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

Chapter 356 Let's go to Dunhuang for some training!
Meng Zhou gripped his clothes tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white. His eyes were filled with disbelief, and he kept muttering, "Impossible... How could this be..."

He even raised his hand and slapped himself. With a crisp "smack," his cheek instantly turned red, but he seemed not to feel any pain. He just stared blankly at the room on the second floor.

Even now, he still feels like he's dreaming.

Wu Sheng and Zhao Lei weren't much better off.

Wu Sheng leaned against the wall, his legs weak. If Zhao Lei hadn't been supporting him, he would have collapsed to the ground long ago.

Zhao Lei stared wide-eyed at Wen He's direction, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

The three of them had indeed suspected that Wen He's identity was not simple.

A scholar who can bring his own guards and dare to challenge the county magistrate is certainly no ordinary scholar.

Even if they dared to guess, they could only think of the imperial censor on patrol or the vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

They never imagined that the two teenagers who were traveling and chatting with them yesterday were actually the Crown Prince Li Chengqian, while one was the Count of Gaoyang with a noble title!

What shocked them even more was that the middle-aged man in plain clothes who had claimed to be a tutor was actually Changsun Wuji, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

The man in plain clothes who sat calmly in the courtyard was none other than Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty!

"Brother Meng...we...we had dinner with His Highness the Crown Prince yesterday..."

Wu Sheng's voice trembled as he managed to utter a single sentence with difficulty.

Zhao Lei swallowed hard, nodded, his eyes filled with lingering fear: "And there's Young Master Wen... no, it's the scion of Gaoyang County... should we... should we go get that math book and ask him for help?"

Meng Zhou took a deep breath, finally regaining his composure, but then suddenly remembered something, and his face turned even paler: "We didn't know their identities before, were we speaking too casually? Could it be... could it be that we offended His Highness and His Majesty?"

Just then, Wen He noticed the movements of Meng Zhou and the others, turned around, smiled gently at them, and waved her hand lightly to indicate that they didn't need to be nervous.

When Meng Zhou and the others saw that smile, they were instantly dumbfounded and froze on the spot, unable to move.

Just moments ago, he was filled with awe for the "Emperor" and "Crown Prince," but now, Wen He's familiar, gentle smile brought him back to reality, and he momentarily forgot how to react.

"that……"

Zhao Lei was the first to come to his senses, his eyes instantly lighting up. He quietly tugged at Meng Zhou's sleeve and whispered something.

"Could we go ask the county magistrate for a piece of calligraphy later? Getting one would be a tremendous honor!"

"What do you need calligraphy for!"

Wu Sheng immediately glared at him, lowering his voice even further.

"Since I finally have a chance to meet the county magistrate, of course I should ask him for advice! I've been stuck on the 'Equalization and Transportation Technique' in mathematics for a long time. If I could consult with the county magistrate and ask if I could get a book on higher-level mathematics, it would be much more useful than calligraphy!"

Meng Zhou, standing to the side, didn't respond, only chuckled foolishly twice, his hand unconsciously touching the cheek he had just slapped. His gaze drifted towards Wen He, and he murmured, "Just now, the magistrate of Gaoyang County... was he smiling at me? He was definitely smiling at me!"

"Gaoyang County?"

A voice suddenly came from beside the three of them, interrupting their murmur.

The three looked up and saw Cui Bing standing behind them, his eyes filled with urgency, his blue official robes still covered in dust from his journey.

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he heard the words "Gaoyang County".

"Hey, why are you blocking our view of the county?"

Meng Zhou was basking in the joy of being laughed at by the county magistrate when suddenly someone blocked his view. He subconsciously frowned and scolded them, his tone carrying a hint of impatience.

Zhao Lei reacted quickly, noticing Cui Bing's official robes and fish-shaped pouch at his waist. He immediately grabbed Meng Zhou's arm and said in a low voice, "Brother Meng! This is the county magistrate!"

Meng Zhou then saw Cui Bing's attire clearly, and his face instantly turned pale. His previous arrogance vanished without a trace. He hurriedly bowed and tried to apologize: "Your... Your Excellency, I was rude just now. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me!"

Cui Bing, however, had no time to dwell on these matters. He quickly stepped forward, grabbed Meng Zhou's arm, and asked urgently, "You just mentioned Gaoyang County? Where is Gaoyang County?"

"It's...it's over there!"

Meng Zhou felt a sharp pain from his grip and quickly pointed to Wen He, who was not far away.

Hearing the commotion, Wen He, who was not far away, looked up and saw Cui Bing looking at him. He smiled, raised his hand, waved, and called out, "Magistrate Cui, over here!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Bing immediately released Meng Zhou, turned around and strode towards Wen He. A respectful smile instantly appeared on his face, and he cupped his hands in greeting from afar, saying, "Oh, so it's you, Magistrate of Gaoyang County! I've heard so much about you! I am Cui Bing, the magistrate of Zheng County. I have long heard of your young talent, and seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved!"

Although he had never met Wen He, he had heard rumors about her in the official circles of Chang'an.

That eleven-year-old scion of Gaoyang County was not only the commander of a hundred cavalrymen, but also deeply trusted by His Majesty and the Crown Prince.

Seeing that Wen He was young but had a calm demeanor, they could immediately ascertain his identity.

Before Wen He could speak, Li Chengqian, sitting next to him, raised his eyes first, his tone carrying a youthful crispness, yet exuding an undeniable authority: "You are the magistrate of this county?"

Cui Bing was bowing to Wen He when he heard this and noticed that there was a young man sitting next to Wen He.

The boy was dressed in ordinary cloth clothes, but he sat upright, and his eyes were clear yet sharp, which inexplicably aroused his awe.

He looked at Li Chengqian suspiciously and asked cautiously, "May I ask who this young gentleman is?"

"I'm asking you a question."

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, his eyes narrowed, and his tone instantly turned cold.

"solitary"?!

Cui Bing's heart skipped a beat, leaping into his throat, and his face turned deathly pale.

Who else in this Great Tang Dynasty could refer to himself as "I" besides His Highness the Crown Prince?
Why didn't he think about it more!

His Highness the Crown Prince is sitting right here!
He dared not hesitate for a moment, immediately bent his knees and performed the standard court etiquette to Li Chengqian, his voice trembling noticeably: "Your subject... Your subject, Cui Bing, the magistrate of Zheng County, pays his respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince. I was blind and failed to recognize Your Highness. I beg Your Highness's forgiveness!"

Prince!
It was actually His Highness the Crown Prince!
He sat openly on the stone bench in the guesthouse, drinking water with the county magistrate of Gaoyang!
Cui Bing felt his legs go weak, and if he hadn't been holding on, he would have collapsed to the ground on the spot.

He never imagined in his life that he would be able to see both the Emperor and the Crown Prince in this remote little place, Zheng County.

"Get up."

Li Chengqian deliberately put on a stern face and imitated Li Shimin's usual tone as he spoke.

"His Majesty has important matters to attend to and does not wish to see you. He has instructed me and the magistrate of Gaoyang County to wait for you here. By the way, I would like to ask you why your county has been so slow to take any action regarding the scholars who came to Zheng County for study and were attacked and even kidnapped by villains? Why has there not even been a proper investigation?"

"No, no, no! Your Highness, I am innocent!"

Cui Bing hurriedly waved his hand, cold sweat streaming down his face. He frantically wiped it away with his wide official sleeve, his voice urgent as he tried to explain.

"Upon learning of the scholars' disappearance, I immediately dispatched the Bad People to investigate! However... I never imagined that Lu Gui would be so utterly depraved, devoid of conscience, inhumane, morally corrupt, and lawless! It was my fault for failing to recognize his wolfish ambitions, causing the scholars to suffer injustice. I am guilty! I am willing to accept punishment!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, eventually becoming almost incoherent, only trying to shift all the blame onto Lu Gui while simultaneously asserting that he had not been negligent.

Seeing his flustered appearance, Wen He took over the conversation and asked in a calm tone, "I heard that Magistrate Cui is from the Cui family of Qinghe?"

Yes! That's right!

Cui Bing nodded quickly, then, as if remembering something, added to Li Chengqian.

"However, I am from the southern branch of the Cui clan of Qinghe. My clan once produced Cui Qun, the governor of Jizhou in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although I am not a direct descendant of the main branch, I am still from a proper aristocratic family."

When he said this, there was a hint of helplessness in his tone.

He explained this because he had heard that the son of Gaoyang County was at odds with the five surnames and seven clans.

The eldest son's group targeted Wen He in Chang'an.

If he finds out that I am from the Cui family of Qinghe, I'm afraid he'll be in a difficult position.

"So it was a side branch."

Wen He stroked her chin, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"However, it's not easy for you to become the magistrate of Zheng County."

Cui Bing's heart skipped a beat.

Although Zheng County is remote, it is located in Guanzhong and is not far from Chang'an. It is considered a county on the outskirts of the capital. Being able to serve as the magistrate here is something that ordinary scholars from collateral branches of the family could not achieve.

He knew that Wen He's words were directed at him, so he dared not hide anything any longer and quickly said, "You flatter me, Magistrate of Gaoyang. I owe my position today entirely to my mentor. I once studied under the current Minister of the Left, Lord Xiao, and it was Lord Xiao who recommended me to take up my post in Zheng County."

He specifically mentioned Xiao Yu, partly to show that he had powerful backers.

Secondly, she knew that Xiao Yu was now the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor and had even spoken up for Wen He in court, so their relationship was fairly good. Perhaps she could use this connection to get Wen He and the Crown Prince to be more lenient with her. "Lord Xiao?"

Wen He narrowed her eyes slightly, pondering to herself.

The Cui family of Qinghe is one of the five surnames and seven prominent families. Cui Bing, as a member of a collateral branch of the aristocratic family, did not rely on the main family but instead became a disciple of Xiao Yu, which is quite interesting.

It seems that he was not valued or received resources from his own clan, which is why he turned to Xiao Yu, a high-ranking official who was not from his own clan.

After all, for these grassroots officials, no matter how famous their ancestors were, it is not as important as their future prospects.

This was not uncommon in the Tang Dynasty; many sons of collateral branches of aristocratic families would make this choice in exchange for opportunities for promotion.

"Yeah yeah!"

When Cui Bing saw Wen He mention Xiao Yu, he assumed that Wen He was doing it out of respect for Xiao Yu, and his expression immediately relaxed, and his smile became more genuine.

"Lord Xiao's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain, and I have always been grateful to him. I dare not slack off in the slightest, and I only hope to live up to Lord Xiao's kindness in recommending me."

Seeing his obviously relaxed expression and hearing him deliberately emphasize his relationship with Xiao Yu, Wen He immediately snorted, her tone carrying a hint of coldness.

"Lord Xiao recommended you so that you could serve the people and share the burdens of the court, not so that you could condone your subordinates' wrongdoings and not even be able to solve the case of the missing scholar."

Cui Bing's smile froze instantly, his relaxed nerves tensed up again, and cold sweat broke out once more.

"Yes, yes, yes, it was my dereliction of duty!" Cui Bing hurriedly nodded and admitted his mistake, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He caught a glimpse of Zhang Daguang standing outside the courtyard, looking completely indifferent. He was instantly furious and turned to Zhang Daguang, shouting angrily, "Get in here! Are you just standing there like a pillar?"

Zhang Daguang was startled by the rebuke and hurriedly walked in, trembling, with his head down, not daring to look at anyone.

Just now at the door, he kept recalling the scene when he met Li Chengqian and others a few days ago.

She was afraid that she had offended the Crown Prince and His Majesty in some way, and only when she remembered that she had "unintentionally" helped His Majesty once did she feel a little more at ease.

He could be considered to have saved the day.

But faced with the Crown Prince's imposing presence, he panicked instantly.

"The Bad Commander?"

Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Daguang as he walked in, slammed his small hand heavily on the stone table, the crisp sound echoing in the courtyard, his tone full of anger.

"Such a serious matter as the disappearance of a scholar, and you only sent out a mere constable to investigate? So many days have passed since the incident, and you have neither caught the murderer nor reported it to the Ministry of Justice. Cui Bing, what are your intentions?!"

These words were resounding and powerful, exactly what Wen He had taught him before.

We must not only point out Cui Bing's dereliction of duty, but also find out why he concealed the truth.

Upon hearing this, Cui Bing's legs went weak, and he knelt down with a thud, unable to utter a complete explanation: "Your subject, Your subject..."

Wen He glanced at Cui Bing and nodded to herself.

Li Chengqian not only spoke fluently, but also exuded the majesty of a crown prince, showing that his training over the past few days had indeed paid off.

He stepped forward, chuckled, and finished Cui Bing's sentence: "Stop calling me 'Your subject,' I'll speak for you. You're afraid that if this matter is reported to the Ministry of Justice, you'll be held accountable for negligence and it will affect your career, so you deliberately suppressed it. As long as the Chief of the Unruly Guard can find out, you'll be innocent and even have merit, right?"

Cui Bing lowered his head even further, his shoulders trembling slightly, which was considered an admission of consent.

He never took the disappearance of the scholars seriously from the beginning, treating it as just an ordinary bandit problem. Fearing that he would be held accountable if he reported it, he thought he could delay it as long as possible. He never expected that it would involve the emperor and the crown prince and cause such a big commotion.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian's face hardened even more, and his tone was decisive and unquestionable: "You incompetent official, you can't judge people well, you're incompetent in your work, and you even dare to conceal the truth of the case. His Majesty has said that the area within the pass is not suitable for you to serve. From today onwards, you will go to Shouchang County as a county magistrate."

"Where...where is that?"

Cui Bing suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with confusion.

He had never heard of the name Shouchang County before, and only felt that the name implied a remoteness.

Wen He explained in a "kind" manner, "Shouchang County is in Dunhuang County in Shazhou. It's not too far from here, but the climate is a bit dry. Fortunately, the people are simple and honest. If Magistrate Cui goes there, he can get some good experience."

"In my spare time, I can also visit the Mogao Caves."

"Sha...Shazhou Dunhuang Prefecture?"

Cui Bing's face turned deathly pale instantly.

How could he not know about the sandbar?

That was the westernmost part of the Tang Dynasty, remote and desolate, with sandstorms everywhere. Compared with Zheng County, a county near the capital, it was worlds apart!

But he dared not refute, and could only suppress his heartache, bowing to Li Chengqian and saying, "Your subject... thanks Your Majesty for your grace, thanks Your Highness for your grace."

"As for you..."

Wen He ignored the distraught Cui Bing and turned to look at Zhang Daguang beside her.

Zhang Daguang's heart tightened, thinking he was about to be punished as well. He immediately knelt down and begged for mercy incoherently, "I...I am guilty, please spare my life, Your Highness!"

"Get up, who's going to punish you?"

Wen He waved his hand, his tone calm but with a hint of seriousness.

"Although you are only a minor official, you have been loyal to your duties and have inadvertently protected His Majesty. His Majesty has decreed that you be appointed as the County Commandant of Zheng County, a lower ninth rank. Take office immediately and be responsible for assisting the new magistrate in investigating the remaining suspects and comforting the rescued scholars."

Zhang Daguang was stunned. He knelt on the ground, dumbfounded, and didn't react for a long time.

County Commandant?

A low-ranking official (below the ninth grade)?

He was just a lowly constable who wasn't even a minor official. He used to have to bow and scrape to even a clerk. Now he has risen to the rank of county lieutenant in one fell swoop.
This is like a phoenix rising from the ashes!
"Is he so happy he's gone mad?"

Li Chengqian moved closer to Wen He and whispered something to her.

"It's just a low-ranking official position, is it really necessary to get so worked up?"

Wen He glanced at him helplessly.

Li Chengqian grew up in the palace and had no idea of ​​the difficulties faced by low-level officials.
For Zhang Dagang, going from an unranked constable to a ninth-rank county lieutenant, though seemingly a low rank, was a huge leap forward. He would not only receive a salary but also participate in county affairs. For him, this was a real meteoric rise.

He addressed Zhang Daguang, who was still in a daze, saying, "Aren't you going to thank the emperor? Don't you want to be the county magistrate?"

"Thank you! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace, Your Highness! Thank you for your grace, Magistrate!"

Zhang Daguang finally came to his senses and hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly to Li Chengqian and Wen He, his forehead hitting the ground with a "thud" sound, his face covered with tears of excitement.

Wen He dismissed Cui Bing and Zhang Daguang, and then ordered the 100 cavalry to secretly protect Meng Zhou and his companions.

After all, they knew too many secrets, and it was inevitable that they would be targeted by the aristocratic forces. So they took Li Chengqian to a room on the second floor of the guesthouse.

"Phew." As soon as he entered the room, Li Chengqian let out a long sigh of relief, slumped into a chair, and looked exhausted.

"Sir, are we just going to stay in Zheng County like this? Father and the others are all going back to Chang'an. It's so boring for us to stay here."

Wen He walked to the table and sat down. He picked up the kettle, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it all in one gulp before he could recover. He then explained, “His Majesty had your uncle openly escort Lu Gui back to Chang’an, while he himself secretly returned, leaving us in Zheng County, in order to attract the attention of the gentry.”

“If they know that you and I are still here, they will not suspect that His Majesty has returned to Chang'an, and they will lower their guard.”

He paused, a sharp glint in his eyes: "Moreover, just wait and see the day Lu Gui enters Chang'an. Many people will jump out. The Lu family of Fanyang will not sit idly by while Lu Gui is tried, and other aristocratic families will also exert pressure from the shadows. This is the opportunity Your Majesty wants to expose their little tricks so that they can be dealt with all at once."

"We stayed in Zheng County to buy His Majesty time so that he could set up a plan in Chang'an."

That's right, Li Shimin is gone.

Not long after Changsun Wuji left, he and a hundred riders disguised themselves and left.

Only Wen He and Li Chengqian were allowed to stay here.

Li Chengqian suddenly realized, and his tired eyes instantly lit up: "I understand, we are using a feint to cover our tracks while secretly advancing. Once Lu Gui is brought to Chang'an, the aristocratic people will make their move, and Father will be able to wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"That's pretty much what it means."

Wen He nodded with a smile.

"For the next few days, we'll stay in Zheng County, read some books, take care of some trivial matters, and wait for news from Chang'an. But don't be idle. You came here to study, so your mission remains unchanged."

“Starting tomorrow, you will begin teaching the children here to read. The more noise we make here, the better it will be for His Majesty.”

(End of this chapter)