The Magpie Occupies the Magpie's Nest

Imperial Palace.

As the morning court just ended, countless officials walked out of a grand hall one after another.

Although His Majesty had not attended court for ten years, the morning assemblies held on the first and fifteenth of each month were still presided over by a prince, as per tradition. Officials of Chang'an ranked fifth or higher were required to attend court to participate in discussions and decisions on important state affairs.

Today's morning court was like any other, a routine affair with no particularly significant events, and it concluded very early.

Pei Zhe, the Magistrate of Chang'an, was among the last to leave the Golden Hall. As the magistrate of a single county, he was undoubtedly the top authority in a small town, but in Chang'an, a city teeming with dignitaries, a fifth-rank magistrate was insignificant. He could only stand in the most remote corner during morning court, like a commoner.

After the court dispersed, officials gathered in small groups, chatting and laughing as they headed to their respective government offices.

Ahead of Pei Zhe, several officials were discussing a matter.

"What, Lord Li's son is no longer foolish?"

"More than not foolish, his quick wit and intelligence are unmatched among the younger generation. Those two birthday poems even earned him praise from Lord Xu, who said that in terms of poetic talent and quick thinking, no one among the younger generation could compare..."

"Really?"

"Could it be fake? Last night, at Old Madam Song's birthday banquet, I saw and heard it with my own eyes. How could such a young and talented individual be foolish?"

"Strange, strange..."

"What's so strange about it? Like father, like son. Have you forgotten who his father is? In my opinion, he might have been deliberately hiding his talents all these years. Think about it, would the Song family marry their most cherished daughter to a fool?"

"That makes sense..."

Pei Zhe followed behind the crowd, not expecting to hear news of Li Nuo from these court officials this morning.

From their descriptions alone, he could imagine what had happened at the Song Manor's birthday banquet last night.

He felt a small sense of pride.

After all, he knew about this matter much earlier than everyone present.

However, Li Nuo was truly strange. He could barely recognize a full set of characters, yet he composed such excellent poems and possessed rare calligraphy skills... Pei Zhe shook his head. The man was full of contradictions.

He returned to the county office by sedan chair and, from a distance, saw figures in the court hall, accompanied by the sound of the court rapper.

His brow furrowed. In the Chang'an County Office, he was the only one qualified to preside over court cases. Today, whether it was Assistant Magistrate Zhang or Lieutenant Wang, daring to overstep their authority in his absence. It was one thing for them to gang up and ostracize him these days, but today they had completely disregarded him!

Pei Zhe strode into the court hall with a stern face. He looked at the figure beneath the "Bright Mirror Hanging High" and, after a slight pause, his anger instantly turned into a smile. He raised his hand and said, "Young Master, good morning..."

Pei Zhe had met countless sons of officials in Chang'an.

Some enjoyed visiting brothels, being VIP guests at the various establishments in Chang'an. Some loved gambling, frequenting the casinos. Others were devoted to feasting and drinking, lingering in various taverns. Some liked to roam the streets of Chang'an with a group of lackeys, acting arrogantly...

Of course, there were also young talents who had mastered the Six Arts at a young age.

Only Li Nuo was unlike them.

As a top-ranking noble son of Chang'an, he had no other hobbies except for presiding over court cases and handling the trivial matters of the common people.

As the Magistrate of Chang'an, Pei Zhe himself found these trivial matters troublesome.

How could he find joy in them?

The peculiar habits of these noble sons truly could not be judged by ordinary standards...

Deep down, Li Nuo also did not wish to handle these daily disputes.

This morning, he had handled five cases.

But none of them were major cases – just fights, property disputes, or marital entanglements. The most severe punishment was a few strokes of the cane or a few days in prison. He had been busy all morning, and not even half a day's lifespan had been added.

To increase his lifespan, cases punishable by exile were the minimum requirement.

After concluding the last case, Li Nuo looked at the Magistrate of Chang'an standing beside him and asked, "I've usurped your position and judged Magistrate Pei's cases. Magistrate Pei won't be angry, will he?"

Pei Zhe repeatedly waved his hands and said, "No, no, how could I be..."

"That's good," Li Nuo smiled and asked again, "Are there any other cases besides these?"

Pei Zhe shook his head and said, "None today."

He wasn't as idle as Li Nuo.

As the magistrate of a county, his duties included educating the populace, apprehending bandits and thieves, encouraging agriculture, hearing lawsuits and judging cases, collecting taxes and levies, fostering education and nurturing morality, caring for orphans and widows, repairing bridges and roads, providing disaster relief and aiding the poor... and so on.

Hearing lawsuits and judging cases was only a small part of his duties, and it was already quite good that he could allocate some time every few days to do it.

Unless it was a special circumstance like a major case or a murder, the cases to be heard today and which specific cases would be heard were usually scheduled at least two to three days in advance. Relevant parties needed to be notified, and the runners had to conduct preliminary investigations. All of today's cases had been concluded by Li Nuo.

However, he had to admit, Li Nuo's handling of cases was methodical and proper, making him seem more like a true official than Pei Zhe himself.

Although he was not yet familiar with the Great Xia Codex and needed to consult legal texts for each case, the confidence he exuded while judging cases gave Pei Zhe the impression that he had been immersed in this line of work for many years.

Li Nuo and the Magistrate of Chang'an were somewhat colleagues, and he knew the procedures of this profession.

In later generations, court sessions were not held on a whim; considerable preparation was required before court. But he couldn't be idle for the entire afternoon either, so he asked the Magistrate of Chang'an to move tomorrow's scheduled cases to this afternoon and instructed the constables of the county office to notify the relevant personnel.

Pei Zhe did not comment on this.

Although he was not an official of the Chang'an County Office and had no authority to judge cases, he couldn't afford to offend Li Nuo's father. Moreover, Li Nuo was doing good deeds for the people. As a top noble of Chang'an, unlike other dissolute young masters, he did not harm the populace or threaten the court. He didn't visit brothels or gamble, nor did he bully people with his status. What was wrong with having some positive and unusual hobbies?

Since this young master enjoyed judging cases, let him do it. It also served to lighten his own burden.

However, arranging these matters would take some time. Since it was lunchtime, Pei Zhe politely asked, "It's almost time for lunch. My wife made dumplings today, would you like to join us, Young Master?"

In his opinion, a high-born Young Master like Li Nuo would surely be very particular about his meals and would likely refuse.

He was just going to eat himself, so he offered a casual invitation.

"Dumplings?" To his surprise, Li Nuo's eyebrows shot up, and he immediately said, "I left in such a hurry this morning that I didn't even have time for breakfast. I'm quite hungry..."

Pei Zhe blinked in surprise and tentatively asked, "Then... shall we go eat in the back office?"

Li Nuo was hungry and said eagerly, "Let's go! I love dumplings, and I'm looking forward to tasting your wife's cooking..."

Pei Zhe glanced at the decisive Li Nuo and suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

He couldn't quite figure out whether Li Nuo liked the dumplings, or something else