"Accompany you?" Xu Qi 'an thought, "Of course not. If it's only you, I can make do with it. But it's not possible with the vicious aunt."
"I know it's too much. Brother has to go to the yamen tomorrow, but my mother asked me to come and persuade him to guard the door."
Xu Lingyue must be black after cutting it open. She was too scared to sleep, but she put the blame on her mother.
"Guard the door … Second Uncle must be having fun in the Musical House, but he asked me to guard the door for his wife and daughter …" Xu Qi 'an sighed and said helplessly, "Okay."
He put on his clothes. In order to comfort his aunt and sister, he specially brought a long black gold knife.
"I'll sit outside. You go to sleep." Xu Qi 'an knocked on the door.
"Okay, thank you, brother."
"Thank you, Dalang."
The voice of his sister and Lü 'e came from the room, which was soft and pleasant. Aunt stubbornly did not speak.
Xu Qi 'an sat cross-legged in meditation, moving his Qi and visualizing in his mind. After a while, aunt's voice came to his ears.
"Will it float in from the window? What if Ning Yan falls asleep?"
"… Mom, don't talk nonsense. Brother has a knife."
Aunt was relieved when she heard that her nephew was guarding outside with a knife.
There was no word in the room for a long time, only the sound of Xu Lingyin's snoring came out. He could imagine her sprawled out on the bed, snoring loudly with her mouth open.
After a while, aunt shouted, "Ning Yan?"
Xu Qi 'an said grumpily, "I'm here."
So, he coughed every once in a while, and the women in the room would not be afraid when they heard his magnetic cough.
It was reasonable for the aunt and sister to be afraid, because the house was really haunted, and it was not an imaginary story.
After a long time, this fear would naturally fade away.
After a while, aunt's voice came to complain, "Lingyue, don't stick so close to me. It's hot."
"Mom …" Xu Lingyue said in a tone of grievance and coquettishness.
Auntie's heart ached for her daughter, so she didn't say anything else. After a while, she suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Lingyue, you've already grown so big?"
Xu Qi'an's ears twitched when he heard this. At first, he didn't think much of it. However, his aunt's tone was strange. He listened carefully and indeed heard his sister say shyly, "Mother, don't laugh at me. I'm not as big as you."
"Nonsense, I've already given birth to children, but when I was your age, I didn't have a family as big as yours," Auntie said and sighed.
"You are of marriageable age."
Xu Lingyue remained silent.
Poor Ling Yue. At such a young age, she already had two large tumors on her chest. Xu Qi'an raised the corner of his mouth and almost laughed out loud because of his own ridicule. He felt that guarding the door was not that boring after all.
Auntie then said, "You live next door to Dalang, so remember to be careful when you bathe. A martial artist's eyes and ears are very sharp, so remember to be on your guard."
"Mother, do you mean that my brother will peep at me when I'm bathing?" In the dark, Xu Lingyue's eyes were shining.
"No, I didn't. Don't wrong me … I always bathe with Fu Xiang in the Musical House. I don't need to peep …" Xu Qi'an felt that his aunt was as vicious as ever. Now that she couldn't defeat him directly, she secretly played tricks to drive a wedge between him and Lingyue.
"Dalang won't peep, so you don't guard against anything?" Auntie spat at her daughter, then turned her head to look at the door. Listening to her nephew's cough from time to time, she continued to talk with relief.
…
Xu Qi'an didn't sleep all night. He breathed in and out and tempered his Vital Spirit. After dawn, he was still full of energy.
At breakfast, Xu Pingzhi came back. He was dressed in a military uniform and didn't carry any green oranges in his hand. Xu Qi'an believed that his second uncle was really on duty last night and didn't go to the Musical House.
"Last night, Lingyin ran out at night and slept by the well …" Auntie told his second uncle what happened last night. "Fortunately, Ning Yan is still in the mansion. If he is not there, there will be a ghost …"
Speaking of this, the timid auntie was scared again. She was purely scaring herself.
The second uncle Xu nodded to his nephew and asked, "Why did Lingyin sleep by the well in the middle of the night?"
Xu Qi'an said, "It's all my aunt's fault. She lied to her and said that ghosts would taste better than anything else if they were fried in oil. She was greedy. "
"Oh." The second uncle Xu nodded and thought that it was something his little daughter would do. It was not surprising.
After living in the new house, they could get up later in the morning. And it only took half an hour to ride there, which was very convenient.
When Xu Qi'an arrived at the yamen, he went to Li Yuchun's Spring Breeze Hall to take attendance as usual. After confirming that there was no task assigned today, he went out to patrol the streets with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao.
In the market, there was an endless stream of people. Peddlers walked the streets and alleys, and there was an endless stream of customers. The prosperity of the inner city was far greater than the outer city.
Xu Qi'an planned to bring Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to the Spring Breeze Hall again, but the two little brothers refused to go no matter what.
So he went alone and met number six Hengy Yuan and the 'black dog'. Knowing that the poor child's physical condition had improved, Xu Qi'an let out a sigh of relief. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.
"Your excellency Xu, I have a question." Hengy Yuan put his palms together and said.
"Master, please speak." Xu Qi'an smiled in a relaxed mood.
"When your excellency Xu saw the child for the first time, he said something …" Hengy Yuan stared at him, "Your excellency Xu said, 'This is that child?'
"Your excellency Xu seems to know him, but I remember that the two of you didn't have any interaction."
… F * ck, the impact on me that day was too big, and I accidentally let it slip. Xu Qi'an smiled. On the surface, he looked as calm as an old dog, but on the inside, he began to panic.
Could it be that number six suspects that I'm number three … Speaking of which, I even picked up money in front of him that day … Well, it's not a big deal to just pick up money, who hasn't been lucky once in a while … But number six must have guessed that I'm not normal, maybe he has already linked me to number three.
But the image of a Confucian scholar that I created has already taken root in the hearts of the members of the Heaven & Earth Society. The first impression is always the most important and the most unchangeable, so number six will at most be suspicious … Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an sighed.
"I've heard number three mention it before."
He did not explain further, and left the rest to Hengy Yuan's imagination. First of all, Hengy Yuan would definitely question the so-called 'superior and subordinate' relationship. The Heaven & Earth Society was not a secret force, but the Heaven & Earth Society in the outside world was formed by the Taoist priests of the Earth Sect, represented by the Jinlian Taoist priest.
On the other hand, the Heaven & Earth Society formed by the holders of the Book of the Earth's fragments was the true secret force. How could number three casually tell such a thing to his subordinates?
Then, number six Hengy Yuan would investigate him with such doubts, and as he investigated, he would discover that your excellency Xu's cousin was a student of the Confucian Academy.
At this time, he would feel that he had discovered something.
As expected, Hengy Yuan did not say anything, and nodded slightly with a solemn expression.
… Actually, whether my identity was exposed or not wasn't a big problem. Number six Hengy Yuan was a good person. Hmm, it's mainly because I've been bragging too much on the internet … It would be very embarrassing if my identity was exposed … Xu Qi 'an bid farewell and left.
After returning to the yamen, Xu Qi 'an received a letter from the Celestial Commissioner in white, saying that Chu Caiwei had made a major breakthrough in alchemy, and Song Qing had summoned him to the Celestial Commissioner for a discussion.
… So fast? Xu Qi 'an rode his horse to the Stargazing Tower.
He saw Song Qing and Chu Caiwei in the pill refining room on the seventh floor, and at the same time, saw two pairs of the same dark circles under their eyes.
"Miss Caiwei, you need to rest more." Xu Qi 'an thought, Has Ning Ning also become a master of time management?
With thick dark circles under her eyes, Chu Caiwei looked even more adorable. She said tiredly, "I haven't slept for three days …"
Song Qing took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Xu Qi 'an. "Take a look."
Xu Qi 'an removed the wooden cork and poured a little onto his palm. There were tiny crystal particles mixed in the mushroom powder. He licked it, and a strong freshness spread on his taste buds, burning his tongue.
"How is it made?" Xu Qi 'an was shocked.
"Fermenting the grains, adding honey, purifying …" Song Qing waved his hand, not wanting to explain. "If you want to know the process, I'll get Caiwei to write it down for you later. Take a look first and see if it's this thing."
Xu Qi 'an muttered, "The smell is very similar. Is it poisonous?"
"It's not poisonous."
"Then it is."
Song Qing nodded and said, "This thing is more precious than salt. If it is to be popularized, the imperial court will definitely monopolize it.
"In the past, the products produced by the Celestial Commissioner were all managed by the imperial court, and the Celestial Commissioner took thirty percent of the annual profits. I've discussed it with Senior Brother Yang, and we'll give you ten percent. "
The reason why Song Qing and Chu Caiwei only got 10% was that Xu Qi 'an had only proposed the concept of MSG and some theoretical steps. Some of those steps were correct, but some of them had caused Song Qing and Chu Caiwei to take many detours.
In this new type of alchemy, Chu Caiwei and Song Qing had to pay more.
"It's a very fair distribution." Xu Qi 'an nodded and probed, "Then, how much silver can I get in a year? Hmm, I know I lack the basis to evaluate it, but Senior Brother Song can give me a rough estimate."
"It depends on how the imperial court plans to sell it." Song Qing muttered, "If it's ten percent, it'll be a few thousand taels of silver? I'm talking about the boundaries of the capital. "
After he finished speaking, he found that his hand was firmly held in Xu Qi 'an's palm. The Copper Gong said in a sincere and heartfelt manner,
"May our friendship last as long as the seas run dry and the rocks crumble."
"… You're too kind."
…
Imperial Palace, Imperial Garden.
Wei Yuan accompanied the Yuanjing Emperor for a stroll in the Imperial Garden. The sun was warm. This Imperial Garden, which occupied an area of 20 acres, was planted with all kinds of precious flowers and trees. Winter and spring were two completely different sceneries.
"Frost kills all the grass, flowers and trees wilt. This desolate scene has a different flavor if you think about it carefully." The Yuanjing Emperor clasped his hands behind his back and sighed meaningfully.
Behind him, Wei Yuan, who was half a body's length behind, muttered, "Your Majesty, desolation has never been a scene since ancient times."
In the face of the green-robed eunuch's rebuttal, the Yuanjing Emperor only smiled and said nonchalantly, "When spring comes next year, all the flowers will naturally bloom."
Wei Yuan seemed to be arguing, "When spring comes next year, it's still early. I don't know how long this desolation will last. "
The Yuanjing Emperor glanced at him, "Then what does Official Wei think?"
Wei Yuan said gently, "The scene of hundreds of flowers in full bloom is indeed beautiful, but when spring passes and winter comes, the flourishing fades … Your Majesty, look at those evergreen trees. Regardless of whether it's spring or autumn, summer or winter, they still exist.
"Remove the various flowers and plants and leave the evergreen trees. This is the way to long-term."
The Yuanjing Emperor stopped smiling and looked at him coldly. The green-robed eunuch smiled and looked at him warmly. He did not retreat even half a step.
The emperor and his official looked at each other for a long time. The Yuanjing Emperor said lightly, "The Empress caught a cold a few days ago. After her body recovered, she lost her appetite and did not eat much for a few days."
Wei Yuan finally looked away and bowed, "What did the Celestial Commissioner's warlock say?"
"Her appetite is not good, but her body is fine and she needs to rest," the Yuanjing Emperor said, "But I see that the Empress has lost a lot of weight. Wei Yuan, go and see her for me."
"Yes!"
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