Daxia government offices closed early, with the Chang'an County Magistrate's Office shutting down around four o'clock in the afternoon.
Li Nuo found this oddly disconcerting.
Previously, he had worked more than twelve hours a day; overtime on Saturdays and Sundays was the norm—he could never have dreamed of finishing work at four o'clock.
After returning from the County Magistrate's Office, he read some Legalism classics, helped Mumu with her studies, and then it was time for dinner.
The meals at the Li Family were always lavish—eight dishes and one soup, yet only three people dined.
Li Nuo, Song Jiaren, and Song Mu'er.
As for the head of this household, his father in this world, despite Li Nuo having been here for several days, he had not seen him even once. He had only heard from Housekeeper Wu that his father was usually swamped with official duties, rarely spending time at home; often he would stay overnight at the government office, and even when he returned, it was late at night and he left early in the morning.
His father must truly have been busy with his official duties, as Li Nuo had already gone to bed and he had not yet returned, and by the time Li Nuo awoke in the morning, his father had already left.
The two were a father and son who never met.
Today, the dinner at Li Mansion was even more sumptuous than usual, including spicy rabbit legs and braised chicken legs—two dishes specifically requested by Song Mu'er. The chefs at the Li Family were skilled, with each dish being a feast for the senses, rivaling the famous chefs of later generations.
Li Nuo, having accompanied the dean to some important dinner meetings, felt that the skills of those famous chefs from later times might not even match up to his family's chef.
Song Mu'er couldn't stop picking up dishes, her cheeks puffed as she said, "Big Brother Li Nuo, the food at your house is so delicious, much better than what we have at home..."
Li Nuo had heard from Housekeeper Wu that his family's chef was a high-paid Foodie. This particular sect had no special abilities, but their culinary skills were unmatched, and without exception, the head chefs of the Imperial Kitchen were all Foodies.
Just as Li Nuo was about to pick up his chopsticks, he remembered something and turned to the delightfully eating Song Mu'er, reminding her, "Mumu, when you go back home, make sure not to say that you've enjoyed delicious food here, especially do not tell Ning'er..."
Song Mu'er looked up, perplexed. "Why not?"
If she didn't tell Song Ning'er about the remarkably delicious meal she had at Li Nuo's home, wouldn't that meal be eaten in vain?
Li Nuo saw her darting eyes and knew she had already planned to brag to Song Ning'er. Knowing Song Ning'er's temperament, he feared she would make a fuss at Li Mansion again, and the thought alone gave him a headache.
He hastily said, "Don't ask why, just make sure you don't tell Ning'er, that's all."
At Li Nuo's insistence, Song Mu'er ultimately obediently and regretfully promised that she would keep it a secret this time.
After dinner, Song Jiaren sent Song Mu'er back home.
Li Nuo went back to his room to continue reading.
Being new to this world, there was still much he needed to understand.
Entry into Legalism was indeed difficult, but once initiated, not to mention attacking, at least one's defensive and self-preservation abilities would greatly increase. Even at the First Realm, one could unlock the Imprisonment Skill. Had Li Nuo possessed the power of Legalism's First Realm that day at the entrance of the government office, there would have been no need for his wife to take action, and that arrow would have been harmless to him.
Also at the Initial Realm, among the Hundred Schools, including Martial Artists, only Legalism could achieve this.
Martial Artists of the Body Shaping Realm, without True Qi protecting their bodies, were not yet immune to blade and spear. Confucians also needed to reach the Third Realm before Vast True Qi provided substantial defense; as for the other schools, their abilities were more auxiliary in nature.
In terms of personal strength, Legalism was certainly unique, at least in the early stages.
When one reached the High Realm, all of the Hundred Schools had their own strengths and possessed incredibly wondrous abilities; there was no absolute inferiority or superiority.
For example, the Agricultural School could manipulate the weather, the Military could greatly enhance the morale and combat strength of soldiers, the Medical School was impervious to all diseases and could even regenerate severed limbs, and the Mohist could control thousands of mechanized puppets with a single person's power, conquering cities and lands effortlessly...
Of course, Legalism was not weak either; at the Fourth Realm, one could control the power of imprisonment, drawing a prison on the ground, trapping people alive in their tracks; at the Fifth Realm, one wielded the power of exile, forcibly moving an opponent, against whom same-rank Martial Artists could not get close. And upon reaching the Sixth Realm, the simple word "Die" could immediately end a person's life…
"Know thyself, know thy enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles."
Even if he did not follow the practices of these "schools," he felt he needed to understand them, lest he be overthrown without realizing it.
He went to bed a bit later than usual today, not until the sleepiness overtook him, and then Li Nuo extinguished the light and went to bed.
A quarter of an hour later, a carriage was moving slowly through the streets of Chang'an.
At this time, it was already past the curfew, but for this carriage, none of the patrolling Street Envoys dared to stop it. As the carriage passed by, they would stand at the side of the road respectfully, watching it go by.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of Li Mansion, and a figure descended from it. Housekeeper Wu greeted him with a smile, saying, "The master has returned."
There was a hint of regret on his face as he said, "The young master just went to sleep, it would have been perfect if the master had returned a quarter of an hour earlier."
The refined and handsome middle-aged man entered Li Family's home and returned to the study. After writing for a while, Housekeeper Wu looked at the two poems on the paper and smiled, saying, "The master has heard about what happened last night at Song Residence..."
This morning, he learned from the servants of Song Residence about the mishap during the birthday banquet last night.
The present prepared by the young lady of the house for Old Mrs. Song had been secretly replaced with stones. At the crucial moment, the young master wrote two poems in succession, not only resolving the dangerous situation but also amusing Old Mrs. Song and receiving praise from everyone.
He asked with some joy, "Master, are the two poems written by the young master very good?"
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Not particularly good, but they are somewhat interesting."
Housekeeper Wu said with relief, "Heaven has eyes. I always said, how could the master's son be a fool? When the young master was a child, he often played alone in the master's study. Perhaps he learned these skills then…"
The middle-aged man looked at the two birthday poems on the paper and, after a moment, asked, "Tell me again, in detail, about the assassination attempt on the young master that night..."
Housekeeper Wu began, "That night, this old servant had already gone to bed when I heard the young master's cry for help. I rushed to the young master's room immediately and found the maid holding a dagger, trying to harm the young master. Fortunately, I arrived just in time, and the young master only received minor injuries.
After that, the young master's behavior seemed abnormal. He first rammed his head into a pillar. The next day when he woke up, he jumped down from the roof and had forgotten everything about his past. Since the young master regained consciousness, he became smarter, not only able to do arithmetic but also judge cases and write poetry, as if he became a different person. If this old servant hadn't secretly checked and seen the birthmark on the young master's butt, I might have truly believed that the young master had been switched..."
He had watched the young master grow up since he was a child and was familiar with every part of his body. After a careful examination, he became utterly convinced that the young master was indeed the true young master.
The middle-aged man fell into silence and said nothing more.
Then, Housekeeper Wu thought of something and spoke with a troubled face, "By the way, master, the young master seems to want to pursue Legalism. These past few days, he has been resolving cases at the Chang'an County Government and has even started studying 'Daxia Law'..."
The middle-aged man was somewhat surprised and asked, "Why does he suddenly want to study Legalism?"
Housekeeper Wu said helplessly, "It all started with a misunderstanding. That day, the young lady mistook the young master's intentions toward the female assassin as improper and beat up the young master. The young master seemed to bear a grudge and kept pestering this old servant for ways to become stronger. Since he has no foundation in the Martial Path, I told him about The Philosophy of a Hundred Schools, and he chose Legalism for himself."
The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said, "Among the Hundred Schools, Legalism is indeed the fastest to improve one's strength, and it is also the strongest of all."
Housekeeper Wu asked, "Master, what should we do now? Should we stop the young master? Pursuing Legalism is truly dangerous..."
The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "Let him be, as long as he's happy with it."
Hearing this, Housekeeper Wu said no more.
Studying Legalism was undoubtedly dangerous, but with the master present, he could protect the young master thoroughly.
But what should they do when the young master learns the truth?
He couldn't help but worry about the master and the young master.
The middle-aged man stood up and walked slowly to the window, looking at the darkened courtyard, and showed a deep and meaningful smile, murmuring softly, "Legalism, huh..."