My house's electrical wiring dates back to the Tang Dynasty.

"This is Hongwen," Qin Shubao introduced.

That's all I'll say; I won't go into further details.

"Hongwen, where are you on duty?"

"Just a commoner in white," Li Mingbo chuckled.

"It's good to be free from official duties," Li Junxian said with a smile.

The white-clad man who was able to enter the imperial city, and whose surname was Li, who knows which member of the imperial family he is.

Moreover, judging from the appearance of his own general, it seems that his relationship with Hongwen is quite unusual.

If you really think of him as a white-robed man, you're being too naive.

At this moment, the city gates opened.

Everyone, please move inside.

Since Li Mingbo held no official position, he could only wear a white robe and a black turban.

In the Tang Dynasty, one's social status was closely tied to the color of the clothes one wore.

In addition to the distinction of official ranks by the color of their clothing, various industries also have regulations regarding the colors of clothing worn.

For example, butchers and merchants wear black, while ordinary people wear white.

When everyone saw Li Mingbo dressed in white, they all looked at him with strange eyes.

Tang Dynasty official robes had a clear distinction between different ranks.

Officials of the third rank and above wear purple, officials of the fourth and fifth ranks wear red, officials of the sixth and seventh ranks wear green, and officials of the eighth and ninth ranks wear cyan.

Today is the regular court session, where officials of the fifth rank and above are on duty. The main officials working in the Imperial City and some staff working in the Palace are holding discussions in the Inner Court at the Liangyi Hall.

Li Mingbo followed Qin Shubao to the Liangyi Hall.

There were many people standing inside.

All the faces were unfamiliar; Li Mingbo only recognized Cheng Yaojin and Qin Shubao.

A chubby middle-aged man looked him up and down.

Li Mingbo didn't recognize the other person, so he just nodded politely in return, stood at the back of the crowd, leaned against a pillar, and closed his eyes.

Damn it, I'm going to work so early, and I'm still grumpy from waking up.

Fortunately, I didn't become an official. Let's observe a minute's silence for the officials of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin arrived soon.

He looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Duke of Liang."

"Your subject is here." A man in his early fifties, dressed in a purple official robe, stepped out from the crowd.

"How is the flood control and disaster relief work progressing in Shandong and Henan?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your Majesty, officials from the Ministry of Works have been dispatched to handle this matter."

"This matter is of great importance. Duke Wei, you shall go there personally. Depart tomorrow. Once you arrive, send back any information you need via urgent courier. There must be no mistakes. Make sure to do a good job in flood prevention and drainage." Li Shimin was still worried when he thought of the tragic floods that occurred in thirty prefectures of Shandong and Henan in August of the following year, as recorded in the Old Book of Tang. Before Fang Xuanling could finish speaking, he directly sent Fang Xuanling there.

"Yes." Although Fang Xuanling didn't know why His Majesty attached so much importance to it, he could only bite the bullet and agree.

Then everyone reported on their own experiences.

After everyone finished reporting, Li Shimin heard snoring.

Frowning.

Everyone turned around and saw the young man in white leaning against a pillar, fast asleep, snoring loudly, and drooling.

"Hongwen." Cheng Yaojin awkwardly kicked Li Mingbo with his foot.

"Off work?" Li Mingbo opened his eyes, looked at Cheng Yaojin, wiped his drool, stood up and said.

"Who is this person? This is the Liangyi Hall, how can he be so rude? Daring to sleep here? Snoring so loudly it shakes the heavens!"

"And he's drooling."

"Wearing white, tsk tsk."

Among the crowd, a middle-aged man with a fat body and big ears, who looked like a cook, whispered something.

The sound was very soft and the person was close by, so Li Mingbo could hear it clearly.

However, Li Mingbo is not afraid.

I'm not a civil servant, so how many times can I come here?

I was conscripted by Li Shimin.

Li Shimin ignored Li Mingbo's unusual behavior as if he hadn't heard it.

Standing next to Cheng Yaojin was a military general of similar age. He saw Li Mingbo sleeping in the Liangyi Hall, snoring, but His Majesty pretended not to see it.

They didn't even give a warning, let alone punish me.

He turned his head and glanced at Li Mingbo with a complicated expression.

Li Mingbo felt as if he were being targeted by a wild beast. The terrifying killing intent made him instinctively shrink back.

"Who is this? I haven't offended him, have I?" Li Mingbo thought to himself as he saw the other man's unfriendly gaze.

After thinking it over, I realized I didn't know the other person.

Forget it, why think so much? I'm just here to observe.

That Li Er is really something. He should have talked about his own business earlier. I need to go back to sleep now.

"Em—!" Li Mingbo stretched and said to Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, why don't you tell me about my business first, and then I'll go back to sleep."

Li Mingbo thought to himself, "I can't keep wasting my time here with you guys. You get paid, but I don't."

"Who are you? How dare you disrespect the emperor!" A thin, elderly man in his fifties or sixties, dressed in a purple official robe and sporting a goatee, turned to look at Li Mingbo.

Li Mingbo looked at Cheng Yaojin to the side and asked, "General Cheng, who is this old man?"

Cheng Yaojin looked at Li Mingbo and answered softly, "Wei Zheng."

Oh, Wei Zheng, the mirror of humanity.

However, I have no grudge against you.

Who has shown disrespect to the monarch?

This label cannot be put on you.

You might be punished if you're not careful.

They won't behead you.

Now I am useful to Li Shimin. His wife needs me to live, but even if I get a dozen or so strokes of the cane, it will still be a hardship.

Li Mingbo looked at Li Shimin, but Li Shimin did not speak, as if ignoring him.

The middle-aged man with the fat build standing on the left, seeing the old man questioning Li Mingbo, rolled his eyes and looked at the old man, saying, "Xuancheng, don't lower yourself to the level of a junior. Young people don't know manners."

The fat man deliberately dragged out the word "etiquette".

"Without rules, there can be no order. Besides, he's already so old. What parents don't have proper upbringing to raise such an ill-mannered child, sleeping in the Liangyi Hall in front of His Majesty?" Wei Zheng became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had discovered a new continent. After speaking, he cupped his hands and said to Li Shimin, "Your Majesty, this commoner from the mountains has no respect for the emperor and the law. According to the 'Ten Abominations' of the 'Wude Code,' 'disrespectful behavior towards the emperor and the palace' is the sixth of the 'Ten Abominations,' which is an 'unpardonable crime,' punishable by exile for two thousand li or hanging."

Lying down in a daze!

When Li Mingbo heard that Wei Zheng had sentenced him to hanging, his anus tightened.

Although by attaching himself to Li Shimin, this crime wouldn't happen, Li Mingbo was still somewhat afraid.

Too dangerous.

In modern times, at most a leader would scold you or, in more serious cases, give you a hard time; at least your life wouldn't be in danger.

In this feudal society, beheadings and confiscation of property were common occurrences.

Is it because people say, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger"?

"I second that!" The dark-faced, burly general stepped out from the crowd and bowed to Li Shimin.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yaojin whispered to the man, "Yuchi Laohei, don't be ridiculous."

"Cheng Yaojin, don't get it wrong. It's not me who's being silly; it's him who's being silly."

Upon hearing Cheng Yaojin's words, Li Mingbo realized that this was none other than the door god Yuchi Gong.

Yuchi Gong was credited with killing Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, earning him the greatest merit among all those involved. He was granted a fief of 1,300 households, the same as Li Shimin's brother-in-law, Changsun Wuji.

They're riding high right now.

But I have no grudge against him.

Why is he siding with the civil officials this time?

It's worth noting that Qin Shubao and Cheng Yaojin didn't exchange a single word.

Moreover, Cheng Yaojin's actions just now indicated that their relationship was not ordinary.