Nightwatcher

# 316. A Way

Emperor Yuanjing tossed the petition he had just approved lightly to the old eunuch, chuckling, “Grand Companion, tell us, did the huiyuan Xu Xinnian really cheat?”

The old eunuch took the petition, quickly scanning it, then replied, “Your servant may be foolish, but this matter indeed seems suspicious.”

Emperor Yuanjing stared at him for a few seconds, then commanded, “Order the Prefecture Constabulary and the Ministry of Law to handle this case. Be sure to investigate it thoroughly.”

After the old eunuch accepted the order and withdrew, Emperor Yuanjing sat back on his dragon throne, gazing out at the blue sky beyond the Imperial Library. Suddenly, he smiled. “Three birds with one stone.”

Leaving the Imperial Library, the eunuch in his python robe hurriedly walked a hundred meters before patting his chest, visibly shaken and muttering darkly to himself, “He approved it but still asks me… Wei Yuan, Wei Yuan, it’s not that I won’t help you, but my life matters most.”

Shortly after, imperial orders were sent to the Ministry of Law and the Prefecture Constabulary.

Minister Sun of the Ministry of Law seemed to have anticipated this. Upon receiving the order, he immediately sent men to arrest Xu Xinnian.

When Prefecture Magistrate Chen received the order from the palace, he sighed and shook his head. “When the winds are high and the waves are tall… just pray a huge wave doesn’t come and wreck your ship and drown you.”

He immediately called for the Deputy Prefect and ordered, “Send someone to arrest Xu Xinnian and bring him back to the Constabulary for questioning. Make sure you get him before the Ministry of Law does… and notify Silver Gong Xu.”

…

Xu Manor.

In the gentle spring sunlight, Xu Xinnian had his desk set up under a tree, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled patterns on the table, his book, and his strikingly handsome face.

Beside him were tea and snacks.

Auntie, along with Xu Lingyue, Xu Lingyin, and Lina, who was staying with them, was preparing to go out.

When Lina saw Xu Xinnian under the tree, she openly praised, “Xu Erlang is so handsome. In my tribe, the women would fight each other bloody to win him.”

Auntie immediately grew wary, as if she’d seen a pig attempting to root up her own cabbage.

_Is this Southern girl hinting at something? Does she fancy Erlang? Hah, what a delusion. A toad lusting after a swan._

Auntie shot Lina a sharp look and urged, “It’s getting late; let’s head out early.”

They weren’t going out with guards. A hundred guards couldn’t match the Southern girl’s strength, which had been witnessed by both Xu Erlang and Xu Dalang.

Auntie had also personally seen the girl casually crush a fist-sized rock into powder.

Lina immediately forgot about handsome Xu Erlang and eagerly headed out. She couldn’t wait to explore the capital of the Great Feng.

Back in the Southern Marches, she’d often heard her tribe elders mention that the capital of the Great Feng was the most prosperous city in the world.

_This little glutton who thinks improper thoughts about my Erlang—I'll find a way to get rid of her…_ Auntie thought.

This foreign woman, arriving out of nowhere, had sparked Auntie’s instinctive hostility.

Just then, a squad of constables barged into the residence, pushing the gatekeeper Old Zhang aside and heading straight toward the inner courtyard.

The lead constable, holding a portrait, matched it with Xu Xinnian under the tree, then pointed and shouted, “That’s Xu Xinnian! Arrest him!”

“What do you people want? Why are you arresting my Erlang?” Auntie, horrified, immediately stepped forward, her brows raised in a protective stance before the constables.

“You dare obstruct a Ministry of Law’s arrest? Take her too!” The head constable waved his hand, and his men moved to tie her up.

“Thud!”

Lina stepped forward and lightly pushed the two constables, sending them flying with cries of pain.

Clang!

The constables drew their swords, pointing them at Lina. The Southern girl licked her lips, excitement gleaming in her eyes—she could kill them all in ten breaths.

Terrified, Auntie took shelter behind Lina, realizing how reliable and strong this “little dark-skinned” girl was.

“Stand down.”

Xu Xinnian ordered sharply, setting his book aside and stepping forward, casting a cold gaze over the constables.

“I am the huiyuan, with official rank and title. Barging into my residence and drawing your weapons is a serious crime.”

The two constables Lina had thrown aside got up, clutching their chests. Seeing they were not seriously injured, the head constable hesitated, sheathed his sword, and presented a warrant. “We are here under orders from the Ministry of Law to bring Huiyuan Xu in for questioning.”

Xu Xinnian frowned. “What crime have I committed?”

“Come with us, and you’ll find out.” The head constable waved his hand. “Take him away.”

Lina was about to intervene, but Xu Xinnian stopped her. He faced the constables. “I will go with you.”

Auntie and Xu Lingyue chased after them to the entrance, watching as the constables led Xu Xinnian away down the street.

Lina whispered, “Did Xu Erlang rob money too?”

She knew that robbing money would lead to arrest by the constables.

At that moment, the doorman old Zhang brought Xu Xinnian’s horse and said, “Madam, Miss, I will go inform the master.”

Auntie and Xu Lingyue turned around simultaneously and said, “Go find Dalang (Big Brother).”

…

“What? The Ministry of Law came to arrest Erlang?”

Xu Qi'an, who was at the Nightwatcher’s constabulary, was taken aback, caught off guard.

“Dalang, please think of something; Madam and Miss are in tears.” Old Zhang’s son looked anxious.

“What’s the reason for his arrest?”

Old Zhang’s son shook his head and said, “A squad of constables stormed in, shoved my father aside, and took Erlang away.”

“I understand. Return and tell Auntie and Lingyue not to worry; I will handle it.”

“Dalang, you should go tell them yourself.” Old Zhang’s son insisted.

Xu Qi'an nodded, waved him off, and sat by his desk in thought. After a moment, he got up and left the One Blade Hall, planning to head to the Ministry of Law and find out why they had arrested Xu Erlang.

*It can’t be that the Minister of Justice is causing trouble for his niece. If it’s personal, that’s actually easier to handle. Erlang has official rank, and they can’t harm him over trivial matters…*

*But if it’s a move by the higher-ups, then even if it’s to avenge his niece, they would have evidence and make a precise strike only when certain of success.*

*Which means Erlang must have gotten into something serious—I just don’t know what…*

With these thoughts, he left the courtyard, intending to fetch his mare from the stable, only to see Chief Constable Lyu Qing of the Constabulary entering with two quick-moving constables.

“Sir Xu.”

The two encountered each other head-on. Lyu Qing’s face lit up with delight, which was quickly replaced by worry as he urgently said, “The Prefect sent me to inform you that Huiyuan Xu is in trouble.”

“I’m aware—he was taken by the Ministry of Law not long ago,” Xu Qi’an replied, nodding steadily.

“Looks like the Ministry got there first.” Lyu Qing sighed.

“Inspector Lyu, come in, there’s something I need to ask.”

Xu Qi’an abandoned his plan to go to the stables and led Lyu Qing back into the One Blade Hall.

Lyu Qing took the tea offered by the clerks, taking a perfunctory sip before getting straight to the point. “His Majesty has issued an edict to investigate Huiyuan Xu for imperial examination fraud.”

The words “imperial examination fraud” made Xu Qi’an’s brow twitch.

*That poem Ode to the Difficult Road was indeed something I gave him. But is that really considered cheating? The exam question was something I happened to anticipate. The court doesn’t encourage predictions, but it’s never prohibited them, and in the scholarly world, predicting questions is a common custom. Technically, it’s not cheating... No, the issue isn’t really about cheating.*

Xu Qi’an sensed the makings of a conspiracy and said gravely, “Is it His Majesty’s order?”

Lyu Qing glanced at the clerks around them and replied in a low voice, “I wouldn’t know. Sir Xu should avoid making assumptions.”

“My apologies.”

*But this is really important! If Emperor Yuanjing himself wants to target Erlang, this will be hard to resolve. His entire future could be ruined. Those who lose imperial favour are finished as scholars...* thought Xu Qi’an.

“Thank you for the reminder, Inspector Lyu. I must hurry to deal with this matter, so I won’t keep you.”

“Sir Xu, would you mind escorting me out,” Lyu Qing said with a knowing look.

The two left the One Blade Hall together, walking side by side toward the gate. Lowering his voice, Lyu Qing said, “Sir Xu would do well to visit the Ministry of Law. Once they have him, they can press him at will. If you’re late, he may have confessed to everything already. That’s all I can say.”

Lyu Qing, who had practiced martial arts from a young age and served in the Constabulary for years, had seen many similar cases and was well-versed in the political intrigue of the bureaucracy.

After seeing Lyu Qing off, Xu Qi’an turned toward the Tower of Noble Spirit to seek Wei Yuan’s help.

His intuition told him this matter wasn’t simple. He lacked experience in the cutthroat manoeuvring of the court, but fortunately, he had a powerful leg to hug.

In the tea room within the Tower of Noble Spirit, Xu Qi’an relayed the situation to Wei Yuan and asked for guidance. “Please, Duke Wei, teach me.”

Wei Yuan held his teacup, lost in thought. “I haven’t received word from the palace, meaning His Majesty does not want me to know about this—or at least not immediately.”

Xu Qi’an’s expression darkened. “Does His Majesty want to get me?”

“How crude, to use the term ‘get’.” Wei Yuan scoffed, then shook his head. “You Xu brothers aren’t significant enough to warrant His Majesty’s direct involvement. This is more likely a result of someone filing charges against you.

“As for motives, well, let’s look at the precedence of cheating scandals. Typically, such cases involve a test examiner leaking questions. This year, the three chief examiners were Zhao Tingfang, Chancellor of the Eastern Pavilion; Liu Hong, Right Censor-in-Chief; and Scholar-in-Attendance Qian Qingshu. We can ignore the smaller fish.

“Among these three, we can eliminate Qian Qingshu.”

Xu Qi’an frowned. “Why?”

Wei Yuan replied, “The impeachment report would have had to go through the inner cabinet first, which is Wang Zhenwen’s territory. And Qian Qingshu is one of his men. Understand?”

*So if Wang Zhenwen didn’t veto the report, that means Qian Qingshu is uninvolved...* Xu Qi’an nodded. “I understand.”

Wei Yuan continued, “Next, your cousin Xu Xinnian belongs to Cloud Deer Academy. The factions in court are many, but they all share an unspoken agreement to suppress the academy’s students. That is the main reason for this cheating allegation.”

“The Academy’s great scholars… never reminded me?” Xu Qi’an frowned.

“Suppression is a given, but it’s not always done under the pretence of cheating. Even if Xu Xinnian had topped the exams, he could still be cornered into insignificance. There are countless ways to go about it, and you can’t guard against everything.” Wei Yuan shook his head.

“Finally, Xu Xinnian is your cousin, and you are my confidant. When it comes to matters affecting his future, wouldn’t you come to me for help? If I refuse, it could breed resentment between us. If I agree, then they’ll have laid the perfect trap.” Wei Yuan sneered.

“Our Emperor relishes seeing me clash with the civil officials. Hence, news of this investigation didn’t reach me.”

*Two birds with one stone... No, considering the examiner who leaked the question, the mastermind is aiming for three. As for Erlang, if he’s implicated in cheating, there are three possible outcomes: first, conclusive evidence and exile or execution; second, conclusive evidence but a lighter offense, stripping him of titles and a lifetime ban from office; third, cleared of charges but with his reputation ruined after missing the palace examination.*

Xu Qi’an took a deep breath, his head pounding.

*Scholars are a nasty lot. If we have a disagreement, let’s just draw blades and settle it right there. Simple and direct.*

*Instead, they indulge in these underhanded, venomous tactics.*

“Duke Wei, what should I do?” Xu Qi’an humbly asked. When it came to criminal investigation, he was confident, but when it came to political scheming, he was like a silver-rank player facing champions.

*Thank goodness I have an elite-level backer in this field.*

“I can step in, but if I do, then Xu Xinnian becomes my man. That label will never wash off,” Wei Yuan replied, sipping his tea as he gazed at Xu Qi’an.

*This is indeed a tricky situation. Even if Duke Wei intervenes to free Erlang, it’ll likely cost him dearly. After all, the opposition isn’t just one clique—it’s probably an agreement among several...*

*If Erlang ends up branded a eunuch clique member like me, he might be better off leaving the capital...*

Xu Qi’an frowned deeply, sitting in silence for a long time before asking reluctantly, “Duke Wei, is there any other way?”

“There is.”

The answer startled and delighted Xu Qi’an.

But then Wei Yuan’s tone changed, and he shook his head. “But you cannot accomplish it.”