Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 132 A Talent for Great Sin
Regardless of Li Linfu's purpose in coming, Wang Xi treated him as if he were facing a formidable enemy.

The reason was that Li Linfu was acting under the banner of the Ministry of Rites, and it was his first visit. Therefore, Tao Mo naturally had to meet him.

Although Tao Mo was used to big occasions, Wang Xi still dared not be arrogant in front of Li Linfu, and gave Tao Mo a stern lecture.

No matter how nice Li Linfu's words are, or how gentle his smile is, you must always remain cautious and never be careless.

Subsequently, Wang Xi personally accompanied Tao Mo to see Li Linfu.

Upon arriving at the front yard, Wang Xi's expression suddenly changed, and she excitedly ran inside, "Uncle Li, what brings you here?"

They showed considerable enthusiasm.

Seeing this scene, Tao Mo, who was standing behind him, recalled Wang Xi's words to him earlier and couldn't help but feel melancholy. When will I be able to have Shao Lang's amazing ability to change things at will?

Li Linfu smiled and said, "I'm here today to visit your husband."

Wang Xi said dejectedly, "I thought Uncle Li was coming to see me."

Li Linfu said quite seriously, "I'll also come and see if Que'er has made any progress in her studies."

Wang Xi paused, eyeing Li Linfu warily.

Li Linfu immediately laughed and said, "Don't be afraid, little sparrow. Uncle Li is not a talkative person."

Wang Xi breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Actually, I've been studying very hard."

"Uncle Li firmly believes this, otherwise, how could your studies have progressed so rapidly, Que'er?"

At this point, Li Linfu glanced at the screen and added, "Of course, this is inseparable from the teacher's careful guidance."

Tao Mo, who had just entered, hurriedly said, "You flatter me, you flatter me, sir. You are too kind."

Li Linfu is here today representing the Ministry of Rites, so it would be more appropriate for Tao Mo, who is meeting him for the first time, to address him as "Master Yuanwai" (Master Yuanwai).

Li Linfu strode over, cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "I apologize for my intrusion. If I have disturbed you in any way, I hope you will forgive me."

He was completely unpretentious and acted as a junior.

Tao Mo hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped hand, "It is an honor to have you here, sir. Please have a seat."

"Thank you."

After taking his seat, Li Linfu said, "I am grateful for the Prince's trust in transferring me to the Ministry of Rites to be in charge of education reform. As everyone knows, the education reform that the Prince is in charge of is closely related to your esteemed institution. I should have come to visit you long ago, but I know that you are a man of few words and do not like to be disturbed, so I dared not disturb you."

Wang Xi frowned inwardly upon hearing this; this had presented Lao Tao with a major problem.

If Tao Mo said something polite, this guy would definitely take advantage of the situation and come here every day; but if he didn't say anything polite, it would seem very rude.

Tao Mo stroked his beard and smiled, "You flatter me, sir. I only wanted to educate this group of students well. As for being valued by the prince, it was purely by chance."

Wang Xi secretly breathed a sigh of relief; Old Tao has improved a lot!
Li Linfu nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right, but this educational reform will require your support, sir."

Tao Mo asked, "I wonder what the master hopes I will do?"

Li Linfu said, "The reason why Your Highness valued this opera was mainly to promote the culture of our Great Tang Dynasty, so that people from other countries would yearn for our Great Tang Dynasty and thus be willing to submit to it."

Lin Fu is not very talented, but he has some thoughts on this matter. If there are any shortcomings, he hopes that the teacher will not hesitate to offer his guidance.

Tao Mo said, "Please speak, sir."

Li Linfu said, "First of all, there is the matter of naming. Currently, many people in the court still refer to this opera as 'The Teacher's Vivid Teaching Method.' This name is a bit awkward to pronounce and is not conducive to promotion. Therefore, I would like to formally name this type of opera 'Tang Opera' in the Ministry of Rites."

Tao Mo stroked his beard and pondered.

Because Wang Xi had warned him beforehand not to give him any hints, as Li Linfu was too good at reading people and he was afraid that Li Linfu would see through his disguise.

Li Linfu asked, "If you feel there is anything amiss, please feel free to speak frankly. I will certainly take your concerns into consideration."

Tao Mo smiled modestly: "I am simply flattered!"

Li Linfu immediately said, "Nowadays, opera is deeply loved by the general public and is also the pride of our Great Tang Dynasty. Naming it 'Tang Opera' is what everyone hopes for."

Tao Mo simply said, "Such a trivial matter shouldn't require the master to make the trip himself."

Li Linfu paused slightly. He had thought Wuming would be very happy, but he was surprised to find him so calm. Little did he know that Tao Mo was just unsure whether to agree or not. However, Li Linfu quickly adjusted his mindset and said, "I came here mainly to visit you, sir, and to discuss how to promote this opera. I haven't told anyone about this yet."

After a pause, he continued, "Furthermore, Lin Fu knows that your purpose is to do good, but Your Highness's purpose is to promote the culture of our Great Tang Dynasty. Therefore, simply holding a charity performance in a restaurant is not enough to achieve what Your Highness desires."

With the year-end approaching, foreign dignitaries from various countries had begun arriving in Chang'an. The Court of State Ceremonies and the Secretariat would be hosting banquets for them. Lin Fu thought he should take this opportunity to put on a theatrical performance in the palace, allowing the foreign guests to experience the art of opera.

Tao Mo remained silent.

This was completely unexpected, and he didn't know whether he should agree or not.

Li Linfu glanced at Tao Mo secretly, and then continued, "If those foreign guests like it, I can petition the court to set up a theater in the city, specifically for your esteemed institution to perform."

As expected of Li Linfu, he really has some tricks up his sleeve.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

For so many days, Li Qiao didn't utter a single word, because he himself didn't agree with this theory of civil administration and military achievements. He didn't put any effort into it and just took things one step at a time. But Li Linfu had only been at the Ministry of Rites for a few days when he immediately prepared to put it into practice and came up with a whole set of plans.

It is evident that although Li Linfu was a great villain, he was not like Yang Guozhong, a treacherous minister who only knew how to flatter and had no practical skills.

He is resourceful, but he's the kind of person who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

Tao Mo nodded slightly. "The master's idea is indeed very good, but I still don't like to get involved in these things. I still maintain that my only purpose is to educate these children well."

Upon hearing this, Li Linfu was immediately disappointed.

Then Tao Mo said, "Regarding these matters, I have always instructed Xiao Que and Monk Nian to handle them."

At this point, he glanced at Li Linfu meaningfully, "Sir, I might as well speak frankly with you."

Li Linfu hurriedly said, "Please speak, sir."

Tao Mo smiled and said, "Whether you are a wealthy man, a prince, or the Duke of Qi, you all value this opera so much, perhaps for different reasons, but that is your own business, and I do not wish to get involved."

However, I will not interfere with Little Sparrow and Monk Nian helping you, after all, you are their elders.”

This is a very direct statement. You are after fame and fortune, what does that have to do with me? I don't care about fame and fortune. But it is reasonable for Wang Xi and the others to help you, after all, you are their father, uncle, and aunt.

This was, of course, something we had just discussed, to prevent Li Linfu from constantly coming to Tao Mo, so it had to be made very clear.

"Understood! Understood!" Li Linfu nodded repeatedly, appearing very humble, and said, "Actually, I didn't come to visit earlier because I was afraid it would displease you, sir."

Although Lin Fu did not deny what his teacher had just said—that Lin Fu's actions were for the sake of his official career—Lin Fu was also genuinely interested in this opera.

After saying that, he took out a piece of white silk. “Lin Fu also loves Dream of the Red Chamber very much and has some knowledge of music. Therefore, he couldn’t help but compose a few songs for Dream of the Red Chamber. Please take a look, sir.”

Wang Xi immediately went over, took the white silk, and turned to Tao Mo, uttering two words with his lips—"Red Sleeve".

Tao Mo understood immediately, took the sheet music, and said with a smile, "To be honest, sir, I'm really not very good at music."

"gentlemen.!"

"This is not about being modest."

Tao Mo waved his hand, interrupting Li Linfu, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to such lengths to invite that Miss Hong to be my teacher here."

However, I will certainly not refuse such a kind offer from you, sir; it's just that whether it's good or bad depends on Lady Hong's approval before a decision can be made.”

When it comes to this kind of expertise, you have to be careful and not boast. Whether you're capable or not, a professional can tell with just one question.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

Just then, Hongxiu suddenly arrived in the front hall.

Tao Mo quickly said, "Miss Hong, you've come at the right time! And who is this?"

Li Linfu hurriedly replied, "Sir, you are unaware of this, but I have known Hong Niangzi for a long time."

After saying that, he turned to Hongxiu and said, "Hongniangzi, how have you been?"

Hongxiu quickly bowed to Li Linfu, saying, "Hongxiu greets Li Zhongyun."

Li Zhongyun? They really do know each other. Wang Xi was taken aback, sizing up the two of them. They'd known each other for a long time? Could it be...?

Tao Mo didn't think too much about it. Seeing that they knew each other, he quickly handed the sheet music to Hongxiu and then made a quick getaway.

Wang Xi had no choice but to leave with Tao Mo.

Li Linfu showed great understanding, since Tao Mo did not reject his idea, but simply said to leave it to Wang Xi and the others to handle.

Once outside, Wang Xi complained to Tao Mo, "What's your rush?"

Tao Mo said aggrievedly, "Didn't the young master say that the more you say, the more mistakes you make?"

Wang Xi said, "Didn't you see that they knew each other? Don't you want to know what their relationship is?"

Tao Mo shook his head and said, "I don't want to."

"."

After they left, Li Linfu and Hongxiu did not stay in the front hall, but walked towards the door.

"Why has my benefactor suddenly come here today?"

Hongxiu asked.

Li Linfu said, "Now that I have been transferred to the Ministry of Rites to assist the Prince in promoting this opera, I have some ideas, so I came to discuss them with you, sir."

He then told Hongxiu his thoughts.

Hongxiu nodded slightly and then asked, "Did the gentleman agree?"

Instead of answering, Li Linfu asked, "Do you think the gentleman would agree?"

Hongxiu pondered for a moment and said, "Master rarely gets involved in such matters. He usually leaves them to Wang Xiaoque and the others to handle. In fact, he doesn't object to it and sometimes even gives them some pointers in secret."

"That's what the gentleman just said too."

Li Linfu smiled and nodded, no longer doubting, "It seems that this nameless gentleman is indeed not interested in fame and fortune!"

Hongxiu nodded and said, "That's true."

Li Linfu then asked, "But you said you weren't very knowledgeable about music. Was that just modesty, or is it really true?"

Hongxiu hesitated for a moment, then said, "Hongxiu thought that the master was only saying that he was not good at singing in front of others because he was old, but the master passed on all his skills to Wang Xiaoque."

"I see."

Li Linfu nodded and said, "Speaking of Wang Xiaoque, it is said that he has extremely high talent in this area."

Hongxiu said, "At least above me."

Li Linfu was taken aback, thinking to himself, "It seems Consort Wu was right after all." Suddenly, his expression changed, and he smiled easily, "Are you happy here?"

Hongxiu hurriedly said, "It was thanks to my benefactor that I was able to find a good home."

Li Linfu chuckled and said, "Actually, I can tell that you really like this place. That's good, it means we'll have more opportunities to cooperate in the future."

Hongxiu simply smiled and nodded.

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the door. After exchanging a few more words, Li Linfu got into the carriage and left.

Suddenly, someone behind them said, "I never expected that the teacher would know Uncle Li."

Hongxiu was startled and turned around to look. She saw Wang Xi looking out and said, "Li Zhongyun was kind to me and often helped me compose music in the past."

Wang Xi asked, "What favor?"

Hongxiu merely glanced at him, as if to say, "Don't ask too many questions, little boy."

Wang Xi's eyes lit up, and she said, "I knew it, Uncle Li is a good person."

Hongxiu asked, "Are you very familiar with Li Zhongyun?"

Wang Xi said, "Although we've only met twice, it felt like we'd known each other forever. Uncle Li is different from my dad and the others; he's been so good to me."

A hint of worry flashed in Hongxiu's eyes. After hesitating for a long time, she said, "Wang Xiaoque, you are still young and don't understand many things. People are selfish. Whether it's your Uncle Li or others, if they are nice to you, they may have ulterior motives. You must not trust others too easily."

It seems this woman isn't stupid after all. Wang Xi nodded and said, "I've got it."

(End of this chapter)