Xu Qi'an was shocked. He thought, "When did I deceive anyone?" If anyone was deceiving, it was the people at Yunlu Academy.

Did my reputation collapse without me realizing it? That's unreasonable. And it shouldn't be Number Five who says this. It would be more reasonable for Number One or Number Six to accuse me. How could a little girl from the south be the one to speak up?

He held the fragment of the book in his hand and pondered without responding, while the other members of the Tian Di Hui remained silent, watching the situation unfold.

Is Number Three a fraud? What did he deceive us about? How does Number Five know that Number Three is a fraud? They didn't communicate much during the message transmission. In other words, Number Five found out about Number Three's weakness from some past remarks... Number Four thought to himself.

Number Three has a good nature and is a kind-hearted person. He shouldn't be a fraud. Number Five is a stupid woman. She probably won't slander others, but she's brainless and may misunderstand things... Number Two thought to himself.

Why did Number Five say that Number Three is a fraud... Heng Yuan, the monk, frowned unhappily.

Number One smiled but didn't say anything, silently peering at the screen.

At this moment, Taoist Master Jin Lian was lazily basking in the sun on the roof, with his eyes comfortably closed.

Number Five didn't make them wait too long. She sternly accused Number Three of not speaking sincerely: "That friend who often picks up money that you mentioned is yourself. I asked around... My information is correct."

Xu Qi'an: "...."

"Number Five: Well, you have nothing to say now."

Is Ning also a second-generation element? Xu Qi'an sneered, relieved. Yes, he was deceiving people. However, whether he deceived or not was unimportant.

For example, Song Tingfeng often said, "I have a friend who is not feeling well..." Everyone knows it's him, but does anyone blame him for deceiving them?

Indeed, no one in the group responded to Number Five's accusation. Each person had their own thoughts.

I envy Number Three so much. He can pick up money every day... I can hardly afford to pay my soldiers... Number Two thought sincerely.

So it was Number Three who picked up the silver every day. Hmm, I had suspected it from the beginning... If I could pick up money every day, I could save more widows and orphans... Number Six was extremely envious.

Who could pick up silver in such an abnormal way? I don't remember the Confucian system at Yunlu Academy having such a supernatural ability... Number Four's heart jumped as he thought of a possibility and quickly sent a message: "Number Three, when did this phenomenon occur?"

Xu Qi'an hesitated slightly before answering, "About a month ago."

He deliberately shortened the time to avoid someone discovering that he had become abnormal after the tax evasion case was over.

...Number Four's heart was pounding because he had a guess that was so absurd and bold that it made him shiver with electric currents.

More than a month ago, if he remembered correctly, the strange Qi phenomenon at Yunlu Academy also occurred more than a month ago. At that time, Number Three had not yet joined the Tian Di Hui, and Taoist Master Jin Lian solemnly entrusted Number One to investigate within the Tian Di Hui.

It was well known that Number Three was a student of the Confucian Academy and had something extremely unusual about him. He was not strong, yet he had received too many resources and knew too many secrets that only the high-ranking officials of Yunlu Academy knew. This was very unreasonable. Number Four, as a former student, had long sensed that something was not right, not questioning Number Three's identity at Yunlu Academy, but feeling that his treatment was somewhat exaggerated.

But what if Number Three was related to the strange Qi phenomenon at Yunlu Academy? Then, if he received the attention of the high-ranking officials at Yunlu Academy, wouldn't it be reasonable?

However, what was the connection between picking up silver and the strange Qi phenomenon? Number Four couldn't figure it out."It seems that I need to take a trip back to the capital and visit Dean Zhao." Number Four decided in his heart to return to the capital before the end of the year.

Thinking of this, Number Four, who was aware of Number Three's secret, smirked and sent a message: [Interesting, I underestimated you before, it seems I need to re-evaluate your value and potential.]

Number Four knew the reason behind Number Three frequently picking up silver? And the reason behind it involved some major secrets...otherwise, Number Four wouldn't evaluate him like this...except for Number Five, everyone else could sense that something was wrong with Number Four's words.

Seeing that everyone had finished chatting, Xu Qi'an squinted his eyes and used his finger to write a message: [Hmm, I have a doubt, Number Five, how did you know it was me who picked up the silver?]

With Number Five's intelligence, he couldn't have been tricked, which meant that she really knew the reason behind picking up the silver, at least understanding some insider information.

This was exactly what Xu Qi'an was eager to know, he had always been concerned about his strange luck.

[Five: I can't say, I promised...someone, I can't disclose it to anyone, not even you.]

Number Five refused straightforwardly.

[Three: Exchange for something of equal value.]

[Five: No exchange, a person must have integrity.]

This silly girl, does she believe that I'll blacklist her? I'll just bully her in the future, then pull up my pants and pretend not to know her...Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

But then he realized that Taoist Master Jin Lian was still injured and couldn't open the private chat function, so now was not a good time to ask.

When he could chat privately in the future, he would have a good talk with Number Five, this silly girl from the southern regions, about life and ideals. There was still a lot of room for maneuver.

...

In the imperial study, a small morning meeting was being held.

Emperor Yuan Jing, dressed in a Daoist robe, sat high at the head, listening to the report from the prefectural magistrate Chen Hanguang about the rolling heads at the vegetable market, showing no anger or joy, calm as water.

"What do you think, my dear ministers, about the position of the Minister of War and the Censorate?" Emperor Yuan Jing casually mentioned.

Immediately, many officials stepped forward and recommended their own people. Emperor Yuan Jing looked expressionlessly at the officials arguing fiercely, wishing to knock their heads together for the two powerful positions that had become vacant.

Even the powerful Wei Yuan and Prime Minister Wang Zhenwen were not immune to the situation.

As the conflict grew more intense, several irritable ministers had already rolled up their sleeves. Emperor Yuan Jing knocked on the table, timely stopping the situation.

"Minister Shang, you are the Minister of Personnel, do you have any suggestions?"

Minister Shang stepped forward, bowing his head and glancing at Prime Minister Wang Zhenwen, who subtly shook his head. Only then did he say, "Your Majesty, I am afraid I have no one to recommend at the moment, please give your guidance."

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded in satisfaction. "Let's discuss this matter again later."

As expected...many ministers breathed a sigh of relief and glared at each other.

At this time, Wei Yuan stepped forward and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have a petition."

He had already submitted the corresponding memorial yesterday.

Emperor Yuan Jing was obviously aware of the case and the contributions made by Xu Qi'an, the man with the bronze gong, whether it was reopening the Princess Pingyang's case or discovering the whereabouts of Heng Hui, the monk, and eventually finding the body of Princess Pingyang. That bronze gong had played an indispensable role.

But Emperor Yuan Jing still hesitated. He didn't like that bronze gong for no reason. This person gave him a feeling of disharmony and discomfort.

He despised him from the bottom of his heart.

The day he saw him in the imperial city, he was scared off by his sword splitting the ground, and Linglong was too scared to approach him. At that moment, Emperor Yuan Jing couldn't control his disgust towards him.

Wei Yuan was about to speak when suddenly the Minister of Justice, Sun, loudly said, "Your Majesty, I have a petition."He stepped forward and bowed, speaking with conviction, "As commanded, I have been investigating the Sangbo case with great diligence. After thorough investigation, I have found evidence that the Minister of the Dali Temple, Chang Yan, colluded with the demon clan to destroy Sangbo. I implore Your Majesty to punish him and allow me to continue investigating."

Chang Yan, the Minister of the Dali Temple, squinted his eyes and glanced at Sun Shangshu.

He was one of the core members of the Qi faction. Due to the incident with gunpowder, another core member of the Qi faction, the Minister of Works, had already walked the tightrope.

The Minister of Works snorted and walked out, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Justice is slandering and framing Chang Yan. I believe the Minister of Rites is also suspicious."

The Minister of Rites immediately stepped forward and declared, "I am innocent."

Wei Yuan sighed with disappointment. As expected, Emperor Yuan Jing said, "The Sangbo case has not been resolved. I command Xu Qi'an, the Nightwatcher in charge, to continue investigating. Half a month has already passed. If he cannot uncover the truth, I will still execute him."

"Your Majesty!" Wei Yuan's eyebrows twitched as he bowed and said, "Even if Xu Qi'an fails to solve the case, he still deserves credit for the case of Princess Pingyang. How can he be sentenced to death?"

The officials couldn't help but look at Wei Yuan with different emotions in their eyes, some gloating, some surprised, and some pleased.

As a member of the Wang faction, Sun Shangshu publicly criticized Chang Yan, but secretly gave Wei Yuan a cold arrow. As long as the dispute over the Sangbo case continued, the Nightwatcher in charge of the case, as the chief officer of the Nightwatcher's Office, could not remain aloof and would be dragged down again.

Similarly, Chang Yan would be labeled as a suspect and would not be able to clear his name if the case was not solved. It was not a big deal on a regular day, but during the imperial inspection period, such a major stain could easily be magnified.

Once it was included in the Eight Laws, he would be forced to leave his position as a minister, or at least be removed from the position of Shangshu.

However, the Minister of Rites, who was also a member of the Wang faction, was implicated, but it was a fair exchange.

Wei Yuan's concern for a small Nightwatcher was too much? The officials keenly picked up on this.

Therefore, they increasingly agreed with Sun Shangshu's actions. Although the struggle between civil officials was fierce, Wei Yuan, as the number one enemy of the civil officials, anything that could make him angry, they were willing to do.

"I am tired, you may go." Emperor Yuan Jing waved his hand.

The officials bowed in unison and left the imperial study in an orderly manner. As soon as they stepped out of the Meridian Gate, the atmosphere immediately changed dramatically.

The tense atmosphere disappeared, as if they had just finished a big performance and finally reached the end.

The enemies were still enemies, but it wasn't as exaggerated as in the imperial study.

Wang Shoufu, with white hair and a stern expression, wearing a scarlet robe and a faint smile, greeted Wei Yuan, "It seems that Duke Wei is quite concerned about that little Nightwatcher. It is indeed rare to have someone who can make great contributions."

Wei Yuan smiled gently, "It's a pity that he doesn't know how to be a person and has offended the wrong person."

Wang Shoufu was surprised, "Why does Duke Wei say that? We are collecting talents for the country and should protect them. We cannot let him die halfway. If Duke Wei cannot protect him, let me do it."

Wei Yuan looked at him deeply, his expression still gentle, not revealing any emotions, "No need to trouble the Prime Minister."

...

Wei Yuan returned to the Nightwatcher's Office in a carriage and ordered his subordinates, "Summon Xu Qi'an to see me."

At that time, Xu Qi'an was practicing swordsmanship in the martial arts field with Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng, honing his knife skills.

"Old Song, have you been to the Official Brothel Sector recently? Your aura is much longer than usual." Xu Qi'an joked while blocking the mixed doubles of his two colleagues.

"He feeds most of his salary to the women in the Official Brothel Sector, without any restraint." Zhu Guangxiao said in a deep voice, "Ning Yan, he is the future you, so take it as a warning."

Among the three young men, Zhu Guangxiao, who worked hard and saved money to marry a wife, was the most restrained, not because of abstinence, but because he wanted to save money.

(Note: Xianxia is a genre of Chinese fantasy literature that draws on Chinese mythology, Taoist beliefs, and martial arts legends. It often features immortals, gods, demons, and supernatural powers.)Xu Qi'an and Song Tingfeng love Shen Gongbao the most. The former is keen on freeloaders, while the latter is a libertine.

After reaching the realm of refining essence, martial artists do not need to practice abstinence, but they still need to exercise restraint. A dike of a thousand miles can be destroyed by a colony of ants, and a warrior can be ruined by a woman's cave.

At this moment, a black-clad official hurriedly ran over and stopped at the edge of the martial arts field, shouting, "Master Xu, Wei Gong is summoning you."

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