Chapter 313 Madam Li
The next morning, Li Nuo and Yiren went out to buy groceries together.
Of course the embassy provides three meals a day, and the taste is pretty good, but Yiren wants to try cooking by herself, and Li Nuo certainly won't refuse.
The courtyard has an independent kitchen, so you can cook for yourself at any time.
Li Nuo received three invitations throughout the morning.
These invitations came from the residences of the eldest prince, the second prince, and the third prince of Zhao State.
Li Nuo casually placed the invitations on the table.
Taking sides is not like getting married.
You can kiss many times, but you can only stand in one team.
Since you have chosen the Fourth Prince, it is best not to have any contact with other princes, so as not to be misunderstood as betting on both sides. Being a fence-sitter never has a good result.
This was the first time that Li Nuo cooked with Yiren, so he intentionally made the meal more sumptuous.
He had just put the dishes on the table when a figure walked in from outside.
Li Nuo looked at Zhao Zhiyi and asked politely, "Sixth Princess, have you eaten yet? If not, how about eating together?"
Zhao Zhiyi looked at the food on the table and asked, "Did you make this yourself?"
Li Nuo nodded.
Seeing the Sixth Princess sitting down opposite him, Li Nuo took another pair of chopsticks. Today's meal was already too much, so it would be a bit wasteful for two people, so three people would be just right.
Zhao Zhiyi tasted a few bites of the food, looked at Song Yiren, and praised, "Miss Song's cooking skills are really good."
Song Yiren's face couldn't help but blush. In fact, Li Nuo cooked all the meals, and she was only responsible for cutting vegetables and making fire.
Li Nuo knew that Her Royal Highness the Princess was just being polite.
His cooking skills are barely enough to make a few delicious home-cooked dishes, but he is not as good as a professional chef, let alone a gourmet master.
However, home-cooked meals also have their own meaning.
Just like him, sometimes after getting used to the delicacies from home, he would miss the bowl of clear soup noodles in Fenghuang.
After dinner, Song Yiren took the initiative to wash the dishes.
This kind of life is what she has always dreamed of in Daxia.
Li Nuo handed three invitations to Zhao Zhiyi and said, "These are invitations from the other three princes. There may be spies from them in the Fourth Prince's mansion."
There is only one throne, but there are four princes serving as regents. They will definitely be wary of each other.
Li Nuo went to the palace for a banquet last night, but early this morning, invitations from the other three princes were delivered to him. Someone must have leaked the news.
He looked at Zhao Zhiyi and said, "But don't worry, Your Highness. Since I promised Your Highness, I will definitely keep my promise."
Zhao Zhiyi smiled and said, "I believe in Lord Li."
When she was in Daxia, she had conducted a detailed investigation on Li Nuo and had great confidence in his character.
His father is a very controversial man.
But not only is he outstanding in ability, his character is also beyond any doubt.
After asking Li Nuo for some details about the establishment of the Anti-Theft Bureau, she spoke a little embarrassedly, "Actually, I came here this time for another matter, and I would like to ask Lord Li for help."
Li Nuo said, "Princess, please feel free to speak."
Zhao Zhiyi said: "Lord Li is the champion in six subjects and is proficient in all six arts. In three months, our Zhao country's imperial examination will be held. I want you to give some advice to some students. With the guidance of the champion in six subjects, their imperial examination results may be improved..."
From the Sixth Princess, we learned that the competition among the four princes was reflected in all aspects.
Talent is extremely important to a country. Therefore, for local officials, education has always been an important criterion for evaluating political performance.
Specifically, the number of students in the academy and the number of candidates taking the imperial examinations...
If a local candidate passes the imperial examination, relevant officials in the entire state will receive a bonus in their political achievements.
The four princes of Zhao State who served as regents were each in charge of a college.
The students in these academies have similar levels. Which academy can obtain more Jinshi places in the upcoming imperial examination? Which prince will get better political performance evaluation in education?
Although this has nothing to do with the direct abilities of the princes, it can indirectly reflect their level of governing and employing people.
Li Nuo naturally agreed to Zhao Zhiyi's request.
The Zhao State's imperial examination also tested the Six Arts, and he had sufficient experience to teach them.
Zhao Zhiyi said: "Thank you very much, Master Li."
She actually wanted him to help with this a few days ago, but she couldn't find him. What she didn't expect was that during the days he disappeared, he secretly prepared a big gift for them.
Then, she asked Li Nuo, "When is it convenient for Lord Li?"
There is no need to prepare anything to teach these things. Li Nuo said, "You can do it anytime."
Zhao Zhiyi said, "How about tomorrow morning? I'll ask them to get ready first, and I'll come to the embassy to pick you up tomorrow morning."
The two of them agreed on a time, and Zhao Zhiyi walked out of the room, just in time to see Song Yiren coming out of the kitchen after washing the dishes.
She walked over to Song Yiren and said with a smile, "I almost forgot that I have a gift for Madam Li."
Song Yiren looked back and realized that she was talking about her. Her face turned red and she stood there, at a loss as to what to say.
Zhao Zhiyi took out a brocade box from his sleeve, handed it to Song Yiren, and said, "I hope Madam Li will like it."
Song Yiren opened the brocade box and found a golden hairpin inside.
This hairpin is exquisitely crafted in the shape of a butterfly, with gems of different colors inlaid on its wings, which sparkle brightly under the sunlight.
Song Jiaren has a beautiful necklace that she has been envious of for a long time.
In her opinion, this gold hairpin is in no way inferior to Song Jiaren's necklace.
She didn't know whether she should accept such a precious thing.
She looked at Li Nuo who came out of the room. Li Nuo said, "Since it is given to you by Her Royal Highness the Princess, you should accept it. This is also a token of Her Royal Highness's heart..."
He didn't want their house or their beauty, so Yiren accepted a gold hairpin from him and there was no need for him to worry about anything.
As soon as the Sixth Princess left, Song Yiren put on the golden hairpin and looked at herself carefully in front of the mirror.
After a long time, she seemed to have thought of something, took off the hairpin again, put it back into the brocade box, handed it to Li Nuo, and said, "This is what she gave to Madam Li. When you go back, give it to Song Jiaren or Li Anning."
In some ways, the sisters are very similar.
The same duplicity.
If it was An Ning, she would never say that.
Li Nuo did not take the brocade box, but said: "Don't forget, you are Madam Li now. If you want to give it to them, you can give it to them yourself after you go back. Anyway, I won't give it to them. There is only one hairpin. You want me to give it to Jiaren or An Ning, aren't you harming me..."
Song Yiren thought about it and felt that what Li Nuo said made sense.
She could only pretend to be helpless and took back the brocade box, saying: "Okay, in this case, I will do you a favor..."
Li Nuo watched her put on the gold hairpin again. The hairpin suited her very well and the Sixth Princess must have chosen it carefully.
From the very beginning, this princess of Zhao gave Li Nuo a different feeling from other women.
Although she has no accomplishments, she does not make people feel weak. Instead, she gives people a feeling of being brave and capable, and that women are as good as men.
I'm afraid that such a woman can only be born in Zhao State.
The next morning, the Sixth Princess came to pick him up as promised.
The three of them sat in the carriage, and Zhao Zhiyi introduced the situation of the academy to Li Nuo.
The academy they were going to was called Wansong Academy, one of the four major academies in the State of Zhao. In every imperial examination, it would contribute about ten Jinshi to the court.
The mortality rate of officials in Daxia was much higher than that in Zhao State, and more Jinshi were admitted in each imperial examination. The mortality rate of officials in Zhao State was low, with about sixty people admitted in each session.
For a college to produce one-fifth of the Jinshi candidates in a single imperial examination is already very impressive.
After the Fourth Prince took charge of Wansong Academy, the royal palace funded the academy to hire some teachers who were proficient in the six arts for the students of the academy, reimbursed the students' expenses for pens, ink, paints and other consumables, and provided them with free horse farms and shooting ranges, in order to help them surpass the other three academies in the imperial examinations.
However, if he could think of doing this, the other three princes could also think of it.
Compared with the Fourth Prince, they have more abundant financial resources, and they can invite more powerful teachers and more of them. They can even let several teachers tutor one student, which the Fourth Prince cannot do.
The reason why Zhao Zhiyi asked Li Nuo for help was because he was the top scorer in six subjects.
His ability alone surpasses that of all the teachers in the academy.
In fact, until now, she still finds it hard to believe that someone can master the six arts to perfection.
She has also been learning the Six Arts since she was young, and understands the difficulty involved.
What made her even more confused was that such a talented person was suppressed by the Great Xia court in every way.
It is really a waste of talent to let a top scholar in six subjects go to Honglu Temple to be responsible for the funeral of powerful officials...
His father's situation in Daxia was not very good.
If Prince Chun had not succeeded to the throne, their family would have certainly not had a good ending.
He has only been in Zhao for a few days, but he has already made a great contribution. If we can find a way to keep him in Zhao, it will undoubtedly be a blessing for the court and the people...
(End of this chapter)
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