With such a large group arriving, positions had to be moved. The Emperor had already made preparations and vacated some positions for Li Yuanying’s own allocation.

The governor’s surname is Cui, and he accommodating chubby man.  

Governor Cui has only been in this role for a year. When he heard that Prince Teng will be taking over, he was nervous and took recording very seriously to prevent fraudulent activities.

Others may think that there’s no need to pay too much attention to Li Yuanying. After all, the Emperor had many brothers. Prince Teng’s only advantage was being born late and was cared for directly by Li Er.  But Governor Cui is not an ordinary and his ability to perceive details far exceeds others.

If Prince Teng’s only advantage was being raised in the Imperial palace, it’s nothing too alarming. Many princes all grew up in the Imperial palace. Isn’t Prince Qi the biological son of His Majesty? He showed him no mercy and executed him!

But Li Yuanying is different.

Others may not know, but Governor Cui knows that Xu Jingzong, who was once ranked as one of the 18th scholars in Qin Palace was persecuted because of Li Yuanying. Although his life was spared due to marital relationship, his future is gone. For someone who has dedicated his life to power and wealth, keeping him alive powerless is more cruel than killing him!

If Li Yuanying carries no weight the Emperor’s heart he would not have been able to touch Xu Jingzong.

Governor Cui was extremely vigilant and would follow instructions to the dot. The bosses wants him to vacant positions? Let’s do it without any struggle. When the Emperor is being impulsive, he can promise any position to those he favors. He feels uneasy having this Governor position, always worried that His Majesty might act impulsively again!

After greeting Li Yuanying, Governor Cui asked for a date to hold a welcoming banquet before leaving. He remained neutral but seems like someone who knows how to cultivate favor.  

Yuanying had a good impression of him but didn’t put in much thought about his character. One would know his horse’s power when travelling far and a person’s real character with time. He will be permanently living in Tengzhou now and will have plenty of time to do so!

For now, Li Yuanying has devoted himself wholeheartedly to his mansion.

The location of the Prince Teng’s Mansion is per his preferences. Although the mansion was built much later, it looked like the entire city is built around this mansion. Very grand!

The back mountain is huge and you can overlook the whole city from the mountainside. Over the k mountain is a fertile small plain, which belongs entirely to the Prince Teng’s residence.

What delighted Yuanying the most is the beautiful lake inside the palace with flowing clear water. Yuanying ran around the palace and was truly surprised. He immediately wrote a swift letter to his brother, praising him saying that he couldn’t be more satisfied!

Finally, he also mentioned about Governor Cui, saying that he was chubby and reminded him of fourth nephew. He wonders where his nephew is travelling now and whether Liaodong was cold. I heard that you’re not afraid of the cold when you’re overweight. Not sure if it’s true but I’ll ask Governor Cui later!

He instructed for someone to deliver the letter back to the Capital but it was not urgent.  He didn’t know that His Majesty had a habit of sharing his flattery letters with his confidants. He thought he was just casually chatting with his brother.

Yuanying doesn’t believe that blood is thicker than water. Deep ties are all an illusion as even ordinary families have conflicts. If you really want to have strong bonds, you have to rely on yourself to maintain them well!

Li Yuanying is quite pleased.

Look, how hard he works!

Wei Shu had no idea what Li Yuanying writes to His Majesty, until she received a letter from Wei Zheng. She then found out that Li Yuanying had been blacklisted by Zhangsun Wuji and the ministers and they are accusing him of being the most shameless person in the world.

Even through the letters, Wei Shu could imagine the fierce expression of Wei Zheng indicating that grandfather was also heavily affected by Li Yuanying’s flattery letters.

Wei Shu thinks that while Li Yuanying’s letter is indeed a little shameless, but His Majesty is the main culprit! Anyone else who receives such letters will be happy in secret but His Majesty is different. He not only enjoy reading them himself, but he also developed a hobby of sharing them with others!

Wei Shu quietly spoke to Li Yuanying about this matter.

The meaning behind Wei Zheng writing to her is to ask her to tell Li Yuanying not to write such obsequious letters!

But hearing about the incident made Yuanying think that Li Er had a great hobby.

“If I received these letters, I would also share it with you. Why can’t brother share it with others? It’s human nature. You can’t restrict him just because he’s the Emperor! This has nothing to do with governance of the country. If the public were to hear about this, they may even praise our brotherly relationship.

But Wei Shu thinks that if others were to read these letters, they would only think that these brothers are extremely shameless. But Wei Shu kept her silence as she knows that if it’s the reverse and Li Yuanying were to be praised by His Majesty, he will definitely announce it to the world too.

It’s not a bad thing that His Majesty likes the wild praise. It’s better than receiving a letter full of scolding. If that is the case, Li Yuanying would be heartbroken! Anyway, only the Courtiers of the Emperor, like Fang Xuanling, were tormented.

Yuanying finished writing his letter and ran to meet the rest to check if they are satisfied with their accommodation and if anything needed to be changed. After a busy day, the first day in Tengzhou is over.

Yuanying rested happily in his exclusive palace, feeling extremely happy. In his dreams, he even laughed out loud with two cute dimples.

Compared to Yuanying’s joy, many didn’t sleep soundly that night. Di Renjie couldn’t fall asleep and  paced back and forth in the garden of his chosen courtyard. It had just snowed and the garden was covered in snow making the moonlight even colder.

Di Renjie walked outside, only to see a lamp up ahead. He saw Wu Mei gazing at the lake, lost in thought.

The night is deep, the lake is deep, and under the moon, a person stands alone. From a distance, it gives off a feeling of coldness and emptiness.

Di Renjie didn’t think too much and walked over: “It’s so late, haven’t you rested yet?

Wu Mei came to her senses and turned. Seeing that it’s Di Renjie, she smiled: “I read some books and can’t fall asleep so I came out for a walk.”

When with friends, Wu Mei shows restraint and doesn’t show any sharpness.

Di Renjie took the opportunity to ask, “What book have you read?’’

“It’s not anything special, it’s just the <<Clan Chronicles>>.

The <<Clan Chronicles>> not only ranks and sorts, it also records the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of numerous families. Here the Li Royal family ranks first, their relatives second, and the rest are filled with aristocratic families. Many are dissatisfied with this ranking, including a group of Shandong aristocrats. Even Fang Xuanling and others secretly chose their in laws among the Shandong aristocrats.

Wu Mei’s rereading of <<Clan Chronicles>> was on impulse as she has been thinking about it on their journey.

The Li royal family belongs to the nobility of Guanlong, and this so-called Guanlong aristocracy, who can be counted as Manchu, has only been around for less than a hundred years. In the eyes of many aristocrats, it is not much different from a muddy family background.

Moreover, the Hu style was prevalent among the nobles of Guanlong. Even though Emperor Li Er pursued civil governance, many of his actions showed that he did not pay attention to etiquette and ethics. On the surface, Emperor Li Er patiently listens but in his heart, he did not take them seriously.

If it weren’t for so many trusted confidants and ministers who followed him, she’s not sure what would have happened to Emperor Li Er!

The Li royal family itself is already like this, so we cannot expect the local gentry to have much respect for them.

His Majesty has also privately discussed this matter with others, saying that these aristocrats were very united in expressing the same unified opinions, and selectively follow the court’s decrees.

His Majesty has noticed the negligence of these aristocrats, but had no way to deal with them.

They would rather not take official position than to praise your Li family’s stinky feet. What can you do? If you want to marry a princess or make their daughter the queen, they don’t want it too!

Li Yuanying felt that Li Er’s intention to cede half of Henan Province to him came from well intention, but Wu Mei had to think more: Did His Majesty really want to give Li Yuanying a big fiefdom, or is he using Li Yuanying to bring cultural and education prospects to the Qilu region in hopes to suppress the arrogance of aristocratic families?

Wu Mei was unsure of the Emperor’s intentions so she couldn’t calm down.

Although Li Yuanying has many friends, it’s not enough to compete with the aristocrats in Shandong. Their foundation is still too shallow. How can Li Yuanying do things that even the Emperor cannot?

Since there was no one else around, Wu Mei told Di Renjie everything and he remained silent even after listening.

He was born in Taiyuan and grew up listening to the reputation of the Wang family in Taiyuan. Even when dynasties change, the family remained prominent and their foundation never shaken. In other words, aristocratic families are secured but the Emperor ever-changing. Why would they do their best to help you stabilize the country when the Li Royal family might not last long?

Di Renjie: “His Highness wouldn’t think about these things

Such thoughts would never crossed Yuanying’s mind. He’s just been so happy visiting his new fiefdom that he’s been jumping around three feet high. He hadn’t had time to think about these twists and turns. Yuanying is willing to make friends with anyone he can play with, and those that doesn’t like him he will not bother to seek their favor. Even if the Qilu aristocrats looked down on him, he wouldn’t care; he lives by the motto ‘if you don’t like me, I won’t play with you’!

Wu Mei agrees. Yuanying will never consider these things and only cares if something is fun or otherwise.

Wu Mei: “Then I won’t think so much too.”

Li Yuanying is born with extreme luck. He easily bump into good fortune that others couldn’t even get after knocking their heads off! They might as well just think about how to play across Tengzhou. Maybe while playing, their worries will be resolved!

The two stood in the pavilion chatting, no longer worried. They then rested peacefully throughout the night.

The next morning, Li Yuanying got up early and called his friends. Let’s carefully inspect my fiefdom.