Xu Qi'an's seven letters

In the darkness of night, a cold wind blew, and the pond full of red lotuses swayed gently, like a surging sea of fire, a truly beautiful sight.

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath silently and smelled the fragrant aroma.

"Yunzhou is mountainous, but unlike the dense forests and miasma of the Southern Frontier, it is rich in medicinal herbs and other produce." Looking at the pond full of red lotuses, the Layman Ziyang continued:

"Yunzhou also possesses fertile farmland and abundant water resources. Although its annual rice production is not as high as that of Yuzhou and Zhangzhou, the two regions known as the granaries of the Great Feng Dynasty, Yunzhou's annual rice production is more than enough to feed the people of those two prefectures."

It sounds like Yunzhou must be hilly. Xu Qi'an nodded in realization.

Of the five basic landforms, hills are the most fertile and richest in resources. The so-called "land of fish and rice" of my past life was located in the hills of Jiangnan.

Yuzhou and Zhangzhou, the two Great Feng granaries of Feng, are located on plains, while the Southern Frontier is a mountainous region with high mountains everywhere and very little arable land.

The Layman Ziyang said in a deep voice, "Yunzhou has another geographical advantage. It is close to the South China Sea, so there is no need to worry about being attacked from both sides. If all else fails, we can also set sail."

"The friction between the Witch God Sect and the Great Feng on the border is becoming increasingly serious. If they want to create internal strife and keep the Great Feng preoccupied with its own problems, choosing Yunzhou is a wise move."

Now that you mention it, it sounds like this trip to Yunzhou was a total wipeout! Pshaw, kids say the darndest things, kids say the darndest things.

"Don't worry," Layman Ziyang said with a smile, as if he could see through Xu Qi'an's concerns. "Although the problems in Great Feng are very serious, it is still relatively calm, and the imperial court's authority remains intact."

"Even if the Witch God Cult is plotting something in Yunzhou, they only dare to do it in the shadows, not openly. I've had some free time lately, so I've trained a few hawks. I'll send you one later. If anything unexpected happens in Yunzhou, you can use the hawk to send a message. It's faster than traveling by post."

Even at the fastest speed, it would still take several days for a round trip. Indeed, a world without cell phones feels insecure; if everyone had a fragment of the Earth Book, things would be much better. Xu Qi'an said gratefully, "Thank you for your kindness, Teacher."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "What should I do once I get to Yunzhou?"

"Just focus on investigating the case and protecting Zhang Xingying. As for your dealings with officials, you don't need to worry about them," said the Layman Ziyang with a smile.

"Since Wei Yuan appointed Zhang Xingying as governor, this man is certainly not an ordinary person."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

After finishing his business, the Layman Ziyang pondered for a moment and said, "I often correspond with Jinyan, and I frequently mention you in my letters. You can be considered half a student of the Cloud Deer Academy. I heard that the academy was filled with a pure and noble spirit a few months ago?"

Who is Jinyan? Oh, he's Erlang's teacher, the great Confucian scholar Zhang Shen. Because he wasn't used to addressing people by their given names, it took Xu Qi'an a few seconds to realize who "Jinyan" was.

What did Layman Ziyang mean by that? Did Cloud Deer Academy not tell him the truth? Or did he know I was the one who did it, and said those words to give me a hint, but there was no need for that? Was it because correspondence couldn't be kept secret, so the great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy only mentioned it in their letters without revealing the truth?

He considered carefully and said, "This matter seems to be classified as top secret by the academy. The Sub-Sage Academy is still sealed off, and no one is allowed to enter."

At this point, Xu Qi'an couldn't help but think of the sage who called a deer a horse. He was truly a great man because he always stood behind his wife.

Layman Ziyang nodded slightly and asked no further questions.

Xu Qi'an, on the contrary, had some questions he wanted to ask this great scholar. After thinking for a moment, he decided to ask the first question:

"Teacher, some time ago, because of the Sangbo case, I challenged myself to read at night and flipped through history books. I found that before our lineage's chief minister suppressed Buddhism, he shouted the slogan 'As long as Buddhist School is not destroyed, all under heaven will be Buddhist.'"

"Subsequently, that prime minister advanced to the Establishing Destiny Realm. I think, even if Buddhist School has its flaws, it is still a prestigious and orthodox school. Is it too extreme to say that if Buddhist School doesn't perish, everyone in the world will be a Buddhist?"

Xu Qi'an didn't know the difference between the Buddhist School in this world and the Buddhist School. In this world, there was no Buddha, only one Buddha.

But regardless, Buddhist School shouldn't be considered a cult.

"This matter is a secret, and I know nothing about it either," said the Layman Ziyang.

"If you don't know, how do you know it's a secret?" Xu Qi'an forced himself to swallow his grumbling.

The Layman Ziyang chuckled and said, "The abbot is aware."

Xu Qi'an's second question was why there were stone statues of Confucian School sages in the Southern Frontier Abyss, but he gave up the idea of asking.

Xu Qi'an, who was in the capital, should not have known that there was a statue of Confucian School sage at the bottom of the abyss, and even an excuse like "I have a friend" would not have been acceptable.

Even the Nightwatchers and the government offices couldn't possibly know about this.

Back at the inn, Xu Qi'an took a cold shower, then went back to his room to sit cross-legged and practice meditation, visualizing mantras.

Qingzhou is adjacent to Yunzhou. If you set off from here at full speed, you can reach Yunzhou in three to five days. Even considering that Governor Zhang is in poor health, it will take about a week to reach the border of Qingzhou.

"This is a perfect opportunity to try and break through to the Spirit Refining Realm. It's just ten days without sleep. Back when I was just an ordinary person, I achieved the feat of grinding for 72 hours straight in an internet cafe."

The next day, Provincial Governor Yang Gong summoned stonemasons to carve four lines of poetry as a warning to all officials on the warning steles in front of the various government offices in Qingzhou.

From the prefect of Qingzhou to ordinary clerks, everyone who entered or left the government office every day could see these four lines of poetry.

What does it say here?

"You eat your own food and drink your own salary, which comes from the people's hard-earned money. The common people are easy to oppress, but Heaven is hard to deceive."

"What a wonderful poem! I'm illiterate, all I can say is: Wow, it's really well written. It must have been written by our Provincial Governor, who is truly an upright official."

"It's not the Provincial Governor, it's a man named Xu Qi'an. Hmm, there's also a smaller character next to it: Shi Yang Gong. Oh, he's our Provincial Governor's student."

This poem was written by Xu Qi'an, so it was his work. However, Layman Ziyang) did something shady: he had three small characters engraved on the left side of Xu Qi'an's full name: Shi Yang Gong (a pseudonym).

If the three great Confucian scholars from the Cloud Deer Academy were present, they would be spitting blood and roaring: Shameless old thief, how dare you try to freeload off this?

Many honest and upright officials were deeply impressed by this poem and silently took note of Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an's name spread rapidly in Qingzhou's official circles. Soon after, many scholars and officials suddenly realized that the person who wrote the poem on the stele was the great talent who wrote those poems that were hailed as the light of the literary world of the Great Feng Dynasty two hundred years ago.

What's most astonishing is that he wasn't a scholar, but a Nightwatchers.

But whether they were officials or students in Qingzhou, they were all convinced of Xu Qi'an's talent and admired his poetic talent, and even more so the spirit he expressed in his poems.

When the girls of the Imperial Academy of Music heard the news, their hearts were filled with excitement and anticipation. They were all eager to burn incense and pray to Buddha, hoping that the talented Xu would favor them and leave behind a poem or two.

They'd be willing to pay out of their own pockets.

Outside Qingzhou City.

The Layman Ziyang, along with a group of high-ranking officials from Qingzhou, personally saw the governor's entourage off out of the city.

"After this parting, I don't know when we will meet again. Take care, teacher." Xu Qi'an bowed as a disciple.

Layman Ziyang nodded slightly, somewhat wistfully. He had just taken on a student, barely had time to warm him up, and now he was leaving.

"On this trip to Yunzhou, handle the case well, and always remember to serve the court and the people," Yang Gong said solemnly.

For the sake of all the people. Xu Qi'an silently repeated this in his heart.

Several days later, at the post station on the border of Qingzhou.

At two o'clock in the morning, after finishing his breathing exercises and visualization, Xu Qi'an, who hadn't slept for seven days, walked out of his room carrying a candle.

It was late at night, and the inn was quiet. He walked down the corridor to the end and then down the stairs.

Beside the counter in the hall, an oil lamp burned silently, and the courier slept soundly on the table, a drop of clear liquid dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Government-run post stations were open 24 hours a day. Some officials would travel overnight for urgent business and might need to stay at a post station at any time.

Knock knock

Xu Qi'an tapped the counter twice, producing a dull sound.

The courier awoke with a start, wiping his mouth as he rose. "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Give me some envelopes and stationery; I need to write a letter," Xu Qi'an requested.

The courier immediately pulled out a piece of paper and an envelope from the cabinet, but Xu Qi'an shook his head. "Not enough."

How much do you want?

"Seven envelopes, the more letters the better."

The courier had never seen anyone write seven letters in one go before. He muttered something silently and obediently handed over seven envelopes and letters.

After taking the envelope and letter, Xu Qi'an turned and went upstairs to his room.

He placed the envelopes on his desk, took out red lotus petals from his jade mirror, pressed five petals onto five envelopes, then spread out the paper, placed a paperweight on top, and began to grind ink to write the letter.

The first letter.

Princess Huaiqing:

"When I write this letter, I have already reached the border of Qingzhou and am about to enter Yunzhou. When I left the capital, I originally wanted to discuss this with Your Highness and hear your wise opinion."

"But I never imagined that I had offended Your Highness in some way, causing you to be so heartless as to refuse to see me."

"While passing through Yuzhou, I uncovered a corruption case. This case reveals that the Witch God Cult has long been infiltrating the court and has secretly cultivated many spies. As the saying goes, a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole, so we must be vigilant. I hope Your Highness can advise His Majesty to work diligently to govern the country and revitalize the court."

"By the way, there is a flower in Qingzhou called the Red Lotus, which blooms in the depths of winter. The Red Lotus is noble and untainted by the mud, and it is not seductive even when washed by clear ripples. It is hollow inside and straight outside, without spreading or branching. Its fragrance grows more pure as it spreads, and it stands tall and clean. It can be admired from afar but not touched."

"This reminds me of Your Highness. I apologize, I know this is disrespectful to Your Highness. However, Your Highness's elegance and grace are unparalleled in my life. You are like a red lotus, rising from the mud unsullied, cleansed by the clear ripples without being seductive."

"This humble servant has picked a lotus petal and is sending it along with the letter to Your Highness as a token of my gratitude."

The second letter.

Princess Lin'an:

"The night is long and I can't sleep. His Highness's voice and smile are as if they are right in front of me and echo in my ears. I miss him terribly after not seeing him for half a month."

"The trip to Yunzhou was not lonely. Many interesting and bizarre things happened along the way. It turns out that there are water ghosts in the canal. During the trip, a Tiger Guard went up to the deck at night and suddenly heard his deceased mother calling. So, as if possessed, he jumped into the water."

"The water ghost grabbed his ankle tightly, trying to drag him to the bottom of the river. Fortunately, I noticed in time and bravely jumped into the river. I fought the water ghost for three hundred rounds, making the turbid waves surge, before finally saving the poor Tiger Guard."

"On the way from Qingzhou to Yunzhou, we passed through a village where a strange thing happened. After the wife of a certain family died, she became a zombie and wandered around the room day and night. She grew white teeth and bluish-black fingernails and bit anyone she saw."

"Fortunately, I happened to be passing by and immediately realized that there must be a reason for the woman's transformation into a corpse. After a thorough investigation, I discovered the truth. It turned out that the husband was having an affair with a widow at the edge of the village and wanted to divorce his wife and marry another. When his wife refused, he cruelly murdered her."

"The wife died with resentment, and her restless spirit caused the corpse to turn into a zombie."

"By the way, there is a flower in Qingzhou called the Red Lotus, which is as beautiful as fire and always reminds me of Your Highness's unparalleled elegance in a red dress."

"It's just like a princess, so charming and sassy (crossed out). It's so bright and light as the wind, yet when a gust of wind blows, it shyly lowers its head. A sentence comes to mind: The most tender thing is that lowered head, like a water lily shyly trembling in the cool breeze."

"I apologize for my rudeness. I had no intention of offending the princess, but the princess's beauty is the most exquisite I have ever seen."

The third letter.

Caiwei Girl:

"A day apart feels like three autumns; it's been half a month since we last met. How's the chicken essence making going? Has anyone successfully advanced to Alchemist?"

"There is a delicacy in Yuzhou called braised ham with yellow sprouts. Ham is a unique southern delicacy and is hard to find in the north."

"The method is also very simple. Use good ham, peel off the skin, remove the fat and keep the meat. First, simmer the skin in chicken broth until tender, then simmer the meat until tender, add the heart of Chinese cabbage, cut into sections about two inches long with the roots; add honey, rice wine and water, and simmer for half a day. It tastes sweet and fresh, the meat and vegetables melt together, but the vegetable roots and hearts do not fall apart at all. The soup is also extremely delicious."

"Qingzhou has several kinds of delicious food, let me tell you about them one by one."

"By the way, there's a flower in Qingzhou called the Red Lotus. This flower is bright and lively, blooming in the wind and swaying in the breeze, like a bunch of bright smiling faces. It reminds me of the girl Caiwei."

"You're such a carefree (scratch that) girl who brings joy to others, innocent and naive, with a pair of clear, bright eyes that are unforgettable."

The fourth letter.

"Fuxiang Girl:"

"I've missed you so much since we last met. I miss your smile, your coat, your white socks, and your scent (crossed out)."

"I've missed you so much since we last met. I've reached the border of Qingzhou and will arrive in Yunzhou tomorrow. Along the way, my colleagues have invited me to the Imperial Academy of Music government-run entertainment district), but I declined. Without you, the Imperial Academy of Music is so boring."

I can't help but think of our tender and affectionate past, those were our beautiful times.

"The trip to Yunzhou was more time-consuming and exhausting than I had imagined. Our reunion seems so far away. I know you miss me terribly. When you're feeling this longing, please remember to get your nails done."

"By the way, there's a flower in Qingzhou called the Red Lotus. This flower is as fiery as you, passionate and unforgettable."

Xu Qi'an finished writing letters to his backup suitors, blew on the ink to dry it, looked at the scribbled-on paper, and sighed helplessly.

That's how handwriting is; you'll inevitably make mistakes or write things you shouldn't. He made these kinds of mistakes when he was young and writing essays.

It doesn't matter. These are all women who know him well and won't dislike him because of his bad handwriting.

I'm quite satisfied with the content. It caters to the different personalities of the "backup" characters, with different content written for each. For example, Huaiqing likes current affairs, so I wrote about cases.

Lin'an loved listening to stories, so he wrote down strange and unusual tales along the way.

Chu Caiwei is a foodie, so I chatted with her about food.

As for Fuxiang, writing letters is more like flirting, and that's enough.

Next came the letter to his family. Xu Qi'an left it until last, carefully considering it before dipping his brush in ink and picking up his pen.

The fifth letter.

Lingyue, my sister:

"I'm doing well outside, but I miss you a little. From childhood to adulthood, I've never been away from you for more than three days. Of course, I've also never been away from my second uncle and aunt."

"Are you adapting well to life in the inner city? Prices are high there, unlike in the outer city, but don't deprive yourself. Go out more often and browse the silk and jewelry shops."

"When I left, I left my aunt three hundred taels of silver, enough for the family to spend for a while. Well, my eldest brother isn't home, and my Erlang is at the academy, so remember to make your own decisions and don't listen to your foolish mother in everything."

"If your aunt suggests you get married again, make her return the three hundred taels of silver to me, and make her return the silks and satins. Your elder brother doesn't want to find out you're engaged when he gets home."

"By the way, there's a flower in Qingzhou called the Red Lotus, as pure and elegant as you, gentle and beautiful."

The sixth letter.

Aunt:

"Please take good care of Lingyin, that's all!"

The seventh letter.

Second Uncle:

"I'm doing well outside. As I write this letter, I've just arrived at the border of Qingzhou. What will happen in Yunzhou is currently unknown."

"Don't worry, men always have to go through ups and downs. You and my dad were fought on the battlefield, weren't we?"

"I'm currently trying to break through to the Spirit Refining Realm. I hope that when I return to the capital, you, Second Uncle, will also have successfully advanced to the Spirit Refining Realm. At that time, our Xu Household will have two gods, which sounds very impressive."

"Oh, and I just remembered that you're not very literate. You probably didn't write to Cijiu, did you? I always thought that as a father, you would naturally care about your son, so I didn't write to him to tell him that we moved. Oh well, it's been half a month anyway, Cijiu should know where we've moved to by now."

I hope I'm just overthinking it.

After finishing the letter, Xu Qi'an folded the letter paper neatly and put it, along with the red lotus petals, into the envelope one by one.

P. S.: Requesting monthly votes. This chapter is nearly 5,000 words long, and I'm asking for votes with my hands on my hips, feeling perfectly justified.