Zhou Qian was in a good mood. He thought about it carefully and felt that this plan was feasible. No matter how he made trouble, as long as his father helped to cover him up, his reputation would not be damaged. He might even win a lot of sympathy because of being separated from the mansion.
Li Yaonan looked sanctimonious and sighed for Censor Zhou. He felt miserable just thinking about having such a son.
Li Mingzhang found it funny. Censor Zhou was usually serious and solemn, and his family had a strict tradition. A Qian never dared to cause trouble. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to see Censor Zhou following behind A Qian to clean up the mess.
However, Li Mingzhang looked at Zhou Qian with concern and said, "If Lord Zhou wants to use family rules, you should not resist."
Zhou Qian nodded. He knew that once this plan was implemented, physical pain would be inevitable. However, hadn’t he suffered enough physical pain in the past
Li Yaonan echoed, "If your father hits you, just cry. It would be best if you cry so that all the neighbors know. By the way, my cousin lives next door to you. If he needs help, just let me know."
Zhou Qian was so upset that he cried. What had he become? But he was grateful for Li Yaonan's kindness. Not long after, when he was beaten to pieces by his father and cried bitterly, he finally understood Li Yaonan's intention. If he could cry shamefully and let others see his miserable appearance, he would think it was worth it.
A few people drank tea and chatted, and didn't mention this matter again. This was Zhou Qian's family affair, so they just needed to deal with it and it wasn't easy for others to interfere too much.
The days that followed were peaceful. Seven days later, Zhang Qixian picked an auspicious day and moved to Zhang's house. A banquet was held that day, and many of the same Jinshi scholars came.
Lin Yixuan was so busy that he had no time to rest. Li Yaonan felt distressed and secretly blamed his cousin. There was no one in charge at home, so there was no point in holding a banquet. His husband was so tired that he became thin, and Xiao Xuer also missed his father.
Lin Yixuan was also angry, knowing that his third cousin would push his luck. Unlike Li Yaonan, he was not worried that his third cousin would suffer in the officialdom. The thicker the skin, the more successful he would be. Although her husband was also thick-skinned, he was proud to the core and would never make friends with people he looked down upon. He was nothing like her cousin, who had friends all over the world. After hosting a banquet, there were so many guests that he was exhausted.
Zhang Qixian moved to a new house, and the couple settled down completely. Li Yaonan resumed writing ancient novels these days, delivering two chapters to Prince Lian's mansion on time every day. As for whether it would reach the hands of the emperor, Li Yaonan was not worried. He just had to wait patiently for the court to send an official.
Generally speaking, the first-class new Jinshi would be sent to the Hanlin Academy, and the second-class would be selected based on merit. As expected, he should be an editor of the Hanlin Academy.
After Lin Yixuan had some free time, she devoted all her attention to her own plans. Seeing that her husband was about to take office, she had to prepare everything in advance. As the saying goes, good people are often bullied, as long as her husband can show others how powerful he is, everyone will think twice before doing anything. With the current situation in the capital, the fight between several princes has just begun, and she doesn't want her husband to get involved, nor does she want him to get involved.
Three days later, the imperial court issued an edict, appointing Li Yaonan as an editor in the Hanlin Academy, a seventh-rank position. Zhang Qixian was also sent to the Hanlin Academy as an eighth-rank scribe, so the two brothers were assigned together.
The next morning, Lai Yiu-nan put on his official uniform and reported to the Imperial Academy. Knowing that he would be treated coldly, he was not surprised to see others busy with their own things, as if he were a transparent person. He went straight to the official in charge and registered himself.
Next, when he encountered something he didn't understand, he would ask. It didn't matter if people ignored him. Li Yaonan would ask anyone he met, regardless of whether the other person looked unhappy or not. The literati prided themselves on being polite and courteous, but when they met someone like Li Yaonan, they really had no way to deal with it.
With a stern face, Li Yaonan pretended not to notice anything. When people mocked him, Li Yaonan looked innocent and humble, but the words he said would definitely make people feel ashamed and bring bad luck to others.
In this way, he managed to get through his first day in the Hanlin Academy, even worse than Zhang Qixian, who at least made two friends.
Li Yaonan frowned, and he probably understood in his heart that the treatment he received today had nothing to do with Bian Tianhe. It was nothing for one or two days, but if it continued...
Li Yaonan sneered. He had plenty of patience to endure it slowly. No matter how big Bian Tianhe was, he was no bigger than the emperor. As long as he clung to the emperor's thigh, why would he be afraid that the Hanlin Academy would not change its direction? It was just a little cold treatment, he could bear it. Besides, he was not without a countermeasure.
When she returned home exhausted and saw her husband busying about and her lively and lovely son, all the depression in Li Yaonan's heart was instantly swept away.
"You're back." Lin Yixuan greeted him with a faint smile, helped him tidy up his clothes, then brought him a cup of tea and asked with concern: "Are you tired? Do you want to go wash up first?"
Li Yaonan shook his head, took her husband's hand and let him sit on her lap: "I'm not tired, I'm just bored." Others didn't assign him any tasks.
Lin Yixuan thought for a moment and said, "You can make friends with Lord Ye. He is my brother's good friend. The recommendation letter from Mingwei Academy was also thanks to his help."
"Yeah!" Li Yaonan pecked her husband's lips lightly: "Don't worry, I can handle it." Favors should not be used indiscriminately. If he needs help with such a small matter, wouldn't it make him appear incompetent and make people look down on him? It is not a good idea.
Lin Yixuan said no more. He actually didn't know much about official affairs. In his past and present lives, he had always been in the inner court and all he knew were conspiracies and intrigues. When it came to open and righteous schemes, he was indeed at a disadvantage.
In the following days, Li Yaonan became the troubled one in the Hanlin Academy. He would ask about the moral character of everyone he met, leaving many people speechless and simply afraid of him. However, Li Yaonan still pretended to be diligent and studious, and people who didn't know the inside story would only praise him.
Even the emperor nodded after hearing this, saying that this boy was diligent and hardworking, and that he was a good person who would be of great use in the future. At this time, the emperor was holding the manuscript of the ancient epic.
Lai Yiu-nam’s presence was very successful.
At this time, he had been working in the Hanlin Academy for more than a month.
Li Yaonan was actually very tactful. He would never mess with people he couldn't afford to offend. The Hanlin Academy was not Bian Tianhe's territory. Several superiors were happy to watch the joke because the fire would not burn them anyway. The Hanlin Academy had always been a low-income government office, and all the people who came and went were literati and scholars. The scene of ghosts frightening him was something that could only be seen once in a hundred years. How studious one had to be to be able to make everyone hide when asked questions.
"Lord Yang." Li Yaonan called out with a smile and walked over with a copy of the Analects in his hand. Don't think he doesn't know that Lord Yang looked angry yesterday.
Yang Shikai took a few steps back with a look of vigilance on his face. If he had put on women's clothes and put on a pitiful expression at this moment, it would definitely be a scene of a playboy raping a decent woman.
The people around pretended not to see and stood at a safe distance, busying themselves with their heads down, only glancing over from time to time.
Li Yaonan was very polite and modest, and said, "I have heard that Lord Yang is very talented and knowledgeable. I am really ashamed of my shallow knowledge. Yesterday, I saw that Lord Yang seemed to have different opinions, so I finally decided to meet him. I forgot that Lord Yang was generous in giving me advice."
Yang Shikai's body was very stiff and he could not force a smile. Everyone in the Hanlin Academy knew that the questions asked by Li Yaonan were certainly not easy to answer. It was obvious that the ancient sages had explained it that way, but Li Yaonan's mouth raised another kind of doubt, which was also thought-provoking and seemed to make sense. If he did not want to lose his reputation, it would be best not to meet Li Yaonan. Otherwise, if the news got out, how could he face people when he could not even answer such a simple question.
But the only thing to be thankful for is that Li Yaonan asked many people and embarrassed more than one person. As the saying goes, the law does not hold everyone responsible, at most he will be laughed at by his colleagues, but it will not have any major impact.
Lord Yang regretted it now. He shouldn't have shown his emotions yesterday. He was just a little unconvinced. Li Yaonan was obviously a newcomer, and his superiors had specifically warned him not to get too close to him. So why was he able to get along so well
Yes, Li Yaonan had made his way in the Hanlin Academy in his own way. He couldn't say that he had a very close relationship with his colleagues, but he could always have a say with them. Because if you showed a bad face, Li Yaonan would definitely use fair questions to leave you with no one to turn to for help.
Everyone has the emotion of gloating. When one person suffers misfortune, he or she likes to see another suffer misfortune. Unconsciously, they become closer to everyone and will nod and say hello when they meet. However, if Li Yaonan is holding a copy of the Analects in his hand, everyone who sees him will stay away from him. This is the tacit understanding they have developed.
Hearing Li Yaonan's question, the people who were watching quietly around all showed an expression of understanding on their faces. Lord Yang was being retaliated by the third place winner. How petty.
Although those who had been questioned by Li Yaonan in the past had some complaints in their hearts, they were still in a good mood when they saw Lord Yang's stiff face.
Li Yaonan asked humbly, "I have been thinking hard all night, and I think that self-discipline and restoration of propriety are benevolence. If one day of self-discipline and restoration of propriety is achieved, the world will return to benevolence. Is it up to oneself to be benevolent, or is it up to others? I still don't understand what it means. I wonder if Lord Yang can give me some advice."
The corners of Lord Yang's lips twitched. He believed that if he answered that restraining oneself to conform to the ritual system is benevolence, Li Yaonan would definitely give a long speech and turn the question around, saying that overcoming one's own selfish desires is self-control. Then, shouldn't the restoration of rituals follow the cycle of nature? All of these are contradictory and don't seem to make sense!
"If you have time, please read more books. I have important things to do, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company." Yang Shikai frowned, coughed dryly, flicked his sleeves, turned around and left. In fact, if he didn't walk so fast, the serious expression on his face would have seemed more convincing.
Li Yaonan curled his lips. This sentence of the Analects has been interpreted in many ways in ancient and modern times. No matter how Lord Yang answers, it is correct. The same is true in reverse. It all depends on his mouth. He is fast! Turning around, seeing that everyone is busy, Li Yaonan smiled slightly. He did not scare them and said with a smile: "In recent days, I have been very grateful to you gentlemen for taking care of me and answering many of my questions. Today, I have reserved a seat at Yunxian Tower. I wonder if you gentlemen are free?"
"Master Li, you are too polite." Ji Jinyong raised his head and stopped working. The Hanlin Academy was originally a quiet place, so there was no need to be busy. He bowed and said, "I will definitely go there."
"Since Lord Li is treating us, we must naturally honor him." Liu Guangyuan said immediately.
Everyone nodded, not a single one was left out. Regardless of whether the relationship was real or fake, all the colleagues present today were present.
Zhang Qixian was filled with admiration in his heart. His little cousin's killing power was truly admirable.