Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1225 - 409: Two Prefecture Predicaments, Longyou Model, Golden Order Prison Warden, Lin Kai’s Reminder (Part 4)

"What do you mean by taking the blame? It’s obviously the Cai Qiu people who did it!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

As the final part of Xu Ning’s statement reached their ears, the group nodded vigorously, their expressions lit up with broad smiles.

Even Xia Chuan, positioned at the head, displayed a distinct look of interest on his countenance.

Truly, regardless of whether the Cai Qiu folks were behind it, pinning the fault on them right now seems perfectly appropriate.

Lay bare the schemes of Cai Qiu Feudal Town and their grand ambitions, then stir up caution among the Eight Towns against powers from the Outer Realm—this matches Xia Hong’s blueprint for the Longyou strategy, employing the banner of solidarity against outside foes to bind the Nine Towns into an alliance...

"Even if our intent is to pin the blame falsely on Cai Qiu, we need to probe the deaths in the Three Towns Chamber of Commerce first. While others might overlook details, we surely cannot. The Lord vowed publicly before representatives from the Eight Towns that a full inquiry would occur. If we rush to accuse without basis, and later evidence clears them, won’t that undermine the Lord’s prestige? How then could Great Xia earn respect from anyone moving forward?"

Despite his advanced age, Li Tiancheng’s tone rang with unyielding firmness. Once he concluded, the room’s occupants tensed briefly before sinking into thoughtful silence.

Xia Chuan snapped back to focus at once, the spark of scheming fading from his features. Gazing at Li Tiancheng, he offered thanks: "Appreciate the heads-up, Old Li. I nearly erred there."

He held no objection to framing them, but opposed leaping to it absent verification. The gap between these methods proves vast.

Uncovering facts prior to accusation clearly outsmarts baseless charges. The first path nearly guarantees a solid foundation, whereas the second invites trouble. If reversal comes later, the blow to the Lord’s standing and Great Xia’s honor would loom large, far graver than mere setbacks.

"Old Li’s insights on governance earn Yuwen Dao’s deep respect!"

"Absolutely, verifying the facts comes first. The Lord’s prestige demands it."

"Old Li possesses foresight that Xu Ning greatly admires."

...

The rest quickly followed suit, voicing their accord with nods.

Surrounded by acclaim from the assembly, Li Tiancheng stayed poised, simply waving off the praise while directing a bow to Xia Chuan: "Minister, allow me to introduce the sole Golden Order Prison Warden from my division..."

With that, Li Tiancheng pivoted to gesture rearward, cueing an individual from the rear to advance promptly.

"This subordinate salutes the Minister and all esteemed lords!"

The approaching figure neared forty in years, clad in attire of black and red suited for summer, topped by a broad black circular crown spanning half a meter, with a golden emblem dangling from his belt. The face turned toward Xia Chuan etched the bold words "Prison Warden".

"Hou Ming, boasting 25 segments of strength already—remarkable achievement!"

Xia Chuan’s gaze sharpened with delight at the sight of the dark-robed man.

He recalled Hou Ming vaguely. During Great Xia’s initial push into Longyou and the inaugural clash at the Beehive, Hou Ming had been the adversary. At that time, Hou Ming wielded Late-stage Cold Resistance Cultivation alongside 8 segments of strength. These days, reaching 25 segments highlighted his notable advancement through the years.

A flicker of astonishment crossed Hou Ming’s face, clearly caught off guard by Xia Chuan naming him right away.

Reading his thoughts from that look, Xia Chuan grinned: "Your fame precedes you! Old Li has mentioned you often, claiming that in the Prison Department, you crack major mysteries time and again, and take on baffling enigmas only to resolve them all. Does that hold up?"

Hearing this, Hou Ming prepared a modest reply.

Yet others interjected ahead of him.

"I’ve caught wind of it myself—out of more than two hundred Prison Wardens serving Old Li, Hou Ming stands alone at the Golden Order rank right now; quite the rarity!"

"Back at Long Mountain, word was that for any tricky homicide, summoning Hou Ming guarantees a breakthrough; it borders on the legendary."

"When I toured the Prison Department, I discovered you’ve cracked over 300 slayings, outpacing the runner-up by almost twice as many."

......

Though the Prison Department came into being not long ago, thanks to Xia Hong’s keen oversight, it holds substantial sway among the Eight Departments.

Li Tiancheng structured the Prison Department into three key branches:

Branch one comprises the Heavenly Prison in Xia City, focused on detaining offenders and overseeing their sentences;

Branch two falls under direct central oversight, featuring chiefs stationed at key locales, tasked specifically with upholding Xia Law in those areas;

Branch three centers on probes and resolutions led by Prison Wardens, tiered as Iron Order, Silver Order, and Golden Order. At present, Iron Order Wardens operate beneath the chiefs at various posts; ascending to Silver Order enables one to lead as a Chief of Punishment. Today, most Chiefs across Great Xia’s posts rank as Silver Order Prison Wardens;

Topping them sits the Golden Order tier, embodied solely by Hou Ming thus far.

Li Tiancheng enforced stringent standards for advancing Prison Wardens. Beyond steep quotas for solved cases, he added strict caps on reversal rates per tier—Golden Order limited to one percent, Silver Order to three percent, Iron Order to five percent. Breaching these thresholds results in automatic downgrade for Golden and Silver, while Iron Order emblems get reclaimed, forcing a restart as Prison Envoy.

Such measures elevate the Golden Order Prison Warden to rare stature.

Hou Ming earned his promotion at the year’s start, stirring widespread notice, so Xia Chuan wasn’t alone—nearly all senior attendees recognized him.

"The lords overpraise me; Hou Ming just tackled extra duties at the camps. But you valiant lords, battling for Great Xia and claiming new lands—that’s the mark of real prowess!"