Chang'an County Government.
Back office.
Only after he personally witnessed Li Nuo devouring two large bowls of dumplings and gulping down a bowl of dumpling soup before leaning back in his chair with a satisfied belch, not giving his wife any special attention, did Pei Zhe finally let go of his concern.
It seemed he truly enjoyed dumplings.
At the same time, Pei Zhe was somewhat puzzled. His wife had been making dumplings for nearly twenty years, and he had never found them to be particularly tasty. Could this be a case of 'the neighbor's dumplings always smell better'?
Li Nuo had been in this world for only a couple of days, had eaten his own family's meals, and attended a dinner banquet at the Song Residence. Yet, it was this simple meal of homemade dumplings that satisfied him the most.
This had nothing to do with flavor but was rather a projection of emotion.
Having eaten his fill, he couldn't help but praise, "Your wife's culinary skills are exquisite, Lord Pei is truly fortunate."
Lord Pei's wife was a beautiful and graceful lady, appearing to be about the same age as Song Jiaren's aunt, but their demeanors were starkly different. Mrs. Pei radiated a gentle and virtuous aura, perhaps due to her background in a General's family, while Song Zhen, the aunt, seemed more forthright and bold.
Praised by Li Nuo, Mrs. Pei smiled and said, "If the young master likes them, you are welcome to come often."
Li Nuo was certainly going to visit the County Magistrate's Office often, as his life depended on it. After Mrs. Pei left, Li Nuo remembered something and asked, "Lord Pei, is Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine still in the county jail?"
The woman had been sentenced to death and was to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for review, so she shouldn't have been taken away so quickly.
Upon mention of this, Pei Zhe shook his head with a sigh and said, "Perhaps knowing she could not escape death, just after you left yesterday, sir, she committed suicide by slamming her head against the prison walls..."
Hearing of the death of Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine, Li Nuo was stunned for quite some time.
Although he had handled his share of death row inmates in his previous life, this was the first time he encountered such a situation.
Life that was like a blooming flower yesterday withered and perished today.
This made him quite contemplative.
One should abide by the Law.
Li Nuo had initially wanted to ask if she had any other special talents, but now, he could only dismiss the thought.
Once her portrait dimmed, he was unlikely to light it again. Being good at playing shuttlecock and dressing up nicely, while certainly exceptional skills, were not worth trading his life for.
However, although Zhang Xiaoyun had taken her own life, his lifespan had not changed.
Which made sense.
After all, even if she hadn't committed suicide, she wouldn't have escaped legal punishment. The outcome would not have changed, and if the Law Code retracted the lifespan he had gained because of her death, that would be truly unjust...
After finishing the dumplings, Li Nuo took a short rest in the back hall of the County Government.
Last night, Song Qian and her husband had been tossing and turning in the room next door, resulting in him not sleeping well. He resolved to stay farther away from their room next time he stayed at the Song Residence.
But yesterday was a special case. There was a shortage of rooms in the Song Residence, an issue unlikely to recur next time.
After the short rest, he felt refreshed.
At this time, several Government Officials had prepared the cases to be adjudicated in the afternoon, and all the relevant individuals were already waiting in the outer courtyard.
Before the afternoon dismissal, Li Nuo only adjudicated four cases.
A marital case, an inheritance case, a land property case, and a theft case—all minor and could be judged according to the Law Code without controversy.
The only thief, having stolen a small amount, could not be heavily sentenced.
However, Li Nuo's day was not fruitless; after adjudicating the last case, his remaining lifespan on the Law Code increased by another day, returning to twenty-five days.
This proved that, to extend his lifespan, he did not need to issue severe sentences; the accumulation of minor cases could also make a difference.
The day was not wasted. After dealing with the last case, Li Nuo turned to the Chang'an County Magistrate and asked, "Lord Pei, I wonder how frequent are major and serious cases in the County Government on an average day?"
Pei Zhe shook his head and said, "Not very. Ninety-nine percent of cases are minor ones, like those we dealt with today."
As the capital of Daxia Country, the security in Chang'an, at the foot of the Emperor, was naturally the best. Guards patrolled the streets day and night. If there were major crimes happening every couple of days, his tenure as Chang'an County Magistrate would be over.
At least that was the appearance.
Being the center of power in Daxia, Chang'an seemed peaceful, but there were constant undercurrents. How much dirt and filth were hidden in the unseen shadows, one could only speculate.
Li Nuo looked up at the sky; at this time yesterday, Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine had confessed her crime, and a day had passed since then. The skills he had gained from her should have expired by now.
He checked the Law Code, and indeed, her portrait had dimmed.
To verify his assumption, Li Nuo had Housekeeper Wu go out to buy a shuttlecock. After trying twice, the first try ended with the shuttlecock flying over the courtyard wall due to poor control of force and direction, and the second time he completely missed the kick.
This skill undoubtedly came from the woman who had committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
He even had the Chang'an County Magistrate bring the shuttlecock into the prison for the female assassin to try.
Pei Zhe, used to Li Nuo's various odd behaviors, didn't even bother to question him further.
Lord Pei owed him a favor. Although Gu Yanran was somewhat puzzled, she still complied obediently with his request.
As the female assassin played shuttlecock, Li Nuo observed from around the corner.
She was once a young lady from an official's family, adept at calligraphy and not bad at shuttlecock, but far from the level of Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine.
Even with her portrait still glowing, Li Nuo had not inherited her shuttlecock skills, which confirmed his speculation.
To be recognized by the Law Code, being merely "not bad" was insufficient; one must master a skill to its peak.
And this assassin's shuttlecock-kicking skills were far from matching those of Assistant Minister Zheng's concubine.
The portrait of Zhang Xiaoyun darkened, and it wasn't the only change on the Law Code. Li Nuo also discovered that the portrait of Cui Ze had disappeared directly from the Law Code.
Li Nuo speculated that only criminals with certain talents could keep their portraits on the Law Code for a long time.
As for those like Cui Ze, an utterly worthless ordinary person, they had no right to leave their portrait on the Law Code, and it would disappear by itself after one day.
A moment later, Li Nuo left the Chang'an County Government, stretching himself with a long yawn.
He had been busy all day and had only added one day to his lifespan.
Although one day was little, it was better than nothing.
It seemed as if today was no different from any other day, but if he could add one day to his lifespan every day, wouldn't that also be a kind of immortality in some sense?
The carriage quickly returned to Li Mansion.
Li Nuo had just stepped into the courtyard when he saw the tall and slender figure of Song Jiaren.
Next to her were two small figures.
The two little girls were wearing the same clothes, had the same hairstyles, and wore the same accessories, but their expressions were completely different.
The one with a flower hairpin on her forehead, lightly rouged, looking like a little fairy, stood with her hands on her hips, wearing a proud smile, while the other one pouted, with red-rimmed eyes, clearly having cried.
Li Nuo had one foot in the courtyard when he stepped back out the next moment.
He never expected that Song Ning'er would follow him all the way from the Song Family.
If it had been in the morning, it wouldn't have mattered too much. He could have casually done her makeup, but now his makeup skills had expired. To relight the portrait and regain his ability, he would have to consume his remaining lifespan.
He had no intention of wasting his already limited lifespan to cheer up a little girl he was hardly familiar with.
He had initially planned to go out and avoid the situation until they left, but an eagle-eyed maid from the Song Residence caught sight of Li Nuo at that moment and immediately pointed toward the entrance, loudly exclaiming, "The son-in-law has returned!"
Not long after.
In Li Nuo's courtyard at the Li Mansion.
A Song Residence maid looked at Li Nuo with pleading eyes and said, "Son-in-law, please put the same makeup on Miss Ning'er as you did for Miss Mumu, I beg you…"
But no matter how much she pleaded, or how loudly Song Ning'er cried, Li Nuo remained indifferent.
Li Nuo felt helpless.
This wasn't just about doing makeup for Song Ning'er; it was a matter of life and death for him.
He had been busy from morning to night, mediating and judging, speaking countless words, wasting so much effort, just to earn one more day to live. How could he recklessly waste it?
The harder something is to obtain, the more one cherishes it.
If it was about his life, let alone Song Ning'er, even if she were Song Jiaren, it wouldn't be acceptable.
There was no room for negotiation in this matter.
But he couldn't explain.
Seeing that Li Nuo didn't respond, the maid turned her pleading eyes to Song Jiaren.
Song Jiaren's lips moved slightly, but she didn't say anything. Her intuition told her that he must have his reasons for acting this way.
Song Ning'er saw that Li Nuo was not reacting and pouted even more, as tears started to swirl in her eyes again.
Song Mu'er glanced at Li Nuo, then at Song Ning'er, sighed internally, took out a handkerchief from her small bag, wet it by the fountain in the courtyard, and then smeared it haphazardly over her face. She ran to Song Ning'er's side and said, "Now we're the same…"
Song Ning'er saw her sister with smudged makeup, wiped her tears, and huffed, grabbing the maid's hand and saying, "Let's go home."
Li Nuo could only smile helplessly.
Indeed, she did not want a beautiful makeup; she only needed to have what her sister had.
If her sister didn't have it, she could do without it too.
Luckily, his wife didn't have such a sister, otherwise he would never have a peaceful life.
He gently tousled Song Mu'er's hair. A sister was still a sister, and Mumu was sensible, giving no reason not to favor her. Who wouldn't like a smart and well-behaved child?
After Song Ning'er and the Song Residence maid left, Song Jiaren's gaze turned to Li Nuo, and she asked softly, "You don't like Ning'er?"
Li Nuo did not answer, but Song Mu'er answered for him, "Of course! The last time Brother Li Nuo visited our house, Ning'er wouldn't play with him. She didn't even let him play with her vine ball and said she wouldn't play with a fool..."
Song Jiaren looked at Li Nuo and thought of something.
Before the Old Lady's birthday banquet, Li Nuo had visited the Song Family once, where he wanted to play with Ning'er's toy, but she wouldn't let him. He was quite unhappy and caused a scene in the Song Residence for a while until Mumu managed to appease him...
That incident made the servants in the Song Residence laugh for a long time.
That was also the first time Song Jiaren saw Li Nuo.
Originally, she thought she would spend her life with a husband who had the mind of a child, but to her surprise, within just a few days, such a significant change had occurred in him.
She looked at Li Nuo and asked, "Is it because of that?"
Of course, Li Nuo couldn't tell the real reason, but since Mumu had already found an excuse for him, he very naturally said, "Who told her not to let me play with the vine ball..."
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