"The Heart-Questioning Gate is upstairs. Go up from here and walk all the way to the top." Song Tingfeng led him to the staircase entrance and pointed upward: "There's no requirement for this stage, but remember — follow your heart. If you're too deliberate, your score will drop."
"What's the score for?" Xu Qian asked.
"What do you think the aptitude test is for? Scores are ranked in four tiers: A, B, C, D. Better aptitude naturally means easier cultivation." Song Tingfeng tilted his chin: "I'm a B."
Zhu Guangxiao said in a low voice: "I'm a C."
*And I'm a big D...* Xu Qian quietly made a joke to himself, then climbed the stairs alone. When he reached the second floor, he saw an ancient bronze mirror hanging on the red-lacquered pillar directly facing the staircase.
His reflection appeared in the mirror.
Xu Qian felt an inexplicable flutter of anxiety. Every muscle in his body tensed involuntarily, then slowly relaxed.
*Clear the mind of distracting thoughts, achieve inner peace, let go of all fame, fortune, and personal desires.*
*There's something wrong with this mirror...* This thought flashed past, then settled to the bottom of his consciousness, ignored.
*Forcibly entering sage mode...* This thought also settled.
He walked lightly around the corner to the second-floor hall, where a Buddha statue was enshrined — plump in form, with a solemn and dignified expression.
Incense and offerings sat on the altar, with smoke curling upward.
A clerk stood before the Buddha, watching him.
Xu Qian calmly studied the statue for a few moments, then turned away and headed for the stairs to the third floor.
The clerk watched his retreating figure, then lowered his head and began writing on a piece of paper, seemingly making notes.
...
On the third floor, the Dao Ancestor was enshrined — wearing Daoist robes, holding a wooden sword, standing on auspicious clouds.
Before the statue, another clerk stood quietly, watching Xu Qian's arrival.
After Xu Qian casually glanced at the statue and turned to leave, this clerk also picked up his brush and wrote his evaluation on the paper spread across the desk.
...
On the fourth floor, the Confucian Sage was enshrined — wearing Confucian robes and cap, gazing into the distance.
Before the Sage's statue stood yet another clerk, quietly watching Xu Qian.
*This Sage statue is identical to the one at White Deer Academy...* Xu Qian made this observation and left without lingering.
He arrived at the highest level — the fifth floor.
The fifth floor enshrined a man in yellow robes, standing tall with both hands gripping a sword. He had sharp brows and starlike eyes, with an imposing bearing.
Xu Qian didn't recognize this figure, but the bright yellow dragon robe spoke for itself.
A past emperor of the Great Feng Dynasty, or perhaps the founding emperor.
Reaching here, he suddenly understood the true meaning of the "Heart-Questioning Gate." Testing aptitude was only part of it; the real purpose was to test a person's moral character.
The mirror's function was to prevent anyone from performing actions that went against their true nature — like deliberately burning incense and bowing.
*...Oh no, I didn't bow to the Buddha, didn't bow to the Dao Ancestor, didn't bow to the Sage. That means I'm someone who doesn't respect gods, doesn't honor Buddhism, and looks down on the Four Books and Five Classics...*
*...None of that matters, but I absolutely must bow to the one on the fifth floor. If I don't, I'm finished. A person without loyalty to ruler or father, without respect for gods or Buddhas, has no place in this era...*
What kind of organization were the Night Watchmen?
An intelligence and bodyguard agency under the Emperor.
It could be irreverent toward the three teachings, but it could never be disloyal to the Emperor.
So the "Heart-Questioning Gate" was a screening of moral character.
Xu Qian was undoubtedly unqualified — he'd gone through all five floors without bowing once.
*Someone like me, the scum of society, will be kicked out of the Night Watchman headquarters. That's fine, but the real problem is that the Night Watchmen know I framed Zhou Li. Who knows if they'll dig up old scores...*
These thoughts flashed past, one after another, then settled into the depths of his consciousness, automatically ignored.
Xu Qian anxiously fought against the "sage mode," forcing himself to bow to the emperor statue. The two wills battled frantically, his body stiff, muscles spasming.
The clerk standing before the emperor statue observed Xu Qian for a moment, then slipped past him and went downstairs.
Several minutes later, the clerk returned. Xu Qian was still standing in the same spot, his entire body stiff and trembling, as if his limbs were cramping.
The clerk examined him like a rare animal and said in a low voice: "I've already exchanged evaluations with my colleague downstairs."
The clerk continued: "When the Lord Wei established the Heart-Questioning Gate, he gave an instruction. If someone fails to bow on all five floors, they must be an irredeemable sinner."
*...Brother, give me one more chance!*
Xu Qian's heart was racing with anxiety.
"Therefore, the Lord Wei created a sixth stage — one that has never been reached before." The clerk looked at Xu Qian with wonder: "You're the scorpion's dung — unique."
"Relax your body. Stop cramping," he said.
Xu Qian stopped fighting against the sage mode within, adjusted his breathing, and successfully stopped his muscles from twitching.
Only then did he notice his back was already soaked through.
He followed the clerk past the emperor statue into a deeper area.
Dappled sunlight fell through the latticed windows, casting scattered light on the wooden platform in the room.
A line of poetry was carved into the platform:
*Slay a million enemy leaders,* *My sword still smells of blood at my waist.* *Returning with golden mace in hand,* *All the officials of the court dare not speak.*
*This little poem is quite imposing... What does showing it to me mean?*
Xu Qian glanced at the silent clerk. He'd originally thought about slipping some silver notes to get information.
On second thought, what could a mere clerk understand about the intentions of that powerful eunuch? Impossible.
*Don't lead yourself astray — that would only lead to death.*
A poetry contest? Impossible. The theme clearly wasn't about poetic talent. The Heart-Questioning Gate was about moral character — he needed to approach it from that angle.
Since it was a test of moral character, why had Wei Yuan placed this poem here?
Xu Qian cleared his mind and actively engaged his brain.
*The sixth stage is for people like me — materialists with no loyalty to ruler or teacher, who don't respect gods or honor Buddha. It's essentially my last chance.*
*So naturally, they want to extract some precious moral qualities from me. If I don't have any, I'm dead.*
*Precious moral qualities...* Suddenly, Xu Qian thought of the couplet on the first-floor hall:
*I vow to offer my heart to dust and ash,* *Seeking no benefit for myself.*
And the Night Watchmen's duty was to monitor officials... Wei Yuan's poem similarly carried meanings of loyalty to the country and intimidating officials.
Realizing this, he suddenly understood the great eunuch's intentions.
This poem wasn't placed here for a poetry contest — it was for resonance.
If that irredeemable sinner truly had a wicked nature, in the Heart-Questioning Gate, he would be unable to fight against his true feelings and force out a poem of resonance.
Conversely, if he could, it proved he still possessed precious moral qualities, and Wei Yuan was willing to give him a chance.
Xu Qian exhaled a long breath and extended his hand: "Bring me brush and ink."
The clerk handed him a brush and spread Xuan paper on the wooden platform.
Xu Qian suspended his brush above the paper and closed his eyes.
*Though I have no loyalty to ruler in my heart, nor do I respect gods or honor Buddha, and I'm a thorough materialist—*
*I am no irredeemable sinner. I have justice in my heart and principles under my feet. I have never exploited the common people, never abused my position as a runner for extortion — even though that was the norm of society...*
*Even though I once desperately wanted to make money.*
*You want resonance? Then I'll compose a poem for you, as you wish.*
Xu Qian lowered his brush without any psychological barrier and wrote in his ugly handwriting:
*You eat and drink, the people's fat and marrow* *The common folk are easy to abuse, but Heaven is hard to deceive.*
The clerk stared at the four lines on the paper with a dazed expression.
He took the Xuan paper and studied Xu Qian intently for a moment: "The Heart-Questioning Gate is complete. You may go about your business, sir, but until the results are released, please do not leave the yamen."
"Each Night Watchman's aptitude must be judged personally by the Lord Wei. I'll deliver this to him immediately."
He left the floor almost at a run, and the sound of his footsteps on the stairs faded quickly into the distance.
Xu Qian felt as if he'd been drained of all energy. He leaned on the wooden platform, gasping for breath for a moment, then followed him downstairs.
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were waiting for their new colleague on the first floor. Seeing Xu Qian descend, they waved: "How many times did you kneel?"
His squinty-eyed smile looked like a fox.
The clerk who descended hadn't told them the process or results.
Xu Qian opened his mouth, but ultimately chose silence.
Zhu Guangxiao's perpetually stern face creased slightly: "You don't look so good."
*More than just not good — I feel like I've teetered on the brink of death twice. More thrilling than a roller coaster...* Xu Qian shook his head wearily: "I'd like to find a place to sit down and have some tea. Rest a bit."
Song Tingfeng raised an eyebrow with a smile: "Want me to get you a pleasure house girl to massage your shoulders and legs?"
*You're like a street performer doing crosstalk under a bridge...* Xu Qian smiled and nodded: "Let's go to the Bureau of Music and invite the courtesan queen Fuxiang."
Song Tingfeng paused, then burst into laughter: "That dream — I used to have it when I was young too."