Li Yuanying brought such a large group of people with him that naturally, someone had to move. Emperor Li had prepared for this in advance, and had already made some room during the year-end assessments to accommodate Li Yuanying’s entourage.
The prefect was named Cui, a kind-hearted man who was quite plump, but in a balanced way that didn’t make him appear unattractive. He had a rather friendly demeanor.
Cui had only been in office for a year, and his performance review was quite satisfactory. When he heard that Li Yuanying was going to be enfeoffed this year, he became apprehensive, and compiled the records with extra diligence, ensuring there was no false reporting.
Others might not think it necessary to pay much attention to Li Yuanying, considering Emperor Li had many brothers, and Li Yuanying was simply the youngest, benefiting from Emperor Li’s affection to be raised by his side. However, Cui was not an ordinary man, and his ability to discern the underlying meaning of things far surpassed others.
It wasn’t unusual to have princes raised in the palace, after all, the Prince of Qi was Emperor Li’s own son, yet he was killed without hesitation! Li Yuanying was different.
Cui, unlike others, knew the truth: Xu Jingzong, once a scholar of the Prince of Qin, was implicated because of Li Yuanying. Although he managed to keep his life due to their familial ties, his future was ruined. This was even more cruel than death for someone who aspired for power and wealth.
If Li Yuanying held no weight in Emperor Li’s heart, he wouldn’t have dared to touch Xu Jingzong.
Cui was very cautious. He vacated whatever position was designated by the emperor without any resistance. He knew Emperor Li could grant hereditary prefect titles to numerous loyal officials and his own sons who were barely teenagers. Being in this position, Cui felt uneasy, constantly fearing Emperor Li’s sudden change of heart.
After receiving Li Yuanying, Cui inquired about his availability for a welcome banquet and then left. He didn’t appear cold or overly enthusiastic, demonstrating his adeptness at social interactions.
Li Yuanying had a good impression of Cui, but he didn’t spend too much energy trying to understand him. “Time will tell,” he thought. “He’ll eventually reveal himself anyway.”
After all, he would be rooted in Tengzhou, and he would get to know him better with time.
Li Yuanying was completely absorbed in his Teng Wang Fu, or Prince Tang’s Residence.
The location of Teng Wang Fu perfectly suited his preferences. Although the residence was built later, it felt like the entire city of Tengzhou had been built around it. It was incredibly grand!
The rear mountain was also vast. Climbing to the mountainside offered a breathtaking view of the entire city. Beyond the mountain lay a fertile plain, also belonging to Teng Wang Fu.
What excited Li Yuanying the most was a lake within the residence. The water was supplied by a living stream, making it look exceptionally clear and beautiful. Li Yuanying ran around the residence inside and out, filled with joy and surprise. He immediately went back and wrote a passionate letter to his brother, showering him with flattery, claiming he was beyond satisfied with the residence.
He also mentioned Cui to Emperor Li, saying he was a bit plump, reminding him of his fourth nephew. He wondered where the fourth nephew was and if it was cold in Liaodong (Northeastern region of China). He had heard that plump people were less afraid of the cold. He asked if this was true and promised to ask Cui about it.
After finishing the letter, Li Yuanying had it sent to the capital, taking his time since there wasn’t anything urgent. He was oblivious to Emperor Li’s habit of sharing his flattery letters with his trusted officials, thinking it was just casual chit-chat with his brother.
People often speak of blood ties and deep affection between siblings, but Li Yuanying saw it as a façade. Even outside the royal family, there were countless instances of fathers killing sons and brothers fighting each other. Genuine feelings needed to be cultivated and maintained!
Li Yuanying felt quite pleased with himself. Look at how hard he was trying!
Wei Jiu had no idea what Li Yuanying wrote to Emperor Li from time to time. It wasn’t until she received a letter from Wei Zheng that she learned Li Yuanying had been added to the blacklist by Changsun Wuji and others. They had labeled him as the most shameless person on earth.
Even through the paper, Wei Jiu could sense Wei Zheng’s anger, indicating that he had been thoroughly poisoned by Li Yuanying’s flattering letters.
Wei Jiu thought Li Yuanying’s letter-writing was indeed shameless, but Emperor Li was even more shameless. Others would secretly revel in receiving such letters, but Emperor Li took it a step further, developing an interest in sharing his flattery with others.
Wei Jiu quietly told Li Yuanying about it. Wei Zheng’s letter was meant to get her to persuade Li Yuanying to tone down the flattery in his letters.
Li Yuanying, however, was quite fond of Emperor Li’s hobby. He even lectured Wei Jiu: “If I were the one receiving such letters, I would share them with you all as well. Why shouldn’t my brother share them with Old Fang and the others? This is human nature. You can’t just forbid him from doing this simply because he’s the emperor. It doesn’t affect his governance. When the people hear about it, they might even praise our brotherhood!”
Wei Jiu thought that reading these letters would only make the people think the brothers were shameless.
However, considering that Li Yuanying would surely proclaim to the world any praise from Emperor Li, Wei Jiu decided against trying to persuade him.
It was fine for Emperor Li to enjoy Li Yuanying’s exaggerated flattery. It was better than receiving a letter filled with scolding, which would undoubtedly break Li Yuanying’s heart. In any case, only people like Fang Xuanling, close to the emperor, had to endure such torment.
After writing to Emperor Li, Li Yuanying continued his whirlwind tour, checking on Liu Baolin, Wang Yifang, and the others to ensure their accommodations were satisfactory and whether they needed any adjustments. By the time their first day in Tengzhou ended, he was exhausted but exhilarated.
Li Yuanying happily settled into his own private residence, his heart brimming with joy. In his dreams, he had two adorable dimples from smiling so much.
Unlike Li Yuanying’s happiness, many people had restless nights. Di Renjie couldn’t sleep either. He stepped out of his chosen courtyard and paced the garden. It had snowed recently, covering everything in a silver frost, making the moonlight seem colder.
As he approached a pavilion, Di Renjie saw a light illuminating the night. He looked up and saw Wu Mei standing in the courtyard, gazing at the lake, lost in thought.
The night was deep, the lake was deep, and the solitary figure stood under the moon, creating a sense of coldness and detachment from afar.
Di Renjie, without giving it much thought, approached her and asked, “Why are you still up at this late hour?”
Wu Mei regained her composure, turned around to see it was Di Renjie, smiled, and said, “I was just reading a book and couldn’t sleep, so I came out for a walk.” With her own people, she always softened her edges, revealing no sharpness.
Di Renjie took the opportunity to ask, “What book were you reading?”
Wu Mei replied, “Nothing special, just the *Shizu Zhi* (Genealogies and Family Histories).”
The *Shizu Zhi* not only ranked and ordered families, but also recorded the rise and fall of countless families. The imperial Li family was ranked first, followed by the relatives of the emperor, with the rest being the prominent families. Many were dissatisfied with this ranking, including the Shandong scholars. Even Fang Xuanling and the others secretly sought marriage alliances within the Shandong scholars.
Wu Mei’s rereading of the *Shizu Zhi* wasn’t a spontaneous decision. She had been pondering this matter along the journey.
The Li imperial family belonged to the Guanlong nobility, a relatively new group, emerging only about a century ago. In the eyes of many established families, they were no different from commoners.
Furthermore, the Guanlong nobility had a strong Hu (non-Han) influence. Even though Emperor Li pursued a policy of cultural governance, many of his actions revealed a lack of concern for etiquette and morals. He would feign patience and listen to such matters, but in his heart, he didn’t care much.
If not for the loyal officials who accompanied him, pulling him back and offering advice, Emperor Li would have created countless problems.
Since the imperial family was like this, they couldn’t expect the local scholars to have much respect for them, let alone expect them to dedicate themselves to the court after investing their entire families’ resources in cultivating their sons.
Emperor Li had also privately discussed this with others, saying that these scholars were united and unwavering in their opinions, always choosing to selectively comply with the court’s decrees.
He realized their disdain but couldn’t do anything about it.
They would rather remain outside the government than curry favor with his Li family. What could he do? Even if he offered them a princess or made their daughters concubines, they wouldn’t be interested.
Li Yuanying genuinely believed that Emperor Li’s intention in giving him half of Henan Road as a fiefdom was out of kindness, but Wu Mei couldn’t help but think differently: Was Emperor Li truly giving Li Yuanying a large fiefdom, or was he simply taking a reckless approach, aiming for Li Yuanying to stir up the prosperous cultural region of Qilu, effectively suppressing the arrogance of the prominent families?
Wu Mei wasn’t sure about Emperor Li’s true intentions, so she couldn’t settle down after reading the *Shizu Zhi*.
Although Li Yuanying had made many friends, he was still no match for the Shandong scholars in a confrontation. Their foundation was still too shallow. Emperor Li, as the emperor, couldn’t achieve it, so what could Li Yuanying accomplish?
Since they were alone, Wu Mei didn’t hide her worries and shared her thoughts with Di Renjie.
Di Renjie listened silently.
He was born in Taiyuan and grew up hearing the stories of the Wang Clan of Taiyuan. Even after dynasties changed, families remained families. Their foundations hadn’t been shaken by the changing of empires. In other words, they were the unyielding families, while emperors came and went. The Li imperial family might not last long, so who would sincerely work to stabilize their empire?
Di Renjie said, “His Highness wouldn’t think about these things.”
Li Yuanying simply didn’t have these thoughts. He was overjoyed to receive his fiefdom and would jump for joy. He wouldn’t be bothered by such complicated matters. He made friends without considering their backgrounds. He happily befriended anyone who got along with him, and wouldn’t bother those who looked down on him. So, even if the Qilu scholars disdained him, he wouldn’t care. His attitude would be, “If you don’t want to play with me, I won’t play with you.”
Wu Mei agreed with Di Renjie. Li Yuanying wouldn’t consider these issues, focusing solely on having a good time.
Wu Mei said, “Then I won’t worry about it either.”
Li Yuanying possessed a unique kind of luck. Good fortune that others would beg for and never get, he would simply stumble upon. Instead of fretting over things endlessly, they should join Li Yuanying in figuring out how to have fun in Tengzhou! Perhaps, while they were enjoying themselves, the concerns they had would resolve themselves.
The two stayed at the pavilion for a while, discussing and leaving their anxieties behind. They then went their separate ways and slept soundly.
The next morning, Li Yuanying woke up early, gathering his friends to go out and have fun, exploring his fiefdom.
**Author’s Note:**
Little prince: You adults are so complicated! (Pointing and gesturing)
Update!
Time to eat!
Short author’s note!
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