Li Yifu carefully reviewed the documents sent from the Eastern and Western Bureaus. After preparing them by category, he added his seal and signature. Originally a Secretariat Drafter, he had been a respected member of the Crown Prince’s staff. Now coming to the Secretariat to serve as Examining Magistrate in such an unimportant official position seemed like being slighted, but Li Yifu himself understood clearly why the Crown Prince had sent him here. Although the position of Examining Magistrate was inconsequential, it allowed him maximum access to see memorials from the Eastern and Western Bureaus, because these memorials all needed examining magistrates to check whether they contained transgressive language. Only after passing through their inspection would the memorials be sent to Xu Jingzong for preliminary screening. Only some important documents needed to be sent to the emperor’s desk. Unimportant documents could be executed after Xu Jingzong’s own approval.

Nobody likes spies. Li Yifu was the spy the Crown Prince had placed in the Secretariat. Everyone knew this clearly. Originally, such a person would definitely be ostracized by everyone, but Li Yifu’s personal relations were actually excellent, getting along harmoniously with everyone. In fact, his method was extremely simple—a pot of congee.

Working until midnight, precisely when hunger pangs struck, having a bowl of steaming sweet-smelling white rice congee appear before you was truly perfect. Such kindness was difficult to refuse.

White rice was warm in nature. Adding a bit of medicinal herbs to the congee to boost yang energy was even better. Moreover, Li Yifu was originally a wonderful person. When he spoke, witty remarks flowed like pearls. Though always flattering, he could always scratch your heart’s itch.

“Brother Minggui is always so detached. That thunderclap just now practically struck right at the back of my head. This younger brother was so frightened the brush in his hand dropped to the ground. When I turned to look behind Brother Minggui, there you were writing. Looking at the entire page of flying white script, this younger brother tried to find some flaw. In this younger brother’s view, that thunderclap just now should have caused at least a little confusion. That way, this younger brother’s heart would feel more comfortable.”

“Who would have thought the entire text was actually completed in one breath, showing not the slightest flaw? Admirable, truly admirable.”

“Younger Brother Baoshu overpraises. This foolish elder brother is merely obsessed with calligraphy. When writing, I forget myself. How embarrassing, how embarrassing.”

“Aiya, how can you say that? This younger brother was just preparing to ask my elder brother for advice on this calming skill. On rest days at Deyue Tower, we’ll get thoroughly drunk together and have a good rest and relaxation.”

“Everyone knows that this younger brother’s only advantage is having a good memory, which is why I was brought here to do this disgraceful examining magistrate work. Compared to you upright and honorable gentlemen, I truly feel ashamed. To slightly reduce this younger brother’s guilt, all you elder brothers must come!”

The words were spoken candidly, and the facts were generally so. Coming to be examining magistrate meant memorizing the contents of some important memorials to report to the Crown Prince so he could prepare responses in advance. The four or five people in the examining magistrate’s office all actually had such tasks—they just weren’t as obvious as Li Yifu. Since Li Yifu had made it clear, everyone could continue pretending to be noble—why not?

Just as several people were joking and chatting, they heard a low cough outside the window. Everyone’s expressions immediately changed drastically, and they hurried back to their seats to begin working with heads lowered.

Zhangsun Wuji’s expressionless face appeared at the window. He glanced inside and said, “Li Yifu, tomorrow Left Vice Minister of War Zhangsun Chong is going to inspect the Crown Prince’s Six Guards. You’re familiar with the people there. From the Secretariat, you go.”

Li Yifu hastily bowed, “Yes, sir!”

Zhangsun Wuji looked at Li Yifu for a while and said, “You’re not from a military background—why do you speak this way?”

Li Yifu smiled awkwardly and said, “The Minister President jokes. After this humble official graduated from the Academy, the first assignment I had was following Commander Yun to Quanzhou to suppress rebels. The Minister President has also led troops and knows military regulations. This subordinate official is a civil official, but once in the military, who would treat this subordinate official as a civil official? If this word is spoken even slightly slowly, what follows is a beating with military batons. This subordinate official was literally beaten into this habit. As soon as I get nervous, I can’t change it back.”

A trace of longing appeared on Zhangsun Wuji’s face, quickly disappearing without a trace. He smiled and asked, “Seeing me makes you nervous? You’re respected in the Crown Prince’s staff—it shouldn’t be like this.”

Li Yifu smiled dryly without making a sound. Zhangsun Wuji laughed heartily, said “Handle your duties well,” and turned to leave.

As soon as Zhangsun Wuji left, the examining magistrate’s office immediately became lively again.

“Brother Baoshu, did you really get beaten with military batons? We’re civil officials—how would we get beaten with military batons? How crude.” A thin, monkey-like examining magistrate looked curiously at Li Yifu and asked.

Li Yifu smiled bitterly and made a sweeping bow to all around, saying, “Elder brothers, now we all have official status. Heaven knows whether some day we might be thrown into the military. When this younger brother went to Quanzhou, I rode on the Great Emperor. At that time, it was extremely urgent. The Great Emperor ran faster than horses with its sails unfurled. In the Yangtze River it was manageable, but once on the ocean, oh heavens! High winds and fierce waves—Commander Yun still ordered full sails ahead. The entire ship was like flying. Five or six chi high waves, the Great Emperor didn’t care at all—it smashed through the wave crests and drilled right through.”

Seeing these people were all very envious, he smiled bitterly and continued, “At the beginning, being able to ride the Great Emperor, this younger brother was also so excited I couldn’t sleep night after night. But once the Great Emperor reached the ocean, it truly became the king of the seas—charging and ramming without any restraint. Seeing enemy ships, there was no need for battle at all—it just sailed right over them, and the enemy ships immediately became scattered wood fragments on the sea.”

“Imposing, right? But this younger brother suffered miserably. We all make our living on land—who would experience these things? I vomited until heaven and earth spun. At the time, this younger brother only wished someone would knock me unconscious with a club. That would have been more comfortable.”

“The greater the wind and waves, the more urgent the military situation. Commander Yun stood on the bridge, wanting us several civil officials to immediately begin recording the sea route, recording data. Think about it—huge waves were already smashing onto the bridge, and this younger brother still had to make records. Wasn’t this asking for my life? At that time, my mind was completely chaotic. I only remember watching the huge waves rushing over—where was the mental capacity for making records? So I was dragged down and beaten. Three days—I couldn’t get out of bed for three days!”

“What kind of person is Commander Yun? Our dynasty’s undefeated renowned general! Military discipline so strict it’s rarely seen in the realm. Later, I heard brothers in the military say that Commander Yun’s undefeated reputation—where did it come from? It came from using military batons to discipline subordinates. Oh, I later heard there’s also confinement—this thing is even more terrifying.”

Having finished speaking these words, Li Yifu stole a glance and saw these several people were listening dumbfounded. Only then did he say, “Elder brothers, if in the future you’re unfortunately sent to a military camp, you must remember to announce your name before entering the great tent. Otherwise, you’ll be beheaded by guards, and the beheading is justified. It’s not like when we rush into the Minister President’s great hall—the Minister President is kindhearted and at most will rebuke us. In the military, it truly can cost your life.”

Everyone in the room collectively drew in a breath of cold air, not expecting military discipline would be strict to such a degree. They all immediately bowed together, requesting Li Yifu at everyone’s rest-day banquet to speak more about military regulations, lest in the future they enter military camps and lose their lives inexplicably.

Now the court’s atmosphere wasn’t good. Many civil officials were being sent to military camps for tempering, supposedly to revive the three scholarly arts of horsemanship, archery, and charioteering among the scholar-officials. This had civil officials crying bitterly one after another. However, military officers weren’t having it easy either. Literacy had already become a general’s minimum requirement. Thinking of those military officers reading books, the civil officials all gloated. The teaching officials also brought out twelve parts of strength to torment these military officers’ souls. But they quickly couldn’t laugh anymore, because the military officers believed scholar-officials should ideally be accomplished in both civil and martial arts. Therefore, they also memorialized the emperor requesting that civil officials must be roughly proficient in martial skills, because in the empire’s border regions there weren’t enough officials, and very often civil and martial duties had to be shouldered by one person.

Thus, a miraculous phenomenon appeared in the Great Tang—civil officials abused military officers’ souls, military officers tormented civil officials’ bodies. Both sides were extremely vicious. The resulting consequence was that military officers became literate, and civil officials learned to ride horses and shoot arrows.

The emperor saw the results were excellent. Now it had developed to a perverted degree—the frequency of study had greatly increased, and the participating population had gradually become higher-ranking. Now it had already threatened the fifth-rank official level.

Li Yifu very politely accepted everyone’s invitation. This rest day he would treat everyone. By the next rest day, it would be someone else’s turn to treat him. This was a good omen, indicating he had already gained everyone’s recognition. More than a month of white rice congee hadn’t been boiled in vain. At least he’d gained Zhangsun Wuji’s goodwill. Actually, if Li Yifu’s expectations weren’t so high, as long as Zhangsun Wuji didn’t deliberately target him, that would be praising Buddha.

Early the next morning, Li Yifu went to the Ministry of War to meet Zhangsun Chong. He first went to the great hall to pay respects to Yun Ye. Seeing Li Yifu enter cautiously and timidly bow to him, Yun Ye put down his teapot and said, “In less than ten years you’ve managed to reach junior fifth rank—you certainly have methods. How come you’re still so wretched-looking? Not changed at all.”

“That woman at Yanlai Tower—you’ve been bullying her endlessly? Now it’s being gossiped about everywhere. A few days ago, Teacher Yuanzhang even asked me if it was true. I didn’t know how to answer. Are you really planning to make that woman receive ten thousand clients?”

Li Yifu, who had been cautious and prudent, suddenly became agitated and shouted loudly, “That base servant, for the sake of ten taels of gold, helped others frame me. I wasted my sincere feelings on her. If I hadn’t discovered something was wrong, I might have been expelled from the Academy long ago. Since she dared betray me, she must pay the appropriate price.”

Li Yifu had never lost his temper, had never spoken with a red face and thick neck, but in front of Yun Ye, he truly couldn’t keep up the act. Now hearing his teacher mention this matter, the rage suppressed in his heart suddenly flared up. No matter what, he couldn’t suppress it.

“Drink some water—there’s foam at the corners of your mouth. Disgusting! Such a refined and cultured person, praised highly in court, yourself quite learned, and your understanding of human relations isn’t lacking either. How could you do such a foolish thing?”

“What kind of person is that woman? She’s a singing courtesan. She makes her living by deceiving people’s emotions. Actually, in my view, this is your fault. You only looked at appearances, didn’t look at the person. Being deceived because you were blinded by lust is purely getting what you deserve.”

“Quickly throw this woman’s matter far away, stop bringing it on yourself. The court is about to begin compiling the ‘History of Sui.’ Teacher Yuanzhang believes your learning is mature enough and has recommended you. A great scholar bullying a prostitute, forcing her to receive a full ten thousand clients—this sort of thing probably can’t be written into the ‘History of Sui,’ can it?”