Great Tang Idyll - Chapter 128

When Zhang Xiaobao was planning how to get rid of Magistrate Jia in one move, Shiliu came over and informed him that Li Xun had arrived.

“Why is he here? Isn’t he celebrating New Year’s Eve?” Zhang Xiaobao was puzzled. Why hadn’t the emperor’s nephew stayed home for the New Year? What would his family do with him running off here? Did he sneak out?

This time, Zhang Xiaobao didn’t dare to handle things as casually as before. If the emperor’s nephew had indeed snuck out to come here, his manor could be in trouble. He pulled Wang Juan along to greet Li Xun.

By the time they reached the courtyard, they saw Li Xun standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the stars. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were now certain he had indeed come over.

“Young Master Li, why are you here? You didn’t stay at home but came here instead. Are you trying to cause trouble for our family?” Zhang Xiaobao moved closer, trying to see if Li Xun had been beaten or disciplined.

Wang Juan, understanding the gravity of the situation, nodded and waited for Li Xun to provide an explanation.

Li Xun smiled as he looked at Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan and said, “This is a good place. On my way here, I noticed many houses lined up close together. People can move easily between them—door frames are there, but no doors. It’s interesting. I also saw a lot of tables set up. Are you planning to gather people to eat together?”

Li Xun didn’t answer Zhang Xiaobao’s question directly but commented on the New Year celebration preparations.

“Yes, celebrating the New Year with the residents makes it more lively. How did you get here? Aren’t you going back home?” Zhang Xiaobao explained the setup and asked again.

Under the courtyard lights, Li Xun glanced around and said, “I’m going back to the prefecture. My father is returning to the capital for New Year and said he’d take me with him, but I didn’t want to go back. The people there aren’t fun, so I told him I wanted to mingle with the civilians. I didn’t expect him to agree, but here I am, to have fun with you.”

“My family also serves as officials. Did you come alone?” Zhang Xiaobao looked behind Li Xun. Other than his own yard guards, there was no one else.

“When we reached the gate, I told them to go to the Between The Water And Clouds. Maybe a few are standing guard there, but that’s fine. I’m Li Wangxun; I don’t need the main door opened to greet me. I can just slip in through a side door. It’s not like you would harm me, right?” Li Xun, bold as ever, had come in on his own.

Zhang Xiaobao shook his head. “How could I dare harm you? But couldn’t you wait until morning? Go rest at Between The Water and Clouds. Wouldn’t it be better to come here tomorrow?”

“The night is long, and I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to talk to you two. Li Cheng is here too, but he hasn’t come to speak with me. By the looks of it, you two haven’t gone to bed yet, right?” Li Xun remarked, noting their attire.

Zhang Xiaobao didn’t respond immediately; he was deep in thought until Wang Juan nudged him, snapping him out of it. His expression towards Li Xun changed slightly. “Yes, we’re still up. There’s something fun we’re planning, and we’re figuring out how to play it.”

Li Xun followed them inside, his curiosity piqued. “Something fun? Tell me about it!”

“No rush; you’ll see tomorrow. How many people did you bring with you? Maybe we can put them to use,” Zhang Xiaobao asked expectantly, opting for a subtle approach.

Li Xun held up two fingers. “Not many, just 200. I came on a whim. What’s your family planning? Building more houses? Good idea. I’ll do the same at my manor next year. It’s a bit late for this year, though. On the 30th, I’ll also bring my residents here so we can celebrate together. Just let your family know and see if they agree.”

Li Xun seemed excited about the arrangement, and both Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were pleasantly surprised.

Wang Juan whispered to Zhang Xiaobao, “Great, we’ve got an extra 200 people now.”

“Yes, and there’s more to this than just 200 people,” Zhang Xiaobao responded before addressing Li Xun. “Of course, they’ll agree.  Xiaohong, go check if my mother is still awake. If she’s asleep, go to the study and let my father know that Young Master Li brought people to celebrate New Year with us.”

“Understood, young master. I’ll go right away.”  Xiaohong dashed out, running into people sent by Zhang’s parents to inquire. It was only natural for them to be concerned about Li Xun’s visit.

After  Xiaohong explained the situation, Madam Zhang-Wang thought for a moment and said, “Husband, let’s not disturb them. Let Xiaobao and Juanjuan keep him company.  Xiaohong, return in a bit and tell them that the Zhang manor will prepare everything needed.”

Li Xun and Zhang Xiaobao chatted for a while until  Xiaohong returned with the message.

“How could I, the Emperor’s nephew, let you handle everything? Tomorrow, I’ll bring my residents here to help with the construction, and I’ll cover the costs.”

Zhang Xiaobao, his thoughts elsewhere, said to Li Xun, “Alright, then bring all your residents tomorrow. I’ve got plenty of wooden boards, so construction can go quickly. There are also other materials we’ll need. Tomorrow, we can watch them work and give feedback. This time, the Between The Water and Clouds will remain open on the 30th, so we can go back and forth. An official is here celebrating the New Year and not returning home, so Juanjuan and I can stay here.”

“Good plan! All those officials going back to the capital are so stifling; everything’s restricted. I had the foresight to avoid that. Hahaha!” Li Xun said, laughing joyfully.

Zhang Xiaobao also laughed, and Wang Juan added, “There are also many objects made of straw in the fields. There was a light snow, but the objects weren’t crushed. Later, we can crawl around in it and play. We can even call the children from the manor to come and play hide-and-seek inside.”

“What is it like? What is it like? It was dark when I arrived, so I didn’t see it. Is there really a fun place like that here?” This time when Li Xun returned home, he had been disciplined, so he ran out to get some fresh air. Hearing that there was something fun to do, he became even more excited.

“There is. Young Master Li should rest early, or you won’t be able to get up tomorrow.” Zhang Xiaobao persuaded Li Xun to sleep when he saw the conversation winding down. Of course, Li Xun couldn’t go to the Between The Water And Clouds this time, so the best guest room in the yard was prepared for him.

Li Xun, not wanting to chat anymore, agreed and was led to the guest room by Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan. He lay there, thinking about the fun activities planned for tomorrow.

After sending Li Xun off, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan returned to their room. They lay down on the heated brick bed together, looked at each other, and laughed.

“It’s even better now. Originally, I thought it would take some effort to push Magistrate Jia over, but now we don’t need to. I was thinking of involving that old man. If he doesn’t die this time, then I will. Let Li Xun change into the same clothes as the children in the manor. We should change too.”

Zhang Xiaobao finally let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t afraid of Magistrate Jia’s arrival, but he had worried about being unable to deal with everyone at once. Now, he didn’t need to worry about that anymore.

Wang Juan, lying there, said, “This is what’s meant by ‘a good man will receive good karma.’ Did he really think that if Song Yang was driven away, we wouldn’t know his whereabouts? We were the ones who made that carriage, and we also renovated the house he lives in. We spent so much effort. If we let him get away, that would be a waste of our money.”

Zhang Xiaobao lay down for a while, then turned over and sat next to the desk, deep in thought. Wang Juan sat up and asked, “What else are you doing? Let’s not study today. Let’s go to bed earlier so we can deal with tomorrow’s affairs.”

“I’m thinking. The details determine success and failure. I need to make arrangements. This time, I won’t just get rid of Magistrate Jia, but I’ll make sure the Han and Yuan families don’t escape either. So many people with honorary official titles… Sigh, historical reasons.”

Zhang Xiaobao began tapping his face with his hand again. He wanted to prepare a foolproof solution, but he also had to plan a backup in case things went wrong, leaving no trouble for the future.

Seeing Zhang Xiaobao’s demeanor, Wang Juan knew he was preparing for a decisive move. She pulled the quilt over, covering half of her body, and said, “Then think about it first. Tell me when you’re done, and I’ll discuss it with you. I’m going to lie down for a bit. Remember to call me.”

It took an hour for Zhang Xiaobao to think things through. He then got under the covers and started murmuring to Wang Juan.

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, early in the morning, Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan had just woken up and finished grooming. Before they had the chance to eat, Li Xun arrived. He hadn’t eaten yet either, so they ate together.

After eating in a hurry, Li Xun called Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to come outside. Two guards he had brought were still standing at the yard’s edge.

“Quick, call Li Cheng for me. Let him go to the manor and find someone who can come here to work,” Li Xun ordered a guard. He then urged Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan to go to the fields because he wanted to see the passages and small huts made of straw.

Because of the snow, the straw was covered with a layer of snow. Only the bundles were visible, and the straw underneath was hidden.

The three of them arrived at an opening. Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan pushed aside the straw blocking the entrance, revealing a hole in front of them.

Zhang Xiaobao crawled in first. He felt the air inside and found that there was no problem. He called out from inside, “Come in and take a look. Let’s go over there and see how they’re building houses later.”

Li Xun had been waiting for Zhang Xiaobao to say this. When he heard his words, he entered immediately. The inside felt very different from the outside and was quite interesting. He called to Zhang Xiaobao, whose shadow couldn’t even be seen inside, “Do you have enough wood at your place? I still have some at my manor.”

“Enough. I’ve prepared plenty for growing vegetables. Let’s go out and come back later,” Zhang Xiaobao replied as he exited from another opening.