Social Death

Second Uncle Xu's intelligence was as follows:

"Zhou Li has been keeping a low profile these past few days. Vice Minister Zhou probably warned him, so he hasn't done anything unlawful or disorderly. He's been indulging in wine and women all day with a bunch of officials' sons, going in and out of gambling dens, restaurants, the Imperial Academy of Music, and the like.

"Also, while my men were following Zhou Li, they noticed that he frequently visited a certain residence. There was no plaque on the place, so it was probably a private residence he bought elsewhere. A maid, an older woman, and an old gatekeeper lived there. There was also a woman.

"Nine times out of ten, she's a woman he's keeping on the side."

Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an listened in silence, each lost in thought in his own way. Xu Qi'an looked down at the floor, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on the table.

Xu Xinnian gazed up at the ceiling at a forty-five-degree angle, both hands tucked into his sleeves, looking as though he were daydreaming.

When Second Uncle Xu finished, he looked at his nephew and son. "What do you think?"

His nephew and son ignored him in perfect accord and exchanged a glance. Xu Xinnian said, "The students at our academy and those at the Imperial Academy aren't of the same stripe. We look down on each other and are hostile to each other.

"But those who passed the provincial examination in the same year occasionally get together. Our schools of thought are opposed, but individuals can still be friends."

Those who passed the provincial examination in the same year were practically half classmates. If they built good relationships, they might find a use for them someday. As for disputes between schools of thought, those came second to personal interests.

"Zhou Li is arrogant and overbearing. He's had friction and conflicts with many of his classmates at the Imperial Academy. But he's certainly no brainless young master. The people he's fallen out with all have fairly ordinary backgrounds."

Xu Qi'an wasn't surprised. Judging from the way Zhou Li had dealt with him, the official's son's methods weren't particularly clever, but they were effective, and he had some cunning and calculation.

His arrogance and bullying were reserved for people with less backing and influence than himself.

"That undoubtedly makes it harder for us to deal with him," Xu Qi'an sighed.

Xu Xinnian shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't interrupt. Let me finish.

"Zhou Li has been infatuated with Miss Fuxiang of the Imperial Academy of Music for a long time. Whenever he goes there, he insists on seeing her. But he's repeatedly failed to be chosen during her tea gatherings."

Miss Fuxiang? That courtesan queen of the Imperial Academy of Music? The beauty Head Constable Wang said would make his whole life worthwhile if he could sleep with her for one night? Xu Qi'an perked up.

Xu Xinnian lifted his teacup, glanced at the empty cup, then put it down helplessly and said:

"I originally thought we could play the game of driving a tiger to devour a wolf again. We could use the conflicts between Zhou Li and his classmates to devise a plan. But those classmates don't carry enough weight, and given how cautious Zhou Li is, getting him to offend an official's son of a higher standing would be too difficult-almost impossible.

"Zhou Li visits the Imperial Academy of Music very often. If we want to draw out more information, Miss Fuxiang would be an excellent opening."

Tap, tap. Xu Qi'an knocked on the table.

When Second Uncle Xu and Xu Erlang looked over, he said gravely, "I have to remind you of something. No matter what, we need to simplify. The more complicated a plan is, the more holes it has.

"We can't possibly make an overly complicated, ingenious plan to deal with Zhou Li, because the gap between us is too great. Cijiu, don't fall into that trap."

Scholars were the most prone to being too clever for their own good. When plotting against someone, they made things harder for themselves, thinking about how ingenious their schemes were and how masterful their methods.

Especially Xu Cijiu, who thought highly of himself and was well-read in military strategy.

Xu Cijiu frowned. He partly agreed, but was also a little unconvinced. "What brilliant idea do you have, Big Brother?"

"Simple. The simpler, the better." Xu Qi'an considered it. "A crime of passion is a truly traceless crime. We should plan the same way."

"How do we keep it simple? First, don't involve too many people. Second, don't make things too complicated. Cijiu, if Zhou Li got into a conflict with another official's son, and that young man's father happened to be able to go toe-to-toe with Vice Minister Zhou, what would you do?"

Xu Xinnian fell into thought.

"All right, your silence says it all." Xu Qi'an waved a hand, interrupting his little brother's thoughts. A whole host of palace intrigues and conspiracies had surely flashed through his little brother's mind.

"My idea is that we disguise ourselves, then seize an opportunity to give that official's son a good beating and walk away."

Xu Pingzhi finally found a chance to speak. He slapped his thigh. "Ningyan, that idea is just what I had in mind."

The brothers rolled their eyes at the same time.

Xu Cijiu frowned. "That's it?"

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Simple doesn't mean ineffective. More often than not, leaving things unsaid actually helps. The young man we beat up will wonder who he's offended lately. He'll think it over and realize, oh, it was that bastard Zhou Li.

"Zhou Li certainly won't admit to it, but that doesn't matter. Everyone will draw their own conclusions. Either way, the conflict will have escalated. You hit me, so I have to get back at you."

Xu Cijiu was a clever man with a sharp mind. After a brief moment's thought, he understood what his big brother meant.

He nodded slightly, looking haughty. "Not bad."

Then he added, "What information did you gather, Big Brother?"

Xu Qi'an didn't keep them in suspense. "I found out who Vice Minister Zhou's political enemy is."

Xu Xinnian and Second Uncle Xu leaned forward at the same time, their expressions turning serious as they prepared to listen.

Xu Qi'an gave a short laugh. "The Minister of Revenue."

The Minister of Revenue?! Xu Xinnian's heart shook, and many of his questions were answered in an instant.

No wonder Vice Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue had plotted to take the tax silver. He knew his immediate superior was about to make things difficult for him, and he urgently needed a huge sum of silver to cover the shortfall.

And precisely because they were both in the Ministry of Revenue, the Minister of Revenue had been able to catch Vice Minister Zhou's fox tail.

"Ningyan, how did you find out about something like that?" Second Uncle Xu was somewhat skeptical.

How could an ordinary person have a way to learn about struggles between the great figures at court?

"Miss Caiwei of the Bureau of Astronomy told me," Xu Qi'an said.

And all it cost was one candied hawthorn skewer, one roast goose leg, a serving of fermented-rice dumplings, and a bowl of fish ball soup, he added silently in his heart.

The big-eyed beauty was easy to bribe, which was a virtue. The drawback was that she had no interest in court politics, and the Bureau of Astronomy didn't meddle in them either, so she knew only a limited amount.

That won't do at all. Miss Caiwei, what you need is a copy of Self-Cultivation for Xu Dalang's Virtuous Helpmate. I'll write it for you later.

Xu Qi'an clapped his hands, interrupting his younger cousin's thoughts, and said:

"From the looks of it, we still haven't gathered enough information to make a detailed plan. But that's all right. You can't get fat in one bite. What do we do next?"

Xu Xinnian thought for a moment. "I suggest going to the Imperial Academy of Music and asking the courtesan queen Fuxiang for information. I certainly can't do it. I never go to places of wine and women."

Great Feng's officials frequented prostitutes as a matter of fashion, but students without official positions were held to a different standard.

You haven't even finished walking the road of the imperial examinations, and you're already thinking about playing with women? You're obviously unreliable. Don't expect a bright future.

It's like when I was in school. Parents wouldn't let students go online to play games. If a student spent all day in internet cafés, he was a social outcast in the making. Xu Qi'an leaned back in his chair, looked to the side, and said in a relaxed tone:

"I certainly can't go either, because I haven't entered the Qi Refining Realm yet."

That raised the question: who would be responsible for going to the Imperial Academy of Music to gather information?

The brothers turned their eyes to Second Uncle Xu in perfect accord.

"Why are you looking at me? Am I the kind of man who goes to the Imperial Academy of Music? I can't even read. Wouldn't I just be making a fool of myself if I went?" Second Uncle Xu indicated that he wasn't the sort of person who lingered in places of wine and women.

Seeing that his father was unwilling, Xu Xinnian passed the buck back to Xu Qi'an. "Big Brother writes poetry. He'd be very popular at the Imperial Academy of Music."

Second Uncle Xu immediately rejected his son's suggestion. Frowning, he said, "Your big brother is an honest man who doesn't even go to brothels. If we send him to the Imperial Academy of Music to ask around, he might get stuck there, fail to get anything done, and have his body taken by one of the women there to boot."

For a martial artist at Peak Essence Refining, losing one's virginity before entering the Qi Refining Realm really was a tremendous loss.

Xu Qi'an, who never went to brothels to listen to music, nodded, indicating that he wasn't that kind of man.

Second Uncle Xu said, "How about you go, Cijiu?" He still felt that a place like the Imperial Academy of Music was best suited to scholars.

It was an ingrained notion.

Xu Cijiu let out a scoff.

Second Uncle Xu refused to go to the Imperial Academy of Music for another reason besides the fact that it was the domain of literati, who disliked coarse fellows.

Xu Cijiu refused to go to the Imperial Academy of Music for another reason besides the need for students to mind their reputations and public image.

Xu Qi'an refused to go to the Imperial Academy of Music for another reason besides the fact that he never went to brothels to listen to music.

Social death!

The three looked at one another and fell silent.

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