Chapter 19

It turned out that the Second Fool who had to give him money and invite him to meals was not just one person, but a group of people. Most importantly, each of them had significant backgrounds, all capable of causing a stir on Chang'an Street, making young women and girls scatter in fear.

Among these people were rascals from military families like Cheng Chumo, and those from families of civil officials like Changsun Chong. Regardless, all these guys had a background tied to the Qin王府 (Qin Mansion).

Their fathers had all fought alongside Li Er in the north and south, establishing great military achievements!

It turned out that during this period, Li Er was vigorously integrating various forces, striving to achieve a balance of power. Now, the court was divided into three factions: the court officials of the Li Yuan lineage, the faction of Jiancheng and Yuanji, and the original Tiance Mansion faction of Li Er.

The art of balance was a required course for a successful emperor. At any time, the court could not lose its balance, otherwise, it would threaten the emperor's throne.

To put it simply, if the court were compared to a cricket fight, the emperor would be the villain sitting outside the cricket jar, holding a grass stick in his hand, constantly provoking the crickets to fight.

Therefore, what the emperor needed to do was to ensure that the various factions were balanced. Only then could the emperor return to the harem with peace of mind, flirt with his concubines, and even create a couple of little ones.

However, it didn't matter what kind of balancing act Li Er was trying to pull off. The political storms in the court made these rascals immediately feel that a harsh winter had arrived, seriously threatening their survival.

Every day, they went to work trembling, and when they returned home, the house was cold and everyone tiptoed around, afraid of disturbing others.

Life was unbearable! When the rascals met, they could only look at each other in silence, with tears streaming down their faces!

But, there was always a way out! At this time, a troublemaker appeared in Chang'an. It was said that anyone who had even a slight connection with this troublemaker would be exiled to the Ge Wu Academy, a place where even birds wouldn't defecate and no one cared about.

The rascals felt that heaven had not abandoned them, but had opened a small path to spring when they felt most desperate.

No one cared about the place! This way, they wouldn't have to live in fear every day, they could stand tall and do whatever they wanted!

Didn't you see how Cheng Chumo, that bastard, was overjoyed after learning he was exiled to the Ge Wu Academy, counting the days until the troublemaker returned from the mountains?

Zhao Chen was furious! His whole body was trembling. He knew it wouldn't be good, a bunch of bastards, his reputation as a troublemaker had already made his life difficult, and these bastards were making it worse, helping Li Er solidify his reputation as a troublemaker.

"I won't go! Whoever wants to go can go!" He beat up Cheng Chumo, sat on the ground, and said angrily.

They were just a bunch of pests. If it weren't for the contributions of their fathers, who would bother with them? They all thought they were important, always worrying about being caught by someone, and dragging their families into trouble.

They were just scaring themselves. Li Er was indeed busy integrating various forces, but what were they? Hadn't they heard that there was a group of teenagers aged fifteen or sixteen in the court?

Cheng Chumo looked at him with a sad expression, the pleading in his eyes was obvious. Clearly, this bastard had already taken the responsibility with a chest-thumping promise.

"Damn it! I tricked you, but you can't take revenge so quickly! Can we still be brothers after this?"

There was no choice but to explain the situation to Cheng Chumo, to make these poor rascals fully realize that they were just caterpillars.

"Xiao Chen, is what you said true?" Cheng Chumo, though unhappy about being compared to a caterpillar, knew it was a small matter compared to the future of his brothers.

Zhao Chen rolled his eyes. Of course it was true! In the vast bureaucracy of the Tang Dynasty, these rascals didn't even qualify as the lowest shrimp, always living in fear, never asking their elders for advice.

Cheng Chumo was now happy. He trusted Zhao Chen completely, because his father had personally praised Zhao Chen.

Uncle Qin and his father were life-and-death friends, so Zhao Chen's deeds in the mountains were told to his father in detail, who praised Zhao Chen as a young talent with great intelligence.

Understanding that everything was just his imagination, Cheng Chumo immediately left Zhao Chen and others, running off to report the good news.

Watching Cheng Chumo leave like the wind, Zhao Chen was stunned, then slapped his forehead. What a fool! Not taking the money these rascals offered, where would he sleep tonight?

There was no choice but to rely on himself. He secretly bought a small piece of glass, a small horse treading on a swallow, for less than five coins.

He then carefully handed the glass to Hu Lu, telling him it was a gift from his master and to exchange it for money.

Hu Lu, as the chief of the Chang'an inn, was a smooth-talking man who knew all the trades in Chang'an. This kind of task was best left to someone like Hu Lu.

When Hu Lu saw the glass in Zhao Chen's hand, his mouth opened wide enough to fit a fist. Glass was a rare commodity in the Tang Dynasty, more valuable than gold.

However, the glass in the hands of the Hu people was nothing compared to the one in Zhao Chen's hand!

Hu Lu left with the glass, his steps unsteady, looking like he was still drunk. He San and Lao Zhuang watched him leave, looking at Zhao Chen with a desire to speak but holding back.

One must always be cautious. Was it appropriate to entrust such valuable glass to someone like Hu Lu?

As noon approached, they heard Cheng Chumo's loud voice outside. Soon, he brought in a young man in a green robe.

Seeing the green robe, Zhao Chen's lips twitched. He had one too, given to him by the Ministry of Works last night, the official robe of the Ge Wu Academy. Clearly, another unlucky person had been exiled to the Ge Wu Academy.

However, this unlucky person didn't seem to realize his fate, looking very excited, and walking arm-in-arm with Cheng Chumo, clearly up to no good.

"Ah! This must be the famous Zhao brother of Chang'an!" The newcomer was very polite, bowing slightly to Zhao Chen, but his words made Zhao Chen want to beat him up.

What does "famous in Chang'an" mean? Just say I'm a troublemaker!

"Oh, where are your manners? May I ask your name, brother?" There was no need to quarrel over a careless remark. Zhao Chen immediately mimicked the young man's gesture, bowing slightly and speaking politely.

"I am Changsun Chong!" Changsun Chong bowed slightly to Zhao Chen, speaking in a very cultured manner.

"Oh, it's Brother Changsun! What a pleasure to meet you!" Zhao Chen also bowed slightly to Changsun Chong, speaking politely.

Cheng Chumo looked pained, as if to say, "Keep up the act!"

"May I ask, Brother Changsun, what brings you to our Ge Wu Academy today?" Zhao Chen's face turned cold. This guy had come uninvited, treating the place as a refuge, but he hadn't considered the trouble he was bringing.

From now on, the reputation of the troublemaker in Chang'an would be solidified, impossible to remove. In such a situation, who would be willing to marry their daughter to him?

A bunch of bastards, only thinking of themselves, dragging him into the mess!

"To be honest, I have heard that our Tang Dynasty's Ge Wu Academy is newly established and in need of support. Therefore, I have come to offer my humble assistance, hoping to help the Ge Wu Academy flourish in the Tang Dynasty!"

Changsun Chong spoke with a melancholy expression, pulling out a small bag from his sleeve and waving it in front of Zhao Chen.

"Brother Changsun, your concern for the future of the Tang Dynasty is truly a model for young men!" Zhao Chen walked up, warmly clasping Changsun Chong's arms, looking like he was saying, "With you, our Ge Wu Academy will surely flourish." However, when he pulled away, the small bag of gold in Changsun Chong's hand had mysteriously ended up in Zhao Chen's sleeve.

Cheng Chumo watched this shameless scene, covering his face with his hand, cursing these two shameless bastards in his heart.

After Changsun Chong, the entrance to the Ge Wu Academy began to see a steady stream of carriages, filled with daily necessities. Along with these carriages came young men in green robes, chatting and laughing as if they were on vacation at the Ge Wu Academy.

Zhao Chen was no longer as patient as he had been with Changsun Chong. He stood at the entrance like a door god, saying, "If you want to enter the Ge Wu Academy, pay up!"

The once respectable Ge Wu Academy had now become a concentration camp for the rascals of Chang'an, all dressed in green robes, looking menacing, making Zhao Chen sigh.

"Brother Xiao Chen, I am Qin Huaidao, my father sent me here!" Just as he was sighing, a young, clear voice rang out. Looking up, he saw a child of about five or six years old, with two buns on his head, looking like a porcelain doll.

There was no need to ask whose son this was. In the entire Tang Dynasty, only Old Qin would send his child to the Ge Wu Academy.

Old Qin had been good to him! At a time when his reputation as a troublemaker was already notorious, Old Qin still dared to send his son, subtly reducing the impact on him.

He quickly led Qin Huaidao to his tent to settle him down, not wanting him to fall into the hands of those rascals, and not wanting Old Qin to regret sending his child.

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