Willow Ash Town.

By the time dawn had fully broken, Yuan Qingyan had already completed his morning practice and spent an hour attending to official business. Every day, he rose before daybreak, performed his ablutions, and meditated for two hours. Once his cultivation was complete and his mind was clear, he would attend to his official duties.

Since taking office, his routine had remained unchanged. In terms of diligence alone, few in the entire court could match him.

His attendants brought in a simple meal of clear porridge and vegetables—this was Yuan Qingyan’s breakfast. The only unusual aspect about it was that the rice was spirit rice, and the vegetables were spirit vegetables. These were provisions Western Jin specifically distributed to officials of certain rank. As a commandery administrator, he was allotted a fixed monthly ration of low-grade spirit food, which was a rank higher than ordinary Liang rice.

In the dim morning light, Yuan Qingyan ate his meal with complete concentration. He chewed each mouthful slowly and thoroughly seven times before swallowing with a devotion that bordered on affectation. His political rivals had even filed a complaint against him over this, accusing him of “putting on airs and seeking empty fame.”

It was during this most sacred, undisturbed...