Chapter 30 (1/2)

Chemistry Lesson

Xu Qian’s mind processed the new information. ‘That Zhou boy is a hedonistic son of the rich. Was he acting under another person’s instructions? Well, just because he’s a spoiled child, doesn’t mean he can’t have brains. He utilized his social status to pick a fight with me and pulled strings to try to get rid of me.

‘There were little consequences for the Zhou family. Although inspections are near, the death of a low-level official will not turn heads. A county constable can’t hold a candle to the Assistant Minister of Revenue, a third-ranked official. They did not expect me to have ties with the Imperial Astronomers and the White Deer Academy.’

Xu Qian felt like he was walking on thin ice.

‘I offended the Assistant Minister of Revenue when I solved the case. Now, I’m being dragged into this mess. And to think I wanted to distance myself from the courts and become a wealthy merchant, lead a normal life with a wife and children. If it weren’t for Xu Xinnian’s poetry recital and the chemistry knowledge I wrote down a few days ago, I might have died not knowing the truth… A meaningless death.’

A series of coincidences allowed Xu Qian to escape death. ‘It was luck!’ Xu Qian realized. “Lady Caiwei, may I know if you can read a person’s fate?”

Chu Caiwei swallowed her food and said, “Yes. The eighth rank is Qi mastery. All the more flashy skills build upon it.”

Mentions of her own discipline perked her up and she asked excitedly, “That said, do you know why the ninth rank is medicine and not Qi mastery?”

Xu Qian shook his head and said, “Can’t be because all sorcerers have a heart of gold, right?”

Chu Caiwei sat up straight and put on a serious expression. She was enjoying her chance to educate someone about sorcery. “Every living thing in the world has Qi but humans exhibit it the most. Hardships, emotions, and desires are all reflected in a person’s fate. While practicing medicine, one cannot avoid the old and the sickly, life and death. Long-term exposure to such conditions will cause one to develop the Clear Sight.”

‘I love a woman who can’t shut up.’ Xu Qian said, “Can you look into my fate?”

Chu Caiwei dabbed her lips with a handkerchief. Then, she stared into Xu Qian’s eyes—bright spots appeared in her dark pupils.

Placed under the Clear Sight, Xu Qian felt his soul being touched. There were pins and needles on his spine and the experience was incredibly unsettling.

A moment later, Chu Caiwei’s eyes returned to normal and she said, “I saw faint red with black smoke.”

“What does that mean?”

“Red means you’re involved in the courts. Faint, because you’re a low-level official. The black smokes are a sign of your bad luck. I don’t think you need an explanation for that.”

Xu Qian frowned. “You saw no other colors? Maybe something that signifies I’m the Son of Destiny.”

Chu Caiwei let out a gasp. She could tolerate Xu Qian’s irreverence but to insinuate he was chosen by destiny was going too far. “You should be careful with your words. What you said can be construed as treason by others. No one but the Emperor can be the Son of Destiny.”

‘O’ mighty dragon, perhaps you should rub your eyes and try again. Or maybe she’s too low-ranking. Or my luck has nothing to do with my fate.’ Xu Qian fell into deep thought.

Chu Caiwei slapped away Xu Qian’s sticky fingers and glowered at him. “Can you wait? I’ll let you have the remaining food once I’m done.”

Xu Qian surveyed the table—half of the food was gone. He wondered how far into the pregnancy she was.

“Right, how is the Assistant Minister of Revenue doing?” Xu Qian sat up straight and kept his eyes away from the table.

“The Revenue Advisor filed a complaint of misconduct against Assistant Minister Zhou but the Emperor shot it down.” Chu Caiwei paused for a moment, then continued saying, “The two men killed themselves over the crime.”

‘So there’s no evidence. The Emperor could sentence anyone to death, evidence, and the voice of the people be damned. This case could be the result of political infighting or the Emperor has other plans in motion. I have too little knowledge about the imperial courts. I should get to know some people on the inside…’

Xu Qian tried to pry the details from Chu Caiwei but she had little to contribute. The woman had no interest in politics.

“My goodness, you’re annoying. The Imperial Astronomers do not mind the matters of the courts.” The endless questions irritated her to no end.

Xu Qian knew better than to push. ‘I might have offended her by asking questions that she didn’t have the answers to.’

…

Xu Qian happily stuffed his mouth. “How much did this cost?”

Satiated with food and wine, Chu Caiwei raised her fingers and did some calculations.

No answer came. Xu Qian lifted his head to look at the woman.

“I gave them 4 silver taels and they returned me 1 silver tael, 3 silver maces, and 60 copper coins. How much is that?” Chu Caiwei asked with a frown.

She looked adorable—it reminded Xu Qian of a seven-year-old child learning arithmetic.

Xu Qian muttered, “I don’t know either.”

One silver tael was eight silver maces, one mace was 100 copper coins. The currency conversion did not follow a strict 1:10 ratio which complicated the calculations.

Xu Qian figured mathematics was not a part of Chu Caiwei’s curriculum and decided to play dumb.