Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

The study window was closed. It was still broad daylight, and the room was dimly lit before the lights were turned on. A few slivers of light managed to make out two figures inside.

"How's the investigation going?" A somber voice echoed in the air, carrying an immense sense of oppression, as if striking one's heart.

"The matter has been investigated and clarified." Another voice came out, ethereal and elusive.

As the man lying prone on the ground spoke, he pulled a small booklet from his pocket, held it up with both hands, and presented it to the person.

The seated man picked up the book without looking at it closely, then pushed it open with his right hand. With a creak, the window opened, letting in light and filling the room with brightness! Upon closer inspection, it was clear that only a middle-aged man remained in the room; the other person had vanished without a trace.

The light shone on the book, revealing a large character 'Secret' written in bright red ink. The character was circled in red, and if you smelled it closely, you could detect a faint, pungent, and bleak odor of blood.

The middle-aged man opened the book and began to browse it carefully. The book was filled with densely packed small print. If Li Xingzhi were to see it, he would be astonished to discover that the entire book was a description of him. The details were so comprehensive, covering everything from his birth and the death of his parents to his experiences after his transmigration—nothing was overlooked. Much of the information about Li Xingzhi and the Li family was even unknown to Li Xingzhi and Li Gao.

The thin booklet was densely packed with various kinds of information. The middle-aged man flipped through it for almost half an hour before finally putting it down. He touched a jade seal with one hand, his mind racing with various thoughts. After a long silence, he finally exhaled.

“Zen master Wuneng, Taoist Zhang Guolao, the Black Witch of Southern Xinjiang… and what about Yuelai Inn, the Library… Heh! This eldest son of the Li family is indeed no ordinary man!” The middle-aged man’s brows furrowed more and more, then relaxed, and he muttered to himself, “Considering that you have made great contributions to my Great Tang, let me see whether you are loyal or treacherous!”

What he was really thinking, what he was thinking, only he himself probably knew. If Li Xingzhi were to listen to him, he would never believe it. It's true that he's not going to cause trouble for him now. But the reasons behind it are probably far more than that.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Li Xingzhi was unaware that someone was trying to uncover his secrets. Of course, even if he did know, he would simply laugh it off. His secrets, his trump cards—not only could they not find out, but even if they did, what could they do to him?

Time went by in a roundabout way, and more than ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Li Shun and the group of burly men behind him were indulging in fine wine and meat every day, completely forgetting their homeland. They would wake up and get drunk again and again, lost in their own world of wine, having no time to care about their master, Li Xingzhi.

The gray horse, which had been rather weak and ugly to begin with, was now plump and robust, its long, smooth, and clean coat concealing its scars. Apart from its unusual coat color, it was now a truly excellent horse! However, like the burly men, this fine horse had long forgotten its master, Li Xingzhi. Every day, it longed for the servant boy, or more precisely, for the meat and wine he provided.

On this day, at dawn, before daybreak, birds were already singing, their calls echoing throughout the ancient city.

The door to Li Xingzhi's courtyard creaked open, and a young girl ran in.

"Brother Li, Brother Li! All the flowers are in bloom!"

At this moment, Li Xingzhi had already gotten up. He sat cross-legged on the bed, meditating and cultivating his qi. Hearing the sound, he slowly and deliberately exhaled a ten-foot-long white rainbow, his eyes flashing with a sharp light before slowly receding.

He stood up and asked, "What flower has bloomed?"

"It's the flowers in the backyard, around the lake! They're so beautiful, all purple and white!" the girl said sweetly.

It turns out the grapevines are in bloom.

"Really? Then let's go take a look together." Li Xingzhi's face showed some joy.

Hearing Li Xingzhi's words, the girl happily took his hand and headed towards the backyard. She was more curious than fond of the clusters of fallen flowers; her happiness stemmed mostly from Li Xingzhi's company.

The two walked to the backyard, where a clear pool shimmered and rippled.

The area around Qingtan is surrounded by wreaths made up of clusters of small flowers that are white with purple and purple with white, like a large wreath on a beautiful woman's fluffy and smooth hair, bright and charming!

If you sniff carefully, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafts over. This fragrance is not as strong as osmanthus, nor as delicate as orchid, but it has a unique charm that constantly stirs the heartstrings.

Further in, rows of wooden frames are erected, covered with countless green leaves and purple and white petals, which together form a long lakeside promenade. On both sides of the promenade, every few steps, there is a long wooden bench for people to sit on.

"Ah Lang." A gentle voice sounded from the side.

The two turned their heads and saw a woman with a gentle demeanor emerging from the drooping flowers and green leaves not far away.

"Why is Aunt Wu here in the backyard so early?" Li Xingzhi asked, looking at the woman.

“Ever since Ah Lang planted those grapevines, they've been so refreshing and lush in the summer, a beautiful sight to behold, and everyone loves to come here. Unfortunately, most of the grapes from these vines are small and sour, inedible… Now, every morning, I come here to practice my breathing exercises. Since Ah Lang taught me the method, my health has been getting better and better…”

After rambling on for a while, Aunt Wu noticed Li Linzhi beside her and looked surprised. "I've disturbed you, young master and young lady." With that, she was about to bow and leave.

"What do you mean by disturbing us! Zhi'er and I are just looking around," Li Xingzhi said with a smile. He then looked at the grapevines in front of him and said, "You're saying those grapevines only produce beautiful flowers but don't bear good fruit?"

"Yes, it's such a pity." Aunt Wu looked regretful. She knew that if all those flowers had turned into good grapes, she didn't know how much money they could have made.

Looking at the young man and woman before her, Aunt Wu dared not disturb them any further, bowed, and left.

Li Xingzhi was puzzled: He had clearly used excellent grape seedlings, so why weren't the grapes growing well? Could it be that they weren't adapted to the local environment?

Thinking this, he walked to the trellis and examined it closely for a while. Over the years, the grapevines had grown as thick as arms, like writhing dragons climbing up. The emerald green leaves were as big as palms, a vibrant green. Among the leaves, flowers bloomed profusely! Looking at them, they didn't seem malnourished or suffering from acclimatization problems at all. Besides, this was a subtropical climate, exactly the kind of place where grapes grow.

Since the problem wasn't with the plant itself, it must be due to improper care. Thinking this, he gazed thoughtfully at the dense, abundant flowering branches. With a flick of his hand, a large expanse of blossoms fell in a flurry. The ground was littered with fallen petals, and the branches on the vines suddenly thinned out, making each individual flower even more striking and vibrant.

"Oh dear, Brother Li, how could you ruin all these flowers!" The girl looked at Li Xingzhi sweeping down a large number of flower branches, her face showing regret, and scolded him.

"A mother's milk can only support two children to grow up healthy, but this woman's husband wants her to have more children. Zhi'er, if you were this mother, and had a choice, how many children would you have at once?"

Hearing Li Xingzhi's words, the girl blushed slightly, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Brother Li said I can have as many children as I want..."

"..."

Li Xingzhi was speechless! He had originally wanted to talk to the girl about grape flowering and fruiting, but he hadn't expected her to be so sensitive. He immediately stopped talking and explained, "Grape flowering and fruiting is like a mother raising children. A grapevine can only support a limited number of healthy vines, but if it produces more, all the vines will be hungry and weak. Therefore, we need to remove the excess grape blossoms. This way, although fewer grapes will grow, they will be bigger and sweeter."

"Oh." The girl's face flushed. Her eyes flickered, and it was unclear whether she was even listening.

"This also tells us that people can only be happy if they are content..."

As the sun gradually rose, the Li residence became unusually busy and lively. The usually quiet backyard was now filled with most of the Li family members, who gathered by the grape trellis by the lake, each holding a sharp pair of shears and busily working on the grapevines.

A group of burly men who had been freeloading at the Li residence somehow heard the news and came over, each carrying scissors, ready to help with the trimming.

"Uncle, what brings you here?"

"Aren't you busy with something here? It just so happens that my brothers have been out of practice lately, so I brought them over."

Standing by the trellis, Li Xingzhi gazed at the endless grapevines forming a long corridor, thinking that if only his family were working, it would take several more days. With that thought, he immediately led a group of burly men across the long bridge to the vicinity of the library.

The grape trellis had already been extended over.

These burly men, armed with large scissors, began their work under Li Xingzhi's guidance.

And you know what? Although they ate a lot, they were also very hardworking. The progress of just over ten people was in no way inferior to that of the dozens of servants in the Li family.

With the two groups working together, progress was extremely rapid. Li Xingzhi estimated that it would be completed in less than three to five days.

Although it wasn't summer yet, the midday sun was scorching. Sweat dripped down like beads of water, soaking their clothes. The people's once nimble hands and feet began to feel heavy, limp, and powerless.

"Everyone, please rest for a while. I'll go get some tea and pastries."

Hearing Li Xingzhi's words, the burly men secretly breathed a sigh of relief, sat down under the grape trellis, rubbed their slightly sore hands and feet, and began to shout in colloquial language.

Li Xingzhi walked towards a house hidden in the woods. Amidst the clusters of chrysanthemums, a tall and spacious house came into view, with a plaque above it bearing the words 'Chrysanthemum Garden'.

The Chrysanthemum Garden is now quiet and secluded. Even after six years, very few people have been able to enter.

Li Xingzhi passed through the screen and entered the bright room. Only a scholar sat at a small table near the front. White paper was laid out on the table, and the scholar was writing, unaware that someone had entered.

Li Xingzhi stepped forward and saw the scholar's brush move swiftly and gracefully, and with just a few strokes, a chrysanthemum in full bloom appeared on the paper! With a little more ink wash, it became a beautiful chrysanthemum in the cold autumn!

Once the painting was finished, the scholar looked at the chrysanthemum with considerable dissatisfaction. As he pondered this, he seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up.

"Why have you come, young master?" The scholar's frown turned to joy when he saw Li Xingzhi.

"If I hadn't come, how would I have witnessed Brother Ouyang's superb painting skills!" Li Xingzhi said with a smile. "This chrysanthemum painting is a gift for me!" He knew that Ouyang Xun was highly accomplished in calligraphy, but he didn't expect that his painting skills were also quite remarkable.

“If you wish to paint, I will paint another good one and send it to you next time!” Ouyang Xun said. “What brings you here, sir?” He knew that Li Xingzhi was extremely lazy and would never come to the temple without a reason.

"I have something to ask you. Could you get me some tea and pastries and take them to the lakeside?" Li Xingzhi knew that the academy always kept tea and snacks on hand...

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Okay, enough said. Thanks to 'Reincarnation' for the donation!

Finally, let me say it again: This is my first book. I dare not say whether it's good or bad, but I will definitely finish it, and finish it as soon as possible.