[Jiu: A while ago, while the Daoist Master was sleeping, I went back to the sect to handle some matters and ended up being ambushed. I fled all the way to the Great Feng capital to save my life, and to avoid pursuit, I gave the mirror that was going to be sealed away to... Chen Jinnan little brother.]

"You not only revealed my gender, but also hinted at my age..." Xu Qi'an was a little angry. He could have disguised himself as a transvestite or a master in the Tian Di Hui.

[Jiu: Afterwards, with the help of Chen Jinnan little brother, we killed Zi Lian and avoided this disaster.]

[Er: Number 3, which yamen are you from?]

"You're basically asking for my address, I'll only have ghosts as friends..." Xu Qi'an had a moment of inspiration and imitated Xu Erlang's tone.

[San: The yamen? The yamen in the capital are just a group of people who hold empty positions.]

San seemed very disdainful of the yamen, with a somewhat arrogant tone. First, we can exclude the Ren Sect, as Taoist Master Jin Lian wouldn't work with them.

Nightwatcher wouldn't describe the yamen in the capital like this, so is it the Bureau of Astrology or the Yunlu Academy?

This tone is similar to that of the Confucian scholars who call themselves "reading is the highest of all."

Numbers 2 and 6 in front of the mirror made guesses at the same time.

[Er: Number 1 is also in the capital. Maybe you two know each other. Number 1, did you hear about what happened today?]

After a pause, Number 1 sent a message:

[Number 2, has the banditry in Yunzhou been quelled?]

Interesting!

Xu Qi'an's eyebrows raised.

He smelled a scent of palace intrigue.

Number 2 pulled Number 1 into the water while passing on a message to him: Number 1 and you are both in the capital.

This is obviously aimed at Number 1. The reason is simple. After the chat just now, everyone knows that San is from the capital.

But as San himself, he doesn't know the information of others. Number 2 can choose not to reveal this.

And Number 1 immediately reciprocated, openly throwing out information to Xu Qi'an, demonstrating his own channels and giving Xu Qi'an a preventive injection, while also counterattacking Number 2.

Number 2 is in Yunzhou... banditry... is she also a member of the yamen?

Yunzhou is plagued by banditry every year and is jokingly referred to as "Bandit Province" by people from other provinces.

While Xu Qi'an was lost in thought, Numbers 6 and 2 were also digesting the information provided by Number 1.

A mountain was pierced 60 miles outside the east city... there is too little information to determine what cultivation system it belongs to, but it can be determined that it was a high-level practitioner.

[Er: How could it be quelled? The emperor of the Great Feng is just a brainless monkey, always thinking about cultivating immortality, without knowing the suffering of the people.]

This statement... Number 2 shouldn't be receiving a salary from the court... Xu Qi'an guessed.

[Er: Not to mention previous years, just this year, I checked the household registration of every prefecture and county in Yunzhou, conducted investigations everywhere, and roughly estimated that at least 60,000 people have fled and become refugees or turned to banditry.]

Refugees are people without land who cannot afford to pay taxes and have to abandon their land and flee.

Land is gone, but people still have to live. Some beg, work, and some directly turn to banditry, plundering innocent people, forming a vicious cycle."Number Two continued, 'I have destroyed more than ten groups of bandits and discovered that there are deeper forces behind them.'"

"'Any leads?'"

"'None... Oh, by the way, how is the situation in the capital lately?'"

Before Number One could answer, Xu Qi'an quickly inputted a message: "'Zhou Shilang has fallen from grace, and political struggles have begun. However, Zhou Shilang's downfall was quite absurd. It was caused by his son's foolishness in attempting to defile the second daughter of the Marquis of Wei.'"

His words were not only conveying information to Number Two and showcasing his own level to the others, but also testing Number One.

Those qualified to participate in court struggles knew that the real reason for Zhou Shilang's downfall was the tax and silver case.

To his disappointment, Number One did not correct him.

"'I have investigated for you, Taoist Master Jin Lian. The exact time when the Yunlu Academy's Yasheng Academy was sealed was on the day of Jiazi. Among the outsiders present at the Yunlu Academy that day, besides the Princess Chang, there was a minor official named Xu Qi'an.'"

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Xu Qi'an's heart jumped, feeling a sense of panic as if he had been doxxed and his address had been exposed online. Who was this Number One, and why was he investigating the events of that day? Xu Qi'an remembered that on the day of Jiazi, Erlang had taken him to visit the Yunlu Academy, and on a whim, he had written four lines on a stone tablet, causing an unusual phenomenon in the Yasheng Temple.

At the same time, he was very curious as to why Taoist Master Jin Lian was concerned about the changes at the Yunlu Academy. According to reason, this was a matter of concern for the scholars of the National Academy, not a Taoist priest of your sect.

"'However, that minor official is nothing special. Besides his talent for poetry, he is only in the Refinement Realm, not a student of the Yunlu Academy, let alone a scholar.'"

"'Hmm, I see.'"

"'Taoist Master, why do you care about the changes at the Yunlu Academy?'" Xu Qi'an asked, testing the waters.

"'I want to know if Yasheng Cheng's stone tablet has cracked.'"

"'Is that important?'"

"'It's very important.'"

It had cracked... Xu Qi'an did not tell Taoist Master Jin Lian, even if he had to say it, it was not now.

"'I have a question to ask everyone.'"

"'What is it?'"

"'Is Alchemy exclusive to the Scribe of the Heavens?'"

Xu Qi'an's words almost excluded his identity as a disciple of the Scribe of the Heavens.

The others became even more certain that he was a student of the Yunlu Academy, a student highly regarded by the elders of the academy. Otherwise, they could not have hired high-level experts to kill Taoist Master Zilian.

And this was exactly what Xu Qi'an wanted.

"You think I'm a student of the Yunlu Academy, but in fact, I'm a Nightwatcher. When you realize that I might be a Nightwatcher, you will discover that I am really a student of the Yunlu Academy, or you will find out that I am the life mentor of the alchemists of the Scribe of the Heavens."

"'Let me answer this question. Six hundred years ago, there was no system of sorcerers. The Scribe of the Heavens only appeared after the founding of the Great Feng.'"

The history of the sect was short, without branches and leaves, which meant that except for the Scribe of the Heavens, there were almost no wild alchemists... There should be some, but very few. Otherwise, if I took out a blue book, the alchemists would be surprised at my knowledge of chemical theory, even though they were all powerful.

Because of the short history, a comprehensive theoretical foundation course has not been formed?

Also, who is the alchemist behind the tax and silver case?

One doubt in the tax and silver case has always lingered in the mind of the criminal investigation veteran Xu Qi'an.

The Bureau of Astronomy seems to adopt a passive attitude towards the alchemists involved in this case, turning a blind eye to it.

This is very unscientific.

Neither Chu Caiwei, Song Qing, nor any other white-clothed people have mentioned this matter in front of him.

【Lu: Number Three, according to the rules, you also have to answer me a question.】

It was only then that Xu Qi'an realized that the dialogue between Number One and Number Two was a question and answer. He had just interrupted and answered the current political situation in the capital for Number One.

【Three: Ask your question.】

【Lu: What is the name of the second-ranked scholar in Confucianism?】

This is another test, a test of my identity... not whether I am a student of Yunlu Academy, but a test of my social status.

Ordinary Confucian students do not know what the second-ranked scholar in Confucianism is called. Even in the biographical monument of Qian Zhong, a great scholar, his realm was not clearly explained. Xu Qi'an only learned about it after Xu Xinnian explained it to him.

Er Lang knew it because he was a student valued by the great scholar Zhang Shen and was a Jinshi in the autumn examination.

Among the students of Yunlu Academy, this is already an elite level.

If I am not a student of Yunlu Academy, this test is still valid. Even non-Confucian students know what the second-ranked scholar is called, and their social status will only be higher.

If I can't answer, I will probably be despised by these guys for not being high enough in status.

Xu Qi'an wrote with his finger:

【Three: The second-ranked scholar in Confucianism is called "great scholar".】