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

"Trying to use my name?" Chen Huai'an was genuinely surprised; Pei Shouzhou was far bolder than he had imagined.

In fact, Pei Shouzhou was also very flustered. He didn't know what Chen Huai'an's attitude was, but he really wanted to improve Wanqiu County.

Xi Huang's reputation was indeed great, but he eventually passed away. Chen Huai'an was different; his prestige was extremely high throughout the entire Tang Dynasty.

If he were to be officially registered at the school, the school's reputation would instantly rise.

"Your Excellency, I am only doing this for the sake of Wanqiu County. If we build the Fuxi Academy as you suggested, then the school's standards naturally cannot be too low. Your mere presence there would make a difference," Pei Shouzhou said, forcing a smile.

"You are unaware of this, but in Wanqiu County, you are already a legendary figure. If you were to be officially recognized, the people would certainly be convinced."

Chen Huai'an didn't make a decision on his own, but instead asked Chen Boshan and the others, "What do you think?"

Chen Boshan shook his head: "Huai'an, you can decide for yourself. We're both fine with it. Anyway, we're not far from the county town, so it won't be a problem."

Chen Mugen added, "Actually, it seems quite good in the county as well. After all, there aren't many children in the village, so building a school specifically for them would be a waste."

"If tuition fees are waived, that's fine too."

Everyone else agreed, since everything was brought about by Chen Huai'an; without Chen Huai'an, they would have nothing.

Of course, we'll listen to Chen Huai'an.

Chen Youde smiled and said, "Just do as you think. Chenjiazhuang is your hometown, and Wanqiu County is also your hometown."

"Now that you have the ability and are thinking about Wanqiu County, there is no need to hesitate about some things."

"My thoughts are the same as Mu Gen's. There aren't many children in the village, so there's no need to build a special school."

"It would be better to keep them in the county, so that the children can go out more and see the outside world."

Pei Shouzhou looked grateful. He had always known that the villagers of Chenjiazhuang were kind, but he didn't expect them to speak up for him at this time.

Chen Huai'an hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Let's do it this way. Since we're not building a school, let's repair the road from Chenjiazhuang to the county so that it will be convenient for everyone to travel in the future."

"As for the school... I can use my name, but if anything untoward happens, I won't hesitate to tear it down!"

Pei Shouzhou broke out in a cold sweat: "Please rest assured, Your Excellency, if anything untoward happens, I will be the first to object!"

"Mm," Chen Huai'an replied.

"Your Excellency, why don't you suggest a name for the school?"

"Name?" Chen Huai'an thought for a moment, "Let's call it Wanqiu Academy, no need for anything fancy."

"..."

"Zhang Anan".

That day, after Li Shimin finished processing the memorials, he stood and rested with his eyes closed for a while before calling out.

"Your Majesty, I'm here." Zhang Anan quickly came over.

"Huai'an...how long has he been gone?"

"Your Majesty, Minister Chen has been gone for over a month," Zhang Anan replied after calculating the days.

"It's been over a month?" Li Shimin sighed. "Time... it's passing so slowly."

"Without Huai'an in Chang'an, it always feels like something is missing."

"When do you think he'll be back?"

Zhang Anan hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, it will take Mr. Chen a month and a half to come and go. He has finally made it back to his hometown, and he must have a lot to do. I estimate it will take him another two months to return."

"It will be November in two more months." Li Shimin's gaze was complicated. "The second year of Zhenguan will be almost over."

"Given that kid's personality, he'll probably be thinking about developing his hometown this time he's back."

"It is said that Minister Chen is an honest and upright official who distinguishes between public and private matters."

"Actually, this kid has his own ulterior motives too!"

Zhang Anan didn't know how to respond to that, so he remained silent.

What Chen Huai'an did could not be hidden from Li Shimin, nor did he intend to hide it at all.

Anyway, it's not like it's anything outrageous.

It's nothing more than having some selfish motives, wanting to take care of my hometown a little.

Humans are made of flesh and blood; who doesn't have selfish desires?

However, Li Shimin would not care about such things at all.

"I have a feeling that this kid might cause some trouble when he goes back," Li Shimin suddenly said.

Zhang Anan hesitated before saying, "Probably not? Mr. Chen doesn't seem like the type to cause trouble..."

Li Shimin shook his head: "I didn't say he caused trouble or anything. The main thing is, haven't you noticed yet? Wherever Chen Huai'an is, things are never peaceful."

"He always manages to cause trouble, no matter when."

"I only come home once every few years, who knows what I might do there."

This was a difficult question to answer, and Zhang Anan remained silent.

"Forget it, let's go see Guanyinbi." Li Shimin sighed, stood up, and walked out of the hall with his hands behind his back.

Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, Empress Zhangsun was taking care of Li Zhi.

She cared a lot about her own son when he was a baby, and wanted to take care of him herself without letting others interfere.

Upon seeing Li Shimin's arrival, Empress Zhangsun smiled and took his hand as they went out.

"Asleep?" Li Shimin peeked out, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

He had many sons, but his attitude towards the eldest son born to Empress Zhangsun was completely different from that towards his other sons.

Of course, Li Chengqian is currently his favorite.

Li Shimin truly placed high hopes on this eldest son, at least for now.

"Is Erlang troubled by something?"

Having been married to Li Shimin for many years, Empress Zhangsun immediately noticed that he had something on his mind.

Li Shimin clicked his tongue: "Actually, it's not really a worry, it's just that things have suddenly become too peaceful lately, and with Huai'an gone, I'm actually a little unaccustomed to it."

"Wei Zheng hasn't been criticizing you much lately, has he?" Empress Zhangsun smiled.

Li Shimin snorted coldly: "That's because he knows Huai'an isn't in Chang'an, and no one is there to back him up, so he naturally calmed down a lot."

"Otherwise, I'll exile him to Lingnan, and he'll have nowhere to cry."

As he spoke, Li Shimin himself chuckled.

Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but chuckle: "Second Prince, since Mr. Chen left, Chang'an has become much more peaceful. You said you're not used to it."

"But if Mr. Chen returns, Chang'an will be in turmoil, and Wei Zheng will have someone to back him up. Won't he then start criticizing you again?"

"Moreover, I remember that Mr. Chen loved to make you suffer the most."

"Why do I sense that you miss the days when Mr. Chen was around?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin neither became angry nor retorted. Instead, he smacked his lips, puzzled, and said, "It's strange, really. When Huai'an was around, I wished he would get lost."

"Now that he's gone, I'm really not used to it."

"Damn it, have I become addicted to suffering?"

"..."

P.S.: Happy National Day to everyone, and happy birthday to our motherland!

Long live the People's Republic of China!!