Ministry of Justice!
Two jailers opened the cell doors one by one, hitting the bars with sticks and shouting, “Gentlemen, you can be released now.”
As they called out, the jailers felt fortunate for adhering to the rules. Every profession has its own rules, and the jailers’ principle was to not provoke martial artists unless they were death row inmates stripped of their powers.
These high-ranking martial artists who hadn’t committed any major crimes could turn the tables at any moment, and this was a prime example.
The night watchmen’s first thought was that the Emperor’s decree of punishment had been issued, and they could be released because the opponent’s goal had been achieved, making it unnecessary to continue detaining them.
However, after leaving the dungeon, they were told they could sign and fingerprint to reclaim their uniforms and bronze gongs.
The night watchmen were very familiar with this procedure. It meant they were being released without charges and their official status was being restored.
“Has His Majesty pardoned us? That seems unlikely…” someone muttered softly.
The night watchmen looked at each other, seeing the confusion on each other’s faces. Everyone was bewildered.
This imprisonment was the result of factional strife. They were all veteran night watchmen and knew the dangers and viciousness of political struggles. When an opportunity arose, opponents would try to destroy each other completely. They would never easily let matters rest.
Lord Wei must have sacrificed something to get us out of the Ministry of Justice… Jiang Lüzhong quickly made this guess and looked at the three Gold Gongs beside him.
The Gold Gongs silently exchanged glances, all coming to similar conclusions. For a moment, their hearts felt heavy, but then they were filled with gratitude towards Wei Yuan, silently thanking him in their hearts for being willing to die for those who understand him.
After retrieving their uniforms, weapons, and badges, the night watchmen silently left the Ministry of Justice. On the way back to the yamen, they finally felt the joy of surviving a calamity.
The initial silence turned into an excited conversation. One fellow even started persuading his colleagues to go to the courtesans’ quarters for some fun.
The Gold Gongs looked at him a few times. He was a guy who walked with squinting eyes, appearing to be the sly and cunning type.
“Song Tingfeng, you’ve just gotten out of jail, and you’re already eager to make mistakes,” a nearby Bronze Gong said disapprovingly.
“You don’t understand anything. Even my boss, such an upright Silver Gong, ended up in jail. Whether you’re corrupt or not doesn’t matter at all. It only depends on whether the higher-ups want to target you,” the squinty-eyed Bronze Gong argued forcefully.
He’s quite perceptive… the Gold Gongs thought to themselves.
“If Xu Ning’yan goes, then we’ll go,” a Bronze Gong said.
Jiang Lüzhong’s eyes lit up, and he smiled at the Gold Gong beside him, “Xu Ning’yan is the darling of the courtesans’ quarters, the object of pursuit and adoration for the top courtesans. The other day, when Yang Yan and I took these youngsters to drink at the courtesans’ quarters, well… Apart from Fuxiang, there were four other top courtesans present.”
Under the questioning gaze of the three Gold Gongs, the relaxed Jiang Lüzhong rubbed the shallow crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes and smiled, “The reputation of the top courtesans in the courtesans’ quarters is well-deserved. It made me feel like I was young again.”
The three Gold Gongs couldn’t hide the envy in their eyes.
Although they didn’t lack women, the top courtesans of the courtesans’ quarters were not within the realm of what Gold Gongs could freely enjoy. This wasn’t because the Gold Gongs’ authority wasn’t great enough, but because the courtesans’ quarters belonged to the Ministry of Rites, and the night watchmen’s authority didn’t apply there.
The Gold Gongs couldn’t possibly engage in tea house politics with customers, and directly asking for a top courtesan to serve them would be refused 100% of the time. They couldn’t make a scene either, because the Ministry of Rites would love for them to cause trouble.
Upon returning to the yamen, the four Gold Gongs first went to the Haoqi Tower to listen to Wei Yuan’s teachings and pledge their loyalty.
“This is a good opportunity to clean up the corrupt practices in the yamen and manage your subordinates well,” Wei Yuan said.
The four Gold Gongs lowered their heads and accepted the order.
Wei Yuan nodded with satisfaction and said, “Your release this time is not thanks to me but to another person.”
Another person? Has His Majesty graciously pardoned us? Jiang Lüzhong and the others speculated inwardly.
“It’s Xu Qi An,” Wei Yuan said gently.
Xu Qi An? This answer surprised and seemed unbelievable to the four Gold Gongs.
Jiang Lüzhong straightened his back and asked respectfully, “Lord Wei, what happened while we were imprisoned?”
Wei Yuan informed the four Gold Gongs about the case of the Minister of Works colluding with the Wushen Cult, emphasizing Xu Qi An’s importance in the case.
After leaving the Haoqi Tower, Jiang Lüzhong’s face was gloomy, and his mood was poor.
One of the Gold Gongs teased, “Jealous of that Bronze Gong’s repeated meritorious deeds?”
Jiang Lüzhong shook his head, closing his sharp, knife-like eyes, and sighed, “I should have fought to the bitter end with Yang Yan back then to recruit Xu Qi An under my command.”
“Constable Xu is indeed a rare talent, just a bit lacking in strength.”
“You don’t know anything. You have no idea about him…” Jiang Lüzhong suddenly shut his mouth.
“Hmm?” The three Gold Gongs looked at him.
“I can’t say, I can’t say,” Jiang Lüzhong shook his head.
“Jiang, you’re acting like a brothel girl, taking off your clothes and shaking your butt, purely to tease people, aren’t you?”
“Hurry up and tell us, what’s the deal with that little Bronze Gong? I also think he’s strange. Wei Yuan favors a Bronze Gong too much.”
“If you want to know, go ask Lord Wei yourself.”
No matter how much the three Gold Gongs pressed, Jiang Lüzhong refused to say anything.
…
After briefly consulting with Second Uncle, Xu Qi An went to the broker’s office the next day to purchase the haunted house.
Second Uncle had suggested looking around more, but Aunt and Lingyin were quite satisfied with the house, except for the female ghost in the well. But after hearing the head of the family, Second Uncle Xu, says that since the people from the Astronomical Bureau had checked it, there shouldn’t be any problems.
Aunt and Xu Lingyin were completely reassured.
The broker’s office admired Xu Qi An’s boldness and even felt a bit embarrassed. They specially hired people to clean the house.
During dinner, Xu Qi An asked Xu Pingzhi, “Second Uncle, the house has been vacant for many years and needs a good renovation. I took Aunt and the girls to see it the other day. The structure of the house is still intact, just some doors and windows are rotted.”
Xu Pingzhi pondered, “Half a month should be enough.”
Half a month? It’s not like we’re doing a high-end renovation, why does it take so long… Xu Qi An said, “Let’s hire a group of craftsmen, find them from the outer city, and then have them work around the clock. This way, it should be done in about seven days.”
Xu Pingzhi was surprised, “Why from the outer city? The craftsmen in the inner city are more skilled.”
“Because carpenters from the outer city are cheaper, and they don’t know the house is haunted. They can work there with peace of mind.”
How ruthless… the family thought.
The task of hiring carpenters was left to Xu Pingzhi. Xu Qi An was inexperienced in these mundane matters, like a young man without facial hair trying to handle affairs.
Second Uncle Xu was an old Jingcheng resident, and with him in charge of these matters, Aunt and the sisters felt at ease.
A man should have some facial hair, men like it, and women like it too.
…
On this day off, Xu Qi An, who hadn’t been to the courtesans’ quarters for almost a week, drove his carriage out. He met with the owner of a wild products shop he had contacted in advance at the market and bought two baskets of shiitake mushrooms from him.
Next, he would fulfill his two promises: first, to help Chu Caiwei advance to the sixth rank of sorcerer; and second, to feed Chu Caiwei.
The goal was clear: to make a simple version of chicken bouillon.
Xu Qi An had watched a video before, posted by a gourmet, not Bear Grylls, but a real gourmet.
He collected many ancient recipes and prepared food according to the steps in the recipes, only to find that ancient cuisine wasn’t as delicious as imagined.
After summarizing, he discovered that the biggest difference between modern and ancient cuisine was not the change and increase in styles, but the revolution in seasonings.
After coming to this world, Xu Qi An strongly agreed with this view. The chef at Guiyue Tower was very skilled, but the food in ordinary households tasted very bland, even though the Xu family had simmered broth.
“The emergence of MSG was a breakthrough in the human culinary industry…” Xu Qi An poured the two baskets of shiitake mushrooms into a large vat to soak.
Then he climbed over the wall to the main residence, stole an old hen, killed it, and put it in a small clay stove to stew.
Next, he briefly washed the soaked shiitake mushrooms, drained them, and put them into another pot on the clay stove.
Xu Qi An didn’t plan to make MSG because he lacked the relevant knowledge and production experience. He only knew that the main component of MSG was monosodium glutamate, which could be extracted through grain fermentation and from kelp.
…But doesn’t grain fermentation produce alcohol? Xu Qi An muttered to himself as he recalled.
The option of extracting MSG from kelp was directly deleted and not considered. The reason was simple: the cost was too high.
The capital of Great Feng was located in the Central Plains, far from the coast. Although there was canal and sea transport, seafood was still a luxury that only high-ranking officials and nobles could enjoy in the capital.
“To extract enough MSG from kelp would require an enormous amount. You could buy kelp until you’re bankrupt and still not extract much MSG.”
Xu Qi An’s plan was to use chicken bouillon to replace MSG. Thanks to his childhood curiosity, one day when Totole suddenly appeared at home and his mother no longer used MSG, he became very curious about how this yellow powder had replaced MSG. So he carefully looked at the ingredients.
The main component of chicken bouillon was inosinic acid, which could rival MSG as a flavor enhancer. And inosinic acid was abundant in shiitake mushrooms.
Time passed bit by bit. Water was added several times along the way. The shiitake mushrooms and old hen gradually became overcooked, and a unique savory smell permeated the small kitchen.
Xu Qi An scooped out the shiitake mushrooms, leaving a thick liquid in the pot. He placed the overcooked mushrooms on a filter gauze and wrung them hard, squeezing out the thick liquid. After several times, the mushrooms in the gauze were dry and withered, looking as if their essence had been completely extracted.
The next step was to mix the thick chicken broth with the mushroom juice, mash the chicken meat and bones with a mortar, mix them into the liquid, and stir evenly.
Then it was just a matter of waiting for the liquid to naturally dry into a block, grinding the block into powder, and the simple version of chicken bouillon would be formed.
After finishing all this, Xu Qi An looked at the sky. It was dusk.
At this time, the cook should be busy preparing dinner. It was the perfect opportunity to try out the invention from a 21st-century underachiever.
To seek product feedback from Second Uncle and Aunt.
I have a feeling that Xu Lingyin is going to eat ten bowls today… Xu Qi An’s lips curled into a smile, quite pleased as he ladled a bowl of thick liquid and climbed over the wall to the main residence.