People say that friends are made at the wine table, which is absolutely true. After the meal, everyone had a great chat. No matter if others were sincere or not, at least on the surface, no one was against him. Li Yaonan used this strategy very well. This open and aboveboard conspiracy not only established an image of diligence and love of study, but also prevented others from finding any fault with him.
Afterwards, his days in the Hanlin Academy began to become busy. He no longer had nothing to do. Giving him something to do was better than letting him hold a copy of the Analects. The days in the Hanlin Academy gradually returned to normal, and Li Yaonan temporarily gained a foothold.
Hearing about her husband's great achievements, Lin Yixuan was overjoyed. She knew that her husband was a bad guy and had won beautifully this time.
However, Li Yaonan knew that everything now was just an illusion. He could not make any mistakes and could not be caught in any way, otherwise he would be immediately brought down from the sky.
Li Yaonan curled up a trace of a sneer. In official business, he would not give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of him. At most, he would counter the opponent's moves. In fact, these were not a problem for him. He only needed to maintain superficial calm with everyone. Feelings are developed through getting along with each other. With time, the situation will naturally get better. The Hanlin Academy is not the world of one person.
"Lord Li, there are quite a few missing pages in this book of Grid Physics. Please fix it up." Hao Jingyi stood beside the bookshelf and took out a torn page of an ancient book.
"I obey your command." Li Yaonan said respectfully, took out a thin book from his arms, and quickly recorded a few entries.
"What are you doing..." Hao Jingyi frowned, not understanding what he meant.
Li Yaonan smiled slightly and said modestly, "I am afraid of making mistakes, so it is more convenient to record it."
Hao Jingyi nodded, and no matter what he thought in his heart, he said no more.
Li Yaonan took the "Grid Physics" and flipped through the book casually, noting down what was missing. Then he took the book and came to Lord Liu. Lord Liu was usually a serious person, but when he saw Li Yaonan, his heart tightened at first, and he said calmly, "Lord Li, what can I do for you?"
Li Yaonan bowed and said, "I do have something I would like to ask Sir Liu for help. I just received this book "Grid Physics" and have already registered the difficulties in it. Sir Liu, please sign it as a certificate."
When Lord Liu heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief, and then he understood something, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Lord Li was really very careful in his actions. Testifying was just a trivial matter, so there was no harm in doing him a favor.
However, this signature was not something that could be signed casually. Lord Liu first opened the "Grid Physics" and compared it with what was written in the book to make sure it was correct before he wrote his own name.
After seeing this, everyone had a different expression, and their admiration for Tanhua Lang deepened. Only those with dark minds were so anxious that they were jumping up and down. Li Yaonan laid everything out in the open, so that as long as he didn't make any mistakes, others would have no chance of framing him.
That night, Li Yaonan invited Lord Liu to dinner to thank him for his help. Lord Liu also had a better impression of the new third place winner and suggested, "Do you think Lord Li can succeed in studying things?"
Li Yaonan nodded and smiled: "Don't worry, Master Liu. I have some experience in studying things, and I can barely be considered proficient in it."
Lord Liu nodded. Since Li Yaonan could make such a statement, he must have a plan in mind. He thought it might not be possible to say "reluctantly" - "proficiently". How could he be proficient if he was reluctant? He smiled and said, "That's good. Lord Li is too modest."
Li Yaonan smiled faintly. How could he not know that others were deliberately making things difficult for him? The study of things was useless to literati. Most people disdained it. Giving him the "Geography of Things" was probably intended to make fun of him. It was a pity that for a modern man, his mathematics was several times higher than that of the ancients, but he really didn't take the "Geography of Things" seriously.
After drinking a few cups of wine and eating their fill, Li Yaonan and Lord Liu became closer.
Li Yaonan was very satisfied. He didn't need everyone to like him, but he had to have his own friends in the Hanlin Academy. The reason why he chose Lord Liu was, firstly, because he was rigorous in his work, and secondly, Lord Liu never formed cliques and was a man who got things done.
Take it step by step, and one day, he will truly gain a foothold in the Hanlin Academy.
In the next few days, Li Yaonan immersed himself in "Grid Physics". He not only repaired the book, but also corrected many mistakes.
Ten days later, Li Yaonan asked someone to sign as a witness and then handed in the book.
Next, he followed suit. Everything he handled had this procedure, and many people followed suit. Although the process was rather cumbersome, it was always better to be prepared, as you never know when it might come in handy.
Every time after Li Yaonan asked someone to sign, he would then treat them to a meal. His relationship with everyone gradually improved, and he also gained a good reputation in the Hanlin Academy.
Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another two months have passed. The weather has become hotter with the arrival of summer.
Lin Yixuan was a very good person. She was afraid that her husband would get too hot, so she sent a lot of ice to the Hanlin Academy in the name of the Li family. The feelings of her colleagues towards Li Yaonan grew rapidly. Those who originally thought that he had married a bad woman like Shuang'er also praised Lin Yixuan highly.
After all, for officials below the sixth rank, even though they work in the Hanlin Academy, their status is still low. There is not much ice available in the yamen, and it is usually taken away by superiors early on, so it is never their turn.
The Hanlin Academy was particularly cool this year. Sitting in the cool room and eating chilled watermelon, Li Yaonan could only admire in his heart how good it was to marry a virtuous wife.
As the saying goes, one should be grateful to the person who has helped him, and one should be grateful to the person who has helped him. After finishing his iced watermelon, Mr. Mao smiled and invited everyone: "I'll treat you tonight, Fuyunlaidi Room."
"Of course, of course." Lord Li said with a smile.
Master Ji also nodded: "I will definitely go there."
Li Yaonan now has a very good relationship with everyone. He smiled and responded, then said, "My son will be one year old on the 28th of this month. You adults must not be absent."
"Congratulations, Lord Li." Lord Liu bowed and congratulated.
Li Yaonan hurriedly returned the greeting: "Thank you, Lord Liu."
"Mr. Li's one-year-old ceremony, Mr. Wang will definitely not be absent."
"I haven't met your son yet. He should be the eldest son of Lord Li."
"Congratulations, Lord Li, there is someone to take over your legacy."
Li Yaonan thanked them one by one, and then sent out invitations to everyone. Thinking of his son, he smiled from ear to ear. His colleagues were not surprised. Li Yaonan's image of loving his wife was deeply rooted in everyone's mind. If the dinner was held in a brothel, Mr. Li would definitely decline politely. He was not afraid of being laughed at, and showed his love for his husband openly.
Some people shook their heads and thought that he was just being sentimental, but others did not take it to heart. For a man to be devoted is at most a romantic story and it will not have any impact on his reputation. Instead, it will make people think that he is loyal and righteous.
The emperor was extremely satisfied with him for this. Li Yaonan had been able to ignore his relatives before, and even though he said it in high-sounding terms, and the emperor admired his talent, but he had to consider carefully when actually employing people. Now that he had weaknesses, it was good enough. The emperor liked subjects with weaknesses.
When Li Yaonan returned home at night, he was slightly tipsy. Whenever he saw the dim light on in the main courtyard, his heart felt warm.
"You're back." Lin Yixuan smiled faintly and came over to greet him as usual. She helped him tidy up his clothes, wiped the sweat off his forehead, and then asked someone to bring him some hangover tea: "Drink it quickly, otherwise you'll have a headache tomorrow morning."
Li Yaonan was very obedient. He gulped down a bowl of hangover tea, put the bowl casually on the table, and held her husband's hand: "How is Xu'er today?"
Lin Yixuan smiled lightly. Ever since Xu'er could call her dad, her husband would always ask her once every day when he came home: "Xu'er is fine. Today he asked for food and asked for it. He also walked a little further than yesterday."
Li Yaonan was very satisfied and hugged her husband tightly: "Thank you." If it weren't for her husband taking care of the house, her life in the Hanlin Academy would not be so easy, and Xu'er would not be raised so well.
Lin Yixuan glared at him: "Why are you still telling me this?"
Li Yaonan chuckled foolishly. He was just a little moved when he heard Xu'er speak, especially the soft and tender word "Father". Although it was unclear, it made his heart feel sour and swollen. He inexplicably produced an indescribable emotion, the feeling of blood connection made his heart surge, as if something was fermenting, and he was so moved that he wanted to cry.
Compared to his comfort, the Sixth Prince has been quite angry recently. The Crown Prince is increasingly favored by his father, so the other brothers have no room to speak. They were originally unhappy, and after hearing the rumors about the beloved wife of the third place winner, they felt even more upset. That elegant woman should have been theirs!
The Sixth Prince was in the court and was disappointed in love, but such things could not be discussed openly.
"Reporting to the Sixth Prince, on the 28th of this month, Lord Li's son will be one month old, and colleagues from the Hanlin Academy are invited to attend the banquet." Wu Hongguang couldn't understand why his master was so concerned about the Tanhua Lang. Even though the Tanhua Lang had given face to Jingyang Marquis' Mansion, what did this have to do with his master.
The Sixth Prince remained silent. He didn't expect that Xiaojiu's son had grown so big already.
Frustrated people often like to recall the good old days. Looking at the women scheming against each other in the backyard, his Xiao Jiuer seems more innocent. But he can't move now. After all, Xiao Jiuer is someone else's husband. He can't let anyone catch any evidence against him, nor can he ruin his plans. So he vents all his anger on Li Yaonan.
As the saying goes, what you can't get is always the best. If Lin Yixuan knew the Sixth Prince's thoughts, he would definitely sneer at him. He would never forget that the Sixth Prince said that he liked you in the past. It was so cruel, but so righteous. Ha! It's really disgusting.
Bian Tianhe was in a bad mood. He was a descendant of the Sixth Prince and had a good relationship with the Marquis of Jingyang Mansion. He originally thought it would be easy to deal with a small third place winner, but he suffered a big loss at the Qionglin Banquet. The Hanlin Academy also allowed that kid to thrive. He felt very embarrassed, but he couldn't find any handle. Facing the Sixth Prince's anger, he could only bear it. He made up his mind that since he couldn't deal with Li Yaonan in official matters, he would start with private matters.