That evening, Chen Sheng hosted a banquet at Fuyuan Pavilion, the finest establishment in Ning’an Prefecture, for Lu Cheng and Zhao Changqiu.

Lu Cheng’s attitude remained lukewarm. Although he maintained a basic level of respect for Chen Sheng, it was clear he was far from being truly won over.

Zhao Changqiu, on the other hand, had a complete change in attitude. Everything he said, both explicitly and implicitly, indicated that he would follow Chen Sheng’s lead from now on.

What was even more interesting was that, due to Zhan Fusheng’s prior invitation, many Peacekeeper Envoys and even Deputy Captains from the Jingwu Bureau had gone to Fuyuan Pavilion to offer their congratulations. However, they didn’t find Zhan Fusheng there. Instead, they were met by the completely unfamiliar Chen Sheng.

Only after Zhao Changqiu’s explanation did the numerous officials of the Jingwu Bureau understand that a massive change had occurred in G Camp. Zhan Fusheng had not been promoted; instead, his position had been taken by a newly appointed young man.

Although everyone was surprised, no one had any intention of standing up for Zhan Fusheng. On the contrary, they took the opportunity to congratulate Chen Sheng.

After all, while they had some connection with Zhan Fusheng, it wasn’t a life-and-death bond. In fact, many had only come to offer congratulations because they expected Zhan Fusheng to become the new Deputy Captain.

They didn’t value Zhan Fusheng himself, but rather the position of Deputy Captain of G Camp.

Who the Deputy Captain was didn’t matter; what mattered was the position itself.

Therefore, the banquet that evening was very amicable, and many people showed goodwill toward Chen Sheng.

In the aftermath, however, Zhan Fusheng’s reputation became a complete joke.

After all, before the Deputy Captain position was settled, how arrogant had Zhan Fusheng been? He practically acted as if he were already the Deputy Captain of G Camp, even going so far as to host a banquet for his Jingwu Bureau colleagues in advance.

Now look at him. Not only had someone else taken the position, but he himself had become the laughingstock of the Jingwu Bureau.

Some of his Jingwu Bureau colleagues, who had disliked him before but had to tolerate him, even sent people to inquire about his well-being. It looked like they were offering comfort, but in reality, everyone knew it was just to mock him.

And within G Camp.

When the news of Chen Sheng’s promotion to Deputy Captain came out, it left many people speechless.

In their shock and astonishment, many didn’t dare to delay and hurried to present congratulatory gifts to Chen Sheng.

After the news spread, the name Zhan Fusheng was not only mocked by his peers, but even his own subordinates in G Camp were secretly gossiping about the matter behind his back, leaving his reputation in tatters.

.....

CRASH!

Inside G Camp, Zhan Fusheng violently swept several letters from his desk to the floor, his face burning hot with shame.

Chen Sheng’s promotion had turned him into the biggest laughingstock in the Military Preparation Camp. Now, not only were his colleagues from the Prefecture City coming to pay him feigned visits of concern, but even colleagues from the garrisons surrounding the city were sending letters of "greeting."

’Are these greetings?’

’This is blatant, naked mockery!’

In an instant, Zhan Fusheng’s resentment toward Chen Sheng soared to its peak. ’If it weren’t for him, how could I have become a laughingstock?’

What vexed Zhan Fusheng, however, was that he had no means of dealing with the man.

Within the Jingwu Bureau, insubordination against a superior was a major crime.

If he dared to openly move against Chen Sheng, he wouldn’t escape punishment, even with Vice Envoy Sun backing him. This was especially true now that he understood who Chen Sheng’s backer was.

’His backer is actually the Governor, Nie Xuanfeng!’

This made it even harder for him to make a move.

’But if I don’t vent my anger and teach Chen Sheng a lesson, I can forget about having any future in the Jingwu Bureau. I can already foresee my colleagues teasing me every time we meet.’ He knew that using a borrowed knife to kill was easier said than done.

He had once again carefully investigated Chen Sheng’s background, but it seemed the only person who could be considered Chen Sheng’s rival was Gao Yuanzhao of the Gao Family.

But this person had not yet emerged from seclusion, and the date was uncertain. He might even die from a failed attempt at Condensing Evil. Zhan Fusheng couldn’t place all his hopes on him.

At a loss, the only thing Zhan Fusheng could think to do was to win over his other colleagues and feign obedience while secretly undermining the newly appointed Captain, Chen Sheng. At present, the only person he had any hope of winning over was Lu Cheng.

As for Zhao Qianqiu, there was no hope at all.

’As long as I can win over Lu Cheng, our combined strength will make it impossible for Chen Sheng to control G Camp. When that happens, I might even get a chance to slowly squeeze him out.’

As he thought of this, a glint flickered in Zhan Fusheng’s eyes. He felt more and more that this plan was feasible.

After all, he refused to believe that Lu Cheng would be subservient to some young brat.

’Lu Cheng might not dare to oppose him directly to his face, out of respect for Envoy Nie. But if it’s a matter of feigning obedience or even isolating Chen Sheng and rendering him powerless, he just might do it.’

’Worst comes to worst, I’ll just have to pay a small price.’

Deciding to act immediately, Zhan Fusheng prepared to go see Lu Cheng. However, just as he opened the door, he saw his most trusted confidant rushing over.

"What happened?"

Zhan Fusheng’s brow furrowed. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Sir, Chen Sheng suddenly issued an order cutting off the resource supply for our men. He said he’s going to clean up G Camp and will only resume distributing resources after he’s finished. But from what I’ve gathered, it seems only the three squads under your command have had their resources cut off," the Jingwu Guard reported, his face filled with anger.

"That damn kid!"

Zhan Fusheng gritted his teeth.

’He understood that Chen Sheng was giving him a taste of his own medicine. He had used this same method to block the Cultivation Resources for Chen Sheng’s subordinates before. Now, the moment Chen Sheng took office, he had used the exact same tactic against him.’