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

Chapter 173 Wen He, you country bumpkin!

He forgot about Li Yifu.

The original intention was to have him meet Li Chengqian, but he got so engrossed in his class that he forgot he had come along.

I don’t know where he is now?
Wen He wondered if she should take a detour to Xuanwu Gate, but she hadn't gone far when she saw a familiar carriage.

Wen Zhong was sleeping against the carriage frame, several Xuanjia Guards were squatting and eating dry rations, and Li Yifu was standing to the side.

"Steward Wen, the county magistrate has arrived."

Li Yifu, whose legs were getting numb from standing, gently nudged Wen Zhong.

The latter snapped out of his daze, suddenly perked up, and got off the carriage.

"Xiao Langjun."

Wen Zhong stepped forward to greet them, followed closely by Li Yifu.

"Ahem, His Majesty just spoke to me about some things, which is why I didn't let you in."

Wen He felt a little embarrassed; he had been inside for more than three hours.

It's kind of Li Yifu to have waited here for so long.

“Since the Emperor has summoned me, I should be handling official business. It’s alright for me to wait a while.”

Li Yifu had no complaints; he felt more envy than resentment.

Wenxianzi was only ten years old, yet he was able to meet the emperor, while he, being several years older, couldn't even get through the palace gates.

"This was my fault, and I apologize to you."

Wen He patted him on the shoulder with a smile, leaving Li Yifu completely taken aback.

He never expected that Wen He would apologize to him.

This is clearly just a trivial matter.

He could tell that this wasn't an act.

He was merely the son of a prefect, insignificant in Chang'an. Wen He had no need to put on an act for him over this matter.

"Okay, let's go back."

Ignoring his surprise, Wen He stretched and got into the carriage.

Li Yifu was still standing there in a daze when Wen Zhong urged him to get up and get into the carriage.

When he entered the carriage, Wen He was resting with her eyes closed. He subconsciously slowed down his movements, not daring to disturb her.

The carriage had been traveling for a short while when it suddenly shook violently and then came to a sudden stop.

Noticing something was wrong, Wen He opened her eyes.

Before he could ask, a furious shout came from outside: "Where did this blind fool come from, daring to block your master's way!"

The voices of the people outside sounded very young, not like adults.

His use of the word "Ah Lang" was an insult.

"This is the carriage of the magistrate of Gaoyang County. Who are you people, daring to act maliciously..."

Wen Zhong opened his mouth to reprimand, but before he could finish speaking, a "whip" was heard.

Wen He's eyes widened suddenly, and she walked out.

Before him stood three elegantly dressed young men on horseback. The one in the lead, wearing a silk turban, held a whip in his hand, while Wen Zhong held his other end tightly.

"Let go!"

The young man roared angrily, glaring at Wenzhong.

Upon seeing Wen He emerge, he shifted his target and shouted at Wen He, "You country bumpkin, make this old dog let go, or I'll make you wish you were dead!"

"You recognize me?"

Wen He stared at him and asked.

If the person doesn't know him, he won't call him a country bumpkin.

In Chang'an, those who could afford to ride in a carriage were either rich or noble, so this young man must know who he was.

"You're just a nobody who's climbed the social ladder. Do you even know who I am?" the young man sneered, then flicked his riding whip and threw it away.

"Your carriage is blocking my way, get out of the way right now!"

These three boys were riding horses in the city when they encountered his carriage.

Anyone who dares to act so recklessly in Chang'an, disregarding even the Imperial Guards, must come from a powerful family.

Wen He smiled dismissively and shouted, "Black Armor Guards!"

"exist!"

The six Xuanjia guards who had been standing around the carriage immediately rode forward.

"Wen He, how dare you lay a hand on us! Do you know who we are?!" The boy to Wen He's left pointed at them, holding a riding whip.

Wen He merely glanced at him indifferently and said, "No interest, let's fight first!"

"I am Wu Yuanqing, son of the Duke of Ying, and this is Dugu Chen, disciple of the Duke of Dugu!"

Samurai Go's son?

Wen He paused, turned around curiously to look him over, and then looked at the person who hadn't introduced himself, asking, "So you're Wu Yuanshuang?"

“It is indeed Ah Lang.”

Wu Yuanshuang thought Wen He was scared, and said smugly with his head held high.

He's just a county magistrate; how could he not be afraid upon hearing the name of the Duke?

Not to mention that one of them was a young man from the Dugu family.

"So you two are complete idiots."

Wen He scoffed.

I don't know what sins Samurai Goku committed to have given birth to these two idiots.

After Wu Shiyue's death, the two of them actually joined forces to drive Yang out of the house, thus earning them a reputation for being unfilial.

He also offended the future empress.

However, although these two are famous, they are not as famous as the one in the middle.

The Dugu family originated from the Northern Xianbei tribe during the Northern Wei Dynasty and was one of the eight most prominent Xianbei noble families.

Today, it is one of the most prestigious families in Guanzhong.

The most famous of them all was Empress Dugu, wife of Yang Jian, who is one of the few empresses whose name has been recorded in history.

Dugu Jialuo.

Her elder sister was the Empress of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, her daughter was the Empress of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and her younger sister had an even deeper influence on the Li Tang Dynasty.

He gave birth to Li Yuan.

Therefore, even though the Dugu family is currently in the court without any important officials, they are still feared by many.

"What did you say!"

Wu Yuanqing was furious and pulled on the reins, ready to charge.

A black-armored guard suddenly stepped forward and drew his sword.

"presumptuous!"

Dugu Chen pointed at the Xuanjia Guard and reprimanded him.

"You dare stop me!"

The Xuanjia Guard paused for a moment, then turned to look at Wen He.

It wasn't that he was afraid of the Dugu family, but rather that he was worried that this matter would affect Wen He.

After all, the people in front were from Guanzhong.

"Just hit him, don't kill him."

Wen He was too lazy to waste time. It was really unlucky that this group of spoiled brats had come to cause trouble for no reason.

After saying that, he turned and went into the carriage.

Not long after, screams of agony could be heard coming from outside.

"Wen He, you country bumpkin, come out and fight me if you dare!" Wen He chuckled and told Wen Zhong to keep walking.

"The county magistrate is the eldest son of the Dugu family. Wouldn't this..."

Li Yifu was somewhat worried.

Wen He kept her eyes closed and didn't speak.

He didn't provoke the people of Guanlong, and hoped they wouldn't cause trouble either.

Otherwise, he would have really given Li Shimin a trump card, turning the people of Guanzhong into fat pigs waiting to be slaughtered.

Shortly after.

Inside the Liangyi Hall.

"Did Dugu Chen and Wen He have a conflict?"

Upon receiving the news, Li Shimin was greatly surprised.

He then thought of using Wen He's things to deal with Guanlong, so Dugu Chen came out to provoke Wen He.

This is too much of a coincidence.

He squinted, scanning the eunuchs and palace maids in the main hall.

Upon seeing this, Gao Yue felt a chill run down her spine.

He knew that this must be because His Majesty the Emperor suspected someone of leaking information.

"check!"

At his command, Gao Yue bowed respectfully.

Soon after, Huang Chun arrived with a hundred riders and took away all the palace maids and eunuchs present.

"How is Dugu Chen?"

Li Shimin lost interest in reading the memorial and asked a question while rubbing his forehead.

Gao Yue bowed and said, "Young Master Dugu and the two young masters of the Duke of Ying were only beaten black and blue. The Xuanjia Guards did not dare to use their full strength, so it only looks a little serious."

"It's only because that brat knows the bigger picture that I'm left out!"

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, his eyes flashing with malice.

He dared to ride a horse recklessly in Chang'an and even acted arrogantly towards officials in the court.

These spoiled brats from Guanzhong are becoming increasingly audacious!

"Send people to each household in Chang'an and tell them that I will meet with them at the Liangyi Hall tomorrow. Also, tell Dugu Zun that I have granted him permission not to serve in the government, but this does not mean I am indulging him!"

Chang'an City.

Inside the Dugu family mansion.

A mournful wail echoed through the front hall.

Dugu Chen was carried back; his once handsome face was now swollen like a pig's head.

"Father, that Wen He, that country bumpkin, he, he actually dared to lay a hand on me, Father..."

Dugu Chen cried out and complained, but before he could finish speaking, a "slap" sounded and a hand landed on his face.

"Isn't it all because of you, you unfilial son, who deliberately provoked me? I only praised Wen He a couple of times, and you deliberately blocked the street. Do you think I didn't know?"

Dugu Zun was furious and raised his hand to strike again, but a beautiful woman beside him stopped him with concern: "My lord, Chen'er is young and doesn't know any better. He is already injured, so you mustn't hit him again."

“Father, what is Wen He? He’s just a country bumpkin. If you hadn’t prevented me from taking up an official post, how could I be any worse than him!”

Dugu Chen retorted, unconvinced.

"He only wrote a lousy poem. Every one of the scholars living in our household is better than him. Otherwise, with his connections to the emperor, how could he be so arrogant and domineering here!"

What happened today was indeed intentional on Dugu Chen's part.

He already knew when Wen He entered the palace, which is why he deliberately waited for him there.

As for his hatred for Wen He, it was because a few days ago, his father, Dugu Zun, scolded him for only messing around every day, holding a piece of calligraphy by Wen He called "Hu Wuren".

That's why he was dissatisfied and had someone investigate Wen He's background.

Upon learning that he was just a farmer, Dugu Chen became even more furious.

At this time, the two members of the Wu family were egging him on, which led to what happened today.

"How dare you! You think you can become an official? Wen He became the teacher of the King of Zhongshan at such a young age. What are you!"

When Dugu Zun heard him talk back, he became furious and pushed his wife away.

Dugu Chen roared in frustration.

He was clearly beaten, and when he came back home, his father not only didn't stand up for him, but he even beat him again.

"I just won't accept this! It's clearly you who don't want to be an official and won't let me take up a post. If I don't go out and mess around, what else can I do? A Wen He is not even as good as one of our servants. Even if I kill him, what can the emperor do to me!"

"You traitor!"

Dugu Zun pointed at him, trembling with anger.

But he had no response to Dugu Chen's words.

When he first raised an army in Jinyang, he was under the command of Li Shimin.

However, after settling in Chang'an, he suddenly sensed that there must be a struggle between the Crown Prince and the King of Qin at that time.

In terms of their relationship, he was Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng's cousin.

Therefore, he was unwilling to get involved and thus refused to take up an official post.

As the eldest son of the Dugu family, even if he did not hold an official position, he was still respected by people like Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling in Chang'an.

How is this any different from being an official?

I never expected that this unfilial son would use this as an excuse to wallow in depravity.

He wasn't angry that Dugu Chen had provoked Wen He; a mere county magistrate from a founding county wasn't enough to make him wary.

What he was worried about was Li Shimin's attitude.

And earlier, Li Shimin had specifically sent messages to various households.

at this time!

Dugu Zun suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside.

A servant rushed in.

"My lord, someone from the palace has arrived."

Dugu Zun was taken aback; he hadn't expected the emperor to be in such a hurry.

at the same time.

Outside the Wenhe Mansion.

The Wu brothers, both with bruises and swelling, knelt before the gate.

In the main hall.

Wu Shiyue was apologizing to Wen He with a big smile on his face.

"These two unfilial sons are here in Chang'an for the first time. They really don't know the rules. They actually messed around with the Dugu family and angered you, magistrate. They are really hateful."

After the Wu brothers were beaten, they immediately went home to complain.

They thought Wu Shiyue would be furious and come to the opposite door to settle accounts with Wen He.

Unexpectedly, although he was furious, he ended up taking the two of them to the gate of Gaoyangzi's residence.

Wen He smiled faintly, nodded, and said nothing.

Seeing that he remained silent, Wu Shiyue felt somewhat embarrassed.

For a dignified Duke to come and apologize to a county magistrate like this would surely make him a laughingstock.

Even if you, Wen He, are His Majesty's favorite, you have still treated this old man far too poorly!
Samurai was furious and was thinking of getting up and leaving.

Suddenly, a little girl ran in from outside the door.

It was his daughter, Wu Erniang.

Wu Shiyue thought she was coming to see him, but she bypassed him and came to Wen He. She gently tugged at his sleeve and said softly, "Um, Wen County Magistrate, someone from the palace has come with an imperial decree. Could you please not complain about Father?"

(End of this chapter)