Second Uncle's intelligence was as follows:
"Zhou Li has been surprisingly well-behaved these past few days. Probably got chewed out by Vice Minister Zhou. No illegal shenanigans—he's been spending all his time gallivanting with fellow spoiled scions, frequenting gambling dens, restaurants, and the Bureau of Music."
"Furthermore, my men spotted Zhou Li repeatedly visiting a certain residence. No nameplate, so it's likely a private purchase. Inside: a maidservant, an old woman, and a gatekeeper. And one other woman."
"That woman is ninety percent his mistress on the side..."
Xu Xinnian and Xu Qian listened in silence, each lost in different flavors of contemplation. Xu Qian stared at the table, his fingers unconsciously drumming against the surface. Xu Xinnian gazed at the ceiling at a forty-five degree angle, arms folded, looking like he'd zoned out entirely.
Second Uncle finished his report, looked between his nephew and son. "Thoughts?"
The nephew and son exchanged a wordless glance, pointedly ignoring him.
Xu Xinnian spoke first. "Students from my academy and students from the Imperial Academy don't mix. We look down on each other—rival factions, you know. But graduates from the same year occasionally socialize. The institutional rivalry is real, but personal friendships can transcend it."
Fellow juren from the same cycle were half-classmates at best. Cultivating those relationships now might prove useful later. As for the factional wars between academies—personal interests came first.
"Zhou Li is an arrogant bastard who's rubbed most of his Imperial Academy peers the wrong way. But he's no mindless spoiled brat. Every person he's targeted has a modest background."
Xu Qian wasn't surprised. You could read Zhou Li's character from how he'd handled the tax silver affair: not exactly a criminal genius, but effective enough. He had a certain cunning and patience beneath the swagger. His arrogance was reserved exclusively for those weaker than himself.
"That makes dealing with him significantly harder," Xu Qian sighed.
Xu Xinnian shot him a glare. "Stop interrupting. Let me finish."
"Zhou Li is infatuated with Lady Fuxiang at the Bureau of Music. Every time he visits, he requests her specifically. But he keeps losing the 'tea selection' rounds."
Lady Fuxiang? The Bureau of Music's courtesan queen? The one Warden Wang said was worth your entire life just for a single night?
Xu Qian perked up instantly.
Xu Xinnian lifted his teacup, glanced at the empty vessel, set it back down with a resigned sigh.
"I initially considered playing the same game—pitting tigers against wolves. Use Zhou Li's conflicts with classmates to our advantage. But those classmates lack sufficient standing. And given Zhou Li's caution, getting him to provoke someone with a more powerful father? Nearly impossible."
"Zhou Li visits the Bureau of Music extremely frequently. If we want to gather more intelligence, Lady Fuxiang would be an excellent point of entry."
Tap tap... Xu Qian rapped the table.
When Second Uncle and Xu Xinnian looked over, he spoke gravely: "Let me remind you of something. Always, always keep things simple. The more complex a plan, the more holes it has."
"With someone like Zhou Li, we can't afford elaborate schemes. The power gap is too wide. Cijiu, don't fall into the overthinker's trap."
Scholars were especially prone to this—outsmarting themselves, layering complexity upon complexity, priding themselves on the elegance of their schemes. Particularly someone like Xu Cijiu, who fancied himself a military strategist.
Xu Xinnian frowned, partially convinced but not entirely won over. "And your brilliant idea is...?"
"Simple. The simpler, the better." Xu Qian drummed his fingers. "The truly untraceable crime is a crime of passion. Our plan should feel the same."
"How simple? First: minimal people involved. Second: minimal moving parts. Cijiu, if Zhou Li got into a fight with some noble's son, and that noble happened to have the clout to go head-to-head with Vice Minister Zhou—what would you do?"
Xu Xinnian fell into thought.
"Good. Your silence says it all." Xu Qian waved dismissively. Inside his cousin's head, an entire courtroom drama was probably playing out.
"Here's what I'm thinking. We disguise ourselves, find an opportunity, and beat the crap out of the guy. Then walk away."
Xu Pingzhi finally saw his opening and slapped his thigh. "Now THAT'S an idea I can get behind!"
Both brothers rolled their eyes simultaneously.
Xu Xinnian frowned. "Just... that simple?"
"Simple doesn't mean ineffective. Most of the time, leaving blanks is actually an advantage. The guy who got beaten will wonder: who did I cross recently? And then it hits him—oh, that bastard Zhou Li."
"And Zhou Li won't admit to anything. But it doesn't matter. Everyone draws their own conclusions. The conflict escalates: you hit me, so I hit you back."
Xu Cijiu was smart. A quick mental run-through and he understood his brother's logic.
He gave a small nod, his expression carrying its usual scholarly pride. "Not bad."
Then he added, "What intelligence have you gathered, Big Brother?"
Xu Qian didn't keep them waiting. "I found out who Vice Minister Zhou's political enemy is."
Both Xu Xinnian and Second Uncle leaned forward, faces turning serious.
Xu Qian smirked. "The Minister of Revenue."
The Minister of Revenue?!
Xu Xinnian's heart jolted. A dozen questions answered in an instant.
No wonder Vice Minister Zhou had been scheming to embezzle the tax silver. He knew his superior was about to squeeze him dry, and he desperately needed a massive sum to cover his deficits. And precisely because they served in the same ministry, the Minister of Revenue could catch Zhou's tail so easily.
"Ningyan, how could you possibly know something like this?" Second Uncle looked skeptical.
The power plays between top ministers—how could an ordinary person have access to that kind of intelligence?
"Miss Chu Caiwei from the Directorate of Celestials told me."
The cost had been one candied hawthorn stick, one roast goose leg, one bowl of sweet rice balls, and one fish ball soup...
*She's easily bribed. That's her strength. Her weakness? She has zero interest in politics, and the Directorate doesn't interfere with governance—so her knowledge is limited.*
*Not ideal. Miss Chu, you clearly need a copy of "The Essential Guide to Being a Supportive Wife, Xu Qian Edition." I'll write one for you later.*
Xu Qian clapped his hands, pulling his cousin from his contemplative trance. "Looks like we don't have enough intel to formulate a detailed plan yet. But that's fine—we can't eat a whole pig in one sitting. So what's our next move?"
Xu Xinnian considered. "I suggest visiting the Bureau of Music and extracting information from the courtesan queen, Lady Fuxiang. That said, I definitely can't go. I've never set foot in a pleasure house."
In Great Feng, officials frequenting the Bureau of Music was practically a cultural tradition. But for scholars without official rank, the standards were different. You haven't even finished your exams and you're already chasing women? Clearly unreliable. Kiss your future career goodbye.
It's like back in my previous life—parents forbidding students from internet cafes. If anyone got caught gaming all day, they were basically marked for life as a delinquent...
Xu Qian leaned back in his chair, glanced sideways, and said casually: "I can't go either. Haven't reached the Qi Refining realm yet."
So the question remained: who would visit the Bureau of Music?
The two brothers wordlessly turned to look at Second Uncle.
"Why are you looking at me? Do I look like the type who visits the Bureau of Music? I can't even read—I'd just embarrass myself!" Second Uncle insisted he wasn't the sort to frequent such establishments.
When his father refused, Xu Xinnian deflected again. "Big Brother's poetry is quite popular at the Bureau of Music."
Second Uncle immediately vetoed the idea, brow furrowing. "Your big brother is an honest man who doesn't even visit pleasure houses. Sending him to the Bureau of Music to spy? What if he gets trapped in there and loses his virginity before reaching Qi Refining?"
For a martial artist at the peak of Essence Refining, breaking one's virginity before advancing to Qi Refining was indeed a significant loss.
Xu Qian—the man who never visited pleasure houses—nodded in agreement.
Second Uncle pressed, "Why don't you go, Cijiu?" He still believed the Bureau of Music was a place meant for scholars.
Old-fashioned thinking.
Xu Cijiu let out a dry laugh.
Second Uncle refused the Bureau of Music partly because it was a scholars' domain and he'd feel out of place. Partly for another reason.
Xu Cijiu refused because maintaining his reputation as a student mattered—and partly for another reason.
Xu Qian refused because he never visited pleasure houses—and partly for another reason.
Social death.
All three men looked at each other and sank into silence.
PS: I heard recommendation votes can make an author paint walls with excitement. My dear readers, you all have stacks of recommendation votes, right?