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

Chapter 281 Today I'll teach you how to boil water

"If this 10,000 strings of cash came from the Cui family."

Wen He's lips curled slightly as she gently traced circles on the rim of the teacup with her fingertips, releasing the sweet aroma of honey mixed with the fragrance of tea.

"When the soldiers of the Northern Frontier talk about winter clothes in the future, should they thank His Majesty or the Cui family of Boling?"

These words, like a fine needle, gently pierced Cui Dunli's pretense of "sincerity."

Cui Dunli was taken aback at first, then chuckled and shook his head, a hint of frankness in his eyes as if his thoughts had been exposed: "So that's how it is. I was too naive."

He put down his teacup, his tone becoming more sincere.

"I thought Jiaying was going to donate in her own name, and I was thinking of adding to the good news. It seems that I was being presumptuous."

Wen He nodded to himself.

Cui Dunli was indeed shrewd. He dismissed the matter with a simple "misunderstanding," thus preserving his dignity while subtly testing the relationship between Cui Dunli and Li Er.

Dealing with smart people is indeed a bit tiring.
Cui Dunli pretended to be troubled as he stroked his teacup. After a moment of contemplation, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Didn't Jiaying say before that she wanted to send impoverished scholars to travel and study in various parts of Chang'an to teach children? This matter concerns education and is a great undertaking. The Cui family has a tradition of farming and studying, and we do have some ability to help Jiaying."

Wen He raised her eyes and stared at Cui Dunli for a long time.

From winter clothing for the military to basic education, after going through such a long and winding road, Cui An's matter was indeed just a starting point.

The so-called "making friends" was, in essence, the Cui family of Boling wanting to get a share of the profits from the study tour.

"Naturally."

Wen He nodded slowly, but her tone left room for interpretation.

"However, the specifics still need to be discussed in detail. If the Cui family has truly talented individuals, they are welcome to come to my residence, and I will make proper arrangements."

Cui Dunli's smile deepened, and just as he was about to say something more, he saw Wen He suddenly turn her head to look out the window.

"It's getting late."

Wen He stood up and straightened her clothes.

“Brother Anshang, I have a younger sister at home. She is timid and doesn’t like to be alone. If I go home late, she will probably cry and make a fuss.”

Having made his point clear, Cui Dunli had no reason to keep him, and immediately rose to see him off: "In that case, I won't stay any longer."

Upon reaching the first floor, Wen He immediately spotted Li Yifu in the corner.

The boy was holding a teacup, listening intently to the singer on stage, his head nodding gently in sync with the melody.

"Let's go, stop eating." Wen He walked over and slapped him on the back of the head.

Li Yifu was startled by the blow, almost dropping his teacup. He turned around and saw Wen He. Instead of being angry, his eyes lit up: "Sir, have you finished talking?"

In his view, the fact that the man was willing to physically discipline him meant that he truly considered him family.

"Well, let's go."

Wen He nodded and took the lead in stepping out of Qingfeng Tower.

Cui Dunli was standing at the second-floor window, watching the corner of that black robe disappear into the crowd.

“An Shang, this Wen He is indeed not an ordinary child.”

The door on the other side of the room was opened, and Cui Renshi came out, his brows still furrowed.

He listened to the whole thing from behind the screen, and the more he listened, the more his heart sank. The boy's meticulous thinking and mature phrasing were nothing like that of a ten-year-old child.
Cui Dunli simply gave a faint "hmm," his gaze still fixed on the direction Wen He had left through the window, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the windowsill.

Although he did not agree to provide winter clothing, he did agree to let my Cui family participate in the study tour.

Cui Renshi rubbed his hands together, his voice brimming with excitement, "If this succeeds, the prestige of the Cui family of Boling in the literary world may very well surpass that of the Cui family of Qinghe!"

He was speaking with great enthusiasm when he saw Cui Dunli turn around, his face devoid of any joy, instead bearing a deep and unfathomable solemnity.

"Brother, don't be too happy too soon."

Cui Dunli's voice lowered.

“Wen Jiaying said, ‘If someone has great talent, he can send them to his residence, and he will make arrangements,’ rather than directly asking me, Cui, to preside over a study tour.”

"What's the difference?" Cui Renshi asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"It's good enough that we can participate. Why should we be afraid that he will mistreat the Cui family members?"

“It’s not that I’m being mistreated.” Cui Dunli shook his head, walked to the tea table, and poured himself a cup of cold tea. “You’ve forgotten that my Cui family owns a 10,000-mu farm near Chang’an with thousands of tenants and quite a few children.”

Cui Renshi was taken aback, then his expression changed slightly: "You mean... he might send people from my Cui family to our own farm?"

“Very likely.” Cui Dunli took a sip of cold tea, but a hint of interest appeared in his eyes.

"Let my Cui family people carry out education for Wen Jiaying on their own land."

At that time, the people will praise His Majesty's wisdom and the Magistrate of Gaoyang County for his compassion for the people; my Cui family will merely be the ones who benefit from it all.

Cui Renshi suddenly realized what was happening, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

They thought they had the upper hand, but little did they know they had already fallen into the other side's trap.

"This Wen Jiaying is really interesting."

Cui Dunli suddenly burst into laughter, his previous seriousness dissipating considerably. "With this young man around, Chang'an will probably never be lonely for the next few decades."

He gazed in the direction where Wen He's carriage had disappeared, a hint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.

How will Wen He arrange for the scholars sent by the Cui family in the future?

"Sir, how could you agree to let the Cui family participate in the study tour!"

Inside the carriage, Li Yifu clutched his forehead, which had been throbbing from the impact, his face flushed with anxiety. He couldn't understand why his teacher, having just brought down Zheng, would suddenly soften his stance towards Cui. Wen He leaned against the carriage wall, twirling a candied fruit she'd brought from the teahouse between her fingers, and casually asked, "Why can't you agree?"

"They are the Cui family of Boling!" Li Yifu slapped his thigh anxiously. "If we let them get involved, who knows how many people they will plant? Won't the study tour become an aid for the Cui family to recruit talent?"

Li Yifu felt that if he could understand it, how could Wen He not understand it?

"Help?" Wen He scoffed, popping the candied fruit into her mouth, the sweetness instantly spreading.

“What Cui Dunli wants is fame, to give the Cui family a place in education, but he forgot that the control over this study tour is in my hands.”

"And even if they don't agree, what can they do? The Cui family can still send people out, and they can even buy and print books themselves. At that time, it will be even more difficult to control them."

The reason why the Cui family dares not do this now is quite simple.

They were afraid of those farmers.

If everyone goes to school and becomes an official, who will farm for them in the future?

“Furthermore,” Wen He continued, “the Cui family has capable people, which I will employ; if there are villains, I will dismiss them. The initiative is in my hands, so what is there to be afraid of?” He tapped the carriage with his fingertips.

"Besides, while the Cui family's banner is good, the banner behind you and me is much bigger than theirs." Wen He smiled and playfully flicked Li Yifu's nose, her tone sly.

Li Yifu's eyes lit up, and he blurted out, "Are you talking about His Majesty, sir?"

"Snapped!"

Wen He immediately smacked him on the head, the force not heavy, but full of disappointment: "It's the Crown Prince."

"It is far better for the Crown Prince to take the lead in this matter of education than for His Majesty to do it personally."

He lowered his voice.

"You never reveal your trump card easily. You always save it for the most crucial moment."

Li Yifu rubbed the back of his head, nodded as if he understood, but kept those words firmly in mind.

What the gentleman said is absolutely right.

As soon as the carriage stopped in front of the Wen residence, a small figure swooped over like a fledgling swallow.

"Brother!" Wenrou looked up with her little face, the red string on her braid dazzling the eye.

"Your neighbor's sister is here, and she even brought you an invitation!"

Wen He looked in the direction she pointed and saw a little girl in a pale yellow dress standing not far away. It was Wu Erniang, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.

I hadn't seen her for a few months, and she seemed to have grown taller, but her clear, bright eyes still exuded a calmness beyond her years.

"I have met the county magistrate."

Wu Erniang walked over unsteadily, holding a red invitation card with gold lettering in her small hands, and tried her best to raise her arm high.

"Father said that we have been living in Chang'an for a long time but have not yet held a housewarming banquet. He invited the county magistrate to our home in five days."

Her voice was soft and gentle, but she deliberately raised it a little, as if afraid it would be blown away by the wind.

Wen He smiled as she accepted the invitation, her fingertips touching the girl's slightly cool hand: "Please thank your father for me. But I'm afraid I won't be free these next few days, so I'll have Xiao Rou go and offer my congratulations on my behalf."

"Ah."

Wu Erniang blinked and responded calmly, her eyes showing no emotion, neither disappointment nor surprise, as if she had expected this answer.

"Second Aunt is ignoring him, let's go play!"

Wenrou glared at Wenhe with a pout, then grabbed Wu Erniang's hand and ran into the courtyard. "I'll tell you the story of Snow White. Last time we got to the poisoned apple..."

Watching the two little girls disappear at the end of the corridor, Wen He shook her head helplessly.

This little girl, she's usually having a great time playing by herself, but she insists on pretending to be wronged in front of him.

"Sir, is interrogating prisoners fun?"

A voice full of anticipation suddenly rang out.

Wen He turned his head and saw that Li You had come over at some point and was tugging at his sleeve, his eyes sparkling, just like a curious little wolf cub.

"What are you asking, little kid? Go study!"

Wen He slapped him on the head without any hesitation.

Seeing this, Li Tai, who was not far away, clutched his stomach and laughed: "Fifth Brother got beaten up again!"

"Li Tai, you lied to me!" Li You immediately bristled, flung Wen He's sleeve aside, and rushed over.

"It was clearly your own idea to go!"

Li Tai laughed and turned to run away. The two chased each other in the courtyard, startling the sparrows under the eaves into fluttering and flying all over the ground.

Li Ke, holding a book, gazed at the birds fluttering in the sky. Suddenly, he sighed and looked up at the sky, his eyes as melancholy as a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Wen He couldn't help but grimac.

Why is this kid acting all artsy again?

He stepped forward, grabbed Li You by the back of his collar, and lifted him up like a kitten. Then he pointed at Li Tai, who was panting heavily from running, and said, "Go back to the study, all of you. Today I'll teach you how to boil water."

"Boiling water?" Li You and Li Tai were stunned and looked at each other in surprise.

What's there to teach?

Wen He was too lazy to explain, and carried Li You towards the study.

(End of this chapter)