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

Chapter 309 It's truly rare to see a young man so self-disciplined.

Good morning, brother.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Wen He yawned and rubbed her sleepy eyes as she strolled into the front yard dining hall.

The holiday's afterglow hadn't faded yet, and my whole body felt languid and unwilling to move.

If it weren't for A-Dong urging and persuading him from outside the door, he probably would have slept until the sun was high in the sky.

The canteen was already quite full.

There aren't usually this many people.

And there are a few I've never seen before.

However, Wen He, who was still half asleep, didn't take it to heart.

Wenrou was wearing a light green padded jacket and was sipping soy milk from a white porcelain bowl.

The three little ones and Li Yifu sat around another table with steaming hot pancakes in front of them, clearly having been eating for a while.

"Meet sir."

When the four saw Wen He enter, they quickly put down the food they were holding, stood up, and bowed.

Wen He waved her hand lazily, her voice still hoarse from just waking up: "Sit down, sit down, no need for formalities."

He walked straight to the head of the table and sat down, his gaze sweeping across the table.

"Isn't today the Bo Tuo competition?"

In the past, Zhou Fu knew that Wenrou had shallow teeth and didn't like to eat hard foods, so he always liked to make soupy dishes.

But what's on the table today are real steamed buns, which look very filling.

"Uncle Zhou said that my brother has to go to work today and needs to eat something to stave off hunger."

She smiled gently, her little face tilted upwards, revealing a set of sharp white teeth, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Oh, it's so tough."

Wen He picked up a piece of steamed bun and sighed weakly.

The most painful thing in life is the first day after a holiday ends.

His head ached even more when he thought about the numerous duties he still had to perform for the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, and the Ministry of Hundred Cavalry.

There's nothing urgent on the Hundred Cavalry side for the time being, and the Ministry of War's military affairs are none of his business. Although Yan Lide from the Ministry of Works is polite, his job is not easy either.

As for the Ministry of Justice... after helping to expose the corrupt official who embezzled military pay last time, he had no desire to get involved in cases there again.

'Li Er, too, has found me so much work.'

Wen He muttered to himself, "Sometimes I really want to just resign from my post and return to my hometown."

Of course, that's just wishful thinking. At his age, he probably doesn't even qualify to "return to his hometown."

"Eat more, brother."

Seeing him sighing, Wenrou smiled and pushed the steamed bun in front of her toward him.

"This is salty, I don't like it, give it to my brother."

She was small and weak, and the table was too wide for her to reach. When she exerted herself, her body leaned forward, and she looked like she was about to fall to the ground.

"careful!"

Wen He's heart tightened, and she quickly stood up to help him.

But he was still a step too slow.

A maid behind Wenrou was even faster than him, quickly reaching out to grab the little girl's waist and steadily helping her back to her seat.

"Thank you very much."

Wen He breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the maid.

If Wenrou had fallen hard just now, she would have definitely been crying.

The maidservant lowered her head and said in a voice barely audible, "Please forgive me, young master."

“Brother isn’t fierce.”

Gently rubbed the hem of her clothes, noticing the maid's fear, and smiled up at her.

"It was my own carelessness just now, he won't blame you."

"Ok?"

Wen He was about to agree when she suddenly frowned, a strange feeling rising in her heart.

He glanced at the canteen subconsciously.

There were indeed more maids than usual today, and their faces were quite unfamiliar.

And the maid's voice from just now...

Wen He felt like she had heard it somewhere before.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and turned his head to look without making a sound.

The morning light shone through the window lattice covered with mica paper, casting dappled shadows on the dining room floor, which fell precisely on the maid's lowered profile.

Her blue cotton skirt was washed until it was almost white, but the collar and cuffs were starched and crisp, and her clean face was free of any makeup.

Her jet-black hair was neatly combed and secured with a simple wooden hairpin, making her look no different from the other maids who swept and cleaned in the mansion.

But when he saw the outline of that face clearly.

The steamed bun in my hand fell back onto the plate with a dull thud.

Isn't this Zheng Wu Niang, who previously helped Zheng Yuanzhu stage a "bitter trick" at his residence?

Why is she here?

She even became a maid in his household?
Wen He's heart sank suddenly.

As he was still in a daze, Zhou Fu walked in from outside carrying a dish of pickled vegetables. Seeing Wen He staring straight at him, he couldn't help but touch his wrinkled face and asked in confusion, "Young master, is there something on this old servant's face?"

Wen He didn't reply, but simply pointed at Zheng Wuniang and then glanced at the other three unfamiliar maids: "What's going on between her and the others?"

"Father sent it here!"

With half a steamed bun still stuffed in his mouth, Li Tai answered Zhou Fu's question in a muffled voice.

"Sent by His Majesty?"

Wen He was stunned, and almost dropped the chopsticks in her hand.

Why would Li Shimin, who was perfectly healthy, send these palace maids to him?
Especially Zheng Wuniang.

She is the daughter of a disgraced official.

"It was delivered this morning."

Zhou Fu nodded in agreement, a hint of confusion on his face.

"The high-ranking official by His Majesty's side said that Zheng Wuniang was someone you had already agreed to, and that this old servant should take good care of her. This old servant thought that it was you, young master, who had given prior notice..."

"What do you mean I agreed? When did I..."

Before Wen He could finish speaking, she turned around and her eyes met Zheng Wu Niang's raised eyes.

The timidity of that day at the Zheng family's house was gone from those eyes; instead, there was a hint of pitiful caution in them, like a frightened fawn.

"Brother!"

Wenrou suddenly jumped down from her seat, her short legs darting over to Wen He's side, grabbing his hand and gently shaking it.

"Just let her stay! I've already named her Xiaomei, Mei as in plum blossom. She's so pretty, just like the plum blossoms we've seen before."

The little girl looked up at him, her eyes sparkling, clearly about to act cute again.

Wen He narrowed her eyes slightly and subtly turned her gaze toward the three little ones.

Wenrou has always been naive; how could she possibly know the intricacies of renaming a maid?

Changing the name is equivalent to acknowledging the master-servant relationship; it's a clear and explicit acceptance.

This is a trick that the little girl definitely couldn't have come up with; it must have been instigated by one of the three little ones.

As if burned, Li Tai and Li You noticed Wen He's gaze and immediately shifted their positions, quietly shrinking to the side and creating half a distance between themselves and Li Ke.

His expression was clearly saying, "This has nothing to do with me."

Li Ke was completely sold out by the two men, so he had no choice but to put down the bowl of soy milk in his hand and whisper, "Sir, Xiao Rou likes her, so that's why I came up with the idea. Besides, it's not easy to disobey Father's decree, is it?"

"Brother, I really like Sister Xiaomei."

Seeing that Wen He hadn't given in, Wenrou tugged at his sleeve and shook it, her voice soft and gentle.

"She's so pitiful. Her whole family was arrested, and she's all alone now..."

Wen He was speechless for a moment. Sister, wasn't it me, her brother, who arrested her family?
He looked at the gentle and innocent face, then at Zheng Wuniang, whose head was bowed and shoulders were trembling slightly, and finally sighed helplessly.

"Don't worry, young master."

Zheng Wuniang, oh no, she should be called Xiaomei now.

Suddenly, he curtsied, his voice soft but his tone unusually earnest.

"This servant will take good care of the young lady and will never have any other thoughts. If anything goes wrong, the young master can decide what to do with her."

Wen He stared at her for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where is your younger brother?"

Since Li Shimin sent her to his residence, he must have made other arrangements for Zheng Yuanzhu's youngest son.

Xiaomei's eyes suddenly reddened, and a layer of moisture instantly gathered on her long eyelashes.

She bit her lower lip hard to hold back her tears, and whispered, "I don't know... but someone from the palace said that my brother is doing well now and is being taken care of. My coming here was also with my father's permission."

Wen He understood.

That means being taken hostage.

The son and daughter were placed separately, which clearly means not putting all your eggs in one basket.

It's just unknown what Li Shimin said to Zheng Yuanzhu that made the former Left Martial General willing to let his daughter serve as a maid in his household.

It must have been nothing more than a promise to save the child's life or a promise of a wealthy future.

However, very few undercover agents manage to escape unscathed.

This wealth will likely end up in the hands of Zheng Yuanzhu's youngest son.

“Brother…” Wenrou saw him hesitate and remained silent, and tugged at his sleeve again, her little face full of expectation.

"Alright, stay."

Wen He sighed helplessly.

"His Majesty has already issued the decree, what else can I say?"

It's better to let her stay.

In the future, I can use her name to write some letters, subtly reminding Zheng Yuanzhu and his son to behave themselves.

After all, they were so far apart, who knew if Zheng Yuanzhu had other intentions?

"Thank you, brother!"

Wenrou immediately beamed and swayed her arm around Wenhe's.

Zheng Wuniang, or rather, Xiaomei now, quickly and solemnly bowed to Wen He, her voice filled with gratitude: "Thank you, young master."

As for the other three unfamiliar palace maids, Wen He had Zhou Fu send them directly to Wenrou's courtyard to serve her.

It wasn't that he disliked having too many people; it was just that at his age, even if he had any ideas, it would be difficult for him to put them into action.

Moreover, he was the designated future consort. If Empress Zhangsun found out that there was a woman of dubious origin hidden in his residence, she would probably send people to attack him.

I wonder if the Empress will kick Li Er out of her palace after she finds out about this?
After breakfast, Wen He assigned homework to the three children and instructed Li Yifu to go out with her.

Outside, Ah Dong had already prepared a carriage and was waiting at the foot of the steps.

"Have someone keep an eye on that Zheng Wuniang, oh, Xiaomei."

When Wen He reached the door, she suddenly stopped and whispered instructions to A Dong.

If he weren't afraid of upsetting Wenrou, he would most likely have sent her to raise pigs in the backyard.

To prevent her from having any inappropriate thoughts.

After all, he wasn't the only man in his household.

Those three little ones also have a bright future ahead of them.

Adong was taken aback by what he heard, somewhat surprised.

How could her young master not be moved in the slightest by such a beautiful woman?

You should know that in the big families of Chang'an, people of Wen He's age already have maids to warm their beds, and it's not uncommon for them to have sex at the age of eleven or twelve.

It's truly rare to see a young man so self-disciplined.

Despite his doubts, A-Dong replied without hesitation, "Yes, young master, don't worry."

A Dong was left behind, so the task of driving the carriage fell to Li Yifu.

Although he was born into a poor family, he had learned to drive a carriage, and he cracked the whip skillfully, making the carriage run smoothly and steadily.

"Speaking of which, the imperial examinations are less than three months away. Do you have any intention of participating?"

Halfway there, Wen He suddenly lifted the carriage curtain and asked.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment remark.

Back when Li Yifu was studying with him, Wen He had wanted to ask him about his plans, but she had never found an opportunity to be alone with him.

Today was perfect; there were only the teacher and student in the carriage, which was just right.

Li Yifu paused in his grip on the riding whip, then turned around almost without hesitation and replied, "Sir, I will not attend next year's imperial examination. I would like to learn more from you."

"Oh?"

Wen He was somewhat surprised, since Li Yifu's previous purpose in contacting him was to get into the Imperial Academy.

So that they could participate in the imperial examinations.

However, Li Yifu in history was recommended for officialdom, not through the imperial examination.

This also led to him being ostracized in the imperial court.

"With your talent and learning, you might not be without a chance in the imperial examinations. Why not go?"

He had read Li Yifu's articles. Although they lacked some integrity, every word was precious and they were full of wit. With his connections, it wouldn't be difficult for Li Yifu to pass the imperial examination.

Don't assume that the imperial examination system was fair from the beginning.

At this time, the imperial examinations did not involve anonymous grading or copying.

Once a name and identity are written on paper, what the examiners value is the background and connections the person has.

"Students are dull."

Li Yifu turned his head and continued driving the cart, but his voice was full of determination.

"What the teacher teaches is far more useful than the essays for the imperial examinations. Students would rather learn more practical knowledge for governing the country and benefiting the people than rush to take the imperial examinations."

His words were not exactly honest.

Wen He smiled.

This kid really sees things clearly.

Knowing that relying on oneself is far more worthwhile than passing the imperial examination.

After all, although Wen He's official rank is not high, he is deeply favored by the emperor, and the connections and resources he holds are far beyond what a newly appointed scholar can match.

Moreover, he is the Crown Prince's teacher, and will naturally be among the important officials in the future. Promoting a student would be a piece of cake for him.

"You've really put your heart into this," Wen He said meaningfully, leaning against the carriage wall and tapping her knee with her fingertips.

Upon hearing this, Li Yifu seemed not to understand the meaning behind Wen He's words and laughed.

"It is my honor to be by your side, sir. I ask for nothing more than to do more for you."

Upon hearing this, Wen He remained silent.

He understood Li Yifu's thoughts.

This is because they want to first become their own "disciples" so that they can gain more benefits.

After all, during this period, their residence was frequented by either Li Er or various important officials of the court.

Staying by his side seemed like a better choice than taking the imperial examinations.

But it's good, because Li Chengqian's side lacks people with such shrewdness.

Since he had this intention, Wen He stopped asking questions.

There was still some distance to the capital, so Wen He closed her eyes, intending to take a nap.

Just then, they suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats outside.

Then he heard a three-word phrase that he desperately didn't want to hear.

"Little Doll!"

Wen He's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively reached out to lift the carriage curtain.

Sure enough, a familiar face came riding up from behind.

(End of this chapter)