Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Qian Ming had been ordered to the Flood Defense Camp yesterday. He was delayed and couldn't return to the city before curfew, so he had to find a dilapidated temple outside the city to spend the night. He slept terribly, tossing and turning so much that he missed the morning bell. By the time he hurried to the county government office, the sun was almost at its zenith, and the guards on duty at the gate had already finished their shift.

"Brother Qian is back!" Wang Ergou was squatting on the steps at the county government office, munching on a pancake. Seeing him coming, he hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth and rubbed his greasy hands on his clothes. "What time is it now? You just arrived in time for dinner."

Qian Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead and said unhappily, "I'm going to work. Do you think I can just sit around and do nothing like you?"

"Come on!" Wang Ergou came forward and put his arm around his shoulders. "It's only two steps from the Water Defense Camp to the Garrison Camp. Even if I walked backwards, it wouldn't take me this long. Did you meet your sweetheart along the way?"

Qian Ming slapped his hand away: "Go away, I won't argue with you anymore. Where's the young master? Did he ask about me?"

Wang Ergou touched the back of his hand, which had turned red from being slapped, and said with a pout, "He went home to catch up on some sleep. He didn't sleep well last night, and he got up early this morning." He lowered his voice mysteriously, "It's nothing important, so let's not bother him. Liang Dahai just made a billiard ball, it's really rare, how about we play a few rounds?"

"Table tennis?" Qian Ming's eyes lit up. "Is that the new thing the young master talked about a few days ago? Let's go, let's go!" All the fatigue just now was swept away, and he pulled Wang Ergou and ran to the side yard where the yamen runners rested.

Passing through two corridors, I could hear cheers from the distant side courtyard. Liang Dahai stood triumphantly beside a brand-new wooden table, covered with thick velvet and framed with an exquisite wooden frame. Several yamen runners surrounded him, taking turns hitting the round wooden balls with long poles.

"Brother Qian is here!" Liang Dahai, with his sharp eyes, immediately called out, "Come and see my craftsmanship! I've been working on this for three days, following the drawings Young Master gave me!"

Qian Ming walked around the billiard table and exclaimed in amazement: "Wow, the workmanship of this felt is even finer than the ones sold on Taobao!" He picked up a pool cue and said, "Here, let me try my luck!"

Wang Ergou hurriedly set up the ball: "Let me make a deal, the loser buys a drink!"

"I'm not afraid of you!" Qian Ming rolled up his sleeves and leaned forward to take aim. In the sunlight, the white cue ball traced a beautiful arc across the velvet, scattering the colorful balls arranged in a triangle. Then, one stroke after another, he finished cleanly and neatly.

There was a sudden burst of cheers in the yard.

……

Zhang Jingwei struggled to open his sore eyes. The glaring sunlight outside the window made him subconsciously turn his head away. From the courtyard came the crisp sound of wooden balls hitting each other, mixed with the muffled cheers of the yamen runners.

"These bastards..." he muttered hoarsely, rubbing his aching temple. Ever since the pool table moved into the side yard last month, these guys have been acting like crazy, causing trouble even in the dead of winter.

Douya quietly pushed the door open, holding a copper basin. Seeing Zhang Jingwei awake, she hurriedly asked, "Master, were you woken up? I'll go right away..."

"Never mind." Zhang Jingwei propped himself up on the bed and sat up. The heavy quilt slipped off, revealing a thin white undershirt. He couldn't help but shudder. "I just wanted to give them something to cheer them up," he said, glancing out the window. "It's so cold, but they're all so energetic."

Douya quickly fetched a mink cloak and put it on him. "Master, you haven't had a good rest these past few days. Would you like to ask the kitchen to make you a bowl of ginseng soup?"

"No need." Zhang Jingwei straightened his clothes and looked at the books on the table. "I can't sleep anyway, let's go to the study."

In the study, the charcoal brazier was burning brightly, and the new fragrance of bean sprouts slowly spread in the warmth.

Zhang Jingwei carefully removed the book wrapped in green cloth from his bosom and slowly sat down in the redwood armchair beside the charcoal basin. As his fingertips touched the pages, he subconsciously looked around to make sure the doors and windows were closed tightly.

Strange Stories of the Southern Kingdom

Although this was not a banned book by the imperial court, it was, after all, a collection of strange stories written privately by Li Zaizhi. If it were seen by someone with ulterior motives, it would inevitably lead to criticism.

He gently flipped open the yellowed pages, and a faint scent of camphor mixed with mildew hit him. The book detailed various rare treasures from southern Xinjiang and the Nanzhao Kingdom: the bioluminescent "night-shining mushroom," which, if eaten, can cause hallucinations for three days; the "ghost laughing mushroom," shaped like a human ear, which, when dried and ground, can be used as medicine to numb the sense of pain; and the legendary "soul-leaving grass," which is said to allow the soul to leave the body and wander.

Zhang Jingwei's fingertips suddenly stopped on a certain page. It described a rare plant called the "Forget Worry Vine," native to the most miasma-ridden valleys of the Nanzhao Kingdom. The vine's stems were crimson, with small purple-black flowers. Its sap was used to make the "Worry-Free Powder." A small annotation in small regular script read: "During the Tianhe period, a Nanzhao envoy presented this elixir to the Celestial Empire. After taking it for three days, the envoy felt as if he were dead, and upon waking, he had forgotten all previous events. Fearing that this would disrupt people's minds, Emperor Taizong ordered the plant to be burned and its seeds exterminated."

Scrolling down, a striking name caught his attention. "Dream Fragrance," he thought, his lips curled slightly, a rather obscene thought. "This fragrance is specially supplied by the Southern Kingdom's imperial court. It arouses passion and induces dreams in those who smell it. Upon waking, it feels like a night of lovemaking, leaving one's essence and energy dissipated."

A Cyber ​​masturbator? Zhang Jingwei burst into laughter.

The sound of hitting balls outside had stopped for a long time, and the fire in the charcoal basin gradually dimmed. Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps approached from afar, followed by Qian Ming's slightly panicked knock on the door.

"Master, something happened!"

Zhang Jingwei quickly hid the book in a secret compartment on the bookshelf and straightened his clothes. "Come in." His voice was steady, yet a bit solemn. "What's the panic?"

Qian Ming pushed the door open and walked in, beads of sweat still beading on his forehead. He had obviously been running all the way here. "That rascal from before really broke into Gaoyang Tower! The patrol just reported that they saw him rushing in with a knife."

Zhang Jingwei stood up suddenly, and with his sleeve he overturned the teacup on the table: "Hiss... I shouldn't have let him out."

"The brothers in the government office don't dare to go in," Qian Ming wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Gaoyang Tower is the Shi family's property after all. Our people... why don't we go there in person?"

Zhang Jingwei walked quickly to the clothes rack and took down the fox fur coat: "Call Ergou up."

Qian Ming was startled when he heard this: "Master, are you going to..."

"Save him." Zhang Jingwei walked out of the room without any hesitation.