The Dumbfounded Uncle

"Hey! How did the salt turn to silver?" the young woman in yellow robes named Caiwei asked.

There was a moment's hesitation before she offered a sugarcane to Xu Qian. "Here, have some."

'Is she bribing me?'

The two men were long gone when Xu Qian looked up. After some thought, he replied, "I came across some old text that mentions the secret transformation of salt into silver."

The young woman's eyes widened. "Which text? Where did you find it? Who is the author?"

It was a high school textbook and the author was the Education Ministry? Xu Qian said, "The text was damaged and lost but I remember the contents."

A sharp intake of breath was heard. "Quick, tell me what you know."

Xu Qian let out a sigh. "I'm not in the mood to be someone's teacher. My life is still in peril."

The young woman rolled her eyes at him and said, "You're a crafty person. The Imperial Astronomers have no sway in the courts. You will have to wait for the Emperor's orders with regards to your punishment. There is no point bargaining with me."

"You guys could take me in. The Principal Imperial Astronomer has some clout in the courts and asking for a prisoner shouldn't be a problem," Xu Qian said.

He had to secure an escape route for himself in the event the silver taels could not be recovered.

The young woman in yellow robes gave Xu Qian a onceover. "You're clearly born a martial artist. Why do you want to be a cultivator?"

Cultivation required an early start to build a strong foundation. Xu Qian was a tad too old to be transitioning from a martial artist to a sorcerer.

"I don't need to have a significant role. I truly do admire the Principal Imperial Astronomer and wish to serve him," Xu Qian said earnestly.

"Then, tell me about the contents of that damaged text." A flicker of light danced in the young woman's black, almond-shaped eyes.

In his past life, Xu Qian had only seen eyes this unblemished on children.

"The contents are a tad complicated. Verbal teachings will be difficult as I will have to go into details for you to get the whole picture." Xu Qian put out the bait.

Chu Caiwei rolled her eyes and said indignantly, "I am the brightest in alchemy in the realm."

Xu Qian chanted from memory, "Hydrogen, helium, lithium, beryllium, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, neon, sodium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon, phosphorus…"

What was the man saying? The young woman frowned and said, "You're trying to trick me. Anyway, the Imperial Astronomers only accepts young disciples."

She snatched the sugarcane from Xu Qian's hand and left in a flurry.

'I am young…' Xu Qian had wanted to argue, but then he understood. The disciples of the Imperial Astronomers were selected at birth.

Damn, the path of his choice was blocked.

…

Xu Qian spent the next two days fearing for his fate in the jail cell.

He was worried the silver taels would not be found in time. Once he was banished from civilization, the return of the tax money would have changed nothing.

He was also worried about Governor Chen's character. What if the man went back on his word and claimed full credit for the breakthrough?

Xu Qian had done all he could as a lowly prisoner—the rest was up to fate.

He knew the horrors of a feudal society.

"Let the fates be the judge…" he moaned to no one in particular.

Clang!

The metal door at the end of the corridor swung open. A jailer appeared before Xu Qian's cell with a torch in hand, the other hand was pulling out a key. "Xu Qian, you have been set free."

The news was melodious to Xu Qian's ears. He clenched his fists to contain the happiness he was feeling. "They found the silver taels?"

"Come with me to sign the papers, then you're free to go." The jailer eyed him suspiciously before saying, "You're one lucky man."

"How about my uncle?" Xu Qian asked.

"Pipe down! Don't ask so many questions." The jailer was in a foul mood and he chased Xu Qian out of the cell with the torch.

An official from the courts arranged for his release papers. After putting down his signature, the jailer handed him the clothes he was wearing when he was arrested.

A bailiff escorted him out through the back of the Jingzhao City courts.

As Xu Qian stepped out onto the quiet street, the sun began to rise from the east.

…

Clang!

Xu Pingzhi was roused by the sound of the metal door. He opened his bloodshot eyes.

The dirty and disheveled man bore a striking resemblance to Xu Qian. On the other hand, Xu Pingzhi's own biological son—Xu Xinnian—was the handsome outlier.

In the opposite cell laid his wife, Li Ru. She was also startled by the sudden noise. Fear was etched into her weary face.

The husband and wife stared at each other—they were separated by metal bars and a corridor. Li Ru spoke first, "I would rather die than enter the entertainment house."

The woman was 35 years old and still a beauty at her age. Even after spending five days in jail, the filth and fear did not mar her countenance.

What was the entertainment house?

It was a woman's hell.

Battered and bruised, Xu Pingzhi opened his mouth but found no words—tears streamed down his face. "My dear, it is all my fault. Let us die together, and I will be your ox or horse in the next life. Our children and my nephew…"

Five days had passed and all that awaited him was the swing of the executioner's blade. The women in his household would be sent to the entertainment house. They had two daughters—a 16-year-old and a five-year-old.

The sound woke the two children who were curled up in the corner of the cell.

The five-year-old rubbed her eyes and called out for her mother. She was oblivious to the fate that awaited her.

The 16-year-old sat up, messy hair framed a pale face. Unlike most girls, she had a prominent nose to go with her thin lips and big eyes. It made her stand out among her peers.

She exuded a sense of calm beauty.

The teenager shuffled toward her mother. Her eyelashes trembled as fear gripped her.

A few jailers stomped over—the weapons at their waist gave a threatening impression.

Despair and resignation shone in Li Ru's eyes.

Xu Pingzhi's knuckles were white as he gripped the metal bars—he clenched his jaw. He admitted the death penalty was appropriate for his failure of duty but he disagreed with the punishment of his wife and daughters.

Especially when his youngest was only five years old. Her future was bleak if she was sent to be raised in the entertainment house.

No parent would want their daughter to endure that fate.

The jailers caught their attention by knocking the metal bars with the hilt of their weapons. They opened their cells but did not bring out the manacles. "Xu Pingzhi, come with me. After signing the papers, you'll be free to leave."

"I, Xu Pingzhi, am a loyal servant of the empire… Wait, what did you say?" Xu Pingzhi wondered if he had misheard.

What was going on?

"I can leave? Did you say I can leave?" Xu Pingzhi could not believe it. "What happened? Am I not being executed?"

"I don't know. Orders from the courts. Ask them yourself," the jailer answered gruffly.

Li Ru's heart raced as she held the hands of her daughters. The family followed the jailers in silence to the end of the corridor.

"They… They aren't tricking us, right?"

Xu Pingzhi dragged his feet as he was badly injured. He was happy to be spared the chopping block but befuddled by the turn of events. "Why would they trick us?"

A thought struck Li Ru. "It must be Xinnian. He must be busy calling in favors these past few days."

It was the most likely explanation. Li Ru said, "I believe Xinnian's master was the assistant minister in the Ministry of Justice back in Yuanjing Year 18.

Yuanjing Year 18 was 20 years ago. Xu Pingzhi was doubtful but he knew no one else who wielded such power in the courts.

"Maybe."

"That's our capable son, Xinnian. You should have let our son study martial arts instead of that bastard, Xu Qian."

The youngest daughter misheard the expletive and said, "Mother, bunny's cute. I want to eat a bun." She suckled on her thumb as she stared hungrily at her mother.

"All you do is eat…" a bad-tempered Li Ru muttered but the sight of her child's dirt-stained face softened her heart. "Be good and you'll get your wish soon."

Xu Pingzhi was too tired to argue with his wife. Xu Xinnian simply had no talent for martial arts—something Li Ru could never understand.

Every son was perfect in the eyes of his mother.

The group arrived at the signing area. Xu Pingzhi's hand trembled as he took the brush from the official. He penned his name and printed his finger—the whole process was sublime.

Like a seedling breaking ground and stretching toward the sun.

Although his financial situation remained unchanged, the world was a brighter place.

His wife and daughters made their prints.

Curious as to how they were rescued, he asked the official, "Excuse me. Do you know the reason behind my release?"

Li Ru turned to look at the official.

"The case was solved and the silver was returned," came the reply.

"The silvers were recovered? Great! Amazing! Those darn monsters, how dare they steal Dafeng's tax money," Xu Pingzhi exclaimed.

His excitement and relief were overwhelming. However, the laws in Dafeng meant the recovery of the tax money did not guarantee a pardon for his failure of duty.

After all, Xu Pingzhi played no part in the retrieval of the silver taels. Why did the courts absolve him?

A lighter sentence would be banishment.

"Master Xu, here are your official robes. Keep them safe," the man handed Xu Pingzhi the green clothing which signified his position as a seventh-ranked military official.

Xu Pingzhi was shocked to learn that his position was restored. He received the garment and asked in a low voice, "Could you explain the situation?"

With his official robes in hand, Xu Pingzhi felt he could stand a bit straighter.

The rescission of the death sentence was understandable but it was unusual for a position to be restored.

"According to the laws of Dafeng, a person's crime can be absolved through the merits of his young," the official said.

"Little Nian… My dear, Little Nian must have helped the courts find the missing silvers," Li Ru said with tears of joy in her eyes.

"Little Nian… My good son." Xu Pingzhi's eyes were misty.

The official stared at the couple's theatrics, then said, "Your nephew, Xu Qian, assisted the governor in solving the case. He just left."