The Idle Man of Zhenguan Intercepts Wu Zetian at the Start

As the carriage entered the plum garden, Kan Yue gently tapped the window sill with her finger:

"Senior Sister Yao, we've arrived."

Changsun Dan was still dreaming. Although his brows were furrowed, a slight smile appeared on his lips. Dongyao gently placed his hand down, then lifted his head and placed it on the seat. After she stood up, she pushed his shoulder.

"Wake up, we're home."

Changsun Dan groggily opened his eyes, smacked his lips, and seemed to see the silverfish that had bitten him again. He stretched and limply followed Dong Yao out of the carriage. Red Hare arrived at its new home, raised its neck and hissed a few times. Changsun Dan hugged its neck.

"Come on, I'll treat you to drinks!" It was already dark, and Kan Yue and the others hadn't had dinner yet. Changsun Dan waved his hand and said, "I'll treat you to beef tonight." After saying that, he led Chitu directly to the South Courtyard.

Chun Chan had already led Qian Ning and the others to distill over a thousand jars of wine, just waiting for the young master to return so he could write poems and copy wine invitations. Changsun Dan had only heard Dong Yao talk about six horses charging in a row while he was in the carriage. Since there were no casualties on his side, he didn't pay much attention to it. But now that he was home, he still needed to know the cause and effect. He tied up Red Hare and then instructed Qian Ning to bring Red Hare a bag of beans.

Smelling the aroma of the wine, Red Hare suddenly lifted its two legs and hopped and jumped. Changsun Dan put his hand under his nose and smelled it, and suddenly realized why Red Hare not only ate the hay the first time he fed it, but also recognized him as its master. It turned out that this guy, like Lao Cheng, was trying to trick him into drinking the wine.

Seeing Changsun Dan's bruised and swollen face, Chun Chan couldn't help but laugh:

"Young master, you were beaten up like this on your first day in the army. Would you like me to teach you some self-defense techniques?"

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because as soon as he did, Changsun Dan felt a sharp pain in his face again:

"That kid Li Dejian is too ruthless. When you get the chance, you guys help me get revenge."

Chun Chan was startled: "How could you fight him? Although Master never taught him martial arts, he is extremely talented. He learned battlefield killing techniques from Duke Wei. In the past, even the dozen or so strong servants in the manor were no match for him."

Changsun Dan pushed open the door: "I chose him because he was the smallest."

Chun Chan covered her mouth and laughed, and Dong Yao couldn't help but smile as well. They both followed him into the room.

Changsun Dan sat at his desk, picked up his pen, and began to write down the materials needed for the recurve bow:

"Cicada, tell me everything that happened today again."

The recurve bow is easy to make, and all the necessary materials are now available. Bamboo can be cut, and the wooden support in the middle of the bow can be made by a carpenter. Chun Chan's mood has calmed down by now, and she can tell the story calmly and gently as she repeats it.

Upon hearing Changsun Chong mentioned, he frowned and casually asked:

"How are those two servants?"

Chun Chan replied, "As soon as he left, I had Kunyi follow him from a distance. Once we were out of the East Market, he gave the two men the antidote, then took them to the West Market. Finally, he left them outside a small alley and went in and lingered there for more than half an hour before coming out."

"Zhang Tao'er said that Sun Fujia of the Dali Temple told his subordinates to keep an eye on the West Market. I wonder if it has anything to do with Changsun Chong."

Changsun Dan smiled faintly and handed the hemp paper in his hand to Chun Chan:

"Have the carpenter prepare these according to my requirements and send them over. The cow horn should also be cut into thin slices as required. Crush the beef tendons and stew them with the beef leg bones until tender. Go to the kitchen and bring over some spices and salt as well."

Seeing that Changsun Dan didn't seem to care much, Chun Chan took the hemp paper with a puzzled look and left. Dong Yao sat by the stove.

"Did you already guess that Changsun Chong would cause trouble? That's why you sent the Duke of Qiao and the Duke of Guan to buy wine today?"

Changsun Dan shook his head and said with a wry smile:

"I've considered many people, but I never thought of Changsun Chong. No matter what, we were brothers. Now that I've left the Changsun family, I pose no threat to him anymore. If it weren't for the two dukes intervening today, he would probably have used two lives to smear me. It would be a losing proposition, so why would he do that?"

Dongyao seemed to understand but not quite: "Does the county magistrate think that it was Changsun Chong who hired people to ride the horses?"

Changsun Dan reached out and pinched Dongyao's cheek, saying with a chuckle:

"I still prefer to hear you call me Young Master. Changsun Chong isn't stupid. The man on horseback wanted to ruin my wine and my people, but Changsun Chong just wanted everyone to think he was a heartless merchant who would kill for money. Their motives are different, so it's impossible that he did it. If it were the Zheng or Li family, it would be more likely, because they also make wine, and it's a fine wine that only nobles can afford!"

Dongyao gave a soft hum: "I won't scream." Inwardly, however, she was filled with admiration. She had thought the young man would be frightened after hearing this, but he remained calm and composed, even analyzing the situation logically, as if he hadn't taken it to heart at all.

Aren't you worried?

Changsun Dan also sat down by the stove, warming his hands by the fire. His eyelids twitched violently, but his tone remained calm and composed:

"The man who rode the horse didn't even have the courage to show his face, yet he harmed so many innocent people. His Majesty might be waiting for them to strike again—so it should be safe in the near future. As for Changsun Chong, he dared to show his face, so his purpose wasn't to kill anyone. I already have a bad reputation, so why should I be afraid of him?"

After saying that, he turned his head and stared at Dongyao: "But I'm worried about you. Daring to fight doesn't necessarily solve the problem. I don't want to see you get hurt again... or any of you..."

Dongyao felt a warmth in her heart and nodded, a rare occurrence for her.

Changsun Dan smiled, pinched her nose, got up and picked up a cloth bag from the shelf to rummage through it. Last time when he made Baiyao, he had someone smuggle in a lot of star anise, cinnamon, angelica, hawthorn and other spices. This beef leg is so big, he'll braise half and roast the other half. He'll take some to the military camp tomorrow, and he'll get a lighter beating.

Changsun Dan put all the selected medicinal herbs into the mortar and pestle and began to pound them. He crushed the fennel seeds separately. This stuff is called cumin in later generations. Dongyao watched him quietly. He always had so many strange behaviors, but she didn't need to know too much about them, so she didn't even ask.

"Hu people roast meat with just some salt, but the gamey smell is hard to get rid of. Today, I'll let you taste authentic Western Region willow branch roasted meat."

"Young...young master, are you crushing these herbs to use for roasting meat?"

"Haha, of course it can be used for braised meat too." Although Dongyao was stubborn, she finally changed her mind. Changsun Dan was in a great mood: Chunchan and Dongyao had done so much for him, and he had never treated them like servants, so he didn't want them to be forced to suppress their personalities and behaviors just because he was a county magistrate. "Have Kan Yue and the others go and call Da Niu and Tie Zhu over. It's a pity Wang Fangyi is still injured, otherwise he could come along for drinks and barbecue too, wouldn't that be wonderful!"

Chun Chan pushed open the door, carrying a pile of materials that Changsun Dan had requested. Outside, there was a sound of chopping and hacking. Xu Daniu shouted loudly:

"Your Excellency, slaughtering oxen is a serious crime."

Changsun Danchong smiled at Dongyao: "Alright, no need to go, he'll come on his own."