Tang Dynasty Swordsman

Page 123

Cui Cuo shook his head: "Some of them have their own homes, so even the Cui brothers don't know about them; but there are also quite a few who are indeed in the Cui household, pretending to be servants."

Li Ji suddenly remembered something and asked, "The other day when I went out of the city with you to rescue me and Qingluan, we met a person at the foot of Wangchun Tower. He used to be dressed as a scholar and met me at Lü Miaozhen's house—what was that person's name?"

Cui Cuo replied, “His name is Yin Shen, courtesy name Zishu, the ninth in his family. His ancestral home is Liaodong, but he later moved to Sichuan. He is skilled in swordsmanship, fluent in literature, and shrewd and resourceful—he is the so-called ‘Swordsman of Sichuan.’” At this point, he couldn’t help but cover his mouth and laugh, “It sounds the same as your ‘Keyboard Warrior,’ but it’s completely different.”

Li Ji said, "Don't mention 'keyboard warrior' anymore—'Du Zimei knew this person, saying he was a minor official in the Censorate. Does that mean he still holds an official position?'"

Cui Cuo nodded: "Yin Shen entered officialdom last year and was appointed as a ninth-rank official in charge of hooks and shields."

Upon hearing this, Li Ji frowned and inquired, "The Shield Attendant? Is he going to assist Yan Zhuang or to monitor him?" He asked this because the Shield Attendant was a subordinate agency of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Cui Cuo smiled and said, "These two matters can be handled together. Originally, after Yan Zhuang was dismissed, Yin Shen should have been transferred to another post, but unfortunately my father was nearly destitute at that time, making it difficult for him to take action."

"Then how many more scholars like these are acting as eyes and ears?"

"Not many, only six or seven people, most of them are outside the official ranks, only Yin Shen is a ninth-rank official."

Li Ji thought to himself that it was alright. If Cui Guangyuan could plant his own spies—not his cronies—in various government agencies, and have them all rise to the sixth or seventh rank or even higher, that would be terrifying! He also needed to seriously consider whether, if he didn't intend to usurp the throne, he should keep these potentially self-destructive weapons in his hands...

"So how many of these people living abroad are there in total?"

Sixteen people.

"How many are pretending to be servants?"

"Twenty-eight people."

Li Ji lowered his head in disappointment: "I can't afford to support so many servants..."

Are you kidding me? The twenty-odd people I'm currently receiving from the Cui family are already making a mess of my own paychecks. Double that? Even with a dowry of ten thousand taels of silver, they'd bankrupt me in no time!

Cui Cuo laughed and said, "Young master is too petty. These people are all useful. Since they have been promised the inheritance, how can you refuse to accept them? Besides, if young master can get a governorship in an outer region, at least a prefecture governorship, he can certainly support them."

Li Ji couldn't help but sigh, "If that old eunuch doesn't die, I'm afraid I'll never get a post outside the capital!"

Cui Cuo was equally decisive, gesturing with his hand: "In that case, killing him is acceptable." He then reminded Li Ji: "The Shi family is rife with suspicion among its members, and its days are numbered; with Prince Lu as marshal, commanding tens of thousands of troops, and Generals Guo and Li at the same time, they will surely pacify Guandong by next year at the latest. If you do not seize this opportunity to establish your merits, once the world is at peace, you may find it difficult to find a place to use your talents—do you really intend to remain in the civil service, idly indulging in poetry and prose with those who came from the imperial examinations?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "That's alright. The Guandong region is easy to pacify, but the Western Barbarians are difficult to deal with. Even if the army can wipe out Shi Chaoyi and take over all the western garrisons, it will take two or three years to recover all the lost territories and force the barbarian bandits back to their lair."

Cui Cuo said, "There is no such thing as too much merit or too high an official position. It would be better to complete the entrustment of the Prince of Lu as soon as possible and take up the post in the outer town."

Li Ji shook his head and said, "Petty thievery is something I have to do, but as for burglary, I would never stoop to such a thing!"

Cui Cuo rolled his eyes: "You don't need to do it yourself. Just tell Yin Shen and the others."

"Sending assassins to kill court officials is a precedent that must not be set, lest it lead to endless trouble..."

"Li Fuguo has many enemies. As long as the plan is well-planned, who will know it was you who did it? Who will know it was at the behest of the Prince of Lu?"

Li Ji sneered, "Don't think everyone in the world is stupid. I predict that the glorious history books will record that it was ordered by the sage!"

"That's a saint bearing the infamy, what does it have to do with you, young master?"

Li Ji thought to himself, "This little girl is still so narrow-minded. She can't understand matters of state… If Li Bi were here, he would definitely agree with my idea." Then, however, he was slightly startled. He thought, "I'm still hesitating, wondering whether to follow Li Shi's instructions. If I delay too long, by the time Li Bi returns, this matter will definitely be revealed to him. Then I'll be forced to disobey Li Shi's orders, without even a choice…"

After pondering for a long time, he finally instructed Cui Cuo: "Summon all the strange people in the Cui residence. This mansion is so large, we must be on guard to prevent any more 'spirits' from taking advantage of us. As for Li Fuguo's matter... find an opportunity to summon Yin Shen, and I will discuss it with him again."

Cui Cuo laughed and said, "What's the point of looking for an opportunity? I'll just call him to come tomorrow."

So the next day, when Li Ji was leaving the office and returning home, Yin Shen had already arrived at Li's residence and was waiting for him in the courtyard. Li Ji unfastened his double maces from his waist and handed them to Cui Cuo—only his wife in the whole family could easily lift his iron maces—while casually saying to Yin Shen, "No need to rush, lest you delay your official business..."

The Hook and Shield Bureau, an agency under the Ministry of Agriculture, was located north of the Imperial City, west of Chengtianmen Street. It was slightly closer to Pingkang Ward than the Yingwu Army Office outside the Daming Palace where Li Ji worked, but the difference was minimal. Li Ji, riding a fine horse, dressed in a crimson robe and carrying double maces, was unhindered along the way; while Yin Shen, a ninth-rank official, was absolutely forbidden from riding within the Imperial City, and with his official robes blocking the way, he could only wait in line behind, never daring to overtake. The fact that he arrived before Li Ji indicated he had likely left early.

However, Yin Shen cupped his hands and smiled, saying, "Since the physician has summoned me, how could I dare not come immediately? Besides, the power of the Ministry of Agriculture is mostly in the hands of various officials, and I don't usually have much official business to do."

When Yan Zhuang was still serving as Minister of Agriculture, he complained to Li Ji that most of the powers of the various departments under his jurisdiction had been usurped by the imperial eunuchs appointed by the emperor, which caused his power to gradually shrink despite his rank of third grade.

Li Ji felt at the time that the Ministry of Agriculture was redundant and should be merged with the Ministry of Revenue to unify financial power. However, among the Three Departments and Six Ministries, the Ministry of Revenue had the broadest jurisdiction, supposedly "managing the affairs of land, people, money, and grain, as well as the differences in tribute," equivalent to the later Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance, plus the State Administration of Taxation. The organization was already bloated, and it probably couldn't absorb the Ministry of Agriculture. It was just that the emperor, for the sake of his own wealth accumulation and spending, gradually transferred the power of the Ministry of Agriculture to eunuchs, which was not a good sign.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yin Shen, Li Ji said, "Don't use my official title anymore, just call me 'Erlang'."

He now holds the official title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, so people often address him as "Vice Minister Li" rather than "Chief Secretary Li," which he finds awkward—because in Li Ji's original timeline, at some point, the title of "Vice Minister" inexplicably became a synonym for "doctor"...

To show his closeness, Li Ji did not call Yin Shen by his given name, but instead addressed him as "Ninth Brother" according to their birth order. Yin Shen was quite flattered—because in terms of rank and status, he was far inferior to Li Ji, and Li Ji was also the son-in-law of his former master.

It had been agreed beforehand that since Yin Shen had been summoned, he had to prepare the meal. Therefore, they were led into the hall, where the maids brought out a food table and placed it in front of the two of them. This meal was not prepared by Qingluan. In fact, Cui Cuo had just entered the house when he ordered her to stay away from the kitchen, fearing that the slightest carelessness might harm the fetus.

The Cui family of Boling was one of the most prominent families in the world. Even though Cui Guangyuan's third wife was declining, she was still a force to be reckoned with. Before the marriage, she had many reputable women from the clan instruct Cui Cuo, including on how to treat her husband's concubines, when to openly suppress them, and when to subtly sabotage them. The main concern was that Qingluan was pregnant. Although the child wasn't hers, it was still her husband's. If she wasn't properly cared for, resulting in a miscarriage or the baby's early death, her husband could easily shift some of the blame onto his wife—"You're in charge of the household; how could you be without fault?"

Therefore, Cui Cuo strictly forbade Qingluan from cooking again, and her daily activities were confined to the inner chambers. Even if a cook did not know how to make a dish that her husband liked, she had to go to the inner chambers to ask for instructions in person, and Qingluan would verbally teach her. The pregnant woman was never allowed to do it herself.

Li Ji was rather dismissive of this, but he couldn't very well refute it. Fortunately, the cook had learned most of Qingluan's cooking skills after working with her for many days, and although there were still some slight differences in taste, they were not unpalatable.

Li Ji and Yin Shen chatted as they ate. Li Ji first asked, "In which year did Jiu Lang begin serving under Master Cui?"

Yin Shen thought for a moment and replied, "It was in the eleventh year of the Tianbao era..."

Cui Guangyuan initially served as the magistrate of Tang'an County in Shu Prefecture, later rising to the position of governor of Qiong Prefecture, then governor of Han Prefecture, and finally governor of Yi Prefecture—at that time, prefectures had been changed to commanderies, making him the prefect of Shu Commandery—and then, on the recommendation of Yang Guozhong, he was appointed as the vice magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture. It was while serving as the prefect of Shu Commandery, just as he was about to be promoted, that Yin Shen joined his inner circle.

Yin Shen was skilled in poetry and prose from a young age and also loved swordsmanship. Since Shu (Sichuan) was known for its many swordsmen, he became an apprentice of one of them. Although his family background wasn't high, they were still considered part of the landlord class, and his family strongly opposed his decision to abandon literature for martial arts. However, Yin Shen knew his own talent and abilities; entering officialdom through the imperial examinations was virtually impossible. If he wanted to become an official, he could only rely on a powerful official for a recommendation—of course, unless he became a military governor and distinguished himself in battle, this path to officialdom was very narrow, mostly limiting him to ranks below the seventh grade.

Not long after entering the Cui family, Cui Guangyuan went to the capital to serve as the Vice Magistrate of Jingzhao. He began to place spies throughout Chang'an, mainly to find out the preferences of important officials in order to expand his network. Yin Shen, because he was literate, was recommended to the Ministry of Works as a low-ranking official. Later, he was transferred to the Secretariat—the Left Advisor was under the Secretariat, which is how he met Du Fu—who had only entered officialdom the previous year as the Assistant Advisor.

Yin Shen briefly explained his resume, and Li Ji then asked, "I once met Jiu Lang at Lü Miaozhen's house..." As for whether Cui Guangyuan had specifically sent him to monitor him, there's no need to mention it; let's just consider it a chance encounter—"Jiu Lang's poems are quite exquisite; they often echo in my ears..."

Chapter Thirty-Six, A Basket of Cherries

That day at Lü Miaozhen's house, a friend of Yin Shen's—whom he now considered no more than a colleague—wished to become a guest in his entourage. He had asked someone to compose a poem for him beforehand, but was completely stumped because the topic had changed. Yin Shen, on a whim, immediately composed a quatrain to relieve his predicament. The poem reads:

"The meat is tender and the bones are soft, the flavor is delicious, and the pepper seasoning enhances the rich aroma. Who has taken the loyal servant from the North Sea and given him to the cook to eat with millet?"

At the time, Li Ji thought the poem was good, at least much better than the empty and meaningless dregs before. Now that he knew Yin Shen's identity, he understood it even more deeply.

Yin Shen was lamenting his fate: Although I am not a pillar of the state, I am still a henchman of an important minister, but I am only assigned some petty thievery. Not only is it difficult to talk to others, but if I make a mistake, I may be pushed out to be the scapegoat—that is, to become this pepper-roasted lamb chop on the table.

Li Ji praised Yin Shen's poem, to which Yin Shen hurriedly replied, "This is merely a playful piece, hardly worthy of serious consideration, far inferior to Erlang's 'Hoeing the Rice at Noon'—I wonder if it has been named yet?"

Li Ji casually replied, "It is called 'Sympathy for the Farmers'." He then waved his hand and said, "The rhyme and rhythm are not harmonious. It is just a farmer's field song. It does not deserve Jiulang's praise."

During the Tang Dynasty's imperial examinations, composing poems was required, with strict rules governing tone patterns and rhymes. This led to the gradual formalization of everyday poetry and prose—for example, Yin Shen's poem "Ode to Roasted Lamb Chops" conforms to these rules. In contrast, "Sympathy for the Peasants" belongs to the ancient style and doesn't adhere to strict tonal patterns or sentence structures. Coupled with its simple and colloquial language, although it has been passed down through the ages, it was not appreciated by certain pretentious individuals according to the aesthetic standards of that era.

Yin Shen said seriously, "The so-called 'Guofeng' is nothing more than the work of farmers. The 'Yuefu' of the Han Dynasty also contains many field songs. Although the language is not elegant, it can express true feelings, unlike the poems of today, which are mostly affected and sentimental. Beneath the embellishment, there is actually a false heart." He looked up at Li Ji again, but he seemed not to agree with his words.

In fact, Li Ji didn't disagree; he completely agreed! But having heard Du Fu discuss poetry before, he found Yin Shen's words somewhat superficial and insincere, which was reflected in his expression, as if he didn't take them seriously.

Yin Shen, being quick-witted and perceptive, immediately changed the subject, saying, "As for whether the sounds are harmonious or not, I suddenly remembered a joke. Would you be willing to listen to it, Erlang?"

"What kind of joke is it? Tell me."

"These are poems by Shi Siming..."

Li Ji finally became interested: "That roughneck can also write poetry?"

Yin Shen smiled and said, "Not everyone can write poetry, but everyone wants to. It is said that a prefecture once presented a basket of cherries as tribute. Shi Siming divided them among his son Shi Chaoyi and his important minister Zhou Zhi. So he wrote a poem on colored paper: 'A basket of cherries, half red and half yellow. Half for Prince Huai (Shi Chaoyi), half for Zhou Zhi.'"

Upon hearing this, Li Ji couldn't help but chuckle—this isn't even a proper rhyme!

Yin Shen continued, "His attendants advised that the last two lines could be changed to 'Half for Zhou Zhi, half for King Huai,' which would then rhyme and sound harmonious. Shi Siming flew into a rage, shouting, 'What is rhyme? How can you place my son below Zhou Zhi?!'"

Li Ji finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "Jiulang is truly a wonderful talker!"

Yin Shen was a key figure in Cui Guangyuan's secret service—otherwise, he wouldn't have been the only one to be appointed to an official position. Unlike Cui Cuo, who relied on her agility and swordsmanship to often carry out missions alone, a true "lone wolf," Yin Shen had long served as Cui Guangyuan's leader in the capital, overseeing various covert operations and holding a managerial role. Therefore, Li Ji had specifically summoned him to test his ambitions and understand his character—and now it seemed this man was capable.

He thought to himself, "I can't just assign every single superhuman to me. My wife may have inherited the entire spy group, but she might not actually have leadership skills. If I can capture Yin Shen, it will be easier to manage him in the future."

After dinner, having dismissed everyone else and leaving only Cui Cuo to sit with him, Li Ji finally got to the point, asking Yin Shen, "Are you familiar with the affairs of Li Fuguo's household?"

Yin Shen shook his head and replied, "When Lord Cui was alive, he never asked us to secretly observe the movements of Prince Bolu..." The reason is self-evident. At that time, Li Fuguo was extremely powerful. If we were to secretly investigate information about him, Cui Guangyuan would be in deep trouble if discovered. "Besides, he usually lives in the palace and rarely goes home, so it would be useless to investigate."

Seeing the slight regret on Li Ji's face, Yin Shen quickly added, "However, things are different now. Since the Prince of Bolu has been expelled from the palace, it is not difficult to investigate the affairs of his residence. Please give me half a month... no, ten days, and I will have a detailed report."

Li Ji said, "Alright, I'll give you ten days." He then patted Yin Shen on the shoulder and said, "Although Jiu Lang cannot take the imperial examination, he is truly talented. He is more than just a 'loyal servant.' In my opinion, he can be a minister who plans for the country. It's a pity that he is only a ninth-rank official. I will find a way to help him get promoted."

Yin Shen was overjoyed upon hearing this and hurriedly bowed in gratitude.

Ten days later, he came to visit Li Ji again, handing over a whole scroll of documents. Li Ji unfolded it and glanced at it, thinking to himself that the handwriting was not bad at all, and it was indeed a pity that he was only a minor official.

The documents detailed Li Fuguo's current wives, concubines, servants, and even the number of bodyguards, with many people's names, ages, backgrounds, and resumes noted. Furthermore, they meticulously recorded everything about Li Fuguo's daily life at home, including his favorite foods, hobbies, and even who he had met and spoken to in the past few days.

Li Ji didn't pay much attention to the details, but his curiosity was piqued when he looked at the parts about Li Fuguo and his wives and concubines' evening activities...

At the end of the scroll, there is also a detailed structural diagram of the Prince Bolu's mansion.

The information was far more detailed than Li Ji had expected, which made him value Yin Shen even more. Therefore, after closing the scroll, he asked Yin Shen directly, "Under these circumstances, is it possible to sneak into his bedchamber?"

Yin Shen replied, "I cannot, but someone else can."

Li Ji nodded, leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked again, "Is it possible to take his head?"

Upon hearing this, Yin Shen was taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and replied without hesitation, "What is the meaning of this matter—Does Erlang intend to poison him, strangle him, or truly behead him?"

Li Ji waved his hand: "No rush." ​​After a pause, he asked again: "If he is on guard, can we still do it?"

Yin Shen thought for a moment and replied, "It's a little difficult, but not necessarily impossible. After all, they've already lost their footing and can no longer command the Imperial Guards. They can only rely on some strongmen they recruited before, about fifty men, to guard the gate and the courtyard. However, our secret investigations show that they are all dissolute men from the capital region. They may have learned a few days of martial arts and fighting, but they have absolutely no knowledge of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) skills or cunning schemes..."

To put it bluntly, those bodyguards lacked real experience in protecting important figures. They might be quite capable in face-to-face combat, but they were simply no match for martial arts practitioners who could leap across rooftops and ridges.

Li Ji questioned, "I recall something. Back in Ding'an, when Zhou Zhi sent assassins, Li Fuguo also kept some extraordinary people from the Jianghu..."

Yin Shen smiled slightly: "I am quite aware of this matter. Li Fuguo is usually in the palace and rarely goes outside. Where would he recruit martial arts masters? At that time, he borrowed some people from Cui Gongshang, such as Jia Huai, whom Erlang is familiar with..."

Li Ji nodded, listening to Yin Shen continue—

"Jia Huai and the others went with Erlang, and the rest of the followers scattered over the years. Especially now that Li Fuguo has fallen from grace and is in dire straits, who would be willing to follow him? In fact, if there were followers, it would be easier for us to take action..."

The implication is that they can be won over at any time and used as counter-espionage agents.

Li Ji was relieved and then ordered Yin Shen: "You are to assign men to monitor Li Fuguo's residence and await my orders..."

Yin Shen bowed and withdrew. He had just stepped out when a servant came to report, "Mr. Qingyuan requests an audience."

Li Ji raised his hand: "Please come in."

Before long, a sorcerer carrying a banner with four large characters on it, "Skillful in Judging Fortune and Misfortune," stepped into the hall, bowed to Li Ji, and paid his respects.

This sorcerer was named Chang Heng, with the Taoist name Qingyuan. He was one of the martial arts masters recruited by Cui Guangyuan in the past. He originally hid in the Cui residence, pretending to be a servant. A few days ago, Li Ji ordered Cui Qi to bring all the sorcerers from the Cui residence—before Cui Guangyuan died, he handed over all the contracts to Cui Cuo—to personally interview and verify them. Then he felt that this Chang was not suitable to stay in the residence.

Because Chang Heng claimed to possess magical abilities, but in reality it was nothing more than some江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) tricks, using words to match hand gestures. He then performed a few tricks on the spot—actually, he performed a few magic tricks—which left Li Ji quite dazzled. Li Ji didn't understand how the guy did it, so he asked him directly. Knowing that he had changed masters and was afraid of not winning Li Ji's favor, Chang Heng didn't dare to hold back and slowed down his movements, explaining the tricks he used one by one. Li Ji couldn't help but exclaim, "Truly impressive skills!"

Many magic tricks, when you put it bluntly, are often worthless, but there are also some that, without long-term hard practice and the addition of psychological suggestion, are definitely beyond the reach of ordinary people. Chang Heng's magic tricks are mostly like this. His verbal skills are fine, but the dexterity of his hands and the speed of his movements cannot help but make Li Ji admire him while also feeling somewhat apprehensive.

—If we keep this guy at home, he might not be so bad as to secretly keep an awl or dagger close to his body, but he could easily steal money or other important items from the house every few days, which would be impossible to guard against!

So Li Ji temporarily took all the others who came with him as his servants, but for Chang Heng, Li Ji found a different way out. He ordered Cui Cuo to pay for two rooms to be rented for Chang Heng near Xunqiang in Pingkangfang, so that he could resume his identity as a fortune teller before he joined the Cui family, and go through the streets and neighborhoods to gather all kinds of information for him.

As a result, the Li family took in one less servant, but a new man named Qingyuan, who claimed to be able to make infallible predictions, appeared in Chang'an.

Now, Chang Heng came to pay his respects to Li Ji today, and privately reported, "The matter that you sent me to investigate, sir, has been confirmed..."

What did Li Ji ask Chang Heng to find out? It turned out that just a few days ago, more than twenty nominal "former servants of the Cui family" had been recruited. Soon, someone eager to make a contribution secretly reported to Li Ji that the servant Kang Lian had taken advantage of going out to buy things to sneak into a gambling den and gamble with people.

Kang Lian had been a gambler since childhood, and it was through gambling that he met Yuan Jing'an. However, after his family was ruined and he was temporarily taken in as a slave in the Li family, he had no choice but to put away his bad habit. In particular, Li Ji did not hide anything from Kang Lian and told him openly that his family had been implicated because Li Fuguo wanted to seize financial power, demoted Liu Yan and appointed Yuan Zai. When Kang Lian heard that the old eunuch was involved, he was terrified and begged Li Ji not to abandon him. From then on, he behaved himself and seemed to have completely changed his ways and become a new person.

But now that Li Fuguo has fallen from grace and been demoted, Kang Lian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. He even begged Li Ji to grant him a day off to sweep the graves of his father and brother. After Kang Qian and his son were executed, it was Li Ji who paid for and found people to collect their remains, which were then hastily buried outside Qixia Gate.

It was probably only when Kang Lian relaxed that he finally reverted to his old ways.

Originally, with Kang Qian entrusted to him, Li Ji didn't treat Kang Lian as his own servant—of course, to avoid suspicion, most of the people in the household were unaware—and was generally quite lenient with him. Therefore, Kang Qian running off to gamble was considered a minor matter. The problem was that a servant reported that Kang Qian had lost a whole thousand coins in just half a day!

Upon hearing the report, Li Ji was astonished. Kang Lian had been brought directly from the Dali Temple prison to the Li residence, penniless and even his clothes were torn. It was only thanks to the Li family that he was given clean new clothes. Although the servants also received monthly stipends, the amount was extremely small. Even in two or three years, they probably couldn't save up a thousand coins. So where did Kang Lian get the money he lost?

Stealing from home? Impossible. Qingluan is very strict with money. Even if Cui Cuo were in charge now, it wouldn't be easy for someone to steal so much money right under her nose. Besides, Kang Lian isn't like Chang Heng, who has such clever methods.

So Li Ji didn't reveal the truth for the time being, but ordered people to keep a close eye on Kang Lian and secretly observe his movements—there were countless spies in the mansion, and as for those outside the mansion, that would have to be done by Chang Heng.

Chang Heng reported to Li Ji that Kang Lian had gone out gambling again today. However, before entering the gambling den, he first circled around the East Market and went to a certain shop on a certain street. When he came out, his waist was bulging, probably with copper coins tucked in. Of course, that guy was too unlucky and lost it all again.

Li Ji felt a headache coming on. He wanted to summon Kang Lian directly for questioning, but he feared that without evidence, the man would refuse to admit it. If he were to be punished according to family law, he would be failing Kang Qian's trust... So that night, on the bed, he brought up the matter with Cui Cuo. Cui Cuo said, "Young master is destined for great things and spends his days in the yamen, so there is no need to concern yourself with such trivial matters. If you trust me, just leave it to me."

Li Ji embraced his wife and smiled slightly, "Of course I trust you, but..." He hesitated for a moment, then clicked his tongue, "Old Hu Kang entrusted his son to me, so it's not appropriate to be harsh on him."

Cui Cuo curled his lip and said, "Old Hu almost wiped out his entire family because his son was incompetent and committed illegal acts. So he entrusted his youngest son to you, sir. How can you not keep him in check? Moreover, Old Hu has a backup plan, but he hasn't revealed a word to you. He was unfaithful first, so why shouldn't you break your promise later..."

He paused for a moment, then added, "And that fine wine, hasn't it been several months since it was delivered?"

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Chang'an Gambling House

On this day, Kang Lian was once again ordered to go to the market to buy some cloth to make clothes.

When he first entered the Li household, he absolutely dared not go out, fearing that if he took a single step, the officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture or the Dali Temple would rush out and tie him up with ropes. It wasn't until Li Yu ascended the throne and Li Ji was promoted to the fifth rank that he figured no one would dare to arrest his slaves privately anymore. Only then did he take the initiative to make a request, saying that he was, after all, the son of a merchant and was familiar with the market and prices, so why not let him handle the purchasing in the future?

Li Ji knew that he was a dissolute young man who not only served as a slave but also rarely left his home. He must feel stifled and probably wanted to go out for a walk, so Li Ji granted his request.

Therefore, all the purchasing tasks of the Li family—except for small businesses like calling vegetable farmers or peddlers to the door—were handed over to Kang Lian. He always completed them perfectly, and the things he bought, whether Qingluan or Cuicuo, were all satisfactory. Moreover, even if he pocketed some of the money, it was probably not much, and everyone turned a blind eye and let it go.