The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

The next day, Chen Huai'an sat in front of the lotus pond in the backyard, holding a fishing rod and fishing with great interest.

The Duke's Mansion bestowed upon him by Li Shimin was quite large, slightly exceeding the original specifications for a Duke. Chen Huai'an had renovated the backyard, building a lotus pond in which fish were raised.

Of course, it's winter now, so there are no lotus flowers. He likes to come fishing when he has free time.

After fishing for a while, Chen Huai'an frowned as he looked at the empty wooden basin beside him. "Sister, do you think the fish all froze to death because it's too cold in winter?"

Chen Sujin looked at the large number of fish swimming happily in the lotus pond, hesitant to speak, yet still wanting to speak.

She hesitated for a moment, then said tactfully, "Xiao An, I think I fed them too much this morning, which is why the fish aren't taking the bait."

That's a lie; she didn't feed him at all this morning.

Chen Huai'an clicked his tongue: "Sis, I'm not trying to be mean, but you know I like fishing, how could you feed all these fish so much?"

"Now look what happened, I haven't been able to catch a single fish. Don't be in such a hurry to feed them anymore."

Chen Sujin: "..."

She paused for a moment, then shook her head and chuckled before nodding in agreement.

I still have my pride.

"Lord Anguo, what a refined taste you have!" A teasing voice came from behind.

Yunyan led a middle-aged man who was about forty years old and had a refined and scholarly air to them.

Upon seeing the visitor, Chen Huai'an quickly stood up: "I was wondering why there were magpies chirping this morning in the middle of winter. Oh, it's Supervisor Yan!"

"Yunyan, serve the tea."

"Yes, sir." After bringing the person over, Yunyan immediately left upon hearing this.

Chen Sujin bowed and slowly withdrew, leaving space for her younger brother and the guests.

Yan Shigu said with a smile, "I remember that Duke Anguo was an upright man. In the court, he dared to confront even the prime minister. In his daily life, he liked to insult people's ancestors for eighteen generations."

"Hearing such a sentence from you today makes this trip worthwhile."

Chen Huai'an said modestly, "I didn't mean to let others come up to me and scold me. Please don't misunderstand, Supervisor Yan."

"If Supervisor Yan likes to hear this kind of talk, then I will say it more often in the future."

Yan Shigu: "..."

He was speechless. Who likes to hear this kind of talk? Can't you tell I'm mocking you?

Chen Huai'an led Yan Shigu to the living room, where Yunyan had already brewed tea and poured a cup for each of them.

"Would you like to try it, Supervisor Yan?" Chen Huai'an gestured.

In the Tang Dynasty, the five noble families and seven prominent clans looked down on Chen Huai'an, considering him a nouveau riche. Chen Huai'an, in turn, looked down on these aristocratic families equally, thinking they were just a bunch of trash from the old era.

The aristocratic families Chen Huai'an referred to were all the prominent families of Shandong, such as the Five Surnames and Seven Famous Families, but there were many more aristocratic families in the world than just the Five Surnames and Seven Famous Families.

The Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families are only the most prestigious aristocratic families; there are many more families below them.

The Yan family is one of them.

That's right, it's the Yan family that later became known for its many loyal and valiant members.

Chen Huai'an didn't dislike aristocratic families, only the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families. He had great respect for the Yan family.

The man before us is Yan Shigu, the current representative of the Yan family and the Secretary-General.

The Yan family's ancestral precepts advocate pragmatism, diligence, thrift, and the importance of farming and reading, while opposing greed for wealth and extravagance.

To put it another way, Chen Huai'an can name at least five officials from the Yan family who are of the fifth rank or higher in the imperial court right now, and there are many more below the fifth rank.

However, the Yan family was extremely poor, and there were even records of them struggling to make ends meet.

Their income came entirely from their salary and the regular land allocated by the system.

It's hard for Chen Huai'an not to respect such a family.

Yan Shigu also noticed that Chen Huai'an's attitude towards him was different from that towards others, but he didn't pay attention to it and said bluntly, "Duke Anguo invited me here today, I'm afraid you didn't just want to invite me for tea, did you?"

Chen Huai'an nodded frankly: "Of course, the reason we invited Supervisor Yan here this time is to ask the Yan family to rid us of this scourge!"

"His Majesty and I possess something that can bring the price of books across the land to an all-time low. Furthermore... I even have a way to make books affordable for everyone, enabling them to participate in the upcoming new system!"

"However, I've run into trouble!"

Yan Shigu was no fool; upon hearing this, he instantly understood and said in a deep voice, "You want to use our Yan family to deal with those powerful clans like the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families?"

"Yes." Chen Huai'an didn't hide it, nor did he want to.

Yan Shigu said with a strange expression, "Although I don't know what you have in your hand, it must be something quite amazing to make you say that you can drive the price of books down to the lowest point."

"It could bring about tremendous changes to the world; its value is immeasurable, and the benefits it could bring are equally immeasurable."

"You...you could have used these things to seduce me and persuade me, why were you so frank from the start?"

"Because of the Yan family's ancestral precepts," Chen Huai'an said sincerely. "I have heard of your Yan family's traditions and admire them greatly. I don't think I can do that. I want my family to have a better life, so I have some business dealings outside. I'm sure Supervisor Yan has heard of them to some extent."

"Although I can't do what you do, I have the utmost respect for your family traditions."

"I can indeed scheme against you, and I don't even need to consult with you. If I want, your Yan family can only become a tool in the hands of me and His Majesty."

"But I think... forcing you like this, not to mention that you might not do your best, it's more likely to make me make enemies."

"On the contrary, if I were to be more honest and explain the pros and cons to you completely, and let you choose for yourself, I think that would be a better approach."

After listening, Yan Shigu stared blankly at Chen Huai'an, who was looking at him with sincerity.

In this kind of world, how could the person in front of him be so honest with him?

Can sincerity be exchanged for sincerity?

is it possible?

Or is this some other kind of scheme?

Yan Shigu didn't know, but he felt that Chen Huai'an hadn't lied.

Because what Chen Huai'an said was true. The Yan family was not a top-tier family like the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families. They were not that difficult to deal with or to scheme against.

Just like when Chen Huai'an brought up papermaking and woodblock printing, he directly named Zheng Yuanzhu in the imperial court. Did he dare to refuse? Could he refuse?

the answer is negative.

He absolutely could not refuse.

Because once Chen Huai'an brings it up, Li Shimin, including a group of civil officials and prime ministers, will instantly understand Chen Huai'an's meaning and will definitely agree with him, forcibly putting the matter on his head.

At that time, no matter how unwilling he is, he will not be able to escape this vortex!

Yan Shigu ran his fingertips along the cool rim of the teacup, remained silent for a long time, and then shook his head: "I'm sorry, Duke Anguo, if I were speaking on my own behalf, I would be very willing to help you."

"But this kind of struggle cannot be won by an individual alone. I can say that I'm going to stake everything on the Yan family!"

"If things go wrong, the Yan family will be doomed. I cannot agree to that."

"..."