The Night Watchman’s invitation… an invitation for me?
Xu Qi An found it hard to believe at first and remained silent, not rushing to speak.
“You’re a talented individual. I confirmed that back in the courtroom,” Li Yuchun said, adopting a more casual sitting posture, no longer as confrontational as before. He continued, “As the guardians of Great Feng and protectors of His Majesty, it’s normal to have high standards. The Qi Refining realm is the baseline for Night Watchmen.”
“But you’ve proven yourself with your abilities. Even at the Body Tempering realm, the Night Watchmen are willing to recruit you.”
Is it because my methods are cunning enough and my mind sharp enough to warrant an exception?
Yes, this Silver Gong with half Southern Barbarian blood had expressed his admiration for me when solving the tax silver case.
The stern-faced Silver Gong added, “Of course, the main reason is that the Crown Princess recommended you.”
The Crown Princess?! Xu Qi An was shocked again.
Who is the Crown Princess, and why would she recommend me? I don’t even know her. Well… I have heard about her at the Cloud Deer Academy.
But we’ve never met. Why would she recommend me to the Night Watchmen?
Xu Qi An was full of confusion and bewilderment, but the two Silver Gongs didn’t seem inclined to explain. Perhaps they didn’t know themselves.
“Besides these reasons, why aren’t you two gentlemen reporting me?” Xu Qi An asked.
Li Yuchun smiled, “You should know the duties of the Night Watchmen.”
Monitoring officials… Attendant Zhou, who embezzled from the national treasury, wasn’t on the same side as the Night Watchmen. The Night Watchmen organization had been pushing for his downfall… Xu Qi An suddenly realized.
“Attendant Zhou was bound to fall sooner or later. We had already started dealing with him, but your little scheme helped speed up the process,” said the stern-faced Silver Gong.
Li Yuchun glanced at him and said, “Lord Sun, as we agreed earlier, I’ll take this man. Please give us some privacy to talk.”
The Silver Gong surnamed Sun didn’t leave. Instead, he stared at Xu Qi An and said, “You have a choice between following him or me.”
“There’s not much difference in power between us, but he’s a stickler for rules and inflexible. The Bronze Gongs under him generally don’t fare well. Those who follow me, however, can afford a decent small courtyard in the inner city within three years at most.”
Working for three years and owning a house in the capital… truly a tempting offer… Xu Qi An politely declined Sun’s recruitment, saying:
“During the tax silver case, Lord Li gave me a chance to redeem myself. I’ve always remembered this kindness, so I’d like to work under him.”
This was only one reason. Another was that he didn’t want to go against his conscience by engaging in too many “side hustle” activities.
Silver Gong Sun nodded slightly, approving, “It’s good to know gratitude and reciprocate.”
He left without hesitation.
After the door closed, Li Yuchun pointed to the chair opposite him and smiled warmly, “Sit down. Let me introduce myself. I’m Li Yuchun, your future boss. You can address me as such directly. If you’re not comfortable with that, calling me Lord Li is fine too.”
Can I call you Brother Chun… Xu Qi An sat down, slightly nervous, and called out “Lord Li.”
“Working under me, you must have a clear conscience. Remember this,” Li Yuchun warned before introducing the Night Watchmen organization:
“In the Night Watchmen, the lowest level is the White Servants, who have no official status and do odd jobs. Next are the Bronze Gongs, who are proper Night Watchmen, at least in the Qi Refining realm, with a monthly salary of five taels of silver and two stones of rice. Above them are the Silver Gongs, who enjoy the treatment of a Centurion.”
“Above the Silver Gongs are the Gold Gongs, the highest-ranking position. There are only ten Gold Gongs in the capital of Great Feng, who report directly to Lord Wei.”
Xu Qi An nodded. He knew these basics, and that Wei Yuan was the head of the Night Watchmen organization.
“The duties of the Night Watchmen are to monitor officials and protect the capital. You’ll gradually familiarize yourself with the specific tasks,” Li Yuchun said, scrutinizing Xu Qi An. “You’re currently at the peak of the Body Tempering realm. I have two suggestions: One, slowly accumulate merits and wait for opportunities. Two, pay four hundred taels of silver, and I’ll help you open your Celestial Gate.”
Xu Qi An chose without hesitation: “I’ll take the second option.”
Li Yuchun narrowed his eyes, “Quite wealthy, aren’t you?”
“Miss Caiwei from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau lent it to me,” Xu Qi An said without blushing, passing the buck to the beautiful big-eyed girl.
Li Yuchun nodded, “I’ll arrange for your household registration to be changed and handle the relevant procedures.”
He left after saying this and returned a while later, leading in a squinty-eyed young man and a solemn-faced young man.
“Song Tingfeng,” the man with squinty eyes when smiling introduced himself, looking Xu Qi An up and down. “Not bad, you came in once and became a colleague?”
“Zhu Guangxiao,” the solemn-faced young man said, then fell silent.
Xu Qi An followed the two to handle the employment procedures. On the way, Song Tingfeng chatted casually:
“Working under Boss Li is generally more relaxed, without much scheming and intrigue. The downside is you have to be careful when making money on the side. The small graft is fine, just don’t go overboard.”
“Then can you return the thirty taels of silver to me?” Xu Qi An gazed at him sincerely.
Song Tingfeng returned an even more sincere gaze: “When did I ever take money from you?”
…You scoundrel! Xu Qi An grinned, “Oh, I must have remembered wrong.”
“By the way, we’re planning to go to the Courtesans’ Quarter tonight. Want to join?” Song Tingfeng was invited.
I hate this kind of decadent official socializing the most… Xu Qi An smiled brightly: “Sure.”
After completing the procedures, Song Tingfeng led him deeper into the yamen, explaining as they walked: “After joining the Night Watchmen, there’s one more process – testing your aptitude.”
“Testing aptitude?” Xu Qi An imagined placing his hand on a crystal stone to test his Qi level.
“It’s a rule and process set by Lord Wei,” Song Tingfeng said. “It tests ‘intelligence’, ‘strength’, and ‘heart’.”
As he spoke, they arrived at a pavilion. Stepping over the high threshold, they entered the first-floor hall. Two lines of poetry hung on the pillars:
“With a sincere heart, I serve the dust of the temple.
Not seeking benefits for myself.”
“Lord Wei wrote these to warn and admonish us,” Song Tingfeng said.
“It hasn’t been very effective,” Xu Qi An glanced at him sideways, his words carrying a hint.
Song Tingfeng pretended not to understand and led him further in. “Since you’re at the Body Tempering realm, we don’t need to test your combat strength. Let’s test your intelligence first.”
He summoned the clerks in the pavilion and gave instructions.
Moments later, two clerks entered, each carrying a brocade box.
Song Tingfeng smiled, “One of the boxes in their hands is empty, while the other contains something. You can choose one person to ask a question, but you can only ask one question.”
“And among them, one always lies, while the other always tells the truth.”
Song Tingfeng chuckled, “You have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to think about it. I can’t give you any hints.”
Zhu Guangxiao concisely reminded, “This question is very difficult. Think carefully.”
Song Tingfeng nodded, “Although Lord Wei says this is just a small game, very few people can guess correctly. Even though I figured it out afterward, it was already past the time of an incense stick burning.”
“It’s said that only the Gold Gong lords can solve this puzzle within twenty breaths.”
A clerk lit an incense stick and placed it nearby.
I’ve chewed through countless such simple logic puzzles in my past life.
Xu Qi An turned to ask the clerk on the left, “If you were him, what would you tell me?”
The clerk seemed a bit confused, apparently not expecting Xu Qi An to ask such a question. After thinking for a while, he mumbled, “There’s nothing inside.”
Xu Qi An nodded and placed his hand on the brocade box held by the clerk on the right, “The item is in this box.”
Song Tingfeng’s face stiffened as he looked towards his expressionless companion, “How long?”
Zhu Guangxiao spoke with a somewhat depressed tone, “Not counting the time the clerk was stunned, twelve breaths…”
The air fell silent for a second, then Song Tingfeng cupped his hands and shook his head helplessly, “Your solving of the tax silver case wasn’t just a fluke.”
He knew about Xu Qi An. Li Yuchun was one of the main investigators in the tax silver case, and at that time, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were outside, exhausting themselves tracking non-existent demons.
After the tax silver case was solved, as participants in the case, they naturally became aware of Xu Qi An’s existence.