Chapter Summaries

After waking in prison in the Great Feng Dynasty, Xu Qi'an learned he faced exile because his uncle Xu Pingzhi had lost 150,000 taels of tax silver. He saw recovering the silver as his only chance to atone, and asked his cousin Xu Xinnian to obtain the case files.

• Xu Qi'an awoke in the Capital Prefecture prison and realized he had transmigrated into the body of a constable.
• He learned Xu Pingzhi had been sentenced after the tax silver vanished, leaving Xu Qi'an facing exile in two days.
• Xu Qi'an considered solving the case to earn merit and recover the silver, but realized he could not investigate without the case files.
• Xu Xinnian visited, told Xu Qi'an he had paid soldiers to protect him on the journey to the frontier, and urged him to stay alive.
• Xu Qi'an stopped Xu Xinnian and asked him to obtain the files on the missing tax silver.

Xu Qi'an obtained the case files for the missing tax silver and began examining how the shipment disappeared, while investigators struggled to find any trace of it. The chapter ended with Li Yuchun questioning whether a monster had caused the theft at all.

• Xu Qi'an persuaded Xu Xinnian to write down the case details, then studied the account of the tax silver vanishing after an explosion threw river water into the air.
• Xu Qi'an noticed that witnesses had described the incident as the work of a monster and reacted with alarm.
• Prefect Chen Hanguang met with Nightwatcher Li Yuchun and a young woman from the Directorate of Astronomy to discuss the stalled investigation.
• The young woman reported that investigators found no Yao Qi or other traces along the river, prompting Prefect Chen to erupt in anger.
• Li Yuchun suggested that the investigators might be pursuing the wrong explanation and that no monster had stolen the silver.

Xu Qi'an reexamined the tax silver case and deduced that he had found an important lead. He asked to see Prefect Chen, who agreed to bring him in for questioning.

• Prefect Chen, Li Yuchun, and Caiwei debated why a demon might have stolen the tax silver but could not identify a motive or accomplice.
• Xu Qi'an feared that the case would condemn him and his household, then set aside the assumption that a demon was responsible and analyzed the physical traces.
• Xu Qi'an reconstructed the robbery and realized the explosion was the key to solving the puzzle.
• Xu Qi'an told the jailer he had an important lead and demanded to see the prefect.
• A yamen officer informed Prefect Chen that Xu Qi'an wanted to speak with him, and Prefect Chen ordered that Xu Qi'an be brought in.

Xu Qi'an argued that humans, not a monster, had stolen the tax silver and used the case file to expose a fatal flaw in the convoy’s timing. He claimed the silver at the river was a deception and asked Prefect Chen to prepare items so he could demonstrate how it was done.

• Xu Qi'an told Prefect Chen and the other investigators that he had solved the tax silver robbery and insisted it was the work of humans.
• Xu Qi'an calculated that the silver weighed 9,375 jin and questioned the convoy’s route, prompting Li Yuchun to realize the reported travel times were impossible.
• Xu Qi'an explained that the convoy had not been carrying silver, despite witnesses claiming to see it spill into the river.
• Xu Qi'an asked for paper and a brush, wrote a list of items for his demonstration, and handed it to Prefect Chen; none of the officials understood the list.

Xu Qi'an used a chemical demonstration to show that the missing tax silver had been replaced with metallic sodium, which exploded on contact with water and made investigators suspect a monster. The officials realized the real silver had likely been switched recently, while Xu Qi'an reminded Prefect Chen to honor his promise to clear his household's crimes.

• Xu Qi'an enlisted Caiwei to use her Feng Shui Compass to melt salt and apply lightning, producing a lump of metallic sodium.
• Xu Qi'an showed Prefect Chen, Li Yuchun, and Caiwei that the metal looked like silver but weighed much less.
• Xu Qi'an dropped the metal into water, where it reacted violently and cracked the brush-washing jar, explaining the explosion in the river.
• Li Yuchun concluded that the mastermind had staged the explosion and demonic wind to mislead the investigation into hunting a monster.
• Caiwei and Prefect Chen noted that the missing silver had passed through many hands, but Li Yuchun argued it must have been switched recently.
• Prefect Chen rushed out to investigate, and Xu Qi'an called after him to remember his promise to help clear the Xu Household's crimes.

Xu Qi'an was released from prison after helping solve the Tax Silver Case, while his family remained unaware of what had happened. Xu Pingzhi and his family were pardoned and restored to their former standing, then learned that Xu Qi'an—not Xu Xinnian—had recovered the tax silver.

• Chu Caiwei questioned Xu Qi'an about turning salt into silver, but rejected his attempt to use the alchemical knowledge as a reason to join the Directorate of Astronomy.
• After two days in prison, Xu Qi'an was released and asked whether the tax silver had been recovered and what had happened to his second uncle.
• Xu Pingzhi, Li Ru, and their daughters were told they could leave prison, and Li Ru guessed that Xu Xinnian had secured their pardon.
• A clerk told Xu Pingzhi that the tax silver had been recovered and returned his official robe, explaining that a descendant's meritorious deed could atone for an elder's crime.
• The clerk revealed that Xu Qi'an had solved the Tax Silver Case and had already left, shocking Xu Pingzhi and Li Ru.

Xu Qi'an reunited with his family after securing their release and returned with them to the deserted Xu Residence. There, they interrupted Xu Xinnian as he attempted to hang himself, leaving his dramatic farewell unfinished.

• The clerk told Xu Pingzhi and Li Ru that Xu Qi'an had solved the case, and the family met him outside the prefectural office.
• Xu Qi'an greeted his relatives, admired Xu Lingyue's beauty, and joked with little Xu Lingyin before Li Ru reluctantly thanked him.
• Xu Xinnian returned to the sealed Xu Residence, wrote a farewell poem, and prepared to hang himself.
• Xu Qi'an realized Xu Xinnian was in danger as the family arrived home and found him beneath the ginkgo tree with a noose around his neck.
• Xu Xinnian saw his family return just as he was about to die and realized his attempt had been interrupted.

Xu Qi'an reflected on his transmigration and learned more about the cultivation systems in Great Feng before joining his family for dinner. The chapter ended with him noticing Xu Lingyue repeatedly sneaking glances at him.

• Xu Xinnian fainted to escape the embarrassment of his novel being exposed, while Xu Qi'an struggled not to laugh.
• Xu Qi'an soaked in a bath, recalled his previous life and death, and considered the dangers of living in a world with many powerful cultivation systems.
• Lü'e told Xu Qi'an that Auntie and Second Uncle Xu had argued over how the tax silver was switched.
• Xu Lingyin wailed because Auntie had promised to take her to the Laurel Moon Tower, and Xu Qi'an sent her away when he heard how expensive the meal would be.
• At dinner, Xu Qi'an asked Xu Lingyue why she kept sneaking glances at him.

At dinner, Xu Qi'an explained how he solved the tax silver case, and Xu Pingzhi recalled how his own mistake nearly ruined the family. The meal ended in chaos when Xu Lingyin revealed that she had fed a cockroach to Auntie in prison.

• Xu Lingyue asked Xu Qi'an how he had solved the case, and he explained the clues he found in the files, including the silver's weight and the escort route.
• Xu Pingzhi remembered that the guards had worn hand guards while counting the silver, then admitted he had been distracted by drink and forgotten to mention it.
• Xu Xinnian concluded that Lu had likely framed Xu Pingzhi, who told the family that he had chosen different paths for Xu Xinnian and Xu Qi'an after Xu Qi'an's father died in the Shanhai Campaign.
• Xu Lingyin recalled that she had caught a bug in prison and fed it to Auntie because she heard her mother's stomach growling.
• Auntie lunged under the table to vomit, while Xu Lingyin began wailing.

Chu Caiwei returned to the Directorate of Astronomy, where Alchemy Masters struggled to reproduce fake silver, and she sent them to Xu Qi'an for help. Xu Qi'an returned to work at Changle County Yamen after his family was pardoned and learned that Head Constable Wang was under pressure over a merchant’s murder during the year of the capital evaluation.

• Chu Caiwei told the Alchemy Masters that Xu Qi'an had taught her the mnemonic for making fake silver and sent them to seek him out.
• Chu Caiwei asked her master what fake silver was and who had made it, and he claimed to know the maker.
• Xu Qi'an woke, dressed in his yamen uniform, and went to Changle County Yamen with Xu Pingzhi.
• Xu Qi'an told Registrar Li and the constables that the Xu Household had been pardoned through meritorious service, while keeping the credit on Xu Pingzhi.
• Registrar Li summoned Head Constable Wang to the inner hall, and a fellow runner told Xu Qi'an that Wang was being pressured over a wealthy merchant’s murder and the upcoming capital evaluation.

Xu Qi'an examined the murder of Zhang and noticed clues suggesting the killer knew the neighborhood, while Head Constable Wang faced pressure from County Magistrate Zhu to solve the case. When the constables proposed framing a habitual offender, Xu Qi'an objected and demanded the case file.

• Xu Qi'an questioned his colleagues about Zhang's death and reasoned that the killer likely knew the area and the Imperial Saber Guard's patrol patterns.
• Xu Qi'an found it suspicious that the killer had taken none of Zhang's money, since a thief who had watched the household could have stolen it later.
• County Magistrate Zhu scolded Head Constable Wang for failing to solve the murder as the capital evaluation approached.
• Head Constable Wang complained that the case had gone nowhere and that he had lost a mace of silver.
• A junior constable proposed fishing for a scapegoat, and Head Constable Wang ordered Little Li to select a disreputable suspect.
• Xu Qi'an rejected the plan to frame someone and demanded the case file so he could investigate the suspicious clues.

Xu Qi'an reexamined Zhang Yourui’s murder case and argued that the apparent burglary was staged to conceal an affair, possibly involving Zhang Yourui’s son, Zhang Xian. Head Constable Wang accepted the need to verify Xu Qi'an’s deductions and prepared to revisit the Zhang residence.

• Xu Qi'an questioned the lack of footprints in the flower bed and why the killer had used a blunt object instead of a blade.
• Xu Qi'an pointed out that Lady Yang of the Zhang Household had become pregnant after nearly ten years of marriage, suggesting the murder could have stemmed from an affair rather than a burglary.
• Xu Qi'an reasoned that the lover might have been Zhang Xian, since Zhang Xian claimed to be awake but said he had not heard the loud commotion, and the supposed intruder might never have entered the courtyard.
• Xu Qi'an suggested comparing the footprint on the wall with Zhang Xian's boots, and Head Constable Wang praised the idea.
• Head Constable Wang hurried to report to Lord Zhu and ordered the constables to prepare to return to the Zhang residence.

Xu Qi'an's deductions led Head Constable Wang to arrest Zhang Xian and Yang Zhenzhen, while County Magistrate Zhu learned more about Xu Qi'an's role in solving the Tax Silver Case. As the suspects denied killing Zhang Yourui in court, Xu Qi'an came up with an idea for how to proceed.

• Head Constable Wang presented Xu Qi'an's deductions about the Zhang case to County Magistrate Zhu and Registrar Xu, then admitted that Xu Qi'an had taught him the reasoning.
• County Magistrate Zhu revealed that Xu Qi'an had uncovered the truth of the Tax Silver Case and saved the Xu Household.
• Head Constable Wang received a warrant and led constables to the Zhang residence while Xu Qi'an slept at the yamen.
• County Magistrate Zhu questioned Zhang Xian and Yang Zhenzhen about Zhang Yourui's murder, but both denied the accusation.
• Xu Qi'an listened to the questioning and came up with an idea.

Xu Qi'an used psychological pressure and clues from the crime scene to undermine Yang Zhenzhen's composure and accuse her of murdering Zhang Yourui with Zhang Xian's help. Yang Zhenzhen denied the accusation, but Xu Qi'an began presenting evidence against their staged burglary.

• County Magistrate Zhu ordered Zhang Xian beaten after he challenged the court, then recessed the hearing at Xu Qi'an's request.
• Xu Qi'an told County Magistrate Zhu he could try questioning the suspects without torture and arranged to speak with Yang Zhenzhen.
• Xu Qi'an gently questioned Yang Zhenzhen about her marriage and Zhang Yourui's visits to brothels, then accused her of having an affair with Zhang Xian.
• Xu Qi'an claimed Zhang Xian had confessed and described how Yang Zhenzhen supposedly killed Zhang Yourui and staged a robbery, but Yang Zhenzhen denied it.
• Xu Qi'an pointed out that the wall had footprints only on the way out and that Zhang Yourui was killed with a blunt object, arguing that these details contradicted the burglary story.

Xu Qi'an exposed the flaws in Zhang Xian and Yang Zhenzhen's cover story, secured their confessions, and earned County Magistrate Zhu's praise. After work, he joined the constables for drinks and heard about the Imperial Music Bureau's famous flower queen, Miss Fuxiang.

• Xu Qi'an pressured Yang Zhenzhen into confessing by claiming Zhang Xian had blamed her and promising leniency if she told the truth.
• Yang Zhenzhen revealed that Zhang Xian had accidentally killed his father during a fight and that they had staged the scene to look like a thief's work.
• Confronted with Yang Zhenzhen's statement, Zhang Xian gave up and confessed to the murder.
• Xu Qi'an delivered both confessions to County Magistrate Zhu, who praised him for solving the case.
• Head Constable Wang treated the constables to drinks, then told them about Miss Fuxiang and the high price of visiting her at the Imperial Music Bureau.

Xu Qi'an recorded his failed attempts to make money after transmigrating, his work as a constable, and his visits to pleasure houses. By November 14, he had no business plan and was still listening to songs at the pleasure house.

• Xu Qi'an decided to seek a comfortable middle-class life and considered quitting his constable job to pursue business.
• Xu Qi'an tried to invent glass, improve paper, make cement, and write popular novels, but each plan failed.
• Xu Xinnian lent Xu Qi'an five taels of silver after mocking his failed business efforts.
• Xu Qi'an told Lingyue and Lingyin the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, which made Lingyue cry.
• Xu Qi'an heard that the North-Defending King's consort was renowned for her beauty and grew curious about her.
• Xu Qi'an received his salary for the first month and continued listening to songs at the pleasure house.

Xu Qi'an’s unexplained good luck continued as he joined his family for breakfast and learned that Xu Xinnian needed a farewell poem to impress a renowned scholar. Xu Qi'an decided to help by writing a poem from his previous life, leaving the family waiting to see what he would produce.

• Xu Qi'an noticed that he kept finding exactly one mace of silver and suspected his extraordinary luck had a mysterious cause.
• Xu Qi'an visited his second uncle’s household for breakfast and persuaded Xu Lingyin to share her meat buns.
• Xu Qi'an questioned Xu Xinnian about reaching the Confucian Self-Cultivation Realm, but Xu Xinnian admitted he had not found a method.
• Xu Xinnian explained that he needed a farewell poem for a renowned scholar leaving for Qingzhou and worried his weak poetry would cost him a valuable connection.
• Xu Qi'an decided to write a poem for Xu Xinnian and announced that he would prove the Xu family was talented.

Xu Qi'an impressed his family by reciting a famous poem and let Xu Xinnian pass it off as his own. After sparring with Second Uncle Xu and discussing the challenge of advancing his martial cultivation, Xu Qi'an agreed to take Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin shopping.

• Xu Qi'an recited a four-line poem that astonished Xu Xinnian, Xu Lingyue, and Xu Pingzhi.
• Xu Xinnian borrowed the poem, promising to credit Xu Qi'an as its author.
• Xu Qi'an sparred with Second Uncle Xu, who explained that reaching the Qi Refining Realm required a Spirit Refining Realm expert to open his Heavenly Gate.
• Second Uncle Xu worried that Xu Qi'an could not advance his cultivation or start a family without earning military merit.
• Auntie asked Second Uncle Xu to take Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin out, but he arranged for Xu Qi'an to take them shopping instead.

Layman Ziyang prepared to leave for Qingzhou as Cloud Deer Academy hoped to restore its influence in officialdom. When he offered a purple jade pendant for the best farewell poem, Xu Xinnian stepped forward to recite one, leaving the contest unresolved.

• Layman Ziyang met with Li Mubai and Zhang Shen before departing to serve as Qingzhou's provincial administration commissioner.
• Xu Xinnian's classmates discussed winning Layman Ziyang's favor, while Xu Xinnian kept quiet about the poem his elder brother had prepared for him.
• Layman Ziyang explained his ambitions for White Deer Academy, and Li Mubai and Zhang Shen discussed its long rivalry with the Directorate of Education.
• Layman Ziyang offered a purple jade pendant as a prize for the best farewell poem, and Zhu Tuizhi recited first.
• After the students' poems disappointed the gathered scholars, Xu Xinnian stepped forward and announced that he had a poem.

Xu Xinnian recited a half-finished farewell poem that stunned the scholars and won him the purple jade. After revealing that his elder brother had written it, he left the great scholars eager to meet and recruit the mysterious poet.

• Xu Xinnian recited four lines praising Layman Ziyang, leaving the scholars amazed and turning their attention from Zhu Tuizhi.
• Layman Ziyang named the poem "Seeing Yang Gong Off to Qingzhou at Sheep Pavilion" and celebrated the chance to link his name to a renowned work.
• Xu Xinnian admitted that his elder brother had composed the poem, then described him as a reserved scholar who studied at home.
• Layman Ziyang departed after hinting that such talent should not remain unknown, and the purple jade went to Xu Xinnian.
• Li Mubai and Zhang Shen each tried to take Xu Xinnian's elder brother as a disciple, arguing as they urged Xu Xinnian to take them to meet him.