Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 119 The Ugly Duckling

July 2nd.

Dou Fengjie, still dressed in his green official robes, stepped into the Vermilion Bird Gate in a low-key manner, but couldn't help but let out a "ha!"

Li Hai'an, the Eagle-Strike General of Kuangdao Yingyang Prefecture, stood majestically within the imperial city, his hand resting on his sword.

"He's been promoted to Right Guard General of the Left Imperial Guard? Congratulations!"

Dou Fengjie clasped his hands in a salute, his eyes filled with joy.

"Just a low-ranking fourth-grade official, not worth mentioning."

Li Hai'an returned the greeting with a reserved bow, but the smile in his eyes was hard to hide.

Li Hai'an was naturally pleased to be promoted from Eagle General to Lieutenant General, a promotion similar to a local official being transferred to a capital official position, and his rank was also elevated.

He had only helped Dou Fengjie casually, but Dou Fengjie rewarded him with the position of deputy commander-in-chief, allowing him to gain enough military merits.

Li Hai'an knew very well that he had the ability but wasn't outstanding enough. If he encountered a tough opponent, he could win, but it wouldn't be easy.

From Tuyuhun to Gaochang, Li Hai'an had never fought such a smooth battle before, and he almost thought he had become an unparalleled general.

Upon calming down, I realized that I was still at a mediocre level, only my opponents were simply not up to par.

The slightly awkward thing is that Ashina She'er became the Left Guard General, which happened to be Li Hai'an's superior.

"After the eighth day of the first lunar month next year, I'll be having a drinking party at my house, and I'll be serving some really strong liquor."

Dou Fengjie laughed heartily.

When the time comes, once all shackles are removed, Dou Fengjie will pour Li Hai'an a bottle of pure corn wine.

Li Hai'an nodded involuntarily.

The Tang Dynasty was known for its love of wine. Except when on duty or fighting, which prohibited drinking, how many military generals didn't enjoy it?

Immediately, Li Hai'an's eyes filled with resentment.

We have to wait another six months!

Dou Fengjie entered the public corridor, and the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial surrounded him, creating a noisy commotion.

Changsun Huan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, looked at him with suspicion: "Come, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, tell me, when did your archery skills become so amazing?"

"I believe you shot down a wild boar, but shooting down a large flag? You're not just bragging, are you?"

That's the downside of working with classmates; if you get too familiar with them, they'll start exaggerating. Changsun Huan knew how good Dou Fengjie's archery skills were back then.

Dou Fengjie laughed loudly: "Shaoqing, would you believe me if I said that arrow was meant to kill Murong Fuyun?"

The Director of the Imperial Household Department, Cheng Chumo, cackled, "I can testify! The wind in the Western Sea was so strong that it blew the arrow off course!"

Laughter filled the Honglu Temple, with both believers and non-believers present.

After all, Dou Fengjie's claim was too far-fetched; it's better to believe he was the Condor Hero.

Minister of State Ceremonies Li Tai coughed lightly, and the officials cheerfully dispersed to go about their business.

"Come on, Minister of Ceremonies, it's time to get to work!"

Li Tai pulled Dou Fengjie into his room, had the head of the pavilion brew tea, and then laid out a table full of official documents to pour out his grievances.

Dou Fengjie touched Li Tai's palm; although it was slightly cool, it wasn't as icy as before.

"You're not too busy with official duties these past six months. Have you been taking your Yougui Pills on time? How's your Tai Chi practice going?"

Dou Fengjie inquired carefully.

"I'm still taking the medication and doing Tai Chi twice a day, but I just can't lose weight."

Li Tai patted his small, gourd-like belly in distress, then struck a pose like a white crane spreading its wings.

His skill level is definitely not suitable for real combat; he can't even handle push hands, but his lower body is much more solid.

His obesity is not simply due to fat accumulation; it's a medical condition that requires gradual treatment with Yougui Pills.

Tai Chi can improve his health, but it can't help him lose weight; not all exercises can help with weight loss.

Li Tai slapped his forehead: "That's right, Xin'er is already crawling around on the couch, and he can even make people laugh. Even the princess can be amused by him."

Dou Fengjie sighed, "You, as a father, really care about your child!"

"Alright, since we've already agreed to take him as our apprentice, we won't be stingy with gifts."

Through the online marketplace system, Dou Fengjie redeemed a copy of the repackaged, colorful storybook "Dou Fengjie's Fairy Tales," which Li Tai took home and read to Li Xin.

Old An, sorry, the copyright belongs to Dou Fengjie!

"Wow! This picture is so lifelike, it looks exceptionally beautiful."

"How touching! The Ugly Duckling finally found its mother, which tells us not to give up, right?"

Li Tai has already started doing reading comprehension exercises, which is the privilege of good students.

"wrong!"

"The story of the Ugly Duckling teaches us that without a mother who can become a swan, one can only grow up to be a duck."

Dou Fengjie poured cold water on him.

Even becoming a duck isn't something you can just decide to do.

Strictly speaking, there is no standard answer to reading comprehension questions; whoever has the most authority to say something is the standard.

No matter how reasonable a commoner's words may be, they are just empty words. But when the powerful and wealthy fart, it is considered the greatest truth. Even someone who has never touched a hoe in his life can teach a commoner how to farm.

"Minister of Ceremonies, do you have to be such a spoilsport?"

Li Tai looked at Dou Fengjie with resentment.

Strictly speaking, he also belongs to the target group of fairy tales, and he's still a kid who's not even a middle-aged man yet!

The pavilion chief trembled as he sipped his tea.

The trembling wasn't out of fear, it was from holding back laughter.

Although Li Tai didn't put on airs much, no one in the Court of State Ceremonial could be as open and honest as Dou Fengjie, who even dared to mess with the Minister of State Ceremonial.

"Documents from the eight Dangxiang Qiang clans, the Snow Mountain Dangxiang, the White Dog Qiang, and the White Orchid Qiang requesting to be incorporated into the central government as a tributary state, and requesting that their livestock be exchanged for grain at a fair price —"

"The Karluk tribe requested the title of Khan, and Xueyantuo's Siyegu Khan Bazhuo led his troops to attack the Turkic Chebi tribe —"

Each individual task is not difficult, but when they are linked together, it becomes quite a headache.

The key point is, Dou Fengjie made a promise back then, so how can he not keep it now?

Moreover, the Qiang people did not receive grain for free; they exchanged livestock for it.

The Minister of Agriculture, Dou Jing, meant that Chang'an could not provide that much grain in exchange, and the matter needed to be carefully discussed.

However, a person cannot stand without integrity, and the Tang Dynasty cannot afford to lose its credibility, especially since the emperor is not as fickle as Pu Tong.

Dou Fengjie scoffed, "So many nobles can't even handle such a small matter?"

Li Tai poured himself a bowl of cool boiled water from the steamer and drank it all in one gulp: "They don't do anything at all; they just want to see the Honglu Temple make a scene."

Few officials are kind-hearted.

It is common for departments to sabotage each other.

Dou Fengjie's reply at the end of the document reads: "I request the court to transfer grain from Jiannan Circuit, Shannan Circuit, and Huainan Circuit, and allow these three circuits to trade the grain that should have been handed over to the court with the aforementioned Qiang people at the nearby Shaofujian and other trade markets. I request the Censorate to supervise whether this is fair."

Li Tai glanced at it and laughed so hard he could hardly breathe.

Ma Zhou, Xu Yushi, Zhang Xingcheng, and Zhang Wenzong have only just returned from Meizhou, Qiongzhou, and Yazhou, and now they're being sent out again?

Dou Fengjie smiled. It was just a matter of transferring grain nearby. Dou Jing and the others also wanted to control the Court of State Ceremonial.

If the grain from the three circuits isn't enough, would adding the Jiangnan Circuit be enough?

Having promised to add the suffix "Khan" to the Karluk Yabghu, Dou Fengjie naturally could not go back on his word.

Ba Zhuo's sudden rise to prominence was beyond his expectations.

Doesn't Yi Shitong mean that Ba Zhuo is short-tempered and useless?

The fact that Ba Zhuo dared to attack the nose of A Xi Shan's vehicle proves that he has some skill, or that his uncle's escape was due to his great efforts.

After all, the Turkic chariot tribe of Sanwandianluohe was not so easy to deal with.

Unfortunately, Jielixin and Yishitong weren't ruthless enough. Otherwise, what if they had sold a piece of information to Chebi Khan and caused Bazhuo to fall from power at Axishan?