Time flies. After nearly five months, Li Xu finally returned to the capital.
It was late autumn, the capital was extremely cold, and the Li Mansion was already ablaze with fire.
When Lin Yixuan received the news from his son, he started to make preparations three days ago. He cleaned the yard and looked forward to the door all day long.
On the day of returning to the city, the whole family was waiting at the door early.
Li Xu has grown taller, thinner, darker, and looks more stable.
Lin Yixuan felt sorry for his son, and when he saw Li Xu, he quickly pulled him aside to look at him carefully, and kept asking about his well-being.
Li Xu responded with a smile. He was always patient in the face of his father's care.
Li Yaonan was very satisfied. As expected, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. After his son went out alone, he seemed to calm down, become more mature, and acted in a more organized manner.
"Brother----" Li Chen waved happily, his big eyes curved into crescents.
"Brother! I missed you so much." Li Xi was not willing to be left behind, he opened his arms funnyy and rushed over with a bear hug.
Li Xu raised the corners of his lips, glanced at him with disdain, and quickly dodged.
Li Xi missed his target and turned around with a resentful look to accuse his elder brother.
Li Xu was in a very good mood. After days of traveling, all his fatigue disappeared instantly when he saw his relatives, leaving only joy and warmth in his heart. He patted his brother's head and said with a smile, "Let's go."
Li Xi touched his head in dissatisfaction and complained: "Brother, you can't touch a man's head."
Li Xu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He sneered, looked him up and down, and said, "You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you call yourself a man. Who did you learn this from?"
Lin Yixuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard his son mumbling. Xu'er's hair had grown fully, but he didn't know when he would be able to find a daughter-in-law for him.
Li Xi was unhappy. He clenched his fists and waved them. He raised his chin and said proudly, "Brother, I can fight five people alone. I have no rivals among my peers. Everyone praises me as a real man. I am a tough guy. Even my uncle wants me to join the army."
Li Xu was silent for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans?"
Li Xi shook his head like a drum: "No, it's too tiring."
Li Chen came over and said, "My second brother said he likes to act sideways. There are too many rules in the army, so he won't do that."
Li Xu felt relieved and his mood warmed up. The Li family was now extremely glorious. His father was the emperor's tutor and he was the top scorer. Maybe he would even get the top prize next year. On the path of civil servants, he and his father already had the upper hand. If his younger brother wanted to join the army, the royal family would definitely not allow it.
Li Xi grinned, his bright smile did not contain a trace of gloom, he understood his elder brother's concerns, and also understood the royal family's worries. In fact, compared to being an official, he preferred being a second-generation rich man. He knew his own temper very well, and could not stand the twists and turns of officialdom. If he accidentally couldn't help it, he would beat his superior, which would be a small matter, but would ruin the emperor's plan, which would be a big matter. Didn't his father and elder brother always say that a little impatience would ruin a big plan
Li Xu glared at him unhappily, thinking he was a crab, walking sideways.
Li Chen blinked, looked at his second brother obediently, and smiled sweetly: "I am telling the truth."
Well, the little bully lost his temper. His little brother was so well-behaved and cute that he couldn't help but feel distressed, so how could he bear to blame him. It must have been his little brother's words that slipped up, and it was definitely not intentional on his part.
"Little rascal." Li Xi rolled his eyes, rubbed his younger brother's hair hard, smiled, and quickly hid away.
"Ah!" Li Chen exclaimed, "Hate it, don't run."
The two brothers chased each other with laughter and joy, and the yard was filled with laughter.
Li Xu couldn't help laughing as he watched his two younger brothers playing and laughing. His mood seemed to be lifted along with their laughter. Only in this place, in front of his family, could he relax without restraint. After leaving home, he realized how much he missed home!
Back in the main courtyard, the warm air in the house hit them. Li Xi and Li Chen stopped fighting and sat obediently beside their eldest brother, asking him about things in Suzhou.
Li Xu only reported good news and not bad news. He only said that he was doing well in Suzhou and that his clansmen were taking good care of him. He did not mention Li Taian's visit or that Ma Yulian had thrown a scene at the door. Of course, he also kept his mouth shut about the matter of Fu Qianhua and did not mention a word.
Lin Yixuan looked at his son gently, feeling a little sad in his heart. His son had grown up and was sensible. He no longer liked to rely on his parents and wanted to handle everything by himself. How could he and his husband not know about what happened in Suzhou? Xu'er had deliberately kept it secret from them, which made him feel relieved and sad at the same time, as if his son was about to spread his wings and fly away.
In fact, Lin Yixuan's premonition was correct. Li Xu was indeed about to fly away. The young eagle had grown up and had to learn to fly on his own. However, no matter how high or how far he flew, where his father was would always be his home.
In the next few months, Li Xu worked hard on his studies. After the New Year, he would take the imperial examination next spring.
As expected, Li Xu got the top scorer in the imperial examination. As the saying goes, a good father will have a good son. He is the youngest top scorer in the imperial examination since the founding of the Jin Dynasty. He has a good family background, good knowledge, good looks and an even better future.
The threshold of the Li Mansion was once again trampled by all parties. Li Xu's value skyrocketed, and all those who came to propose marriage were rejected by Lin Yixuan one by one. Some people were disappointed, some were angry, and some were excited to watch the show. The Li family didn't like any of the daughters of good families in Beijing. When Li Xu was a few years older, the good girls were picked by others. Let's see what kind of girl he can find. I'm afraid it will be too late to regret.
Li Xu never took these things to heart. Not to mention that he had no intention of getting married now, even if he did, he would like to find someone who shared the same ideals with him. The noble ladies in the capital were too spoiled, and to be honest, he found them difficult to serve.
After the Qionglin Banquet, Li Xu was arranged to work in the Hanlin Academy. With Li Yaonan's support, his days in the Hanlin Academy went smoothly, so smoothly that it made him irritable. All his performance assessments were obtained with the help of others in exchange for his father's face. If this continued, he would not get any experience at all.
Compared with Li Xu's troubles, Li Yaonan sighed in his heart, thinking back to when he entered the Hanlin Academy, he was ignored by everyone and encountered obstacles everywhere, otherwise he would not have been given the reputation of being feared by ghosts. Who said that the Hanlin Academy was a place with little money, who said that the literati in the Hanlin Academy were aloof, it was because they had not met the right person. Just as corrupt officials love money and literati love reputation, the more literati they are, the more they like to be pretentious and the more they like a noble reputation. They can look down on nobles, they think they are very noble, they regard money as dirt, but who says they will not fawn on the great Confucian scholars of the time? It is a face-saving thing to be able to get guidance and praise from the great Confucian scholars, and literati like this.
After two years of hard work and many requests from the emperor, Li Xu finally got the document of demotion under his persistence and went to Guangdong to serve as the prefect.
Lin Yixuan was so angry that her heart ached. She just scolded the brat for being so cruel for actually going to such a far place.
However, no matter how sad or uncomfortable she was, when Li Xu was leaving, Lin Yixuan still said goodbye reluctantly and carefully packed his luggage, fearing that he would be alone and get cold, hungry or sick. What would that be like
Li Yaonan has no opinion on his son's choice. It is good that Xu'er has his own ideas. Being demoted to a local official is a good experience. It can not only broaden his horizons, but also help him learn more about the sufferings of the people, which will be very useful for his future career. Li Yaonan does not want his son to live in an ivory tower.
Of course, he would not forget to prepare things. After all, he was a parent. Although he hoped that his son would be tempered, he did not want his son to suffer any real loss. Immediately, Li Yaonan selected three aides, two clerks, a manager, and thirty guards to protect his son's safety from his subordinates, in case he did not have enough people when he arrived at the place. You know, these were all his experiences. When a new official took office, there would always be a few troublemakers under him. If he wanted to deal with them, apart from taking it step by step, he had to suppress them with force and prepare more people to be prepared.
Xuer would definitely not be able to come back for several years after he left, so the couple checked and prepared again and again, until Li Yaonan felt that there were no more omissions, and then they let their son go and allowed him to set off.
Li Xu was very touched by his father's intentions, but looking at such a grand scene, he couldn't help but feel helpless.
He was going to Guangdong to take up the post, not to relocate with his family. In addition to the thirty-six people his father gave him, his father also prepared more than twenty servants to serve him, including three cooks, four servants, as well as maids, old women, managers, and shopkeepers... Before he even arrived in Guangdong, his father had already prepared a lot of shop properties, leaving him at a loss as to what to do.
Before leaving, Lin Yixuan gave instructions and complained that his son's 18th birthday had passed, but his daughter-in-law was nowhere to be seen, and the brat was about to leave home. Lin Yixuan regretted it so much. If he had known earlier, he should have found a wife for his son first.
Li Xu was helpless about this. He was now ambitious and planned to achieve something. How could he have the mood to care about his father's personal affairs? He could only say sorry for his father's expectations.
At this time, they didn't expect that Li Xu's wife was still nowhere to be seen, but the little bully Li Xi actually found his sweetheart.
Here's the thing.
Less than a year after Li Xu left, his title of the most talented man in the capital was taken over by the Prince of Fu.
How could Li Xi be willing and convinced? In his mind, his eldest brother was the best. Others were not even worthy of carrying his shoes. So what if he was the prince of Fu? The prince of Fu himself was a bastard, so how could his son be any better
The more Li Xi heard others praising Prince Fu, the angrier he became.
So, the little overlord shouted and called a group of second-generation rich people, and found out where the Prince of Fu was. The group of people came with great momentum. What were they doing
--fight!
Others are afraid of Prince Fu, but he is not. Although Prince Fu is a royal relative, he does not hold any position and his power is not as great as his father's. Besides, it is said that there is chaos in Prince Fu's mansion and Prince Fu's son is not favored. It is not certain whether Prince Fu will support him.
Li Xi and his group were arrogant and ferocious when they went, and came back with bruised faces and noses.
The Prince of Fu lived up to his name, he was indeed a man of both military and literary talents. He was originally planning to start a group fight, but after a few words from him, Li Xi went into battle alone and fought him one-on-one.
A bunch of second-generation rich kids were clapping and cheering on the sidelines, watching with great gusto.
Li Xi was so angry that his teeth were itching, and he attacked without mercy. However, Prince Fu was no pushover. Although his explosive power was not as strong as Li Xi's, he had extremely rich combat experience. The two fought evenly. Although Li Xi was bruised and battered, Prince Fu did not gain any advantage.
After the fight, both of them were injured.
Li Xi returned home cursing, thinking that Prince Fu was cunning and that he would get revenge someday.
He was angry, and Prince Fu was even angrier. He had inexplicably provoked a little bully. Who had he offended? He couldn't be more depressed.
Thus, hatred was formed between the two.
Li Xi recuperated for a few days. Once the wound on his face healed, he regained his handsome and elegant appearance. Li Xi couldn't wait to start looking for trouble with the Prince of Fu.
On that day, Li Xi returned home again with a bruised face.
This kind of life lasted for more than half a year, and the whole Li family knew that the second young master of his family had a deep hatred for the Prince of Fu.
Lin Yixuan felt sorry for her son at first, but later she got used to it.
Li Yaonan just laughed it off, thinking it was just a joke between children. Anyway, Xier was thick-skinned and resistant to falls and beatings, so it would be good for someone to teach him a lesson, so that he would not become too arrogant.
Li Xi became more and more courageous in battles, and was injured less and less frequently. His fighting strength kept rising. In just half a year, he went from being evenly matched with the other two to having the upper hand.
If he gets better, Prince Fu will be in trouble. He is gnashing his teeth in hatred and is extremely annoyed with Li Xi, but he can't afford to offend him. Can't he just hide away
However, even if he hid in the mountains, Li Xi had the ability to find him. Life was really unbearable.
until... ...