He glanced at his younger cousin, whose face remained expressionless.
“I’m deeply honored by the kindness of you two elders,” Xu Qi An said, unsure of the situation and not daring to agree. “However, I practice martial arts. Although I studied in my youth, my academic pursuits have been neglected lately.”
“No matter,” Li Mubai chuckled, stroking his goatee. “Learning is a lifelong endeavor. It’s never too late.”
Such favor towards me… Xu Qi An was shocked.
He thought for a moment, then had an idea. Looking at his cousin again, he smiled and said, “Indeed, the sea of knowledge is boundless. This junior does have a talent for study, and I’m grateful for the two master’s recognitions. If I were to join the academy, I would surely surpass Cijiubefore long.”
Hearing this, Xu Cijiu snorted, “Hmph,” and said proudly, “My teacher and Master Mubai are impressed by your poetry, such as ‘Sending Yang Gongzhi to Qingzhou from Mianyang Pavilion’.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the second young master’s face stiffened. He didn’t dare look at his teacher and Li Mubai, lowering his head slightly.
Mianyang Pavilion sending Yang Gongzhi to Qingzhou… Yang Gong… So that’s how it is… Xu Qi An, having baited his proud and sharp-tongued cousin, understood the situation upon hearing these words.
After pondering for a moment, he grasped the intentions of the two great scholars.
This was indeed a shortcut to historical fame. One need only consider the example of Wang Lun to understand. This gentleman had simply flattered Li Bai well, and effortlessly achieved lasting fame, remembered to this day.
From this, one can see that flattery is also a skilled art.
Ancient flatterers, flattering close friends to achieve lasting fame.
Modern flatterers, flattering goddesses until they have nothing left.
Revering the ancient and despising the modern is not unjustified.
The path to officialdom through Yunlu Academy was extremely difficult, and without becoming a high-ranking official, one naturally couldn’t be written into the history books. This made Xu Qi An’s poetry even more significant.
These crafty old men… Xu Qi An’s mouth twitched, feeling somewhat dissatisfied because they weren’t interested in taking him as a disciple for his talent and integrity.
They were coveting his poetry.
The two great scholars, thick-skinned as they were, maintained their smiles.
Xu Qi An pondered for a moment: “Thank you both for your favor. Ning Yan is devoted to learning, so it would be impolite to refuse. I’ve recently been inspired and have composed a few good poems. After resolving this current matter, I’ll visit the two teachers at Yunlu Academy.”
Two teachers… Li Mubai thought, Xu Cijiu’s elder cousin seems to be much more astute than he is… He breathed a slight sigh of relief, his face breaking into a smile.
If he had to compete with Zhang Shen for a disciple, given the latter’s relationship with Xu Cijiu, his chances of winning weren’t very high.
Xu Qi An’s words were well-spoken.
“In that case, we’ll be waiting for you at Yunlu Academy,” Zhang Shen said, then looked deeply at Xu Xinnian:
“Cijiu, to cultivate oneself, one must first nurture one’s nature. You’ve been enlightened for a year now, yet you still haven’t broken through to the Self-Cultivation Realm… Hmm, go home and copy the Sage’s sayings three hundred times. Bring them to me in ten days.”
Xu Xinnian was thunderstruck.
“This old man takes thirty zhang in one step.” Zhang Shen turned around, took a step, and disappeared.
Li Mubai deliberately showed off, drawing a circle around himself with his toe. He looked at Xu Qi An and said in a deep voice, “Within three inches of this old man is not here but at the city gate.”
With that, his figure abruptly vanished.
Xu Qi An’s eyes widened!
“Cijiu, what realm are these two great scholars in?”
Xu Xinnian, still not free from the despair of three hundred copies of Sage’s sayings, replied as Second Uncle Xu said, “I’ve heard from Nian’er that it’s the fifth rank of Confucianism: Moral Conduct.”
He enthusiastically shared with his nephew what he had seen outside the city.
As long as I boast big enough, is there anything in the world I can’t do? Xu Qi An was shocked once again.
Xu Xinnian exhaled a turbid breath, looking somewhat regretfully at Xu Dalang who had tricked him. He said irritably, “The Moral Conduct Realm can regulate one’s behavior and manipulate others with words.
“The core ability of this realm is the initial mastery of the truth that words can become law, allowing one to alter the laws of things to some extent. Therefore, it has another name, called ‘disrupting law with culture’.
“Of course, techniques like those of the two great scholars are not something an ordinary Moral Conduct practitioner can achieve.”
The two martial artists listened with rapt attention. Second Uncle Xu lamented, “All the major systems have mystical aspects, only martial artists are just brutes.”
So they’re crude… The proud Confucian scholar Xu Xinnian considered that both these crude men outranked him and had ample reason to use force, so he didn’t voice this thought.
Then he noticed his elder cousin looking at him intently.
“Second Brother…”
“Hmm?”
“Your elder brother has treated you well.”
“Brother, before you say that, please touch your conscience.”
“Your elder brother has a favor to ask.”
“…Speak.”
“In the future, when Second Brother reaches the Moral Conduct Realm, I need a promise from you.”
“…Speak.”
“Second Brother must say to me: ‘Where is elder brother’s Diaochan? Oh, elder brother’s ‘carving’ is wrapped around his waist.'”
“You’re vulgar!” Second Young Master Xu stormed off.
Xu Pingzhi listened to his nephew’s words and fell into deep thought.
…
Xu Qi An needed to go to the Court of Judicial Astronomy, while Xu Pingzhi and his son went to the Langle County yamen. Before leaving, Second Uncle instructed his daughter to wait in the side hall of the Langle County yamen.
Visiting the Star-Gazing Tower, the tallest building in the capital, for the first time, Xu Qi An clicked his tongue, examining it with interest.
“Have you been to the Star-Gazing Tower before?” Song Qing asked.
“It’s my first time.”
“But you don’t seem surprised,” Song Qing saw the words “utterly ordinary” in Xu Qi An’s eyes.
Anyone seeing the Star-Gazing Tower for the first time would find it a magnificent marvel.
Its foundation was twice the height of ordinary houses, its pillars several times thicker than the dragon pillars of the imperial palace, and its bricks taller than a person…
The manpower, resources, and wealth it consumed amounted to one-third of the Great Feng Dynasty’s annual tax revenue.
What made the Court of Judicial Astronomy most proud was that the height of the Star-Gazing Tower was unparalleled in the world; no one else could build a taller structure.
The alchemists of the Court of Judicial Astronomy worked with the Ministry of Works to design and construct it, taking 12 years. It was one of a kind in the world.
Because I’ve seen plenty of skyscrapers… Xu Qi An smiled and said, “My second uncle often says that I’ve been calm since childhood, unmoved even if a mountain collapses before me. Perhaps this is a natural gift.”
Song Qing’s eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, “Only with this calmness are you fit to plot with me.”
Xu Qi An, looking at the dark circles under his eyes, felt he might have said something wrong.
On the seventh floor of the Star-Gazing Tower, they met Chu Caiwei, whom Xu Qi An had briefly encountered before. She was wearing a pale yellow dress, and sitting at a table laden with a dazzling array of food.
Steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roast duck, roast chick, roast gosling… This meme flashed through Xu Qi An’s mind.
“How did you get into trouble again?” Chu Caiwei glanced at the young constable she had met once before, her cheeks puffed out as she greeted him indistinctly.
“You weren’t at the Star-Gazing Tower earlier?” Xu Qi An already knew the course of events from Song Qing.
“I went to mooch off the Grand Princess,” Chu Caiwei said.
Xu Qi An, who happened to be hungry, sat down at the table quite familiarly and reached for a chicken leg.
Slap…
Chu Caiwei swatted away his hand with her small palm, her large almond eyes full of wariness: “Haven’t you eaten?”
“No.”
“Brother Song, take him back and feed him, then bring him back.”
…I seem to see what Xu Lingyin will be like when she grows up! Xu Qi An had a retort stuck in his throat, not knowing whether to voice it or not.
“How did you end up fighting with that Zhou fellow?” Chu Caiwei suddenly asked as she was eating.
“I was taking my sister out shopping, and Zhou took a fancy to her looks.”
“Is your sister pretty?”
“On par with you.”
“Then she must indeed be as beautiful as a celestial being, not of this mortal world.”
Xu Qi An looked up at her. Sunlight filtered through the pores in the wall, illuminating her beautiful oval face with a healthy, warm glow.
Her eyes were large, round almond shapes, clear and bright as if containing stars. Xu Qi An rarely saw eyes with such an anime-like quality.
This beauty level would have been a perfect match for me in my previous life…
“The tax silver case is over now. Do you know who switched your second uncle’s tax silver?” Chu Caiwei sucked her fingers.
Xu Qi An shook his head: “I’m just a minor constable.”
Chu Caiwei looked up at him, then lowered her head to take another bite of the crispy-skinned roast duck. “The ones who switched the tax silver were Lu Xizi, a Thousandman of the Imperial Knife Guard, and Zheng Xin, the Director of Revenue from the Ministry of Revenue.”
“So?” Xu Qi An raised an eyebrow.
“I heard that Zhou Xianping, the Vice Minister of Revenue, is their backer.”
“!!!”
Damn it… Xu Qi An couldn’t help but want to curse.
It was as if an electric current passed through his mind, and he understood many things in an instant.
So, after hearing me give my name, Zhou was determined to kill me because I solved the tax silver case and ruined his father’s big plan.
He wanted revenge.
No, perhaps what happened today was something he had been planning for a long time… Vice Minister Zhou’s mansion was in the inner city, far from here, yet Zhou happened to be strolling near the Xu residence.
Unless he was deliberately lingering near the Xu residence… Zhou had investigated me, so how could he not know what Lingyin looked like… Harassing a respectable girl was just an act, his real purpose was to pick a fight, using this as an excuse to get rid of me.
Xu Qi An felt as if a cold snake was crawling up his back, a chill rising in his heart.