Silence spoke louder than words

Jiang Luzhong was still Qi Ingestion, but dared not act rashly again.

Wei Yuan said leisurely, "The reason he works under Yang Yan is not because of Yang Yan, but because of Li Yuchun."

Li Yuchun?

The three Golden Gongs were even more confused. Li Yuchun was just a lowly Silver Gong, but he was a talented person. However, he was rigid, inflexible, and stubbornly adhered to his own principles.

Could it be that Li Yuchun and Xu Qi'an have some deeper relationship? Jiang Luzhong wondered to himself.

Wei Yuan explained calmly, "Li Yuchun was able to test Xu Qi'an's character, and Xu Qi'an also needs a rigid leader. Any other Silver Gong would create conflict with him."

Li Yuchun is intolerant of any imperfections, which is perfect for guiding and advising Xu Qi'an. Given the character and principles Xu Qi'an revealed during the Heart-Questioning Trial, he would never be able to thrive under any Silver Gong.

It could even cause trouble.

Seeing the thoughtful expressions on the three faces, Wei Yuan asked gently, "And you, what made you choose this piece of gold?"

Jiang Lvzhong did not hide anything. "Ping Yuanbo's case is quite difficult. According to the current clues, it is very likely that he is a gangster seeking revenge. But he has escaped long ago, and it is very difficult to find him out. Xu Qi'an happens to be good at solving cases, so I want to transfer this person to my subordinates to work for me."

This reason was reasonable, Wei Yuan and his two sons nodded.

Jiang Luzhong continued, "But what I really value is something else."

Yang Yan immediately looked over.

"On the night the Marquis of Pingyuan was killed, I led several Qi-Watching Master from the Bureau of Astronomy to track down the murderers. When the men in white saw Xu Qi'an, they were extremely excited and insisted on going over to talk to him."

"Upon meeting, they bowed and greeted each other respectfully. When have the white-robed officials of the Bureau of Astronomy ever been so courteous to a mere military man?"

Jiang Luzhong shook his head and continued, "After questioning him, my subordinates learned that this person had a close relationship with the Alchemist of the Bureau of Astronomy Observatory."

"Having close ties with the Alchemist the Bureau of Astronomy Observatory?" The effeminate-looking Nangong Qianrou seemed to have thought of something and chuckled.

"I remember in the tax silver case, it was he who used Alchemy to create counterfeit silver and solve the mystery. Using Alchemy to please the white-robed Bureau of Astronomy is clever. However, the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy have always looked down on martial artists, and this kid is quite flexible."

Yang Yan frowned.

He himself was the kind of martial artist who looked down on everyone, regarding practitioners of all major systems as ants, believing that this was the kind of aura that a high-level martial artist must possess.

Only by despising everything can one be fearless.

If Xu Qi'an were to fawn over and flatter the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy, Yang Yan would have to lower his rating and opinion of him.

"No, that's not it." Jiang Luzhong sighed and denied it, "Those Qi-Watching Master treated him with utmost respect, practically trying to please him. Even Song Qing of the Bureau of Astronomy praised Xu Qi'an as 'my teacher'."

"Nonsense!" Nangong Qianrou refused to believe it.

Song Qing is the Director's personal disciple; how could he possibly say such a thing? What does that say about the Director?

Yang Yan didn't speak, but he didn't believe it either.

Wei Yuan seemed to be deep in thought.

After finishing his patrol, Xu Qi'an returned to the Nightwatchers's office, wrote his report as usual, and then left.

I had a day off today, so instead of going home, I went to the Imperial Academy of Music government-run entertainment district).

Today, Yingmei Pavilion did not hold a tea party. The guests listened to music and watched dances. Fuxiang appeared once during the meal, and the guests were satisfied.

The Capital Evaluation are great! The real big shots don't come to the Imperial Academy of Music anymore. Xu Qi'an was invited for tea as usual.

In the bedroom, where charcoal was burning, Fuxiang, dressed in a gorgeous long dress, lowered her head and played the zither, dignified and elegant, with the air of a well-bred lady in her eyes.

She's quite reserved today, not showing off her breasts while I bathe. Xu Qi'an sat in the bathtub, enjoying the maid's service.

Xu Qi'an gazed at the beauty through the screen.

She happened to look up, smiled sweetly, and in that instant, she exuded charm.

That intangible allure stirred a surge of heat in Xu Dalang's heart.

In just a fleeting moment, that indescribable feeling vanished, and Xu Qi'an even thought he had misread it through the screen.

The next morning, when Xu Qi'an woke up, he glanced at the drain by his bed and realized it was 7:45 AM. He had overslept, which was unusual for him.

Fuxiang slept languidly, her dark hair obscuring her beautiful face. She resembled a plump peony, having endured the ravages of a storm the previous night.

I felt a bit listless this morning and need to catch up on sleep to recharge.

After washing up and eating breakfast with the help of her maid, Fuxiang's head maid said shyly, "Young master is strong, but young lady is still a delicate young lady. I hope you will take care of her."

Before Xu Qi'an could answer, she blushed and said shyly, "Ping'er is willing to share the burden with you, Madam."

Is this something you want to do or not? Is this something I want to do or not?

Xu Qi'an scrutinized the head maid's appearance; she was pretty, but compared to Fuxiang, she was worlds apart.

He took the horse from the "service personnel" of the Imperial Academy of Music), mounted it, and suddenly heard a burst of hearty laughter.

Following the sound, several men in Imperial Saber Guard uniforms walked together toward the stables.

One of them had a square face and a tall, imposing figure; it was none other than Second Uncle Xu.

Xu Pingzhi and his colleagues spent a night of revelry at the Imperial Academy of Music). They chatted and laughed as they arrived at the stables, where they saw a handsome young man sitting high on horseback, dressed in Nightwatchers's uniform, with a gong strapped to his chest and a sword hanging from his waist.

"..." My second uncle's hearty laughter caught in his throat.

The uncle and nephew stared at each other in silence; at that moment, silence spoke louder than words, as if a silver bottle had suddenly shattered and water had gushed out.

After a few seconds, the uncle and nephew turned their heads at the same time, pretending not to recognize each other.

The minor leaders of the Imperial Saber Guard were oblivious, chatting and laughing with lingering resentment.

"I wonder how many more noblemen's families will be sent to the Imperial Academy of Music this year Capital Evaluation."

"We're so lucky, hahaha!"

"Speaking of which, it's now difficult to even meet Miss Fuxiang."

"Fuxiang is now famous throughout the capital, and his reputation will spread to other prefectures in the future, his status rising higher and higher."

"However, Miss Fuxiang was with guests last night, and just as she passed by Yingmei Pavilion, Xiao Guigong took down the sign on the gate."

"What a blessing."

The second uncle subconsciously glanced at Xu Qi'an, thinking to himself, "The object of your envy, jealousy, and hatred is my nephew."

The uncle and nephew, pretending not to know each other, left the Imperial Academy of Music). Xu Pingzhi and his colleagues bowed in farewell outside the Imperial Academy of Music, then spurred their horses to catch up with Xu Qi'an, saying in a deep voice, "Ningyan..."

"Second Uncle, you're despicable!" Xu Qi'an said righteously and indignantly, "My aunt is such a beautiful woman, she married you, and instead of cherishing her, you run off to the Imperial Academy of Music to fool around."

My aunt is so beautiful that my uncle always felt that he was blessed by God to be able to marry such a beautiful wife.

The main issue is that marriages in this era are arranged by parents and matchmakers. In Xu Qi'an's previous life, only the upper class could enjoy such delicacies.

Xu Pingzhi opened his mouth, then said helplessly, "In three days, it will be the day His Majesty pays respects to his ancestors. There will be many social engagements during this period. Don't tell your aunt."

"So, when Second Uncle said he wouldn't go to the Imperial Academy of Music, he was just lying to him," Xu Qi'an added, finally saying, "What does Second Uncle want to tell me?"

"No, I didn't mean to say anything." Second Uncle Xu abandoned his idea of disciplining his nephew.

Xu Qi'an, who had taken the initiative, nodded slightly.

As they approached the Xu Residence, Second Uncle Xu, perhaps feeling guilty, noticed a vendor selling green tangerines nearby and turned to say, "I'll go buy some tangerines; you wait here for me."

Xu Qi'an was caught off guard and taken advantage of, yet he couldn't refute it, so he nodded helplessly.

On the way, Xu Pingzhi peeled an orange and deliberately smeared the juice from the peel on his body.

Xu Qi'an, a seasoned philanderer, secretly admired him and said, "Second Uncle, don't throw the skin away, give it to me."

As he handed over the oranges, Second Uncle Xu asked curiously, "You don't need them."

You keep it from your wife, and I'll keep it from your daughter!

After applying orange peel to their faces, the two entered the mansion.

The aunt smelled the scent on the two of them and frowned in disgust.

"These oranges are fresh and sweet, I just bought them." Second Uncle Xu handed over the peeled but uneaten orange.

The aunt nodded, peeled a petal with her slender fingers, ate it, and then handed it to Second Uncle Xu without expression.

Seeing his wife sharing, Second Uncle Xu also peeled a piece and ate it, then handed it to Xu Qi'an with a blank expression.

It's so heartwarming that everyone has to share an orange. Xu Qi'an smiled as he took it, ate a segment, and then handed it to Xu Lingyue.

Xu Lingyue also ate a piece, then beckoned over Xu Lingyin, who was running around the hall having fun on her own.

Xu Lingyin took the orange, broke off two segments with her short fingers, and popped them into her mouth. In an instant, her little face scrunched up as she shivered from the sourness.

The little boy finished the orange while making a face contort.

The family was relieved and handed the whole bag of oranges over to Xu Lingyin to handle.

P. S.: Readers with ample time and interest can apply to become chapter comment moderators (apply through the book details page operations team). This can help remove negative comments, etc. Your reading time will be considered when you apply.

P. S.: The recommendation vote ranking is getting higher and higher; I'll try to break into the top 15 next week.