Chapter 275 He has really grown up; he's no longer the child I need to take care of.
(Thanks to LiLi who loves chocolate for voting with one monthly ticket.)
Li Wangming didn't mind Li Shiyue achieving anything on a track he wouldn't take;
However, he is very concerned that Li Shiyue will achieve even greater success than him in the field he is on!
Li Wangming's mentality was actually no different from that of Li Youfu and his eighth uncle.
However, before, Li Shiyue was only fighting for power within the Li clan.
Now, Li Shiyue has become famous overnight by relying on his own abilities and taking advantage of the opportunity to compete with the Turks at the trade market!
He was granted the title of a sixth-rank military officer by the Prince of Zhenbei himself!
Li Shiyue has entered a track where everyone is male, and she is about to start vying for power and profit with those men!
This led those who grew up with Confucian education and always believed in taking the imperial examinations, progressing from a student to a novice, then to a successful candidate in the provincial examinations, and if they were capable, to continue their studies, ascend to the imperial palace, and become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations)! To become a disciple of the emperor!
If not, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations could become an official, but most of them would only become minor officials such as county magistrates.
At that time, the social hierarchy was based on scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with "scholars" being the most important. This was the status that scholars like Li Wangming pursued throughout their lives. If they could "master both literary and martial arts and sell their skills to the emperor," they would have achieved great success in life!
Deep down, Li Wangming felt that he was a scholar, someone who would become an official in the future, someone whose identity was different from others.
But now, Li Shiyue, a peasant girl, has unexpectedly become an official!
Even if she was a military officer without real power, even if her official position was not approved by the Ministry of Personnel, even if she did not follow the path of a regular military officer.
But he's still an official after all!
Yes, there is a salary, official land, and stipend!
Li Wangming started his education at a young age, and his whole family supported his studies for more than ten years, but he is still only a student at the lowest level!
Tell me, if you were Li Wangming, would you feel good about it?
How can you not be jealous?
A mere young girl is now standing in the officialdom just like you, "pointing fingers" at the country!
No, you should say that you are still just a commoner and have not yet entered officialdom, yet this young lady is already able to stand above you.
Yes, Li Shiyue is his uncle and nephew, who grew up with him since childhood and are like siblings.
but!
Don't forget, Li Wangming was a Confucian scholar who had studied for more than ten years!
Even if they were family, Li Shiyue's gender—a woman—was something Li Wangming simply couldn't accept.
Li Wangming could accept Li Shiyue being in charge at home and in the clan, but he could not accept Li Shiyue appearing on a track that should only be for "real men," let alone winning first place!
This is just like how officials can't accept female leaders. I can submit to a strong person of the same sex, but not to a woman like you!
I can be a dog for a male emperor, but I can't be a dog for a female emperor!
So, how could Li Wangming not be jealous?
A young girl, whom I watched grow up, became an official earlier than me, and held a fairly high position.
This is so incredibly enviable; so incredibly enviable that one might wish to destroy it all.
Li Shiyue understood Li Wangming's complex psychology very well.
But the fact is, Li Shiyue is already an official!
With this identity, Li Shiyue stepped into the officialdom, and at least in this territory of Andong, she had hope for advancement!
She can not only protect herself and her family, but she can also use this official position to do much more!
Therefore, it's easy to understand why Li Wangming was jealous of her.
However, the two of them will eventually clash in the future because of Li Shiyue's appointment as an official.
Li Wangming felt that Li Shiyue, this woman, had "encroached" on the position that he, as a man, could have had, so wouldn't there be a conflict of interest between the two?
There will inevitably be disagreements and even confrontations in the future.
Of course, not now.
Therefore, Li Shiyue smiled and looked at Li Wangming again, "Second Uncle is right. Jealousy is human nature. I was also jealous when Second Uncle was able to study at the prefectural school."
Even if it were just a regular day, I'd still be jealous if my mother put an extra egg in my second uncle's bowl.
Li's mother looked at Li Shiyue, then at Li Wangming. She didn't say anything, but listened as Li Shiyue continued, "Second Uncle, don't underestimate yourself!"
The proper path was to obtain official positions through the imperial examination!
You've studied diligently for over a decade, all for the sake of being called in the imperial court.
If Grandma were still alive, she would surely have held a three-day banquet in the village to mark her second uncle's success in passing the imperial examination and becoming an official.
My appointment to this official position was truly a stroke of luck, a perfect storm of favorable timing, location, and people!
Uncle, please don't be angry with me. We are uncle and nephew, and in this world, the relationship between us is the closest right now!
If Grandma were still alive, she would surely hope that you and I could help each other.
Now, I'm merely taking the first step. My second uncle will become an official in the future. Let's work together, using both civil and military skills, for our family and for the greater good, to govern the country and bring peace to the world!
Li Shiyue's words made Li Wangming's chest pound rapidly, and tears finally streamed down his face.
He wiped away his tears as he did so, while Li Wangming spoke words tinged with remorse.
"...I know that a true man should act uprightly and honestly, and should live an upright and honorable life in the world."
I was narrow-minded before. After listening to what you said in October, I... I will definitely study even harder, and enter officialdom as soon as possible, for the sake of my family and the greater good, to govern the country and bring peace to the world!
After exchanging a few more words with Li Wangming, Li Shiyue and her mother left the house where Li Wangming and Shi Tou lived.
Li Shiyue first escorted Li's mother back to the room where she and Zheng Meiniang lived. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Li Qiutian and Li Xiatian sitting inside.
Li Shiyue noticed that Li Xiatian was pouting and looked sullen. "Sister, is it because you didn't swallow the big piece of meat you just ate and it's still hanging on your lips?"
Haha, come on, let me taste what this big piece of meat by my sister's lips tastes like.
Li Shiyue jokingly pretended to kiss Li Xiatian, and Li Xiatian laughed out loud when she dodged.
"In October, my mother just scolded me, saying that I shouldn't have told your second uncle about your becoming an official before he did."
I also mentioned that you're the first person in your family to hold an official position...
But I wasn't wrong, so why is Mother scolding me?
"October was originally the first in the family to become an official."
Zheng Meiniang poked Li Xiatian's forehead with one finger, "Fine, all my words just now were for nothing!"
What are you thinking about all day long?
She's only two years younger than your older sister, how come she's so disobedient?
Li Xiatian raised her hand to rub her temples, then turned her head to look at Li Qiutian beside her: "Sister, look at Mother..."
"Mother, don't poke her. She's not brainless, she's just doing it on purpose."
Li Qiutian shook his head and then looked at Li Shiyue: "Shiyue, did my mother guess correctly?"
Is your second uncle's expression off because of what Xia Tian said to him?
When we were at the restaurant, we noticed that your second uncle looked unwell, but since he's your second uncle, we pretended not to notice and didn't say anything.
Li Shiyue was genuinely surprised at this moment. She moved a round stool over and sat down next to Zheng Meiniang, looking at her with admiration: "Aunt, you are this!"
Zheng Meiniang now understands that Li Shiyue's thumbs-up means praise.
She smiled at Li Shiyue, then looked at Li's mother sitting opposite her.
Li's mother's expression was no longer telling, but she still briefly recounted what had happened in Li Wangming's room to Zheng Meiniang and the others.
"...I never imagined that Wang Ming would be jealous of the fact that Shi Yue became an official before him."
I... I really didn't expect him to be like this.
He's really grown up; he's not the child I need to take care of anymore.
Li Xiatian's eyes widened. She was the one who really hadn't expected this, and she was now genuinely regretting it.
"Aunt, October, it's all my fault. If, if I hadn't been so talkative, and had let you explain the matter of becoming an official to your second uncle yourself, wouldn't that have happened...?"
Li Shiyue placed her index finger on Li Xiatian's lips, stopping her from finishing her sentence.
"Sister, it has little to do with you. Your words were just a prelude."
My second uncle... will one day walk a different path from mine.
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