Li Yuanying was shoved back into his group of friends, no longer needed to lead the way. Emperor Li was afraid that if his troublesome younger brother continued to blabber on, he would lose his temper and give the boy a good beating.
He had never seen anyone who could talk so much nonsense!
Luckily, these words were spoken among their own people. If Li Yuanying had gone and said these things in front of Songtsen Gampo and his minister Lu Dongzan, the boy probably wouldn’t have lived to see the next day.
The horse farm was right in front of them. Li Yuanying was sent back to Di Renjie and the others, grumbling indignantly about Emperor Li’s shameful betrayal. Everyone present except for Lu Zhaolin was an old acquaintance. Most knew what Li Yuanying was like, and seeing him being sent away by Emperor Li, they knew he had again showcased his uncanny ability to provoke people.
Fortunately, Li Yuanying didn’t genuinely believe he was doing anything good. He complained for a while and then stopped, refraining from sharing his thoughts on promoting friendly relations with foreign countries in the presence of outsiders.
Li Yuanying switched to getting to know his new friend, mainly asking about how far Fanyang was from Chang’an, what the scenery was like, and what delicacies they had.
Fanyang was indeed very far from Chang’an, located in the Yuzhou area, belonging to Hebei Road.
The Fanyang Lu Family was one of the five great families, with a long history and deep roots. Lu Zhaolin’s demeanor and speech were more stable and composed than ordinary youths. He wasn’t particularly close to the Lu family, but because Fang Xuanling held a high position as Chancellor, he naturally had to pay a visit to his cousin when he came to Chang’an to study.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing that Fang Xuanling would be visiting the Taihe Palace, the Lu family asked Fang Xuanling to bring Lu Zhaolin along, which led to his attendance at the Teng Wang Pavilion banquet. He patiently answered all of Li Yuanying’s questions, speaking calmly and unhurriedly, with a poise unlike ordinary people.
Li Yuanying praised, “You not only write good poetry, but your prose must be excellent as well.”
Lu Zhaolin blushed slightly, “I am still learning from my teacher.”
Li Yuanying told him not to be humble, “Just by listening to you talk, I can tell you have a good sense of structure. Your writing must be good.” Mentioning this, he talked to Lu Zhaolin about how he and his other friends would be taking the spring imperial examinations next year, of course, excluding Gao Yang. To avoid making Gao Yang seem too unscholarly, Li Yuanying pointed out a good quality, “Gao Yang doesn’t like reading, but she is great at other things. She plays polo very well, and she always rushes to the front during mountain climbing, never seeming to get tired.”
Gao Yang, caught off guard by Li Yuanying’s revelation, retorted, “Who said I don’t like reading? I love reading!”
Li Yuanying found it very strange that Gao Yang would actually argue that she liked reading! Although he didn’t know why Gao Yang suddenly changed her tune, he didn’t expose her, simply saying, “Yes, you do like reading.”
Lu Zhaolin naturally wouldn’t comment on a girl’s character, so he could only smile shyly.
Gao Yang thought Lu Zhaolin’s smile was truly beautiful, more beautiful than any other young man she had ever seen. If she could see him smile like that every day, she would even enjoy eating more!
The group reached the horse farm and checked out the fine horses brought back from Tubo, then led out the foals bred there for a walk. Everyone agreed that the horse farm was well-built, and in the future, it would undoubtedly raise a large number of high-quality warhorses for the Tang Dynasty. Even the less impressive horses were valuable livestock, and their use would lighten the burden on the people.
Emperor Li was in a good mood and took everyone back to the Cuiwei Palace for a late-night feast, announcing that he would be staying there that night.
Li Yuanying couldn’t sit still and went out for a moonlit stroll with his friends in the evening, taking Lu Zhaolin along. They strolled around, chatting about anything and everything, full of cheer.
After several encounters, Lu Zhaolin had completely changed his view of Li Yuanying. Li Yuanying was absolutely not some frivolous and ignorant member of the imperial family. On the contrary, in many respects, his knowledge was not inferior to that of the sons of noble families, and his ambition and aspirations were far beyond those of his peers.
At least, Lu Zhaolin was frequently inspired by Li Yuanying, longing to stay in Chang’an and work together with him to achieve great things.
Li Yuanying also learned much about Lu Zhaolin from their conversations.
Being a son of a noble family wasn’t easy. Lu Zhaolin was the best among his generation, so he had been strictly disciplined since childhood, required to learn everything quickly and efficiently, and to behave in a dignified and courteous manner. He began his education as soon as he could remember, never stopping his studies and calligraphy practice. His already clever mind was sharpened through constant training.
Seeing Lu Zhaolin’s excellence and maturity, his family sent him to Yangzhou to study a few years ago. His teacher was Cao Xian, a renowned expert in textual studies during the Sui Dynasty, who had annotated the “Erya” (ancient dictionary). Emperor Li had once issued an edict summoning him to Chang’an to become a scholar at the Hongwen Hall, but Cao Xian declined on the grounds of old age. However, everyone knew he was a learned scholar acknowledged even by Emperor Li, and students from all over flocked to Yangzhou to seek his instruction.
Lu Zhaolin studied under Cao Xian for three years. Cao Xian believed he was very talented and that staying with him, an old man, would not be beneficial, so he recommended another teacher for him: Wang Yifang. This time, Lu Zhaolin came to Chang’an to meet Wang Yifang, also a master of Cangya studies.
Cangya studies essentially referred to the study of characters, with the main textbooks being “Cangjie Pian” and “Erya,” hence the name “Cangya.”
Li Yuanying was slightly overwhelmed after learning about Lu Zhaolin’s usual studies. No wonder those families could maintain their status for generations. At such a young age, Lu Zhaolin was so diligent, a trait not shared by many pampered scions of noble families!
Li Yuanying remarked, “It must be so tiring.”
Lu Zhaolin replied, “It’s not tiring once you’re used to it.”
Li Yuanying felt even more sympathy for him. He must have endured a lot of hardship to become accustomed to it!
The young people strolled around for a while, and Li Yuanying excitedly escorted Wei Jiu back, his primary goal being to check on Wei Zheng. Lately, Wei Zheng had been giving him the cold shoulder, and Li Yuanying felt he couldn’t slack off on showing his affection. He had to boost his presence in Wei Zheng’s eyes.
Li Yuanying went to Wei Zheng and told him about his new friend. He said, “I haven’t had much contact with sons of noble families before, but now that I’ve met one, I understand why they become part of those families.”
Wei Zheng himself had married the daughter of the Pei family, so he knew the advantages of noble families. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have broken his usual frugality and spent a fortune to arrange a marriage for his son with a noble family daughter.
Wei Zheng said, “It’s good that you can think that way.” What pleased Wei Zheng most about Li Yuanying wasn’t his status or his favor with the emperor, but his malleability. He taught Li Yuanying, “The hardest thing for people to do is often to recognize the strengths of others and their own weaknesses.”
Many people dislike a person or become enemies with someone without acknowledging their good points, seeing only their faults. When they see others succeed, they don’t think about why they succeeded; they only feel resentful that fate isn’t on their side. Many people are similarly blind to themselves. They always think they are perfect and everything they do is right. When they fail, it’s always someone else’s fault, never their own.
This blindness is the reason why many people fail again and again.
Li Yuanying was pleased to receive Wei Zheng’s affirmation and listened attentively to his teachings. Finally, he mentioned to Wei Zheng that Lu Zhaolin’s intended teacher was Wang Yifang, asking if he was a good teacher, and if so, whether he could meet him.
Hearing that Lu Zhaolin was going to study under Wang Yifang, Wei Zheng commented, “Yifang is upright and honest, and his knowledge is also good. He currently serves at the Hongwen Hall.”
As he was speaking to someone close to him, Wei Zheng didn’t hold back. He had once considered Wang Yifang, with his upright character and remarkable scholarship, to be a suitable match for his niece from the Pei family. However, Wang Yifang had declined, clearly unwilling to curry favor with the powerful.
Li Yuanying listened and muttered, “What’s the big deal? Even if he got married, you wouldn’t be able to give him any special favors!”
Wei Zheng was skilled at scolding people, praising Emperor Li appropriately when necessary, so he had never caused any real trouble. However, as the standard set by Emperor Li, he couldn’t fall easily, absolutely not allowing anyone to find fault with him!
Therefore, Li Yuanying felt that Wang Yifang’s concern about currying favor was entirely unfounded. Wei Zheng wouldn’t give him any preferential treatment!
Wei Zheng glared at him.
Li Yuanying fell silent.
Wei Zheng sent him off to bed.
After talking to Wei Zheng, Li Yuanying actually became interested in Wang Yifang. He would be going to his fiefdom and would need some aides. Although Xiao Shi promised to introduce some students, wouldn’t the court also need to assign a chief administrator and other officials to supervise and advise him? This upright and honest man with a stubborn temperament seemed perfect for the role of chief administrator!
Most importantly, if he could lure Wang Yifang away, wouldn’t Lu Zhaolin follow his teacher? He could simultaneously bring along a friend, killing two birds with one stone, a win-win situation!
Li Yuanying was a man of action. After returning, he found “Cangjie Pian” and “Erya” and studied them thoroughly, preparing a few tricky and challenging questions to use. After returning to the capital, he excitedly followed Lu Zhaolin to visit Wang Yifang.
Although Lu Zhaolin found Li Yuanying’s sudden enthusiasm a bit strange, he didn’t mind joining him on the visit. But he quickly regretted it because after entering the Wang family’s door with Li Yuanying in a proper manner, Li Yuanying began to let loose and engage in a lively discussion with Wang Yifang.
Li Yuanying didn’t act like someone cramming for an exam. The questions he asked were deep and wide-ranging, even leaving Lu Zhaolin initially dumbfounded. Only after Wang Yifang explained them one by one did Lu Zhaolin begin to understand.
Lu Zhaolin felt somewhat embarrassed. What was he supposed to do when Li Yuanying, the visitor, seemed more like the eager student than he, the one actually coming to learn?
Fortunately, after asking all his questions, Li Yuanying settled down and quietly watched Lu Zhaolin’s apprenticeship ceremony.
Wang Yifang knew that Lu Zhaolin was recommended by Cao Xian and was a descendant of the Fanyang Lu Family, so he naturally wouldn’t turn him away, readily accepting him as a student.
Li Yuanying followed Lu Zhaolin again, excitedly.
Leaving the house, Li Yuanying praised Lu Zhaolin, “Your teacher is great.” Some people are well-read but teach little to their students. Those like Xiao Deyan, who are good at guiding and teaching, are a rare breed. Despite meeting him only once, Li Yuanying felt that Wang Yifang was the kind of teacher who could impart knowledge effectively!
Lu Zhaolin nodded in agreement.
They parted ways at the Tianjie, one returning to the Fang family and the other to the palace. After returning to the palace, Li Yuanying went directly to find Emperor Li and told him about the chief administrator he had chosen!
Since Lu Zhaolin had already begun his apprenticeship, he had to act quickly to poach his teacher!
Emperor Li was momentarily unsure whether to tell him to get lost, hearing that this time Li Yuanying wasn’t just talking about going to his fiefdom but had even selected a chief administrator. He said, “Tell me, who have you chosen?”
Li Yuanying replied, “His name is Wang Yifang! Old Wei told me that he once tried to arrange a marriage for him with the Pei family, but he refused. What a grumpy and stubborn temper! He’s perfect for the role of chief administrator! With a chief administrator like that, if I do anything I shouldn’t, he’ll definitely point it out and report it!”
Emperor Li chuckled at his audacity, “Can’t you just not do anything you shouldn’t do?”
Li Yuanying said, “How do I know what I should and shouldn’t do? They say everyone has their own field of expertise. That’s what the chief administrator is for, isn’t it?”
Emperor Li said, “Alright, I understand.”
Li Yuanying, hearing that Emperor Li didn’t mention stopping him from going to his fiefdom, felt secretly happy. It seemed like his hope of leaving the Imperial Academy and going to his fiefdom was finally becoming a reality! He didn’t stay long, mentioning the chief administrator candidate and then dashing off, determined not to annoy Emperor Li.
Emperor Li watched Li Yuanying’s cheerful retreating figure, set down the scroll in his hand, and shook his head helplessly, thinking that Changsun Wuji had been overly cautious in repeatedly warning him about Li Yuanying. If that boy became emperor, he might be begging to abdicate after three days!
No, three days was too long, probably not even overnight!
The palace was peaceful, but the Fang family wasn’t so tranquil. Mainly, Lu Shi was furious upon hearing from Lu Zhaolin that he had visited Wang Yifang with Li Yuanying. She was annoyed and said to Fang Xuanling when he returned, “I already told Zhaolin to avoid that boy, how could he still find him!”
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: Not only did I find your nephew, I’m going to steal him!
Hanging by a thread to maintain daily updates!
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