The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

In the southeast corner of Pingkangfang, the majestic Weiguogong Mansion stands, adjacent to the residence of the great calligrapher Chu Suiliang. The two buildings have very different styles. Chu's Mansion is elegant and refined, with the fragrance of ink filling the courtyard, while Weiguogong Mansion is filled with the glint of swords and the chill of war. One is a scholar, the other a warrior, each with its own artistic conception.

Sixteen halberds lined both sides of the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion, exuding a chilling aura. Two rows of burly servants stood below the gate, each with a horizontal sword at their waist. They were clearly seasoned soldiers who had been through many battles and were filled with murderous intent. Upon seeing Chun Dong and his companion, these soldiers actually took a half step back and made way for them.

Chun Chan stepped forward and pushed open the gate, and the gatekeeper bowed and said, "This humble servant greets Lady Chun and Lady Dong."

A warm smile appeared on Dong Yao's face as she walked straight through the front courtyard. Unlike the Plum Garden, the Duke of Wei's mansion was built according to the three-courtyard layout. The entire mansion was forty feet wide and over a hundred feet deep. Although it was square, it was surprisingly large. After entering the middle courtyard, there was a huge military simulation sand table on the left. The mountains, rivers, cliffs, and lakes were exactly the same as the real environment in miniature. At this moment, many strong men were moving and fighting on the sand table, holding different colored flags.

In the corridor, Li Jing and Chu Suiliang were brewing tea and playing chess. The black and white pieces were locked in a fierce battle. Chun Dong and his companion stepped forward to greet them, and Li Jing smiled.

"I heard that Her Majesty the Empress has assigned you two to serve the Prince of Wannian, which is much more liberating than being in the palace. Your visit today must not be as simple as just coming to see me and my wife."

Both Chun and Dong were practically raised by Li Jing and Hong Fu Nu, so they didn't feel restrained at all. Chun Chan even had a bit of a coquettish air about her.

"Dongyao and I just wanted to come back to see the Duke and his wife."

Chu Suiliang picked up his teacup: "I've heard that this magistrate of Wannian County has excellent calligraphy skills, quite like a royal army. You're lucky to be following him."

Dongyao wrinkled her little nose: "My son is notoriously lazy. He even says that every word he writes is worth a thousand pieces of gold and he would never write an extra one."

Chu Suiliang clapped his hands and laughed: "It seems that this magistrate of Wannian County is quite a remarkable person. There are many rumors about him in the streets. The most bizarre one is that he hid his talents for many years, and when he finally made a move, it was astonishing. If I have the chance, I would very much like to meet him."

Li Jing put down his chess piece, slowly took a sip of tea, and savored its rich, milky flavor.

"I haven't been active in the court for the past few years. I did see this Wannian County Magistrate once during the Lantern Festival. I'm afraid his abilities are not limited to this. Besides his talent, this young man has many ingenious ideas. The snow disasters in Youzhou and Jizhou had troubled His Majesty for many years. He proposed a perfect solution in almost a blink of an eye. In this Tang Dynasty, I can't think of anyone else who can compare to him."

The Duke of Wei's high praise for the young master made Chun and Dong, the two maids, overjoyed. This was the undefeated military genius of the Tang Dynasty. In addition to his brilliant military strategy, his wisdom was also unmatched. There were probably only a handful of people in the entire Tang Dynasty who could receive such praise from him.

No wonder the county magistrate said he might be going to Youzhou. If he could relieve Youzhou's predicament, it would be no less than saving the people of this region. Seeing that the Duke of Wei had brought this up in conversation, Chun Chan seized the opportunity to say:

"Lord, we have come here precisely because of this matter. After my young master moved into Plum Garden, he saw that Dunhua Ward was inhabited by old, weak, and disabled soldiers who were struggling to make ends meet. The children were even more destitute and helpless. So he planned to build a school in the ward so that the children could attend school for free. He also planned to build a paper mill so that the soldiers, widows, and disabled who had no one to work for could have jobs. However, making paper and printing books would definitely harm the interests of the noble families. The county magistrate has few trustworthy people around him. We have come to ask the madam for help."

Chu Suiliang suddenly stood up and asked urgently, "What? You mean the magistrate of Wannian County is planning to print books and make paper himself?"

Dongyao nodded vigorously:

"That's right. The county magistrate has already solved the problem of ink bleeding during rubbing, and he has also passed on the secret formula for ink preparation to me. The Grand Eunuch Wang from the palace also brought a beautifully printed rubbing to the palace. There will be no problem with engraving and printing books. Although I haven't seen the county magistrate make paper yet, I believe he can definitely break the monopoly of the aristocratic families. The county magistrate once said that he wants to make every hundred sheets of paper ten coins and every book twenty coins. He hopes that everyone in the world can read!"

Chu Suiliang sat down on the stone bench again, staring intently at Li Jing, as if trying to find the answer on his face.

Li Jing's surprised expression only flashed for a moment before he nodded slightly:

"If I'm not mistaken, the spectacular scene of dragons and phoenixes flying in the sky during the Lantern Festival was also the work of this Wannian County Magistrate. He has such great talent and is willing to do his best for the people. Look, these two girls have come to my door. How could I, Li Jing, be stingy?"

Just as Li Jing was about to agree, a woman's voice angrily scolded:

"You old fool, how many days have these two girls been out of the palace? If they hadn't remembered to ask me for them, I don't know when they would have come to see me. You want them? No way! There are still quite a few old soldiers in the manor. Let them take a few back with them."

Amidst the clinking of swords and jade pendants, Hong Fu Nu appeared in the left corridor, leading several valiant maids. Although Hong Fu Nu was over fifty years old, she still looked like a beautiful woman in her thirties or forties. Her hair was tied up with a golden headband, and she was dressed in a wandering knight's outfit, with a shiny cowhide waist armor around her waist.

Upon hearing the sound, Chun Dong turned around gracefully, each taking a hold of Hong Fu Nu's arm. Chun Chan, while shaking Hong Fu Nu's arm, acted coquettishly:

"Who said we didn't want to come see the lady? It's just that we've only been out of the palace for four or five days, and the county magistrate has no one to rely on. Chan'er is so busy that she doesn't even have time to sleep. If this continues, she'll be exhausted to death in the plum garden."

Hong Fu Nu raised an eyebrow: "Is it that good-for-nothing from Changsun Wuji's household? Why don't you two just kill him with a sword and come back to my mansion?"

Li Jing covered his mouth and coughed:

"Madam, the current Changsun Liulang is not the good-for-nothing you described. He is now the Empress's darling, and His Majesty also favors him greatly. Moreover... I'm afraid your two maids wouldn't be willing to harm him."

Hong Fu Nu snorted coldly, turning her head to look at Dong Yao: "Is that what this old ghost said?"

Chu Suiliang was embarrassed. Li Jing wanted to explain, but then chuckled and picked up a chess piece, saying, "Let's play chess!"

A blush rose on Dongyao's face:

"...The county magistrate isn't stupid...the county magistrate...he...he's a good person!"

Hong Fu Nu was taken aback. If Dong Yao could say that, this person must be quite capable. However, she was busy training the war-orphaned girls in her household and didn't pay much attention to such gossip. But this good-for-nothing was still a good-for-nothing; could she really become a good one? She was afraid that she might run into an experienced playboy who would fool her maid.

"Cicada, tell me, what exactly happened?"

The maids behind Hong Fu Nu brought over some stools, and Chun Chan and the other girl sat down with Hong Fu Nu. They then recounted the whole story of Changsun Dan's imprisonment and his establishment of the school. Chu Suiliang listened while playing chess, his expression changing as if he had never heard such a bizarre story before.

Li Jing laughed and said, "This boy is physically weak and can't even ride a horse. On the Lantern Festival, he rode his horse and bumped into the Imperial Guards. He was almost killed by the Thousand Bull Guards sent by His Majesty. Fortunately, the Empress was kind and begged His Majesty to spare his life. Otherwise, Princess Jinyang would have choked to death on the dates, and there would have been no way to solve the snow disaster in Youzhou."

Li Jing deliberately wanted Hong Fu Nu to know what he was saying. What Wan Nian County Prince did was probably what His Majesty would like to see most. The fact that Wan Nian County Prince came to him for help showed his trust in the Duke of Wei's mansion. If Wu Chen really refused to give it to her, it would probably arouse more suspicion if it reached His Majesty's ears. After all, he had just casually mentioned it that day and then took a palace maid from the Empress's side!

When the two maids, Chun and Dong, heard that Changsun Dan had almost been killed by the Imperial Guards, they both stood up at the same time:

"Why didn't the young master mention this?!"