Nightwatcher

# 278. Reveal the List

Generally, as long a Xu Qi’an did not make requests such as “Sleep with me tonight” or “Give me a son”, Zhong Li would always try to fulfil it.

Of course, if the Jianzheng were to say: "Zhong Li, if you dual cultivate with this boy, you'll definitely overcome the tribulation," then, as long as Xu Qi'an's requested positions weren't too difficult, Zhong Li could still fulfil his wishes.

But Xu Qi'an wasn't the type of person to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable situation. If Zhong Li were to propose dual cultivation, he would certainly refuse, especially since she was Chu Caiwei's senior sister.

Zhong Li obediently sat by the desk. Following Xu Qi'an's instructions, she spread out the paper specifically for book drafts, ground the ink, picked up the brush, and said, "Go ahead."

"Don't rush, I need to gather my thoughts..." Xu Qi'an sat to the side, holding a steaming cup of tea, feigning deep thought.

To prevent further conflict between Lin'an and Huaiqing, Xu Qi'an, stuck in the middle as a man caught between three families, pondered for a long time and finally came up with a plan.

Since Lin'an loves stories, Xu Qi'an would tell her one.

There were plenty of love stories circulating among the common folk, even involving tales of young Liu Bei, which could satisfy Lin'an's tastes. But Xu Qi'an, being a seasoned player, felt that he should seize every opportunity to make sure his "fish" couldn't swim away.

Seeing that she hadn't started writing, he added, "Senior Sister Zhong? Is your hair too long to see properly? Should I help you brush it aside?"

Zhong Li slowly shook her head. "That's a strange title."

Most stories and novels of the time used titles with words like "Records," "Chronicles," or "Annals," similar to the naming conventions of lyric forms, following well-established standards.

"Don't worry about it. Just write as I say." Xu Qi'an waved his hand and began to narrate his story.

_Great Sage of Love_ told a love story that took place in the heavens. The heroine was the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor, named the Zixia Celestial. The male lead was a guard in the heavenly court, but he belongeg to the demon *yao* race.

His name was Long Aotian.

In the heavenly court, yao were the lowest of the low, despised by the immortals, and could only serve as labourers and guards. His hobbies included singing, dancing, and rapping.

"There's a problem here..."

Zhong Li interjected, "The name Long Aotian seems inappropriate. Given the heavenly court's emphasis on hierarchy, such a name doesn't fit."

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and then said, "We don’t need to worry about these details."

The story continued:

Despite the vast gap in status, these two unlikely individuals fell in love. One was like a celestial flower, and the other, flawless jade.

"Wait," Zhong Li paused her writing, frowning, "The celestial flower refers to the Zixia Celestial, right? So the flawless jade would be Long Aotian... but he’s a lowly demon. His background doesn’t match the phrase 'flawless jade.' I think this needs to be revised."

*You're such a nitpicker...* Xu Qi'an was furious, his mouth twitching. "Are you trying to teach me how to write?"

Sensing his rising frustration, Zhong Li wisely stopped arguing.

The story resumed:

The two would meet secretly in the heavenly palace, from holding hands and watching the sunset clouds, to hugging and kissing, and finally, rolling around in a secluded chamber. Xu Qi'an described the progression in detail, from beginning to end, without sparing any specifics.

In this era, certain banned books had similarly detailed descriptions, often paired with poetry. While Xu Qi'an could copy poetry, writing it himself was impossible, so he didn’t attempt to show off.

However, the romance between the Zixia Celestial and Long Aotian was soon discovered by a lecherous divine official who coveted the Zixia Celestial's beauty. He reported them to the Heavenly Emperor.

Furious, the Heavenly Emperor had Long Aotian skinned and his bones removed, banishing him to reincarnate as a dumb beast for eternity. the Zixia Celestial was also imprisoned in the Moon Palace for all eternity, condemned to a life of cold isolation.

The story ended there.

"How many words?" Xu Qi'an asked as he sipped his tea, moistening his throat.

Zhong Li quickly calculated. "Around 80,000 words."

Zhong Li wrote quickly, continuously for two hours without pause, often finishing writing as soon as Xu Qi'an finished speaking. Ordinary people couldn’t keep up with that speed.[^1]

*As expected of a fifth-rank Arcanist...* Xu Qi'an marvelled, very satisfied.

The story itself was fairly average—at least in Xu Qi'an's opinion. But since commercial novels hadn't yet emerged in this era, even his crude story would be more engaging than most folk tales.

*If only I had met Zhong Li six months earlier. I could dictate, and she would be my voice recognition system. I could open a bookstore and make a living selling storybooks...*

Xu Qi'an quickly dismissed the idea. First, with his current status, he no longer needed to run a business. Second, the annual dividends from his share in the Chicken Bouillon enterprise were enough to support a life filled with wives and concubines.

Lastly, in his previous life, this kind of story wouldn’t have been a big deal. But in this era, it would get him executed.

Not worth it, not worth it.

"This will do for now. I’ll refine the second half later. Let’s move on to the next book."

Zhong Li's fingers trembled slightly...

The second book was about the love story between a demonic empress and a human scholar. Xu Qi'an directly borrowed the formula of the domineering CEO trope from his past life, but reversed the gender roles.

The demonic empress was domineering, powerful, wise, and cold. The human scholar was knowledgeable, kind, and polite.

A classic Domineering Lady CEO versus Innocent Sweet Scholar dynamic.

Without a doubt, this story was meant for Huaiqing.

The book for Lin'an featured a heavenly princess and a humble guard, deliberately misleading Lin'an’s perceptions of love and values.

When she became absorbed in the story, she would fantasize about a charming, capable, and witty "guard" figure.

Lin'an would soon realize: "Oh! Isn't my running dog just like that? My true love is right here by my side."

This was very plausible. After all, the noble ladies confined to their boudoirs were often obsessed with stories of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, dreaming that their future husbands would be just like those in the tales... the best example of this phenomenon.

As for Huaiqing, she was a tough nut to crack—smart, calm, and opinionated. Such a woman was hard to guide.

Xu Qi'an even suspected that Huaiqing didn’t read those low-brow works. But of course, nothing was absolute. Huaiqing had the personality of a domineering CEO, and in a male-dominated world, it was almost impossible to find a novel like _Domineering Lady Empress Falls for Me_.

Xu Qi'an believed this would definitely pique Huaiqing's reading interest.

…

After dusk, at the dinner table.

Xu Erlang noticed that his elder brother was acting strange, staring at him constantly, with an intense and affectionate gaze, as if examining a treasured item.

“Big Brother, why do you keep staring at me?” Xu Erlang could no longer bear it and asked in a low voice.

“I’ve recently taken an interest in painting and want to use you as a model,” Xu Qi’an casually explained, continuing to stare at Xu Erlang intently.

*So that’s what it is…* Xu Erlang slightly raised his chin and nodded, “If you can capture even one-tenth of my handsomeness, consider yourself having made it.”

Uncle Xu couldn’t listen any longer. He tapped the table with his finger and changed the subject, “Yesterday, I heard you cut down a sixth-rank martial artist with one stroke?”

Xu Qi’an replied humbly, “Just a small fry.”

… Uncle Xu glanced at his son, then at his nephew, thinking to himself, _This arrogance and self-importance certainly aren't part of the Xu family tradition._

“Tomorrow is the day the exam results are released, right?” Auntie looked at Erlang.

“Hmm,” Xu Erlang nodded.

“You’re definitely going to be the *huiyuan*,” Auntie said happily, serving her son more food.

Uncle Xu glanced at his plump and beautiful wife and suddenly realized, _Ah, it’s this woman who has spoiled the family values._

“When the plum list is out,[^2] let’s all go and take a look together,” Xu Qi’an said.

Hearing the words “plum list,” Xu Lingyin immediately perked up.

“It’s not something to eat,” Xu Lingyue patted her head.

Xu Lingyin lowered her head and continued eating dinner.

After dinner, Xu Qi’an finished washing himself, and pulled the cork from a porcelain bottle. Mixing it with the water, he dunked his face into the concoction. After soaking his face for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, his skin began to heat up, and his facial features showed signs of “melting.”

He immediately went to the bronze mirror and began practicing the qi circulation method he was not yet skilled in, attempting to change his facial features.

“Make the lips thinner, narrow the nose a bit… shrink the cheekbones… round out the eyes a little…”

After a quarter of an hour, the counterfeit Xu Erlang stood before the mirror. To be precise, it was Xu Erlang’s long-lost brother.

“Looks about halfway there.” Xu Qi’an admired himself in the mirror.

*Looking like this, if I went and called Auntie “mother,” the whole family would believe it... no, no, put away such dangerous thoughts. It wouldn’t be good if Uncle and Auntie got divorced…* Thinking of this, Xu Qi’an’s lips curled into a smile, as countless mischievous ideas flashed through his mind.

Of course, if I were to disguise myself as Erlang and meet the members of the Earth Book chat group in real life, that would be quite amusing.

It wasn’t because he feared social death, he simply thought it would be fun.

“Life is so dull, one must find ways to entertain oneself... It’s been a while since I went to the brothels to listen to music.”

…

The Spring Examination results were also called the “Plum List” because it coincided with the blooming season of plum blossoms.

On the twenty-seventh day of the second month, at dawn.

There was no curfew that night, the city gates were wide open, soldiers patrolled the streets, and almost all of the Nightwatchers’ Bronze Gongs were out in force.

Countless scholars flocked to the Inner City, gathering at the gate of the Imperial Examination Hall, eagerly awaiting the posting of the results.

This year’s Spring Examination was particularly lively, not only because of the thousands of anxious scholars but also because of the Conflict of Heaven and Man within the Daoist sects, drawing a flood of Jianghu figures into the capital.

Jianghu folk had one defining trait: they loved gossip!

Wherever there was excitement, they would gather.

This created enormous pressure on the city’s Five Guards, the local government, and the Nightwatchers to maintain public order.

In the end, even Xu Pingzhi couldn’t accompany his son to see the results because the area he was responsible for was too far from the Examination Hall. Similarly, Xu Qi’an had his own district to patrol.

Jianghu folk were a mixed bag. If there were spies or anarchists among them, the scholars could be in danger.

Auntie, Lingyue, and Lingyin also wanted to join in on the excitement, so Second Uncle had no choice but to arrange for the family guards to accompany them. Xu Qi’an, on the other hand, believed that since his patrol area was near the Examination Hall, he could keep an eye on both.

It wasn’t a big deal.

“The Spring Examination results day has always been this lively. The court has nurtured scholars for years, and it all comes down to today.”

The middle-aged swordsman, leading Young Master Liu and other juniors, walked through the crowded streets, speaking at length, “Back in my youth, while traveling through the capital, I happened to witness this scene during the Spring Examination.

“The top scorer at that time was a man named Chu Yuanzhen, who later became the zhuangyuan. When I arrived in the capital this time, I inquired and learned that the former top scholar had since resigned from office.

“Ah, time flies, a decade has passed in the blink of an eye.”

“Oh, he resigned?” The woman with the “Soul-stealing Hand,” Rongrong, asked curiously:

“Why is that? I’ve heard that those who rank in the top tier can enter the Hanlin Academy and eventually become Prime Ministers. Why give up such a bright future?”

The middle-aged swordsman shook his head.

As they continued walking, they found it increasingly difficult to move forward, surrounded by scholars in Confucian robes and numerous Jianghu figures.

The soldiers were struggling to maintain order, shouting commands loudly.

"Master, why don't we leap across the rooftops to get a better view?" Young Master Liu suggested.

"Do you want to be cut down by the Nightwatchers with a single slash, or pierced through the heart by the Huben Guards' arrows?" The middle-aged swordsman retorted with irritation.

In an open space closer to the Examination Hall, a sedan chair draped in red silk had stopped. Surrounding it were armed guards, along with two petite maids.

"Chun'er, how much longer until the results are posted?"

A melodious, gentle female voice came from within the sedan.

"Miss, there's still thirty minutes," replied the maid named Chun'er, who stood on tiptoe to glance at the sundial in the distance.

The lady in the sedan was the daughter of Wang Wenzhen, the current Grand Secretary of the court. She loved attending poetry and literary gatherings hosted by scholars and had a natural inclination for joining lively events like the announcement of the Spring Examination results.

This Miss Wang was known for her literary talent. Though not as dazzlingly brilliant as Princess Huaiqing, had she been born a man, passing the provincial examination would have been effortless for her.

"I wonder who will be the _huiyuan_ this year," Chun'er said sweetly.

Miss Wang smiled and shook her head gently.

Spring Examination fraud was rampant, although not as blatant as before, the manipulations were still considerable. The title of _huiyuan_ might seem impressive to the common folk, but to those truly in the know, they could only salute and say:

"Brother, you’re loaded!"

Of course, every now and then, a golden phoenix might land in the chicken coop, and there would still be deserving talents who would claim the crown.

At that moment, the other maid, who had remained silent, suddenly pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "What a handsome scholar!"

Miss Wang lifted the curtain, revealing a small gap, and peeked outside.

She quickly spotted the scholar the maid had mentioned, as he was so strikingly handsome that even though he frowned while being jostled by the crowd, his beauty was still unblemished.

His eyebrows were delicately long, his eyes shone like stars, his lips were rosy, and his teeth gleamed white. His fair skin was even more exquisite than that of most women.

Behind him was a noblewoman with an oval face, dressed in luxurious clothing, her hair adorned with a golden hairpin.

Beside the noblewoman was a graceful and elegant young girl, whose beauty even made Miss Wang, confident in her own looks, feel a moment of awe.

...

Auntie, protected by a group of guards, wasn’t pushed around by the crowd, but she began to regret coming out to join the excitement.

Besides the noisy scholars, there were also many coarse and fierce Jianghu figures with brutish faces. This made Auntie, who only dared to strike heavy blows at her nephew and husband at home, feel anxious.

Whenever she went out, she was often ogled by some lecherous men, though they were more discreet. However, the rough Jianghu folk around them were blatantly leering.

Auntie furrowed her delicate brows, feeling the helplessness of being a natural beauty unable to escape such attention.

"Let’s stop here," Xu Erlang said, coming to a halt. "Once the results are posted, someone will announce them aloud. We can listen from here."

Auntie breathed a sigh of relief and took Erlang’s hand, saying, "Your mother has worked hard for your success."

"…Thank you, Mother," Xu Erlang responded.

The Plum List was posted on the east wall of the Examination Hall, also known as the "Wall of Fame." As time passed, the moment for the announcement finally arrived.

First, they revealed the secondary list.

Even the secondary list alone stirred the crowd of scholars. Some cheered, others wept bitterly, presenting a vivid display of human emotions to all present.

"Reveal the list! It’s time to announce the Plum List!"

The scholars shouted excitedly, their collective enthusiasm building to a fever pitch.

---

[^1]: If you’re curious, 80,000 words in 2 hours is 666 wpm

[^2]: The *almond list* is the name of the results of the metropolitan examinations (the second level imperial exams). Like then as now, the Chinese tradition on results day is to publicly display and announce all candidates and their scores in descending order.