Attending the Gathering

Entering the study and closing the door, Xu Xinnian stared at his elder brother with a strange expression.

His expression was strange but not anxious; it wasn't urgent. Detective Xu made his judgment, then sat down at the round table, poured himself a glass of water to quench his thirst from consuming too much MSG, and casually chuckled:

"Erlang, a man shouldn't be so hesitant; speak your mind directly."

Xu Erlang walked to the desk, picked up an invitation, and with a soft "thud," placed it accurately in front of Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an unfolded the invitation, glanced at it, and knew why Xu Erlang had such a strange expression.

The invitation invited Xu Erlang to a literary gathering, and there was an interesting line on it. "Bring your sister along."

The person who invited him was Wang Zhenwen, the Grand Secretary of the time.

"You are the top scholar in the imperial examination, so it's perfectly reasonable to invite you to the literary gathering," Xu Qi'an analyzed.

Xu Xinnian only has two younger sisters, so it's natural not to invite young children to a literary gathering. Surely the prestigious Wang family wouldn't be unaware of such basic etiquette?

As for women participating in literary gatherings, although the Great Feng still adhered to the traditional "Three Obediences and Four Virtues," there were outstanding women among them due to the existence of its cultivation system.

Therefore, although women's status was below that of men, it was not that low. They did not need to bind their feet, did not need to wear veils when going out, and could go out to play whenever they wanted.

For example, Aunt and Lingyue would take their attendants out to browse jewelry shops every few days.

It is not unusual for women to attend literary gatherings.

"Madness!"

Xu Xinnian sneered, "The officialdom is like a battlefield. There may be many muddle-headed fools who occupy high positions, but the officials in the imperial court are not among them. Chief Minister Wang is the best among them. His every move, every word, and every expression is worth our deep thought and careful consideration. Otherwise, we won't even know how we died."

"My elder brother is Wei Yuan's man. Wang Zhenwen and Wei Yuan are two fierce tigers in the court, irreconcilable enemies. His invitation to my residence for a literary gathering must not be as simple as it seems on the surface."

As Xu Erlang paced around the room, he pondered, "I, Xu Xinnian, am a top scholar with a bright future ahead of me. However, Chief Minister Wang is wary of me and wants to eliminate me before I can truly grow in power."

"No, even if I pass the imperial examination with flying colors and rank first, it would be easy for Chief Minister Wang to deal with me. The difference in our status is too great; he wouldn't need any schemes or tricks to deal with me."

"So, his invitation to me was really just for a regular literary gathering? If so, he's oversimplifying his opponent and Wang Zhenwen."

A troubled Xu Erlang looked at Xu Dalang and frowned, saying, "Brother, say something!"

I feel your thinking is gradually becoming more and more influenced by the Di culture. Xu Qi'an frowned and said, "In that case, go and ask the other classmates who passed the imperial examination if they have received invitations."

"If so, then it's just a simple literary gathering. If not, and you, a student from the Cloud Deer Academy, were the only one invited, then there must be something fishy going on."

"I naturally thought of that, but unfortunately there's no time." Xu Erlang said anxiously, pointing to the invitation. "Brother, look at the time. The literary gathering is tomorrow morning. I simply don't have time to verify it. I understand."

"What do you understand?" Xu Dalang asked.

"Chief Minister Wang is giving me no chance to react at all. If I don't go, he'll spread rumors that I'm arrogant and conceited, ruining my reputation. If I do go, there's bound to be some kind of conspiracy waiting for me at the literary gathering." Xu Erlang gasped.

"Old ginger is spicier."

His words put Xu Qi'an on guard. He thought to himself, "My Xu Household has finally produced a scholar, and Wang Zhenwen is acting like such an inhuman person."

Then he sensed something was wrong and frowned, saying, "You just said it yourself, if Chief Minister Wang wanted to deal with you, he wouldn't need any schemes or tricks. Even if you passed the imperial examination, you'd only just left the beginner's village, while he's practically a max-level character."

Xu Xinnian asked blankly, "What is a newbie village? What is a max-level character?"

"If you don't go, your reputation for arrogance will spread; if you do go, there might be conspiracies and schemes. Erlang, you decide for yourself," Xu Qi'an said, patting his shoulder to comfort him.

"When did my brother become as stupid as Lingyin?"

Xu Erlang said unhappily, "After all I've said, don't you understand what I mean? I want my elder brother to come with me."

"No, you cannot come with me. You are my brother, but in officialdom, you and I are not on the same path, Erlang, you must remember this." Xu Qi'an's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:

You have your own path, your own direction, and you have nothing to do with me.

Xu Erlang was a smart man. After a moment of silence, he hummed in agreement.

His elder brother was actually warning him not to have any involvement with Wei Yuan. If Wei Yuan were to fall from power one day, his elder brother would inevitably be implicated.

However, Wei Yuan's downfall had nothing to do with Xu Xinnian; his identity was merely that of Xu Qi'an's brother, not Wei Yuan's subordinate.

Xu Xinnian agrees with this idea.

Throughout history, even among the most powerful and wealthy families, the Lineage were not of one mind, but belonged to different factions. The advantage of this was that even if one member was lost, the Lineage would only suffer a minor setback, not be completely destroyed.

The next day, Xu Qi'an rode his beloved little mare, clattering along in the dark sky, towards the Nightwatchers's office.

After roll call, several of Song Tingfeng's familiar colleagues came to find him. They sat together, drank tea, ate peanuts, and boasted for a while. Then they started urging Xu Qi'an to treat the Jiaofangsi (a type of Imperial Academy of Music) to a meal.

"Roll, roll, roll"

Xu Qi'an spat at them and cursed, "All you ever do is go to the Imperial Academy of Music. Haven't you all seen me fight? What did that old monk under the Bodhi tree say? Beauty is a bone-scraping knife, it's unacceptable."

"All you do is frequent prostitutes all day long. Do you even deserve the uniform you wear? You can go whoring all you want, but you have to drag me into it! Bah!"

Everyone knew what kind of person he was, so they weren't afraid at all. They retorted, "In our government office, who has frequented more brothels than you?"

Xu Qi'an argued vehemently, "I didn't pay, how could it be prostitution? We may be familiar with each other, but if you keep spouting nonsense like this, I'll definitely report you to Duke Wei for defamation."

"Pah!" the crowd spat at him.

However, everyone still admires Xu Qi'an. It's not that he didn't pay the courtesan after sleeping with her; rather, the courtesan wanted to pay him to sleep with her.

"Ningyan, I heard from Old Song that when you were still a gong, when you first joined the Nightwatchers, you were already in a relationship with Miss Fuxiang? Besides a poem, do you have any other special skills?" A gong asked humbly.

The eyes of the several men with bronze and silver gongs present lit up instantly. Who wouldn't want to become the darling of the courtesans of the Imperial Academy of Music?

"There is indeed a trick to it," Xu Qi'an replied affirmatively.

"What's the secret?!" The night Nightwatchers gasped.

Just then, a stern voice came from the doorway. "Gathering around chatting during your duty hours, do you have any respect for discipline?"

Everyone turned to look, and there stood a golden gong at the entrance of the hall, with sharp, hawk-like eyes and faint crow's feet at the corners of his eyes. It was none other than Jiang Luzhong.

"Jiang Jinluo"

The group toned down their playful banter and explained respectfully, "Xu Ningyan is teaching us how to sleep with the most beautiful courtesan without spending money."

"?"

Jiang Luzhong's sharp gaze swept over the crowd, and he sneered, "All you do is dream big. Hmm, you guys chat, but remember not to linger too long."

After saying that, he turned and left, went out of the courtyard, leaned against the wall, and activated the hearing of a fourth-rank martial artist.

Inside the hall, the others nudged Xu Qi'an, saying, "Ningyan, please continue."

Xu Qi'an coughed. "I'm a little thirsty."

Song Tingfeng served him tea.

After taking a sip to moisten his throat, Xu Qi'an spoke eloquently, "Indeed, Miss Fuxiang liked me because of a poem, but what truly made her inseparable from me wasn't the poem."

"What is it?" everyone asked hurriedly.

"Do you know what women hate most about men?" Xu Qi'an asked rhetorically.

The night Nightwatchers offered their opinions, saying things like "no money" and "no ambition."

Xu Qi'an shook his head, glanced at his colleagues' faces, and said in a deep voice, "It's a case of speaking too intimately with someone you don't know well."

What is the reasoning behind this? Upon hearing this, the Nightwatchers fell into deep thought.

"What does this have to do with Fuxiang being unable to live without you?" Zhu Guangxiao frowned.

"When I first met her, we closed the door and I asked her..." Xu Qi'an put down his cup, his expression becoming serious and composed, and said, word by word, "Will it work?"

"I succeeded, and then she couldn't live without me."

In the ensuing silence, Song Tingfeng questioned, "I suspect you're lying to us, but we have no proof."

"That's normal. This isn't something just anyone can understand, especially a man who isn't capable enough." Xu Qi'an patted him on the shoulder and said to the others:

"I've already told you the trick; whether you can grasp it, well, that depends on the individual."

"Is it really appropriate to speak too intimately with someone you barely know?" Jiang Luzhong left thoughtfully. These two sentences seemed perfectly understandable at first glance, but they also seemed to conceal an unimaginable depth.

Let's ask Duke Wei. With Duke Wei intelligence, he should be able to grasp this little trick instantly.

After dismissing his colleagues, a short while later, an official entered and said, "Xu Yinluo, Jiang Jinluo asked me to ask you if you still need to prepare any medicinal herbs for cooking. Your cultivation level is high enough to attempt body tempering."

Old Jiang came to ask about this matter? A simple instruction from an official would have sufficed; he didn't need to come personally. He must have come for Invincible Vajra, but was perhaps too embarrassed. Xu Qi'an replied:

"No need."

"Okay." The clerk left.

Before long, the two Mnemonic, "Don't speak too deeply with someone you don't know well" and "Will it work or not?", spread throughout the Nightwatchers watchman's office. It was said that as long as you understood the secrets of these two proverbs, you could get a free ride with a courtesan in the Imperial Academy of Music.

Do not doubt it, because Xu Yinluo said it himself.

Immediately, heated discussions broke out among the various sects.

At this very moment, the culprit Xu Qi'an Qi'an's gang was greeted by the guards from Shaoyin Garden.

The guard said, "The Second Princess summons you."

"I understand. I have other things to do. I'll go later." Xu Qi'an was flipping through the files, remained seated behind his desk.

The guard bowed and left.

About fifteen minutes later, Xu Qi'an put down the file and breathed a sigh of relief.

"More and more martial arts practitioners are flocking to the capital. Once the news of the martial arts contest spreads, there is even more fear that more martial artists will come to the capital to join in the fun. Although this has greatly boosted the capital's economy, cases of swindling, fraud, and even burglary are occurring frequently."

"If things continue like this, we need to address this issue from two angles."

Xu Qi'an beckoned to the clerk and instructed him, "Write a memorial."

Each branch of the Silver Gong (a type of martial arts instructor) had at least three clerks assigned to act as secretaries. After all, while the Silver Gong were good at killing people, their writing skills were only average, like that of the Silver Gong.

Xu Qi'an offered Wei Yuan three suggestions: First, draw troops from the thirteen counties under the capital's jurisdiction to maintain order in the outer city; second, submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting that the Imperial Guards participate in patrols within the inner city; third, during this period, anyone who breaks into a house to steal will be executed! Anyone who robs in the street will be executed! Anyone who causes trouble in the street, resulting in injury to passersby or damage to the property of stall owners, will be executed!

The first two points lay the groundwork for the third: under severe punishment, thieves will inevitably resort to extremes, thus requiring a large number of troops and skilled individuals to suppress them.

This might provoke thieves to take risks and commit murder, but if we want to quickly eradicate this bad habit and restore public order, we must use severe punishments as a deterrent.

After he finished writing the memorial, another guard entered; this time it was a guard from Dexin Garden.

Princess Huaiqing invites Lord Xu to the palace for a discussion.

The Xu Residence.

Xu Erlang wore an elegant light white robe, his hair was tied up with a jade crown, and he wore beautiful jade pendants around his waist. He had worn his own, his father's, and his elder brother's jade pendants—in short, all the most valuable pieces of jade pendants belonging to the men in the family.

"My elder brother and father are warriors; they don't use it much normally. I think it's a waste to leave it lying around," Xu Erlang said to his aunt and Xu Lingyue.

The literary gathering hosted by Chief Minister Wang would surely be filled with talented individuals, making it the most prestigious gathering of the era. Xu Erlang felt it was essential to dress appropriately.

The aunt looked him over from head to toe and was very satisfied, believing that her son was definitely the most handsome boy at the literary gathering.

"You should go to the literary gathering, why bring Lingyue with you?" Auntie asked.

Upon hearing "literary gathering," Xu Lingyin immediately raised her head.

"That's what the invitation says. Let's just take Lingyue there to broaden her horizons," Xu Erlang said.

The aunt immediately grabbed her daughter's hand and said excitedly:

"When you go to the literary gathering, take a good look around. If you fancy any young master, come back and tell your mother. With the current influence of our Xu Residence, marrying you into a wealthy family won't be a problem."

"Mother, what are you saying? I'm not going." Xu Lingyue turned away unhappily.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Lingyin pounced on Xu Xinnian: "If Sister won't go, I will! Second Brother, take me! Take me!"

As he spoke, he hung entirely on Xu Erlang's lap.

Xu Xinnian tried to shake her off, but couldn't. This little girl was incredibly strong.

"Alright, but you have to change into a pretty dress first, or I won't take you," Xu Erlang said.

"Mmm!" Xu Lingyin nodded happily.

Then, led by his aunt, he returned to the house. A dozen minutes later, the little boy combed his hair like an adult and put on a handsome suit. His second brother and older sister had already left.

"Awoooooo!"

The pig-like wailing echoed in the courtyard.

In the warm spring sunshine, the carriage arrived at the Prince's Mansion.

P. S.: Finally finished! Remember to help fix any bugs, thanks everyone! I'll add more chapters for you guys later.