My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

After the sacrificial ceremony, Li Ju returned to Luoyang with his clansmen; it was already evening.

He closed the door and took out the lock of hair from his bosom.

His black hair was tied with plain cotton thread, and he kept it close to his body, afraid of losing it.

He found a red string and carefully braided his black hair into a love knot.

It's very small and light; when placed in the palm of your hand, it looks like a dark-colored flower.

He then took out the jade pendant—the one Wei Gui had given him, with "Eternal Stability" on the front and "Luck" on the back.

When the two items are placed together, the jade pendant is warm and lustrous, and the love knot is simple and elegant.

He brought the love knot close to his nose.

It has a light fragrance, not from cosmetics, but a clean scent, like the air on a spring morning.

It smells exactly the same as it did on her today.

He closed his eyes, and the moment she fell into his arms flashed before his eyes again—she looked up, her eyes close, bright, shimmering like spring water. Her hands were pressed against his chest, her palms burning hot.

And the soft touch of her waist.

He opened his eyes and put the love knot and jade pendant into his inner pocket.

======

The Wei residence.

Wei Gui sat in front of the zither, his fingers resting on the strings, remaining motionless for a long time.

She should have been practicing the piano.

But all she could think about was the scene from today—him riding his horse down the mountain path, dismounting, bending down to pick up the handkerchief, and walking up to her.

Under the bright sunlight, she saw his face clearly for the first time.

He has sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a straight nose, and a strong jawline.

His eyes were beautiful. Calm, deep, like a still pool of water.

But today, ripples appeared in that pool.

She could see it clearly.

"Sister."

Wei Nizi poked his head in from outside the door, grinning.

Wei Gui withdrew his hand, picked up a book, and pretended to read it.

"Sister, you didn't play the zither."

"I don't want to play."

"The book is upside down."

Wei Gui looked down—it was indeed upside down. Without changing her expression, she straightened the book.

Wei Nizi skipped in, sat down opposite her, rested her chin on her hand, and looked at her with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Sister, are you very happy today?"

"no."

"You're lying." Wei Nizi leaned closer. "You've been spacing out ever since you came back from Mangshan. You're spacing out while eating, spacing out while walking, and now you're spacing out while playing the piano. Are you thinking about Li Huairun?"

Wei Gui reached out and gently flicked her forehead.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Wei Nizi covered her forehead, not annoyed at all, and chuckled: "Sister, your face was so red when you fell into his arms today."

Wei Gui's ears burned again.

"That's because you hit him."

"I didn't use any force," Wei Nizi said smugly, raising her chin. "You did it on purpose, deliberately losing your balance, deliberately falling into his arms—"

"Weini!"

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more." Wei Ni stood up and ran outside, but turned back at the door. "Sister, if you miss him, write him a letter."

Wei Gui ignored her.

Wei Nizi ran away.

The room fell silent.

Wei Gui put down the book that had been turned upside down and took out the jade from her sleeve—the one Li Ju had given her, inscribed "Chang Le · Huai Run".

She placed the jade in her palm and held it gently.

Then close your eyes.

The corners of her mouth curved slightly.

The Water Conservancy Bureau, the office of the Grand Canal Transport Bureau.

Li Ju sat in the duty room, a transfer document spread out in front of him.

The newcomer's name is Du Chen, courtesy name Shoucheng.

This person came from a poor family and was transferred from the neighboring civil affairs department to do document copying.

The resume reads: Du Chen, age 23, from Yongzhou.

He is a loner and dislikes interacting with others.

He is meticulous and ruthless in his work, and often argues with his colleagues.

He was unpopular, and his predecessor commented that he was "pedantic and rigid, and not up to the task."

Below that is a line of smaller print: "Only skilled in accounting, and his copying of books is error-free."

After reading it, Li Ju put the document down.

Wang Yu, standing to the side, also glanced at it and said with a sneer, "Master, this doesn't seem like someone easy to deal with."

"Is that so?" Li Ju said. "Let him in."

When Du Chen walked in, Li Ju looked up at him.

thin.

Very thin.

He was wearing a faded blue round-necked robe with frayed cuffs.

His face was narrow and long, with slightly high cheekbones. He had delicate features but a cold and stern gaze, like an unsharpened knife.

He stood before the desk, neither humble nor arrogant, and cupped his hands in greeting: "Du Chen greets Master Li."

The voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and there were no extra words.

Li Ju looked at him.

Those words on his resume were not considered shortcomings by him.

Aloof by nature – he doesn't form cliques, doesn't leak secrets, and won't be recruited by others.

Being meticulous and uncompromising—fair, rigorous, and incorruptible.

Stubborn-minded—principled, loyal, and reliable.

Inflexible – prone to making mistakes.

Refusing to compromise one's integrity—clean, trustworthy, and capable of managing money and grain.

Poor interpersonal relationships – lacking their own power, they can only rely on him.

What his former boss considered useless was, in his eyes, a trusted confidant bestowed upon him.

"Du Chen," Li Ju said.

"exist."

"Here is an uncounted ledger; take a look."

He pulled a thick ledger from the table and pushed it over.

That was the grain revenue and expenditure for last month, involving seventeen granaries, more than three hundred boats, and the inflow and outflow of tens of thousands of shi of grain. The data was complicated, and he originally planned to spend two days verifying it himself.

Du Chen took the account book, opened it, and glanced at it.

Then he walked to the table next to him, sat down, picked up a pen, and began to calculate.

Li Ju lowered his head to review his official documents.

The duty room fell silent, with only the scratching sound of pens slicing across paper.

About half an hour later, Du Chen stood up, walked back to Li Ju's desk, and placed the account books and a stack of calculation papers on the table.

"I'm done calculating," he said.

Li Ju picked up the calculation paper and turned the pages one by one.

The numbers are clear, the entries are distinct, every entry has a source, and every error is marked in red.

He checked the first few pages and found no errors.

He looked up at Du Chen.

He was secretly astonished: this man's talent far surpassed that of ordinary officials.

He wants this person!

"Du Chen," Li Ju put down the abacus, "From today onwards, you will be in charge of the documents and accounts of the Grand Canal Transport Office. All core documents will first pass through your hands."

Du Chen was stunned.

His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but then he swallowed it back.

"Steward Li," he began, his voice somewhat hoarse, "do you know what my reputation was in the front office?"

"Know."

"Then you still..."

"What I see is different from what others see." Li Ju looked at him. "Just tell me, can I do it?"

Du Chen remained silent for a moment.

"Yes," he said, just one word.

"Then get on with it." Li Ju lowered his head and continued reviewing documents.

Du Chen stood there, looking at his young boss.

He was much younger than him, but in his speech and actions, he showed none of the impetuousness of a young man.

Decisive, efficient, and straightforward. I don't look at resumes or hearsay; I only judge ability.

He suddenly realized that this government office might be different from the places he had worked in before.

"Thank you, sir." He cupped his hands in greeting, his voice becoming more composed.

"Go."

Du Chen took the account book, turned around, and walked out of the duty room.

His back was straighter than when he came in.

After Du Chen took office, the documents and accounts of the Grand Canal Transport Office were completely renewed.

He spent five days sorting out all the old accounts that had been piling up, classifying and filing them with clear entries.

He kept a daily record of the grain and fodder coming in and going out, checking it on the same day, never letting it linger overnight.

He could find out how much grain was stored in which granary and which cargo was loaded on which ship with a simple check.

Efficiency has more than doubled.

But trouble is brewing.

People kept coming to Li Ju to complain.