After everyone left, Yang Yan sat at his desk with furrowed brows, accepting the tea Wei Yuan handed him but not taking a sip for a long time.
Nangong Qianrou rolled her eyes and asked on his behalf, “Foster Father, do you want to kill that boy?”
Yang Yan immediately looked at Wei Yuan.
“Is there something wrong with my punishment?” Wei Yuan asked in return.
Nangong Qianrou and Yang Yan shook their heads simultaneously. The former smiled mischievously, “It’s correct, but is Foster Father willing to kill him?”
Wei Yuan took a sip of tea and sighed, “I’ve said before, he’s a born warrior. That spirit of his is rare.”
To severely wound a Spirit Refinement Realm silver gong with a single slash, how long has it been since he entered the Qi Refinement Realm?
Wei Yuan’s smile showed appreciation, but even more so, satisfaction.
…
At Chunfeng Hall.
Song Dingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao followed Li Yuchun back with dejected expressions. Spring Brother had been unusually silent all the way.
He had been waiting downstairs earlier for the verdict, only to receive news of Xu Qi An’s beheading in seven days.
Li Yuchun didn’t say a word and returned with his two subordinates.
“Have a drink with me. I know you two have your secret stash, drinking on duty.”
Li Yuchun’s voice was devoid of emotion, eerily calm.
Song Dingfeng opened his mouth and uttered two words: “Alright.”
Li Yuchun was a rigid and stubborn person. Familiar silver gongs said he was inflexible, while unfamiliar ones mocked him for being unable to adapt.
But regardless of familiarity, no one in the yamen truly looked down on him. On the contrary, they all held him in high regard, though they wouldn’t say it out loud.
Li Yuchun’s rigidity manifested in various aspects, such as never drinking while on duty.
Song Dingfeng retrieved his hidden alcohol from the side hall, along with three ceramic bowls, one of which originally belonged to Xu Qi An.
Li Yuchun didn’t drink quickly, but he drained one bowl after another without speaking.
Song Dingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao drank in silence.
Soon, a jar of wine was emptied. Li Yuchun, emboldened by the alcohol, said, “I know Lord Wei has his difficulties, and Xu Qi An indeed made a mistake.
“What’s wrong with humiliating a criminal official’s female relative? It’s not a capital offense. The fool almost killed someone, and it was a silver gong at that.”
Li Yuchun opened up, rambling, “I thought I was stupid enough, but this guy is even more foolish. If I had known, I wouldn’t have recruited him. What a headache.
“What can Lord Wei do? Even if his talent is… somewhat better, the matter has blown up so big, that everyone in the yamen is watching. Could he openly show favoritism? Where would Lord Wei’s authority be then? It takes years to build a reputation, but only a moment to destroy it. If he were to favor Xu Qi An now, who would respect Lord Wei in the future?
“Well, now one is dismissed, and one is to be beheaded. Impartial justice, heh, hehe.
“For a long time to come, everyone in the yamen will behave properly. Xu Qi An’s death isn’t in vain; it’s worth it.”
Li Yuchun returned the bowl to Song Dingfeng, cursing, “What a lousy bowl, the blue-and-white patterns aren’t even symmetrical.”
Song Dingfeng looked carefully and realized that the bowl he had been using for over half a year indeed had asymmetrical blue-and-white patterns.
The wine was finished, and there was no mood for further conversation. He and Zhu Guangxiao returned to the side hall in silence.
In the quiet Chunfeng Hall, Li Yuchun sat still for a long time before slowly rising. He walked to the corner, picked up a feather duster, and began wiping every place that could easily gather dust.
He repeatedly straightened books, vases, tables, and chairs, making sure they were neat and symmetrical.
Then, he took off his waistcoat and sword and removed his night watchman uniform.
Folding the uniform neatly, he placed the sword and waist token on top. Li Yuchun cradled them in his arms and walked out of Chunfeng Hall.
He made his way towards Haoqi Tower.
Along the way, he attracted the attention of many bronze gongs, who pointed and whispered about him.
Among these people, some had heard about Xu Qi An’s sword attack on Zhu Chengzhu, while others were oblivious and curious about gossip.
“What’s going on?”
“Haven’t you heard? A silver gong was almost cut down by a bronze gong. The one who did it was Xu Qi An, you know, Li Silver Gong’s subordinate.”
“What’s Li Silver Gong trying to do?”
“Don’t know, let’s follow and see.”
Three or five, seven or eight… the number of night watchmen following Li Yuchun gradually increased, forming a sizable crowd.
They arrived at Haoqi Tower.
Li Yuchun stopped at the foot of the tower, under the vigilant and warning gazes of the guards. He held his uniform, waist token, and sword in both hands, ignoring the crowd behind him.
“This lowly one, Li Yuchun, joined the yamen in the 20th year of Yuanjing. I have always been conscientious and diligent in my duties. My belief was to eradicate corrupt officials, and my goal was to serve the country,” Li Yuchun’s voice boomed:
“For sixteen years, I have been hardworking and never neglected my duties, never accepted bribes, never oppressed the innocent. I thought that with a heart full of passion, I could make the world a better place.
“However, for sixteen years, I have witnessed many colleagues oppressing the common people and extorting merchants. Every time they confiscate property, they embezzle money and goods and rape the female relatives of criminal officials. This is intolerable.
“How can one enforce the law without a righteous heart? How can one correct others if one is not upright? Today, Li Yuchun can no longer endure this. Therefore, I request to resign, or you may behead me as well.”
After saying the last sentence, under the astonished gazes of the surrounding night watchmen, he forcefully threw his uniform, sword, and waist token on the ground, discarding them like worn-out shoes.
Li Yuchun, who had just publicly slapped Wei Yuan’s face at Haoqi Tower, turned and left. Dozens of night watchmen neither stopped him nor made a sound.
“Should… should we stop him?” someone asked softly.
The surrounding night watchmen stared at him coldly.
…
Xu Qi An, dressed in prison clothes, sat in the night watchmen yamen’s jail cell, leaning against the wall, inhaling the unique damp and putrid smell of the prison.
“Third time in jail. In my past life, I was a police officer, and in this life, I’ve become a regular visitor to prison cells,” Xu Qi An laughed self-mockingly, sighing at the unpredictability of fate.
The cell was silent, occasionally interrupted by cursing from prisoners in adjacent cells, but most people usually remained quiet.
The majority of prisoners here were death row inmates, dejected and hopeless. At first, they would cry for justice and curse, but after being taken out for “friendly chats” with the prison guards, they learned how to behave.
They also understood the importance of maintaining silence in public spaces.
No one wanted to suffer inhumane torture before death.
Xu Qi An closed his eyes, pondering if he still had a chance to survive.
“The great scholars from Cloud Deer Academy might come and make a fuss, but they’re civilians without official positions. Going through official channels won’t work. Physical force is equally ineffective, after all, this is the night watchmen yamen.”
“The Astronomers from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau will certainly try to save me, but unless the Chief Astronomer intervenes, they probably can’t rescue me. And my status isn’t high enough to warrant the involvement of the esteemed Chief Astronomer… Xu Qi An, oh Xu Qi An, did you forget the coldness of society after experiencing the warmth of Fuxiang’s breasts? You’ve wasted two months without getting Chu Caiwei into bed.”
“The Book of Heaven fragment was also taken away. Otherwise, I could have tried to ask Number One to save me. I don’t know if his (her) status is high enough…”
As he thought, he fell asleep. When he woke up, the cell was silent, and outside the small window was pitch-black night.
Sleep had replenished the energy he had depleted using the “Heaven and Earth Single Slash,” but at the cost of a growling stomach.
By the dim light of the oil lamp in the corridor, Xu Qi An saw a bowl of white rice placed by the bars, with two fat rats eating it with relish.
“Damn it, you bastards Shu Ke and Bei Ta, stealing my food,” Xu Qi An cursed angrily.
With no food left to eat, he could only sit cross-legged and meditate, absorbing qi.
After an unknown amount of time, dawn broke.
Footsteps echoed from the dark corridor as two prison guards approached and opened the cell door.
Xu Qi An opened his eyes.
“Come out,” a guard ordered.
Wearing handcuffs and shackles, Xu Qi An was led by the guards to the interrogation room.
Beams of sunlight pierced through the air holes in the wall, dispelling the darkness of the interrogation room, but they couldn’t drive away the chill.
At the interrogation table sat two young people. One had phoenix eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows, with delicate features. The other had red lips and white teeth, extraordinarily handsome.
Two rabbits side by side, how can one tell male from female?
Nangong Qianrou sneered, “Powdered face.”
He strongly disliked this scholar’s attitude. Ever since entering the yamen and coming here, he had kept his head high and chest out, looking down his nose at people rather than using his eyes.
This kind of arrogance was inexplicably annoying, just like the other scholars from Cloud Deer Academy, and the same as the white-robed Astronomers from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.
Xu Xinnian glanced at him coldly and said softly, “Only women and petty men are difficult to deal with.”
“Who are you calling a woman?” Nangong Qianrou smiled, his eyes flickering with dangerous light.
“I was too presumptuous,” Xu Xinnian bowed with cupped hands. “May I ask the young lady’s name?”
“…” Nangong Qianrou wanted to kill someone.
Xu Xinnian, with his poison tongue skill, maxed out, gave a cold laugh and raised his head again.
Seeing this scene at the door and hearing the conversation between the two, Xu Qi An broke out in a cold sweat for his little brother.
He thought to himself, “Cigu, oh Cigu, this beautiful person is a high-level martial artist. You’re just an eighth-rank little scholar, you should know when to be humble and when to stand firm.”
Nangong Qianrou turned his head, glaring at Xu Qi An, and stood up saying, “One incense stick’s time.”
With that, he left.
Xu Xinnian stared at his elder cousin, remaining silent.
“Why did you come, Cigu? Aren’t you studying at the academy?” Xu Qi An asked.
“Last night, one of your colleagues came to our house to inform us about your situation. Father left the capital overnight to notify me at Cloud Deer Academy,” Xu Xinnian exhaled deeply.
“I returned home last night and waited until dawn when the inner city gates opened to come in.”
He had brought his teacher’s letter of introduction and, with his status as a recommended scholar, was granted permission to visit.
“Everyone at home is very worried about you. Mother hasn’t slept all night,” Xu Xinnian said.
Xu Qi An nodded.
“Ling Yin is also very concerned about you. She only had a bowl of porridge this morning.”
“That’s kind of her,” Xu Qi An was touched.
Xu Xinnian nodded, agreeing with his cousin’s sentiment, and continued, “Teacher’s suggestion is for me to appeal to the Long Princess. She might be able to save you. As for our teachers… Wei Yuan’s relationship with the academy isn’t good.”
Xu Qi An hesitated, “Cigu, don’t you blame your elder brother?”
Xu Xinnian said solemnly, “Elder brother’s martial arts are not proficient enough; he failed to kill that scum.”
Xu Qi An laughed heartily, “Now that’s what a scholar should say…” As he laughed, he fell silent and said softly, “I’m sorry.”
Xu Xinnian remained quiet.
The interrogation room fell silent, neither brother speaking.
After a long while, Xu Cigu sighed, “I will get you out of here.”
Xu Qi An nodded, pretending not to be moved, and said, “Since you’re here, help your elder brother with something. Cigu, did you bring any money?”
“Of course I did,” Xu Xinnian replied.
What’s the point of visiting a prison without money?
“Good. Go find the head jailer and tell him you want to retrieve an item of mine, if it’s still there. It’s a small jade mirror. Take the mirror and go to Yangsheng Hall in the East City to find a monk. Tell him this: Please pass on a message that Number Three is imprisoned in the night watchmen’s dungeon and is requesting help. Xu Qi An!”
After the Book of Heaven fragment recognizes its owner, others can’t log in to chat, so Number Six needs to pass on the message.
Xu Qi An believed that the clever Number One would know what to do upon seeing the message. Because in the Book of Heaven chat group, in the capital, and with power, only Number One fits the bill.
Number One also owed him a debt.
Of course, Number One might choose not to save him, but that’s another matter.
Additionally, asking Xu Ernian to retrieve the Book of Heaven fragment was Xu Qi An’s way of testing Wei Yuan.
Testing whether he truly harbored killing intent towards him.
Xu Xinnian stared at him for a moment and asked, “What if it’s not there?”
“Then forget it.”
Watching his cousin being led back into the dark corridor, Xu Xinnian left the interrogation room and found the head jailer. He openly handed over a thirty-tael silver note, saying, “I need to retrieve an item belonging to my elder cousin.”
The head jailer had no objections, of course. Money makes everything possible.
He immediately led Xu Xinnian to the storeroom and took out a package containing the items taken from Xu Qi An.
“The bronze gong badge, waist token, sword, and uniform cannot be taken away,” the head jailer said.
These were all property of the night watchmen yamen.
Xu Xinnian briefly rummaged through the items and felt a small mirror made of jade, its surface etched with strange patterns resembling crossbows, silver notes, and other curious designs.