Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 145 Wenxianzi is truly a man of noble character!
"You think you can bribe me with this little bit of stuff? Get out!"

Wen He threw the wooden box back, hitting the little wild horse in the face.

Hearing the commotion, the people around stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

Even the people in front were alerted.

On the throne, Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly.

Having been paying attention to Wen He, he naturally saw everything that had just happened.

'That brat Wen He was absolutely right when he said the Japanese were wolves in sheep's clothing; gunpowder had barely appeared when they wanted to learn how to make it.'

'Previously, in order to win over that brat, I deliberately delayed, saying I would send him to Japan to take revenge later. But now it seems that Japan truly shouldn't exist!'

Li Shimin slammed the wine cup down.

Gao Yue, standing to the side, was startled, knowing that His Majesty was angry.

But he couldn't understand why His Majesty was so inexplicably angry.

"What happened?"

Tang Jian walked over with a frown on his face.

Today's affairs are all under the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, especially those concerning these foreign peoples.

When they entered the palace, the Court of State Ceremonial specially sent someone to explain the proper etiquette to them.

But to everyone's surprise, they dared to cause trouble in the main hall.

He even openly gave gifts to his subjects!

"Minister Tang, these Japanese actually tried to bribe me! Don't they know how honest and upright I, Wen He, am? They think they can get away with this piece of junk?!"

Wen He pointed to the golden lambs scattered on the table and shouted loudly.

His voice could be heard almost throughout the entire Taiji Hall.

"No, no, no, it's not a bribe, it's a gift, it's a gesture of goodwill, not a bribe!"

The little wild horse panicked immediately.

He thought Wen He was just a child, perhaps he became a magistrate of Gaoyang County because of his ancestors.

Since they are children, they will definitely like new and interesting things.

That's why he prepared this little lamb.

To everyone's surprise, Wen He disliked it and even made the matter public.

Little Wild Horse suddenly felt countless eyes being cast upon him.

He couldn't help but feel flustered.

"Gifts?" Tang Jian sneered. "Openly giving gifts to court officials is prohibited by the laws of the Great Tang Dynasty. Are you provoking the laws of my Great Tang?"

"Don't dare."

Little Wild Horse quickly shook her head.

He now wishes he could slap himself twice.

I should have given it to him privately.

However, this child named Wen He is simply an idiot.

Why didn't he just accept it secretly? Why did he have to shout it out so loudly?

"Considering this is your first offense, and today is a day of celebration for our Great Tang Dynasty, we will not punish you. But you must remember that this is mercy, not leniency!"

Tang Jian issued a stern warning.

The little wild horse nodded in agreement. They didn't dare linger there, so they quickly bowed to Tang Jian and Wen He and hurriedly walked away.

After they left, Tang Jian put away his cold expression, turned to look at Wen He, and smiled helplessly.

He knew this was definitely a trick played by Wen He.

"Do not cause trouble today."

"They're the ones causing trouble; it has nothing to do with me."

Wen Hewan'er.

Tang Jian shook his head helplessly, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

However, Gao Yue soon came to find him and asked him to go see Li Shimin.

When he reached the foot of the imperial steps, he heard Li Shimin asking him about the Japanese people he had just met.

He recounted what had just happened, and as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Li Shimin above him chuckle and say, "That brat, well, let him be. But your Ministry of Rites must be vigilant. No matter which foreign country asks about gunpowder, you must not reveal a single word."

Upon hearing this, Tang Jian's heart tightened immediately.

He didn't know why the gunpowder was something to keep secret.

Seeing how seriously His Majesty the Emperor took it, he quickly bowed and agreed.

"By the way, did that brat return the golden sheep to the Japanese?" Li Shimin suddenly remembered that Tang Jian hadn't mentioned it before, which was why he was curious.

"Huh?" Tang Jian was taken aback. He had left so decisively that he hadn't thought about this question.

"Wen Xianzi just said he's incorruptible, so he probably wouldn't have embezzled anything," Tang Jian said ambiguously, unsure of the situation. Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's gaze immediately turned towards Wen He.

The latter sat there upright, looking around nervously, clearly feeling guilty.

"Clean hands? That brat is greedy for money. Fine, consider it a gift from me."

Li Shimin was too lazy to bother with it.

It's just a golden sheep.

Of all the officials in the court, who dares to claim to be incorruptible?

Li Shimin guessed correctly. Right after the Japanese and Tang Jian left, Wen He secretly hid the little golden statue.

We shouldn't refuse anything from the Japanese.

However, he really didn't intend to embezzle it.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he waved to a eunuch not far away.

"Please go find the senior official and tell him I need to speak with him."

The eunuch hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Gao Yue arrived not long after.

"What business does the magistrate of Wen have with me?"

He was all smiles.

He had heard Li Shimin's indulgent words clearly.

Even bribery is ignored by His Majesty; he truly favors Young Master Wen.

Wen He beckoned him closer and whispered, "I secretly took the gold from that Japanese man. Tell His Majesty that I distributed it to the Hundred Cavalry in his name."

"Ah, this."

Gao Yue was stunned.

He never expected Wen He to do this.

"Young man, you are truly a man of noble character and integrity," he said with heartfelt admiration.

Wen He chuckled smugly: "That's right, all officials have to take me as their role model."

That's a bit of an overstatement.

But Gao Yue felt that what he said made a lot of sense.

After returning to Li Shimin's side, he repeated Wen He's original words.

Upon hearing this, the former was so surprised that he almost dropped his wine glass.

Changsun Wuji, who came to offer a toast, was startled.

"Did he really say that?" Changsun Wuji asked incredulously.

He knew exactly how much Wen He loved money.

Surprisingly, he didn't embezzle the golden sheep, but that's not the point.

Importantly, he used it to bestow favors, and even did so in the name of His Majesty.

'Did I really underestimate him?'

"I was wrong; I judged you with the mind of a petty person," Li Shimin said with shame.

Although he spoke in a low voice, it still startled Changsun Wuji and Gao Yue quite a bit.

Such words are not something an emperor can casually utter.

"Go, allocate another 500,000 coins from my private treasury. The hundred riders have worked hard today, so take the golden sheep as their reward."

Li Shimin couldn't help but smile, and his gaze towards Wen He held a hint of satisfaction.

'Truly a gift from Heaven to me! If everyone in the Tang Dynasty possessed such magnanimity, how could a golden age not arrive?'

Overjoyed, he drank a few more glasses.

He had a smile on his face all the way until the banquet ended.

Everyone assumed it was because he was happy for himself.

No one knew that it was because of Wen He.

The officials respectfully saw him off.

Slightly tipsy, Li Shimin helped Gao Yue away.

Just as they came out of the Taiji Hall, they saw a person rushing towards them from a distance.

The surrounding guards immediately became alert.

However, Gao Yue recognized the man as the eunuch who had just come from Da'an Palace.

"Your Majesty, the eunuch who served the Emperor Emeritus has returned."

(End of this chapter)