First, it was the highly respected Buddhist master. Then, it was the Crown Prince of Ning with a powerful background. Next, it was the noble princess of a country. Finally, even the Emperor's imperial edict arrived. The eldest grandson of the Li family, who had just been appointed as the County Magistrate of Chang 'an by the Emperor, instantly became the center of attention. No one cared about the sixtieth birthday anymore.
Li Yi felt guilty about this, but the old woman didn't care at all. In fact, she was even happier than before. It was as if this matter was more important than her sixtieth birthday.
This was not surprising. After the founding of the country, although the country had been in turmoil for decades, it was generally stable. It was almost impossible to rely on military merits to earn a title of nobility. At most, they would be rewarded with land.
The Emperor had been on the throne for more than ten years and had intentionally reduced the number of titles. There were very few people who were awarded titles. It was the first time in recent years that someone was awarded the title of Viscount in Jing County.
The meaning behind this was self-evident. For the sake of the continuation of the Li family, the old woman couldn't give him more. She couldn't help but feel guilty. Looking at it now, how could what the Li family could give him compare to the Emperor's favor?
What could be better than receiving the Emperor's favor?
After making such a big scene at the old woman's birthday banquet, Li Yi was naturally drowned in all kinds of questions.
Of course, this included what happened between him, the Crown Prince, and the Princess. The imperial edict talked about all the contributions, and what exactly did they mean …
Li Yi had only briefly explained how he had met the Crown Prince and the Princess in Qing 'an Fu and the few things he had unintentionally done. He had not expected them to be so useful to the country. As for chatting with the Emperor in the garden and pulling him back from the gates of hell, for their sake, Li Yi did not mention a word about it.
Li Mingze and the others only knew that Li Yi's position as county lieutenant was personally conferred by His Majesty, but they did not delve into it. The current His Majesty cherished talents, and because of one article, many poor students were granted special permission to enter officialdom. They only thought of this as one of the many.
However, with the arrival of the imperial edict, everyone finally understood how much importance the Emperor placed on him.
He was only a 20-year-old Viscount. No one knew how far he would go in the future. The Li family was still too small for him.
Li Mingze thought for a moment and looked at Li Yi. "I was hesitating before whether I should leave the position of Master to you in the future. Now, it seems that for the sake of the Li family, it is indeed the most suitable for you to be the Master of the family."
Madam Fang's expression changed when she heard this, but she only lowered her head and didn't speak.
Things were different now. Even if her husband gave up the position of the Li Family Head to a county magistrate who was not even twenty years old, no one in the Li Family would object.
Old Madam's expression did not change. She looked at Li Yi as well, obviously supporting her son's decision.
At the same table, the core figures of the Li family weren't surprised by the words of the Master. If a family wanted to survive and maintain its prosperity, it needed the unremitting efforts of the Master of each generation.
Although Li Minghan was the eldest son, he wouldn't be a good Master. It could be seen from the fact that he eloped with an ordinary girl without caring about the family. If it weren't for the painstaking efforts of the current Master, the Li family would have declined a long time ago, far worse than it was now.
The younger generation of the Li family, including the son of the Master, didn't have any outstanding figures. They didn't have the ability to lead the Li family to glory again, and they didn't even have the ability to maintain the status quo.
At this time, handing the future of the Li family to Li Yi, who was favored by the Emperor and had a close relationship with the royal family, was obviously the best choice.
Moreover, he was the eldest grandson of the Li family. Everything was justified. Neither outsiders nor members of the Li family had the right to criticize him.
Liu Ruyi looked at the crowd and then at Li Yi. Seeing that the atmosphere was unusually quiet, he pulled back his chopsticks.
Being stared at by everyone, Li Yi suddenly smiled and said, "Second Uncle, I was born in Qing 'an Fu and grew up in Qing' an Fu. Actually, before coming to the capital, I only wanted to wait for grandmother's birthday and then immediately return. I never thought about becoming the head of the Li family. If it weren't for the Emperor's imperial edict, I would have left in two days at most."
Madam Fang heard this and raised her head slightly. Disbelief flashed through her eyes.
Li Mingze still wanted to say something, but Li Yi said again, "I am the same as my father. We are not suited to be the Master. If the Li family falls into my hands, I'm afraid it will decline even faster. Second Uncle is in the prime of his life. Under your management, the Li family will not decline. As for the future — that should be the matter of Yingjie and Yingcai."
Li Yi wasn't being modest. He liked to live a simple life of daily necessities. With Ruyi, Ruyi, and Xiao Huan, anywhere was home. He was confident that he could live such a life well.
As for being the Master of a large family, he had to rack his brains and sweat for the rise and fall of the family every day. He would probably die of old age in less than two years. What meaning was there in such a life? It was even scarier than the mutual deception in the officialdom.
To be able to manage the Li family to this extent under the pressure of Duke Chen's fu, this second uncle of his was the most suitable person to do this. For the sake of the Li family, and for his own sake, Li Yi felt that he needed to say these words first.
Madam Fang raised her head and stared dazedly at Li Yi. The shock in her eyes deepened.
He had never thought about being the Master of the Li family. He had never thought about taking away everything that should have belonged to him from them?
If that was the case, then all the things she had done, in his eyes, were actually one, no, many jokes?
The title of nobility, the Emperor's favor, the friendship with the Heir, the Princess, and even Great Master Tan Yin. These things were far more important than the Li family. He could easily obtain them. It was a pity that she still deeply thought that he had designs on the Li family.
After completely letting out a sigh of relief in her heart, Madam Fang lowered her head again. Her face was completely red. She wished that there was a hole in the ground to crawl into.
Li Mingze frowned slightly. Li Yi's words were very firm. Not only would he not be the Master now, he would not be in the future. Heroes and talents were all mediocre. After his hundred years, the Li family's decline was already inevitable. Unless, in his lifetime, he could bring the Li family to another level.
However, this matter was almost impossible in his hands. A Viscount in name was far inferior to the County of Shiyi that the Emperor had personally conferred. If his title of nobility could be raised again, the status of the Li family would also rise. However, the premise of all this was that he was willing to become the Master of the Li family.
Looking at Li Yi's smiling face and his unusually firm attitude, Li Mingze didn't say anything more. This matter needed to be considered at length.
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