A crisis of exposed identity

"Accompany you?" Xu Qi'an thought to herself, "Of course not. If it were just you, I could make do, but with that wicked aunt, it wouldn't work."

"I know it's going too far. My elder brother has to go to the yamen to work tomorrow, but Mother insisted that I come to persuade him to stand guard at the gate."

Xu Lingyue knew that her insides would be black, and she herself was so scared that she couldn't sleep, but she shifted the blame to her mother.

"Stand guard at the gate, huh? That bastard Second Uncle is probably having a good time at the Imperial Academy of Music, while I'm left to guard his wife and daughters." Xu Qi'an sighed and said helplessly, "Alright."

He dressed himself and, to reassure his aunt and sister, brought a long black and gold sword.

"I'll sit outside, you guys go to sleep." Xu Qi'an knocked on the door.

"Okay, thank you, brother."

"Thank you Dalang."

The voices of her younger sister and Lü'e drifted from the house, soft and pleasant to the ear. Her aunt stubbornly remained silent.

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged, circulating his Qi while visualizing in his mind. After a while, he heard his aunt's soft voice:

"What if it floats in through the window? What if Ningyan falls asleep?"

"Mother, don't talk nonsense. My brother is carrying a knife."

When the aunt heard that her nephew was guarding outside with a knife, she felt a little relieved.

Silence filled the room for a while, broken only by the sound of snoring— Xu Lingyin's. One could imagine her sprawled on the bed, fast asleep, mouth agape.

After a while, Aunt called out, "Ningyan?"

Xu Qi'an said irritably, "I'm here."

So he would cough every now and then, and the women in the room would no longer be afraid when they heard his magnetic cough.

The aunt and sister were right to be afraid, because the house had truly been haunted, not just some unfounded story.

With time, this fear will naturally fade away.

A moment later, her aunt's complaining voice came, "Lingyue, don't stand so close to your mother, it's too hot."

"Mom~" Xu Lingyue said in a wronged yet coquettish tone.

The aunt, out of love for her daughter, remained silent for a moment before lowering her voice and saying, "Lingyue, you've really grown up; you're of marriageable age."

Xu Qi'an's ears twitched. Hearing this, he didn't think much of it at first, but his aunt's tone was very strange. He listened carefully and sure enough, he heard his younger sister say shyly, "Mother, I want to stay by your side a little longer."

"When your mother was your age, she was already married to your father. Other girls, even if they weren't married, were already engaged. Look at you!" The aunt said with a sigh.

"I'm afraid you'll grow up to be a woman, and still not be able to get married."

Xu Lingyue remained silent.

Actually, it's not so bad. Seventeen was still high school in my time. Of course, JK girls changing boyfriends is another matter. Xu Qi'an's lips curled up, almost laughing out loud at his own sarcasm. He felt that being a goalkeeper wasn't so boring after all.

Auntie added, "You live next door to Dalang, remember to be careful when you bathe. Martial artists are very sharp-eyed and sharp-sighted, so be on guard."

"Mother, are you saying that my eldest brother peeks at me while I'm bathing?" Xu Lingyue's eyes gleamed in the darkness.

I wouldn't, I didn't, don't wrong me. I always bathed with Fuxiang at the Imperial Academy of Music, there's no need for me to peep. Xu Qi'an thinks his aunt is as vicious as ever. Now that she can't confront him directly, she secretly tries to sow discord between him and Lingyue, trying to drive a wedge between them.

"You're not going to be so careless just because your Dalang won't peek?" The aunt spat at her daughter, then turned to look at the door. Hearing her nephew coughing occasionally, she continued speaking with a sense of relief.

Xu Qi'an didn't sleep all night, focusing on breathing exercises and refining his Primordial Spirit. He was still full of energy after dawn.

When they were having breakfast, Xu Pingzhi returned, dressed in military uniform. He wasn't carrying any green oranges, so Xu Qi'an believed that his second uncle had indeed been on duty last night, and hadn't gone to the Imperial Academy of Music.

"Lingyin ran away last night and slept by the well." Aunt told Second Uncle about last night's events. "Luckily, Ningyan was still at home; if he hadn't been there either, it would have been truly haunted."

At this point, the timid aunt became frightened again, realizing she was simply scaring herself.

Second Uncle Xu nodded to his nephew and asked, "What is Lingyin doing sleeping by the well in the middle of the night?"

Xu Qi'an said, "It's all my aunt's fault for lying to me, saying that if you fry ghosts in oil, they taste better than anything else. She got hungry for them."

"Oh." Second Uncle Xu nodded, feeling that this was something his young daughter would do, and there was nothing surprising about it.

After moving into the new house, I can get up later in the morning, and it only takes half an hour to ride there, which is very convenient.

When Xu Qi'an arrived at the yamen, he went to Li Yuchun's Chunfeng Hall to check in as usual. After confirming that he was not assigned any tasks for the day, he took Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao out to patrol the streets.

In the bustling city, people came and went in an endless stream, peddlers roamed the streets and alleys, and shops were frequented by a constant stream of customers. The inner city was far more prosperous than the outer city.

Xu Qi'an planned to take Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to the health clinic again, but the two younger brothers absolutely refused to go.

He went alone and met Hengyuan No. 6 and "Black Dog". He learned that the poor child's health had improved, and Xu Qi'an breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a great weight lifted from his heart.

"Lord Xu, this humble monk has a question to ask," Hengyuan said, pressing his palms together.

"Please speak, Master." Xu Qi'an smiled, his mood quite relaxed.

When Lord Xu first saw the child, he said something, "Hengyuan stared at him intently: Lord Xu said, 'Is this the child?'"

"Lord Xu seems to know him, but I recall that you two have never crossed paths."

Damn, the shock I felt that day was too great, and I accidentally let it slip. Xu Qi'an smiled, appearing calm as a rock, but inside he was starting to panic.

Could it be that Number Six suspects I'm Number Three? Come to think of it, I did find money right in front of him that day. Well, finding money isn't a big deal; everyone has their lucky breaks sometimes. But Number Six will definitely have some suspicions and think I'm not quite right. He might even be trying to link me to Number Three.

But the image of the Confucian School 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 is at most suspicious. Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an sighed:

"I heard Number Three say that."

He offered no further explanation, leaving the rest to Hengyuan's imagination. First, Hengyuan would certainly question the so-called "superior-subordinate" relationship. The Heaven and Earth Society was not a secretive force, but the Heaven and Earth Society in the outside world was composed of Earth Sect Daoists represented by Master Jinlian.

The true hidden force is the Heaven and Earth Society, composed of holders of fragments of the Earth Book. How could Number Three possibly report such a matter to his subordinates so casually?

Then, Hengyuan No. 6 will investigate him with such doubts, and as he investigates, he discovers that it turns out that Lord Xu's cousin is a student of the Confucian School Academy.

At this point, he would feel that he had discovered the key point.

As expected, Hengyuan didn't say anything, but nodded slightly with a solemn expression.

Actually, whether my identity is exposed or not isn't a big deal. Number Six Hengyuan is a good person. Well, the main problem is that I bragged too much online. I feel really ashamed if my identity is exposed. Xu Qi'an said goodbye and left.

Upon returning to the yamen, Xu Qi'an received another letter from a white-robed official of the Bureau of Astronomy, saying that Chu Caiwei had made a major breakthrough in Alchemy, and Song Qing summoned him to the Bureau of Astronomy to discuss it.

"So fast?" Xu Qi'an mounted his horse and rode to the Star-Gazing Tower.

He met Song Qing and Chu Caiwei in the Alchemy Chamber on the seventh floor, and also noticed their identical dark circles under their eyes.

"Miss Caiwei, you need to get more rest," Xu Qi'an said with a relieved expression. Had Ning also become a master of time management?

With dark circles under her eyes and a vacant look, Chu Caiwei appeared even more adorable, and said wearily, "I haven't slept for three days."

Song Qing took a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Xu Qi'an: "Take a look."

Xu Qi'an uncorked the mushroom powder, poured a little into his palm, and tasted the fine crystalline particles mixed in with the mushroom powder. He licked it, and a strong umami flavor spread across his taste buds, making his tongue feel hot.

"How did you do that?" Xu Qi'an was shocked.

"Grain fermentation, addition of honey, purification." Song Qing waved her hand, not wanting to explain, "If you want to know the process, I'll have Caiwei write it down for you later. You can check if this is what it is first."

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "The taste is very similar. Is this thing poisonous?"

"Non-toxic."

That's it.

Song Qing nodded and said, "This stuff is more precious than salt. If it is to be widely distributed, the imperial court will inevitably monopolize it."

"In the past, the products produced by the Bureau of Astronomy were managed by the imperial court, with the Bureau of Astronomy receiving 30% of the annual revenue. I've discussed it with Senior Brother Yang, and we'll give you 10%."

The reason for only taking 10% is that Xu Qi'an only proposed the concept of MSG and some theoretical steps. Some of those steps were correct, while others led Song Qing and Chu Caiwei astray.

In this new form of Alchemy, Chu Caiwei and Song Qing have to make even greater contributions.

"It's a very fair distribution." Xu Qi'an nodded, then tentatively asked, "So, how much silver will I receive in a year? Hmm, I know there's a lack of assessment criteria, but Senior Brother Song can give a rough estimate."

"That depends on how the imperial court intends to sell it," Song Qing pondered. "If it's ten percent, several thousand or tens of thousands of taels of silver? I'm referring to the capital region."

After he finished speaking, he found his hand firmly held in Xu Qi'an's palm. The old man, speaking earnestly and affectionately, said:

May our friendship last forever, until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble.

"You've gone too far."

The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Garden.

Wei Yuan accompanied Emperor Yuanjing on a stroll through the Imperial Garden. The sun was warm, and the 20-acre royal garden was planted with various precious flowers and trees, offering completely different scenery in winter and spring.

"Frost kills all plants, flowers and trees wither; this seemingly desolate scene, upon closer inspection, has a unique charm." Emperor Yuanjing remarked meaningfully, his hands behind his back.

Behind him, Wei Yuan, who was half a step behind, said thoughtfully, "Your Majesty, desolation has never been a beautiful sight throughout history."

Faced with the retort from the chief eunuch in blue, Emperor Yuanjing merely smiled and said nonchalantly, "Next spring, all the flowers will naturally bloom."

Wei Yuan seemed to be arguing for the sake of arguing. "Next spring is still early. Who knows how long this desolation will last?"

Emperor Yuanjing glanced at him sideways, "Then what does Minister Wei think we should do?"

Wei Yuan said gently, "The sight of a hundred flowers in full bloom is indeed beautiful, but spring goes and winter comes, and all the splendor fades away. Your Majesty, look at those evergreen trees. No matter the spring breeze and autumn moon, summer sun and winter snow, they still exist."

"Remove the tangled and diverse flowers and plants, and leave behind the evergreen trees; this is the way to longevity."

Emperor Yuanjing's smile vanished, replaced by a cold, sidelong glance. The man in blue robes smiled gently, his gaze warm, and he did not retreat an inch.

After a long silence between the emperor and his minister, Emperor Yuanjing said calmly, "The Empress caught a cold a few days ago. After recovering, she has had a poor appetite and hasn't eaten much for several days."

Wei Yuan finally looked away, bowed deeply, and asked, "What did the Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy say?"

"She has a poor appetite, but is otherwise healthy and needs rest," Emperor Yuanjing said. "However, I have noticed that the Empress has lost a lot of weight. Wei Yuan, go and check on her for me."

"Yes!"

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