Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 212 This matter is none of your concern.

"As for the details of this tender?"

Yan Lide looked at Wen He, and at the same time, Changsun Wuji also turned his head and cast a glance at him.

It was Wen He who brought this up, and since it was the first time the two of them had heard of it, they naturally didn't understand.

"I'll write a note when I get back," Wen He sighed helplessly.

I have to get things done again.

When will his dream of being a lazy bum come true?

"Very well, then tomorrow, after the Vice Minister and I have reviewed it, we will present it to His Majesty together."

Yan Lide nodded and looked at Changsun Wuji, asking for his opinion.

The latter pondered for a moment and then nodded.

After the matter was settled, Changsun Wuji took his leave.

As soon as he left, Yan Lide breathed a sigh of relief.

"This is the emperor's brother-in-law."

He didn't say what he was going to say next, but Wen He understood what he meant.

Changsun Wuji's words just now must have frightened Yan Lide.

Li Shimin had always wanted to diminish the influence of the aristocratic families and the Guanzhong region in the court.

But Changsun Wuji insisted on including the aristocratic clans and the Guanzhong region, which went against Li Shimin's original intention.
"This is not a bad thing. Besides, behind those merchants are the same people. Rather than letting them sneak around, it's better to bring them out into the open."

Yan Lide understood Wen He's meaning.

However, the latter was still quite surprised.

"Wen Xiaolang, are you really only ten years old?"

How could a ten-year-old child say such a thing?

However, Wen He had already shocked him quite a bit before.

Wen He chuckled and said, "You haven't treated me like a child either, have you?"

It should be noted that Yan Lide's son is a year or two older than Wen He.

Yet he still treated the latter like a brother, which shows that he never regarded Wen He as a junior.

Yan Lide chuckled, then personally escorted Wen He away from the Ministry of Works.

After leaving the imperial city, he saw Wenzhong's carriage and Li Yifu waiting there.

Today, Li Yifu is serving as Wen He's page, so he accompanies him.

After returning home and finishing his lessons with the three children, he went into his study alone and began to devise the details of this tender.

It would be inappropriate to apply all the methods used in later generations to the Tang Dynasty.

Especially the area of ​​oversight.

In Wen He's opinion, it was not suitable to place him in either the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

This kind of thing should definitely be done by professionals.

However, he could not write it that way in this letter.

Otherwise, that would be offending Yan Lide.

Yan Lide was a decent person; more importantly, his and his brother's calligraphy and paintings became extremely valuable decades later.

In the future, we can get more calligraphy and paintings from them, so we won't have to worry about our descendants dying out and having no way out.

He kept writing until the afternoon.

After he left the study, he had just stepped into the garden when he heard a chorus of melodious voices.

No need to guess, it must be Li Lizhi who has arrived.

I don't know how Li Er could let this little girl come to his house for meals every day.

From afar, Li Lizhi saw Wen He and waved to him.

Wen He walked over helplessly.

If we ignore it, this little girl will definitely complain to Li Shimin when she gets back.

I spent the afternoon with the two little girls.

After dinner, Li Lizhi returned to the palace.

Early the next morning.

Wen He was woken up from her sleep by Wen Zhong.

As we ventured out, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

"Isn't it just not the right time yet?"

Wen He yawned. Lately, he's been taking fewer and fewer naps. If he doesn't sleep a little longer at night, he'll be exhausted all day.

"Minister Yan and Vice Minister Changsun have arrived."

Wen Zhong reminded him helplessly.

"what?"

Wen He was extremely surprised.

Why did they arrive so early?

He's still just a child. Wen He finished washing up with a sullen expression, changed her clothes, and went to the front yard.

Yan Lide and Changsun Wuji were enjoying tea.

"Jiaying's tea seems to be a new product; it's even more fragrant than before."

Yan Lide has also come to like this tea recently.

Compared to the previous tea soup, this tea is more convenient and cheaper.

There's no need to add those expensive spices.

Changsun Wuji wasn't in the mood for that, and simply gave a curt reply.

He planned to present a memorial to Li Shimin regarding the bidding process during the court meeting today.

That's why he and Yan Lide came here at this moment.

But he was also worried that, given Wen He's lazy nature, she might not even have finished writing the note.

"Brother Lide, you've arrived very early today."

Before they even saw Wen He, Yan Lide and Changsun Wuji heard his voice.

However, the latter immediately became somewhat dissatisfied.

That brat only called Yan Lide, and didn't address him by his full name.

Wen He walked in, bowed to Yan Lide, and then stopped when she turned to look at Changsun Wuji.

"Don't you recognize me?" Changsun Wuji's words carried a hint of resentment.

Wen He raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile, "I really don't know if you've come here today for official or personal business. I'm wondering whether I should address you by your title."

"you!"

Changsun Wuji then realized that Wen He still remembered what happened yesterday. He angrily flicked his long sleeves and said, "I came here today to deal with the bidding matter."

He didn't want to say it was a private matter and then have Wen He ask him for some kind of "change of address fee" in front of Yan Lide.

"Oh, that's official business. Greetings, Vice Minister Changsun."

"Hehe, I've met you before."

At this moment, Changsun Wuji only wanted to get the note from Wen He as soon as possible and leave this place immediately.

Now, whenever he sees Wen He, he feels a surge of anger.

"Alright, Jiaying, let's get down to business."

Since they would be working together for some time to come, Yan Lide felt it wouldn't be good for Wen He and Changsun Wuji to have such a strained relationship.

Wen He didn't take it to heart, but out of respect for Yan Lide, he didn't bother to argue with Changsun Wuji.

He took out a written scroll from his sleeve.

"This is the bidding process."

After Wen He finished speaking, Changsun Wuji reached out his hand, but Wen He quickly handed it to Yan Lide.

The latter was furious and glared at him fiercely.

"Wow, it's actually this complicated?"

After reading the contents, Yan Lide couldn't help but gasp.

After hearing what Changsun Wuji said yesterday, he thought that the so-called "bidding" was just about gathering merchants together.

But after reading Wen He's writing, he realized that there were so many details in it.

"If we follow what you wrote, I'm afraid my idea from yesterday will not be applicable. Neither the Ministry of Works nor the Ministry of Civil Affairs is suitable for supervision; we should invite the upright officials to supervise."

Wen He was surprised to find that Yan Lide shared the same idea as him.

Such a person, due to the decline of his family, wasted too much time in the original history, and only became the Minister of Works after Li Zhi ascended the throne.

Now that he has been able to take this position more than twenty years ahead of schedule, with his talent, he may one day be able to aspire to the position of prime minister.

Yan Lide handed the scroll in his hand to Changsun Wuji.

The latter, upon seeing it, was just as surprised as the former.

But he quickly understood the details and nodded, saying, "That's right, this approach is indeed feasible."

"Young man, you are truly talented," Yan Lide said with a smile of admiration.

But Changsun Wuji, standing to the side, scoffed dismissively: "It's nothing but parroting others' ideas."

Yan Lide was completely baffled by what he heard.

He had never heard of this format before.

Changsun Wuji realized he had let something slip, so he pretended to be calm and changed the subject.

"Don't be lazy, put on your official robes and go to the palace to meet the Emperor." He glanced at Wen He arrogantly, and was about to put the scroll away.

Unexpectedly, Wen He suddenly reached out and snatched it back, causing Changsun Wuji to frown and glare at him: "What are you doing!"

"You don't need to worry about this. I thought about it for a long time yesterday, and the Ministry of Civil Affairs doesn't need to get involved!"

Wen He cast a cold, sharp look at him.

what!
You took my things, and you still look down on me.

You are not yet the powerful and influential Changsun Wuji!

(End of this chapter)