Chapter 37

PS: Thank you, Old Corn, for your generous reward of 200 Qidian coins again! I bow in gratitude!

Thank you to all the brothers and sisters who have silently supported Lord Hou all along. Taibao bows in gratitude!

As Qin Haidao explained in detail, Zhao Chen felt an immense sense of pride, thinking that his careful guidance had not been in vain! After Qin Haidao finished explaining, Zhao Chen affectionately patted his head and gestured for him to go play with Liu Huer.

"Do you still insist that this is a deliberate trick by Zhao Chen?" As Qin Haidao skipped away, Zhao Chen turned around, his face cold, and looked at the eunuchs in the room, speaking in a cold voice.

"It's our stupidity, please don't blame the court judge!" At this point, someone finally realized the severity of the situation. Hearing Zhao Chen's cold words, one of the eunuchs stood up, his face pale, and said.

"Stupid?" Zhao Chen, hearing this, opened his mouth in surprise and said incredulously, "I already told the Empress that those sent to learn the glass-making technique must be intelligent. How could she have forgotten? Oh, I see, I'll have to go and explain it to her again!"

"Judge, you mustn't!" When Zhao Chen said this, everyone in the room turned pale and shouted in fear, "If you report this to the Empress, our lives will be in danger. Please think twice, Judge!"

Zhao Chen shook his head with a cold smile. These eunuchs had been arrogant just a moment ago. He had rolled on the ground in front of Li Er and Changsun because they held the power of life and death in the empire.

These eunuchs thought he was easy to bully. They dared to show off in front of him. Damn, do they really think anyone can defecate on his head?

They were just a bunch of eunuchs. When he was in the deep mountains, even the old eunuchs treated him with respect. How could their status in the palace be higher than that of the old eunuchs?

"Judge!" Seeing Zhao Chen shake his head coldly, the eunuchs turned pale, their eyes filled with panic, and they looked at Zhao Chen with obvious pleading.

"It's no use. I still advise you to go back and explain the situation to the Empress now. Otherwise, when I personally report this to her, you know the consequences!" Zhao Chen shook his head coldly, showing no leniency.

"Fine, I'll remember this!" Seeing Zhao Chen's firm attitude, one of the eunuchs stood up, gave Zhao Chen a sinister smile, and left the room. The other eunuchs glared at Zhao Chen and followed him out.

"Damn!" Watching the eunuchs leave, Zhao Chen slammed his hand on the table. If it weren't for Changsun, he could guarantee that these eunuchs would have a terrible fate today!

After all, they were sent by Empress Changsun, so he couldn't be too harsh!

The young nobles of the Academy of Natural Philosophy, seeing the eunuchs who had come in arrogantly in the morning now leave in disgrace, burst into loud cheers.

"A bunch of eunuchs, is it worth it?" Daoist Sun came over to check Zhao Chen's pulse. Seeing his still grim face, he shook his head in confusion.

"Daoist, do you think I've been too weak in the past, allowing these eunuchs to show off in front of me?" Zhao Chen, thinking about recent events, suddenly looked at Sun Simiao and asked in confusion.

"Smack!" Zhao Chen's head was slapped by Sun Simiao, who said lightly, "At your young age, how can you have so many strange thoughts? Spend this time copying more prescriptions for me!"

Zhao Chen, slapped by Sun Simiao, sighed in disappointment and decided to go and copy the prescriptions for the old Daoist.

Before copying the prescriptions, he went to Hu Lu's dormitory. Hu Lu was well-informed about everything in Chang'an, and entrusting the task of finding a house to him was the best choice.

Hu Lu, upon hearing this, slapped his chest and said he would take care of it, promising to find a satisfactory house for Zhao Chen within two days.

"By the way, do you have any special requirements?" After slapping his chest, Hu Lu quickly poured a cup of water for Zhao Chen, handed it to him, and asked with a smile.

"No special requirements. The house shouldn't be too shabby. The price doesn't matter as long as the house is good. I'm not short of money!" Zhao Chen took the tea Hu Lu had made, sipped it carefully, and thought about what Old Qin had said, then instructed Hu Lu.

Everyone he dealt with was from the upper class of the Tang Dynasty. Old Qin was right; the house shouldn't be too shabby, or it would be a disgrace to Old Qin.

"Alright, if that's all, I know of a few good houses in Wannian County. I'll go check them out!" Hu Lu, hearing this, frowned slightly, then smiled and said.

"Right, I'll pay you later. Don't touch the money I gave you earlier!" Since Hu Lu said it was no problem, Zhao Chen didn't worry too much. He would check the house himself anyway. He suddenly remembered something and quickly instructed Hu Lu, so he wouldn't misuse the money and get noted by Changsun.

"Okay!" Hu Lu smiled and nodded. The incident with the glass had taught him a lesson, so he followed Zhao Chen's instructions without question.

Leaving Hu Lu's place and returning to his room, Zhao Chen found Liu Huer sitting alone, his gaze vacant. Recalling Qin Haidao's mischievous smile earlier, Zhao Chen knew Liu Huer had been tricked by Qin Haidao.

Curious about how Liu Huer had been tricked, Zhao Chen sat down beside him, giving him an encouraging look, hoping he would tell him.

Unfortunately, Zhao Chen was disappointed. Liu Huer, seeing Zhao Chen sit down, glared at him, probably thinking Zhao Chen had disturbed his meditation. He then silently wheeled himself out of the room.

Watching Liu Huer leave, Zhao Chen scratched his chin in boredom. Since Liu Huer didn't want to talk, he couldn't force him. It was a matter of children's intelligence.

Whistling, he went to the window and observed the small yellow sprouts emerging from the soil in the pots. Then, he closed the door, took out the book "Compendium of Materia Medica," and began copying.

He was almost done copying the "Compendium of Materia Medica." Zhao Chen was considering whether to continue copying other medical books after finishing this one.

In the past few days, Daoist Sun had mentioned several times that he wanted to go to the mountains to collect herbs. Many of the herbs in the "Compendium of Materia Medica" were new to him, so he wanted to collect them and test their properties.

With the snow about to seal the mountains, Zhao Chen thought Daoist Sun was clearly obsessed!

True to his reputation as a well-informed person in Chang'an, Hu Lu returned happily in the evening after being instructed in the morning. His efficiency was impressive.

Zhao Chen quickly made a bowl of ginger tea for Hu Lu, who had been freezing outside all day. When he returned, his nose was dripping, which was a bit disgusting.

"I ran around Chang'an County all afternoon, and it wasn't in vain!" Hu Lu, holding the ginger tea Zhao Chen handed him, blew on it carefully and said proudly, "It's the court judge's good luck. There's a house in Xinghua Fang that the owner, a tea merchant, is eager to sell because he needs to return to Luoyang."

"How is the house?" Zhao Chen, hearing this, became interested. A house for sale urgently would still have a lively atmosphere, unlike those that had been empty for a long time, which were cold and had a lingering musty smell.

"A two-story courtyard, the house is in good condition!" Hu Lu said, then sighed and looked at Zhao Chen with difficulty, "However, the price is a bit high, about ten percent more than other houses."

"No problem, I'm not short of money!" Zhao Chen, hearing this, said indifferently, "As long as the house is good, that's fine. How about we go and take a look now?"

"Sure!" Hu Lu, hearing this, agreed immediately. The two then left the Academy of Natural Philosophy and headed to the house in Xinghua Fang.

The house was located on the west side of Xinghua Fang, covering about ten acres, with a two-story courtyard divided into front and back sections.

The large house had a half-acre pond in the middle, filled with lotus flowers. It was early winter, and the lotus flowers had withered, but a few koi could still be seen swimming in the pond.

The house had good lighting, and there was a large open space in the back courtyard. If some trees were planted, it would be a perfect place to relax in the summer.

"This house was renovated by me two years ago. If I weren't in a hurry to return to Luoyang, I wouldn't be selling it," the owner said, accompanying Zhao Chen and Hu Lu as they toured the house.

"No problem, I'll take the house!" Zhao Chen, after looking around, found that the house was indeed as good as Hu Lu had said, with excellent feng shui and location. He then smiled at the owner.

The owner was eager to return to Luoyang, and Zhao Chen wanted to move in before the snow. Since both parties were satisfied, they went to the county office the next day to exchange the deed.

Leaving the county office, Zhao Chen looked at the deed in his hand, still fresh with ink, and felt a strange sensation. From this moment on, he was truly a Tang Dynasty person!

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