Xu Qi'an didn't write a good poem at the old gathering, but I can easily write a few lines to make him feel ashamed. If it weren't for me writing a poem for his cousin Xu Qi'an, the jade pendant of Master Ziyang should have been mine."

Zhu Tuizhi remembered the festival that day and grumbled.

"Could it be cheating in the imperial examination?" Liu Jue tentatively asked.

"Nonsense!" The students of Yunlu Academy were furious at his words, glaring at him.

Cheating in the imperial examination... This phrase appeared in Zhu Tuizhi's mind, as if it instantly answered all the questions and explained the reason why Xu Ci could write a masterpiece and become the "champion" in the imperial examination.

Then, Zhu Tuizhi shook his head. "Impossible. Poetry is not an article. If you know the exam questions in advance, you will have enough time to prepare. Brother Liu, if I give you the topic 'spring scenery' and three days, can you write a masterpiece?"

Liu Jue shook his head. "I am ashamed. I'm afraid I can't write it even in three years."

He took a sip of wine and showed a meaningful smile, lowering his voice. "But, Zhu, think about it. If the person who wrote the poem for him is Xu Qi'an, the silver gong, what do you think?"

The atmosphere at the table quieted down. The students of Yunlu Academy and the students of the National Academy didn't immediately refute, but carefully pondered in their minds.

Yes, if it was Xu Ci, if he could know the exam questions in advance, he could probably write it in one day, let alone three days.

The students of Yunlu Academy even thought of the "Encouraging Learning Poem" posted on the merit wall of the academy. According to the great scholar of the academy, Xu Ningyan could write a poem in ten breaths, which was amazing.

"Hmph, so what if it's Xu Qi'an?"

Although they thought so, they wouldn't admit it. The students of Yunlu Academy questioned.

"I don't know, I don't know," Liu Jue waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's just a guess. But that Xu Qi'an is the silver gong, and it is widely known in the official circles that this person is deeply trusted by Wei Yuan..."

He didn't continue.

With this interlude, the students of Yunlu Academy lost their mood for drinking and left after a while.

Liu Jue, who was good at socializing, personally saw off Zhu Tuizhi and the others downstairs, then took the initiative to pay the bill, and everyone dispersed outside the restaurant.

A quarter of an hour later, Liu Jue returned to the restaurant and got into a carriage parked outside.

In the carriage sat a middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy steward, with a jade thumb ring on his thumb, a walnut in his hand, and a teacup in the other.

"Steward Zhao!"

Liu Jue bowed respectfully.

The middle-aged man nodded, put down the teacup, opened the teacup upside down on the small tea table, poured a cup of tea, and frowned, "You smell of alcohol, have some tea."

"Thank you, Steward Zhao." Liu Jue held the teacup in both hands, took a sip, and said slowly:

"I found out something. According to those students of Yunlu Academy, Xu Ci is not good at poetry and is terrible. That poem 'The Hard Road' is most likely ghostwritten by someone else. Of course, I have no evidence."

The middle-aged man, upon hearing this, showed a satisfied smile and sneered, "No need for evidence, this is enough."

.............

In the courtyard of the outer city, where willow trees were planted.

Taoist Master Jin Lian, who had just swallowed the Blood Embryo Pill, bathed in the warm spring sunlight, feeling that his body was no longer cold and no longer transforming towards the yin aspect. However, there was still a little yin energy remaining in his body, which could be eliminated by another Blood Embryo Pill.

"This physical body is not compatible with my primordial spirit. It won't last long, but the mature Golden Lotus of Creation is about to be ready, and the lotus seeds can reshape my body. I should leave the capital soon.

"I hope there won't be any accidents then."

Taoist Master Jin Lian prayed in his heart.

.............

"Master, that, that girl doesn't seem to be from the Great Feng."

The son of the gatekeeper, Old Zhang, thought for a moment and described, "She's a black-skinned ugly girl, with blue eyes. Her hair is also ugly, with curls."

Number Five?!

Damn, why did she come to my house? Did Taoist Master Jin Lian ask her to come? Does she know about my identity as Number Three?

Taoist Master Jin Lian asked him to help find Number Five, not Number Three. He could still cover it up by saying that the rank of Number Three was too low. After all, the later the Confucianism, the more terrifying the strength.

But in the early stages, the ranks from ninth to seventh were all rubbish, and at the sixth rank of Confucianism, one could copy the skills of others, which would provide considerable combat power.

In the eyes of Chu Yuanzhen and Heng Yuan, although Xu Ci was extremely clever, when it came to real need, his cousin Xu Ningyan with strong combat power was more reliable.

It seemed that he had to skip class today... Xu Qi'an nodded and said, "I understand. After I ask for leave, I will return to the mansion with you."

After asking for leave, Xu Qi'an rode his horse and ran towards the direction of the Xu Mansion. Old Zhang's son, Little Zhang, ran alongside him.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Xu Mansion not far from the yamen. Xu Qi'an handed the reins to Little Zhang and went straight into the mansion.

As soon as he entered the outer courtyard, he saw the kitchen maids carrying plates of hot dishes, steamed buns, and rice, walking towards the inner courtyard.

"The master is back..." The kitchen maids breathed a sigh of relief, saying as they cast their eyes towards the inner courtyard."A girl came to the mansion, claiming to be looking for you. She couldn't explain the relationship between you two clearly. Nine out of ten sentences were incomprehensible."

"Nine out of ten sentences were incomprehensible, the accent of the Southern Frontier is quite heavy... Xu Qi'an complained as he entered the inner courtyard with the kitchen maid. From a distance, he heard Xu Lingyue's gentle voice coming from the inner hall:

"Miss Lina came from the Southern Frontier, what business does she have with my big brother?"

"I'm not here to find your big brother, just looking for a few friends to travel with..." A heavily accented voice spoke in a half-hearted official language of the Great Feng.

But the voice was as clear as a silver bell, pleasant to the ears.

"So, you don't know my big brother?"

"I don't."

In just a few words, he figured out the details. This girl didn't seem very clever, and she had no connection with his big brother... Xu Lingyue warmly entertained Lina.

Auntie sat in a chair not far away, her eyebrows furrowed, her gaze slightly hostile as she scrutinized Lina.

This foreign woman really knows how to eat. In half an hour, she ate three days' worth of food in the house. If exchanged for silver, it would be worth more than ten taels.

And this was specially prepared by the kitchen maid with rice, steamed buns, and vegetables. If it was meat and fish, how much silver would it cost?

Who can afford to keep such a girl?

"Lina, what brings you to our mansion?" Xu Qi'an stepped over the threshold, looking at the little barbarian girl from the Southern Frontier with surprise. Compared to her pale face from yesterday's injury, she now had a healthy complexion, bright eyes, and seemed to have recovered from her injuries.

"Taoist Master Jin Lian asked me to find you and said that I'll be staying with you during my time in the capital. Thank you, Lord Xu, for saving my life," Lina quickly put down her chopsticks, swallowed her food, and looked at Xu Qi'an openly.

She thought that when she came to the capital, she would be received by Taoist Master Jin Lian, or Number Three, or Number Four or Six. Who would have thought that she would end up living with a strange man?

Yesterday, Taoist Master Jin Lian had already told her about the young man with excellent looks who had saved her life. Since he was a friend trusted by the Taoist Master, Lina also trusted him without reservation.

She called me Lord Xu, not Number Three... Xu Qi'an stared at Lina for a moment, unable to see any clues from her clear and innocent eyes.

Why did Taoist Master Jin Lian arrange for her to be by my side? What's the deep meaning behind this?

Before doing this, the old silver coin didn't consult with me. Based on my experience dealing with the old silver coins, if they consult beforehand, there is no hidden agenda. If they don't consult beforehand, there must be a deep meaning.

So, Xu Qi'an asked, "Did the Taoist Master say anything else to you?"

Lina took a bite of the steamed bun and mumbled, "Taoist Master Jin Lian said that you are his close friend in the capital and asked me to stay at the mansion with peace of mind."

Swallowing the steamed bun, she said with some indignation and grievance, "The Taoist Master said that I eat too much and can't afford to keep me."

Ah... Xu Qi'an's face was dull. So the reason Jin Lian sent her to me was because she eats too much and can't afford to keep her?

This is really an impeccable reason. By the same token, Number Six living in the nursing home and Number Four, who relies on the help of old friends for food and lodging, can't afford to keep the little barbarian girl from the Southern Frontier.

Damn, it feels so bad to be treated like a rich man. In the world of jianghu, it's either you freeload or I freeload. What goes around comes around... Xu Qi'an sighed, "I see."

"Cough, cough!"

Auntie coughed loudly, asserting her presence as the mistress of the house.

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But Xu Qi'an ignored her and said to himself, "Alright, I'll have someone arrange a room for you right away."

"Xu Ningyan!!"

Auntie was so angry that she got up from her chair, pinched her waist, and glared at Xu Qi'an, "I am your aunt. Have you ever thought about discussing this with me?"

With that, she glanced frequently at the messy dining table, telling her unlucky nephew that this girl was a bottomless pit.

This... Xu Qi'an hesitated. Auntie's consideration was quite reasonable. The cost of living in the capital was high, and this girl ate so much, it really cost a lot of silver.

And recently, my luck has changed. I no longer pick up silver, but accumulate reputation, and then Wei Yuan deducted my salary.

"Big brother, did you forget about the chicken essence?"

At this time, Xu Lingyue spoke up, calculating an account for Xu Qi'an: "The Salt Transport Bureau of the capital issued two thousand catties of salt tickets last year, making a profit of five thousand taels, of which big brother took ten percent, earning five hundred taels. You haven't asked the Bureau of Heavenly Masters for this silver yet.

"I asked the officials at the Salt Transport Bureau, and the court plans to set up at least ten workshops to produce chicken essence this year. When it's settled at the end of this year, it will be an unimaginable fortune.

"So, our family is not short of silver anymore."

When Xu Lingyue mentioned "salt tickets," she was referring to chicken essence. Now, chicken essence is as important to the court as salt. It emerged last year and could not be produced on a large scale, but after expanding production this year, the profits are immeasurable.

I really forgot... It must be that old man, the supervisor, who blocked the chicken essence and made me forget. He wanted to cheat me out of my silver.

Xu Qi'an was pleasantly surprised to find that he was actually the Ma Ba Ba of this era.Lina didn't understand at all, but she felt that it was very powerful. She had traveled thousands of miles from the Southern Frontier to the capital, knowing what a copper coin could buy and what a silver coin could buy.

At the same time, she also knew how difficult it was to earn silver.

Subconsciously, she looked at this "Master Xu" with pure admiration, just like a little girl seeing the neighbor's brother with permed hair, wearing jeans, and a decorative iron chain around his waist, dancing in the yard.

"How come I didn't know about this?" Auntie said suspiciously.

"Auntie, you didn't know, I asked Lingyue to tell you," Xu Qi'an looked at his sister.

Xu Lingyue looked puzzled, "Mother, you must have forgotten."

Auntie opened her mouth, unable to speak. She wasn't sure if she had forgotten, and had no impression of such a large "profit."

At this time, Lina asked with an admiring tone, "May I ask for Master Xu's full name and surname?"

This way of asking was something she had learned while wandering the world in the Great Feng.

"Xu Qi'an!"

"Xu, Xu Qi'an..." Lina tilted her head, thought for a long time, and suddenly screamed, "You are Xu Qi'an, didn't you die in Yunzhou?"

Auntie and Xu Lingyue looked at her with suspicion.

This foreign girl claimed to know Xu Qi'an, but didn't know about his resurrection. So, why did she come to the mansion?

"May I have a word with you."

Xu Qi'an took Lina out of the side hall, stopped by the flower garden, and explained, "I didn't die, Li Miaozhen made a mistake. Well, actually, I am a peripheral member of the Tian Di Hui. Although I don't have the corresponding fragments of the earth book, I know everything about you guys."

"No wonder Taoist Master Jin Lian asked me to find you," Lina showed a happy smile, easily believing Xu Qi'an's words without any doubt.

So easy to deceive... Xu Qi'an said seriously, "This is a secret, you cannot disclose it to anyone, not even within the Tian Di Hui."

"Okay!"

Lina smiled and nodded vigorously.

"Let's go eat."

If everyone in the world were as innocent and naive as Number Five, how good would that be... Xu Qi'an looked at her lively and active figure, feeling heartfelt.

He had many things to ask Number Five, such as how she knew that it was Number Three who picked up the silver, and not just a coincidence.

No rush, people with simple personalities are usually more stubborn. If he said to keep it a secret, she would definitely keep it a secret.

But people are easily swayed by kind words. After she had eaten at home for a few more days, if she had any conscience at all, she would know that freeloading was not right.

............

The Cabinet.

Wang Zhenwen, dressed in a crimson robe, reviewed the documents at his desk. He had been sitting for two hours, taking a few breaks to go to the toilet, and spending the rest of the time on official business.

The Cabinet was equivalent to the emperor's private secretary, with great power, far superior to the Six Ministries.

All the memorials of the court, and even the suggestions made by the people to the emperor, were summarized by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, presented to the Emperor by the Court of State Ceremonial, and then submitted to the Cabinet.

The Cabinet was responsible for drafting and handling opinions, which were then reported to the Emperor by the Court of State Ceremonial for the final decision on how to handle them, and finally checked and distributed by the Six Ministries.

In the reign of Emperor Yuan Jing, the Ministry of Civil Affairs directly transferred the memorials to the Cabinet, which drafted and handled the opinions, and then submitted them to Emperor Yuan Jing.

This omitted a step in the process.

This was because Emperor Yuan Jing believed that the extra step hindered his cultivation.

The most underhanded dealings were in this omitted step. Because of this, Emperor Yuan Jing only saw the memorials that the Cabinet wanted him to see.

Of course, although Emperor Yuan Jing was not a good emperor, he was adept at using his power. In order to curb the excessive power of the civil officials and sideline the imperial power, he came up with a way to have the best of both worlds.

This method was called "Wei Yuan."

From a macro perspective, the various factions were at odds with Wei Yuan's faction. From a micro perspective, the various factions were in fierce competition with each other.

Emperor Yuan Jing sat securely on the fishing platform, responsible for maintaining the balance and focusing on his cultivation.

Wang Zhenwen opened the last memorial, read the contents, meditated for a long time, then took out a piece of paper, wrote down his suggestions, and pasted it on the memorial.

After doing all this, it was time for the evening to disperse.

............

In the evening, there was an unexpected guest at the Xu family dinner table, Xu Lingyin's archenemy.

Xu Lingyin both loved and hated this unexpected sister. She loved it because after the "sister" arrived, the family's meals increased several times.

She hated it because this big sister ate way too much...

Her mouth was so small, she couldn't eat as much as her.

Uncle Xu looked at Lina with a serious face and asked his nephew, "Is she from the Gu Clan of the Southern Frontier, from the Ligu Tribe?"

Lina raised her face from her bowl, with rice grains at the corners of her mouth, and said crisply, "I am from the Ligu Tribe. Uncle Xu, how did you know?"

Who are you calling uncle? Xu Pingzhi snorted.

During the battle of Shanhaiguan, he personally experienced the great battle and witnessed the terrifying strength of the Ligu Tribe's barbarians. Their characteristic was their enormous appetite.

A strong and robust member of the Ligu Tribe could easily eat an entire cow in a day.

Back then, Wei Yuan never took captives from the Ligu Tribe, he just killed them directly to save on food and supplies.

"Big brother, I have something to tell you," Xu Xinnian suddenly spoke up."If I had known you were troubled, your brows never would have relaxed. Speak your mind," Xu Qi'an said as he vied with Lina for the meat, while responding to his cousin.

"Miss Wang has invited me to go boating on the lake tomorrow," Xu Xinnian said cautiously.

"What do you think?" Xu Qi'an pondered.

Xu Xinnian 'hmphed', put down his chopsticks, and disdainfully said, "There are only two reasons: either it's personal vengeance, and she wants to settle scores for the niece of the Minister of Justice, or it's Prime Minister Wang who doesn't want to let me off and is plotting in secret."

"Which possibility do you think it is?" Xu Pingzhi chimed in.

After some thought, Xu Xinnian said regretfully, "Although I may become a thorn in Prime Minister Wang's side in the future, it's not to the extent that he would be so preoccupied with me. I think Miss Wang is up to no good."

Hearing this, Xu Lingyue put down her chopsticks, her little face serious: "Second Brother, you're not good at dealing with women. I'll go with you..."

She quickly glanced at Xu Qi'an and corrected herself, "Although I'm not into all that messy strife, women understand women best."

Xu Xinnian scoffed at his sister's intelligence, "Who said I have to go? It's Miss Wang who invited me to go boating, not Prime Minister Wang. Since that's the case, it's improper for an unmarried man and woman to go boating together. I'll simply refuse.

'In the art of war, when the enemy advances, we retreat. When we are weak, we must not engage their sharp edge.'"

Not bad, well handled... Xu Qi'an nodded in approval: "If you've already decided, why ask me?"

The family chatted amiably as they ate.

............

The next day, Emperor Yuan Jing finished his meditation, studied the scriptures for half an hour, took his medicine, and then rested for the duration of an incense stick, concluding his morning routine.

Only then would he spare some time to review memorials, not taking too long, as the cabinet had already prepared the 'drafts', and he only needed to stamp his approval in red.

He opened the first memorial, which was from the newly appointed Censor-in-chief, accusing Zhao Tingfang, the Grand Academician of the Eastern Pavilion, of accepting bribes and leaking examination questions to the student Xu Xinnian from Yunlu Academy.

The memorial also provided evidence that during the provincial exams, this student's poetry was ranked fourth class (with the lowest being fifth). How could he possibly have produced a masterpiece like "The Hard Road of Travel"?

At first, Emperor Yuan Jing didn't care much, as poetry was not the same as essays. If essay questions were leaked, it would be a serious matter. Poetry was considered less severe; even if you knew the topic, finding someone with poetic talent was harder than obtaining the questions.

However, the memorial went on to mention that the student had an elder cousin who was a Nightwatcher at the yamen, named Xu Qi'an.

And as everyone knew, Xu Qi'an was the Great Feng's champion in poetry.

After reading the memorial, Emperor Yuan Jing's pupils sharpened, but he did not express any opinion. He then took the cabinet's 'draft', which contained their recommendation:

"The imperial examination is the means by which the court selects scholars and seeks the wise. It has always been of utmost importance. Cheating in the imperial examinations is intolerable, and we hope His Majesty will investigate thoroughly."

Emperor Yuan Jing pondered for a moment, picked up his pen, and stamped his approval in red.

............

PS: Thanks to "The Reincarnated Coyote" for the Silver League reward, "SeanGhoust" for the 190,000 reward, "mady" the League Master, "Immortal Qi Tian" the League Master reward, and "Buddhist Ninth Master" the League Master.

Deeply grateful for the love from the big shots, I will definitely work hard to repay you all.

Also, on behalf of Xu Qi'an, who freeloads, I timidly ask: Are the big shots rewarding me, or are they rewarding the little mare?