Chapter 29 The number one scholar’s father is a charlatan who always wins in gambling!
Before this, Li Changwen had not married or started a family, nor had he passed the imperial examination to become an official. He was just a child who depended on his family and had no capital to fight against his parents.
But now that he has started a family and passed the imperial examination to become an official, he can stand on his own. He believes that he has the capital to rebel against his parents and he does not want to be controlled by them anymore.
So Li Changwen pretended to obey his superiors but actually applied for a transfer.
By the time Li Jingyuan found out, it was already a foregone conclusion. He had no way of changing the decision of the Ministry of Personnel, so he could only go home and rage: "You bastard! You actually gave up entering the Hanlin Academy! Only Jinshi can enter the Hanlin Academy, and only Hanlin can enter the cabinet! You gave up entering the Hanlin Academy and directly sent out to serve as an official. It will be even more difficult for you to be transferred back to the capital in the future. Do you know what you missed?"
Li Changwen said calmly: "I know, but I don't care whether I can be transferred back to the capital." He is an official anyway, and it doesn't matter where he is. As long as he can stay away from his parents, he doesn't want his parents to control his life anymore.
However, Li Changwen knew that his thoughts were extremely disobedient and unfilial, so he did not speak out, but found other reasons: "I took the imperial examination and entered the government not to get promoted or make money, but to be a good official, to be the parent official of the people. Going to other places to serve as an official and be the parent official of a place is exactly what I want in my heart."
Li Changwen's words sounded very high-sounding and righteous, and Li Jingyuan, who claimed to be a gentleman, was speechless.
Li Jingyuan himself also promoted himself in this way to the outside world, but he didn't think so in his heart. Who would plead for those peasants? His purpose of becoming an official was to stand out, bring honor to his family, become the most promising branch of the Li family, and surpass the Jingyuan Earl's Mansion.
However, he thought so in his heart and did so himself, but he could not say it directly. After all, he did not want his hypocritical image to be exposed.
So when Li Jingyuan was educating his son, he also used this set of high-sounding rhetoric. He never expected that he would actually teach his son to become a true gentleman.
Li Jingyuan felt like he was shooting himself in the foot. He stared at Li Changwen for a long time and was speechless. What should he say? Should I tell my son that I am actually a hypocrite and that all the great principles I taught him before were just talk and he should not take them seriously?
Li Jingyuan, who was very concerned about his reputation, couldn't even bring himself to say this.
Li Changwen looked at his father's ugly face, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes.
Li Changwen had seen clearly what kind of hypocrite his father was over the years, so he deliberately used this set of high-sounding rhetoric to shut his father's mouth, forcing his father to agree to his exile.
Although it didn't matter whether Li Jingyuan agreed or not, the decree to send Li Changwen out of the capital was about to come down, and Li Jingyuan couldn't change the facts, but Li Changwen didn't want to make things too embarrassing.
After all, he just wants to stay away from his parents and get out of their control, not to sever ties with them. He feels that things far away are fragrant while things close by are smelly. By staying away from his parents and making it beyond his parents' control, perhaps the parent-child relationship between him and them will be better.
After dealing with Li Jingyuan, Li Changwen went to comfort his mother, Tan. Compared with Li Jingyuan, who valued both interests and face, Tan's love for her son was a little purer, but not much, otherwise Tan would not have insisted on her son marrying her niece from her mother's family.
Li Changwen said to Tan: "Mother, I am an official in a remote place and cannot be with you and father to fulfill my filial duties. Please let Tan Zhuyue stay and fulfill her filial duties for me."
In this era, it is very normal for officials serving in other places to leave their wives with their parents to fulfill their filial duties on their behalf. Not to mention in ancient times, even in modern times there are many such acts of outsourcing filial piety.
So what Li Changwen said was not strange at all to Tan.
Little did she know that Li Changwen simply hated Tan Zhuyue and did not want to bring her to work with him. He did not want to face the unreasonable Tan Zhuyue every day after coming home from work. It would be better to leave Tan Zhuyue to his mother. After all, Tan Zhuyue was her niece whom his mother insisted he marry.
Mrs. Tan wiped away her tears and wanted to ask her son to bring Tan Zhuyue, his wife, to accompany him for care. But when she thought about Tan Zhuyue's character, she thought it would be good enough if she didn't have her son to take care of her. How could she really take good care of her son?
So she changed the words that were on her lips: "Then you can take my two big maids with you. They are good at serving people. I will rest assured that they will take care of you."
Li Changwen nodded indifferently.
No one thought of telling Tan Zhuyue the news that Li Changwen was going to be sent to serve as an official in a remote area. Tan Zhuyue still thought that Li Changwen would stay in the Hanlin Academy in the capital like in his previous life.
As a result, when the day came for Li Changwen to leave, Tan Zhuyue learned that he was going to be sent to serve as an official in another place and had no intention of taking her with him.
Tan Zhuyue was immediately furious and went to Li Changwen to settle the score. Even if Li Changwen told her and wanted to take her out of town, she would not go. After all, out of town where she was unfamiliar with the place was no match for the prosperous capital city where she grew up.
But whether she goes or not is her own business. Li Changwen didn't even tell her, which shows that he doesn't take her as his wife seriously. She must settle the score with Li Changwen.
Li Changwen now avoided Tan Zhuyue as if she were a plague god. He was originally saying goodbye to his mother Tan at the gate of the Li Mansion and patiently listening to Tan's earnest instructions. When he looked up and saw Tan Zhuyue walking towards him with her skirt lifted up, he immediately interrupted Tan's endless chatter: "Mother, it's getting late, I'm leaving first!"
Then he got into the carriage and urged the driver to drive away quickly.
Tan Zhuyue, who hurried out, could only grit her teeth and look at the back of the carriage leaving. She turned her eyes to Tan and said, "Aunt, why didn't anyone tell me that my cousin was going to serve as an official in another place?"
Tan turned the tables and said, "How dare you ask me this? You should reflect on why you, as Chang Wen's wife, don't even know such an important thing about Chang Wen? Do you take your husband seriously?"
Tan thought that even if no one told Tan Zhuyue, she should always keep an eye on her husband and find out the news herself. This was no secret in the mansion. After all, packing Li Changwen's luggage, selecting his entourage, and hiring guards were all big moves, and all the well-informed servants knew about it.
The young lady Tan Zhuyue was completely unaware of the situation and obviously didn't care about her husband. The more Tan thought about it, the angrier she became.
Tan Zhuyue was even angrier, because even the servants knew about this, but no one told her!
Another battle between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law began, but all this had nothing to do with Li Changwen who was far away from the battle.
Unlike Li Changwen who was sent to serve as an official in a remote area, Li Changqing, as the top scholar, was directly granted the position of a sixth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy. He started out as a sixth-rank official, which was much higher than other ordinary Jinshi.
Because of the impression he left on the emperor during the imperial examination, the emperor would sometimes specifically ask Li Changqing to give lectures to him when he was listening to the Hanlin Academy's lectures.
Li Changqing grew up receiving interest-based education from Si Yuan, with various educational fables told to him before bed. So when Li Changqing gave lectures to the emperor, he would use humorous language to make the boring historical stories interesting. The emperor, who originally did not like to listen to boring history, became very interested in it, and Li Changqing left a deeper impression on the emperor.
Therefore, the emperor would often invite Li Changqing to accompany him, and when he encountered undecided issues, he would also ask Li Changqing for his opinion.
Li Changqing recalled the way his father educated him when he was a child. When he gave advice or suggestions to the emperor, he never expressed his ideas directly. Instead, he used small stories from history books or stories he compiled himself to allude to his meaning.
The emperor was a man who cared a lot about his reputation. He appeared to be open to advice, but at the same time he was also overbearing and tyrannical. If someone disagreed with him and insisted on advising him, he would appear to be open to advice but would make a note of it in his heart.
However, Li Changqing's way of persuasion, which used small stories as metaphors, meant that even when Li Changqing's suggestions sometimes went against the emperor's ideas, the emperor was willing to consider Li Changqing's suggestions more. After consideration, he even thought that Li Changqing's suggestions were better, so he would change his own ideas and really accept advice with an open mind.
Li Changqing once again successfully advised the emperor by using metaphors. He heaved a sigh of relief and lowered his eyes to look at the ground.
What my father said was indeed correct. The emperor was an emperor who cared a lot about his reputation and fame. As long as he was given enough face and a way out, he would be willing to admit his mistakes and accept advice with an open mind.
After the emperor changed his decision, Li Changqing praised the emperor at the right time, praising the emperor as a wise ruler who was good at accepting advice and opening up channels for communication. That sincere look made the emperor feel very happy, and he felt more and more that Li Aiqing was simply his most trusted and beloved minister who understood him very well.
The emperor was so happy that he waved his hand and promoted Li Changqing to a higher rank.
Gradually, everyone knew that Li Changqing was the emperor's most trusted and favored minister. The emperor might not listen to what others said, but he would definitely listen to Li Zhuangyuan's advice.
No one in the court wants to offend such a favorite minister who has the ability to influence the emperor's thoughts. What's more reassuring is that Li Changqing is not that kind of flatterer. On the contrary, he is an upright and selfless person who has come through the formal imperial examination system. He will not flatter others in front of the emperor because of personal grudges, nor will he accept bribes to speak well of others in front of the emperor.
It is undoubtedly reassuring to have such a favorite minister by the emperor's side.
Li Changqing gradually became more skilled in accompanying the emperor and became the emperor's first secretary general. He came into contact with more and more national affairs, and he became more and more comfortable with it.
But even so, Li Changqing would often go home and gamble with his father, betting on whether he would be able to accompany the king smoothly the next day.
Li Changqing always lost a lot of gambling money to his father, and even his monthly salary. Now he has to rely on his mother to give him pocket money to make ends meet.
However, Li Changqing was happy to do it, because with his father helping him to tell fortunes, no, to gamble, he could always avoid risks and choose the best path.
Li Changqing worked as a secretary beside the emperor for several years. After he had honed his political skills, the emperor arranged for him to gain experience in one of the six ministries, in order to make further use of him.
Li Changqing chose the Ministry of Industry according to his father's advice. He summoned a large number of craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry, put forward inspiration directions, and asked the craftsmen to produce agricultural tools that could increase production efficiency.
After Li Changqing reported the good news to the emperor, the emperor was overjoyed. He generously rewarded the craftsmen involved in the production and promoted Li Changqing.
Later, Li Changqing made cement for facilitating road construction and fertilizer for increasing crop yields in the Ministry of Works. All kinds of things beneficial to people's livelihood were created under his suggestions, and people all over the world benefited greatly from these things.
Although the emperor cared about his reputation, he also knew that his throne would be secure only when the people lived and worked in peace and contentment. He was well aware of the value of the things Li Changqing had produced, and he increasingly believed that he was a sage monarch throughout the ages, which was why he was able to meet a wise minister like Li Changqing.
The emperor treated Li Changqing more and more with courtesy, and was generous with all kinds of material rewards and promotions, just wanting to leave a good story of himself and Li Aiqing as a minister in the history books.
Li Changqing, under Si Yuan's hint and reminder, also expressed his gratitude to the emperor with tears in his eyes: "Your Majesty is truly a saintly monarch throughout the ages. Your name will surely be recorded in history books in the future. It is my great honor to be valued by your Majesty!"
The emperor is becoming more and more flattered. Hehe, Lord Li also feels that he and I get along well! Historian, please record it quickly. Please record everything that Lord Li said to me!
The more Li Changqing praised the emperor as a sage king throughout history, the more the emperor felt the burden of being a sage king. He would not do anything that would damage the image of a sage king. Even if he did something on impulse, he would "admit his mistakes and correct them" under Li Changqing's implicit advice, reflecting the good quality of a sage king throughout history who would correct his mistakes as soon as he knew them.
Li Changqing had made many contributions and was so highly regarded by the emperor that he would naturally encroach on other people's political resources. Moreover, Li Changqing also advocated reforms, which touched the interests of the conservative aristocrats. Li Changqing also had quite a few political enemies in the court. These political enemies all wanted to kill Li Changqing and often threw dirty water on him.
However, since Li Changqing entered the officialdom, he has served as secretary general to the emperor for several years, and his political acumen has long been honed. Behind him, there is also Si Yuan, a military advisor who is well-planned.
It can be said that when these political enemies confronted Li Changqing, one after another would die. Not only were they hated by the emperor, but their entire family was also implicated.
After Li Changqing killed the chicken to scare the monkey several times, his political enemies no longer dared to jump around in the open, and the resistance to Li Changqing's reforms was greatly reduced.
The emperor was also aware of the difficulties of reform and wanted to back down, but Li Changqing painted all kinds of promises for him and even described how people in later generations would praise the emperor as a far-sighted sage. The emperor was very tempted, so in order to leave his name in history books and be remembered forever, the emperor supported Li Changqing's reforms despite the pressure.
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