A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

He knew very well that Li Linfu was a treacherous minister, and Gao Lishi was no better.

If Li Longji hadn't been completely incompetent, Gao Lishi would probably have been the Tang Dynasty's version of the Ten Attendants.

Given Li Bai's proud and unyielding nature, he naturally wouldn't give Gao Lishi a friendly look.

Gao Lishi's expression changed. He hadn't expected Li Bai to be so disrespectful to him, but considering Li Bai's status, he swallowed his resentment.

"Thank you for offering me a seat, Your Majesty."

Li Longji nodded slightly, his apprehension towards the Wei family growing even stronger.

Gao Lishi was a close eunuch by his side, a confidant of his, yet even Gao Lishi, right in front of him, had to fawn over Li Bai.

Li Bai was merely a disciple of the Prince of Yan.

If the Prince of Yan had shown even the slightest hint of his intentions, would Gao Lishi have simply betrayed him, the emperor?!

Among all the officials and ministers, inside and outside the palace, who could he trust?!

Should he be glad that it was only Li Bai who went to court this time, and not the Prince of Yan?

Li Longji almost laughed at his own idea; he was the emperor of the Tang Dynasty!

Have we really been reduced to only being fit to engage in political struggles with a junior like Li Bai?

This is an absolute disgrace!

Anger surged within him, but his expression remained impassive.

Li Longji was still all smiles, but Gao Lishi, who knew him best, felt a chill run down his spine.

With a quick thought, I knew what had happened.

He felt somewhat annoyed. He was a close attendant of Li Longji, and all his power came from Li Longji's trust.

Furthermore, Li Bai's lack of respect for him made him feel like he had made a bad deal.

That's an absolute rip-off!

We need to find a way to make up for it quickly.

Gao Lishi came up behind Li Longji, lowered his head slightly, and thought about how he could make amends.

"Are you interested in joining any of the four provinces and six ministries of the imperial court, young scholar?"

Li Longji asked Li Bai gently.

"Your Majesty, I have admired Wei Zheng since childhood. He is a model for all ages and truly my role model."

"Therefore, I wish to serve as an advisor in the Secretariat, and I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

Li Bai spoke as he had agreed with his master.

Li Longji was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this, not because Li Bai admired Wei Zheng, nor because Li Bai wanted to be an advisor.

It was because Li Bai didn't refuse and just said it directly.

It shouldn't have been Li Bai who first made excuses and said he would follow the court's arrangements.

Then, to express his appreciation for talent, Li Bai would humbly offer his own thoughts.

The Qujiang Banquet usually follows this procedure, but today it's different with Li Bai.

Li Longji looked into Li Bai's eyes, which were deep as an abyss yet clear as water.

Li Longji sighed inwardly, for he had not seen such clear eyes in many years.

If Li Bai hadn't had the Prince of Yan standing behind him, and if Li Bai had been willing to be loyal to him, he might have liked this minister very much and been willing to do everything he could to help him become prime minister.

Coming to his senses, Li Longji began to ponder Li Bai's true purpose.

He couldn't believe that Li Bai, with his status and position, would only serve as a minor remonstrating official.

The next level up from the Imperial Censor is the Grand Counselor or the Imperial Censor. Li Bai deliberately mentioned the Imperial Censor, so it seems to refer to the Grand Counselor.

That's their real purpose.

The position of Grand Counselor was a fifth-rank official.

Giving it to Li Bai would be appropriate.

Moreover, the power of this official position is neither great nor small, and the real power that he values ​​most is not very large.

Moreover, Li Bai's appointment to this official position could greatly restore his reputation, which had been damaged by Li Linfu, and restore the trust of the people and the world in the court.

"It is a waste of your talent to be merely a remonstrating official. Now that the position of Grand Remonstrator of the Secretariat is vacant, why don't you fill in for it?"

After pondering for a moment, Li Longji spoke to Li Bai.

"Your Majesty, I am a man of limited talent and learning, new to the court, and have yet to achieve any merit. I dare not accept this heavy responsibility directly. I hope Your Majesty will consider it carefully."

Li Bai quickly refused.

"You are the son of the Prince of Yan, a famous talent in the capital, and the top scholar in the imperial examination. You are praised by the great scholars of all schools of thought. If you are still considered to be lacking in talent and learning, then there are probably only a handful of people in the world who can be called knowledgeable. My court will have no one to use."

Li Longji smiled slightly and continued to offer his advice.

"This matter is settled. An oral decree is an imperial edict. If you do not accept it, then you are defying the imperial decree."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will remember it forever. I will never hesitate to speak my mind in the future, and I will do my utmost to repay Your Majesty's kindness."

Upon hearing this, Li Bai felt reassured and immediately returned the greeting.

Gao Lishi and the other maids and guards looked at Li Bai with envy. As expected of the Prince of Yan, he entered the court with a high-ranking official position of the fifth rank, and even more so, the extremely prestigious position of Grand Counselor, a position that many people could not reach in their entire lives.

Moreover, the position of Grand Counselor held a special status in the Tang Dynasty, almost serving as a stepping stone to becoming a prime minister.

From the Zhenguan era to the present, a full half of the prime ministers have served as remonstrance officials.

Given Li Bai's status, it probably won't be long before the imperial court opens its arms to him as prime minister.

After the business was concluded, Li Longji invited Li Bai to a banquet.

Li Bai turned his head to look out the window. Many scholars were feasting and composing poems below, still worrying about their future official positions. He and Li Longji sat high up in the building, looking down at everyone. At that time, he had already been assigned an important official position of the fifth rank in the court.

At this moment, he gained a deeper understanding of his master's influence and became more confident in clearing the court of corruption.

The cherry blossom banquet at Xingyuan Garden and the inscription ceremony at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda on the following two days were mainly attended by Li Bai and many other Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) of the same year. Li Longji (Emperor Xuanzong of Tang) only appeared on the first day and spent the next two days in the palace handling government affairs.

After Li Linfu's downfall, Li Longji had to handle a large amount of government affairs personally. If it weren't for Li Bai's participation in this year's imperial examinations, he probably wouldn't have attended the Qujiang Banquet, at most he would have just made a brief appearance.

"Your Majesty, this must be the newly appointed top scholar?"

Suddenly, a seductive voice rang out. Li Bai looked in the direction of the voice and saw a Taoist nun dressed in a peculiar Taoist robe walking over.

This... should be a Taoist robe, right?

At this moment, Li Bai suddenly felt somewhat insecure about his knowledge, as the Taoist robe was somewhat challenging his understanding.

In an instant, Li Bai guessed who the person in front of him was: Yang Yuhuan, the former Princess Consort of Prince Shou.

"Indeed, this is Li Bai, the top student of the Prince of Yan and the current imperial scholar."

Li Longji introduced her with a smile, patted his leg, and Yang Yuhuan sat down without any concern. She picked up a grape from the table, peeled it, and fed it to Li Longji.

Li Bai frowned slightly. Although he didn't care much about the emperor's private morality, it was still impolite to do this in front of a subject.

Li Longji seemed to see Li Bai's furrowed brows and revealed his true purpose in seeking out Yang Yuhuan.

He wanted to use Li Bai to support Yang Yuhuan so that she could come into the public eye and become his concubine.

He is no longer satisfied with merely having secret rendezvous with Yang Guifei!