The missing court diarist

"What are you doing in the Ministry of Personnel's archives?" Chief Minister Wang frowned slightly.

"Investigate someone."

Xu Qi'an blew on the tea foam, sipped his tea, and said leisurely, "Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble. Your Excellency doesn't need to worry."

The chief minister nodded. What kind of trouble could possibly happen in the archives? The worst-case scenario would be the burning of the files, but that wouldn't benefit Xu Qi'an.

He was simply curious about what Xu Qi'an wanted to do.

"I'm investigating a case," Xu Qi'an said.

Investigating a case? He's no longer an official; what case could he possibly be investigating? A flicker of curiosity and surprise crossed Wang's eyes. After a moment's thought, he said calmly:

"May I listen to this?"

"Of course, this matter is also related to the Grand Secretary," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

The Prime Minister was taken aback. His previously relaxed posture subtly straightened, and his expression became slightly serious, as if he had entered a state of discussion.

Then, he saw a secret letter slip out of Xu Qi'an's sleeve, and with a gentle touch of his palm, the letter floated down in front of him.

With a puzzled expression, Chief Minister Wang unfolded the letter to read. He was first taken aback, then his brows furrowed as if he were recalling something, and finally he was left only with confusion.

The Prime Minister Wang placed the letter on the table, looked at Xu Qi'an, and said, "I don't remember."

As expected! Xu Qi'an pondered, "Does the Grand Secretary remember Su Hang mentioned in the letter?"

"I have no recollection of this person either."

The Prime Minister shook his head, then frowned for a few seconds before looking at Xu Qi'an with a serious tone. "Young Master Xu, what case are you investigating? Is the content of this secret letter true?"

He did not recall having such a collaboration with the Duke of Cao in the past and remained skeptical of the contents of the letter.

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment, weighed the matter in his mind, and decided to reveal a little secret. He nodded and said:

"The contents of the letter are accurate. As for why the Prime Minister forgot, it's because this matter involved Warlock, and the secrets of heaven were obscured. That's why those involved lost their memories."

The mention of Warlock caused a slight change in the Prime Minister's expression; he realized the seriousness of the situation and leaned forward slightly.

"Could you please explain in more detail, Young Master Xu?"

Xu Qi'an immediately recounted Su Hang's old case, only saying that he had promised a friend to investigate the truth behind his father's beheading. He had inadvertently discovered a secret letter from the Duke of Cao, and judging from the erased handwriting and his past experience, he knew that the case was far more complex than he had imagined, requiring a high-level Warlock to intervene and erase the secrets of heaven.

After listening, Chief Minister Wang leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a long time.

"The only one in the Bureau of Astronomy capable of concealing celestial secrets is the Director." The Grand Secretary Wang pinched his brow, as if asking a question, or perhaps asking himself, "What is the Director's purpose in doing this?"

How would I know? We're investigating, aren't we? Xu Qi'an shook his head.

"I'm giving you a handwritten letter; you can use it to enter and leave the Ministry of Personnel. If you need any help in the future, just let me know." Chief Minister Wang gazed intently at Xu Qi'an and said:

"However, I have one condition: if Young Master Xu can uncover the truth, I hope you will inform me. Hmm, I will also secretly investigate this matter."

A major event occurred in the imperial court years ago, but it was kept secret from the emperor, and he, as one of the people involved, had no recollection of it and had forgotten about it.

Something that could get the Imperial Censor to intervene and block out celestial secrets must be a very important matter.

Xu Qi'an nodded and politely thanked him.

After seeing Xu Qi'an off, the Grand Secretary Wang summoned the steward and asked calmly, "Erlang of the Xu Household still at the manor?"

Yesterday, he told Wang Simu that he wanted Xu Erlang to stay at his home for dinner.

"Yes, this old servant will call him over right away."

The butler immediately understood the master's meaning and bowed as he withdrew.

A moment later, Xu Erlang, dressed in a white long robe and with red lips and white teeth, stepped across the threshold and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Excellency, the Grand Secretary."

As the Grand Secretary Wang was writing on the spread-out Xuan paper, without looking up, he asked, "What are Erlang's ambitions?"

The way he called out "Erlang" was so natural, without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

"Um?"

Not receiving a reply, Chief Minister Wang looked up and found Xu Erlang staring straight at him.

The Prime Minister's lips twitched. "A fine ambition."

He put down his pen, looked at the words on the paper, and smiled, "If it weren't for your elder brother's righteous intervention, I would probably have had to retire. In officialdom, the most important thing is to know when to advance and when to retreat."

"No matter how skillful you are in political maneuvering, or how many followers you have, the one sitting on the dragon throne can decide your life or death with a single word. The former chief minister was able to enjoy his later years peacefully only because he learned from the lessons of his predecessors."

The former Grand Secretary? That scoundrel who only knew how to embezzle silver and flatter His Majesty. Xu Xinnian thought to himself.

Chief Minister Wang continued, "Two hundred years ago, when the succession to the throne was contested, Cloud Deer Academy withdrew from the court. Cheng Sheng erected a monument at the academy, inscribing it with the words 'Sacrificing oneself for righteousness to repay the emperor's favor.' All of this is to show future generations the same thing."

"A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. Only by grasping this distinction can you rise smoothly through the ranks of the court."

Xu Erlang frowned and asked, "What if I don't want to?"

Grand Secretary Wang laughed loudly, "If you don't want to, then what kind of official are you?"

Xu Erlang bowed and said, "This student understands."

He was well-versed in history and could easily understand what the Grand Secretary Wang meant. Throughout history, there had been countless powerful ministers. But if the emperor wanted to remove him, no matter how much power he held, the best outcome would be retirement.

The Grand Secretary Wang suddenly sighed, "Your elder brother's character and integrity are admirable, but he is not suited for court politics. Don't emulate him."

My elder brother has been frequently seeking my advice lately, so why should I learn from him? Xu Erlang raised his chin somewhat proudly and said, "This student knows."

Chief Minister Wang nodded. "Stay for dinner tonight."

The Ministry of Personnel, Archives and Records.

Xu Qi'an, disguised as Xu Xinnian, with the help of the officials, produced the list of newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) from the 10th year of the Yuanjing era.

Surprisingly, the top scholar in the imperial examination of the 10th year of the Yuanjing era was none other than the Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen.

The second-place finisher was named Lü An.

The third-place finisher's name was blank, without a signature.

Xu Qi'an stared at the blank space, speechless for a long time. He had found him.

"The court official whose name was erased was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination of the tenth year of the Yuanjing era, a first-class scholar. Who exactly is he, and why was his identity concealed from the emperor? Is he alive or dead now? Since he has entered the court as an official, he could not possibly be the first-generation supervisor."

"It could only have been done by the current supervisor, but why would the supervisor do such a thing? What is the connection between the nameless court attendant and Su Hang? The fact that Su Hang's name wasn't erased means he isn't that court attendant, but there is definitely some connection."

Based on the clues he had, he made a simple assumption:

Back then, there was a faction in the imperial court, and Su Hang was one of its core members. The court official whose name was erased was likely the faction's leader.

This party was very powerful, but it was besieged by other parties and ultimately ended in a dismal defeat. Su Hang's fate is proof of this.

But what Xu Qi'an couldn't understand was, if it was just ordinary factional strife, why would the Superintendent erase the name of that court official? Why would he want to conceal the secrets of heaven?

There must be a deeper secret hidden here.

"My intuition tells me this old case is important. Well, that's obvious, of course it's important, otherwise why would the Chief Inspector have intervened to block it? Ugh, I hate investigating old cases, no, I hate Warlock the most. Zhong Li and Caiwei, those two little cuties, don't count."

Xu Qi'an left the Ministry of Personnel, riding his beloved little mare, clattering along the street.

The mare was very understanding, maintaining a moderate pace so that Xu Qi'an could take the opportunity to think about things without having to focus on driving.

"When we were investigating the Sangbo case, we also came into contact with the first supervisor, who was not recorded in the historical records. In the end, it was the brilliant Huaiqing who, through the decline of Buddhist temples five hundred years ago, locked the clues to Qinglong Temple, which made me realize that Shenshu was related to Buddhist School and to the prosperity of Buddhist School in the Central Plains five hundred years ago."

"Huaiqing's method can also be used on this court attendant. I can investigate some major events from that year and look for clues."

After finalizing his plan, he then began to think about Emperor Yuanjing.

His previous investigation of Emperor Yuanjing was merely based on the old detective's intuition; he believed that the Emperor wouldn't risk such a huge deal—joining forces with the Prince of Zhenbei to massacre the city—just for the Soul Pill.

After all, the Soul Pill isn't a kidney tonic that grants immortality with just three doses; it's not something that would warrant the massacre of an entire city.

After his trip to Jianzhou, he became even more certain that Emperor Yuanjing had a problem. Those who possessed destiny could not live forever, so what was that old emperor still doing all this for?

As the ruler of a country, he couldn't possibly be unaware of this secret; Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Wuzong are examples of this.

"Now we can only look for clues in the daily records, and they have to be the daily records of the late emperor. If Emperor Yuanjing really has a secret, he will definitely deal with it."

"But he cannot completely erase the traces. For example, there may be some important clues hidden in the late emperor's place, but they are inconspicuous or cannot be discovered by others. Only people with certain intelligence can understand them."

"If the late emperor has no leads, then I'll have to turn to my aunt. She's taught Emperor Yuanjing cultivation for so many years; surely she couldn't have missed something?"

"Then there's the mess of the first supervisor. I need to find Xuzhou first. Hmm, Duke Wei and Erlang will help me find it. Oh, and when I'm on my date with Biao Biao tomorrow, I'll ask her to pass a message to Huaiqing and ask her to help me investigate Xuzhou as well."

"I need to make good use of the top students to do things for me. Oh, and I can't fall behind in my comprehension of 'Intent,' even though I haven't made any progress yet. I'll take a day off tomorrow, go to a brothel to listen to music; I'm starting to miss Fuxiang."

So much to do. Xu Qi'an rode on the mare's back, his body bobbing rhythmically.

Back at the Xu Residence, I saw Su Su sitting on the roof ridge in the distance, holding a red umbrella, like a beautiful mountain ghost, tempting those traveling the mountain path.

No, she was a ghost to begin with.

"They're back!" Xu Qi'an leaped onto the roof and sat down next to the female ghost.

"What!" Su Su rolled her eyes at him, annoyed.

Xu Qi'an poked her chest, and with a "pop," it ruptured.

He was immediately somewhat disappointed. "Shouldn't you go to the Bureau of Astronomy to ask Song Qing for a physical body?"

"Pah, you lecherous scoundrel!"

Su Su looked down at her chest, spat at him, and snorted:

"I'm not going to ask for a physical body. My master said that if I ask for one now, you'll definitely drag me into your room to sleep. I think she makes a lot of sense, so I'll ask for a physical body the day you find out the truth about my father's case."

"Your master is simply slandering me."

"Really?" Su Su looked at her suspiciously.

"Really, I can sleep with you here. Who says I have to drag you into the room?"

"Go away, go away." Su Su spat at him.

Xu Qi'an leaped off the roof, crossed the courtyard, and saw the cook outside the kitchen slaughtering a goose. Xu Lingyin, with her hair tied in two buns, squatted to the side, watching longingly.

Her master, a dark-skinned man from Southern Frontier, was also squatting to the side watching.

One large and one small, a striking contrast.

"Lingyin, Big Brother is back!" Xu Qi'an called out.

The little boy ignored him, intently watching the goose being killed and its feathers plucked.

Was she fantasizing about which part to start eating? This silly child, all she sees is food. Xu Qi'an thought to himself as he entered the inner hall.

Li Miaozhen and her aunt sat in the hall talking, with a few remaining glistening pastries on the table.

When her aunt saw her nephew return, she raised her pointed chin and gestured, "The pastries on the table were left for you by Lingyin. She was afraid that if she stayed here, she wouldn't be able to resist eating them, so she went outside."

Xu Qi'an suddenly turned his head, looked towards the door, and laughed.

"Where's Erlang? He's off today. You all went out together, why hasn't he come back?" Auntie asked, peering outside.

"Chief Minister Wang is hosting a banquet for him; I reckon he won't be coming back today," Xu Qi'an said with a smile.

After dusk, the city gates of the imperial city will be closed, so Xu Erlang will not be able to return today.

"The Grand Secretary hosted a banquet for him!" The aunt was greatly surprised.

Although Dalang had recently exposed Erlang's "affair" with Miss Wang without any mercy, Auntie did not expect things to progress so quickly.

To everyone's surprise, Chief Minister Wang even hosted a banquet for Erlang.

"This is such a mismatch, oh dear," the aunt said, somewhat annoyed and helpless. "Marrying the daughter of the Grand Secretary is like marrying a bodhisattva."

"Auntie, you're the head of the household. Now that this daughter-in-law has entered the family, it's up to you to train her," Xu Qi'an urged.

With Wang Simu's temperament and cunning, it would be interesting if she bullied her aunt to tears every day after she married into the family. Xu Qi'an was somewhat looking forward to the future.

The aunt puffed out her chest, looking around with self-satisfaction, and said, "Of course. Even if she's the daughter of the Grand Secretary, once she enters the Xu Household, she'll have to listen to me obediently."

Li Miaozhen glanced at her but didn't say anything.

Dusk, at the Imperial Academy of Music).

A violent coughing sound came from the master bedroom of Yingmei Pavilion.

The maid sat under the eaves, tending the small stove, listening to her mistress's cough coming from inside.

Fuxiang Niangzi has been ill for a while. More than half a month ago, Yingmei Pavilion stopped serving tea. Since then, she has been bedridden and has become increasingly haggard.

Mother invited many famous doctors to treat Fuxiang Niangzi, but none of them helped. Gradually, Mother stopped inviting doctors.

At first, she treated him like a daughter, but later she became indifferent and eventually stopped visiting altogether. She even transferred away the pretty maids and guards in the courtyard.

There's no need to make them take care of a sickly person who's barely clinging to life.

"My lady used to be so glamorous, the top Imperial Academy of Music, the number one beauty, and Xu Yinluo's lover. Now she's fallen on hard times, and no one comes to visit her anymore. Xu Yinluo has also disappeared without a trace; he hasn't come to the Imperial Academy of Music in a very long time."

"Hmph, it must have been some vile woman who used that paper doll to stab my wife." The maid sat by the stove, wiping away her tears as she thought angrily.