All Heavens: From Joy of Life to The Great Feng Night Watchman

Page 491

Princess Pingyang had a history of early romance, but Xu Qi'an didn't mind. In his time, such a good girl would be hard to find even with a lantern.

Master Li Chang'an was wooing the princess, and I, Xu Qi'an, was wooing the county princess. The two of us were considered equals, and neither of us disgraced the transmigrators.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an felt a surge of pride. It seemed that choosing to join Li Chang'an was definitely the right move to broaden his path.

"Thank you very much, Senior Sister! I hope you will continue to guide me in the future."

Princess Pingyang is an only child, and now that she has an extra junior brother, she can't help but put on airs as a senior sister.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

Xu Lingyue was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Li Chang'an would actually take this cousin as a disciple, and this cousin had indeed become quite eloquent.

However, Xu Lingyue was confident that, in terms of her relationship with Li Chang'an, she was closer to him.

Li Chang'an said to Xu Lingyue, "Lingyue, go and pick out a piece of calligraphy to give to Ning Yan as a gift for accepting him as a disciple."

Hearing Li Chang'an's words, Princess Pingyang laughed and said, "Junior brother, Master's calligraphy and paintings are worth thousands of taels each, which is much higher than your salary."

Xu Qi'an knew, of course, that his annual salary was less than one hundred taels of silver, so this was a huge windfall.

He looked down at his knees. What great knees they were! One kneeling brought him Princess Senior Sister and ten thousand taels of silver!

Xu Qi'an, who had entered the Li residence with trepidation, finally walked out with a sense of relief.

When he got home, it was already afternoon. After seeing Li Chang'an, he could finally rest assured that he could live and develop in Da Feng.

He returned home and took a hot bath in his small courtyard.

“The past is the past, Li Chang’an… Master is right, since we’re here, we might as well make the best of it. Now that we have a backer, we shouldn’t be so easily killed.”

"Even if I continue to work on Kuaishou in Changle County, I should still be able to achieve something. My reasoning and case-solving abilities from my previous life are much stronger than my reliance on experience in this era."

"The plagiarism method comes from my master, but he said I could use my knowledge of chemistry, but I don't remember much of it..."

Just as Xu Qi'an was lost in thought, the maid Green Goose called out from outside the door.

"Dalang, it's time to take your medicine."

Xu Qi'an was so startled by these words that he stood up abruptly from the bathtub. "Don't call me Da Lang anymore!"

The green goose outside the door wondered, "Da Lang sounds so powerful, why can't he call out?"

Xu Qi'an was helpless, but luckily he didn't have the surname Wu.

Why take medicine when you're perfectly healthy?

Green Goose said, "Madam said that after staying in the prison for several days, she needs to take some herbs to dispel wind, cold, and miasma."

"Okay, I'll come right away!"

I reckon it'll be dinner time after I finish my medicine. Today, I, Xu Qi'an, am going to impress my aunt.

……

When Xu Qi'an entered the inner hall, he heard Xu Lingyin crying and making a fuss. Xu Pingzhi was drinking wine, and Xu Xinnian was reading a book.

Xu Qi'an sat at the table, holding a scroll of calligraphy and painting, and drank the slightly bitter Chinese medicine.

"Cough cough!"

After choking twice, Xu Qi'an cleared his throat and said, "Auntie, from today onwards, I will eat here."

Li Ru was tidying up Xu Lingyin when she looked up in surprise, her gaze landing on the scroll in Xu Qi'an's hand.

"If you want to eat it, then eat it."

Li Chang'an placed the scroll in his hand on the table, deliberately placing it in front of Xu Xinnian, and made quite a commotion.

Xu Xinnian looked up, intending to continue reading, but the scroll successfully caught his attention.

"Brother, where did you buy this calligraphy and painting? The quality is not something an ordinary person can afford."

Xu Pingzhi and Li Ru were both drawn to Xu Xinnian's words. Xu Xinnian was a cultured man, and naturally an authority on matters of calligraphy and painting.

"Take a look for yourself."

Xu Qi'an leaned back in his chair, unconsciously crossing his legs and rhythmically shaking them.

Xu Xinnian slowly unfurled the calligraphy and painting, and was immediately stunned when he saw the famous handwriting and signature that had captivated the capital.

"Tranquility leads to far-reaching influence... This is Lord Li's handwriting!"

Xu Pingzhi put down his wine glass and asked with keen interest, "Cijiu, how much is this calligraphy and painting?"

Xu Xinnian held up one finger, and Li Ru stammered, "One painting, one thousand taels of silver?"

"Mother! This is a genuine work by Lord Li, worth at least ten thousand taels of silver!"

Upon hearing Xu Xinnian's words, Li Ru immediately tossed the little pudding to the maid and pounced on it like a tiger.

"Ten thousand taels of silver!"

But when her hand approached the calligraphy and painting, Xu Qi'an picked it up, saying, "Auntie, slow down. You can only look, not touch."

"I would never sell my master's gift, no matter the price!"

Xu Qi'an's calm and collected words, seemingly casual, made Xu Pingzhi and the other two widen their eyes in surprise.

"Ning Yan, what did you say? Lord Li is your master?!"

"Brother! You haven't even read many books, how could Mr. Li accept you as his apprentice?"

"Little...little nephew, you're not joking, are you?"

Xu Qi'an held Li Chang'an's calligraphy, looking at his aunt's astonished and uneasy expression, and felt extremely pleased.

They used to call him a little beast or a little scoundrel, but why don't they call him that anymore?

"Today I went to thank Lord Li because I noticed the suspicious signs that the tax silver had been switched. Lord Li valued me highly and took me as his disciple."

"To be honest, I didn't expect it either. Lord Li is so approachable. He said he would guide me in martial arts and solving cases..."

"Princess Pingyang, you all know her, right? She'll be my senior sister from now on!"

"From now on, who will dare to bully us in the capital!"

Xu Qi'an was finally able to hold his head high, and Xu Pingzhi and his family of three had no doubts, because the calligraphy and painting in his hands were genuine.

The family began to eat dinner. Although Xu Qi'an's relationship with Li Chang'an was a happy event for the family, Li Ru felt a pang of sadness.

Originally, she thought it would be a great honor for her daughter to become Li Chang'an's maid, but now Xu Qi'an has actually become Li Chang'an's apprentice.

For a nobody like Kuaishou to become the apprentice of the Golden Gong Night Watchman is practically an incredible stroke of luck.

Xu Pingzhi was quite happy, Xu Xinnian was astonished, and Li Ru felt that the dishes with MSG were no longer fragrant.

at dusk.

Li Chang'an changed his clothes in his bedroom and was preparing to go out.

Xu Lingyue suddenly said, "Young master... are you going to find Miss Fuxiang?"

As Li Chang'an's personal maid, Xu Lingyue was quite familiar with his habits.

Li Chang'an smiled and casually said, "Lingyue, you want to come with me? That's not appropriate."

Xu Lingyue's face flushed slightly, her eyelashes fluttered twice, and she looked very nervous standing by the bed.

"Young master... you don't have to go tonight."

Li Chang'an sat back on the bed, took her hand, and let Xu Lingyue sit on his lap. He then began to caress Xu Lingyue's slender legs.

After more than half a year of development by Li Chang'an, his relationship with Xu Lingyue is now only one hymen away from being broken.

"Lingyue, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Lingyue said in a low voice, "What Miss Fuxiang can do, I should be able to do as well. We are both women, there's no reason why I can't do it."

Li Chang'an pinched Xu Lingyue's snow-white chin, lifting her alluring face and said, "That's not necessarily true. Fu Xiang is no ordinary woman."

Fu Xiang is a fox spirit, and her physique is much stronger than Xu Lingyue's. Unless she teaches Xu Lingyue to cultivate Taoism or practice martial arts, there are some things she really can't do.

Xu Lingyue's eyes were misty, and she pouted her red lips, saying, "How will I know if I don't try..."

Then, Xu Lingyue hugged Li Chang'an tightly, clearly intending to prevent him from leaving the house.

"Young master, if it weren't for you this time, the consequences for our family would have been unimaginable."

As Xu Lingyue spoke of the Xu family's imprisonment, her large, watery eyes welled up with tears, making her appear even more pitiful.

Li Chang'an put his arm around her waist, and Xu Lingyue leaned against Li Chang'an's chest.

"Shouldn't Lingyue sincerely thank the young master?"

Xu Lingyue nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yes, this servant wants to be with the young master."

"Young master saved my whole family. I don't want any title or status. I just want to stay by your side forever."

Li Chang'an chuckled softly, and Xu Lingyue began to help him undress.

"Little green tea."

Xu Lingyue had been with Li Chang'an for over a year and knew his character; it was impossible for him not to give her a formal title.

However, Xu Lingyue didn't understand the word, and her two long, fair legs were already wrapped around Li Chang'an's waist.

She unbuttoned her clothes, revealing a green bodice underneath, the lotus flowers on it bulging.