Chapter 1: The Fallen Nobleman

Strictly speaking, bird eggs cannot be classified as meat, but for this poor master and servant, it is already a delightful treat. Upon hearing this, Lu Jinping couldn't help but swallow hard. She immediately slammed the remaining half bowl of rice onto the table and said, "Alright, let's go right now!"

Lu Jinping squatted by the pond, his eyes wide as he peered under several withered yellow lotus leaves on the water's surface. Ye Qingqing also squatted beside him, her eyes wide open in curiosity. After a while, a fish finally swam out, but it was only the size of a chopstick

Lu Jinping spat into his hands, rubbed them together, and was just about to climb the tree. Unexpectedly, Ye Qingqing got ahead of him, took off her embroidered shoes, revealing her two delicate and lovely little feet, and, hugging the tree trunk with both hands, swiftly climbed up like a nimble cat.

Lu Jinping was idly watching the pedestrians coming and going on the street, while Ye Qingqing sat beside him on the bench, behaving as obediently as a gentle kitten

Lu Jinping's parents passed away early, leaving only an elder sister who has married far away. Lu Jinping inherited the noble title of his great-grandfather, who was a founding county lord, and aspired to take the imperial examination to restore the family business, but unfortunately failed repeatedly. Incited by others, he sold his farmland and mortgaged the old residence to borrow high-interest loans for bribery, hoping to secure a minor official position. Unexpectedly, after receiving the money, the official was prosecuted and executed by the court for various offenses including corruption and bribery. Lu Jinping was both angry and anxious, and he coughed up several liters of blood before dying. The forensic doctor who traveled back in time found himself leaning over his body. Only a close maid, Ye Qingqing, remained by his side.

Ye Qingqing noticed his expression was somewhat gloomy. With a quick thought, she smiled and said, "There is a bird's nest on that big tree in our backyard. I reckon it has laid eggs. How about we go and collect some bird eggs to cook? You haven't had any meat for quite a long time."

Lu Jinping was startled and turned around to see two burly men standing in front of the table, followed by a few ruffians, all glaring at him with fierce expressions

The bird's nest could not be retrieved, so we had to return. As we walked past the pond, Ye Qingqing exclaimed, "My lord, there are fish in the pond! A small fish just swam by and is hiding under the lotus leaves"

"Marrying a wife?" Lu Jinping tapped the earthenware bowl with her chopsticks twice and said, "The money we earn every day, as master and servant, is only enough for us to eat aged brown rice and pickled vegetables. Do you think we can afford to support a lady?"

"If it tastes good, eat more!" The little maid, Ye Qingqing, happily picked up some pickled vegetables with her chopsticks and placed them in Lu Jinping's earthen bowl. Her egg-shaped face had eyes that squinted into two adorable crescent moons due to her joy. "By the way, my lord, the matchmaker came to introduce someone to you yesterday. Why did you send her away before she finished?"

Lu Jinping sat on a low, cracked stool in the old house's kitchen, holding a clay bowl and chopsticks, exaggeratedly chewing and laughing. Although the bowl contained aged, moldy coarse rice that tasted as unpleasant as sand in his mouth, his expression suggested he was enjoying a feast of delicacies.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jinping immediately envisioned the appearance of braised carp, drooling with anticipation, and quickly turned around to ask in surprise: "Where is it? Where is the fish?"

My dear girl makes the best pickles in the world, they are truly delicious

He sighed and said, "Forget it! I don't want to burden the girl. Either I won't marry, or if I do, I must ensure that my wife lives a good life. — Marrying a man means having clothes to wear and food to eat! If I can't provide her with good clothes and white rice, what face do I have to marry her?"

The business at the word stall is typically not very good. It is almost noon, and I have only earned a total of two wen.

On that day, Zhang the Bald and Fat Yao brought their men to Lu Jinping's calligraphy stall again. Zhang the Bald, with his hands on his hips, looked at Lu Jinping with a cold expression and said, "Lord Lu, when are you going to repay the money you owe us?"

Lu Jinping was certainly not interested in eating live chicks. She shouted loudly: "No more! Come down quickly, be careful!"

Upon learning the details, the Inspector ruled that this was the only ancestral property left by the esteemed Lord Lu Deming, one of the Eighteen Scholars of the late Emperor Taizong, and that it was a reward from the late Emperor. Unless the current County Baron Lu Jinping himself agreed, he could not be forced to sell it. Moreover, the Inspector was extremely angered by the accusations made against the Lord by the likes of the leprous Zhang and others. He reprimanded them harshly, stating that their disrespect towards the Lord was tantamount to disrespecting the late Emperor, and ordered the bailiffs to beat Zhang and the others out of the hall with clubs.

Lu Jinping smiled and said, "You little girl, your movements are quite quick. Make sure to hold on tight with your hands, step firmly with your feet, grab that tree trunk, yes, just like that..."

However, the matchmaker said that the young lady is not interested in enjoying a prosperous life with you; rather, she is attracted to your title as a county noble and this old residence that has stood for over a hundred years. If she marries you, it will be a life of hardship for her.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as someone slapped heavily on his desk, causing the ink, paper, and inkstone on the table to jump up.

When Lu Jinping crossed over, he was just about to go to the crime scene, carrying a forensic investigation kit with him. Although it contained advanced instruments and reagents, they were all intended for forensic examination and were of no use since he had no connections to enter the government office. He studied Western medicine and did not know traditional Chinese medicine, nor did he have Western medicine or equipment, making it impossible for him to treat patients. To make a living, Lu Jinping set up a writing stall on the street next to the government office, where he copied verdicts, wrote letters on behalf of others, and transcribed books and scriptures, earning a few coins each day to get by. He studied Western medicine and did not know traditional Chinese medicine, nor did he have Western medicine or equipment, making it impossible for him to treat patients. To make a living, Lu Jinping set up a writing stall on the street next to the government office, where he copied verdicts, wrote letters on behalf of others, and transcribed books and scriptures, earning a few coins each day to get by.

Lu Jinping looked up at the dim ceiling of the old house. It was early morning, and the autumn sun was shining through the window frame, filtering through the crisscrossing beams. The ornate carvings on the beams, having endured over a hundred years of erosion, had become dark and indistinct, yet still revealed the grandeur of the mansion in its heyday. Unfortunately, it was now a bare shell, with all the sellable furniture and belongings long gone.

Ye Qingqing is an orphan who was taken in by Lu Jinping's parents, serving as Lu Jinping's personal maid and bookkeeper. As the Lu family fell into decline and all the servants left, she vowed to follow the young master to the death

Ye Qingqing said: "They have already hatched, there are three of them. My lord, they are so pitiful. How about we don't eat them after all?"

Lu Jinping is a forensic expert who unexpectedly traversed through time to the era of Emperor Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty, six months ago. He has taken over the body of a once-noble lord whose family has fallen into decline and is burdened with a mountain of debt. This lord's great-grandfather, Lu Deming, was one of the renowned Eighteen Scholars who served alongside Li Shimin, the future Emperor Taizong of the Tang, during the early Tang period, and was granted the title of Marquis of Wuxian. Due to the descendants' poor financial management, nearly a century has passed, and by the time of Lu Jinping, the family fortune has almost been squandered.

The two individuals tidied up and set out, arriving at the street side in front of the Tongzhou Prefecture Yamen to set up a calligraphy stall

Lu Jinping was greatly disappointed, sighed, and said: "Forget it, let's go, it's time to set up the stall!"

This old residence features a three-entry courtyard, with a front hall at the front, the inner dwelling in the middle, and a rear garden at the back. The rear garden has a pond, and beside the pond stands a towering tree. At this moment, it is late autumn, and nearly all the leaves have fallen from the tree. The morning sun shines through the bare branches, illuminating a bird's nest near the treetop with exceptional brightness

One of these two individuals is called Lai Tou Zhang, and the other is known as Yao Panzi. They were the ones who incited Lu Jinping to possess the scholar who used the old residence as collateral to borrow usurious loans from them, along with selling off the remaining family assets and land to raise money for bribery in pursuit of an official position. In the end, it was all in vain.

Ye Qingqing quickly climbed to the location of the bird's nest. After pausing for a moment, she cautiously reached her hand into the nest, grasped something, took it out, and examined it in her palm. Then she extended it for Lu Jinping, who was standing under the tree, to see. It turned out to be a newly hatched chick that was chirping.

Hiding beneath the lotus leaf, it will come out after a while

Lai Tou Zhang and Yao Panzai originally hoped to help Lu Jinping bribe his way into an official position, which would allow them to wield power through him. If that did not succeed, they could still collect a high-interest loan, as they had his old residence as collateral. However, seeing that Lu Jinping failed to secure the official position, they pressured him to sell his old residence to repay his debts. Lu Jinping refused, as the Lu family had no other valuable assets to sell besides this empty old house. Consequently, Lai Tou Zhang and the others went to the government office to file a lawsuit against Lu Jinping, demanding a ruling to sell his old residence to settle the debts.

Ye Qingqing placed the chick in her hands back into the nest. Using both her hands and feet, she quickly descended to the ground.

Seeing that the yamen was still protecting this fallen nobleman, Lai Tou Zhang and the others immediately lost heart and could only privately seek out Lu Jinping to discuss the matter of repaying the debt. However, Lu Jinping merely stated that he had no money