met free Page 468
Page 468
Li Chang'an stared at the little girl's round, bright eyes and said, "She has an open mind and is very cute."
Chu Caiwei blushed slightly, clearly very satisfied with the answer.
Huaiqing stood up, smiled, and said, "Caiwei, it's time to go."
The inscription at Yunlu Academy caused a great uproar in the court, but Huaiqing and Wei Yuan managed to quell the unrest.
However, this made it even more difficult for students from Yunlu Academy to enter officialdom, because Emperor Yuanjing trusted them even less.
In the days that followed, Li Chang'an would occasionally visit the Six Doors or the Night Watchmen's Office, while Huaiqing would come over every few days to ask for advice.
Three months passed like this, when an unexpected guest suddenly arrived at the mansion.
A palace maid found Li Chang'an and conveyed Princess Lin'an's message, hoping that Mr. Li would come to the palace for an audience.
"Princess Lin'an? What business does Your Highness have with me?"
The palace maid was very polite, saying, "His Highness said he wants to ask you for advice."
Li Chang'an frowned. Huaiqing loved reading and had lofty ambitions, but Lin'an seemed to only like playing.
Moreover, Li Chang'an and Lin'an were not familiar with each other at all; they had only met once.
However, this Princess Lin'an had a habit of competing with Huaiqing; she would fight for anything Huaiqing liked to do.
Could it be that Biao Biao heard that Huai Qing always came to Li Chang'an to ask for advice, so she wanted to follow suit?
Li Chang'an couldn't think of any other reason besides this.
"No time."
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's answer, the palace maid's eyes widened in disbelief.
Not all men could enter the palace at will. Apart from imperial relatives, only night watchmen had this privilege, and Li Chang'an happened to be a night watchman with the title of Golden Gong.
The princess summoned him—what a great honor that was! Yet Li Chang'an dared to say he was too busy!
"Mr. Li, when would be a convenient time for you?"
Li Chang'an smiled and said, "Just tell Her Highness that you're busy. You don't need to explain anything else."
The palace maid looked somewhat embarrassed and replied to the princess that she was too busy. Li Chang'an was really bold.
Although Lin'an was domineering, the palace maids around him were sensible and not arrogant. They didn't dare to say anything more and obediently returned to the palace.
Since coming to Li Chang'an's side, Xu Lingyue has witnessed many grand occasions, and even Princess Huaiqing has visited several times.
However, Li Chang'an dared to refuse Princess Lin'an's invitation, something she never dared to imagine.
Princesses are of noble birth, high above and inviolable.
"Young master... what if Her Highness the princess gets angry?"
Li Chang'an said calmly, "Don't worry, the Princess will protect me."
He dared to do this because he was not afraid of Lin'an at all. Scholars should have integrity and not be summoned and dismissed at will.
Since you say you want to ask for advice but don't come to my door yourself, look at how Huaiqing does it. Biaobiao still needs to be properly trained.
Inside the palace, Lin took out many books in a pretentious manner, frowning as he examined Li Chang'an's Thirty-Six Chapters on Military and Political Affairs.
Li Chang'an's guess was pretty accurate, because Huaiqing, with his arrogant nature, had visited Li Chang'an's door time and time again, which surprised Lin'an greatly.
That's the icy Huaiqing, that's her fierce and ruthless older sister!
After learning the truth, Lin'an became curious about what was so special about Li Chang'an.
However, after she received Li Chang'an's masterpiece, she couldn't understand it at all. Only then did she realize that Huaiqing must not understand it, which was why he went to ask for help.
Therefore, she habitually sent a palace maid to deliver a message, inviting Li Chang'an to come over.
To her surprise, the palace maid returned alone, trembling with fear.
Where is Li Chang'an?
The palace maid replied cautiously, "Your Highness, Mr. Li said... he is busy."
Princess Lin'an's peach blossom eyes widened instantly, as if she doubted whether she had misheard. "What?"
"Your Highness, Mr. Li said he only wants me to reply with two words, I'm busy."
The palace maid repeated it again, and Princess Lin'an unconsciously put her two small hands on her slender waist, and her eyebrows stood up.
"No time! I'm free, but he's not! He's so arrogant!"
The palace maid said timidly, "He is indeed very bold. Last time, all the officials in the court were impeaching him, but he didn't refute them at all, as if he was not afraid of anything."
Lin'an pouted and pursed her lips a few times, angrily saying, "If he dares not come, I, I, I..."
She suddenly realized that she couldn't do anything to Li Chang'an.
Since Li Chang'an was just a part-time night watchman, she wouldn't bother to complain to Emperor Yuanjing about such a small matter.
What's the point of filing a complaint? You invited them to the palace, but they didn't come. What kind of crime is that?
Is it against etiquette, or is it impolite?
"Hmph, what a big shot Li Daru and Li Daxia are you!"
The palace maid, quick to change her tune, said, "That's right, with such a high-handed attitude, no wonder the Princess couldn't persuade them and had to go to their door herself."
Neither the princess nor her servant knew whether the princess had invited Li Chang'an to the palace.
But the palace maid knew that Princess Lin'an would be pleased to hear this.
Sure enough, a smile appeared on Lin'an's lips. "Yes, yes, you're right. This guy must have made Huaiqing suffer a setback, which is why Huaiqing went to his door."
"However, I heard that his status is higher than that of the four great Confucian scholars of Yunlu Academy. Even Wei Yuan, that great devil, calls him brother. It's normal for him to be a bit arrogant."
"Huaiqing is respectful and courteous to scholars, and so am I. If Li Chang'an doesn't come, I will go to his door. He saved Pingyang's life, so it is only right that I visit him."
"Moreover, besides Huaiqing, there are also great scholars from Yunlu Academy who frequent Li Chang'an's residence. Even if I were to go, it wouldn't be beneath me!"
Princess Lin'an laughed and got angry in turns, and in the blink of an eye, she convinced herself.
"But we must never give him a friendly look!"
Princess Lin'an made preparations for two more days, and then on the third day she actually paid a visit.
Princess Lin'an stepped down from her carriage at Li Chang'an's door and found that there was only Xu Lingyue, a maid, and a few servants at the door.
Alright, this princess has arrived, and you didn't even bother to come to the door to greet me.
What kind of scholar is this? He doesn't understand any manners at all!
"Hmph, Huaiqing is here, isn't Li Chang'an going to come out to greet him?"
Xu Lingyue was terrified. Rumors circulated that the fierce-looking Huaiqing was always smiling, while the emperor's favorite, the supposedly very kind Princess Lin'an, was indeed quite fierce.
Xu Lingyue and several servants knelt at the door and said, "Your Highness, the Eldest Princess was brought in by Miss Caiwei, and the young master did not have time to greet her."
"Hmph!" Princess Lin'an walked into Li Chang'an's gate with a cold face and dignified demeanor.
"Get up and lead the way!"
Xu Lingyue was terrified as she led Princess Lin'an into Li Chang'an's study.
"Princess Lin'an has arrived, please have a seat."
Li Chang'an stood in front of the desk, seemingly drawing something, his tone casual, giving Lin'an the illusion that Li Chang'an was very familiar with her.
"Hmph, Mr. Li, you have quite the airs."
Lin'an and the palace maids' expressions were rehearsed many times beforehand, maintaining an unusually consistent coldness.
But she couldn't resist taking small steps forward to see what Li Chang'an was drawing.
Upon seeing the lifelike parrot on the scroll, just like the real thing, Princess Lin'an's expression instantly went out of control.
Because Li Chang'an's painting was so good, better than any painting she had ever seen in the palace.
"I didn't expect you to be skilled in traditional Chinese painting."
Li Chang'an put down his pen and said, "I am good at far more than Your Highness thinks."
"Your Highness, what brings you here in person?"
Lin'an shifted her beautiful peach blossom eyes from the scroll and met Li Chang'an's gaze. She discovered that Li Chang'an was boldly staring at her!
What audacity! How dare he look directly at the princess like that!
Li Chang'an thought to himself, these two sisters each have their own beauty. Even though Biao Biao is angry, she still looks charming.
Lin'an refused to back down and just stared at Li Chang'an until she felt embarrassed.
"I have come here, of course, to seek your guidance."
Afterwards, Lin'an maintained a cold expression throughout and asked Li Chang'an many questions, though his understanding was far less in-depth than Huaiqing's.
As expected, one is insightful and shrewd, while the other is all talk and no action; the woman is still a bit superficial.
She was naturally lively and outgoing, but her insistence on pretending to be profound in front of Li Chang'an seemed quite strange.
Ultimately, this consultation did not last even an hour before Lin'an could no longer persist.
Because every time Li Chang'an opened his mouth, his words made her seem ignorant, yet she couldn't refute them.
Lin'an became increasingly restless and couldn't help but complain in his heart that Huaiqing would chat for a long time every time he came, but he didn't know what he was talking about.