Tang Chen: Starting from the Xuanwu Gate Incident

Chapter 62 The Man Without Eggs

It wasn't that Shen Ce was bold, but rather that he wasn't the first person to kill Wei Zheng's former employer.

Li Mi was killed by Sheng Shiyan, Dou Jiande was beheaded by Li Yuan, but Wei Zheng still followed Li Yuan...

Shen Ce felt that he was forced by the circumstances and that his teacher should not blame him.

Kneeling on the ground, Shen Ce did not sense the storm of emotions, nor did he become hysterical; he only heard a faint sound.

"I understand."

"An angel has arrived; please go and greet him for me."

He knew the teacher would need some time to process this information, and since the teacher still called himself a teacher, he didn't think much of it; a person with a broad mind wouldn't concern himself with such details...

So Shen Ce got up, bowed, and went to greet the angel.

October of the ninth year of Wude

The delegation successfully completed the task assigned by Li Er. Although it was an exchange of benefits, the exchange was necessary. No one or any force would submit to you without a reason.

Either you defeat him, or you shower him with money. Undoubtedly, a number of positions exceeding the number of people who entered officialdom through the five-year imperial examination system would be enough to fill the hungry Shandong elites at this time.

Especially the Cui clan of Boling. When seeing them off, Shen Ce saw the smile on the face of the clan leader and judged that the old man must have reserved no less than ten spots for him!

Compared to the procession that came with them, there were two more carriages on the way back. One belonged to Cui Dunli, and the other was too dark for Shen Ce to see clearly. The carriage was covered by curtains, but judging from the laughter of the women coming from inside, this must be the concubine that he had suggested Li Er marry.

However, from the moment she stepped out the gate, she had completely covered her face with brocade. Curious, he wanted to get closer to take a look, but a hoarse voice suddenly rang in his ear: "Shen, what are you doing here? Your horse is behind you. This is Consort Cui's carriage. You can't get close."

Oh no, how did they manage to catch him alive? Where did this eunuch in the light pink official robe come from? He was just curious to see what a woman who could marry into the palace looked like, so he could use that as a reference when he married one in the future. He had no other intentions.

Shen Ce quickly explained, "This Attendant, may I ask how to address him? As the Deputy Envoy, I wish to inquire whether Consort Cui requires anything else."

"My surname is Lu, just call me Attendant Lu." Attendant Lu blocked his way, his eyes scanning him up and down, and said irritably, "Registrar Shen, from the moment we left the gates of the Cui family's old residence in Boling, the mission of the delegation was considered complete. Now, everyone here is under my command. Didn't Lord Wei make that clear to you?"

Shen Ce cursed inwardly, but still wore a smile on his face. When it came to the emperor's close advisors, no one could compare to these guys who had lost their brothers.

"Very well, very well," then this humble official will not meddle any further. If needed, please come and find me again, Attendant Lu.

Seeing Shen Ce get the short end of the stick, Wei Zheng's smile never faded. As Shen Ce approached, looking dejected, Wei Zheng chuckled, "Never dealt with someone like this before?"

Shen Ce shook his head vigorously, as he usually kept his distance from people who liked men, for fear of offending his eyes.

"It's best for students to stay away from these people. No interaction will prevent trouble. It's just that having a concubine's carriage is such a hassle!"

Wen Wuyin knew Shen Ce quite well. Judging from his behavior and words just now, he seemed very interested in this new concubine, his shifty eyes darting around...

Shen Ce's eyes darted around a few times, and he nodded slightly; he had the same thought in mind.

If I'm not as strong as you, I can respect you; if I'm not as good at writing, I can respect you; even if I can't pee as far as you, I can still respect you. You're not even a man anymore, so why should I respect you?

The two remained silent until Cui had loaded all the dowry onto the cart. It was only when they were about to depart that Lu Changshi hurriedly came to ask Shen Ce.

"Registrar Shen, how many miles did you travel each day when you arrived? His Majesty misses Consort Cui very much, so you can't come as slowly as you did."

Upon hearing this, Shen Ce clenched his fists. If he hadn't been wearing a scarlet robe, his fist would have landed on the man's face.

What do you mean by being slow? You're clearly taking it upon yourself to send this beauty back quickly for a reward, putting on a disgusting act of relieving the lord's worries. As the student of the best orator in the early Tang Dynasty, how could I possibly grant your wish?

Shen Ce pretended to be nervous, took two quick steps to Lu Changshi, and said in a low voice, "When we came, we were on duty to inspect the people's livelihood along the way, so we were a bit slow. Now that Consort Cui is in the carriage, we certainly can't travel at the same speed as when we came."

"If we only add one post station, that one is a lower post station and its facilities are insufficient to receive Consort Cui. We'll have to travel another station, covering 180 li a day, how about that?"

Lu Changshi felt that this young and capable official could understand his thoughts, and couldn't help but nod repeatedly: "That's very good."

Then he shouted at the guards, "Now that Consort Jieyu is in the carriage, you all be careful. If anything goes wrong, I don't care who made any great contributions before."

"Listen carefully, from today onwards, I will be in charge of the entire journey."

"I will walk as many miles as I say each day, and I will rest wherever I say I will rest."

When the guards turned around and didn't see Shen Ce, they knew he had relinquished authority. After agreeing, they began their journey.

Now that Lu Changshi had seized control of the power convoy, Shen Ce completely stopped caring about it. He took his books and boarded Wei Zheng's carriage. What did it mean that he wasn't high enough in rank? He was no longer part of an envoy; he was now just Cui Jieyu's entourage.

Wei Zheng strongly agreed with this, saying that since someone else is doing the work for you, you should just come and study honestly.

Shen Ce kicked Cheng Chumo's backside off the carriage as he was about to squeeze into it, and said, "Go to the back and ride your horse obediently."

Cheng Chumo wasn't annoyed; he simply patted his behind and left.

Each post station is thirty li away, and you change horses every two post stations. The sun is already setting in the west, and we have only just arrived at the fourth post station of the day.

As the flagpole of the post station came into view, Lu Changshi turned around at the head of the group and called out, "We're a little late today; you only have a quarter of an hour to go."

Shen Ce got out of the car first and looked back.

Unsettled, Lu Changshi approached Shen Ce with a grim face during the horse-changing ceremony and whispered, "There are less than two hours left until nightfall. Can we travel another sixty li today?"

Shen Ce had no intention of harming anyone. He put down the hay in his hand, clapped his hands, and then replied, "After sunset, the horses can run faster. Have the couriers feed them more high-quality hay. Before sunset, there shouldn't be any problem."

Upon receiving the news, Attendant Lu swung his whip so hard it whistled. He not only whipped the postman, but also, finding the guards who were harnessing the horses clumsy, went up and lashed them several times.

Shen Ce saw it all and remembered it. "I'm the kind of person I wouldn't even dare to hit, and you dare to lay a hand on me?"