The existence of rest days was indeed meaningful. After attending a family banquet at the Song Family yesterday and spending most of the day with Song Mu'er, much of the fatigue Li Nuo had accumulated over the past several days had vanished, and he felt considerably more relaxed.
If he had learned "the proper balance between tension and relaxation" a little earlier, he definitely would not have pushed himself so hard in his previous life, and he would not have ended up here.
For the entire day, Li Nuo presided over cases at the Chang'an County Office as usual.
It was not until the office closed that his lifespan increased by three days.
The number of cases he handled each day was gradually dwindling. After all, this was at the Son of Heaven's feet—how could there be so many cases? The bustling scenes of the previous few days had merely been the backlog. Li Nuo estimated that after a few more days, being able to gain two days of lifespan for every day's worth of cases would already be quite good.
So he had to find a way to create more achievements for himself.
To him, achievements were life.
After the office closed, Li Nuo walked out of the Court Hall and waved at a figure in the courtyard.
Lieutenant Wang came running over eagerly, his face wreathed in smiles. "Young Master, what are your orders?"
Li Nuo said, "Bring some men and come with me somewhere."
"At your command!"
Lieutenant Wang asked nothing at all and immediately went to gather his men.
Steward Wu was still thinking about the meal at home and asked Li Nuo in confusion, "Young Master, aren't we going home?"
Li Nuo said, "First, we're going to Yunmeng Academy."
Steward Wu did not ask what Li Nuo was going to Yunmeng Academy for. He had already grown accustomed to his young master's unfathomable [inexplicable] way of doing things.
When they had left the house that morning, the young master had even told him to arrange for some rolling pins to be prepared. To this day, he still had no idea what they were for.
If the young master were going somewhere else, he might have to make arrangements in advance to ensure his safety. But Yunmeng Academy was inside Chang'an City, not far from the bustling streets. If anything dangerous happened, he only needed to send a signal, and the Imperial Guard patrolling the city would soon arrive.
In Great Xia today, the Imperial examination was the only path to entering officialdom.
This rule had been established when the Founding Ancestor established the nation, and had never been changed over the centuries.
Whether they were princes and nobles or the sons of officials, anyone seeking an official post had to pass the Imperial examination. This had led to academies of every size springing up throughout Great Xia. As the capital, Chang'an was even more crowded with academies.
The Imperial examination covered the Confucian school curriculum: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics—the Six Arts. It was impossible to master them through self-study, so the various academies had spent heavily to hire teachers proficient in each discipline. Within the academies, students could receive the most comprehensive instruction.
Precisely because these resources were monopolized, even the cost of attending a small academy was extremely high. Academy students were either rich or noble. Academies were the source of court officials, and the officials in court naturally came from powerful noble clans.
As one of Chang'an's four great academies, Yunmeng Academy's reputation was not as illustrious as that of the other three, but it was still not to be underestimated. Few Civil Officials in Great Xia had come from Yunmeng Academy, but more than half of the military commanders in the army hailed from there.
It was not the cradle of Civil Officials, but it was the cradle of military commanders.
Whenever the Great Xia Nobility hoped their sons might make something of themselves in the army in the future, they would usually send them to Yunmeng Academy for advanced study.
The gate of Yunmeng Academy faced bustling Chang'an Street. Behind the academy was a secluded woodland, its paths crisscrossing beneath the trees, with the occasional teahouse, bookshop, or Music Workshop tucked away among them.
Though it was not as lively as Chang'an Street, its quiet surroundings still often drew academy students, and business was fairly good.
At that moment, in a teahouse in the woods, on the second floor in a private room.
Li Nuo sat by the window and took a light sip of tea, gazing outside. From here, he could see the academy's rear gate.
The academy dismissed its students half an hour later than the government offices closed. Only sparse figures could be seen there.
Li Nuo prayed that Song Yu and the others would not stand him up.
Lieutenant Wang and more than a dozen constables and bailiffs were drinking tea in another private room. They were paying for the tea themselves, and since this counted as overtime, he would have to pay them overtime wages as well. He did not want that money to go to waste.
"Knock, knock, knock..."
As several deep bell tolls rang out, figures began emerging continuously from the academy's rear gate.
Most of them were young people, moving in groups of two or three, either entering teahouses and restaurants or heading into bookshops and Music Workshops. At one point, more than a dozen figures emerged from the academy in a mighty procession. When the others saw them, they hurriedly moved aside.
"Aren't those the Zhou brothers? What are they gathering so many people for?"
"They don't look friendly..."
"I wonder who's going to have bad luck this time."
Amid the crowd's muttering, a group led by two young men walked toward a clearing in the woods.
Just then, several vigorous shouts suddenly came from beneath a tree somewhere ahead.
"Rolling pins for sale! Fine rolling pins!"
"Fine Huali wood rolling pins! No money back if they aren't sturdy!"
"Rolling pins at a bargain! Only ten copper coins each!"
A middle-aged man in coarse cloth with an honest, simple face had laid out a straw mat beneath a tree. Dozens of rolling pins were arranged neatly on it.
Quite a few people secretly shook their heads at the sight. It was obvious at a glance that the man knew nothing about business. Who sold rolling pins outside an academy?
Even if he wanted to sell them, he should have gone to a bustling district or a residential area.
The people passing through here were mostly students of Yunmeng Academy. There might be profit in selling banned erotic books, but what student would need this sort of thing?
Even if he shouted himself hoarse today, he could forget about selling a single one.
That was what they were thinking when a figure suddenly walked up to the man, bent down, and picked up a rolling pin. He swung it through the air several times, producing a whooshing sound. Just from the noise, it was clear that this rolling pin was made of genuinely solid material.
He then tossed down a silver ingot and said, "Give me ten. Keep the rest as a reward."
The ingot weighed a full liang—enough to buy a hundred rolling pins. The man was overjoyed. He picked up the silver and repeatedly said, "Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!"
The figure waved, and the group gradually came over. Each person took a rolling pin from the man before walking toward the clearing in the woods.
Seeing this, the other students could not help sighing. A fool really could have fool's luck. The man had come here to sell rolling pins and happened to encounter the Zhou brothers looking for trouble with someone else. These Huali wood rolling pins could be used not only to roll dough but also to fight. They would certainly hurt when they struck someone.
Not long afterward, another group emerged from the academy's rear gate.
"Rolling pins for sale! Fine rolling pins!"
"Fine Huali wood rolling pins! No money back if they aren't sturdy!"
When Song Yu heard the burly man's cries, he stopped in his tracks. He walked over, picked up a rolling pin, and weighed it in his hand. Finding it extremely sturdy, he immediately had an idea. Turning to someone beside him, he said, "Brother-in-law, do you have any silver on you? This feels good in the hand. We might be able to use it later."
The slender, refined young man shook his head. "You'd better not use it."
Song Yu was puzzled. "Why?"
The refined young man explained, "According to the Great Xia Codex, fighting with bare hands means forty strokes of caning; fighting with a weapon means sixty strokes of the cane. The moment you use this, it becomes armed fighting, and its nature is completely different from fighting bare-handed..."
Song Yu said, "Do you think the people surnamed Zhou would actually report us to the authorities?"
Conflicts between Military Family offspring had always been resolved among themselves. Anyone who reported one would be mocked by everyone. Besides, the Chang'an County Office would not dare interfere in matters involving the Military Family.
Chen Ling shook his head. "It is always better to consider everything thoroughly."
Song Yu waved his hand. "Forget it. I'll listen to you, Brother-in-law. That will also keep the people surnamed Zhou from saying we're bullying them."
Then he said to Chen Ling, "Brother-in-law, you're frail, so stay here and watch. I don't want you accidentally hurt later. Wang Hua is here today, so nothing will go wrong."
"That works. The Imperial Guard patrols not far away. If you end up at a disadvantage, I'll lead them over." Chen Ling nodded. He knew his own condition. Even if he joined them, he would not be able to help much; instead, he would become a burden. It was better to watch from here. If the situation went beyond their control, he could call for help immediately.
Song Yu led a group of people toward the clearing deep in the woods, their momentum fierce and menacing.
At that moment, none of them knew that, in the teahouse behind them, a figure stood at the window of a private room on the second floor, quietly watching them.
Steward Wu stood behind Li Nuo, his expression stunned.
He finally understood why the young master had told him that morning to prepare rolling pins.
So that was what they were for.
The speed of Legalist school cultivation was related to the severity of the sentences one handed down. Caning, the cane, penal servitude, exile, and death—each time the punishment rose by one level, cultivation speed increased by one grade. Thus, within the bounds permitted by the law, the Legalist school had always sentenced people as severely as possible.
These people were fighting bare-handed, which meant only caning.
But with a stick in their hands, changing from bare-handed to armed combat, the nature of the offense became entirely different.
Steward Wu looked at Li Nuo in delight. What did it mean to be true father and son? This was it. The young master's move had at least inherited three-tenths of the old master's true legacy.
Li Nuo turned around and, seeing Steward Wu's strange look, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Steward Wu gazed at Li Nuo with admiration. "Young Master, that move was brilliant—truly brilliant!"
Li Nuo shot him a glance and said irritably, "What's so brilliant about it? I'm just a rolling-pin seller. Selling rolling pins isn't against the law..."
After saying that, he added, "Go keep an eye on them. Don't let them cause any major trouble."
Watching Steward Wu leap out the window, Li Nuo picked up his teacup again.
Although the rolling pins were made of ordinary wood and had no blades, striking a vital spot could still endanger someone's life.
If these spoiled heirs got carried away, something might genuinely happen.
Then his sin would be considerable.
Although the law could not do anything to him, his conscience would not let him off either.
With Steward Wu at the Fourth Realm of the Martial Dao, there was no need to worry about this matter.
Strictly speaking, this act of adding fuel to the fire was somewhat immoral. But he had to stay alive. Only by living could he keep producing results, promote the Legalist school, and uphold justice. He wondered whether the Code of Law could understand that. This was just the perfect opportunity to test it...
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