"Do you know the process of solving a case?" Xu Qi'an started with his strong suit.

"Observe the scene, collect clues, then boldly hypothesize and carefully verify. Gradually unravel the puzzle and obtain the truth of the case."

The flickering candlelight illuminated Uncle Xu Er's confused expression.

Xu Er Lang furrowed his brow in contemplation.

Xu Qi'an spoke confidently, "What we need to consider is not how to outsmart Zhou Li, but to observe Zhou Li, collect information, and then summarize it. Boldly formulate a plan and carefully scrutinize the process to judge its feasibility."

His words were clear and his thoughts were rigorous, leaving Xu Er Lang speechless and inwardly agreeing that his big brother's ideas were correct.

It turned out that Ning Yan was also a capable and reliable child... Xu Pingzhi was very pleased. He used to worry that his nephew was too stubborn and insistent on his own ideas, which would cause him trouble in the future.

Seeing that neither of them objected, Xu Qi'an continued, "Ci Jiu, you have a degree and can come into contact with scholars. You can learn some information about the officialdom. You go collect information about Zhou Li, no detail can be missed."

"Uncle, Zhou Mansion is in the inner city. The Imperial Sword Guards are responsible for night patrols in both the inner and outer cities. You should monitor the movements of Zhou Mansion. Don't do it yourself, find someone trustworthy to keep an eye on it."

"I want to know where Zhou Li went, what he did, and who he met during the day."

The father and son nodded, suddenly thinking of something and staring at Xu Qi'an, "What about you?"

Xu Qi'an smiled mysteriously, "I want to plan a way out for the Xu Family. Ci Jiu, we'll discuss the details later tonight. By the way, I want to ask you about something. I'll stay in your room tonight."

...

Tick, tock...

The sound of dripping water echoed in the silent room.

"Big brother, are you asleep?"

"No."

"Oh."

...

"Big brother, are you asleep?"

"No."

"Oh."

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...

"Big brother, you're pushing against me..."

Xu Qi'an was startled and heard Xu Xinnian say, "Pull in your elbow."

"Oh, okay..."

Another silence fell, listening to each other's breathing. Xu Qi'an asked, "Can't you sleep?"

Xu Xinnian replied with a "Hmm," "I'm not used to it."

"Me neither..." Xu Qi'an sighed, "How long has it been since we slept together like this?"Xu Xinnian thought for a moment and replied, "After you started practicing martial arts at the age of ten, and after our relationship with my mother deteriorated, we gradually grew apart."

"I thought you were going to say something tsundere like 'we've never slept in the same bed before'... We can still sleep together now, but Lingyue will never have that chance..." Xu Qi'an sighed as he recalled the memories of the original owner's childhood.

"It's not Auntie's fault, the job of the Royal Guards doesn't pay much, and Uncle spent all his efforts and salary to make just over 200 taels of silver a year. Half of that goes to me, and the other half is for your expenses. It's natural for Auntie to feel resentful," Xu Qi'an explained.

"If we can't survive this crisis, the Xu family might really be finished," Xu Xinnian changed the subject.

"If Zhou Shilang doesn't fall, then after the Jingcha, it will be a disaster for the Xu family."

"I'll arrange a way out. Even if we have to leave the capital after the Jingcha, my uncle and I are skilled enough to survive anywhere," Xu Qi'an lamented.

"But you studied hard for ten years to pass the imperial examination," Xu Xinnian said.

"Hmph, fame and fortune are fleeting. I am a scholar, I read the books of sages and follow the path of the sages. How could I care about mere fame and fortune?" Xu Qi'an agreed.

"If not for Xu Xinnian, the Great Feng would be like an endless night," Xu Qi'an said.

Their friendship boat had capsized. Xu Xinnian took a deep breath, rolled himself up in the bedding, and pretended to sleep without saying a word.

"Hey, Cijiu, give me some of the blanket. It's cold in the middle of winter, even if Big Brother is in the Refining Qi Realm, he still feels uncomfortable," Xu Qi'an said.

Xu Cijiu curled up, wrapped herself in the blanket, and ignored him.

...

In Xu Lingyue's boudoir, the blazing charcoal fire from last night had already gone out, and the room was filled with stuffy air.

She opened a crack in the window to let in fresh air.

Xu Lingyue's porcelain-like face trembled like a small brush, and she woke up, staring at the canopy above for a moment. After a few seconds, her confused gaze regained its luster, and she sat up.

She lazily stretched her waist, and the thick cotton quilt slipped off her body, revealing her slender figure wrapped in a thin white undershirt, her chest rising and falling.

Her fair neck had a graceful curve, and her messy and fluffy hair complemented her exquisite and pretty face.

Xu Lingyue covered her rosy lips with her delicate hands and yawned.

The maid sleeping on the opposite small bed woke up and calmly got dressed.

"The air in the room is stuffy, open the window," the young girl rubbed her forehead and instructed.The maid immediately went to open the window.

Xu Lingyue lifted the quilt and got out of bed, walked to the window, and breathed in the cold air blowing in from the courtyard.

As the daughter of a military general, Xu Lingyue was not so delicate. When Xu Pingzhi taught Xu Qi'an to exercise, he liked to bring Xu Xinnian and Xu Lingyue along.

The siblings laid a solid foundation back then, and their physical fitness was very good.

However, when they grew up a little, their aunt did not let the two children practice martial arts with their unlucky nephew. After all, at that time, the head of the family, Xu Pingzhi, had decided that his nephew would learn martial arts, and his son would study.

A scholar who practices martial arts is not focused on his studies, and a daughter cannot practice martial arts, or she will develop unsightly muscles and have difficulty finding a husband in the future.

Xu Lingyue was enjoying the fresh air when she suddenly saw a figure passing by the window, wearing a black base with red rolled edges on the cuffs and collar, which was the uniform of a catcher.

The siblings silently stared at each other through the window for a few seconds.

Xu Qi'an lowered his head to glance at his sister's well-developed chest.

Xu Lingyue screamed and slammed the window shut.

"My sister has grown up!" Xu Qi'an thought with satisfaction.

Although I didn't raise her, I watched her grow up.

In the boudoir, Xu Lingyue squatted on the ground, blushing and hugging her chest.

The maid nagged, "Miss, you should change this habit. You should tidy up before opening the window. Look, you were seen by your elder brother. Luckily, he is our own brother. If it were someone else, how would you live?"

"You're still talking!" Xu Lingyue exclaimed in embarrassment.

In the past, Xu Xinnian did not come this way, and his parents' main house was not here, so the first thing she did when she woke up in the morning was to open the window, which was very safe.

Why is big brother in the inner courtyard... Xu Lingyue was confused while sitting in front of the dressing table.

The maid stood behind her, dressing her up, and in the end, she picked out some jewelry from the jewelry box and complained, "Miss, you don't have any beautiful hairpins or hair sticks."

Xu Lingyue didn't answer, sighed, and her family had suffered many disasters, their savings were depleted, and the family's expenses, including the servants, were enormous.

Where would they get the money to buy jewelry?

"The hairpins at Treasure Pavilion are very beautiful. I went in to see them yesterday, but I couldn't bear to buy them. If they were inserted into Miss's hair, they would definitely... complement each other."

"It's complement each other." Xu Lingyue's eyes flashed with longing but quickly suppressed it.

The maid continued, "But they are too expensive, ten taels of silver each. Unless you can solve the riddle in the store, the boss won't give you a discount."Xu Lingyue absentmindedly listened and suddenly asked, "Lan'er, do you think big brother has changed a lot recently?"

The maid named Lan'er was taken aback, and a smile bloomed on her face, "The young master is now gentler, more interesting, and more capable than before. He used to have a stern face and wasn't very nice to Miss and Second Young Master. He only smiled when he talked to Master."

Xu Lingyue seemed very satisfied with the maid's answer, and her pretty face lit up with a smile. "It's not his fault. Mother has never liked him."

Xu Lingyue enjoyed the feeling of her relationship with her brother improving, which made her feel happy.

Her brother used to be distant and boring, but now he's interesting and speaks well.

...

Xu Qi'an arrived at Xu Lingyin's room. She wasn't old enough to be subject to the curfew, so he didn't need to knock on the door and just pushed it open. He saw Xu Lingyin squatting on the ground, holding a pig bristle toothbrush in her little hand, brushing her teeth with a serious expression as if it were a major project.

The maid in the room was tidying up the bedding.

"Xi da guo ya..." She raised her head, with bubbles in her mouth, and said something unclear.

"Why are you washing it yourself?" Xu Qi'an asked, looking at the maid.

"Father said that a man must be self-reliant to practice martial arts."

"Do you... know that you're a girl?" Xu Qi'an asked cautiously.

"I know." The little bean tilted her head, looking innocent.

"No, you don't know." Xu Qi'an said, "Do you know the difference between boys and girls?"

"Big brother, I don't know." The little bean was honest and asked, "What's the difference?"

This involved a lesson in physiology, which would take a long time to explain, and Xu Lingyin might not understand it... Xu Qi'an relied on his profound knowledge from nine years of compulsory education in his past life, and his excellent upbringing to summarize it in a way that everyone could understand:

"Simply put, um... boys grow up to be silly, and girls grow up to be naughty."

Xu Lingyin suddenly realized and happily said, "No wonder Mother always says I'm a troublemaker."

She ran around the room in circles, shouting happily, "I'm a troublemaker, I'm a troublemaker..."

Xu Qi'an silently closed the door. He didn't plan to have breakfast at home today.