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

Chapter 88 How can this kind of thing be made public?
"I apologize for not being able to greet you properly when you arrive, Mr. Xu. I am truly sorry for your lack of respect."

Upon arriving at the entrance, Wen He saw Xu Jingzong standing beside a dilapidated carriage and greeted him with a smile.

Upon hearing the sound, Xu Jingzong quickly straightened his robes and came forward to greet him.

"Due to the urgency of the matter, I was unable to present my visiting card in time, and I have become an unwelcome guest. I hope Mr. Wen will forgive me."

He was indeed a little embarrassed, but he had no choice but to come.

After the court meeting concluded today, Huang Chun came specifically to see His Highness the Crown Prince.

Upon meeting, His Highness the Crown Prince was exceptionally warm, saying that he was only a minor official and that this was beneath him.

He quickly and humbly expressed that he was not wronged and was willing to do anything for His Highness the Crown Prince.

In fact, he knew very well that since Li Shimin had said these words to him, he must have entrusted him with something important.

Then Li Shimin asked, "Would you be willing to be my eagle?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong could not contain his excitement and immediately bowed deeply to Li Shimin.

"I would never hesitate to sacrifice my reputation before or after my death, and I am willing to be Your Highness's eagle."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin personally helped him up, comforted him, and then told him to go find Wen He.

He was puzzled along the way.

He thought Li Shimin wanted him to start some major case, just like Zhi Du.

Or they could secretly plot against His Majesty so that His Highness the Crown Prince could ascend the throne sooner.

Now it seems that he is overthinking.

'But since His Highness the Crown Prince has appointed me as Zhidu, there must be some deeper meaning behind it. Could it be that there are some things he can't say directly, and he wants to use the magistrate of Gaoyang County to tell me?'

He silently thought to himself as he arrived at Wenhe Mansion.

Now that I've met the latter, I can't help but get excited.

However, his arrival was certainly ill-timed.

The little girl pouted gently, twisting her two fingers together in front of her chest.

“Sir, how about I take the young lady out with me, and bring two more maids?” Li Ke seemed to have noticed Wen He’s dilemma.

This kid has good judgment.

No wonder Li Er said he resembled himself.

"Prince!" Xu Jingzong hadn't recognized him earlier; he never expected Li Ke to be dressed as a servant.

Li Ke nodded to him, then ignored him and looked at Wen He instead.

"Okay, but come back early, and don't let her eat candy."

With Xu Jingzong around, Wen He knew she definitely wouldn't have time to spend with him.

As for the strict separation of men and women, Wen He didn't even consider it. They were just little kids, what was there to prevent?

Upon hearing this, Wenrou happily hugged Wenhe and said, "Thank you, brother."

Then she went excitedly to find her maid.

Although the Tang Dynasty was known for its open-mindedness, noblewomen still had to wear veils when going out.

Don't think this is feudal; it's actually to protect these women from being targeted by evil people.

Because Xu Jingzong was there, Wen He didn't go to see Wenrou off.

Having witnessed what had just happened, he felt somewhat embarrassed facing Wen He now, though he was mostly curious.

"May I ask, sir, what brings the Prince of Hanzhong here, and why is he dressed so simply?"

He cautiously probed.

Wen He smiled and said, "Lord Xu, please come inside first. His Highness must have important business to discuss with you."

He did not answer Xu Jingzong, but the latter was a smart man.

If Wen He didn't say it, it meant that he couldn't know about this matter, nor could he tell anyone.

He immediately cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Yes, yes, it's time to talk about serious matters."

After saying that, he and Wen He went into the main hall.

As if he had anticipated this, Wenzhong brought over the tea and honey water.

Xu Jingzong, who had just sat down, almost jumped up from his seat when he saw him, nervously looking around.

"What is Lord Xu doing?" Wen He looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle. "Your Highness, His Highness..."

“His Highness is not here. Wenzhong was specially sent by His Highness to take care of me,” Wen He explained.

Upon hearing this, Xu Jingzong breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

He looked at Wenzhong and gave him a dry laugh, and the latter nodded back as a greeting.

"What did Your Highness and Lord Xu discuss beforehand?"

Since Li Shimin sent Xu Jingzong to find him, he should have already spoken to him about it.

Xu Jingzong, however, wore a bitter expression and said, "Your Highness asked if I was willing to be the commander-in-chief. I will naturally follow Your Highness's lead. However, Your Highness did not specify anything else."

Wen He was stunned.

He stood there, holding the bowl of honey water, stunned for a long time.

You bastard Li Er!
He even became a riddle solver.

He's probably worried that some of his words will be recorded in his daily life.

Helpless, Wen He had no choice but to relay some of the things Li Shimin had said to him to Xu Jingzong.

However, he did not explicitly state that it was used to monitor officials.

He also felt that the Hundred Riders Division shouldn't be used only to deal with their own people.

Like the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they did not only monitor court officials.

They were also responsible for investigating foreign lands, but their investigations were not thorough.

If Wen He were to establish the Hundred Cavalry, his primary objective would be to send people to gather intelligence around the Tang Dynasty.

"To establish a Hundred Cavalry Division for intelligence gathering?"

Xu Jingzong was extremely surprised; he never expected Li Shimin to mean this.

But he's a civil servant now, isn't he?

Since leaving Wagangzhai and returning to Tang, he has never used a sword.

But his hesitation was quickly dispelled.

Because he knew this was his chance, he convinced himself.

He agreed, but he didn't know what to do.

He turned his gaze to Wen He.

'Since His Highness the Crown Prince sent me to see him, we must have talked about something, right?'

He didn't think Wen He could come up with anything at such a young age.

Even if this boy from Gaoyang County is precocious, he is probably just a mouthpiece for His Highness the Crown Prince.

"I wonder what profound insights the county magistrate has to offer?"

Xu Jingzong placed himself in a very humble position.

But Wen He knew that this person was no ordinary individual.

If Li Yifu is a smiling tiger in the future, then Xu Jingzong is definitely an old fox.

"I dare not presume to offer such high praise. The most important thing for the Hundred Riders is to be loyal to Your Highness. The selection is actually quite simple; we can choose from the Imperial Guards and the Xuanjia Guards."

"You can choose two types of people: one type looks ordinary on the surface but is quick-witted. These people do not need to have high combat skills."

"The other type is the opposite, requiring strong military force. The former is used as a spy, while the latter has other uses."

Some things don’t need to be said clearly.

Xu Jingzong only needed to think for a moment to understand Wen He's meaning.

The second type is used to arrest people and confiscate their property; these people only need to be loyal.

However, Wen He's words were simple; actually choosing the right people was quite difficult.

"Should we submit a written report on this matter?" Xu Jingzong asked tentatively.

Upon hearing this, Wen He took a sip of honey water and chuckled, "It's better not to make this kind of thing public, otherwise Master Xu will become the target of everyone's criticism."

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(End of this chapter)