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

Li Bai followed his teacher's instructions to listen more, observe more, and speak less, hoping to quickly understand the court.

But others wouldn't just stand by and watch Li Bai learn and grow; they only wanted to ride in Li Bai's coattails and didn't want him to grow too fast.

Besides these people, there was also a major rival, Li Longji, who was the one least willing to see Li Bai grow up quickly.

Compared to Li Linfu, Li Bai was the one who could truly shake his power.

Perhaps ten years from now, the imperial court will become a contest between him and Li Bai.

However, Li Bai is still young and needs to grow, but the threat he poses is obvious.

Li Longji absolutely did not want Li Bai to grow up smoothly!

He had already ordered people to collect information on Li Bai, and from this research he discovered Li Bai's biggest flaw: naiveté.

Li Bai was inherently romantic. He studied under the Prince of Yan from a young age, followed the great masters of various schools of thought, became famous at a young age, and had a smooth and successful life. He always felt that the world was a wonderful place.

Little did he know that there are hardly any good people in this world. Li Bai had almost never seen the dark side of the world, and during his travels he only saw a little bit of it.

He's too naive; he's easily deceived and easily tricked.

Furthermore, a gentleman can be deceived by his principles; an overly upright person is too easily coerced.

Li Bai now is like a fine steel blade, perfect for drawing blood from those powerful families.

It might seem like keeping Li Bai in the court was a good thing, but in reality, every good thing comes with a price tag attached by fate.

If we give Li Bai free rein because of this, then with his talent and wisdom, he will learn from his mistakes after a few setbacks.

Once Li Bai matures and his weaknesses are overcome, he will be a terrifying force.

He had to completely cut off Li Bai's wings before Li Bai grew up, so that Li Bai could no longer threaten him.

The next day, Li Bai attended the court assembly for the second time. Before he could even get to know everyone in the court, he received another reward from Emperor Xuanzong.

"Li Bai, the Grand Counselor, is a rare talent of our time. I admire him greatly and hereby bestow upon him a gold and purple court robe, the privilege of frequent audiences with the Emperor, and the right to participate in cabinet discussions."

"The Grand Master of Remonstrance is granted the authority to bypass his rank and reject imperial edicts from the Six Ministries, and to participate in discussions on major military and national affairs."

The court was in an uproar over the reward.

Li Bai had only just entered the imperial court through the imperial examinations, with no experience or achievements whatsoever, yet he was directly promoted to the position of Grand Counselor. They could still accept it with a heavy heart.

But now Li Longji's bestowal includes a golden and purple court robe, regular attendance at the emperor's court, and participation in cabinet discussions.

This is an honor bestowed upon someone of the highest rank, equivalent to that of a prime minister.

Not to mention, they could even bypass the six ministries' edicts and participate in important military and national affairs.

Is this still the remonstrating official?

This is clearly the prime minister!

Have you ever seen an official who offered such an honor?!

At this moment, even though Li Bai was a disciple of the Prince of Yan, his rapid progress attracted the envy of many.

Why should I?!

Just because Li Bai was a disciple of the Prince of Yan? But even a disciple of the Prince of Yan can't be completely unreasonable.

How could they accept being appointed prime minister with real power the moment they entered the court?!

This is like letting them waste all those years of their official positions!

By what right? How can such a young brat rise above them?

The more prestigious the family, the more they valued these etiquette and seniority. Li Bai, who was their descendant, had jumped over their heads and dared to boss them around. How could they have the face to seek refuge with Li Bai?

It must be said that Li Longji truly deserves to be called a monarch who created a prosperous era; this move was indeed ruthless.

"Your Majesty, I am still young and incapable of shouldering such a great responsibility. I humbly request that Your Majesty rescind your decree."

Li Bai also felt it was somewhat inappropriate; he felt he was not up to the task and quickly declined.

"Hahahaha, I know about your talent in love, no need to be modest."

"The sooner you join the cabinet, the sooner you can become familiar with government affairs and share my burdens."

"This is pressure, but also motivation. I hope you can grow up quickly and live up to my expectations."

"Furthermore, since the Prince of Yan has agreed to your entry into the court, he must be confident in your abilities. How could you, my dear minister, and all the important officials in the court, not trust the Prince of Yan?"

"Does my esteemed minister perhaps feel that he is incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities in the future, and that the Prince of Yan has misjudged him?!"

Li Longji provoked him.

Li Bai was rendered speechless by Li Longji's words. If he did not agree, he would be doubting his master's judgment and betraying the emperor's trust and expectations.

"I am confident, but it is against the rules of the court to reward someone without merit."

Li Bai said solemnly, "The court has its own laws and regulations. Merit is rewarded and wrongdoing is punished. Rewards and punishments are not only the actions of a wise ruler, but also the actions of a clear-minded person. I dare not overstep my bounds. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your decree."

"What a fine imperial court! It has its own laws and regulations, rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes."

"This short sentence succinctly reveals the fundamental principles of how the court operates: what constitutes a wise ruler? What constitutes a foolish ruler?"

"There's nothing special about it; it's simply a matter of rewarding merit and punishing demerit."

"You are indeed a man of great talent; what you say is absolutely right."

"Your merit in offering advice is sufficient to warrant this reward."

"With your talent, you should join the cabinet and participate in government affairs as soon as possible so that you can bring benefits to the court, the country, and the people. I hope you will consider the well-being of the people and not refuse."

"My word is law, the imperial edict has been issued, and there is no room for refusal."

Li Longji laughed heartily, shutting down Li Bai's excuse, and further used the people of the world as a moral blackmail, making it impossible for Li Bai to refuse.

Many of the ministers standing nearby had red eyes and were breathing heavily through their noses.

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

Li Bai, despite receiving such favor, still refused to serve others.

Even if Li Bai tried to push him away, Li Longji still wanted to give him this favor.

It's absolutely infuriating!

They also want that kind of favor.

The seeds of jealousy had already taken root in their hearts, creating a barrier on their path to joining forces with Li Bai.

"I obey your decree."

Li Bai could only sigh helplessly.

"Yes, that's right."

Li Longji looked around at the ministers' jealous and resentful eyes towards Li Bai with satisfaction, and prepared to add fuel to the fire.

"Of all the officials in the court, only Bai Er is a true hero!"

Upon hearing this, many court officials were so angry that their faces turned red and their necks bulged.

What does this mean? Explain this to me!

What does it mean to say that among all the civil and military officials in the court, only Bai Er is a hero?!

Is Li Bai the only capable person among all the officials in the court?!

This is an utter disgrace! This is absolutely an utter disgrace!

By this time, everyone could see that Emperor Xuanzong's purpose was to flatter him to death.

But this is an open conspiracy, a grand and legitimate scheme. Even if you know it's a trap, you still have to jump in. That's what makes an open conspiracy so unsolvable.

Many officials in the court looked at Li Bai with strange, complex expressions—jealousy, disdain, mockery, pity…

A mix of various emotions is mixed in, like a big pot of stew.

Some officials who were originally prepared to join Li Bai's ranks began to hesitate, but a large number of officials still chose to join Li Bai.

Regardless of Li Longji's intentions, Li Bai's identity, status, and future were already set, destined for him to become a prime minister; the only difference was whether it was sooner or later.

Betting on Li Bai is like betting on a sure-win situation; naturally, a sure-win situation will attract many bettors.