The Li family was really big. More importantly, the roads were all twisted and turned, and there were moon doors one after another. Li Yi was not very good at recognizing the roads. After a simple wash of his face, he was still led by a young servant girl through the house.
A big family was a big family. They even had a specific place to eat. They were not like those from small villages. Wherever there was a place to squat, that was the dining hall.
Just as he walked through the door, a beautiful woman in her early thirties walked over. She pulled his hand and looked him up and down.
"You really are big brother's child. You look exactly like big brother when he was young."
The women of the Li family had the habit of holding people's hands when they met. When they were in the mood, they might even rub their faces a few times.
Li Yi's face was almost deformed by the beautiful woman's pulling, but he still forced a smile and said, "You must be auntie … your nephew greets auntie."
The old madame had three sons and one daughter. Based on the way she addressed him, Li Yi quickly determined the identity of the beautiful woman in front of him.
The old madame's youngest daughter was also his aunt in name.
"Good child, come and sit. You must be tired from the journey …" The women of the Li family were also very friendly. He had been in this world for more than half a year, but this was the first time Li Yi felt like he was being welcomed by everyone. It was like he had returned home after a long journey.
Of course, being touched was one thing. He knew very well that his home was in Qing 'an Fu, not in the capital.
He was pulled by the beautiful woman to sit next to the old madame. Opposite him was Miss.Liu, who had changed into a new set of clothes.
On her wrist was a jade bracelet given to her by the Old Mistress, and the hairpins on her head were replaced with a pair that she had never seen before. She just sat there quietly, and the butterfly wings on the hairpins fluttered slowly. One look and one could tell that it was worth a lot of money. The sword that never left her side was nowhere to be found. After not seeing her for a while, she had changed from a peerless heroine to a lady of a noble family. Needless to say, this must be the credit of the Old Mistress.
Only the Old Grandma's family was eating with them, and they controlled the core power of the Li family. Besides Second Uncle and Third Uncle's family that he had met in the morning, there was also this aunt who kept asking questions. At the end of the table, a child stared at Li Yi with wide eyes. He was very curious that this stranger he had never seen before could sit next to the Old Grandma.
It was said that in a wealthy family, one should not talk while eating. This was the most basic rule, but Li Yi found that this rule did not apply to the Li family. The beautiful woman beside him kept asking him questions, and even the Old Grandma would occasionally add a few words. Of course, most of the questions were about his life these years, but most of them were about the father that he had never met.
Fortunately, the strange dreams he had these days were probably the memories hidden in the depths of this body. It was easy for him to answer. He was only telling the truth, but the Old Grandma and the beautiful woman listened with tears in their eyes.
"Your father has never told you about the Li family?" The Old Grandma rubbed her eyes and asked without batting an eyelid.
Li Yi shook his head. This was the truth. Ever since he was young, no one had said a word to him about the Li family in the capital.
The Old Grandma sighed and said sadly, "That year, in order to separate them, the Old Master almost caused your mother's death. He still hates us …"
Li Yi did not know that there was such a thing. No wonder in his memory, his father was always brooding over his mother's death. It seemed that the reason he did not want to talk about the Li family was mostly because of this.
Not wanting the Old Grandma to be too sad, the beautiful woman quickly changed the topic and asked, "I heard from Butler Li that little Yi 'er is now a County Lieutenant, and it was personally conferred by the Emperor?"
With regards to this form of address, Li Yi could not react for a moment. Miss.Liu, who was sitting opposite him, almost spat out the soup in her mouth. She patted her chest and looked at Li Yi with a mocking gaze.
"It is the Emperor's favor." Li Yi could only nod his head and say.
"Since you have received the Emperor's favor, you should be more diligent. You have passed the imperial examinations at such a young age, which shows that you are very talented. Why did you not participate in the imperial examinations these past few years?" The middle-aged man sitting opposite the beautiful woman put down his chopsticks and looked at Li Yi.
Without waiting for Li Yi to answer, he spoke again, "Any officials of the seventh rank and above will be promoted to the Imperial Scholar rank. Although you have received the Emperor's favor, you should also study hard and strive to become a Imperial Scholar as soon as possible."
The moment he opened his mouth, it was as if he was admonishing Li Yi.
The Emperor's favor was vast, and it was often vast. Perhaps just because of a poem or an article, if it caught the Emperor's eye, one could be promoted to an official position. As the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Li Mingze had seen many of these things. Every year, if not a hundred, there would be at least eighty.
Although he was curious as to what Li Yi had done to earn the Emperor's praise, he was not too surprised. No matter what, he was considered the most promising one among the younger generation of the Li family. Thinking about the situation of the younger generation of the Li family, he looked at the two people sitting below him and said, "Yingjie, Yingcai, the two of you should also learn from your elder brother. Yingcai should listen to the teacher's teachings, don't just think about playing around all day. As for Yingjie, you will be married in a few months, don't go to the red light district anymore."
Li Mingze no longer had any hope for his son. He planned to help him find an official position in the future so that he could live a stable life. Even if the Li family lost their nobility in a few decades, after so many years of business, they would not fall into a situation where they could be bullied.
After Li Mingze finished speaking, a young man at the end of the table nodded his head. He felt as if he had been shot in the chest by an arrow.
However, even if you gave him ten guts, he would not dare to refute his father's words.
As for the young man who was quickly shoveling food into his mouth with a wooden spoon, he only shook his round head. He was most afraid of this Second Uncle of his. Whatever Second Uncle said, he would do. Hurry up and finish eating. It was time to dig out the bird's nest in the tree in the yard.
Fortunately, Li Yi was already immune to this kind of words. He even had to thank Professor Feng. He smiled and said that he would definitely study hard. In his heart, he thought that there were still seven days until the Old Mistress's birthday. He wanted to have some time to experience the local customs of the capital. Then, he packed his luggage and rushed home. He heard that if he took a boat from the capital, he would arrive at Qing 'an Prefecture in less than two days …
"Leaving the White Emperor in the morning among the colorful clouds, a thousand miles of Jiangling returned in a day …" This should be a scene like this, right?
The meal was very harmonious. From the bits and pieces of conversation, Li Yi had a deeper understanding of the current Li family.
In the capital, the political center of the Jing Kingdom, a Viscount was indeed not much. A random brick thrown on the street could kill two people. However, those families that were once prominent all had some history and would not decline so easily. This Second Uncle of his, other than being a Viscount, was also an Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He could be considered a high-ranking official in the court. At his age, it was very likely that he would advance further in his lifetime. As long as he did not commit any political crimes, he could at least ensure the safety of the Li family for decades.
In this kind of Li family, it did not matter much whether he was there or not. It was uncomfortable to be controlled by others in everything. It was better to return to the small Qing 'an Prefecture and live life with Ruyi in that small courtyard.
After sending away the servant girl arranged by the Old Mistress, he sat in the courtyard assigned to him. The moon on the sixteenth of the first month was quite round, but there were only a few stars.
In the capital, that idiot Li Xuan's wedding should have already ended. He did not know if he had returned or not. Her Royal Highness would probably not be able to dress up as a constable and parade around the city …
"Little Yi …"
As Li Yi was thinking about this, a strange voice came from the top of the wall.
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