The heart of the plan (thanks to "Salted Fish Doesn't Want to Talk" for the alliance leader donation)

The maids prepared hot water, Xu Qi'an reluctantly took a bath under their gentle care. As his clothes were removed one by one, what was revealed to the two young maids was a tall, slender, and athletic physique.

His muscles are well-defined and full, exuding inner strength and radiating the charm of a powerful man.

She had served many high-ranking officials during their baths. Some were pot-bellied, some were thin, and some were muscular. But she had rarely seen a body as well-proportioned and athletic as Young Master Yang's, one that was both robust and powerful.

This is the divine power bestowed upon the peak of the Essence Refining Realm: the body is in the most suitable state for combat, without excess fat, and without muscles becoming too swollen and affecting flexibility.

When Xu Qi'an, wearing only his underpants and shirtless, came to the bedside, the courtesan, who was sitting on the brocade couch in a duck-like position draped in a thin gauze robe, instantly became mesmerized, staring intently at Xu Qi'an's chest and abdominal muscles.

The maids discreetly withdrew from the master bedroom. Xu Qi'an lifted the embroidered mandarin duck quilt and slipped inside. Fuxiang immediately pressed herself against him, hooking her arms around his neck and clinging to him with her full, soft body. She breathed sweetly into Xu Qi'an's ear and whispered, "My lord."

A delicate fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and Xu Qi'an, an honest man who never went to brothels, became serious and tense.

The courtesan was taken aback for a moment, then giggled sweetly, "Young master, are you perhaps inexperienced in matters of the heart?"

The thought of this possibility made her body go limp.

No, I also had relationships with women in my past life. It's just that I never slept with a beauty as stunning as you. Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, then said, "Miss Fuxiang, have you ever heard of a divine skill?"

"What kind of divine skill?"

"I can fall asleep within three seconds of my head hitting the pillow."

"Hehe, I don't believe it."

"Then stay away from me, and I'll put on a show for you."

The courtesan smiled and stepped back, assuming he was just playing around.

Three seconds later.

"Snoring, snoring."

Fuxiang nudged him: "Young Master Yang"

"Snoring."

Fuxiang: "???"

In the middle of the night, Xu Qi'an woke up with a start. After a silent sigh, he heard the long breathing beside him and felt the smooth, soft body close to him. With great willpower, he forced himself to fall back asleep.

The next day, at dawn, Xu Qi'an's biological clock naturally woke him up. He noticed something heavy pressing down on him. When he opened his eyes, he saw the courtesan sleeping soundly right next to him, with a long, fair leg draped over his waist and a snow-white arm resting on his chest.

Xu Qi'an carefully removed her hands and feet, got out of bed, and quickly dressed. As he was tidying his clothes, he angrily discovered that the silver notes in his purse were missing.

All that remained in the purse was a small, exquisite jade mirror, no bigger than the palm of one's hand.

Xu Qi'an's first thought was that the maid in Yingmei Pavilion had stolen the silver notes while he was asleep, which wasn't impossible.

Yang Ling was just a scholar, and although his social status was not low (falsely), what kind of place was the Imperial Academy of Music? It was a government-run brothel with the backing of the Ministry of Ministry of Rites.

He's just a mere scholar; if someone steals money and refuses to admit it, what can Xu Qi'an do?

The Imperial Academy of Music) didn't care about reputation.

The Imperial Academy of Music didn't care about its reputation, but Miss Fuxiang did. If word got out, which customer would dare to patronize her establishment? Xu Qi'an judged that the courtesan was probably unaware of the situation; it was the maid who, seeing the money, couldn't resist the temptation of the silver notes.

He regretted his carelessness in not keeping the banknotes safe as he walked to the bedside, intending to wake Fuxiang.

But just then, Xu Qi'an's expression suddenly froze when he casually glanced at the mirror.

On the originally clean jade mirror surface, something was faintly visible; upon closer inspection, it was several silver notes that were barely discernible.

The texture is faint, like a painting sculpted in a mirror.

What?! Xu Qi'an filled with a series of question marks in his mind.

How did my banknotes end up in the mirror? This is my hard-earned money, you better spit it all out, or I'll smash you to pieces!

He held the small jade mirror, shook it forcefully, and pretended to tip it over.

With a "whoosh," the silver note appeared out of thin air, floated leisurely in mid-air for a moment, and then slowly landed.

In the quiet room, Xu Qi'an held the mirror, remaining silent for a long time.

So, this mirror really is a treasure? Is it because I'm incredibly lucky, or did that Daoist priest deliberately give it to me?

If it's the latter, what was his purpose? What gave him the right to give me the treasure and discover my inexplicable good fortune?

How is this possible? Even Caiwei an Qi-Watching Technique in the Imperial Bureau of Astronomy, couldn't detect my special Daoist priesthood. I'm completely unfamiliar with the Daoist School system.

After a while, he gasped as if his teeth ached.

This inexplicable gift makes me uneasy. First, I need to pick up the silver notes.

Xu Qi'an hid the jade mirror in his bosom and the silver notes in his money pouch, keeping them separate. Then he quietly left the room and enjoyed his breakfast with the help of his maid.

"Young master, won't you wait for your wife to wake up?" the maid asked.

Normally, when a guest gets up, his wife who serves him also gets up, but this guest was a bit strange; he secretly went out by himself.

"No, no need. I'm afraid she'll call me worse than an animal," Xu Qi'an said calmly. "I have urgent business."

A few hours later, at the Xu residence.

Xu Xinnian and Xu Cijiu sat in the study, with steaming hot tea beside them. Xu Pingzhi looked energetic and showed no signs of fatigue.

Xu Erlang looked somewhat dejected.

Neither father nor son spoke, tacitly avoiding mentioning what happened last night, as if neither of them had ever been to the Imperial Academy of Music.

The silence was somewhat stiff until Xu Qi'an's arrival broke the awkward atmosphere between the father and son.

"Why did you take so long? You just got back and you're already taking a shower. Can't you take a shower at the Imperial Academy of Music?" Second Uncle Xu raised his eyebrows and complained.

Xu Xinnian coughed, not wanting to hear his father Imperial Academy of Music), and asked, "Did you find anything?"

Second Uncle Xu immediately stopped complaining and adopted a posture of listening attentively.

Xu Qi'an told them the information he had obtained from Fuxiang and explained his plan.

"The crux of the matter is, how did you manage to kidnap that illegitimate daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu?" Xu Xinnian cut to the chase, hitting the nail on the head.

"If this aspect cannot be resolved, this plan cannot succeed."

Second Uncle Xu pondered for a moment and said, "First, send someone to keep an eye on her, then find an opportunity to strike. The Marquis of Weiwu's illegitimate daughter will definitely have attendants when she goes out, but not too many, after all, she is not the legitimate daughter. We can create chaos and then take the opportunity to kidnap her."

The Xu Qi'an brothers listened, knowing that their Second Uncle Xu had more experience in handling matters.

"If we act during the day, it will be difficult to kidnap someone in full view of everyone. If we attract the attention of the Imperial Saber Guard patrolling the city, we will only suffer the consequences. And at night, it is impossible for the two of us to break into the Marquis's residence."

Xu Qi'an smiled mysteriously, "What if I could solve this problem?"

In the front hall of the Xu residence, the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, was passing by the flowerbed when he discovered a servant lying unconscious there. He rushed over in alarm to check on him and found that the servant had simply fainted.

Old Zhang shook the other person awake and asked, "Why did you faint here?"

The servant looked blank for a moment, as if remembering who he was and where he was. Faced with Old Zhang's question, he scratched his head.

"I was just boiling water for Dalang while he was taking a bath in the house. I only remember Dalang suddenly calling me into the house. After that, I can't remember anything else."

Old Zhang, the doorman, scrutinized the servant for a moment. "How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts a little."

Does your butt hurt?

"It doesn't hurt."

Old Zhang and his servant exchanged a glance, relieved.

At the Bureau of Astronomy, Song Qing, whose dark circles were becoming increasingly pronounced, was slumped over a table covered with a jumble of bottles and jars.

He didn't do any alchemical experiments today; instead, he sat down at his desk and wrote furiously.

"Why are the fruits of grafting superior? What mysterious laws of nature are involved? If grafted products are indeed better, then if I graft humans and horses together, the Great Feng will no longer need to worry about the scarcity of warhorses."

"Every soldier is like a horse, capable of long-distance raids and valiant combat, which will enhance the fighting capabilities of the Great Feng army."

He became more and more excited as he wrote, and his whole being radiant.

Just then, a man in white entered, excitedly exclaiming, "Senior Brother Song, the alchemy prodigy Xu Qi'an has arrived and wishes to see you."

"Alchemy prodigy" is the affectionate nickname given to Xu Qi'an by the white-robed members of the Bureau of Astronomy.

PS: Thanks to the generous patron "Salty Fish Doesn't Want to Speak" for the patronage; the extra chapter will be added after the book is released.