That afternoon, the Li City Guard Station's commendation orders were issued, and a thick roster book gave everyone involved in the investigation of the Qi Family extermination case a sense of finality.
Ordinary soldiers received a unified reward of ten thousand taels of silver coins, with one merit transition recorded!
Warriors received twenty thousand taels, with two merit transitions!
School Commanders received twenty thousand taels and one Small Nourishing Pill, with three merit transitions!
Xiaoqi officers received fifty thousand taels and two Small Nourishing Pills, with three merit transitions!
The rewards this time were so generous that they far exceeded Shen Hao's expectations.
The silver rewards were secondary—in the Xuanqing Guard, anyone above ordinary soldiers never lacked money to spend.
The elixir rewards, while exciting, were only natural.
The real surprise was the merit reward. That's not something easily acquired. According to the rules of the Jingjiu Dynasty, merit had nine transitions and could be accumulated in parts. Whenever one accumulated nine transitions, they could advance by one rank of nobility!
Simply put, if an ordinary person could earn nine merit transitions, they would automatically receive the lowest noble title of First-Grade Viscount under the Jingjiu Dynasty, jumping straight into the ranks of aristocracy.
If you already had a noble title, nine merit transitions would bump you up one grade. For instance, once a First-Grade Viscount reached nine transitions, they'd automatically ascend to Second-Grade Viscount. Each rank had nine grades, and so on.
There was an important point: in the Jingjiu Dynasty's aristocratic system, there was no hereditary succession. Your old man might be a noble, but that didn't make you one. If you wanted to be a noble too, you had to fight tooth and nail to earn merit. Days of mooching and waiting are not favored among noble offspring here.
If you lacked the ability to amass nine merit transitions, that's fine—you could exchange merit at the Government Office for tangible goods, like silver coins or land, or even foreign race slaves.
In short, merit was the most practical ladder for ordinary people to climb up society's hierarchy—the value speaks for itself.
Take Shen Hao, for example. He'd been working in the Xuanqing Guard for eight years, rising from ordinary soldier to Xiaoqi officer through countless brushes with life and death, yet he'd only accrued two merit transitions. Who'd have thought a single case would give him a full three transitions!
Now, with five merit transitions, Shen Hao could really hope that someday, with nine transitions, he'd score a Viscount title—wouldn't that be sweet?
According to the roster's rewards, Shen Hao took Wang Jian to the Guard Station's Silver Vault, collecting the full amount of silver notes and merit certificates, which he needed to personally hand to each soldier under him.
Afterward, he and Wang Jian visited the Alchemy Room to collect their own Small Nourishing Pills—one for Wang Jian, two for him.
"Xiaoqi, pinch me—I feel like I'm dreaming! Not only do we get elixirs, we earn merit too!?"
Shen Hao laughed and kicked Wang Jian's butt, joking, "Take your win quietly—kid, you only got three transitions, still a long way from your old man's title!"
Wang Jian wasn't like Shen Hao, a rootless outsider. He was a bona fide noble offspring—his old man was a Second-Grade Viscount, and supposedly his grandpa was a Third-Grade Viscount.
In fact, in the Xuanqing Guard, noble sons like Wang Jian weren't rare. Earning merit was even safer here.
"Heh, every beginning is tough! With you leading, why worry about not earning merit in the future?"
"Enough flattery. I only have five transitions, saved up over eight years. How could I lead you to earn merit? Go home and give your family the good news."
"I'll go tomorrow. Tonight, I've already agreed with the group brothers—we booked a table at Lai Feng Building, and want to treat you, Xiaoqi, to drinks this evening."
"Oh? Is it because you got money and nowhere to spend it?"
"Come on, Lai Feng Building is nothing. This small cash—does any brother lack it? Give us the honor?"
Over the years, Shen Hao had led Team A to earn quite a bit— even ordinary soldiers had bulging wallets, all well-off guys.
Shen Hao didn't stand on ceremony—his men invited him to drink and celebrate, and he wouldn't refuse, but he insisted on footing the bill, otherwise it wouldn't look right.
"If you want me to come, I'm paying. Otherwise, forget it."
"Ah? Xiaoqi, that's not necessary!"
"Stop right there—you know me. No room for discussion. Either I treat you all, everyone eats, drinks, and plays on me tonight, or I'm just going home early."
Wang Jian smiled bitterly; indeed, his Xiaoqi officer was true to his word, never willing to take advantage of his subordinates.
So that's settled. Shen Hao would host all his group at Lai Feng Building tonight for a banquet—the victory feast.
...
That night, the lanterns were just being lit.
Lai Feng Building wasn't the best Flower House in Li City, but at least counted as first-class.
"Building" was a bit of a stretch—just three stories tall. There was a hall, private rooms, and of course, embroidery chambers.
Prices here were not cheap—the food was average but way pricier than outside taverns, same with the drinks. The bonus was a free song and dance show, and with some luck, one could see top courtesans perform.
But most guests weren't here just to eat or drink or watch the show—they were mainly hunting for girls.
Fat, thin, tall, short, curvy or slender—everything was available here, with endless options to satisfy any kink.
Plus, Li City was a hub city on the Jingjiu Dynasty's west side, so the wealthy came and went like carp crossing the river. Business at Lai Feng Building was always booming.
By the time Shen Hao entered the private room, everyone was already present. Four tables were arranged in the large room.
In the past, it used to be six tables full—now, only four. The difference was just one mission. He sighed, picked up the wine kettle, and poured out three splashes toward the west on the floor—a toast to the brothers who died in Five Rams City. It was an Earthly custom, but Shen Hao didn't care—he only wanted peace of mind.
Everyone here had eaten from the same pot—they knew what Shen Hao was doing. No one spoke, just flushed eyes, raising their cups and following Shen Hao's lead: a stick of incense, a cup of wine, to honor the departed.
After a brief memorial, the eating and drinking began in earnest, and the atmosphere was hot from the start.
Mainly, these guys had learned Shen Hao's drinking games—stuff like "Chaotic Chopping Wood," "Fifteen Twenty," "Accept if you accept"—they played nonstop. A few sore losers even stripped off their shirts, red-faced, slugging down huge bowls in front of everyone.
Shen Hao sat there like a god, calmly drinking. No one dared to challenge him—not because of his rank, but because, when it came to these games, he was unbeatable among these amateurs. Nobody wanted to get humiliated.
Soon, the door was knocked. The madam entered, leading a parade of songstresses.
This was the real fun of choosing Lai Feng Building.
These were songstresses—expert singers, dancers, playmates, pros at entertaining.
Of course, songstresses came in tiers: from top-tier Venerable Songstress (First Grade) down to Miao Yin Songstress (Ninth Grade). The gaps were immense—not just in looks but also in temperament and talent. Among all Li City's songstresses, the highest was Fifth-Grade Gong Mo Songstress, and even she was worshipped.
Most who entered the room were untitled songstresses—essentially living off laughter, to put it bluntly, selling their bodies. Not a big deal.
Shen Hao had gotten used to it over the years. He remembered that at first, he used to be quite shy.
...