Aptitude test

The Nightwatchers's invitation. Inviting me?

Xu Qi'an was incredulous for a moment, and he remained silent, not in a hurry to speak.

"You're a talent; I already confirmed that back in the back hall of the government office. But there are rules for Nightwatchers; the Qi Refining Realm is the minimum requirement." Li Yuchun shifted to a more casual sitting posture, no longer as aggressive as before, and said:

"As the guardian of the Great Feng and the protector of His Majesty, it is normal to have higher expectations."

"But you proved yourself with your abilities; even at the Essence Refining Realm, the Nightwatchers would be willing to recruit you."

Was it because my methods were dirty enough and my mind was meticulous enough that I was admitted despite not meeting the usual requirements?

Yes, this silver gong, who is half southern barbarian, expressed his admiration for me when I solved the tax silver case.

The stern-faced silver gong added, "Of course, the main reason is that the eldest princess recommended you."

The Eldest Princess?! Xu Qi'an was startled again.

Who is the Eldest Princess? Why would she recommend her? I don't know her at all. Um, I did hear about her at the Cloud Deer Academy.

But we've never seen why she recommended me to the Nightwatchers.

Xu Qi'an was filled with confusion and bewilderment, but the two silver gongs seemed to have no intention of answering his questions. Perhaps they themselves were also unsure.

"Besides these reasons, the reason why the two gentlemen didn't report me is..."

Li Yuchun smiled and said, "You should know the duties of Nightwatchers."

Xu Qi'an suddenly realized that Vice Minister Zhou was in charge of supervising officials who embezzled state funds, was not in the same camp as the night Nightwatchers. In fact, the night Nightwatchers's organization even played a role in Vice Minister Zhou's downfall.

"Vice Minister Zhou is doomed sooner or later. We've already begun to deal with him, but your little scheme has accelerated our progress," said the stern-faced silver-gong-wielding man.

Li Yuchun glanced at him and said, "Lord Sun, as agreed before, I will accept this person. Please give us some space to talk."

The silver-gong-wielding man surnamed Sun didn't leave, but instead stared at Xu Qi'an: "You have the right to choose, with him or with me."

"The difference in power between the two of us isn't that great, but he's stubborn and inflexible. Those who follow him live a mediocre life, while those who follow me can buy a decent little house in the inner city in three years at most."

After working for three years, the prospect of owning an apartment in the capital is indeed an irresistible temptation. Xu Qi'an politely declined Sun Yinluo's offer, saying:

"During the tax silver case, Lord Li gave me a chance to redeem myself through meritorious service. I have always remembered this kindness, and I want to work under him."

This is only one reason. Another reason is that he was unwilling to go against his conscience and do too many shady dealings.

Sun Yinluo nodded slightly and said approvingly, "It's a good thing to know how to repay kindness."

He left without looking back.

After the door closed, Li Yuchun pointed to the chair opposite him and said with a gentle smile, "Sit down. Let me introduce myself. I am Li Yuchun, and I will be your superior from now on. You can address me as such. If you feel uncomfortable, you can call me Lord Li."

"Can I call you Brother Chun?" Xu Qi'an took his seat and greeted him somewhat reservedly, "Lord Li."

"When working under me, you must have a clear conscience; remember this well." After giving this advice, Li Yuchun began to introduce the Nightwatchers organization:

"Among the Nightwatchers, the lowest level is the White Servant, who has no official position and does odd jobs. Next is the Copper Gong, who is a proper Nightwatchers, at least at the Qi Refining Realm, and receives a monthly salary of five taels of silver and two shi of rice. Above that is the Silver Gong, who enjoys the treatment of a hundred households."

"Above the silver gong is the gold gong, the highest level of official position. There are only ten gold gong holders in the capital of the Great Feng Dynasty, who report directly to Duke Wei."

Xu Qi'an nodded. He knew these common facts; Wei Yuan was the head of the Nightwatchers organization.

"The Nightwatchers's duties are to monitor all officials and protect the capital. You'll gradually familiarize yourself with the specific tasks later." Li Yuchun scrutinized Xu Qi'an:

"You are currently at the peak of the Essence Refining Realm. I have two suggestions: First, slowly accumulate merit and wait for an opportunity. Second, pay four hundred taels of silver, and I will help you open the Heavenly Gate."

Xu Qi'an answered without hesitation, "I choose the second one."

Li Yuchun narrowed his eyes. "Pretty wealthy, huh?"

"It was lent to me by Caiwei, a girl from the Bureau of Astronomy." Xu Qi'an shifted the blame to the big-eyed beauty without batting an eye.

Li Yuchun nodded. "I'll arrange for you to change your household registration and complete the relevant procedures first."

He finished speaking and went out. After a while, he came in with a squinty-eyed youth and a stern-faced youth.

"Song Tingfeng." The man, whose eyes narrowed when he smiled, introduced himself, then looked Xu Qi'an up and down. "You're something else, coming in here and now we're colleagues?"

"Zhu Guangxiao." The stern-faced young man finished speaking and then fell silent.

Xu Qi'an followed the two to complete the onboarding procedures. On the way, Song Tingfeng chatted casually:

"Working for Boss Li is generally quite easy, with not much backstabbing and scheming. The downside is that you have to be careful when making money; a little greed is fine, but don't go too far."

"Then can you give me back the thirty taels of silver?" Xu Qi'an gazed at him sincerely.

Song Tingfeng returned the look with even more sincerity. "When have I ever taken your money?"

"You bastard!" Xu Qi'an grinned. "Oh, I must have misremembered."

"By the way, we're planning to go to the Imperial Academy of Music tonight, wanna come along?" Song Tingfeng sent an invitation.

I despise this kind of corrupt bureaucratic networking. Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "Okay."

After completing the formalities, Song Tingfeng led him deeper into the government office, explaining as they walked, "After becoming a night Nightwatchers, there's another procedure: a qualification test."

"Testing qualifications?" Xu Qi'an imagined the scene of placing his hand on the crystal stone to test his battle qi level.

"These are the rules and procedures established by Duke Wei," Song Tingfeng said. "They are 'wisdom,' 'strength,' and 'inquiry into one's heart.'"

As they spoke, they arrived at a pavilion, stepped over the high threshold, and entered the first-floor hall. Two lines of poetry hung on a load-bearing pillar:

I am willing to dedicate my heart to this world.

Do not seek personal gain.

"This was written by Duke Wei to warn and admonish us," Song Tingfeng said.

"Obviously, this is useless." Xu Qi'an glanced at him sideways, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Song Tingfeng pretended not to understand and led him inside, saying, "You're currently at the Essence Refining Realm, so we don't need to test your combat strength. Let's test your intelligence first."

He summoned the clerk in the attic and gave him instructions.

A moment later, two officials entered, each carrying a brocade box.

Song Tingfeng smiled and said, "The two of them have different contents; one box is empty, and the other contains something. You can choose one of them to ask, but you can only ask one question."

"And among them, one only tells lies, and the other only tells the truth."

Song Tingfeng chuckled, "You have the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to think about it. I can't give you any hints."

Zhu Guangxiao succinctly reminded him, "This is a difficult question; think about it carefully."

Song Tingfeng nodded. "Although Duke Wei said it was just a small game, very few people could guess it correctly. Although I figured it out afterward, an incense stick's worth of time had already passed."

"It is said that only the Golden Gong masters can comprehend this riddle within twenty breaths."

The official lit an incense stick and placed it to the side.

I've tackled countless logic puzzles like this in my past lives.

Xu Qi'an turned to the clerk on his left and asked, "If you were him, what would you tell me?"

The clerk was a little stunned, seemingly not expecting Xu Qi'an to ask such a question. After thinking for a while, he muttered, "There's nothing there."

Xu Qi'an nodded and placed his hand on the brocade box in the hands of the yamen runner on his right. "The item is in this brocade box."

Song Tingfeng opened his mouth, his face stiff as he looked at his expressionless companion. "How long?"

Zhu Guangxiao said with some frustration, "Not counting the time the clerk was distracted, twelve breaths..."

There was a moment of silence. Song Tingfeng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and shook his head helplessly. "You weren't just lucky to solve the tax silver case."

He knew of Xu Qi'an. Li Yuchun was one of the presiding judges in the tax silver case. At that time, Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were out there tirelessly tracking down a non-existent demon.

After the tax evasion case was solved, he, as a participant in the case, naturally became aware of Xu Qi'an's existence.