“Keep you company?” Xu Qi An thought to himself. This was certainly not acceptable. If it were just you, I could manage, but with the addition of the vicious aunt, it’s out of the question.
“I know it’s asking too much. Big Brother still has to report for duty at the yamen tomorrow. But Mother insisted I come and persuade you to keep watch at the door,” Xu Lingyue explained, clearly conflicted. She was likely terrified herself but chose to shift the blame onto her mother.
Keep watch at the door… That bastard Second Uncle is surely enjoying himself at the pleasure house, yet I’m expected to guard his wife and daughter… Xu Qi An sighed, reluctantly agreeing, “Fine.”
He dressed properly and, to reassure his aunt and sister deliberately brought along his black-gold longsword.
“I’ll sit outside. You two should get some sleep,” Xu Qi An said, tapping on the door.
“Alright, thank you, Big Brother,” came his sister’s voice from inside.
“Thank you, Eldest Young Master,” Lü’e added, both their voices soft and pleasant. The aunt stubbornly remained silent.
Xu Qi An sat cross-legged in meditation, circulating his qi while visualizing in his mind. After a moment, he heard his aunt’s faint voice:
“What if it floats in through the window? What if Ning Yan falls asleep?”
“…Mother, don’t say such things. Big Brother has his sword,” Xu Lingyue reassured her.
Hearing that her nephew was guarding them with a sword, the aunt felt somewhat relieved.
The room fell silent for a while, with only snoring sounds coming from inside – undoubtedly Xu Ling’yin, who could be imagined sprawled on the bed, mouth agape, snoring loudly.
After a while, the aunt called out, “Ning Yan?”
Xu Qi An replied irritably, “I’m here.”
So, he started coughing now and then. The women inside would feel reassured hearing his magnetic cough.
The aunt and sister’s fear was justified, as this residence had indeed been haunted before, not just some vague story.
Given enough time, such fears would naturally fade.
A moment later, the aunt’s complaining voice came through, “Lingyue, don’t stick so close to me. It’s too hot.”
“Mother~” Xu Lingyue’s voice was both aggrieved and coquettish.
The aunt, ultimately caring for her daughter, said nothing more. After a while, she suddenly lowered her voice, “Lingyue, you’ve grown so much already?”
Xu Qi An’s ears perked up at this. At first, he thought nothing of it, but the aunt’s tone was peculiar. He listened closely and indeed heard his sister reply shyly, “Mother, don’t tease me. They’re not as big as yours.”
“Nonsense, I’ve already borne children. But at your age, I wasn’t nearly as well-endowed,” the aunt said, then sighed, “You’re of marriageable age now.”
Xu Lingyue remained silent.
…Poor Lingyue, so young and already burdened with such large tumors on her chest. Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched, nearly laughing at his joke. He felt that guarding the door wasn’t so tedious after all.
The aunt continued, “Living next to the Eldest Young Master, remember to be careful when bathing. Martial artists have keen senses, so be on guard.”
“Mother, are you saying Big Brother would peep at me bathing?” In the darkness, Xu Lingyue’s eyes sparkled.
I wouldn’t, I haven’t, don’t wrongly accuse me… I bathe with Fuming at the pleasure house, there’s no need to peep… Xu Qi An felt his aunt was as vicious as ever. Unable to confront him directly now, she was trying to sow discord between him and Lingyue, tainting their pure sibling relationship.
“Just because the Eldest Young Master wouldn’t peep doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious,” the aunt spat at her daughter, then turned her head towards the door, listening to her nephew’s occasional coughs, feeling reassured enough to continue talking.
…
Xu Qi An stayed awake all night, cultivating his qi and tempering his primordial spirit. By dawn, he was still energetic.
During breakfast, Xu Pingzhi returned, dressed in military attire. He wasn’t carrying any oranges, so Xu Qi An believed that Second Uncle had indeed been on duty last night, not at the pleasure house.
“Last night, Ling’yin ran out and slept by the well…” the aunt told Second Uncle about the previous night’s events. “Fortunately, we still had Ning Yan here. If he hadn’t been around and there was a ghost…”
At this point, the cowardly aunt became frightened again, purely scaring herself.
Second Uncle nodded to his nephew and asked, “Why was Ling’yin sleeping by the well in the middle of the night?”
Xu Qi An explained, “It’s all because Aunt tricked her, saying that ghosts taste better than anything when fried in oil. She got hungry.”
“Oh,” Second Uncle nodded, feeling this was exactly the kind of thing his young daughter would do, and wasn’t particularly surprised.
Living in the new residence allowed them to wake up later, as it only took half an hour to get to work, which was very convenient.
Xu Qi An arrived at the yamen and, as usual, went to Li Yuchun’s Spring Breeze Hall to report for duty. Confirming he had no assigned tasks for the day, he took Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao out on patrol.
In the bustling marketplace, people streamed endlessly, peddlers roamed the streets, and shops were filled with customers. The prosperity of the inner city far surpassed that of the outer city.
Xu Qi An planned to take Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to the Health Hall again, but the two junior brothers adamantly refused.
So he went alone, meeting Number Six Heng Yuan and “Black Dog.” Learning that the poor child’s condition had improved, Xu Qi An sighed in relief, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his heart.
“Master Xu, there’s something this humble monk would like to ask,” Heng Yuan said, palms together.
“Please, Master, go ahead,” Xu Qi An replied with a relaxed smile.
“When Master Xu first saw that child, you said something…” Heng Yuan stared at him intently. “Master Xu said: ‘Is this that child?’ Master Xu seemed to know him, but this monk remembers you had no prior interaction.”
…Damn, I was so shocked that day, I accidentally let something slip. Xu Qi An smiled, maintaining a calm exterior while panicking internally.
Could Number Six be suspecting that I’m Number Three?… Come to think of it, I even picked up money in front of him that day… Well, simply finding money isn’t unusual, everyone has lucky moments… But Number Six must have his suspicions, thinking I’m not quite normal, perhaps even associating me with Number Three.
But the image of a Confucian scholar I’ve cultivated has already taken root in the minds of the Heaven and Earth Society members. First impressions are always the most important and unchangeable, so Number Six can only suspect at most… Thinking this, Xu Qi An sighed and said:
“I once heard Number Three mention it.”
He offered no further explanation, leaving the rest for Heng Yuan to interpret. First, Heng Yuan would certainly question the supposed “superior-subordinate” relationship. The Heaven and Earth Society wasn’t a secret organization, but the external one was composed of Daoist priests from the Earth Sect, represented by Golden Lotus Daoist.
The other Heaven and Earth Society, formed by the holders of the Earth Book fragments, was the true secret organization. How could Number Three casually reveal such matters to a subordinate?
Then, Number Six Heng Yuan would investigate him with these doubts, only to discover that Master Xu’s cousin was a student at the Confucian Academy.
At this point, he would think he had uncovered the truth.
As expected, Heng Yuan said nothing, merely nodding slightly with a pensive expression.
…Actually, whether my identity is exposed or not isn’t a big deal anymore. Number Six Heng Yuan is a good person. Well, mainly because I’ve been bragging too much online… It would be quite embarrassing if my identity were exposed… Xu Qi An bid farewell and left.
Upon returning to the yamen, Xu Qi An received another note delivered by a white-robed official from the Astronomical Bureau, stating that Chu Caiwei had made a significant breakthrough in alchemy, and Minister Song was summoning him to discuss it at the Astronomical Bureau.
…So quickly? Xu Qi An mounted his horse and rode to the Star-Gazing Tower.
He met Minister Song and Chu Caiwei in the alchemy room on the seventh floor and also noticed their matching pairs of dark circles under their eyes.
“Miss Caiwei, you should pay more attention to rest,” Xu Qi An thought to himself, wondering if she had become a time management expert as well.
With heavy dark circles and a dazed look, Chu Caiwei appeared even more adorably silly. She said tiredly, “I haven’t slept for three days…”
Minister Song took a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Qi An. “Take a look.”
Xu Qi An opened the wooden stopper and poured a little into his palm. Among the mushroom powder were tiny crystalline particles. He tasted it, and a strong umami flavor spread across his taste buds, making his tongue tingle.
“How did you make this?” Xu Qi An was shocked.
“Grain fermentation, adding honey, purification…” Minister Song waved his hand, not wanting to explain. “If you want to know the process, I’ll have Caiwei write it down for you later. For now, just tell me if this is the stuff.”
Xu Qi An pondered, “The taste is very similar. Is this substance toxic?”
“Non-toxic.”
“Then it must be it.”
Minister Song nodded and said, “This substance is more valuable than salt. If we want to promote and popularize it, the court will surely want to monopolize it. Previously, products from the Astronomical Bureau were managed by the court, with our bureau taking 30% of the annual profits. I’ve discussed it with Senior Brother Yang, and we’ll give you 10%.”
The reason for only giving 10% was that Xu Qi An had only provided the concept of MSG and some theoretical steps, some of which were correct, while others led Chu Caiwei and Minister Song on several detours.
In this new alchemy, Chu Caiwei and Minister Song contributed more.
“That’s a fair distribution,” Xu Qi An nodded, then probed, “So, how much silver can I expect to earn in a year? I know there’s a lack of assessment criteria, but could Senior Brother Song give a rough estimate?”
“It depends on how the court decides to sell it,” Minister Song pondered. “For 10%, perhaps several thousand to ten thousand taels of silver? I’m referring to just the capital area.”
As he finished speaking, he found his hand firmly grasped by Xu Qi An. The constable spoke earnestly and affectionately:
“May our friendship last as long as the heavens and earth, enduring until the seas run dry and the stones crumble.”
“…You, you’re too kind.”
…
In the Imperial Palace, Royal Garden.
Wei Yuan accompanied Emperor Yuanjing as they strolled through the Royal Garden. The sunlight was warm, and this 20-mu imperial garden was planted with various precious flowers and trees. The winter and spring scenery were completely different.
“Frost kills all grasses, flowers, and trees wither. This seemingly desolate scene, upon closer inspection, has its flavor,” Emperor Yuanjing sighed meaningfully, his hands behind his back.
Wei Yuan, half a step behind him, pondered and said, “Your Majesty, desolation has never been a scenery, from ancient times to now.”
Faced with the green-robed grand eunuch’s contradiction, Emperor Yuanjing merely smiled, saying nonchalantly, “When spring comes next year, the flowers will naturally bloom in abundance.”
Wei Yuan seemed to be arguing, “Next year’s spring is still far off. Who knows how long this desolation will continue.”
Emperor Yuanjing glanced at him sideways, “Then what does Wei Qing think should be done?”
Wei Yuan said gently, “The scene of blooming flowers is beautiful indeed, but alas, spring goes and winter comes, and the splendor fades… Your Majesty, look at those evergreen trees. Regardless of spring winds or autumn moons, summer days, or winter snow, they remain. Removing the complex and diverse flowers and grasses, leaving only the evergreen trees, that is the way of longevity.”
Emperor Yuanjing’s smile faded, giving him a cold sidelong glance. The grand eunuch in green robes smiled, his gaze gentle, not retreating half a step.
The emperor and his subjects stared at each other for a long time before Emperor Yuanjing said indifferently, “The Empress caught a cold a few days ago. After recovering, she’s had poor appetite, barely eating for several days.”
Wei Yuan finally averted his gaze and bowed, “What do the Astronomical Bureau’s diviners say?”
“Poor appetite, but otherwise in good health. They recommend rest,” Emperor Yuanjing said. “But I’ve noticed the Empress has lost quite a bit of weight. Wei Yuan, go check on her for me.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”