Leaving the Capital

"Bringing honor to one's ancestors?"

The aunt didn't react for a moment, thinking that it would be a month or two before Nian'er nephew passed the imperial examination with flying colors. It wasn't until her nephew showed a smug expression that she realized he was bragging.

Aunt rolled her beautiful eyes and said with a smirk, "Oh my, so our Dalang has been promoted and given a title, hasn't he?"

You could tell she was a cunning old woman the moment she opened her mouth.

"I've heard from the neighbors that only scholars can rise to high positions in the imperial court. No matter how high you rise in rank, you'll just be a Nightwatchers."

Although the aunt gradually resolved her inner conflict and was no longer as resentful as before, she felt she had to stick to her principles on the topic of "who is more successful, her nephew or her son".

Unlike her husband Xu Pingzhi, whose sons and nephews were all Xu Household children, raised in the family for twenty years and treated no differently than their own sons.

Her aunt couldn't stand Xu Qi'an Qi'an's arrogant attitude. He would show off in front of her from time to time, and he didn't respect her at all.

Therefore, Erlang must be more successful than Dalang, so that his aunt can hold her head high in front of her nephew.

"Auntie doesn't believe me?" Xu Qi'an glanced sideways.

"I believe you, it's just a promotion," the aunt said nonchalantly.

Second Uncle Xu was recently promoted and transferred from the outer city to the inner city, where he was given a fixed patrol area. That area is full of wealthy families who, for the sake of their homes' safety, would spend money to Imperial Saber Guard responsible for the surrounding area and cultivate good relationships.

So my second uncle has recently accumulated a lot of private savings. Even though fifty taels of silver were confiscated, he still has enough money to go to the Imperial Academy of Music.

Of course, Second Uncle Xu never went to the Imperial Academy of Music on his own initiative, since the girls Imperial Academy of Music were far inferior to his aunt. Whenever Imperial Academy of Music, it was always for social obligations among colleagues.

On the contrary, it was Xu Dalang and Xu Erlang, having reached Shen Gongbao's age and still unmarried, would voluntarily go to the Imperial Academy of Music to relieve their stress.

"It's not a promotion, it's a noble title!" Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice.

"Pfft." Auntie was amused, her body trembling with laughter, charming and captivating.

"Hey, don't talk nonsense." Second Uncle Xu waved his hand and said irritably, "Back in the day, I fought my way through Shanhai Pass, from south to north and from north to south, until I was covered in blood. Even so, I'm still a little short of being granted a noble title."

"Killing from south to north, and from north to south, Uncle, aren't your arms getting sore?" Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Xu Xinnian shook his head. "The matter of bestowing titles is of great importance. The last time the Great Feng bestowed titles was twenty years ago during the Battle of Shanhai Pass. Now that the world is at peace, where would we get the military merits to bestow titles upon you?"

"A noble title doesn't necessarily come from military achievements." Xu Qi'an patted the little bean curd's head. "Right, Lingyin?"

The little boy ignored him, his little mouth pressed against the rim of the bowl as he slurped down his porridge.

"Alright, alright, don't you know your own limitations?" Auntie scoffed. "If you're not taking a day off today, hurry up and go to the yamen. It's almost Mao Shi (5-7 AM), don't delay your second uncle's duty."

"Don't worry about bringing glory to our family, Dalang. After the imperial examination this spring, our Xu Household will produce a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). We'll hold a banquet at home and invite all the clansmen over for a meal."

The imperial examinations haven't even started yet, and my aunt is already feeling proud.

Damn, this is the kind of start I wanted! My second uncle is biased, my aunt is mean, my cousin is a scholar but he always puts me down, one sister looks down on me, and another sister steals my food. Then, the God of War returns, forcefully bestows a title, and kicks my uncle and aunt's family out to live in a doghouse. Xu Qi'an thought about it and felt pretty good.

Second Uncle Xu picked up the helmet again and nodded. "It's getting late, I have to rush to my post."

He ignored the matter of being granted a title, taking it as a joke by his nephew.

Xu Household could produce a nobleman, it would be an incredible stroke of luck. Even if Erlang passed the imperial examination with flying colors, he could never compare to Dalang.

Just then, Xu Pingzhi saw the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, rushing towards him in a hurry, his panicked expression as if he were being chased by a tiger.

"Old, old, old, old master"

The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, stammered excitedly, "An imperial edict!"

"Saint what?" Xu Pingzhi didn't hear clearly.

"An imperial edict!"

"What decree?" Xu Erlang didn't hear clearly.

"Imperial edict, an imperial edict conferring a title."

Xu Qi'an glanced at his aunt, who was staring blankly, and pushed his second uncle out, saying, "His Majesty's decree has arrived."

Yesterday, after the case of Consort Fu concluded, Wei Yuan told him that the cabinet had already drafted the imperial edict for bestowing titles, which was scheduled for today.

As Xu Pingzhi walked from the inner courtyard to the outer courtyard, it felt like he had lived most of his life. His feelings were complex: trepidation, excitement, hesitation, and fear. He had experienced a similar feeling once before, on his wedding night.

In the distance, a eunuch in a python robe could be seen standing in the courtyard, flanked by a row of armored guards.

The eunuch held a scroll of yellow silk imperial edict embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon in his hand.

Bang bang bang.

Xu Pingzhi heard his own heart pounding like a drum.

Upon seeing the person in charge arrive, the eunuch delivering the imperial edict slowly unfurled it and announced loudly, "Xu Qi'an Xu Qi'an, receives the imperial edict."

Second Uncle knelt down first, then pulled Xu Qi'an to kneel down with him.

Second Uncle Xu glared at his nephew. With the imperial edict before him, the boy was still kneeling unwillingly.

"Xu Qi'an, the Xu Qi'an, is here."

The eunuch nodded and announced in a loud voice, "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: 'I believe that governing the world requires civil administration and quelling rebellion requires military force, and military commanders are truly the pillars of the court and the backbone of the nation. Xu Qi'an has solved a series of extraordinary cases and killed two hundred rebel soldiers in Yunzhou.'"

Upon hearing that two hundred rebel soldiers had been killed, Xu Qi'an was stunned. He thought to himself, "I've killed thousands of enemies, how did it become two hundred?"

Then it dawned on him that he had been bragging so much that he had even started to believe it himself.

"Xu Qi'an is hereby granted the title of Viscount of Changle County, and is bestowed with thirty qing of fertile land and five hundred taels of gold. This is the imperial decree."

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

Xu Qi'an shouted a slogan and stood up to receive the imperial decree.

"Congratulations, Lord Xu. It's County Magistrate Xu," the eunuch in the python robe said with a smile.

Thank you, sir.

Xu Qi'an accepted the imperial edict and handed over a hundred-tael silver note.

After the eunuch in the python robe and the guards stayed behind, Second Uncle Xu snatched the imperial edict and examined it repeatedly for a long time. Although he could barely read any characters, he read it very carefully.

As he watched, Second Uncle Xu's eyes reddened.

"They've been granted a title! Our Xu Household has produced a viscount!"

He rushed back to the backyard with the imperial edict in his hand, shouting, "Madam, quickly write to the Xu clan! The Xu Household has produced a viscount! I'm going to throw a grand banquet, for three days and three nights! Hahahaha!"

Xu Qi'an picked up the box of gold and land deeds bestowed upon him by Emperor Yuanjing and sneaked back to his room.

My second uncle is such a fool; what's an imperial edict compared to gold?

After storing the gold in the fragments of the Earth Book, Xu Qi'an returned to the inner courtyard and saw his Second Uncle Xu and Erlang fighting over the imperial edict. The father and son almost came to blows.

Xu Erlang said unhappily, "Anyone who didn't know better would think the imperial edict was for you, Father."

Second Uncle Xu: "Get out! Get out!"

Xu Erlang said with slight anger, "I just wanted to see how the imperial edict was written."

Second Uncle Xu: "Get out! Get out!"

Xu Erlang angrily said, "Father, let me see the imperial edict."

Second Uncle Xu: "Get out, get out, get out!"

"Bah, you uncouth brute!" Xu Erlang shrugged and left, returning to his study to read.

What's a viscount? He wants to pass the imperial examination with flying colors and become the top scholar. Otherwise, his elder brother will steal all the limelight from the family.

"Really, he's been granted a noble title?"

The aunt stared wide-eyed at the imperial edict in her husband's arms, her mind still reeling, as if she were living in a dream.

I wasn't prepared at all.

"How could this be fake? It's stamped with the imperial seal, and His Majesty even bestowed five hundred taels of gold and thirty acres of fertile land," Xu Pingzhi said loudly, as if afraid others wouldn't believe him.

Five hundred taels of gold, thirty acres of fertile land. A golden glint flashed in the aunt's eyes.

"Dalang, is this real? Auntie feels like she's living in a dream." Auntie grabbed Xu Qi'an's hand.

Xu Qi'an shook him off and said calmly, "Madam, don't try to get too familiar with me. Call me Viscount."

Xu Lingyue looked at her older brother with admiration.

After venting his anger on his aunt, Xu Qi'an reached into his robes, pulled out the land deeds, and slammed them on the table, saying, "I'll keep the gold myself. As for these thirty acres of fertile land, Aunt, since I'm not married yet, I'll trouble Lingyue to manage them for my elder brother."

The aunt's outstretched hand froze halfway through; she couldn't do anything with Xu Qi'an, so she stamped her foot and angrily said, "Xu Pingzhi!"

Unable to deal with her nephew, the aunt had no choice but to take drastic measures against her husband.

Second Uncle Xu scoffed, "Ningyan joking with you. Lingyue doesn't understand these things."

Xu Lingyue said softly, "Dad, I went to school for a few years and I know arithmetic."

Moreover, the management of the land was usually handled by trusted servants from the household, while the master only needed to manage the accounts.

My aunt suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

Her previous imagined enemies were the wives of the Dalang and Erlang, but now she discovered that Xu Lingyue, that wretched girl, had actually harbored rebellious intentions and wanted to compete with her, her mother, for power.

"Mom, why are you looking at me like that?" Xu Lingyue felt her mother's gaze was burning and piercing.

"I'm not looking at you, I'm looking at an ingrate."

"..." Xu Lingyue.

When it comes to the Star-Gazing Tower, people in the capital and even the entire Great Feng Dynasty have only one word in mind: tall!

In the eyes of martial arts practitioners, besides its towering height, the Star-Gazing Tower is also a forbidden place in the Great Feng Dynasty, because the dynasty's only first-rank expert lives there.

Few people think about what lies beneath the Star-Gazing Tower.

Zha zha zha.

In the dark underground, the iron gate slowly rose, and a winding stone staircase stretched down into the ground. Every ten steps, there was an oil lamp on the wall, emitting a dim light.

Tap tap tap. Clear footsteps echoed in the silent air.

The footsteps grew clearer, and a dark figure emerged from underground, walking up the steps.

The figure had loose hair that obscured her face, wore a simple linen robe, and was barefoot. The occasional glimpse of her chest as she walked reminded one that she was a woman.

Moreover, she is a woman with a deep and insightful mind.

"I'm still a ways off from being a fourth-grade Formation Master. How did you awaken me, teacher?" the shadowy figure muttered to himself.

She looked up and saw countless rays of light pouring down from the doorway at the top of the steps—the long-awaited sunlight.

Stepping out of the iron gate, the dark figure stood in the silent hall, eyes closed, arms outstretched, embracing the sunlight.

She has not been born for five years, and has been suppressed by the supervisor at the Star-Gazing Tower.

The disheveled woman walked through the first-floor corridor and ascended the stairs to the second floor. Footsteps came from above, and a white-robed Warlock carrying a tray with bottles and jars on it descended.

The two met face to face.

The white-robed Warlock froze, his face gradually turning pale, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.

After about three or four seconds, the white-robed Warlock turned around and fled in a panic.

Out of kindness, the disheveled woman quickly reminded him, "Junior brother, slow down, be careful not to slip."

As soon as he finished speaking, the white-robed Warlock suddenly slipped and tumbled down the stairs, knocking the woman down with him. The two of them tumbled down the stairs together.

Bang bang

The bottles and jars on the tray shattered, sending up a cloud of colorful dust.

"Help, help me!" The white-robed Warlock's face flushed crimson, gradually turning bluish-black. He clutched his own neck and stammered.

"This, this is, Senior Brother Song Qing's, concocted poison."

The woman clutched her neck and said with difficulty, "Senior sister didn't bring the antidote."

"The antidote is inside." The white-robed Warlock seemed unable to move, his eyes fixed on a shattered porcelain bottle and the powder on the ground.

With the woman's help, the white-robed Warlock took the antidote, scrambled downstairs, and arrived at the lobby on the first floor. There, he shouted to the other white-robed Warlock who were brewing and refining medicine:

"Senior Sister Zhong has emerged from seclusion!!!"

With a crash, the porcelain bottles, spoons, and other utensils held by the white-robed Warlock fell to the ground.

They stiffly twisted their necks, staring blankly at them.

The disheveled woman continued climbing the stairs. As she passed the seventh floor, the Alchemy Chamber on the seventh floor exploded with a "boom," the floor and walls shook, and dust fell everywhere.

"How did it explode? How did it explode?!" Song Qing's furious roar rang out.

The woman ignored her and continued climbing the building, finally reaching the Star-Gazing Tower, the Eight Trigrams Platform.

The white-robed, white-bearded, and otherworldly-looking supervisor sat cross-legged behind his desk, holding a wine cup, gazing blankly into the distance.

"Teacher."

The woman greeted him respectfully, her gaze falling on the fine wine and food on the table.

"Zhong Li, your opportunity to advance to the fourth rank has arrived," the supervisor said leisurely.

The woman trembled slightly, raised her head a little, revealing her snow-white, pointed chin.

The noble titles of non-royal relatives in the Great Feng were divided into five ranks: Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron. Each rank was further divided into five grades (levels).

Xu Qi'an's full title was "Third-Class Viscount of Changle County".

This is a title that's neither too high nor too low, and it doesn't bring any real power; it just adds a monthly stipend.

However, the significance of a title lies not in power, but in the glory and social status it symbolizes.

Does passing the imperial examination and entering the halls of power make one a noble? No, such power is only temporary. The true symbol of permanently surpassing commoners and joining the ranks of the nobility is a hereditary title.

Of course, Xu Qi'an's title cannot be inherited indefinitely, but as long as he is alive, the Xu Household will be nobles, no longer commoners.

From now on, if a magistrate of Changle County marries a commoner as his principal wife, the censor will impeach him. The entire court will say, "Are princesses no longer appealing, or are county princesses no longer beautiful?"

He actually married a commoner woman.

In short, for the first time in hundreds of years, the Xu Household produced a viscount, completely shedding their status as commoners and joining the ranks of the nobility.

For Xu Pingzhi, the head of the family, this was probably the most glorious moment of his life. That very day, he took Xu Qi'an to the ancestral graves to offer incense.

Upon returning, he planned to send out invitations widely, hold a grand banquet, and invite relatives and friends to his home to celebrate.

But the aunt felt it was inappropriate, saying, "The imperial examination is the day after tomorrow, this will affect Erlang's studies."

Yes, the imperial examination is in two days, a crucial event for aspiring scholars. Holding a large banquet at home would definitely affect Erlang's studies. Xu Pingzhi thought his wife was right, so he had Xu Erlang move to the old house in the outer city to study properly, while the banquet would remain the same.

Xu Lingyin thought it was great.

Xu Erlang cursed and left the live stream, then, with a servant and a maid, scurried back to the old house.

After returning from offering incense, Xu Qi'an generously allocated seventy taels of silver as expenses for tomorrow's banquet.

Seventy taels is a lot of money; it's the savings of an ordinary well-off family for three years without eating or drinking; it's the cost of two years of prostitution in a brothel; it's Xu Qi'an's current annual salary.

"I've been back for so long, and I haven't visited Master Hengyuan's health center yet. I need to send some money to help the widowed, orphaned, and lonely."

Xu Qi'an rummaged through the cabinet and found five qian of silver, intending to use it to get Hengyuan's Body Refining Cultivation Method for free at a low price.

Suddenly, as he sat on the edge of the bed, the deep, ethereal voice of the monk Shenshu echoed in his mind, "Leave the capital."

Leaving the capital?!

What does that mean? Xu Qi'an's expression was serious. The monk Shenshu never took the initiative to communicate with him and remained silently asleep within his body.

Now they're telling him to leave the capital.

Is something bad about to happen in the capital, or am I going to be in trouble?

Amidst a flurry of thoughts, he saw a hazy, gray world before him. The grayness, like a thin mist, dissipated, revealing a dilapidated temple. At the temple entrance sat the handsome Master Shenshu.

The mysterious monk sat cross-legged with his hands clasped together, his brown eyes gazing gently at us, his voice ethereal. "Leave the capital."

PS: Thanks to the patron "mady" for the donation. I'll still be posting 10,000 words today. Hmm, I'll see if I can write a little more than 10,000 words, even just an extra thousand or two would be great. If not, that's fine too.

Update first, then revise.