Duke of Zhenguan

Chapter 101 Is it aimed at me?

When the imperial edict was read out at the grand court assembly, the magistrate of Chang'an County was also present. So when Lin Chuan went to the county office, the magistrate of Chang'an County readily agreed that the Lin family's fifty hectares of land would be allocated next to the Cheng family's estate, separated by a river.

The fifty acres of land were all flat, top-quality fields, with a few small hills in the middle. The magistrate of Chang'an County said that the hills did not count as land, so they were not included in the fifty acres.

The paddy fields nestled against the mountains and beside the water were a wonderful place that Li had never dared to dream of before. Her only dissatisfaction was that the five thousand hectares of land had been abandoned for many years.

Lin Chuan was quite satisfied. He had long wanted to move the temporary workshop he had set up in the east wing. The hills were not high, and they could be leveled to build a workshop.

Moreover, the land must be cultivated before spring.

If we miss the spring planting season, the land will be barren for another year.

There is no shortage of craftsmen, but whether it is building houses or reclaiming wasteland, a large number of people are needed.

Most of the people who had fled to Chang'an had already left, but many homeless people remained in the vicinity of Chang'an, struggling to make ends meet.

Lin Chuan then sent Lin Jiu and Lin Twelve to hire people outside the city.

Following Lin Chuan's instructions, Lin Jiu prioritized hiring those with families, and within just one day, he hired over a hundred people.

With manpower secured, Lin Chuan borrowed craftsmen from the Qin family and also from the Imperial Workshop to help build the workshop and a separate courtyard.

These miscellaneous tasks were too much for Li, who came from an ordinary farming family, to handle, so Lin Chuan had to do them himself.

It wasn't until mid-December that I finally finished dealing with all the household chores.

The weather is getting colder and colder, and it takes a lot of courage to get out of my warm bed every morning.

However, since being granted a noble title, although he no longer needs to attend the daily court assemblies, he cannot miss the grand court assembly held every two weeks.

On December 16th, it was the day of the grand court assembly again. Lin Chuan struggled to get out of bed and had just dressed when Mei Xiang brought in hot water to help him wash his face.

After washing her face, she went to the front yard, where Li had already prepared breakfast herself: a large bowl of steaming hot noodles.

After yawning and finishing his noodles, he took Xu Laosan out and rushed to Chengtianmen before dawn.

Lin Chuan found a sheltered corner and huddled there, waiting listlessly for the palace gates to open.

Officials attending the court assembly arrived one after another, chatting in twos and threes. Lin Chuan glanced around and saw Yan Shigu and Yan Xiangshi alighting from their carriages. He quickly walked over to them, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Lord Yan, Lord Yan!"

Yan Shigu smiled and nodded, saying, "It's rare to see you here so early, Xiao Chuan!"

Yan Xiangshi, however, cupped his hands towards Lin Chuan and called out in a sarcastic tone, "County Lord Lin!"

"Lord Yan, I can't possibly accept that title!" Lin Chuan said helplessly.

"Hmph!" Yan Xiangshi snorted coldly and ignored Lin Chuan.

Lin Chuan was also helpless. It had been almost two months, and he was still blocked at the gate when he went to the Yan family. Yan Xiangshi never gave Lin Chuan a good look.

Yan Liu Niangzi would occasionally go to the Lin family with Er Ya for a while, but Lin Chuan had no idea what Yan Xiangshi was thinking.

Yan Shigu glanced at his brothers at home and chuckled, trying to defuse the situation: "Xiao Chuan, I'm planning to take a break for a while. I'd like to invite some friends to work together to add punctuation to some of the books I wrote earlier. You came up with the punctuation yourself; if you have time, feel free to come and give me some pointers!"

Upon seeing Yan Xiang, Lin Chuan seemed not to have heard Yan Shigu's words. Overjoyed, he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Master Yan, you flatter me. How could I possibly be qualified to instruct you? If you don't mind my lack of talent, I will certainly come and humbly request your guidance!"

"Miscellaneous knowledge is also a form of learning. In terms of miscellaneous knowledge, you are no less capable than I am, so there's no need to belittle yourself!" Yan Shigu said with a smile.

"Yan Shigong is too kind!"

After standing at the palace gate for a while, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and others arrived one after another. Lin Chuan went to greet them and chatted for a while before the palace gate finally opened slowly.

After entering Xiande Hall, Lin Chuan, dressed in a red robe, no longer had to stand at the main entrance. Although he only held the official position of Right Martial Guard Chief Secretary, his noble rank was fourth grade, so he was arranged to be among a group of nobles who, like him, held the title of Earl.

The grand court assembly was as boring as ever, and since the hall was quite warm, Lin Chuan's eyelids started to droop after standing for a while.

After standing there in a daze for a while, I suddenly felt something, opened my eyes, and sure enough, I saw a young censor in a blue robe staring intently at me.

Lin Chuan smiled apologetically at the young censor and quickly stood up straight.

After the young censor left, Lin Chuan forced himself to stay awake for a while, but then started to feel sleepy again.

Just as Lin Chuan's eyelids began to droop again, a censor in a red robe suddenly stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

The sound was so loud that even from a distance, it startled Lin Chuan and made him realize something was wrong.

Ji Shimin, who had stayed overnight in Consort Yang's palace, was still exhausted from working until midnight. Sitting behind his desk, he seemed somewhat distracted, letting out a barely perceptible yawn before saying in a deep voice, "Granted!"

"Your Majesty, I have heard that today there is an omen of Mars entering the constellation of Yu Gui, which is a sign of war, disaster, and severe drought. It is also a sign that a traitor is on the side of the emperor. I urge Your Majesty to investigate!" the censor said loudly.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned and subconsciously turned his gaze to Fu Renjun, the Grand Astrologer, who was standing in the corner.

Fu Renjun also looked panicked. Two nights ago, he observed the stars and discovered the strange phenomenon of Mars entering the constellation of Yu Gui. He immediately went to the palace to report to Li Shimin.

Apart from the people in the Imperial Observatory, he had not mentioned to anyone else who the officials in the Censorate had heard about him from.

Having just succeeded Fu Yi as Grand Astrologer only a few days prior, such a major blunder had occurred. Fu Renjun mentally cursed the ancestors of the person who leaked the information for eighteen generations. Just as he hesitated about how to speak, another imperial censor in a red robe stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to present!"

Li Shimin straightened up slightly and said in a deep voice, "Granted!"

"Your Majesty, the appearance of Mars in the constellation Yu Gui is an omen of a traitor lurking near the emperor. I beg Your Majesty to investigate!" the censor exclaimed.

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to present!"

"Your Majesty! I have a memorial to present!"

Before an incense stick could burn, officials from the Censorate stepped forward one after another, some wearing red robes and others wearing green robes.

Lin Chuan was no longer sleepy and looked at the censors in the main hall with great interest, wanting to see how they would perform next.

When Mars enters the constellation of Yu Gui, it is an omen of treachery by the side of a powerful person, meaning that there are treacherous ministers around Li Shimin.

I just don't know who these censors are referring to as treacherous officials?

Lin Chuan was engrossed in reading when another censor stepped forward. With Li Shimin's permission, he loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty, I impeach Lin Chuan, the Earl of Longmen County, for disregarding the laws of the Tang Dynasty and privately keeping displaced people as slaves. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

Lin Chuan was startled. Was it coming for me?