Li Yuanying had his fill of fun at the Wei Wang Fu and ambled back to his own residence, where he regaled Wei Jiu with tales of Li Tai’s three little sprouts. Three kids were already such a riot, just imagine how much more lively it would be if he visited the Hongwen Academy tomorrow!
Li Yuanying had been the self-proclaimed king of the children since his youth, always eager to play with them. After recounting the personalities of the three little ones to Wei Jiu, he envisioned their future: these little ones needed proper training, and once they grew up, they could bring their own kids over to play.
As he spoke, a touch of melancholy crept into his voice: “Children are so dependent on their parents when they are young, but they might not like to stick around their parents when they grow up. It’s important to find them some playmates, to make things easier. Sigh, just thinking about our kids being tricked away makes me feel a little heartbroken.”
Wei Jiu was speechless. The kids were still a far-off dream, and he was already worried about them growing up and not wanting to stay close to their parents!
Wei Jiu delivered some unfortunate news to Li Yuanying: “The palace sent word just now, informing you that tomorrow is the Full Moon, and you mustn’t forget your duty to attend court.”
The Full Moon and New Moon days, the 1st and 15th of each month, were the days when all the officials of the court, civil and military, had to attend court. It was a time to review the major and minor events of the past month, to discuss matters, or simply listen in.
Except for these two days, the court held only small meetings, where Emperor Li and his trusted advisor Fang Xuanling would gather to discuss matters. The others still had to attend their offices to clock in, and the timing was fairly consistent, always at daybreak.
Although Li Yuanying wasn’t currently holding any official posts, he was a prince, and as he was in Chang’an, he had to attend the full court sessions on the Full Moon and New Moon days.
Li Yuanying had completely forgotten about this, and when he learned that he had to go to court, he calculated the time and his eyes widened: “Does that mean I have to get up at the Yin Hour?!”
Li Yuanying usually woke up quite early, but definitely not before dawn. After all, Tengzhou boasted a vibrant nightlife, and going to bed early was simply not an option. He would party late into the night, then sleep until late morning, getting up only when the sun was high in the sky. If it weren’t for Wu Mei and the others strongly opposing it, he might have even gone so far as to shift the office hours to the Si Hour, thinking that starting work at that time would be more comfortable.
When it wasn’t his responsibility, Li Yuanying found the idea of early rising to be a hardship, but now that he had been reminded by the Emperor Li himself to attend court, he felt deflated. He confided in Wei Jiu: “What if I get sick tomorrow?”
Getting up early was out of the question. He was still a growing boy, he needed ample sleep! He absolutely refused to get up early!
Wei Jiu replied: “If you fall ill, the Emperor will definitely send a physician to examine you.” That would expose his plan.
Li Yuanying reluctantly retired for the night early, and sure enough, he was woken up by the servants just after the Yin Hour the next morning. He was still groggy as he was dressed and groomed, feeling like returning to the capital was a mistake. How much more comfortable life was in Tengzhou! Li Yuanying dragged his feet for a long time, enjoying a light breakfast with Wei Jiu before riding his horse out.
The sky was still dark, with only a hint of pale light in the distance. As the drums beat, the gates of each ward opened, and the streets began to fill with people. Street vendors who provided breakfast for officials going to court set up their stalls diligently in their designated locations, shouting out their wares.
Li Yuanying encountered Li Tai first, then Li Zhi, and a little further down the road, he bumped into Li Ke.
As they all lived within the same vicinity, they naturally found themselves together. Li Yuanying and his nephews were on their way to court, and after observing them, he felt a bit dissatisfied, unable to help but remark to Li Tai: “Qing Que, everyone is of normal build, why are you the only one who’s stocky? Your elder brother and sister-in-law aren’t fat at all.”
What does your weight matter to you?!
Li Tai chuckled and ignored his uncle.
Li Zhi, seeing his uncle’s disapproval of Li Tai’s physique, found himself feeling sorry for his fourth brother.
He had heard his brother-in-law mention his fourth uncle lately, and there was a clear lack of respect in his words, despite the fact that Li Tai was still a member of the Li family.
Although his brother-in-law’s words were ostensibly meant to be well-intentioned, Li Zhi was increasingly annoyed. Even though his fourth brother had targeted his eldest brother in the past, he hadn’t done anything particularly bad to them, his younger siblings. Now that the youngest uncle had openly sided with the eldest brother, and the eldest brother’s position as Crown Prince was as solid as a mountain, Li Zhi felt there was no need to join the fray. If he were to join the struggle, perhaps he would end up like his fourth uncle, deemed unworthy and ridiculed by his brother-in-law.
Someone must have encouraged his fourth brother to compete back then, right?
Were those people still calling on his fourth brother now?
Li Zhi tried to dissuade Li Yuanying: “Uncle, you shouldn’t keep poking fun at your fourth brother.”
Li Tai glanced at Li Zhi, but remained silent.
The palace gates were approaching, and everyone dismounted, leaving their horses to be taken to the stables for pampering. The other officials had arrived earlier than Li Yuanying and his party. Seeing them walking together, they found it rather unusual.
Li Yuanying had only just returned to the capital and hadn’t had time to visit his friends and family yet. Upon spotting familiar faces, he immediately abandoned his nephews and rushed to greet them, chatting with one here and another there. He chose his topics carefully, praising the performance of each other’s children in Tengzhou. After praising one, he praised another, and so on, keeping himself busy. Only when the palace drums began to sound did he return to his nephews and follow the order of precedence to enter the court.
Once the court session began, the atmosphere became rather somber. This was Li Yuanying’s first time attending a proper court session, and after sitting quietly for a while and listening, he found it uninteresting and began to doze off, leaning against his chair. He wasn’t a person who needed little sleep. He had been roused from slumber so early in the morning, and he was finding it unbearable, longing to go back and catch up on his sleep.
But the full court session was long, and it was simply too much to ask of him to listen attentively the whole time!
Li Tai had been worried that Li Yuanying would come and bother him again, but his uncle had stayed quiet this time. However, Li Yuanying was fast asleep, and his ivory tablet had even fallen to the floor. If one listened closely, they could even hear him snoring softly!
Li Tai: …
Li Tai felt Emperor Li’s gaze sweeping over him, lingering longer each time. His conscience was tormented for a good half-day before he finally used his ivory tablet to tap Li Yuanying, waking him up.
Li Yuanying was still half-asleep and only opened his eyes when he felt someone tapping him. He glanced around and saw that the Minister of Rites was still talking, so he turned to the culprit who had woken him, muttering softly: “The session isn’t over yet, why did you wake me up?”
Li Tai was furious, regretting his act of meddling.
Now that he was awake, Li Yuanying had to force himself to listen to the civil and military officials debating matters of state. It was agonizing, and he was finding the whole thing increasingly unbearable. He was beginning to think that being an emperor really wasn’t a job for humans. The court session was almost over when Emperor Li finally proposed to give Li Yuanying a real post, to serve in the Honglu Temple.
The Honglu Temple employed officials who were proficient in the languages of various countries, and it was primarily responsible for foreign affairs. It wasn’t a crucial ministry, and it was perfect for Li Yuanying to showcase his talents. Everyone agreed, thinking that perhaps giving Li Yuanying something to do would keep him occupied.
Li Yuanying had almost dozed off again when he suddenly heard Emperor Li mentioning a post for him. He snapped awake, and his first reaction was, “A post means being an official, and being an official means attending court or your office every day, having to clock in! Oh the misery!”
Li Yuanying immediately voiced his objections, strongly urging Emperor Li to retract his decree.
Emperor Li looked at him with a sideways glance: “You don’t want to go to the Honglu Temple, which ministry would you prefer?”
Li Yuanying shook his head furiously, his face solemn as he declared: “Matters of state are not to be taken lightly. Qing Que and the others are capable, Your Majesty can give them more tasks. I, on the other hand, am simply useless. I don’t know anything, and I’m truly unfit for such a responsibility!”
Li Yuanying’s words were sincere, not a bit forced. He was all for playing, and he could come up with a hundred and eighty different ways to have fun. But as for diligently clocking in and attending his office, he’d rather be killed!
The officials, seeing Li Yuanying’s humility, and his serious demeanor, felt that Li Yuanying had truly grown during his years in Tengzhou. He was no longer the reckless and unruly young man he once was.
It was customary to decline promotions, so everyone assumed that Li Yuanying wasn’t genuinely unwilling to serve, and they dutifully played their part by complimenting him, saying that no one was more suitable for this position than him.
In the art of court politics, favors are traded. This time, they were helping Li Yuanying to ascend, so next time, it would be Li Yuanying’s turn to return the favor. This was the fundamental principle of playing the game!
Li Yuanying was bewildered.
How come he didn’t know he was so amazing? These people who were praising him hadn’t even interacted with him much in the past!
Emperor Li noticed that Li Yuanying’s eyes had widened and, not giving him another chance to refuse, he ordered someone to draft an edict appointing Li Yuanying to the Honglu Temple.
After the court session ended, Li Yuanying was still not convinced. He went to see Emperor Li, insisting that he was still a child and not fit for the Honglu Temple. He was met with an unwavering rejection, and Li Yuanying’s face turned into a bitter gourd, his future seeming bleak: “Your Majesty, you must be doing this on purpose. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have come back.”
Emperor Li was amused by him, and with a stern expression, he scolded him: “You want to roam around and have fun, yet you don’t want to do any work, or take on any responsibility. Where in the world is there such a perfect arrangement?”
This kid, for his very first serious attendance at court, could sleep so soundly during the session. His refusal to accept the post at the Honglu Temple clearly indicated his desire to shirk his duties. With such a lazy disposition, it was truly a mystery how he had accomplished so much in Tengzhou!
Emperor Li dismissed Li Yuanying to report to the Honglu Temple and not to bother him with his affairs.
Li Yuanying saw that Emperor Li was determined to push him into the Honglu Temple, and he was also expected to take up the post immediately. His life seemed hopeless. He had planned to invite his niece and her friends to his residence in the morning, and visit the Hongwen Academy to see his nephews and nieces in the afternoon, but now he had to go to the Honglu Temple, and his plans were completely ruined!
Li Yuanying wasn’t giving up. He went to see Li Chengqian, hoping that he could persuade his father to revoke the appointment. Although Li Chengqian found it ridiculous that Li Yuanying was refusing the post just because he didn’t want to get up early, he still agreed to speak to Emperor Li on his behalf.
Unfortunately, as soon as Li Chengqian brought up the topic, he was dismissed by Emperor Li.
Li Chengqian could only express his helplessness with a look of regret.
Li Yuanying then went to Changsun Wuji and the others, trying to exhaust every possible avenue, determined to avoid becoming one of the many officials who had to work hard and clock in every day. He was a prince of the Great Tang Dynasty, wasn’t he supposed to just eat, drink, and have fun? Why should he have to get up early every day!
Changsun Wuji listened to Li Yuanying’s complaints and couldn’t help but feel speechless. He finally understood why Emperor Li was so relaxed about Li Yuanying. This kid had no ambition, not even a sliver of ambition.
This was the first time he had heard someone say that they didn’t want to join the court because of the daily early-morning routine!
Indeed, a prince like Li Yuanying really didn’t need to be ambitious. Everyone would be more than happy if he just spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun. However, seeing the kid’s desperate efforts to decline, Changsun Wuji felt he couldn’t let him live so freely. Changsun Wuji chuckled: “Since the Emperor has already issued an edict, Your Highness should simply fulfill your duty.”
Li Yuanying stormed off angrily, going from person to person, trying to convince Emperor Li to change his mind. In the end, he was either rejected or subjected to a round of ideological education.
Kong Yingda, in particular, gave him a verbal lashing for almost half an hour. The old man first criticized him for his lazy, undisciplined nature and his lack of responsibility. He then accused him of not caring about the fate of the world, refusing to dedicate himself to the nation. He finished with a barrage of quotes from ancient texts, berating Li Yuanying, saying that if he didn’t take his post seriously and perform his duties well, he should not dare to claim him as his student or admit that he had studied at the Imperial Academy!
Li Yuanying: …
Li Yuanying left in a huff, refusing to speak to any of them again.
The only person in the world who was truly good to him was his big nephew!
Author’s Note:
Little Prince: You guys are so provincial, in the distant future, there are plenty of people like me who don’t want to go to work! (Points and gestures)
Update!
All the comments from the previous chapter have been rewarded with red packets! You’ll receive a PM notification if you received one. Now, Jinjiang allows sending red packets for the entire chapter, making it easier, faster, and more efficient! The next time I encounter a good number, I’ll send them out to everyone (づ￣ 3￣)づ
Finally, Little Prince is about to be removed from the rankings, he’s already near the bottom. Please give him some nutrient solution (o╥﹏╥)o There will be a second update tonight! It’ll be a bit late. You can check it tomorrow! Give Little Prince some nutrient solution to help him grow strong!
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