outside world are like being on vacation on a rainy day, watching the endless stream of office workers on their way to work outside the window, which gives them a unique sense of superiority.

In the Jinlu Hall of Jianmu, Youcheng, in a duplex building that was temporarily cleared, a kind-looking middle-aged man walked over with the newly arrived Jinlu Hall Daily in his hand, and he kept clicking his tongue as he read. When a thin man wearing glasses in the building saw him, he couldn't help but show some uneasiness and asked.

"Um, Lao Zhang, after the list was released, did you have any problems?"

The kind-looking Old Zhang, Zhang Xiuyi, put down the newspaper and asked in a strange tone, "Why, Old Liu, are you having problems? Didn't the higher-ups say that any disputes regarding the selection of the national team will be ignored?"

Old Liu sighed and said, "That's true... but if the door is blocked by brokers from famous societies every day, that's another matter."

Zhang Xiuyi was even more surprised: "Someone dared to block your door? In broad daylight, are you dissatisfied with the insufficient workload of Qingping Division?"

Old Liu sighed again: "Old Zhang, you should have heard of 'Xianyue Society' too, right?"

Zhang Xiuyi's face suddenly became solemn, and she nodded: "So it was them, no wonder..."

The so-called Xianyue Society was founded by a well-known wealthy family owner in Youcheng. It is a large-scale society mainly engaged in the operation and participation of Taixu Painting Scroll Competition. It has collected a large number of painting scroll practitioners with top-notch competitive ability and actively participated in major competitions. At the same time, it will also host related programs in Taixu Qinglu and sell peripheral products.

Initially, the establishment of Xianyue Society and the gathering of practitioners were just the personal interests of the wealthy family owner, but as time went on, the operation of the society gradually got on the right track and the scale continued to expand. Today, two hundred years later, Xianyue Society has become a top society with a good reputation in Zhuwang and even in the Xianmeng. There are countless champions and hall of fame level scroll practitioners in the society, and their status in the industry is also very important. In many cases, they can even directly participate in the business work of the scroll workshop.

When Lao Liu mentioned Xianyue Society at this time, it was obvious that he was not only referring to the society's influence among the people.

In the final analysis, even after two hundred years, Xianyue Society is still a signboard in the hands of the wealthy family. It not only represents the society itself, but also represents the face of the wealthy family.

Working in the Taixu Division of the Golden Deer Hall, one can certainly treat the public's turmoil and discussion as a joke and ignore all disputes. But if one is not sensitive enough to face the top wealthy families that have been famous in Zhuwang for a long time, that would be a way to death. For a while, even though Lao Zhang was already a senior middle-level manager in the Taixu Division and had long been free and easy, he was also a little worried.

"I remember that there are quite a few people from Xianyue Society on the national team's roster."

Liu Fei sighed for the third time: "There are quite a few people, but the selection is a bit tricky... The 'genius boy' they have been promoting recently was not selected, but the former runner-up of the same team who is on the verge of retiring was included in the list. This is indeed somewhat controversial."

Zhang Xiuyi snorted coldly upon hearing this: "Causing controversy? Maybe Xianyue Society thinks this list affects the business of the genius boy!? What a bullshit genius boy, everything from age to performance is inflated, it's nothing more than a more handsome face, better eloquence, more fans..."

Liu Fei interrupted, "Okay, Lao Zhang, I know you always look down on Xianyue Society's business philosophy, but the problem now is that as the president, you come to my door every day to act as a broker and act humble. I am under a lot of pressure... After all, the Yuan family is behind the broker."

Speaking of the Yuan family, Zhang Xiuyi was speechless for a moment. It was a famous family inherited from the old immortal calendar era. During the Dinghuang War, they actively followed the Lord to fight in the south and the north. By the end of the war, the Yuan family was already the top nobles below the Dinghuang Heroes. The family history is longer than that of Zhu Wang, and the subsequent generations of family heads are also well versed in the way of politics. They have survived thousands of years of ups and downs. Now, the family members are all over the officialdom, and the core member Yuan Ye is the pacification officer in the Qingping Division, with amazing power. Such a wealthy family sent people to block the door, and the middle-level officials of the Taixu Division of the Jinlu Hall were really hard to deal with.

"First of all, the list must not be changed. This is the red line that has been repeatedly emphasized by the higher-ups..."

Liu Fei interrupted, "Alas, I know this too. And let alone that it has been emphasized above, even if it wasn't, it would be a pipe dream for an ordinary examiner like me to change the list. The assessment rules for the entire national team were directly printed and issued by the higher-ups this time, and all of us just followed the rules, with no autonomy at all. And now, except for the king himself, who else can change the list at will? Oh, maybe Lord Wang can... But the problem now is, how can I explain this to the Yuan family? The Yuan family hasn't been very fond of reasoning in recent years."

Zhang Xiuyi fell silent, then simply shook his head, and walked towards his desk with a long sigh, ignoring this question, because it was really an unsolvable problem... But just as he sighed, the Jinlu Hall Daily in his hand suddenly flashed a red light, and it was an urgent news item inserted in the bottom column. Zhang Xiuyi took a look and his face changed in shock.

At the same time, other people in the duplex building also saw the temporary notice one after another, and were all surprised.

The Qingping Division's pacification officer, Wanghaihou Yuanye, submitted his resignation this morning... and the state ruler, Lu Youyou, approved it on the spot!
Generally speaking, the work of Taixu Division and Qingping Division rarely overlaps, and the relationship between the two sides can be described as close as a glance. Therefore, the appointment and dismissal of each other's personnel is at most a piece of gossip after dinner. But in connection with what Liu Fei just said, people can't help but make associations. Wanghai Hou Yuanye is a trusted and convinced minister of the king. The pacification officer of Qingping Division is not considered a top-grade official in the government affairs sequence, but he has great power and can report directly to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and even the king himself. He has always been regarded as a shortcut to success. After that, whether he goes further in Qingping Division and becomes the head of the tens of millions of Qingyi in the country, or is transferred to the other ten departments and three divisions, he can always be more powerful than officials of the same level.

However, such a powerful and influential person suddenly applied for resignation, and the king actually agreed! The meaning of this is really intriguing.

Of course, for the Taixu Division, which was rarely seen, the personnel appointments and dismissals of the Qingping Division were always far away, and any speculation could only remain speculation... But a general meeting of the Taixu Division held on the second day made many speculations become certain and realistic.

"...In summary, the selection of the national team is based on a highly professional and fair basis. This selection is not only related to Zhu Wang's national reputation, but will also affect the results of the entire Nine Honors Competition...Therefore, no individual or organization may interfere! If anyone is confused on this issue, they will be severely punished!"

At the meeting, the head of the Taixu Division, Taixu Envoy Ge Libang, read out the speech in his hand in an exceptionally majestic tone... However, compared to the solemn attitude of the head of the division, a group of Taixu Division officials in the meeting hall subconsciously paid attention to another person.

A woman in purple sat next to Taixu Shi, never saying a word but with a stronger presence and oppressive feeling.

Anyone who works in the Golden Deer Hall will recognize her... Mo Yu, the chief steward of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the most trusted subordinate of Lord Lu Youyou.

Generally speaking, the duties of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are limited to serving the king himself, and will not interfere in the political affairs of the Ten Departments and Four Offices. But on the other hand, when Mo Yu personally interferes in the political affairs of the Ten Departments and Four Offices, she is no longer representing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but the king himself.

A general meeting of the Taixu Division attracted Mo Yu's presence to guide the meeting. The meaning of this is self-evident. Even those with the dullest political sense can certainly realize that the root of Wang Haihou's resignation lies in this. It is all about the selection of personnel for the Taixu National Team!
From this point on, no one dared to take the Nine Honors Competition lightly.

Although people still have many doubts about the specific preparations for the competition, they have to carry it out resolutely regardless of whether they understand it or not.

-

For the old hands who have been immersed in officialdom for many years, "resolutely execute regardless of whether you understand it or not" has long become commonplace. Among them, those who are proficient in this can better understand the officialdom truth that "as long as you resolutely execute it, you will naturally understand the deep meaning of it."

But for some people outside the officialdom, the situation is the other way around. That is, regardless of whether it is implemented or not, they just express their incomprehension.

"...There's no way I can team up with that kind of person! I joined the national team to win the championship, not to light fireworks behind my back as a champion foil! No matter who made the list, I have only one comment: dream on!"

In a spacious manor courtyard on the outskirts of Youcheng, a young scroll painter pointed indignantly at a bearded middle-aged man in the corner.

The middle-aged man paid no attention to the indignation in front of him, and just slowly packed and maintained the few magical instruments in his hand. One of them was a jade pendant that could help concentrate, and it was polished to a shine... It was the runner-up reward in an international competition in the past, and was awarded to five people on the same team. Four of them were destroyed by their angry teammates, leaving only the one in his hand, which he cherished doubly.

Seeing that the other party completely ignored her, the young and energetic traveler became even more angry and strode forward, ready to reach out to grab the almost shameful jade pendant. However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the jade pendant, a strong pressure suddenly came from above her head, like a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood!
The invisible feeling of oppression, like a real mountain pressing down on their heads, immediately made all the national team players gathered in the courtyard fall silent and unable to speak.

Everyone could clearly smell the rust, gunpowder and the stench of corpses. Although it was only for a brief moment, the residual taste lingered in the nose for a long time.

Only a handful of people, under such heavy pressure, could barely raise their eyes and look towards the person coming from above their heads.

He was a middle-aged strong man wearing the uniform of a Taixu official. He was not tall and had a plain appearance, but the extremely terrifying sense of oppression made every detail of his eyebrows and eyes reveal a ferocious meaning. Several sensitive and timid young people almost lost their legs on the spot. Some of those who were well-informed and recognized the identity of the middle-aged man even had the urge to lose control of their bladders!
The pacification officer of Qingping Division, who had personally won the hearts and minds of countless powerful rulers, Wanghaihou Yuanye...why was he here? !

Fortunately, as soon as Yuan Ye appeared, two other officials from the Taixu Division flew over to greet him and said respectfully, "Master Yuan..."

Yuan Ye shook his head and waved his hands, saying, "Now that you and I have the same official rank, just call me by my name. There's no need to call me Sir."

"...Yes, then, Lord Yuanye, according to the above plan, the people gathered in this manor now are the first batch of members of the national team. Afterwards, we will conduct a preliminary test for them before the training. May I ask..."

Yuan Ye shook his head again: "No problem, just follow the plan. I am not familiar with the relevant matters of the Taixu Painting Scroll, so please let the two of you make the decision."

Having said that, Yuanye's gaze suddenly turned and locked onto an inconspicuous corner in the courtyard.

There, a middle-aged man with a shiny head was lonely and shivering.

(End of this chapter)