Of course he was happy. How could he not be happy?
Her Royal Highness was leaving. What reason did Li Yi have to be unhappy?
There wouldn't be anyone staring at him every day, trying to squeeze out his remaining value. Whatever he made, she wouldn't be the first to snatch it away, not even giving him a little reward for his hard work …
Days without Her Royal Highness, he was like a bird that had escaped from its cage, a wild horse that had broken free from its reins. In short, his days were as comfortable as they could be.
Who would want to live a life of being stared at every day?
Li Yi looked at her expectantly and said, "I'm a stranger in a foreign land. Every festive season, I miss my family more. Seeing that the New Year is coming, I should go back and have a look … Oh yes, will you come back after you leave this time?"
MIngzhu silently recited the two lines of the poem he had just said and said, "If there are no accidents, I will come back after the New Year."
"Come back …" Li Yi's expression was hard to conceal the disappointment on his face.
MIngzhu looked up at him, "Do you hope that I will never come back?"
Li Yi quickly shook his head, "No, no. There's still a month before the New Year. There's no rush to go back. It's not too late to stay for a few more days."
"Then stay for a few more days." MIngzhu nodded and said, "Shen Liang made some changes to the formula of 'Heaven's Punishment'. He's going out of the city to test it in the afternoon. You should come along."
MIngzhu turned and left after she finished speaking. Li Yi really wanted to slap his own mouth.
Why did he have to say one more sentence when everything was fine?
…
…
MIngzhu was going to leave after all. As a princess, she couldn't be wandering outside during the New Year. Whether she would come back or not, at least Li Yi would be able to relax for a while.
Luck Square, Li Yi personally cooked a total of eight dishes and a soup. Before the last dish was even served, Li Xuan was already sitting there wolfing down the food. He didn't have the slightest demeanor that a member of the royal family should have.
MIngzhu Li did not move her chopsticks but continued to drink the wine cup by cup.
In the past, he would hold the jar of wine in one hand and drink from it. Perhaps he wanted to leave a good impression before he left, but his actions today were much more elegant.
Li Yi was a little gloomy. She was about to leave. Why didn't she set up a banquet to entertain her old friend at a high-class place like the Jade Courtyard of Drunken Fragrance Building? Why did she ask him to cook at Ruyi Workshop?
However, seeing that he wouldn't be able to see her soon, he didn't want to bicker with her.
For the sake of a better life in the future, what harm was there in working hard?
Before the last plate of sweet and sour pork could be placed on the table, Li Xuan's chopsticks reached over. When there were no outsiders around, this guy didn't seem to have received any royal etiquette. He was a guest at someone else's house. If an ordinary kid dared to do anything, he would have been beaten to death by his parents.
At least he had a little conscience. He knew to leave some food on the table for him. He picked up a piece of pork tenderloin that had just come out of the pot and chewed it slowly. He couldn't help but sigh. His cooking skills were really getting better and better.
Li Xuan raised the wine in his cup and said, "MIngzhu Li will be leaving tomorrow. This cup of wine is to send you off!"
After saying that, he drank the wine in one gulp.
His posture was very heroic, giving off the feeling of a hero in wine. Those who didn't know would think that his alcohol tolerance was very high. In fact, the alcohol in the cup did not exceed ten degrees.
Giving Li Xuan a look of disdain, he picked up his cup and took a sip of the sweet grape wine. He buried his head and continued to eat.
MIngzhu Li was the real hero in wine. The wine jar beside her was the strongest alcohol produced by Ruyi Workshop. She didn't even blush after drinking a few cups.
"Li Yi, what do you want to do in the future?" MIngzhu Li seemed to have drunk enough. She put down the wine cup, looked at him, and suddenly asked.
Li Yi was fighting with Li Xuan for the last piece of sweet and sour pork tenderloin. After having True Qi, his movements and reactions were much faster. Li Xuan was no match for him at all and easily defeated him. Putting the pork tenderloin in the bowl, he said without raising his head, "I never thought about it. It's good like this now. When I have nothing to do, I lie in the yard and bask in the sun, go to the brothel and listen to the opera. In the future — maybe it will still be like this."
They were having a good meal, but they had to talk about their dreams. On this point, Li Yi had nothing to talk about with her.
Their identities were worlds apart. Her Royal Highness liked to get rid of the tyrants and bring peace to the people. Li Yi didn't have such a big ambition. He was happy to have a yard with Ruyi to bask in the sun. Although he was not ambitious, he was happy to live in peace.
He failed to snatch the last piece of sweet and sour pork tenderloin from Li Yi. Li Xuan was a little disappointed, but after listening to him, he was a little envious.
He didn't envy that he could bask in the sun in the yard, nor did he envy that he could go to the brothel and listen to the opera. He envied that he could do whatever he wanted, unlike himself. Basically, he wouldn't be allowed to do anything he wanted.
His father didn't allow him to throw stones on the roof or trees, not even leaves. He didn't allow him to study those messy things. After the teachers left, they didn't hire anyone to teach him. Instead, they sent books to him every day for him to read. If it weren't for MIngzhu, he wouldn't be here now.
Li Yi's words made MIngzhu unable to say what she had prepared. After a moment, she looked at him and asked, "What if my father decrees to let you enter the court as an official?"
"You're not really going to do that, are you?" Li Yi looked at her with a vigilant face. It was eight dishes and one soup. He had worked so hard to give her a farewell dinner. In the end, not only was she not grateful, but she also repaid his kindness with ingratitude. Were all princesses so unreasonable?
Li Yi put down his chopsticks, looked at her, and said, "Please spare me. You know better than me how complicated and dark the imperial court is. If I go there, I'll be swallowed up within a few days, and not even my bones will be left. I won't have to trouble you to collect my corpse."
Being a county officer was the limit of what he could accept. He had never entered the court, but how could Li Yi not know that China had thousands of years of history? It was a place that devoured people. Li Yi didn't think that he could do better than those old foxes who had lived for decades. Those who could climb to that position were all shrewd people. That was his bottom line. If the emperor really wanted to do that, he wouldn't hesitate to run away immediately. He didn't have much sense of belonging to the Jing Kingdom. It didn't matter where he lived. If he really couldn't do it, he could occupy a mountain and become a king. That was also a good choice.
Anyway, his family had experience in doing that kind of thing. He could just go back to his old business. It was said that the northwest was seriously affected by bandits. In the deep mountains, there were bandits and horses everywhere. The government couldn't reach there at all. At worst, he could go there and become a king of bandits. He didn't forget his original intention and pursue his original dream …
MIngzhu didn't know how to refute. She wanted to say that the court was not as dark as he imagined, but it was against her conscience to say it. She thought carefully. With Li Yi's character, he was fine in other places. Once he entered the court, he might really be eaten up like he said.
That place was the battlefield of the rich and noble. There were no weapons, but it was more tragic than a real battlefield. It involved a lot of people. Even her father couldn't do anything about it. It would hurt him if he went to the court. Could it be that she was wrong from the beginning?
Seeing Li Yi and Li Xuan fighting on the plate again, MIngzhu smiled complacently. She picked up the chopsticks and picked up the last vegetable on the plate. She was lost in thought.
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