The Nightwatchers came calling

Upon hearing this, Chen Tai, who was drinking tea, immediately spat it out.

Li Mubai and Zhang Shen froze, then abruptly turned their heads and glared at Xu Qi'an.

"Was the poet not Yang Ling?"

"Little brother, are you asking for a beating, selling me off so readily?" Xu Qi'an braced himself and said, "It's my alias."

"Really?"

"Really!"

The two men still didn't believe it and asked, "What were you doing at the Imperial Academy of Music?"

Xu Qi'an straightened his posture and said, "Young man, you admire me."

The room suddenly fell silent. The three scholars felt a tightness in their chests, wanting to vomit but unable to.

A few seconds later, Zhang Shen stood up, pointed at Xu Qi'an's nose, and said, "You, you..."

He paced back and forth in the room, extremely agitated. "A timeless masterpiece, you're using it on a woman of the night? Does she deserve it? Does she deserve it?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it'll be perfect for you," Xu Qi'an thought to himself, but outwardly he adopted a posture of listening to his teacher's admonition.

Li Mubai was equally agitated, saying, "Even if it's about plum blossoms, 'Presented to Fuxiang at the Shadow Plum Pavilion' is utterly vulgar, utterly tasteless. It completely ruins a fine poem."

"If it could be changed to 'A Gift from the Cloud Deer Academy to Mr. Mubai,' you'd probably laugh like a pig," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Two lines of poetry have made him famous for eternity. To use them to describe a courtesan seems wasteful. But things can't be judged solely on appearances. If he hadn't won the favor of the Fuxiang with that poem, how would he have extracted useful information?

How to frame Zhou Li?

If we don't frame Zhou Li, what if Vice Minister Zhou survives? What if his political enemies fail to bring him down?

What fate awaits the Xu Household?

Poetry is copied anyway, so I don't care. Besides, what's the use of having a lot of poetry if it can't solve the immediate problem?

Even the finest poems are only useful if they can be converted into tangible benefits.

Chen Tai sighed inwardly. He was initially surprised and disbelieving that Yang Ling was Xu Qi'an's alias, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt it made sense.

Such poetic talent cannot appear out of thin air.

"If Li Mubai and Zhang Shen can take him as their disciple, then I can too. Since I have two teachers, why can't I have three?" Chen Daru secretly decided that he would find an opportunity to take this poetic talent under his wing in the future.

After being bombarded with words, Xu Qi'an obediently admitted his mistake and promised that if he ever wrote a good poem or lyric, he would first have the two teachers revise and polish it.

Li Mubai and Zhang Shen barely calmed down.

Aside from their regret at missing out on a masterpiece, the two great scholars genuinely felt that Xu Qi'an had wasted his time using the poem on a courtesan from a Imperial Academy of Music.

What a waste!

Xu Xinnian, still possessing some conscience, stepped in to smooth things over and change the subject. "My younger sister has been studying at the academy for many days now; I wonder if there has been any progress?"

The three Confucian scholars exchanged glances, and Chen Tai couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Your sister is truly determined and unbreakable."

Zhang Shen said helplessly, "She's had four different tutors in the past ten days."

Li Mubai added, "They all swore they would never educate young children in their lifetime."

Xu Cijiu Xu Ningyan: "."

In the small courtyard, a family reunited after a long separation.

The aunt happily welcomed her husband and baby son, while the second uncle joyfully embraced his young daughter and wife.

When Xu Lingyin saw her father, she was overcome with grief and hugged his legs, howling in pain.

Second Uncle Xu felt a pang of pity, thinking that his daughter had suffered during her early education at the academy, and that the teachers there must have been very strict.

Xu Lingyue, dressed in an indigo-blue silk robe, stood to one side, a faint smile on her slender, oval face as she watched this scene.

She was too old to throw herself into her father's arms without a care in the world like a little kid, and she wasn't the eldest son, so she wasn't as loved by her parents as her older brother.

The child caught in the middle is always in an awkward position.

"It's been ten days since I last saw you, and you've lost a lot of weight, little sister." Xu Qi'an walked over, took his sister's soft hand, and examined her closely.

Her slender waist, bound by a belt, was so delicate it could be encircled with one hand; her breasts began to swell, and the young girl's budding figure was exceptionally alluring.

She has an oval face and big eyes, flawless from both afar and up close. She lacks a bit of feminine softness, but possesses the pure beauty and liveliness of a young girl.

Xu Lingyue subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but then restrained herself. The warmth of her older brother's hand made her blush, and her eyes sparkled. She softly called out, "Big Brother."

On the way home, Xu Lingyue surprisingly suggested riding a horse, but since she didn't know how to ride, she got her father's permission and rode with Xu Qi'an.

The sun was warm, but the wind felt a little cool on my face. Riding a horse in the dead of winter is like riding a motorcycle in the coldest part of winter without a helmet.

Xu Lingyue, being a woman after all, nestled tightly in Xu Qi'an's arms, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the surrounding scenery, feeling an unprecedented sense of security wash over her.

Xu Xinnian also has a younger sister in his arms.

"Second brother, I'm so sick of the horse, I feel like throwing up."

"Then let's go back to the carriage."

"No, I want to ride on your shoulders."

Xu Erlang frowned, annoyed by the little bean curd.

The aunt inside the carriage lifted the curtain, revealing her beautiful and charming face.

"Master, while I was away from the manor, did you go out and fool around?"

Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an said in unison, "No."

The aunt glanced at the two of them a few times, then said, "I'm not asking you anything, don't be nosy."

Three days later, a day off.

In the early morning, Xu Qi'an fiddled with a small jade mirror. The mirror reflected the faint images of crossbows, bronze mirrors, and broadswords, like a painting with blurred brushstrokes.

He temporarily used the mirror as Storage Bag, stuffing all sorts of odds and ends inside.

Upon arriving at the main house and having breakfast, Xu Lingyue, with an expectant expression, said at the table, "Big brother, you're off today. Let's go out for a stroll."

Second Uncle Xu frowned, recalling the incident of Zhou Li riding a horse a while ago, and said, "I'm off today too, Lingyue, let me go out with you."

Xu Lingyue hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind, I suddenly feel a little dizzy."

Second Uncle Xu: "???"

I spent the morning listening to music at the brothel, took a nap at home at noon, and then went to the black market in the evening. I need to hurry up and break through to the Qi Refining Realm. Xu Qi'an was able to travel beyond the mundane world.

Just then, Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, rushed in to report, standing in the hall. "Sir, two constables have arrived outside."

"A policeman?" Xu Pingzhi took a sip of his congee and asked casually, "What policeman?"

Xu Erlang asked, "Brother, is he your colleague?"

Xu Qi'an didn't seem to care much. "It shouldn't be."

The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, said, "I don't know, but they were dressed in black and had strange bronze gongs strapped to their chests."

The Xu Household trembled slightly, exchanged a silent glance, and all saw the gravity in each other's eyes.

Nightwatchers!

"Quickly, welcome him in." Xu Pingzhi quickly got up and walked towards the front hall.

Xu Qi'an and Xu Xinnian followed behind, their minds racing as they pondered the purpose of the Nightwatchers's visit.

In the Great Feng Dynasty, the term "Nightwatchers" did not have a positive connotation; it was often associated with bloody words such as punishment, imprisonment, and confiscation of property.

But honestly, given Second Uncle Xu's status, the Nightwatchers should look down on him.

Soon, the three met the visiting Nightwatchers in the front hall.

The two men were dressed in standard black uniforms, with short capes hanging down their backs, and a gong engraved with intricate incantations strapped to their chests.

The two Nightwatchers were both young men. The one on the left had a serious expression and rarely smiled. The one on the right, on the other hand, had a smile on his face and his eyes were narrowed into slits.

The young man, whose eyes narrowed as he smiled, glanced at the Xu Household and asked with a smile, "Which one is Xu Qi'an?"

Xu Qi'an stepped forward. "I am."

The squinty-eyed young man nodded slightly. "Come with us."

Xu Pingzhi's brow twitched. He stepped in front of Xu Qi'an, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice, "My lords, what mistake has my nephew made?"

The serious-looking young man frowned.

Another person said with a smile, "If you don't do anything wrong during the day, you won't be afraid of the night Nightwatchers."

Given the Nightwatchers's modus operandi, if someone resists arrest, wouldn't they draw their swords and attack on the spot? Xu Qi'an placed one hand on his second uncle's shoulder and looked at the two Nightwatchers: "Alright, I'll go with you."

He left the Xu residence with the Nightwatchers. A carriage was parked at the gate, and the serious-looking Nightwatchers pointed to the carriage, gesturing for Xu Qi'an to go inside.

The ever-smiling young man removed the gong from his chest, struck it forcefully, and proclaimed in a loud voice, "The weather is dry; be careful with fire!"

The Nightwatchers's office was located in the inner city, far from the Xu residence, requiring several hours to walk. Therefore, arranging a carriage for Xu Qi'an was not because he received any special treatment, but simply to save time.

The stern-faced Nightwatchers drove the carriage, and inside, Xu Qi'an and the smiling young man sat facing each other.

What does the Nightwatchers want with me? Is it about Zhou Li's case? Impossible. I can't guarantee a perfect crime, but I can guarantee that the Great Feng Dynasty, without surveillance equipment, can't possibly find out that I kidnapped the second young lady of the Zhang family. Even if there are some clues, they wouldn't be able to identify me so quickly.

Xu Qi'an reached into his robes, gently tapped the back of the jade mirror, and poured out a silver note. He took it out and glanced at it; it was ten taels in face value. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He sincerely handed over the silver note and said, "I am a law-abiding citizen who admires your service to the country and the people. I offer you ten taels of silver to invite you to have some tea."

"If you could tell me what happened, I would be eternally grateful."

The Nightwatchers's gaze fell on the silver notes, and he smiled with innocently narrowed eyes, "The rules for Nightwatchers strict. If a bribe exceeds ten taels, the punishment is fifty taels of caning; if it exceeds fifty taels, the punishment is exile; if it exceeds one hundred taels, the punishment is beheading."

"I obviously don't need to be flogged for ten taels of silver."

Xu Qi'an gave an awkward smile and was about to take back the money when he heard the squinty-eyed young man say leisurely, "If you want to get information out of me, you'll have to pay more!"

Xu Qi'an handed over thirty taels of silver without any hint of sarcasm.

The young man smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. He tucked two silver notes into his pocket and handed the other one out from behind the curtain. "Thirty taels for you, ten for each of us, and the remaining ten for a tea party at the Imperial Academy of Music tonight. That'll be five taels each."

The stern-faced young man accepted the silver note and gave a low "hmm".

The squinty-eyed young man, with his Erlang crossed, smiled at Xu Qi'an and said, "Rules are important, but when everyone tacitly ignores them, if you take them too seriously, you'll only be ostracized."

P. S.: This chapter is 3,000 words long, guys! Do you know the principle of equivalent exchange?