socalfunplaces Page 489
Page 489
Luo Yuheng was stunned. Although he had never heard of these spells before, they sounded extraordinary from the words themselves, and might even be spells that only a Super Grade Dao Venerable could master.
In Taoism, there are Heavenly Venerables and Taoist Ancestors. The names of spells cannot be chosen arbitrarily; they are basically linked to their power.
Whether Li Chang'an is a powerful figure or a prodigy remains to be seen; it seems I need to test him myself.
Chapter 294 Confrontation between Transmigrators, Xu Qi'an is Terrified
Although the tax and silver case has made a breakthrough, Xu Qi'an is still uneasy.
Because of the involvement of the night watchman, Xu Qi'an was not worried that the Ministry of Justice would take all the credit for him.
His concern was whether the Ministry of Justice could solve the case on time; if it couldn't be solved within two days, it would be a dead end.
"Now that we know the tax silver has been switched, it should be easy to investigate. The only people in the capital who have had contact with the tax silver are the leaders of the issuing and security departments."
"In modern terms, they would have been minor leaders in the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Guard. If it weren't for the serious collusion among officials, the case could have been solved quickly."
Xu Qi'an enjoyed good food and drink in prison for two days, and finally, the dust settled.
"Young Master Xu, you may leave now!"
The jailer had a smile on his face and politely addressed Xu Qi'an as "Young Master." Xu Qi'an clearly remembered that when he came in, these jailers did not have this kind of attitude.
Being confident at first and respectful later is laughable when you think about it!
After signing and sealing the document, Xu Qi'an saw a haggard Xu Pingzhi, Li Ru with red eyes, and Xu Lingyin jumping around.
Clearly, Xu Lingyue had personally taken care of things; these people were treated even better than Xu Qi'an. Although they looked haggard, they hadn't suffered any hardship.
If it weren't for the fear of life and death, these past few days would have felt like a prison experience.
Xu Qi'an couldn't help but sigh, "From ancient times to the present, you still need someone in power!"
"Master, are we alright? Lingyue told me yesterday, and I still can't believe it."
Li Ru had obviously already heard the news, but being a woman, she was naturally worried about being imprisoned.
Before Xu Pingzhi could speak, the clerks leading them hurriedly said, "It's alright, it's alright. Lord Li has already solved the case, and the tax money has been recovered."
"Lord Xu and his wife have a wonderful daughter. Despite such a great calamity, she hasn't suffered a single bit of pain."
Xu Pingzhi sighed, never expecting that sending his daughter to Li Chang'an as a maid would save his life at a crucial moment.
Li Ru wiped away her tears with excitement, finally feeling relieved. "Thanks to Lingyue, thanks to Lord Li!"
"At the crucial moment, my son was not as useful as my daughter... Waaah."
Xu Qi'an felt as if he had returned to the time before he transmigrated. He had worked hard to stake out and catch people, but when it came to being praised, all the credit went to his superiors.
However, Xu Pingzhi was not confused. "My lord, even if the tax money is recovered, my dereliction of duty cannot be forgiven."
“Your nephew Xu Qi’an provided the night watchman with crucial clues to solve the case, so you are being released as a way to atone for your crimes.”
Xu Pingzhi and Li Ru turned around and glanced at Xu Qi'an, noticing that his gaze was different from before, lacking the stubbornness and obstinacy of the past.
"Ning Yan...you?"
Xu Pingzhi was somewhat excited, but also somewhat incredulous, while Li Ru had tears streaming down her face and couldn't believe it at all.
"Second Uncle, Aunt, I have indeed discovered some suspicious points."
Li Ru firmly believed that it was her daughter Xu Lingyin who had pulled strings with Li Chang'an; she simply didn't believe that this money-devouring nephew had the ability to help solve the case.
"Master, it must be that Lingyue asked Lord Li to solve the case. In order to get us out, she gave this kid a title of redemption. Otherwise, there would be no reason to pardon us."
Xu Pingzhi's eyes were filled with doubt, because the possibility was not small. If Li Chang'an wanted to save his family, he would have to make the younger members of the family atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service.
Since only Xu Qi'an has handled cases, it is most reasonable to attribute the credit to him.
However, Xu Pingzhi was different from Li Ru after all, so he patted Xu Qi'an on the shoulder and said, "Ning Yan, well done."
Xu Qi'an knew that it would take time to change the stereotypes about this family.
Especially this still charming and plump auntie, there will be a day when she will be thoroughly convinced by her words.
The family followed the Ministry of Justice officials out of the back door of the prison and saw Xu Lingyue and Xu Xinnian waiting anxiously.
Xu Qi'an hadn't paid much attention to Xu Lingyue before, and even harbored a bit of inexplicable hatred towards her, but when he actually met her in person, he was still amazed.
With her classic and delicate oval face, high nose bridge, and a touch of mixed-race beauty, she appears exceptionally elegant and refined.
Such quality would have been impossible to obtain without a dowry of two million before his time travel.
"Dad, Mom!"
Sure enough, in this younger sister's eyes, she didn't even recognize her as her cousin.
Although she knew the case had been solved, Xu Lingyue was finally relieved to see her parents released from prison.
She rushed into Li Ru's arms, and the mother and daughter embraced and wept. Li Ru kept praising her daughter for growing up and becoming successful.
"Brother, although Lord Li upheld justice this time, your ability to anticipate the silver being switched is also invaluable."
Xu Xinnian walked up to Xu Qi'an, pressed his arm, and spoke up for him. It was not easy for this proud and self-important scholar to say such a thing.
Xu Qi'an dared not take credit, "If it weren't for Lord Li's thunder magic, I'm afraid we would never have been able to refine the fake silver and thus verify my conjecture."
"This means that there is an alchemy expert helping with this case."
Xu Pingzhi asked in surprise, "Cijiu, who exactly switched the silver?"
Li Ru also said anxiously, "Yes, who framed Master?"
Judging from her urgent tone, she was probably eager to skip over Xu Qi'an's contributions.
Xu Xinnian said, "It is a finance officer from the Ministry of Revenue and a commander of the Imperial Guard. We don't know exactly who it is yet."
Xu Pingzhi remained silent, because he was unaware that the commander had any issues.
Xu Qi'an, however, was filled with doubt. This level was at most equivalent to the budget director and colonel captain in his time, and he had neither the power nor the guts to touch the national tax revenue.
The case my second uncle is involved in is very complicated; as expected of the capital, it's always been the same.
After returning home, Xu Qi'an unceremoniously ate at his second uncle's dinner table, no longer cooking for himself as before.
He could have enjoyed a free meal while admiring beautiful women, but instead he had to suffer the pain of cooking for himself. The original owner of this body must have been out of his mind.
After dinner, Xu Qi'an quietly found Xu Lingyue.
"Young lady, what kind of person is your young master?"
Xu Lingyue was somewhat surprised; she felt that Xu Qi'an's tone and expression had changed significantly.
Previously, Xu Qi'an, knowing that he was going to be Li Chang'an's maid, intentionally or unintentionally showed a contemptuous attitude.
She said with a slight anger, "Of course he's a very good person. Without him, our whole family would be finished. How dare you ask what kind of person he is?"
Xu Qi'an said with a warm smile, "Good sister, you misunderstood. What I meant was, if you tell me what hobbies a good person like Lord Li has, I'll be able to thank him."
Hearing Xu Qi'an say that, Xu Lingyue's expression immediately improved, but a blush still appeared on her cheeks.
Xu Qi'an secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. What did Li Chang'an usually like to do to make Xu Lingyue so shy?
"This gentleman is not only a man of great literary and military talent, but also has many hobbies. He is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. There is nothing he cannot do!"
Xu Qi'an listened to Xu Lingyue's long praise without drawing any useful conclusions. He was now eager to know Li Chang'an's character and then determine how to deal with him.
"Oh, by the way! Young Master said that your elementary...intermediate...chemistry...techniques for refining fake silver are very interesting, and he hopes you can visit my residence sometime."
Xu Lingyue was completely unfamiliar with the term "junior high school chemistry," so she had to memorize it by rote, but Xu Qi'an was very familiar with it.
Li Chang'an has already revealed his hand; he wants me to come over... Confess and I'll be treated leniently?
"I'm not talking to you anymore. If I don't go back soon, the young master will worry."
Xu Lingyue didn't say much before she hurriedly swayed her hips and left, looking just like a young lady who was in a hurry to see the top fan.
Xu Qi'an seemed to have seamlessly integrated into this big family, able to talk to everyone, and was very insensitive, completely unaffected by the barbs in Li Ru's words.
He leaned closer to Xu Xinnian and asked, "Ci Jiu, what kind of people are Li Jinluo and Li Daru?"
"A sage with a broad mind! A literary giant with elegant demeanor!"
"Back then, he was a chivalrous hero in Jianzhou, and later in the capital, he also supported an orphanage and often helped the Six Doors and night watchmen solve cases..."
Xu Qi'an grinned; this wasn't the answer he wanted. He had all of these things in the original owner's memories.
His initial assessment is that Li Chang'an's literary background before his time travel was quite extensive, far surpassing his own, as evidenced by his knowledge of copying poems, printing techniques, and storybooks.
As for why his cultivation progressed so quickly, Xu Qi'an guessed that he had encountered another extraordinary event.
Therefore, both of them are time travelers, but their current status and position are vastly different.
Li Chang'an held a position in the capital equal to that of Wei Yuan, Zhao Shou, and others. He also had close relationships with the two princesses. Although he did not attend court, even Emperor Yuanjing was secretly paying attention to him, and all officials gave him face.
Since he pioneered a new path with the four lines of Zhang Zai, he hasn't caused much trouble. He just helps night watchmen and the Ministry of Justice solve cases, and then he's keen on making money by selling calligraphy and paintings and storybooks.
Xu Qi'an had already revealed his identity as a transmigrator to Li Chang'an, so he couldn't hide it quietly anymore.
If Li Chang'an is a villain, then with the opponent's actual combat strength of a third-rank official, killing him would be no different than stepping on an ant.
However, based on the information available now, he should be a normal person who is greedy and lustful, and perhaps has a little bit of a sense of justice.
However, it's hard to say. People often do superficial things when they have money, such as donating to orphanages.
In any case, Li Chang'an must have seen through his identity and had already summoned him, so he had no choice but to go.