Wife, Protect Me! - Chapter 24 - The Cuckoo Takes Over the Magpie’s Nest

Imperial Palace.

The morning court session had just ended, and countless officials were filing out of a grand hall one after another.

Although His Majesty had not attended court for ten years, the monthly court assemblies on the first and fifteenth days of each month were still presided over by a prince according to tradition. All officials of the fifth rank and above in Chang’an were required to attend court to participate in discussions and decisions on important state affairs.

Today’s morning court session proceeded as usual—a routine gathering with no particularly significant events, ending quite early.

Magistrate of Chang’an Pei Zhe was among the last few to exit the Golden Hall. As a county magistrate, he was the undisputed authority in smaller locales, but in Chang’an, where nobility and high officials were everywhere, a mere fifth-rank magistrate was nothing. During morning court, he could only stand like an underling in the most remote corner.

After the court adjourned, officials gathered in small groups, heading to their respective government offices while chatting and laughing casually.

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

“What? Lord Li’s son is no longer an idiot?”

“Not just no longer an idiot—his wit and adaptability are unmatched among the younger generation. Those two birthday celebration poems were even praised by Lord Xu, who said his poetic talent and quick thinking were unparalleled among his peers…”

“Is that true?”

“How could it be false? Last night at Old Lady Song’s birthday banquet, I witnessed it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. How could such a brilliant young man be an idiot?”

“Strange, truly strange…”

“What’s so strange about it? Like father, like son. Just think about 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 allow their prodigious daughter to marry an idiot?”

“That makes sense…”

Pei Zhe followed behind the crowd, never expecting to hear news of Li Nuo from the mouths of these court officials this morning.

Just from their descriptions, he could vividly imagine what had transpired at the Song residence’s birthday banquet the previous night.

He felt a small sense of pride.

After all, he had known about this matter much earlier than anyone present.

However, this Li Nuo was truly peculiar—barely literate, yet capable of composing such excellent poems and writing with such rare, beautiful calligraphy… Pei Zhe shook his head. The young man was full of contradictions.

Taking his sedan chair back to the county office, Pei Zhe saw from a distance shadowy figures moving in the main hall, accompanied by the sound of a court gavel.

His brow furrowed. In the Chang’an County Office, he was the only one authorized to hold court sessions. Today, whether it was County Clerk Zhang or County Commandant Wang, one of them had dared to overstep their authority in his absence. They had been joining forces to marginalize him lately, but today they were completely disregarding his authority!

Pei Zhe strode into the courtroom with a grim expression, but upon seeing the figure beneath the “Impartial Justice” plaque, he momentarily froze before his anger instantly transformed into a smile. Raising his hand in greeting, he said, “Young master, good morning…”

…

Pei Zhe had encountered countless scions of official families in Chang’an.

Some were fond of visiting brothels, becoming honored guests at all the major pleasure houses in Chang’an. Others were addicted to gambling, frequenting the city’s various gambling dens. There were those devoted to food and drink, lingering in taverns and restaurants, and some who enjoyed parading through Chang’an’s streets with their lackeys, bullying others…

Of course, there were also talented young men well-versed in the six arts from a tender age.

But he had never met anyone quite like Li Nuo.

As a top-tier scion of Chang’an’s official circles, he had no other hobbies—his sole passion was presiding over court sessions and handling the trivial disputes of common folk.

As the Magistrate of Chang’an, even Pei Zhe found these petty matters headache-inducing.

How could Li Nuo possibly enjoy them?

The eccentric preferences of these noble youths truly defied conventional understanding…

Truth be told, Li Nuo wasn’t particularly keen on handling these routine disputes either.

This morning, he had presided over five cases.

None were major crimes—just brawls, property disputes, or marital conflicts. The most severe punishment he’d meted out was a few lashes or several days in jail. After working all morning, he hadn’t even gained half a day’s lifespan.

To extend his lifespan, he needed cases serious enough to warrant imprisonment.

After concluding the final case, Li Nuo turned to the Magistrate standing nearby and asked, “I’ve taken over your courtroom and judged your cases—surely Lord Pei isn’t angry?”

Pei Zhe waved his hands repeatedly. “Not at all, of course not…”

“Good.” Li Nuo smiled, then inquired further, “Are there any other cases besides these?”

Pei Zhe shook his head. “None for today.”

He wasn’t as idle as Li Nuo.

As County Governor, his responsibilities included educating the populace, capturing thieves, encouraging agriculture, presiding over trials, collecting taxes, promoting education, caring for orphans and widows, building bridges and roads, providing disaster relief… and so much more.

Hearing cases was merely a small part of his duties. Being able to spare time for it every few days was already quite an accomplishment.

Except for special circumstances like major crimes or homicides, today’s cases—which ones to hear and how many—were typically scheduled at least two or three days in advance, requiring prior notification of involved parties and preliminary investigations by constables. All of today’s cases had already been handled by Li Nuo.

Still, it had to be said that Li Nuo conducted trials with such professionalism that he seemed more like a true magistrate than Pei Zhe himself.

Although Li Nuo wasn’t yet thoroughly familiar with the Great Xia Law—needing to consult legal texts for every case—the confidence he exuded during judgments gave Pei Zhe the impression of someone who had been immersed in this work for years.

Being somewhat colleagues in the same profession, Li Nuo understood the workflow.

In modern times, court sessions weren’t convened on a whim—substantial pre-trial preparations were required. But since he had the entire afternoon free, he couldn’t just remain idle. He instructed the Magistrate to move the next day’s cases to that afternoon and dispatched county constables to notify the relevant parties.

Pei Zhe offered no objection to these arrangements. Although he wasn’t an official of Chang’an County Office and had no authority to adjudicate cases, who could afford to offend his father? Moreover, this was for the benefit of the people. As a top-tier noble in Chang’an, unlike other spoiled young masters, he neither harmed commoners nor threatened the court, abstained from visiting brothels and gambling, and never bullied others by flaunting his power. So what if he had some peculiar hobby that was actually constructive?

Since this young master enjoyed presiding over cases, letting him do so would also lighten his own workload.

However, arranging these matters required some time. Just then, it was almost lunchtime. Out of courtesy, Pei Zhe asked, “It’s almost time for lunch. My humble wife made dumplings today. Would you care to join us, young master?”

In his view, a noble young master like Li Nuo would likely be very particular about his meals and probably wouldn’t accept.

He was merely being polite since he was about to eat himself.

“Dumplings?” To his surprise, Li Nuo raised an eyebrow and immediately said, “I left in such a hurry this morning that I didn’t even have time for breakfast. I’m quite hungry now…”

Pei Zhe was taken aback and tentatively asked, “Then… shall we go to the back office to eat?”

Li Nuo, who was genuinely hungry, eagerly replied, “Let’s go. I love dumplings and would like to try your wife’s cooking…”

Pei Zhe glanced at Li Nuo’s straightforward manner and suddenly felt uneasy.

For a moment, he couldn’t figure out whether Li Nuo was truly fond of dumplings or something else…