Joy of Life: I'm really not a saint

Danbo Bookstore opened, thanks to the hard work of Fan Sizhe. When people learned that it was jointly funded by the two sons of the Fan family and the diviner Li An, they came to congratulate. Some were common people and scholars who wanted to come and participate in their so-called "activities" to get discounts, and most were dignitaries from the royal palaces.

You know, not counting Fan Sizhe as the legitimate son of the Fan family, Fan Xian, for his meritorious service in killing Cheng Jushu and hunting down Si Lili, had long been appointed as the assistant lawyer of the Taichang Temple by His Majesty, and was granted a marriage by His Majesty, and the object of his marriage was the eldest daughter of the Xiangfu, who would later be in charge of the financial power of the inner treasury. Whether it was for the sake of building a relationship with the Fan family or for the sake of his future money bag, he came to show his support with enough face.

Among those who came to congratulate him, some of them came for the divine fortune teller Li An, who was suspected to be a master in Wanshizhai. They knew that Li An loved money, so the gifts he sent were relatively expensive, and the whole scene was crowded with people.

The opening ceremony of Danbo Bookstore was a perfect success.

When Li An and Fan Sizhe went out to entertain guests, there was a brief silence in the crowd, as if the mute button had been suddenly pressed. A moment later, it became even crazier.

"Mr. Li! Are you a master now?"

"Can you answer us? Did you really defeat Si Gu Jian?"

"How can this be false? Even Si Gu Jian himself admitted it! The martial arts of my Qing Kingdom are flourishing!"

"Mr. Li is still so young, yet he is already a man of both literary and martial arts, and knows everything about the world. He is indeed not an ordinary person."

Li An calmly greeted the people around him. Seeing such a big scene, he was also a little surprised. After a moment, he realized that he was now a real celebrity, comparable to the status of a big star in the future.

Come to think of it, the people of Qing love martial arts and admire the strong. And Li An is young and defeated Si Gu Jian of Dongyi City, which naturally makes them proud.

At this moment, a passage suddenly opened up in the crowd, and it turned out that Prince Jing's son Li Hongcheng had arrived.

Since he often went to crowded places, many scholars and common people knew this royal relative, and they all bowed to him, secretly surprised at the great background of this bookstore. In addition to these dignitaries who came to congratulate him, even the prince came.

What they didn’t expect was that the people who came later were of even more noble status.

"The Second Prince sent a gift to wish Danbo Bookstore a prosperous opening!"

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has sent a gift to wish Danbo Bookstore a prosperous opening!"

The crowd was suddenly filled with disbelief. You know, they came here just for the book "A Dream of Red Mansions". They were excited when they heard that the author was Fan Xian, the young master of the Fan family, and that he had written some poetry collections to sell. Now it seems that this bookstore is really not simple.

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, and thank you, Your Highness the Second Prince!" Li An and Fan Sizhe bowed in the direction of the imperial palace, and then called for someone to invite the people who brought the gifts into the bookstore.

Prince Li Hongcheng of Jing entered the bookstore. He came not only to congratulate but also to get acquainted with Li An. He walked towards Li An with a gentle smile. There was no trace of royal arrogance in his actions. He made people feel like being bathed in spring breeze and looked very elegant.

Looking at the jade-like Li Hongcheng, Li An's heart moved. He bowed and said softly, "I didn't expect that the prince would come in person. This adds a lot of color to this bookstore."

"It's nothing." Li Hongcheng shook his head and smiled, "The Fan family is the best at making money. This bookstore will not be simple in the future. Besides, you are here, I have wanted to meet you for a long time."

Li An smiled and said, "Now that you have seen it, are you disappointed, Prince?"

"That's wrong. I really regret not being able to meet you earlier!" Li Hongcheng sat down in the room, took the tea handed to him by the servant, and said, "I missed meeting you a few times by accident, but I finally got the chance today. In fact, it's also because it's so hard to meet you. If I want to go to your Wanshizhai, I have to draw lots, which makes it difficult for me."

Li An shook his head and said nothing. You know, I treated everyone equally and that's why I set up a lottery mechanism. Besides, as the prince of Jing, if he really wanted to see me, he could come anytime. What I said just now was just a polite remark.

"I would also like to congratulate you, sir, for being appointed as a university scholar by His Majesty. You will have a bright future!" Li Hongcheng congratulated with a smile, giving people a sincere feeling.

Li An said calmly: "I don't plan to pursue a career in politics. I just want to live a good life."

Since Li An came to this world, he has always had the thinking of modern people. In fact, he doesn't like people in this world. In his opinion, most people in this world have problems with their thinking and their values ​​are not normal. In addition, he is alone and has no ties, so he is very resistant to integrating into this world.

In addition, along the way, I was helpless and in danger of losing my life at any time. If I didn't participate in these fights, I couldn't make money, and I was afraid that I would offend a powerful person and disappear from this world. If I wanted to make money and participate, I would offend some people, which was very contradictory.

Now that I have the ability to protect myself, I am no longer a person who can be manipulated by others.

Seeing Li Ang's calm expression, Li Hongcheng felt closer to him. In addition to appreciating his character, he also felt the same way: "I heard that you are also a talented person. I wonder if your bookstore has any of your masterpieces for sale?"

I just don't like to hear this. When talking about this, Li An's mouth twitched and he secretly cursed Fan Xian for being too nosy!

I just asked you to update more books. Is it necessary to treat me like this?

How much trouble can be avoided by saying that you wrote "A Dream of Red Mansions"? Are you going to ask Chen Pingping and Emperor Qing to investigate a person named Cao Xueqin? How many people named Cao Xueqin will be in trouble then.

Now look what’s wrong. He even published a book called “Poems of Li Xiangshi” to drag himself into the water. He really can’t clear himself from the blame now.

Li An rolled his eyes and could only helplessly answer, "There is a copy, Prince, you can buy one and take a look at it. Of course, the most important thing is to read Fan Xian's masterpiece. My work is not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

Li Hongcheng laughed and praised: "Just based on the poem you wrote before, who would dare to look down on you? Now this new collection of poems must be a rare masterpiece." Seeing that Li An was about to speak modestly, he opened his fan and fanned him, interrupting: "If the poems you wrote are not worth mentioning, then how many students in Qing Kingdom would not jump into the river out of shame?"

Seeing that the two were chatting animatedly and he couldn't get a word in, Fan Sizhe realized that the prince was clearly looking for Li An. So he apologized and went out to do his work.

As for this bookstore, Fan Sizhe really cared about it. With many works by Fan Xian and Li Ang, plus the money invested by Li Ang, he was determined to make achievements and impress his father.

Li An watched Fan Sizhe go out the door, and the time was almost up, so he turned around and asked Li Hongcheng, "Your Highness has also met people today, is there anything you want to ask? You should know that I am not a scholar or a poet, my main job is just a fortune teller."

Li Hongcheng nodded, no longer hiding anything, and said frankly: "There are no outsiders here today, and no spies from others, so I will tell you frankly. Sir, can you tell Hongcheng?"

"What will become of me?"

Chapter 56 The Prince’s concerns.

"You are a playboy in Kyoto, but you are a relative of the emperor. But as far as I know, you are the boss behind all the big brothels in Kyoto, right?" Li An said with a smile. Without waiting for Li Hongcheng to deny it, he continued, "You have had a good relationship with the Second Prince since you were a child, and you are kind, but you are willing to run around for the Second Prince. I think you have great ambitions."

Li Hongcheng was surprised. He didn't expect that he would be so "transparent" in front of the person in front of him. He nodded, thinking that the title of fortune-teller was well-deserved.

"I guess you have been paying attention to me and Fan Xian since we came to Beijing. You should have a clear view of our whereabouts."

"That's why I left the restaurant first when there was a conflict that day." Li An turned his head and looked out the window, as if he could see Zuixianlou. "You own all the brothels in Kyoto. How huge is the profit you get? But such a huge profit is only for the Second Prince. Is this kind of life really what you want?"

Li An spoke in a gentle tone, as if chatting: "Originally, these are enough for you. Regardless of whether the second prince can eventually ascend to the throne, with these profits, you will have no worries about food and clothing in your life. But you are not satisfied. You want to build achievements and make yourself outstanding. The reason is naturally to make yourself worthy of someone."

Seeing that Li An had said this, Li Hongcheng also admitted with a bitter smile: "Yes, I like Miss Fan Ruoruo. I have pursued her many times, but she rejected me every time. I know that compared with his brother, I am just a dandy boy as the gentleman said." After a pause, he let go of his worries, his face full of bitterness, and then said: "But what can I do? I am just a tool of the second prince."

Li An did not comfort her, but nodded and agreed, "Yes, compared to Fan Xian, you are indeed not even a little bit inferior, and I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up with him in your lifetime."

"Sir, why do you say that too? Can't you just lie to me?" Li Hongcheng was stunned by the shock. Why didn't Mr. Li play by the rules?

Li An would not indulge him, "I have a good impression of you, so I'll tell you the truth. Fan Ruoruo chose her future husband based on her brother's model. Do you think you can live up to that? You are neither good at literature nor martial arts, and your strategy is average. It doesn't matter what I think. The most important thing is that Fan Ruoruo's marriage is decided by her brother Fan Xian, and no one else can make a difference. Obviously, even though Fan Xian is happy with you now, he really despises you."

At this time, Li Hongcheng was left with only bitterness, and asked Li An: "Then what should I do?"

Li An smiled mysteriously and said slowly: "These are the two questions."

Li Hongcheng was stunned. This person is quite skilled in business expansion. He quickly said, "Of course."

There was no choice. At first, Li Hongcheng asked about his final fate, but the second question was about his marriage.

Li An nodded: "In fact, I can answer both of these questions at the same time. If you continue on your current path, you will end up with nothing and nothing."

"Then what should I do?" Li Hongcheng, no longer as cheerful as he was when he came, asked anxiously.

"I'm not saying anything bad about you, but your feminine style is really unbearable. Who is the Fan family? They are close ministers to the emperor and they are loyal to him. And who is Fan Xian? A ninth-rank master and a great poet." Li An looked at Li Hongcheng in front of him, sizing him up and down, with undisguised disdain on his face: "Men, it's better to be masculine and strong."

Li Hongcheng understood that this was Ang Lee's roundabout way of reminding him.

"Then what can I do to avoid ending up in such a miserable lower city?"

Li An pondered for a moment, then sighed, thinking that he had really broken the rules. He said, "For Fan Ruoruo, sincerity will move mountains and break stones. As for your fate, you should keep some distance from the Second Prince. It's best to draw a clear line between you and him. After all, you are a relative of the emperor, so you don't have to worry about his revenge."

"But," Li Hongcheng explained anxiously, "Without the Second Prince, I would be nothing. How can I be worthy of Miss Ruoruo?"

"You should be able to sense that Fan Xian is actually secretly on guard against both the Second Prince and the Crown Prince. To put it bluntly, even if they are enemies, and you try to recruit Fan Xian to be friends with the Second Prince, then let's ask yourself, would Fan Xian be friends with the enemy's companions?" Li An shook his head, analyzing these simple truths.

"If you want to be Fan Xian's brother-in-law, you have to cut ties with the Second Prince. As for not wanting your end to be so miserable, you have to stay away from the Second Prince!"

At this point, Li Hongcheng finally stopped harboring any illusions. He sighed and said, "How can I be worthy of her? With my useless identity? I have no power or influence. Without the Second Prince, I'm afraid that ordinary people won't even look at me."

"Go to the border." Li An still said Li Hongcheng's final destination: "Join the army and garrison the border. Exercise yourself. This is the path you should take."

Unexpectedly, after Li An finished speaking, Li Hongcheng's eyes lit up. Right, right, that's how it should be. Not only can I leave the Second Prince, but I can also be trained and grow, and make achievements that are worthy of Ruoruo! Wonderful, wonderful! For her, I must go!

Li Hongcheng gritted his teeth and said, "Sir! I understand! After that."

"One hundred thousand taels of silver, preferably in silver notes!" Li An interrupted.

Now that I am a master, this is the price and I will not accept any bargaining!

Li Hongcheng was stunned by Li An's jumping thoughts again. It took him a while to realize that this was a reward. He thanked him in a deep voice: "Hongcheng understands. When I return home, I will ask the servants to deliver the things to you. I have learned a lot from listening to your words today. Thank you for your guidance."

After Li Hongcheng finished speaking, he stood up and bowed to Li An, and Li An remained seated without moving.

"Have a righteous mind and cultivate an iron-blooded demeanor. Now that you have done it, you must stick to it. Now I have said everything I need to say. After that, it's up to you."

After all, he broke his vow and said too many things that changed his destiny, so Ang Lee simply said one more thing.

Just as Li Hongcheng was about to say some words of thanks, a person outside the door had already walked into Danbo Bookstore.

I saw the person coming, but his voice arrived before he arrived.

"Is Bachelor Li An still in the bookstore? Is the Bachelor still here?"

It turned out that the person who came was the eunuch Hou from the palace. Li An reminded him loudly, and then the eunuch Hou entered the room. After seeing Li An, he bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty has ordered that Luming Academy is ready. I hope that the university scholar Li An will take up the position of the academy's chief priest soon!"

Li An asked curiously, "Oh? Why was this academy built so quickly?"

"Hey, it's not newly built. It's too late to build one. This was rebuilt from the former prince's mansion. Your Majesty has good intentions and is looking forward to you, the scholar, taking office as soon as possible to educate students all over the world!" Eunuch Hou explained politely.

Hearing this, Li An smiled and thought of many things at once.

Emperor Qing already knows that I have the strength of a master, but he is still in a hurry to make such arrangements. Isn't he afraid that I will refuse in person and hurt the reputation of his royal family?

"Thank you for the news. I hope you will report to His Majesty that I will take up my post at the academy tomorrow. As for the students, I will have to take the trouble to inform them of the news."

Eunuch Hou looked at Li An's reaction and said it was not hard, and then he gave instructions to inform all students about the start of classes tomorrow. After that, he greeted Li An and returned to the palace.

Li An looked at the departing figure of Eunuch Hou and sneered. This move might be a test!

Why am I posting this extra chapter? I just have something to say.

Some people complained about my writing style, the plot, and so on. There were all kinds of problems.

I have been a bookworm for many years. Sometimes when I see some works, I think the author is not good at writing, but when I really start writing, I find that writing a book is really not easy.

I just suddenly had the idea of ​​writing a book last month.

I am a newcomer. My book has been sent out for a long way like a car, and now I can’t stop it.

It may be a bit tiring to say these words, but I will try my best to finish them for the sake of my readers who like me.

For those who think that my writing is not good or even to the point of being eye-catching, please open a book! I will definitely read it and support it every day! Please!

I won’t say any more. I’m going to start typing.

Chapter 57: Luming Academy.

Today's state affairs have ended. In the solemn and silent imperial palace, Emperor Qing listened to Eunuch Hou's report.

The atmosphere in the imperial study was even colder than usual. The incense in the incense burner beside continued to burn, with a wisp of green smoke coming out intermittently, and a lot of incense ash was burned out. It was evening now, and the door of the imperial study was open, reflecting the setting sun, making everything in the room look golden.

Emperor Qing was wearing a white cotton silk casual suit, with a jade-gold ribbon wrapped around his waist, and a few strands of black hair hanging on both sides of his head. He was lying casually on the warming rack, holding in his hands the poems of Fan Xian and Li Ang that the eunuch had bought from Danbo Bookstore today.

"Did he say that?" Emperor Qing asked softly. Only his voice could be heard in the room, and no other noise could be heard: "The poems in this collection are all excellent works! Are these really written by them?"

"To reply to your majesty, that is what Scholar Li said." Eunuch Hou bowed and answered quickly.

Emperor Qing seemed to be fascinated, his expression was focused, "That's good. By the way, tell me in detail about his movements and expressions when he answered."

After listening carefully and recalling for a moment, Eunuch Hou said intermittently: "When Li Xueshi heard the news, he was surprised for a moment, and then he answered the slave. He might be surprised that the academy was built so quickly."

"I'm not surprised by this!" Emperor Qing said coldly: "This ninth rank is not comparable to the Grandmaster, it's just a pity for these poems."

After Emperor Qing finished speaking, he fell silent and continued reading the poetry collection.

"Yes." Eunuch Hou responded, then lowered his head, appearing even more respectful.

The hall suddenly fell into silence, with only the lights on.

······

On the morning of the next day, Li An took his disciples, packed up the teaching materials, and went to Luming Academy to work.

The 100,000 taels of silver from Prince Jing were delivered to Wanshizhai last night, which was another big deal that Li An had made in recent days.

As for the disciples, they would naturally go with him to the academy. It didn't matter who he taught, and adding these eighteen students wouldn't have any impact, and it wouldn't slow down his progress.

As the principal and teacher, I won't take things easy, but I won't work too hard either. The academy naturally has many teachers to teach, so I'm not the only one working.

If Li An really has other things to do or wants to slack off, he can ask Kaijia, Xu Sheng and other disciples to help teach the students in the academy. Don't underestimate these disciples who have just turned 13. After this period of cramming education and feeding with elixirs, judging from their academic progress, they are more than qualified to be a college teacher. Moreover, their martial arts have reached the sixth level. If they work harder, they can catch up with Fan Xian's progress when he was 16 years old with elixirs.

After arriving at the academy, Li An learned that there were no classes on the first day. It was just that the students and teachers were getting to know each other, and Li An, as the academy's chief priest, naturally had to come out and say a few words to establish the academy's rules.

In his previous life, Li An hated leaders giving speeches at meetings, so he casually said a few words about being friendly to classmates and respecting teachers. Then he said that he would also teach classes and would have a class every day.

The students were very happy to hear this. They were all descendants of high-ranking officials. At the very least, they had certain connections, otherwise they would not be able to get into the academy established by Emperor Qing. The students were both male and female. When they came, the elders in their families told them that the chief priest of the academy was very capable and his martial arts might be that of a great master. They were told to keep a low profile after going to the academy. The biggest taboo was to offend the chief priest, which would bring disaster to the family.

Now, hearing Li Ang say that he would teach the class himself, all the students became excited, thinking to themselves, is the Grand Master going to teach them martial arts?

"I think you are dreaming." Li An saw through their thoughts at a glance. As for martial arts, he could barely teach his eighteen disciples, so how could he care about you? He turned to Hong Kaijia and ordered, "Go find some poor disciples to come to the academy to study tomorrow. Those who can read will do."

The eldest disciple Hong Kaijia nodded in agreement, then left the academy to complete what Li Ang had asked him to do.

After informing the students in the academy that he only taught academics, he ignored their disappointed expressions and let them go.