...Emperor Yuan Jing choked, he didn't expect Xu Qi'an to reply like this.

Every time he was challenged, he would shout "I beg for death" in a typical official style. Who would have thought that this little copper gong would be even more straightforward and actually ask for death.

Emperor Yuan Jing's face darkened. Those in power liked to use strong words to show their authority. From the emperor to the county magistrate, they all liked to say, "If you don't do this, I will do that to you."

This was nothing. After all, there was a distinction between superiors and subordinates. Officials and servants could only endure and obey orders.

But he didn't expect this copper gong to actually fight back, which made Emperor Yuan Jing feel uncomfortable.

Especially when he saw the drastic changes in Xu Copper Gong, Emperor Yuan Jing became even more unhappy. At the same time, he marveled at the Elixir of Rebirth, which was truly a rare and miraculous medicine that had not been seen in a hundred years.

It took the Bureau of Heavenly Masters a century to refine only three pills.

Emperor Yuan Jing said sternly, "Xu Qi'an, do you think I won't kill you?"

Emperor Yuan Jing had been in power for thirty-six years, and his imperial authority was at its peak. The air in the study seemed to have become heavier, and several eunuchs immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look up at the emperor.

The only one who could remain calm in front of the emperor was Wei Yuan.

Of course, Xu Qi'an would not continue to resist. He was not anxious in his heart. He changed his aggressive style from earlier and became obedient, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I protected the Governor in Yunzhou and fought against the rebels, killing two enemies. I worked hard in Yunzhou, exposing the collusion between the Minister of Rites, Song Changfu, and the God of Witchcraft. I also cleared the name of Commander Yang Chuannan."

"All of the above is insignificant. I will never use them to seek credit. As for the Sangpo case and the Princess Pingyang case, I have long forgotten about them and will not bring up old matters."

"But I am seriously injured and mentally exhausted. After waking up, I often have headaches and am unable to share Your Majesty's worries."

Emperor Yuan Jing stared at him, unable to say anything harsh for a while.

This little copper gong deliberately mentioned a bunch of cases to highlight his achievements, consolidating his position as a meritorious official, and then used his physical discomfort as an excuse to evade responsibility. He had already mastered the skills of court language.

Wei Yuan immediately said, "Your Majesty, Xu Qi'an is just a copper gong. Even if he is capable, his vitality and spirit are severely depleted. His life or death is naturally not worth worrying about. But if the case is delayed and the Empress cannot clear her grievances, that would be a major issue."

Pausing for a moment, he looked at Xu Qi'an and said, "You should go back and rest assured, Your Majesty will not send hungry soldiers after you."

The emperor would not send hungry soldiers...

Emperor Yuan Jing glanced at Wei Yuan, pondered for a moment, and said, "Xu Qi'an, the Bureau of Heavenly Masters has as many healing methods as you need. The Lingbao Temple also has an abundance of miraculous medicines. If you are unwell, I can reward you with a few pills. I will remember your contributions in Yunzhou and intend to grant you the title of Viscount. The grace of the emperor is vast, do not disappoint."

In the end, Xu Qi'an was just a small character, not worth Emperor Yuan Jing's deliberate harassment. If the Cabinet proposed to revoke his title, Emperor Yuan Jing would go along with it.

But now he needed to use Xu Qi'an, and Emperor Yuan Jing didn't mind giving him some benefits. However, he felt pleased because he knew he had been tricked.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace. Your Majesty is wise and mighty, the greatest emperor in history," Xu Qi'an said loudly.

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded slightly, "I want to know the truth of the case as soon as possible."

"I will do my best and give my all until death," Xu Qi'an replied.

Seeing that Xu Copper Gong was so sensible, Emperor Yuan Jing felt slightly relieved. He said lightly, "You may leave."

........

Leaving the study with Wei Yuan, Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan walked on the empty square. Wei Yuan squinted his eyes, looked ahead, and smiled faintly, "Did you learn something?"

"I did," Xu Qi'an replied.

He really did learn something, not like when he was in school and the teacher stood at the podium, tapping the blackboard and asking, "Have you all learned it?"

He would reply loudly, pretending to be blind, "I have!"

Wei Yuan's lesson was simple: the emperor was also human, the emperor had weaknesses, and the emperor was bound by rules. He couldn't do whatever he wanted.

At the same time, the emperor was not all-powerful. The emperor also had needs. As long as you had what he "needed," you had a lot of room to maneuver.

Just like this time, when the Three Law Departments kept delaying the case, what could Emperor Yuan Jing do? At most, he could punish them, but he couldn't really dismiss them from their positions or execute them.

In this context, Xu Qi'an, who had solved several major cases and offended many officials, was the perfect candidate for investigating the case.

Since the emperor wanted to use him, it was necessary to reasonably seek benefits for oneself.

And once he became a viscount, Xu Qi'an could make symbolic efforts, but because of his "inadequate abilities," he couldn't solve the case, which was also reasonable.

After all, he was not an immortal.

At that time, Emperor Yuan Jing's anger could be foreseen, but Xu Qi'an, who was already a viscount, would at most receive some punishment, such as caning, salary deduction, or even demotion.

But stripping someone of their title was not something that could be done easily. Titles were a means for the court to win over people's hearts, and they could only be bestowed upon those who had made great contributions.

Similarly, the conditions for stripping someone of their title were also very strict. It was not something the emperor could do just by saying it. Otherwise, titles would be too cheap and how could they gain the support of the people?

As for whether Emperor Yuan Jing would go back on his word, Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan didn't think about it. The ruler of a country would not stoop so low. Even if Emperor Yuan Jing wanted to go back on his word, Xu Qi'an could still drag out the case.

There were strategies above and countermeasures below.

"Please wait, Lord Xu."

A sharp voice came from behind.

Xu Qi'an and Wei Yuan stopped and turned around. It was an old eunuch from Emperor Yuan Jing's side, running up to them with a golden plaque in his hand.

"This is the golden plaque bestowed by His Majesty. Lord Xu can enter the palace to investigate the case at any time, but you must be accompanied by a palace official." The old eunuch presented the golden plaque.

Xu Qi'an took it and weighed it. It was quite heavy.

This golden plaque was different from the ones he had received before. There was an additional character "internal" on the front, indicating that it was a golden plaque for walking within the palace, with a higher level of authority.

"Thank you, Grand Eunuch," Xu Qi'an bowed.The eunuch nodded and didn't say much, turning around and leaving.

"Wait, Gonggong." Xu Qi'an called out to him.

The eunuch turned around to look at him.

"Your Majesty has bestowed great favor. I will start investigating the case today. Please assign someone to assist me," Xu Qi'an said.

The lowest-ranking eunuch is called "dangchai"… Using the term "eunuch" is not accurate, as it is an identity and position.

The lowest-ranking dangchai... is an executioner.

The eunuch appreciated Xu Qi'an's proactive attitude towards work, and a smile immediately appeared on his face. He asked, "May I ask where Master Xu plans to start the investigation?"

Xu Qi'an grinned and said, "I will start with Princess Lin'an."

The eunuch returned to the study room. After a while, a young eunuch rushed out and bowed to Wei Yuan and Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an nodded and accompanied Wei Yuan to the palace gate. Then, with the company of the dangchai, he headed towards Princess Lin'an's Shao Yin Yuan.

.........

Shao Yin Yuan.

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The desolate backyard. Lin'an sat in the pavilion, staring blankly at the still pond.

The water in the pond had frozen last night, but under the warm sunlight, it gradually melted, leaving only a few pieces of floating ice.

In the past half month, Lin'an had lost a lot of weight. Her round face appeared somewhat thin, and her peach blossom eyes, which used to be watery and slightly hazy, now lacked their usual charm.

From childhood to adulthood, except for being beaten by Huai Qing, she had always been carefree and had smooth sailing.

Because Emperor Yuan Jing started cultivating early, although he had many children, the infighting among the princes and princesses was not as intense.

In addition, her elder brother was the crown prince, and she knew how to act coquettishly, which made her likable. So, she had always had an easy life.

But the continuous bad news in the past few days had made her feel depressed and greatly affected.

Just today, she had cried in front of her mother, worrying about the crown prince's future. After returning, Lin'an sat in the pavilion, lost in thought.

If it were Huai Qing, she would definitely be extremely strong. She was the kind of woman who wouldn't be defeated by anything... The crown prince would definitely not do such a thing, but who would frame him... the fourth prince, Huai Qing's elder brother?

Suddenly, this thought flashed through Lin'an's mind.

She wasn't as smart as Huai Qing, and she was bad at studying. She even had to be threatened by the Grand Tutor with a bamboo stick to reluctantly memorize a few passages from the classics.

But she wasn't stupid. Assuming that she was certain that the crown prince was innocent, as long as she used her brain a little, she could think of who would benefit the most if the crown prince was deposed.

Suspicious figures would immediately surface.

With this thought, Lin'an's eyes became slightly brighter, and she actively started thinking and came up with many questions.

For example, how did the fourth prince secretly kill the favored concubine and frame the crown prince? Who were his accomplices? The Empress? Huai Qing?

And so on.

However, the more she thought, the more confused and chaotic she became, and she felt discouraged, slapping her forehead in frustration.

"If he were still here, he would definitely be able to solve the case with just a hint," Lin'an stomped her foot in anger.

But in the next moment, her face suddenly fell, her eyebrows raised, and she lost her spirit.

But... he's not here anymore.

"Your Highness, Your Highness."

A guard with a sword hurriedly ran over, stopped in front of the pavilion, and saluted, saying, "Tongluo Xu Qi'an requests an audience... He's waiting in the front yard."

Lin'an's reaction was like being struck by a stick. She was stunned for about three or four seconds, then suddenly stood up and walked quickly to the guard, staring at him with her bright eyes:

"What did you say?"

"Tongluo Xu Qi'an requests an audience," the guard repeated.

Blood rushed to Lin'an's face, and she became furious like never before. She forcefully pulled out the guard's sword, gritting her teeth and saying:

"You dare to play tricks on me, you dog! The crown prince hasn't been deposed yet."

The real reason for her anger was that the guard mentioned Xu Qi'an.

The guard quickly stepped back. If he were to be cut, it would be too unjust. As he retreated, he explained, "It really is Master Xu. Master Xu is here, waiting in the front yard. Your Highness will see it when you go."

Lin'an didn't even drop the sword in her hand. She hurriedly ran towards the front yard.

From a distance, Xu Qi'an noticed the fiery red figure and was startled when he saw her holding a sword and approaching with a fierce momentum.

He thought to himself, I finally managed to escape from the gates of hell, and now you want to send me back?

He immediately put away the little toy that pleased Lin'an and hid behind the rockery.

"Where is Xu Qi'an? Where is Xu Qi'an?" Lin'an looked around the front yard, holding the sword, but she couldn't see the familiar figure. Her bright eyes gradually dimmed.

"Your Highness, Master Xu is behind the rockery," the dangchai eunuch whispered.

Lin'an's peach blossom eyes instantly lit up, and she walked towards the rockery with anticipation. Sure enough, she saw... Xu Qi'an?

She was stunned for a moment. The person in front of her was handsome and spirited, with raised eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and well-defined lips.

Then, Lin'an was attracted by the two puppets in Xu Qi'an's hands.

One was a young lady dressed as a noblewoman, and the other was a general in armor.

Xu Qi'an coughed and manipulated the general, saying in a deep voice, "Your Highness, I have returned from Han Guo after getting plastic surgery."

Then, he changed to a sharp voice and manipulated the lady, saying, "Where is Han Guo?"

The general said, "Oh, it's Yunzhou. I misspoke."

The lady said, "Didn't you die in Yunzhou?"

The general said, "I did die, but I missed Your Highness so much that I moved the King of Hell and came back."

The lady said, "Ugh, you're so annoying."

Lin'an found it amusing and couldn't help but chuckle. Suddenly, she felt a coolness on her face. Unconsciously, tears silently flowed down her cheeks.She felt embarrassed and quickly turned around, explaining in anger and embarrassment, "The wind today was strong, blowing sand into my eyes."

As a lively and spoiled girl who loved to act coquettish, she actually fell for this act. And because she lacked experience in relationships, her ability to recognize scumbags was poor, so she exuded an aura of being easily deceived.

Of course, Xu Qi'an was definitely not a scumbag.

Xu Qi'an smiled and said, "It's strange, why did the sand only blind the princess's eyes? Could it be because the princess is so beautiful?"

Princess Lin'an, who was exposed, angrily said, "You dog slave."

"I am not a dog slave."

"You are a dog slave, Xu Qi'an."

"You damn Lin'an."

"What kind of dog?" Princess Lin'an didn't know that "damn" was a verb.

"It's nothing." Xu Qi'an teased her with a dialect she couldn't understand.

"You were cursing me just now, right?" Princess Lin'an said with a stern face.

"No, that was my deepest longing for the princess." Xu Qi'an answered seriously.

........

Coming out from behind the rockery, Biao Biao returned the knife to the guard and led Xu Qi'an into the hall. The guard followed behind, looking at the Second Princess with a strange gaze.

The Second Princess's beautiful and lively eyes were swollen, obviously from crying.

They took their seats, and the palace maid served tea and snacks. Xu Qi'an waved his hand and said, "Little eunuch, you can leave first. I have important matters to discuss with the princess."

"This..." The little eunuch hesitated.

"Get out! Get out! Get out!" Biao Biao's eyebrows furrowed, scolding, "I have something to say to Mister Xu. Do you think you have the right to eavesdrop? If you don't leave, I'll have you dragged out and punished with a hundred lashes."

The little eunuch had no choice but to leave.

"Why was he following you? How did you come back alive? Wasn't Huai Qing saying that you died?" Biao Biao looked at the departing figure of the little eunuch, then turned her gaze to Xu Qi'an, revealing a smile on her beautiful face.

"He was here to monitor me." Xu Qi'an took a sip of hot tea and ate pastries. He had been waiting in the study for over an hour and missed lunch.

"As for how I came back alive, that's a long story..."

He told Princess Lin'an about the Yunzhou case, slightly modifying it. Of course, the modifications were not random, so Xu Qi'an only embellished and highlighted his own role, reducing the presence of others.

Princess Lin'an loved listening to stories. She was engrossed and gradually immersed herself in the story. When she heard Xu Qi'an unravel the puzzle left by Anzi Zhou Min, who had stayed up all night, she clapped the table and cheered.

Leaning forward, supporting her cheek, she listened attentively.

Xu Qi'an discreetly glanced at the princess's chest and couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Compared to her older sister, Lin'an still had some gaps.

Women who couldn't handle pressure were not good women.

When he heard that a female ghost had come to confuse Xu Qi'an and his colleagues, and that two of his colleagues had been deceived while Xu Qi'an remained unaffected due to his strong will, Biao Biao expressed her admiration and praised, "No wonder I value you so much. When I first saw you, I knew you were not an ordinary person."

Xu Qi'an thanked the princess for her discerning eyes, but in his heart, he complained, "Weren't you forcibly recruiting me to make Huai Qing jealous?"

Finally, Xu Qi'an began to talk about how he faced thousands of enemies alone, surrounded by thousands of people, facing a rain of arrows and a forest of spears, never retreating, and killing two hundred enemies before the reinforcements arrived.

Biao Biao listened with tears streaming down her face, her nose turning red.

"Your Highness, you didn't see the scene at that time. When I shouted, those thousand rebels were scared out of their wits. They fought me with their heads held high. If I hadn't been in a bad state at the time, none of them would have survived."

Biao Biao vigorously nodded, believing him wholeheartedly.

After all, she had heard about Xu Qi'an's deeds before. Everyone said that Xu Qi'an had died a heroic death, saving the governor and the Nightwatcher's yamen.

After boasting, Xu Qi'an remembered the main matter and said, "By the way, I came to the palace this time by the order of His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the case of the Empress."

Biao Biao's eyes lit up, filled with joy. "I knew it, it's great that you're back. With you back, you can clear the Prince's name."

"I will forever serve the princess and do whatever it takes." Xu Qi'an sincerely said.

He successfully increased Lin'an's favorability.

"Do you have any questions, Your Highness? How does the Empress look?"

"Naturally, she is extremely beautiful."

Emperor Yuan Jing really wasted a treasure... Xu Qi'an sighed in his heart and asked, "Is the Crown Prince lustful?"

"Of course not." Lin'an immediately denied, saying, "Apart from the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince only has sixteen concubines, noble consorts, and concubines."

"..."

Xu Qi'an thought to himself, I am indeed a good man. I am Xu Qi'an!

"Is there any precedent for causing trouble after drinking?"

"No."

"What kind of wine do you drink?"

"Bairi Chun, a wine that nourishes the kidneys and strengthens yang. It was sent to my mother by the Empress. Do you think she set me up?" Lin'an whispered.

Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said, "I understand."

Lin'an was overjoyed and asked in a coquettish voice, "What do you understand? Xu Ningyan, have you solved the case?"

.........

Xu Residence.

Exhausted, Xu Erlang did not immediately return to the study. Today was the tenth day of the second month, and the Spring Examination would begin in five days. There was no need to return to the study at the moment.

He stayed at home these days, waiting for the imperial examination.

After lunch, Xu Erlang, who was mentally exhausted, didn't want to study at all. He just wanted to go back to his room and take a nap.

But the gatekeeper, Lao Zhang, hurriedly ran in and said, "Erlang, there's a monk outside who calls himself Heng Yuan and wants to see you."

"Heng Yuan?" Xu Erlang frowned, feeling somewhat familiar but unable to recall.As a disciple of Confucianism, he did not believe in Buddhism and had no connection with the Buddhist community.

"He also said that he knows you well," the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, added.

Xu Erlang snorted and turned to Xu Pingzhi, "Father, he must have seen that our family is in mourning and came to perform rituals. Prepare some copper coins to send him away. I need to go back to my room and rest."

Old Zhang took out a piece of silver, walked out of the mansion, and handed the silver to the burly middle-aged monk, saying, "Master, we don't need any rituals performed here. Please leave."

Master Heng Yuan waved his hand, "I didn't come here to beg."

While honestly accepting the silver, he asked, "Is the second young master of the mansion really not going to see me?"

What's going on with Number Three?

Although they had never met before, the repeated assistance and the relationship with his cousin, Xu Qi'an, should have warranted a meeting. He should have been allowed to see Master Xu one last time.

Hmm, perhaps he still thinks his identity is a secret, and that I haven't realized his true identity, so he pretends not to recognize me?

Ha, he really underestimates my wisdom.

Monk Heng Yuan put his hands together, bowed, and then stepped aside. He took out a piece of paper from his bosom, used his finger as a pen, and sent a message, "Taoist Master Jin Lian, can you shield me from the others? I have something to say to Number Three."

........

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I'll make changes after posting.