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

Chapter 234: The gentleman became the brother-in-law?

"Young master, this was sent from the palace."

Before Ah Dong could catch his breath, he handed over the invitation with both hands.

"The people from the palace? Where are they?"

Wen He took the invitation with a puzzled look. Why would Li Er send him an invitation out of the blue?

If you want to see him, isn't it enough to just say a word to summon him to the palace?

"The person has already left, and it seems they weren't summoning the young master to the palace."

Adong was also a little confused.

He came from the palace, so he naturally knew that if His Majesty summoned him, why would he send out an invitation?

But he dared not look at the contents of that document without permission.

Wen He opened the invitation, glanced at it briefly, and then his expression changed drastically.

'Li Er, you son of a bitch!'

The invitation was actually for him to attend the opening of "Jiahe Bookstore" the next day.

He was invited to a bookstore that was opened in his name.

However, since thread-bound books haven't been made yet, doesn't Li Er think it's cumbersome to use scrolls as a medium?

"Xiao Lang-jun?"

Adong noticed that Wenhe's expression was off and assumed something had happened.

"It's alright. Do you know this address? You can drive me there tomorrow." Wen He handed the invitation to A Dong.

The latter accepted it with both hands, glanced at it, and bowed, saying, "Yes."

The next day.

After washing up and having breakfast, Wen He went out.

Li Er chose Taipingfang as the location for his study.

From this place, once you step out of the market gate, you can almost see the imperial city just by looking up.

Moreover, it is close to the Honglu Temple and the Dashe, which are the places where the emperor performed sacrifices.

If you walk a short distance to the left, you'll reach the Imperial Academy.

It can be said that all those who came and went were learned scholars.

After seeing the location, Wen He decided to forgive Li Shimin for making the decision on his own.

This area is equivalent to a ring road of the capital city in later times, and the housing prices are ridiculously high.

Those who could live here were either royalty or members of aristocratic families.

Opening a store here is not something just anyone can do.

"There's a bookstore across the street too?"

Upon arriving at their destination, Wen He hadn't even dismounted from the carriage when he saw a "Cui Family Bookstore" across the street.

Without asking any further questions, this must be owned by the Cui family.

Li Shimin actually opened a bookstore here.

Is this an attempt to challenge the Cui family?

As soon as Wen He arrived, the people in the bookstore across the street also noticed her.

"Is that Wen He from Gaoyang County?"

A middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe stroked his beard, his brows furrowed.

"Brother, this Wen He is too arrogant. He actually dares to open a bookstore right across from us. Isn't this a blatant provocation?"

A young man beside him said indignantly.

"Shut up! Do you think that bookstore is owned by Wen He?" The middle-aged man glared at him, though he was also a little angry.

News had already spread through their family that the bookstore was established by the emperor using Wen He's name.

Never act rashly or have any conflict with Wen He.

To put it bluntly, they themselves knew that opening a bookstore in Chang'an was actually a violation of the previous contract.

The contract clearly stipulates that books and classics may not be sold in areas contracted by others.

They've only exploited a loophole, since the Chang'an area hasn't been contracted out yet.

As Wen He alighted from the carriage, she happened to make eye contact with the middle-aged man from the Cui family.

The latter was taken aback, then smiled and bowed to him from a distance.

Seeing this, Wen He returned the greeting.

A considerable number of people have already gathered around to witness this event.

They naturally knew that the Cui family had a bookstore here, and they were wondering how the Cui family would respond, but they didn't expect that the other party would not care at all.

"Has the Cui family changed their ways?"

Li Daozong, standing at the entrance of the bookstore, narrowed his eyes slightly.

Knowing that Wen He had arrived, he was worried that she would be harassed by the Cui family and was about to come out to help when he witnessed this scene.

“The Cui family is one of the five noble families and seven prominent clans; they are not so short-sighted.” Hearing Li Daozong’s words, Xiao Yu snorted with some dissatisfaction.

The Xiao family and the Cui family have a marriage alliance, which can be considered a partial alliance.

Moreover, the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families were essentially aristocratic families.

The gentry and noble families of the world are of one mind and one lineage, at least to outsiders.

Li Daozong ignored Xiao Yu and walked straight out.

"Little Doll."

He raised his hand and greeted Wen He.

Those waiting outside who were not qualified to enter the bookstore quickly made way for them.

These people are just here to join in the fun and hopefully become familiar with each other.

Although they did not receive an invitation, they knew that it came from the palace, and that the person invited today was, after all, a person of high rank and great power.

Upon hearing Li Daozong's voice, Wen He's face immediately fell.

"You son of a bitch!"

"Greetings, Prince Rencheng!"

Wen He gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Li Daozong.

Seeing this, the latter laughed and put his arm around his shoulder, saying, "His Majesty has gone to great lengths for your bookstore. Even the Crown Prince has been invited to support you. The Ministry of Personnel, the Secretariat, the Chancellery, and the Six Ministries—those who are not on duty today have all come."

"Gao Ming is here too?"

Since Li Chengqian became the crown prince, he has rarely left the Eastern Palace, and has never even visited Wen He's house.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin allowed him to leave the palace today.

but……

"This is His Majesty's bookstore, what does it have to do with me?"

Judging from the appearance of this bookstore, it was clearly not set up temporarily.

The gate alone is carved from the finest wood, with lifelike patterns on it.

Not to mention the interior decorations.

Did Li Er misunderstand me?

Wen He looked at the interior decoration of the study and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Which poor family would dare to enter such an exquisite and luxurious bookstore to buy books?

Even if you sell your books for a penny, they won't dare to step inside.

"Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Upon entering, Wen He saw Li Chengqian sitting upright at the head of the table.

When the latter saw him, the corners of his mouth immediately turned up. Just as he was about to get up, he saw him perform a deep bow.

Li Chengqian was taken aback, only then realizing the occasion he was in.

Li Daozong was right; quite a few people came today.

Yuwen Shiji and Gao Shilian both arrived.

Du Ruhui didn't come, probably because he was on duty.

Wen He breathed a sigh of relief when Changsun Wuji didn't come, but Changsun Huan did.

And then there's Wei Zheng, that old man is looking at him with a meaningful expression, I wonder what he's thinking.

Wen He wasn't very familiar with the others, but there was an old man sitting in front of Yuwen Shiji, whose status was definitely not low.

Wen He greeted each person with a bow, but when she encountered the old man, she was stuck.

Yuwen Shiji, who was standing to the side, explained: "This is the Duke of Mi, the newly appointed Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Feng Deyi."

He is Feng Deyi.

The one who made Li Shimin so angry that he wanted to exhume his body and whip it?
Wen He remembered that he had passed away around the first year of the Zhenguan era. Although she didn't know the exact time, it shouldn't have been long since then.

But no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like it's going to die.

This man has quite a rich background; he comes from the Feng clan of Bohai.

Because of his exceptional intelligence from a young age, he was recruited as a staff member by Yang Su, the Duke of Yue, who also married his daughter to him, thus establishing a kinship.

Later, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered him to oversee the construction of Renshou Palace, and he was thus promoted to Inner Historian.

After that, he was relied upon by Yu Shiji, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. To outsiders, he and Yu Shiji were in cahoots, which led to the gradual corruption of the court.

After the Jiangdu Incident, he switched sides and followed Yuwen Huaji, becoming the Grand Secretary.

After Yuwen Huaji's defeat and death, he immediately surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and quickly gained the trust of Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, who appointed him as the Grand Chancellor and granted him the title of Duke of Mi.

Li Yuan married his daughter to him, thus establishing a family-to-family relationship.

He was a beast! At that time, Feng Deyi was over forty years old.

Li Yuan was also a scoundrel, using his beautiful daughter as a tool.

Later, Feng Deyi was selected as an official in the Tian Ce General's Office to assist Prince Qin, Li Shimin, in capturing Luoyang. He secretly supported the Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng, and the two rulers engaged in opportunistic maneuvering.

It was precisely because of this that in the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era, when Li Shimin learned of his double-dealing, he immediately stripped him of his posthumous titles and changed his posthumous name to Miao.

They even considered whipping his corpse, but why they didn't do it later is unknown.

"I have met Prime Minister Feng."

"So this must be the scion of Gaoyang County. Hehe, I have long admired you. You are indeed a young man of great talent. No wonder you have won His Majesty's favor. You have a bright future ahead of you."

Feng Deyi laughed loudly, treating Wen He's praise as if it were water being poured out.

The people around seemed to have taken it all for granted.

Everyone knows what kind of person he is.

"Prime Minister, you flatter me. I am just an ignorant child and do not deserve such praise."

Wen He deliberately distanced herself.

If Li Yifu is a smiling tiger...

Then Feng Deyi is a treacherous opportunist.

It's best to stay away from people like that.

Otherwise, you never know when he might trick you.

"Hey, that's not how it works. Those who can gain His Majesty's favor must have extraordinary abilities. His Majesty has discerning eyes and is wise and powerful. He can be called a sage ruler for all ages in the past three generations..."

This flattery gave Wen He goosebumps all over.

It seemed he wasn't the only one in the room who felt this way; apart from the older folks, the rest of the people seemed a bit uncomfortable.

But they couldn't refute or stop them from saying that.

"Ahem, isn't that about the right time?"

Xiao Yu interrupted him.

In the Tang Dynasty, the left was considered superior, so only someone like him, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, could do such a thing.

Feng Deyi smiled without changing his expression and said, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault. I'm getting old and I like to talk a lot. Your Highness, please."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone stood up.

Li Chengqian swallowed hard and glanced at Wen He.

The latter nodded slightly to him.

This scene, witnessed by many, elicited helpless smiles.

'It's better to let Wen He get there first; in the future, His Highness the Crown Prince will likely have to rely on him a lot.'

The opening ceremony of Datang did not involve ribbon-cutting.

The format is also very simple.

After Li Chengqian left, he took down the red silk from the plaque and then went to buy a book himself.

"This is His Majesty's inscription. It is indeed magnificent and elegant, with the brushstrokes flowing like dragons and snakes."

Hearing the voice, no one needed to turn around to guess who it was.

Those who wanted to curry favor with Li Shimin readily agreed.

Wen He felt he had learned a lot and that his vocabulary would greatly improve after today.

"gentlemen."

After the ceremony, Li Chengqian came to his side and gently tugged at his sleeve, as if asking him to come aside and talk.

Those around them naturally noticed.

After all, this is the Crown Prince's every move.

But this also brought Wen He a lot of attention.

He immediately followed Li Chengqian and left the place.

The two arrived at the back of the bookstore, where Li Chengqian took out a land deed from his sleeve.

"This is what your mother asked me to give you. This bookstore is your mother's property, and it's compensation for what happened to Changsun Chong before."

"Does this bookstore belong to the Empress?"

Wen He had always thought that Li Shimin had made the decision on his own, but she never expected it to be Empress Zhangsun.

"Yes, Mother said that Changsun Chong is a bit impatient, but after all, we are all family. If the Changsun family offends you again in the future, you don't need to tolerate it."

As Li Chengqian spoke, he handed the land deed to Wen He.

Looking at the land deed in her hand, Wen He stood there stunned.

Is it because of his attitude at the last family banquet that the Empress wants to make amends to him?
Admittedly, Wen He was indeed somewhat moved.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "Everyone says Empress Zhangsun is virtuous, but her virtue is beyond my expectations. This empress must be radiant!"

He, who was usually so composed, was surprisingly at a loss this time.

This person's charisma is truly amazing.

"Please thank the Queen for me, but I cannot accept this land deed."

Wen He returned the land deed to Li Chengqian.

The latter asked in surprise, "Sir, you wouldn't really have a falling out with your mother because of Changsun Chong's matter, would you?"

Upon hearing this, Wen He slapped him on the head in an annoyed manner.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I am not worthy of such a reward without having done anything right. Besides, the Changsun family is the Changsun family, and the Empress is the Empress."

"Moreover, the Empress has never helped Changsun Chong from beginning to end. It was my petty thinking. If I accept this land deed, I will be even more uneasy. When you go back, please thank the Empress for me. Just say, 'Thank you, Mother-in-law. I have a good appetite and won't be a kept man.'"

"Also, if the Changsun family dares to cause me trouble in the future, I will definitely not show any mercy."

"That's what the gentleman said."

Inside the Wanchun Palace, Li Chengqian blinked, looking at Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

The Emperor and Empress were both stunned upon hearing this.

After a while, Empress Zhangsun finally burst out laughing.

"Jiaying does have a bit of pride. This 'not being a kept man' probably means not relying on her family, right?"

She looked at Li Shimin with a beaming smile.

The latter chuckled: "What's so arrogant about it? Princess Shang is just a son-in-law. Oh well, if he doesn't want her, then so be it."

He seemed to be complaining, but the upturned corners of his mouth betrayed his true thoughts.

Actually, he didn't want Wen He to take over the bookstore, but he also didn't want to disappoint the Empress.

It's never good if the maternal relatives and the powerful imperial son-in-law are of one mind.

"Very well, but why not use this bookstore as part of Fifth Sister's dowry?" Empress Zhangsun made the decision, and Li Shimin had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Li Chengqian, standing before the two men, was stunned.

What do you mean by that, Father and Mother?
"Father and Mother, why are we adding to Fifth Sister's dowry? And why does the gentleman refer to himself as his son-in-law?"

Only then did he react.

Only a few people knew about Wen He and Li Lizhi's affair.

That's why Li Chengqian was puzzled.

Empress Zhangsun beckoned to him, inviting him to come to her side.

"Because soon Fifth Sister and your husband—no, I should call him brother-in-law—will be engaged."

"what!"

Li Chengqian was immediately taken aback, his eyes widening in surprise.

The gentleman has become the brother-in-law?

Eh!
Then wouldn't I be able to... hehehe.

(End of this chapter)