This morning, having skipped work, Li Shimin, who was preparing for a polo match with the eunuchs at the West Inner Court's polo grounds, heard from the guard that Xiao Chong, the County Magistrate of Mao County, was seeking an audience.
"Has that kid from the Xiao Family arrived?" Li Shimin put away his crescent-shaped mallet and smiled, "Let him in."
Xiao Chong arrived quickly, dressed in a trim long robe with narrow sleeves, unusually wearing a headscarf that concealed all his hair, with black boots, carrying a box as he walked over with a commanding presence.
Stopping in front of Li Shimin's carriage, Xiao Chong set the box down, clasped his hands in a salute (bowing was generally not necessary outdoors in the Great Tang, or else one's clothes would be ruined), and said, "Minister Xiao Chong pays respects to Your Majesty."
Li Shimin looked curiously at the box and asked Xiao Chong, "Zifang, what is this item? Worthy of you personally carrying it all the way here?"
