The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

When Changsun Dan woke up, the sun was already shining on his face, and a faint fragrance wafted into his nose.

After a moment of stunned silence, Changsun Dan suddenly jumped up:

"Damn it, this is a disaster."

He looked at himself and realized he hadn't even taken off his coat, which put his mind at ease.

I looked down and thought about it.

Last night, after the lanterns were lit, I played drinking games with these girls. The new wine was strong, and they all got drunk. Dongyao was the first to climb into my bed, followed by Chunchan... Wang Susu was the last to drink, but she also got drunk. The three girls spread out their beds in a starfish pattern.

When they couldn't squeeze in any further, they ended up spending the night in the next room.

Changsun Dan straightened her clothes, shook her head, and thought, "A young lady like this really shouldn't drink alcohol so carelessly."

As soon as the main gate was opened, Uncle Fu was pacing back and forth in the yard.

When Uncle Fu saw Changsun Dan come out of the next room, he was slightly taken aback, but quickly came forward as if nothing had happened:

"Young master, we received news this morning about finding land to build a school. The ward master, Zhu Dachang, said he has several acres of rocky land that is cheap and exceptionally quiet, making it perfect for building a school. It's waiting for us in the main hall in the front yard. Would you like to go and meet him?"

"Let's go."

Changsun Dan stretched, his stomach churning and making gurgling noises.

"Uncle Fu, wait for me a moment."

Changsun Dan turned around and pushed open his own door.

Normally, at least I can have a bowl of cold porridge, but today those two girls haven't made a sound yet. As soon as I opened the door, a blast of cold air rushed into the room.

"…ah…"

"Get out..."

"…lecher…"

Three different screams were heard almost simultaneously.

Immediately afterwards, a pillow flew out of the door.

Uncle Fu frowned slightly. The young master was still young and thin. He couldn't let him continue to play around like this. He had to remind him.

Changsun Dan shrugged and closed the door.

Let him go hungry. Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. If he can finalize the land for building the school today, he will need to spend time testing the pulp-making method.

Changsun Dan finally understood that although he knew how to make some things, the actual operation was another matter. Even a small, inconspicuous mistake could lead to failure.

Uncle Fu walked at a leisurely pace:

"Young master, would you like to go and get something to eat first?"

"Young master... this old servant has been through this before. You are frail and weak, so you need to be more careful and take better care of your health..."

Changsun Dan was taken aback. What kind of person did Uncle Fu think he was? He gave an awkward smile.

"Uncle Fu, you're overthinking it. We were just drinking last night, and these girls took my bed, so I had to sleep in the next room for the night."

Uncle Fu let out a long sigh, his expression one of doubt or disbelief:

"That's good, that's good."

Upon arriving at the front hall, a plump man in his fifties approached with a fawning smile and bowed.

"Zhu Dachang, the head of Dunhuafang, has met with the county magistrate."

Changsun Dan returned the greeting with a simple bow:

"Please lead the way, Magistrate."

Zhu Dachang was flattered and quickly bent down again, his round belly swaying.

When they arrived at the gate, Da Niu was still staring wide-eyed and wandering around.

Changsun Dan smiled and patted his shoulder:

"Go and get some rest. Just be careful not to start any fires in the front yard; we have to continue tonight."

The big bull stood up straight:

"Tiezhu and I will take turns, it's fine."

Changsun Dan nodded, "That's fine, to avoid any unforeseen complications." Just as he was about to leave, Chun Dong and the other two maids, already dressed, followed him out.

Zhu Dachang glanced sideways at the two girls, his Adam's apple bobbing as he secretly swallowed.

The entire Dunhuafang area is only about 300 acres in size, but the Plum Garden is located on the outermost edge of the city. The road is winding and difficult to navigate. The further you go in, the more dilapidated the houses become, with many being mud-brick and thatched houses. You can hardly see any strong men, and the land is mostly barren wasteland with exposed rocks.

Zhu Dachang was now panting heavily, his face filled with humility.

"Sir, this rocky land belonging to Old Lady Li is only seven mu in total. It's not suitable for growing many crops. At first, the old lady stubbornly refused to sell it. Today, she came to me and asked for one string of cash. Seeing that she was in a hurry to get rid of it, I gave you five hundred cash."

Changsun Dan frowned. This was far too cheap!

Seeing that the young master's expression was not good, Uncle Fu whispered:

"Young master, no matter what you plant on this rocky land, the yield is very low. If it were to be sold normally, it would only be 150 coins per mu, or one string of cash. The price you're asking is reasonable."

Changsun Dan nodded silently. This was the prosperous Zhenguan era, where a dou of rice cost five wen. Seven mu of land could only be exchanged for a little over two thousand jin of rice.

The group walked to the outside of a dilapidated thatched hut, and Zhu Dachang shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Old Lady Li, hurry up and come out to greet the county magistrate."

Changsun Dan glanced around. The land in front of the house was open, but full of sand and stones. Even though some radishes and cabbages were planted sparsely, they looked like small seedlings. As long as there was food, they wouldn't starve to death.

The dilapidated wooden door creaked open, and a woman in her fifties stepped out.

The woman wore a tattered, coarse brown dress, patched all over. Although her face was full of sorrow, she had a dignified and composed demeanor, quite different from ordinary peasant women.

Aunt Li gently lifted her clothes with her right hand, placed her left hand on top of her right, and bowed slightly.

"This humble woman has met the county magistrate."

Changsun Dan quickly returned the greeting:

"Aunt Li, I heard you're selling this piece of land, so I came to take a look."

Chun Dong and the two maids exchanged a glance. This Aunt Li, a countrywoman from the mountains, actually knew the etiquette of officialdom. Her way of greeting was no different from the etiquette in the palace.

A man's voice came from inside the thatched hut:

"Mother, you don't need to sell the land. I'll be fine after lying down for ten or eight days. If you sell the land and it still doesn't cure my leg, won't that cut off our family's livelihood?"

Aunt Li seemed completely deaf to her son's voice, and said softly, "That's right, the magistrate said the county magistrate is willing to pay five hundred coins for this piece of land of mine."

Changsun smiled and said, "Aunt Li, won't you invite us in for a seat?"

Before Aunt Li could speak, the man inside the house shouted again:

"Zhu Dachang, give up on that idea. My sister will never marry you as a concubine, and my family's land will never be sold to you."

Changsun Dan turned around and said coldly:

"Bōjō, you should go back first."

Zhu Dachang's chubby old face turned red, and he was about to say something when Dongyao suddenly produced a purple bamboo flute in her hand and glared at him fiercely.

"Get out of here now."

Ever since his youngest daughter was taken away, Uncle Fu has become even more averse to such underhanded methods of forcing other girls. Now that he has his young master backing him up, his temper has grown even more.

He kicked Zhu Dachang in the leg: "Get out of here right now. If you dare to force that girl again, my young master will definitely not forgive you."

After being kicked, Zhu Dachang quickly got up and slunk away.

Aunt Li watched all of this calmly. Although the man inside the house couldn't see, he roughly knew what was happening outside.

"Mother, if the county magistrate doesn't mind the humble farmhouse, please invite him in."

Aunt Li took a step back and bowed, gesturing for him to enter.

Changsun Dan entered the house. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe this family as destitute.

This dilapidated thatched hut was divided into two rooms. The man who was speaking looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old. He was handsome and strong, but his left leg seemed to be injured, and he was lying on a broken wooden bed with his leg bent.

Beside the bed was an earthen stove, and a little girl of about twelve or thirteen years old was holding firewood. When she saw Changsun Dan and the others come in, she looked terrified.

Chun Chan walked over and took her arm, gently stroking her hair with her right hand: "Don't be afraid, our young master is not a bad person."

Changsun Dan glanced at the broken wooden table by the window, where there was still some cooked vegetable porridge in the earthenware pot.

Aunt Li, however, seemed a little flustered: "We poor people don't even have a teacup..."

Changsun Dan smiled and said, "It's alright, Auntie."

Seeing an iron bow hanging on the earthen wall, he asked the man lying on the bed, "May I take a look?"

The man's hostility vanished: "Please feel free to look, sir."

Changsun Dan took the iron bow down, and it felt heavy in his hand, probably weighing no less than twenty pounds. He then pinched the ox-tendon bowstring and pulled, but it didn't budge an inch.

Chun Chan covered her mouth and chuckled, thinking to herself that her young master was really too weak.

Changsun Dan tried several times, but even after pulling until his face turned red, the iron bow only bent slightly, so he had to give up in frustration.

"May I ask how you should address me, elder brother?"

Although the man was lying down, he still bowed slightly.

"I dare not accept such praise. My name is Wang Fangyi."

Changsun Dan was startled, and the iron bow clattered to the ground, but he was overjoyed.

"Is your father Wang Renbiao?"