Old Mrs. Li hurriedly went inside to open the box and get her son's official robes.
Li Lao Er and Li Yong exchanged a few words, put their official robes on the carriage, and then, remembering his crying nephew, spoke to the old lady.
"Mother, if there's nothing serious at home, why don't you take Fu Niu'er to Luo'an for a few days? Huan Ge'er is about to be engaged, and all the boys are homesick."
"When I saw them at noon, Cat Brother was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, and Jia An and Jia Xi were also listless and pitiful, like wilted eggplants."
The old woman felt sorry for them and scolded them, "You good-for-nothing boy! Other families don't even have the chance to study. And here they are, studying right outside their own homes, yet they still complain about missing home. Even when they grow up, they'll probably just be lazy bums!"
Li Yong and Hui Niang both laughed and advised, "The children have been staying at home all this time, so of course they're not used to leaving so suddenly. Auntie, why don't you go stay for a few days? We'll take care of things here at home."
The old lady had no choice but to say, "Let's make arrangements for the next two days, and go the day after tomorrow. There's nothing I can do to help you with building the courtyard."
Hui Niang quickly said, "Don't worry, Auntie. So many villagers are coming to help."
Soon, Li Lao Er took a car into the city.
Tonight, he will stay overnight with Mr. Wen, and they will go to court together tomorrow. Mr. Wen can also show him around.
Grandma Li, along with Dongmei and Granny He, helped Li Yong and Huiniang's family move their belongings to the village chief's house, and then they began preparing dinner.
Unfortunately, Li Zhensheng and Jia Huan stayed at the restaurant, and only Tao Hongying returned.
The huge table was only occupied by three people: an elderly person and a young child...
Even with her strong heart, the old lady found it hard to lift her chopsticks after seeing this, and sighed.
“The boys cried their eyes out in Luo’an because they missed home. I don’t even have a good appetite when they’re not home. Sometimes I think, what’s so great about the kids growing up? I’m always worried about them from two different places.”
Tao Hongying felt bad, but she still smiled and comforted her mother-in-law, "Mom, everyone in the family has been busy lately, things will be fine in a few days."
The old lady waved her hand, still unable to muster any enthusiasm.
Jiayin quickly served her grandma some food, saying, "Grandma, eat some meat. We're going to see your brother the day after tomorrow!"
"Good, good!" The old lady lowered her head and kissed her granddaughter's forehead, laughing, "Luckily, we still have our Fu Niu'er by our side, otherwise Grandma really doesn't know how to get through this."
Tao Hongying quickly called Dongmei, Granny He, Shuiyun, and Shuiling to sit down and eat together, barely filling the table.
Thinking about Li Lao Er's court appearance the next day, Granny He picked out some interesting stories from the court to tell, such as how an old censor, in a heated argument many years ago, sprayed his dentures out.
For example, a military officer got a stomachache and farted repeatedly in the court, causing the emperor and all the officials to hastily disperse!
The crowd listened in disbelief and laughed until their stomachs hurt.
Tao Hongying wiped away tears of laughter and asked, "Isn't it said that misbehaving in court would result in being flogged? How dare someone do this?"
Granny He laughed and said, "Officials, both civil and military, are human, not gods. They eat grains and vegetables, so how can they guarantee that they won't make a single mistake? As long as it's not intentional, the Emperor usually won't hold it against them."
"What about the second son? He doesn't understand any rules. I hope he doesn't make a fool of himself like that tomorrow!" The old lady couldn't help but worry about her son again.
Tao Hongying quickly comforted her, "Mother, there's still Mr. Wen. He'll definitely remind Second Brother. Even if Second Brother doesn't understand, he won't make a mistake if he just follows along."
Everyone chimed in, "Yes, Madam, the Earl is very shrewd; there's definitely no problem."
In the small courtyard in the south of the city, Li Lao Er, Mr. Wen, and Liu Zhiheng were eating and chatting together.
Originally, Li Lao Er came thinking of going to the palace to attend court with Mr. Wen, but when the Liu family came to deliver some things, they said a few words, and Liu Zhiheng, wearing his official robes, also came to join in the fun.
The three of them ate and talked, and Li Lao Er had heard quite a bit about what was happening in the imperial court.
Whoever is a sworn enemy, whoever submits a memorial to the throne, will surely be opposed by the other.
Who are related by marriage through their children? They band together, leverage each other's strengths, and unite against external threats.
Most people would probably find it annoying and irritating, but Li Lao Er listened with great interest.
Firstly, it was new; these things were completely different from the world he had encountered before.
Secondly, he was also thinking that he couldn't always rely on Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng in the future, and he needed to become familiar with the court as soon as possible.
After eating and drinking their fill, the three of them went to bed early.
The next morning, while it was still dark, Wen Hai woke the three of them up. After washing up, changing clothes, and having a quick meal, the three of them set off by car.
When we arrived at the palace gate, the sky was just beginning to lighten, but the carriages were already lined up in rows.
Some people got off the carriage and chatted for a while in a sheltered spot, while others continued to doze off in the carriage.
Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng's task was to show Li Lao Er around, so they got off the bus early and introduced him to anyone they knew.
Li Lao Er has a good memory, is shrewd and cunning, and holds a high rank.
He greets and exchanges pleasantries with people in a way that, while not fostering closeness, doesn't annoy them either.
Moreover, the Li family now has an earl, a first-rank imperial consort, a princess, and the fiefdom of Suijintan.
They held a high position and enjoyed great honor, but had no real power and posed no threat to anyone.
The crowd was simply watching the show, neither wanting to offend anyone nor make any friends.
A junior official from the Ministry of Rites stood with two close friends. Seeing this from afar, he whispered, "The Li family is quite something. A group of refugees who fled famine, they've only been in Jiangnan for two years, and they've already squeezed into the imperial court?"
“Yes,” another person exclaimed, “The Li family is incredibly lucky. Over the years, many people have been transporting goods to Quanzhou, but Li Zhensheng just happened to encounter such excellent overseas breeds.”
The last person shook his head, "This can't be solved by luck alone. Whether it's the Liu family or the Marquis, is it just luck that they're on good terms with the Li family? The Li family must have some secrets they're hiding."
Putting everything else aside, even if we obtained superior seeds and wanted to secretly plant hundreds of acres of them before presenting them to the Emperor without letting a word of it leak out, that would be incredibly difficult.
But the Li family did it!
The official from the Ministry of Rites couldn't help but nod. "And the Wang family, the Yan family—none of them are easy to bully, yet they all suffered losses at the hands of the Li family. This Li family is definitely not as simple as it seems!"
The other person, however, was unconvinced. "Whether it's simple or not is none of our business. Let's just wait and see. We'll eventually see whether it's a wolf or a sheep."
Such discussions occur in almost every corner.
Li Lao Er, who was the subject of everyone's gossip, seemed oblivious to the undercurrents, still smiling and looking harmless.
This half hour was enough time for him to familiarize himself with half of the court.
At this moment, the palace gates finally opened.
Before Mr. Wen could give any instructions, several portly, fat-headed officials had already pulled Li Lao Er into the line.
They all had noble titles in their families, or held nominal positions.
It was quite fitting for Li Lao Er to stand with them.
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