Xu Qi'an: I've earned merit again

Are you playing me for a fool?

A chill crept across Consort Chen's face; her expression, her eyes, and her tone were all icy.

"You see," Xu Qi'an shrugged and scoffed, "No matter how nicely someone talks the talk, they'll turn on you the moment there's any real commitment."

It's a good thing you didn't agree, otherwise I would rather be heartbroken in Lin'an than let you go unscathed.

Consort Chen picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down. Her expression had returned to normal. "My biggest weakness is Lang'er. As long as she's gone, there will be no way to prove anything."

"And the Phoenix Palace, this tall building, will collapse in the blink of an eye. As the saying goes, a wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on. Lord Xu is a smart man; you know in your heart how to choose."

Xu Qi'an nodded in agreement. "The Crown Prince is still the Crown Prince, and the Empress is about to change her position. Moreover, Her Majesty has promised to marry Lin'an to me, so I choose Duke Wei."

Consort Chen's expression froze, and she tightened her grip on the teacup slightly. It took her a long time to resist the urge to splash the scalding tea on the boy's face or smash the cup.

"So, Lord Xu intends to take Lang'er away from Jingxiu Palace and kill me?"

Consort Chen stared intently at Xu Qi'an with her beautiful eyes, and the atmosphere in the room plummeted to freezing point, with an invisible murderous intent enveloping Xu Qi'an.

Xu Baipiao, who Spirit Refining Realm, did not capture the scene of the enemy's attack, but the instincts of a seventh-grade martial artist sent him a signal: danger!

If she insists on taking Lang'er away, it would mean she'd perish along with Consort Chen. In that case, she'd be driven to desperation and would no longer care that this was the inner palace; she'd attack me, and my life wouldn't be safe. Although Monk Shenshu is here, he's my last resort. Xu Qi'an sneered, straightening his back, his eyes filled with disdain:

"I, Xu Qi'an, faced tens of thousands of rebels that day, fought alone, killed thousands of enemies, and died without falling. Does Your Majesty think I would be afraid of mere threats?"

"I am not afraid of death, so why threaten me with death?"

"I am not afraid of death, so why threaten me with it?" Consort Chen, her eyes clearly showing surprise, slowly nodded. "Well said. Lord Xu is indeed a hero, but he has fallen into your hands."

The Imperial Concubine gripped her teacup tightly, as if about to smash it as a signal.

Suddenly, Xu Qi'an said loudly, "But I have a sincere heart for Lin'an and don't want to see her sad. I can pretend that what happened today never happened."

Even if I were to expose the Imperial Concubine, I would still need to be able to leave Jingxiu Palace, Xu Qi'an thought regretfully.

Consort Chen stared at him for a moment, then put down her teacup and nodded with satisfaction. "You weren't lying. It seems you are truly sincere about Lin'an. In that case, why is Lord Xu unwilling to pledge allegiance?"

Do you think I'm a fool? If I side with you, I'm doomed. In the capital, the only person I can rely on is Wei Yuan. Even Huaiqing is only half a person. As for Lin'an, she's a powerless princess who can't protect me at all.

"Your Majesty, supporting retainers is not just an empty promise, but a matter of action. I am loyal to Duke Wei because Duke Wei treats me with sincerity, and I trust him."

After saying this, Xu Qi'an turned to the side, glanced at the eunuch outside the courtyard, and said, "This humble servant is helpless against Her Highness, but I think Her Highness can't do anything to me either."

Once he no longer harbored the idea of mutual destruction, Consort Chen would no longer be able to make things difficult for him.

Although the young eunuch is just a lackey, he is now Emperor Yuanjing's eyes and ears, and can be considered as a surveillance agent. Everything that happens here will be relayed to Emperor Yuanjing without missing a single word.

Unless Consort Chen kills him directly, no amount of conspiracy or framing will work. The young eunuch can testify for Xu Qi'an.

This is why Xu Qi'an insisted on keeping the young eunuch.

Consort Chen gave him a deep look, her beautiful eyes slightly closed. "I am tired. You may leave. The gates of Jingxiu Palace will always be open for you."

"This humble servant takes his leave."

Xu Qi'an bowed respectfully and left the room.

The young eunuch in the courtyard saw him come out and immediately came forward to greet him, asking, "Lord Xu, what did the Imperial Concubine say to you?"

"Don't ask, or you'll lose your head," Xu Qi'an said irritably.

The young eunuch's expression changed slightly.

Walking out to the outer courtyard, Lin'an sat in the pavilion, resting his chin on one hand and fiddling with a teacup in the other, looking utterly bored.

Two palace maids stood by his side.

Upon seeing Xu Qi'an, her round face blossomed into a smile, her eyebrows curved, and her peach blossom eyes became lively. She waved and said sweetly:

"You lackey, come here right now!"

The dog servant's barking lacked any power; it sounded more like a spoiled, whiny whine.

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and smiled nonchalantly, "Your Highness, this humble servant has come out."

Lin'an immediately asked, "What did your mother say to you?"

"Her Majesty said that His Highness is approaching marriageable age and asked if I had any suitable candidates to recommend. She hopes to help His Highness find a suitable husband."

Lin'an was taken aback for a moment, a blush creeping onto her face. She asked suspiciously, "Would Mother Consort tell you this?"

"Hey, why aren't you falling for it? When did you become so smart? I was thinking of volunteering myself next. "Xu Qi'an could only say helplessly:

"I was just joking."

The woman's eyebrows shot up. "You dog of a servant, how dare you flirt with me!"

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him.

"This humble servant is still a child and doesn't understand what teasing is."

Biao Biao spat out a "Pah!" but then found Xu Qi'an's words very interesting and giggled like a little hen.

Her smile was both innocent and charming, like a beautiful sight to behold.

Xu Qi'an smiled along, but sighed inwardly.

His initial plan was to pretend he didn't know anything, leave Jingxiu Palace first, and then tell Wei Yuan about his discovery so that Wei Yuan could quickly capture Lang'er and catch Consort Chen off guard.

However, because of Lin'an, he hesitated for a moment. Although after calming down, he would still expose Consort Chen without hesitation.

Unexpectedly, Consort Chen was also quite cunning. It was predictable that no sooner had he left than Lang'er would die of illness. In this way, Consort Chen would have no more flaws.

"Consort Chen is a qualified imperial concubine. It's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse for such a foolish girl like Lin'an to grow up within the palace walls."

Recalling Consort Chen's actions just now, she was indeed quick-witted, summoning him over to test him without considering the consequences. As a result, she actually discovered something amiss.

Her subsequent candid remarks, seemingly heartfelt, were actually born of confidence, because she knew that as long as she dealt with Lang'er, she would have no weaknesses, and Xu Qi'an couldn't take Lang'er away unless he wanted to die.

Since they've already been discovered, they might as well be more open and admit it. This could gain my trust, and then they could use their beautiful daughter as bait. If I were a lecherous man, I probably would have taken the bait right then and there.

With the protection of the monk Shenshu, I might not die on the spot, but I have exposed myself. That bastard Emperor Yuanjing will definitely seal me in Sangbo. The ending will still be the same: we will all perish together.

After leaving Jingxiu Palace, Xu Qi'an declined Biao Biao's invitation to play Go, saying he had important business to attend to.

"Young Master, I have finished dealing with matters in the palace. When you report to His Majesty later, there are some things you can say and some things you cannot say. I will give you a few pointers here," Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the young eunuch adopted a serious demeanor, "Lord Xu, please speak."

"You must tell the Emperor everything about Jingxiu Palace. You must say this: After questioning Lang'er, a palace maid in Jingxiu Palace, Lord Xu's face was extremely unpleasant, as if he did not want to stay any longer, and he did not even drink tea."

"But before Lord Xu could leave Jingxiu Palace, the Imperial Concubine suddenly stopped him and invited him to the back courtyard. The Imperial Concubine dismissed everyone and spoke with Lord Xu in the room for a while. This servant was left in the courtyard and not allowed to enter. Although I could see the two of them in the room, I could not hear what they were saying."

"After the conversation, Lord Xu left the palace with a heavy heart."

After Xu Qi'an finished speaking, he took out five taels of silver notes from his pocket, as well as five taels of silver that he had swindled from the eunuch guarding the Jingxiu Palace, totaling ten taels, and handed them to the young eunuch without any airs.

The young eunuch opened his robes wide while waving his hands, saying, "Lord Xu, this is unacceptable, this is unacceptable."

After carefully putting away the silver, he pondered Xu Qi'an's words and, finding no major problems, nodded. "Alright, this servant will certainly do as instructed."

Xu Qi'an immediately left the palace, borrowed Huaiqing's fine horse from the Imperial Guard, and hurried back to the Nightwatchers's Office.

After being announced by the guards, he entered Haoqi Tower and went to the tea room on the seventh floor where guests were received.

Wei Yuan wasn't in the tea room, but on the watchtower connected to it. He sat on a large chair with his hair down, and a black-clad official was combing his hair.

Wei Yuan beckoned, "Come here and comb my hair."

The clerk in black tactfully handed the comb to Xu Qi'an and turned to leave the tea room.

Why is Duke Wei combing his hair at this time?

Xu Qi'an held the comb and combed his hair from head to toe without tangling it. He thought to himself that it looked quite elegant.

"In Buddhist School, hair symbolizes the threads of afflictions." Wei Yuan, bathed in sunlight, squinted, his voice gentle:

"A quick comb of your hair, and all the past is wiped away."

What's the meaning?

Wei Yuan is acting strangely today. What does he mean by "wiping away the past with a single stroke"?

"Combing hair is pointless. Let me massage Duke Wei's head instead," Xu Qi'an said.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "Give it a try!"

Xu Qi'an tucked the comb into his pocket, spread his fingers, pressed them against Wei Yuan's head, and gently massaged the acupoints.

Wei Yuan's breathing gradually slowed down, and the warm sunlight shone on the two of them. The view from this high vantage point was beautiful. Xu Qi'an squinted as he gazed into the distance, feeling as if he had returned to the human world and was far away from the intrigues and power struggles in the palace.

"Not bad," Wei Yuan said with a smile.

"Of course! That's a legendary skill from the barbershop. I'll make you a shampoo chair later." Xu Qi'an coughed and said, "This subordinate has something to report."

"Explain."

"I have already found out who is behind this."

Wei Yuan opened his eyes and remained silent for a long time.

"It's Consort Chen!" Xu Qi'an whispered, "When I went to Jingxiu Palace to investigate today, I discovered that her maid, Lang'er, was the one who tore up the Imperial Pharmacy's records."

He then told Wei Yuan everything he had discovered and how Consort Chen had recruited him.

Wei Yuan patted his hand, signaling him to stop, then stood up and walked to the edge of the watchtower, placing his hands on the railing and gazing into the distance. "Who do you think is behind Consort Chen?"

How would I know? Xu Qi'an shook his head. "It might be related to the Bureau of Astronomy."

This is what he deduced from the existence of the Qi-Watching Technique.

"It's not the Bureau of Astronomy." Wei Yuan shook his head, his tone certain.

"It wasn't the Bureau of Astronomy." Xu Qi'an took a few seconds to react, then asked in astonishment, "Duke Wei, do you know that Consort Chen is plotting against the Empress and you?"

"At first, I didn't expect her to be so ruthless as to drag the Crown Prince into this case. After that, I stopped paying attention to it. But this morning, after learning that the Empress had confessed and hearing your account of the case, I guessed it was Consort Chen."

Xu Qi'an stared at his back for a long time. He used to think that Wei Yuan and Daoist Jinlian were both old fogies, but now he realized that Daoist Jinlian was actually quite kind and not as deep as Wei Yuan.

If it wasn't the Bureau of Astronomy, how could Consort Chen possess the Qi-Watching Technique? Who else besides the Bureau of Astronomy Qi-Watching Technique?

Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "Duke Wei, I've just remembered something."

"A third-rank Warlock appeared in the Yunzhou case?" Wei Yuan asked rhetorically.

"Duke Wei is exceptionally wise." Xu Qi'an was convinced.

"I've also investigated this person, but I couldn't find anything. Do you know the name of the third-rank Warlock in the Bureau of Astronomy?" Wei Yuan asked.

"The Celestial Master." Xu Qi'an had heard the King of Force mention him.

"The celestial strategist can shield himself from celestial secrets, erasing his own existence and all traces he has left behind. His parents will forget him, his wife and children will forget him, and all written records he left behind will also disappear. This is the celestial strategist."

"In addition, the clairvoyant can also alter other people's impressions of him, leaving a vague memory in their minds, but they can never fully recall it."

Wei Yuan looked around and said, "During the Sangbo case, you checked the information on the first supervisor, but there was no record of it in any historical materials, not even a single word. You should know that Emperor Wuzong could change history, but he couldn't silence the mouths of later generations, much less the unofficial histories."

"It was the Director of the Imperial Observatory who erased all information about the first Director of the Imperial Observatory, as if he had never existed. Even I often mistakenly believe that the Director of the Imperial Observatory was the founder of the Bureau of Astronomy and the creator of the Warlock System."

"Then, due to the gaps created by historical omissions, one might suddenly recall that there was also an early supervisor."

"How can we investigate this?" Xu Qi'an was stunned.

He realized once again how terrifying the top experts in this world were.

"If we want to investigate, we'll have to rely on the Supervising Official," Wei Yuan said.

That makes sense. Only magic can defeat magic. Father Wei's thinking is correct. Xu Qi'an nodded secretly.

"But the supervisor refused," Wei Yuan sighed.

This was exactly the answer I expected. The Bureau of Astronomy held many secrets, and the Director was like an old man guarding those secrets. Xu Qi'an pursed his lips and asked curiously:

"Does Duke Wei know what the first and second ranks of Warlock are called?"

Wei Yuan shook his head. "I've never gotten along with the Supervisor. The Great Feng is like a game of chess; he's the player, and so am I. We often clash because of our different approaches."

This was the first time Wei Yuan had discussed such "high-level" topics with Xu Qi'an.

Perhaps in Wei Yuan's heart, the Supervisor was his greatest political enemy? Xu Qi'an probed, "How does Duke Wei plan to save the Empress?"

"Whether pushing the emperor's brother-in-law out to take the blame will succeed or not remains to be seen. His Majesty likes checks and balances, and he might also think that if the empress is deposed, the crown prince will have no rivals. However, His Majesty has some unpleasant memories and may not be so calm-headed, unless we can make him suspect Consort Chen."

"The Empress is still too soft-hearted; she didn't even consult me before taking this step," Wei Yuan said, his voice tinged with helplessness.

Duke Wei, your subtext is: Empress, you're a complete idiot teammate?

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up, knowing that his preparations before leaving the palace had not been in vain, or perhaps he had even made a contribution.

"Duke Wei, I am guilty; I acted on my own initiative just now."

Wei Yuan turned around, frowning. "What is it?"