When Sage Cihang made the announcement, many Deputy Hall Masters who were used to taking notes quickly put away their brush and paper. Of course, all voice retention talismans and image recording stones were also prohibited.0

Sage Cihang gestured for her secretary, Qian Wan, to activate the privacy barrier in the hall before continuing, “In principle, this council should have been hosted by the Beichen Hall. However, since Beichen Hall’s Sage Qingwei is currently overseeing the Fenglin campaign and cannot spare the time, I must step in to handle it. Next, Deputy Hall Master Lu of Beichen Hall will present the specifics.”0

Qi Xuansu realized that this session was indeed no ordinary matter.0

Beichen Hall was often mentioned alongside Fengxian Hall, but the former was part of the Three Great Halls not only because it commanded some military power but also because its jurisdiction was broader than the latter.0

Though it was often said that Tiangang Hall dealt with external affairs while Beichen Hall handled internal ones, the term “internal” was only relative to Tiangang Hall’s completely external focus. In reality, Beichen Hall managed both internal and external matters,...0