Chapter 50: Promotion and Wealth, Unruly People (1/3)

The golden light in the courtyard faded completely as moonlight once again enveloped the entire Drunken Moon Pavilion.

Lin Mingxi accidentally stepped on and crushed a half-burned, charred lantern frame, startling himself.

But with the boss around, there was no need to panic!

His boss was just too overpowered this time, the deity she summoned was a bit too effective at suppressing the dungeon.

“Boss, how should we proceed with the investigation?” he asked, feeling somewhat troubled.

If they started from Yuliuli’s connections, they had only checked the guests who interacted with her today.

But what about the previous guests?

As the top courtesan, she entertained visitors daily—her acquaintances were likely numerous, and the people she came into contact with were even more so.

With just the three of them, if they had to interrogate everyone one by one, it would take forever.

“Boss, if we investigate one by one, the workload is way too big. Maybe we should “

“Boss? Boss?”

Lin Mingxi called out several times before Su Fu snapped out of her daze with a soft “Hmm?”

“What are you thinking about? You seemed completely lost in thought.”

“I was thinking about those vengeful spirits earlier…” Su Fu frowned deeply.

“Something feels off.”

Lin Mingxi froze.

“The vengeful spirits are off?”

Su Fu nodded, “Look, the Drunken Moon Pavilion isn’t just the three of us-there are still lingering guests around.”

“But why did those spirits specifically attack us three? Why just us?”

“Maybe…” Lin Mingxi scratched his head.

“Because we were the closest?”

Jiang Qingyu suddenly spoke up.

“Or maybe… someone targeted us deliberately.”

Lin Mingxi immediately turned to her, eyes widening in realization.

“That’s very possible! Just like what happened in the last exam!”

“Last time, someone ambushed us, and I got caught by the proctor right at the start. Could it be the same this time? A candidate pulling strings behind the scenes, using curse-based skills to manipulate the spirits or something?”

Su Fu paused, then slowly said, “Honestly… that can’t be ruled out.”

If there really was a candidate scheming in the shadows, who could it be?

The answer was practically obvious to those two from the Zongzheng family.

So, was this an attempt to kill with a borrowed knife?

These people truly were relentless instead of focusing on solving their own cases, they still had time for these underhanded tricks.

She glanced around, but there was no trace of them left.

They had fled pretty quickly.

Answering Lin Mingxi’s earlier question, Su Fu said, “With so many people, it’s indeed hard to investigate thoroughly. But we can start with that mysterious person.”

Her gaze swept over Yuliuli’s chamber.

“Let’s look for anything that the mysterious person might have touched. I have a compass issued by the Imperial Astrology Bureau-it can be used for tracking.”

“As long as we find an object, we can follow the trail to the person.”

The three immediately returned to Yuliuli’s room, but the problem was—

Among all these things, which one could the mysterious person have touched?

As the top courtesan, Yuliuli’s room was extravagantly decorated, filled with dazzling ornaments.

An exquisite vanity, various perfumes and cosmetics, and a wardrobe full of clothes and jewelry…

Lin Mingxi picked up items one by one, guessing, “Rouge? Mirror? Hairpin?”

“Ah! We don’t even know if the mysterious person is male or female-how are we supposed to find anything?”

Su Fu pondered, “Then let’s look for something the mysterious person must have touched something unavoidable upon entering.”

The three of them looked around and fell into silence.

What could that possibly be?

At that moment, Su Fu’s gaze fell upon a bronze incense burner by the window.

The embers within had not yet died out, and wisps of blue smoke still curled upward.

Her eyes suddenly brightened.

“That’s it-the incense burner!”

Anyone who entered would inevitably breathe in the incense from the burner.

Their mingled breaths could very well have left traces of the mysterious intruder’s presence!

She immediately activated the compass near the burner, and sure enough, the needle trembled violently the next second.

However, after spinning a few times, it hesitated, unable to settle on a direction.

It even began to waver erratically, pointing toward the three of them.

Good news-this proved the incense burner indeed retained traces of those who had entered.

Bad news: the traces were too faint and muddled for the compass to pinpoint accurately.

Lin Mingxi’s eyes lit up.

“Boss, can we get a better one from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?”

“Who knows, maybe they have other treasures besides compasses?”

Su Fu turned to glance at him, her expression somewhat resigned.

“What position do you think I hold in the Bureau?”

“Just like your status as a constable, I’m just a low-level worker there. Haven’t you noticed I rushed straight here to solve the case without even resting?”

Lin Mingxi: “……Alright.”

Wishful thinking, indeed.

Just then, Su Fu’s expression suddenly sharpened.

From the distance came the sound of hurried footsteps, as if a large group was approaching rapidly.

“What the hell?!” Before Lin Mingxi could finish, the main door was slammed open with a loud “bang,” shaking the frame.

In an instant, a crowd surged into Drunken Moon Pavilion, their official robes fluttering in the wind.

Lin Mingxi’s pupils were constricted.

“People from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?!”

He instinctively took two steps back, grabbing Su Fu’s sleeve, his voice trembling.

“B-Boss, are they here to arrest us?”

The sheer number of them was clearly unusual, and he was already plotting escape routes.

“Should we… make a run for it?”

But Su Fu raised her hand to stop him.

“Wait.”

She noticed that none of the Bureau officials rushing in wore the stern expressions of pursuers.

Instead, each one looked… flushed with excitement?

Su Fu: “……”

Seriously, what are you all so thrilled about?!

And leading them was none other than the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau himself!

Clad in distinctly superior robes, his silver hair slightly disheveled, the Director was practically jogging in his haste, his attire somewhat askew.

His gaze swept over the three of them before settling on Su Fu.

His tone was exceedingly amiable.

“So it was you, young friend, who cast that massive demon-suppressing talisman over Chang’an City just now?”

His voice even quivered with excitement.

The three of them exchanged bewildered glances.

Wait, what’s going on here?

Meanwhile, the Director studied Su Fu with undisguised admiration.

“Excellent! Truly excellent!”

Stroking his long beard, he nodded repeatedly.

“So young, yet with such composure. Every gesture exudes the bearing of a master.”

Su Fu: “…..”

No need to force the compliments.

Her expression grew increasingly bemused.

Wait, is the Director… impressed by her?

“Especially that demon-suppressing talisman,” the Director continued effusively.

“In all my years, I’ve never seen such an overwhelmingly powerful-“

“Curse it! With just a mere Evil-Warding Talisman, she actually unleashed the might of Heavenly Punishment! Such skill is truly unparalleled between heaven and earth!”

He turned to his subordinates, “Don’t you agree?”

The officials immediately chimed in: “Absolutely!”

“A rare genius indeed!”

“Unprecedented!”

Su Fu’s lips twitched.

Something about this situation felt off, though she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“Such talent brings me great joy!” The Chief Astrologer suddenly grew solemn, his gaze toward Su Fu turning even more fervent.

“Young friend, would you consider studying under me? This old man is willing to personally guide you, imparting all my knowledge without reservation!”

Su Fu finally realized the Chief Astrologer saw her as a prodigy worth grooming?

Wait… seriously?

Sure, her Evil-Warding Talisman was impressive, but she was here to solve a mystery, not actually climb the bureaucratic ladder!

As she studied the Chief Astrologer’s expectant expression, Su Fu fell into deep thought.

This anomaly system… was it really this thorough?

Even career advancement was part of the setup?

Lin Mingxi, standing nearby, glanced between the excited Chief Astrologer and his contemplative leader, suddenly feeling lost.

Huh?

Was this how things were supposed to go?

But then Su Fu had an epiphany.

Actually… this path might just work!

Gaining the Chief Astrologer’s endorsement meant she could rise through the ranks of the Imperial Astrology Bureau.

And the Imperial Astrology Bureau was no ordinary office-it was the highest authority overseeing yin-yang affairs, divination, celestial phenomena, and imperial rituals.

Even the Emperor sought their guidance for annual Heaven Worship ceremonies!

Most importantly, establishing herself here would mean…

The problem Lin Mingxi mentioned earlier too many suspects to investigate?

Simple!

With an official decree from the Astrology Bureau, anyone who’d recently interacted with Jade Glass would have to report voluntarily!

Brilliant.

And more importantly…

She stole a glance at the Chief Astrologer’s storage pouch.

It contained all sorts of treasures-warding talismans, tracking compasses, and more all personally authenticated by the Divine Oracle.

With this realization, Su Fu immediately adopted a look of earnest sincerity.

“You flatter me, Chief Astrologer. I would be honored to learn from you and will strive to meet your expectations!”

The Chief Astrologer beamed.

“Excellent, excellent!”

The two exchanged glances, trading compliments like seasoned diplomats, the atmosphere growing increasingly congenial.

Su Fu regarded the Chief Astrologer with satisfaction-this was her future patron saint for getting things done!

The Chief Astrologer looked at Su Fu with equal contentment-here stood the future pillar of the Imperial Astrology Bureau!

When Su Fu mentioned thoroughly investigating the case, the Chief Astrologer immediately pledged, “Full support!”

He even unfastened his token on the spot.

“Take this Chief Astrologer’s token! With it, you may mobilize all resources of our bureau!”

“Master!” Su Fu accepted the token with feigned emotion.

“Having wandered half my life without proper guidance, meeting you today is the fortune of three lifetimes! I shall not disappoint you!”

Nearby, Lin Mingxi and Jiang Qingyu exchanged bewildered looks, utterly dumbfounded.

Wait… since when did the Imperial Astrology Bureau operate like this?

Were they seriously poaching talent this blatantly?

Lin Mingxi rubbed his eyes, feeling like reality itself had taken a surreal turn.

He turned to Jiang Qingyu in a daze: “So… our current goal is to investigate the case, right?”

His voice was almost floating: “This is… cough… an assessment… right?”

Jiang Qingyu nodded solemnly, though her mind was somewhat adrift.

She glanced at Su Fu, who was chatting and laughing with the Chief Astrologer, hesitating to speak.

“But Su Fu, she…” Jiang Qingyu carefully chose her words, “seems to be taking a different path than us.”

“She appears to be…” She took a deep breath and enunciated each word, “climbing the ladder of success.”

The two of them were utterly stunned.

Wait, is this really how the assessment is supposed to go?

When exactly did the plot start veering off course?

Was it from that earth-shattering evil-suppressing talisman… and then suddenly… gaining the favor of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?

“Speaking of which,” Jiang Qingyu mused, “though the departments are different, the Chief Astrologer and the Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review are both leaders of their respective institutions, right?”

Lin Mingxi paused.

“Now that you mention it… that’s true.”

Then it suddenly dawned on him.

“So, our boss… just skyrocketed to the top?”

They exchanged glances, both sensing a hint of absurdity in the situation.

Were they… being carried straight to victory?

At this very moment, all the other examinees in Chang’an were still toiling away, investigating cases while working odd jobs, playing their assigned roles.

Some were waiters in teahouses, some were constables in yamens, some were clerks in pharmacies…

But what about their boss?

She had… directly ascended to the pinnacle of power, becoming the esteemed “Lady Su” in everyone’s eyes?

The same Lady Su whom they now had to bow to respectfully?

“Tsk…” Lin Mingxi sucked in a sharp breath.

“This move is just… just…”

He struggled for a long time but couldn’t find the right word.

In the end, he settled on utterly shameless brilliance!

Numbly, they watched as Su Fu and the Chief Astrologer chatted merrily, with the latter even growing reluctant to part ways.

“You must be careful!” the Chief Astrologer urged for the third time, his eyes filled with concern.

“Though the case is important, there’s no need to rush…”

“This official will proceed with caution,” Su Fu replied respectfully, making no mention of abandoning the investigation.

“Ah…” The Chief Astrologer sighed repeatedly.

“We at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau are just too dedicated, too concerned for the people…”

His gaze at Su Fu grew even more approving.

“It’s rare to find someone so committed to eradicating evil for the people!”

“Men!” He waved a hand.

“Leave twenty elite guards at Lady Su’s disposal!”

“Don’t hold back on resources,” he continued to instruct.

“Prepare plenty of talismans and magical tools…”

The Chief Astrologer left, turning back every few steps, as if afraid this rare talent he had finally discovered might come to harm.