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

Chapter 171 Absolutely not, this is a capital offense!
A horse-drawn carriage sped along the street.

From afar, Wen He could see Xu Jingzong leaning out of the car window and waving in their direction.

Upon seeing him, Wen He subconsciously glanced at Li Yifu.

Unexpectedly, these two met here so soon.

In the matter of Li Zhi deposing the empress, the two of them cooperated very closely, but as Changsun Wuji fell from power, Li Yifu's power grew even more.

The two then began a fierce battle.

However, in historical records, the opinions of later scholars on them were relatively consistent.

One is a complete villain, and the other is a treacherous and unscrupulous official.

However, Xu Jingzong was older, so he was more capable than Li Yifu, and he also had more experience in officialdom, making him more shrewd or mature than Li Yifu.
As for Li Yifu, historical records say he was very good at flattering and praising people through writing articles, so perhaps for this reason, he was highly appreciated by Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi).

Moreover, he always does one thing to people's faces and another behind their backs.

That's why he was jokingly called "Li the Cat" in official circles.

Wen He had experienced this firsthand during her previous interactions with Li Yifu.

Yesterday, at the tea stall outside the city, wasn't it precisely because he saw Wen He arrive that he deliberately flattered her?

And it was the same when we met just now.

"Wen County Magistrate." Xu Jingzong hurriedly got off the carriage, and before he could even catch his breath, he rushed to Wen He.

"Brother Xu, why are you in such a hurry?"

Yesterday, when those hundred riders returned to their ranks, Xu Jingzong must have learned from them that he was returning to Chang'an.

"It's been over a month since I last saw you, and you've gotten quite a bit stronger."

Even though he had urgent business to attend to, he insisted on chatting about everyday things first.

Wen He wasn't in a hurry. Since he wanted to exchange pleasantries, then so be it.

It's a good opportunity to slack off. If Li Shimin asks why he was late, Xu Jingzong can take the blame.

"I ate too much mutton in the west... Brother Xu, why don't you come in and sit for a while?"

After exchanging pleasantries, Wen He pointed to her own front door.

Chatting on the street is never a proper way to conduct oneself.

Xu Jingzong was taken aback, and his expression immediately turned bitter.

"No, no, I have urgent business to discuss with the county magistrate." Xu Jingzong bowed.

Wen He quickly dodged.

Seeing this, Li Yifu couldn't help but wonder who this person was.
Judging from his robes, he didn't seem to be an ordinary official, but unfortunately it was civilian clothes, so he couldn't tell what rank he was.

"Brother Xu, just say what's on your mind, why go to such lengths?"

Ultimately, Xu Jingzong is still his superior. If word gets out that he bowed to him in the street, it will surely attract the attention of the censors.

"It's all because..."

He was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly realized his current situation and quickly turned to point at his carriage: "Why don't we find a place, or perhaps go to the Hundred Riders?"

"Well, Brother Xu, His Majesty has ordered me to go to the Eastern Palace to instruct the Prince of Zhongshan. How about we talk on the way?"

Wen He was in a dilemma. He was about to be late, and Li Shimin might really send the Thousand Bull Guards to arrest him.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong quickly nodded: "Alright, alright, then we'll talk on the way."

"Yifu, you ride in my carriage and follow along." Wen He turned around and instructed him. Li Yifu immediately agreed.

"Who is this person?" Only then did Xu Jingzong notice Li Yifu.

When did this young man appear beside Wen He? Judging from his brocade robe, he must also be from an official family.

Seeing that Xu Jingzong had noticed Li Yifu, Wen He couldn't help but laugh: "His name is Li Yifu. He is the son of the governor of Weizhou. He said he is coming to Chang'an to study at the Imperial Academy, but unfortunately he is a year too young."

"Oh, I see." Xu Jingzong nodded silently.

In terms of rank, the Prefect of Weizhou was half a rank higher than Xu Jingzong.

However, in terms of status, he was naturally slightly superior to the other cavalry officer.

He was a true official in the capital, and the kind who served the emperor closely.

Therefore, Xu Jingzong did not take it seriously. Instead, he nodded to Li Yifu in the manner of an elder and said, "Since you are by Wenxianzi's side, you must learn well. Don't think that you can rely on your family's power to become a spoiled brat. Otherwise, even without Wenxianzi's intervention, I can teach you a lesson."

"Yes, I've noted it down."

Although Li Yifu did not know Xu Jingzong's true identity.

But upon hearing about his father's official rank, he realized that the man who could be so indifferent must be a high-ranking official.

That's why he's so humble.

"Hmm, she's quite clever."

amount……

Wen He was somewhat taken aback.

Despite having no prior interaction, Xu Jingzong suddenly gave Li Yifu a hard time.

Could it be that there really are natural enemies in this world?

It wasn't until she boarded the carriage that Wen He learned the reason from Xu Jingzong.

"Does Magistrate Wen think that I was unkind to Li Yifu just now?"

"Uh, no." Wen He chuckled dryly.

Xu Jingzong laughed: "It doesn't matter if it does. The reason I did that just now was because I heard that the governor from Weizhou was going around visiting people's homes, trying to find connections to get into the Imperial Academy."

"Now that you've suddenly come to the county, I'm worried that you might be deceived by someone with ulterior motives. I don't know what kind of person that kid is, but if you recommend him, then whether you admit it or not, he will be your student."

This seasoned official had naturally seen far more than Wen He.

He was worried that Wen He had just returned to Chang'an and was unaware of these circumstances. If she had been misled, there was still room to salvage the situation.

Upon hearing this, the latter finally understood.

He couldn't help but feel ashamed; he had just thought that Xu Jingzong was deliberately stirring up trouble.

I never imagined that I was judging a gentleman by my own petty standards.

"Brother Xu, you have put a lot of thought into this. I was biased."

Old Xu is a decent person sometimes. Although he's a bit greedy and timid, he's still someone you can trust.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong laughed dismissively and said, "It's nothing, nothing. I have a very important matter that I need your help with, my virtuous brother."

This is the art of conversation. First, explain what happened beforehand to build rapport with Wen He, and then state that you have a request.

Even if Wen He was unwilling, she would feel embarrassed to refuse at this moment.

However, his actions were completely unnecessary.

Wen He didn't mind and asked, "Brother Xu, please speak."

"Ugh."

Xu Jingzong sighed and said with a bitter expression, "His Majesty previously ordered the Hundred Cavalry to find a way to infiltrate the Turks and gather intelligence, but I arranged for a few people to infiltrate the Turkic caravans."

"Unexpectedly, we won a great victory at Huizhou. The Turkic merchants immediately became wary, and our people were even driven out. It looks like they're about to return to the Turkic territory. If we can't infiltrate..."

He didn't say anything more.

Wen He had already guessed it.

If I fail to sneak in, I will surely be punished by His Majesty.

"Let me think about it."

Wen He had a hundred ideas on how to train undercover agents.

All those TV dramas and novels I watched in my past life weren't for nothing.

However, if an undercover agent is to successfully infiltrate the area, they must also gain the trust of the Turks.

This is no easy task.

"Okay, okay, no rush, think about it."

Xu Jingzong was delighted upon hearing this and quickly poured him a bowl of honey water.

"This is the finest honey, which I, your foolish brother, specially sought out for you."

Alas, the corrupt ways of human relationships.

"Ahem, thank you very much, Brother Xu."

Wen He couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept it.

He reached out and took it, looking at the honey water on it. Wen He's eyes lit up suddenly.

"Have it!"

"Yes?"

Xu Jingzong was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Is there any way?"

"peddler."

Wen He smiled.

"Uh, this."

Xu Jingzong, who had just been full of excitement, suddenly looked dejected.

“My dear brother, you may not know this, but the Turks are extremely wary of the Han people. They are almost unwilling to trade directly with Han merchant caravans, so it is always the Turks who bring the goods back from Chang'an.”

He didn't tell Wen He that someone had done this a long time ago.

However, those people returned empty-handed when they arrived in the Turkic Khaganate.

So many people couldn't find a guide to lead them to the Turkic camp.

"Ugh."

Xu Jingzong sighed again. In his opinion, Wen He certainly couldn't come up with any good ideas either.

But to his surprise, he heard the latter laughing.

"Brother Xu, you misunderstand. I'm not talking about ordinary trade."

"Uh, you mean you're smuggling? That's absolutely unacceptable, that's a capital offense!" Xu Jingzong's eyes widened immediately.

He knew Wen He was always bold, but he never expected that his audacity would be so extreme.

Wen He didn't expect that as soon as he opened his mouth, Old Xu had already guessed half of his thoughts.

He was indeed going to smuggle goods.

However, it wasn't him and Xu Jingzong.

"Who said we were smuggling? Brother Xu, the emperor's life isn't easy, so you could think of a way to make him rich."

"Um...you mean to let the sage...this...this isn't quite right."

"What's wrong with something that benefits the country and its people?"

Wen He disagreed.

Although smuggling could not replenish the national treasury, it could enrich Li Shimin's private treasury.

That way, if he wants to build a palace or something in the future, it will be convenient, and people will definitely be more inclined to support him then.

There is another point.

The expansion of trade signifies the emergence of capital.

Capital will boost the productivity of the times.

Xu Jingzong did not reply immediately, but pondered for a long time.

After a long while, he suddenly shouted to the coachman outside, "Go to Xuanwu Gate!"

"Hey, Brother Xu, I still have to go to the East Palace for class."

This treacherous minister is going to see Li Shimin, why did he bring me along too?

Xu Jingzong chuckled awkwardly and said, "I can't say for sure about this matter. Just now, when my brother saw the honey water, he suddenly came up with this idea. I'm sure there must be something good that the Turks would be eager to get their hands on."

Xu Jingzong had been in contact with Wen He for quite some time, and he always managed to bring surprises to Xu Jingzong.

That's why the latter would have such an idea.

Upon hearing this, Wen He smiled helplessly.

He's really shot himself in the foot.

However, Xu Jingzong was right about one thing: he had actually come up with an idea just now.

"This honey water is so sweet it's cloying."

Wen He sighed deeply.

It's time to change the tea-drinking habits of the Tang Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)