The Magpie's Nest

Imperial Palace.

The morning court had just ended, and countless officials streamed out of a great hall.

Although His Majesty had not attended court for ten years, the court assemblies on the first and fifteenth of every month were still held as usual, presided over by one of the princes. All officials in Chang'an of fifth rank or higher had to attend and take part in discussions and decisions on important affairs of state.

Today's morning court had proceeded just like any other routine session. Nothing of particular importance had happened, and it had ended early.

Magistrate of Chang'an Pei Zhe was one of the last few people to leave the Golden Hall. A county magistrate might be the undisputed top dog in a small place, but in Chang'an, where the powerful were everywhere, a fifth-rank magistrate was worth less than a fart. At court, he could only stand in the most remote corner like some lackey.

After the court session, officials gathered in groups of three or five. They made their way to their respective offices, chatting and laughing as they went.

A few officials ahead of Pei Zhe were discussing something.

"What? Lord Li's son isn't an idiot anymore?"

"Not only is he not an idiot, but his quick wit is beyond that of most young men. Even Lord Xu praised those two birthday poems to no end, saying his poetic talent and quick thinking were unmatched among the younger generation..."

"Is that true?"

"How could it be false? I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears at Old Madam Song's birthday banquet last night. How could such a promising young man be an idiot?"

"How strange, how strange..."

"What's so strange about it? Like father, like son. Just think about who his father is. In my opinion, he may have been deliberately hiding his talents all these years. Think about it—would the Song Family let a heaven-blessed beauty marry an idiot?"

"That makes sense..."

Walking behind the others, Pei Zhe hadn't expected to hear news about Li Nuo from these court officials first thing that morning.

Just from their descriptions, he could imagine what had happened at the birthday banquet at Song Manor the night before.

He felt a little smug.

After all, he knew about it earlier than anyone else there.

Still, Li Nuo really was a strange one. He could barely recognize all the characters, yet he wrote such good poetry—and his handwriting was exceptionally fine, too... Pei Zhe shook his head. There were far too many contradictions about him.

As his sedan chair carried him back to the county office, Pei Zhe spotted indistinct figures in the Court Hall from a distance, accompanied by the sound of a Court Rapper.

His brows knitted. At the Chang'an County Office, he was the only one with the authority to hold court and hear cases. Whether it was Assistant Magistrate Zhang or Lieutenant Wang, one of them had dared to take his place while he was away. It was bad enough that they had joined forces to make things difficult for him lately, but now they were completely disregarding him!

Pei Zhe strode into the Court Hall with a dark expression. He looked toward the figure beneath the plaque that read "A Clear Mirror Hangs High." After a brief moment of surprise, the anger on his face instantly turned to a smile. He raised a hand in greeting. "Good morning, young master..."

Pei Zhe had met countless young scions of Chang'an's official families.

Some liked to visit brothels and were regulars at the city's finest establishments. Some liked to gamble and haunted Chang'an's casinos. Others were fond of food and drink, lingering in one restaurant after another. And some enjoyed swaggering through Chang'an Street with a pack of lackeys...

Of course, there were also talented young men who had mastered the Six Arts at an early age.

But he had never met anyone like Li Nuo.

As a scion of one of Chang'an's most powerful official families, he had no other hobby. He simply liked holding court and handling the everyday trifles of the common people.

As the Magistrate of Chang'an, even Pei Zhe found those petty disputes a headache.

How could Li Nuo enjoy them?

The quirks of these powerful young masters really couldn't be judged by ordinary standards...

Truth be told, Li Nuo wasn't keen on handling everyday disputes either.

He had dealt with five cases that morning.

None had been serious. They were all fights, property disputes, or marital troubles. The harshest punishment had been a few strokes of the whip and a few days in jail. After working all morning, he hadn't even gained half a day of life.

To increase his lifespan, he needed cases serious enough to warrant an Imprisonment Sentence at the very least.

After wrapping up the last case, Li Nuo looked at the Magistrate of Chang'an standing beside him and asked, "I've usurped your place and passed judgment on your cases, Lord Pei. You aren't angry, are you?"

Pei Zhe waved his hands repeatedly. "Of course not. How could I be?"

"Good." Li Nuo smiled, then asked, "Are there any other cases besides these?"

Pei Zhe shook his head. "There aren't any more today."

He certainly didn't have as much free time as Li Nuo.

As the magistrate of a county, his duties included educating the people, catching thieves and bandits, encouraging agriculture and sericulture, hearing lawsuits and passing judgment, collecting taxes and labor levies, promoting welfare and education, caring for orphans and widows, building bridges and roads, providing disaster relief and aid to the poor... and so on and so forth.

Hearing lawsuits and passing judgment was only a small part of his duties. Being able to set aside a little time for it every few days was already quite good.

Unless a special circumstance arose, such as a serious crime or a murder, the cases to be heard each day—and which cases they would be—were usually decided at least two or three days in advance. The relevant parties had to be notified, and the constables needed to investigate beforehand. Li Nuo had already heard all of today's cases.

Still, Li Nuo had handled them with a clear method and a proper sense of order. He seemed more like a magistrate who served the people than Pei Zhe did.

Li Nuo and the Magistrate of Chang'an were practically in the same line of work, so he knew the process.

Even in later generations, a trial wasn't something you could just start on a whim. A great deal of preparation had to be done beforehand. But he couldn't spend the whole afternoon idle, so he had the Magistrate of Chang'an move the cases scheduled for tomorrow to this afternoon and asked the county office's constables to notify the relevant parties.

Pei Zhe didn't object.

Though he was an official at the Chang'an County Office and had no authority to hear cases, he couldn't afford to offend Li Nuo's father. Besides, this was work for the people. The young master was one of Chang'an's most powerful nobles, yet unlike other wastrels, he neither preyed on the people nor endangered the court. He didn't visit brothels, gamble, or throw his weight around. What was wrong with having a slightly unusual hobby that kept him on the straight and narrow?

If this young master liked hearing cases, then let him. It would lighten Pei Zhe's own burden, too.

But making these arrangements would take a little time. Since it was nearly lunchtime, Pei Zhe asked out of courtesy, "It's almost time for lunch. My wife made dumplings today. Would you like to join us for some?"

In his view, a high-born young master like Li Nuo would be very particular about his meals and would probably decline.

He was only on his way to eat himself, so he had offered a casual, polite invitation.

"Dumplings?" Li Nuo raised his brows. To Pei Zhe's surprise, he immediately said, "I left in a hurry this morning and didn't even have time for breakfast. I'm a little hungry..."

Pei Zhe froze, then ventured, "In that case... would you like to have some in the rear office?"

Li Nuo was famished and could hardly wait. "Let's go. I love dumplings. I'd be glad to try your wife's cooking..."

Pei Zhe glanced at Li Nuo, who had agreed without the slightest hesitation, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

For a moment, he couldn't tell whether Li Nuo liked the dumplings—or something else...