"Husband, I don't think there are any holidays these days, right?"
Looking at the gifts that almost filled the entire room, Ruyi asked in surprise after thinking for a bit.
This was not the most surprising part. Usually, her family did not have much contact with the officials and nobles in the capital. Even if there were holidays, it was impossible for her to receive so many gifts.
The people who gave the gifts were all officials in the capital. Some of them were servants from their families, while others came personally. Their attitudes were very polite. Even when the housekeeper invited them into the manor for a cup of tea, they were rejected. They put down the gifts and left. It was extremely strange.
Li Yi casually waved his hand and said, "My wife, you don't have to worry about these things. In any case, if someone gives you gifts these days, just accept them. Don't worry."
This time, he accepted the gifts with peace of mind. He did not feel any psychological pressure at all.
The officials in the capital were still polite and gave expensive gifts. Based on the situation, they should have kept some of the money they had donated in court that day.
If they knew that the old Emperor had only planned to deal with a few greedy people and had decided to burn the accounts for the stability of the court and let the others go, would he take back these gifts?
However, these gifts should still be accepted.
After all, he had spent a lot of effort to persuade the old Emperor to change his mind. Furthermore, he did not gain much from it, so why bother …
…
…
After dealing with a few corrupt officials, the storm in court finally calmed down.
After that, Li Yi did not go to court again. However, he heard that there had been a lot of personnel changes in court these days. Officials were promoted and demoted. Departments like the Ministry of Revenue had been purged from head to toe.
Everyone chose to remain silent about the old Emperor's big moves. The storm from the last corruption case had just passed and had not completely subsided. At this time, no one dared to speak too much and remind the Emperor of some bad things and bring up old matters. Most of the officials in court would not let them go.
As expected, the person who made money the easiest in the world was the Emperor. With just a few words, he had immediately earned nearly a million liang of silver. He had also established his prestige in court, intimidated a large number of people, recruited a large number of people, and taken the opportunity to purge a large number of people. He had killed several birds with one stone. This was a very good deal.
Earning money was easy, but getting money from him was harder than ascending to the heavens.
However, thirty thousand taels of silver was more than enough to repair a lake. In this day and age, labor was not worth much, not to mention that the silver had to be kept for more important things. In the future, it could be used as research funds and the like. How could it be spent on such a small matter as repairing a lake?
…
…
The timetable of the academy had changed these days.
From morning to night, the sequence was digging the lake, going to class, digging the lake, and resting.
Digging a lake wasn't just about digging a lake. How deep to dig it, how to dig it, how to design the waterways, all of these had to be carefully calculated. If any of these were not done well, the course would fail.
Yes, digging a lake was also a subject.
This course was a compulsory course for all students. Regardless of whether they were from an aristocratic family or a poor family, they had to obtain two innovation credits. Otherwise, even if they obtained full credits, they still wouldn't be able to graduate.
It was said that the purpose of this course was to strengthen the physique of the students of the Mathematics Department, to train their ability to solve practical problems, to work together, to dig a lake, and so on.
In any case, this was the Dean's good intentions. The poor students wouldn't doubt it, and it was useless for the children of aristocratic families to doubt it. If they didn't want to dig, they could just leave. The Mathematics Department had no shortage of people.
No one dared to disobey or look down on this young Dean, because no one knew when he would recommend you for an internship.
Everyone knew how dangerous it was to go out for an internship.
Li Jianren lost a leg, and it was said that he almost lost his life. Chen Lisen was poisoned, and his life was hanging by a thread. He was only saved by two liters of feces. To him, living was probably worse than death.
The others didn't end up well either. Some were sick, some were injured, and what was even more unacceptable was that they had put in so much effort, but in the end, they were still expelled from the Mathematics Department by Her Majesty. They would never be hired by the imperial court again. They could only be hedonistic sons for the rest of their lives, and their bright and limitless futures were ruined …
Therefore, these hedonistic sons who had never suffered much in their lives could only put down their pride and dignity, dig the lake with the poor students, eat from the same pot, and sleep in the same room …
As the Dean of the Mathematics Department, Li Yi, of course, wasn't in the Mathematics Department.
Li Han would help him supervise the digging of the lake and the classes. He was very active in these things, because if he worked hard, he would have enough holidays and enough guards. He could play wherever he wanted.
For Li Han, who grew up in the palace, the outside world was infinitely attractive.
These days, Li Yi was busy. Ruyi wasn't in a good mood, so he could only find ways to make her happy. He even went to the palace to learn a few new dishes and gave her the first string of colorful glass beads he produced. Xiao Huan and Miss.Liu were jealous, but he didn't give it to her for a few days.
Fang walked in from the outside mysteriously. He put something covered with a red cloth on the table and asked in a low voice, "Young master, how much is this thing worth?"
He lifted the red cloth, and a crystal clear Guanyin statue about a foot tall appeared in front of Li Yi.
The Guanyin statue was made vividly. Its facial features were clear, and its expression was very vivid. Under the sunlight, it gave people a strong visual impact.
Li Yi didn't understand the market, but the more transparent something was, the more precious it was in this world. This Guanyin statue, for the Buddhist believers, was definitely something worth fighting over. He originally planned to give it to the Madame and didn't consider the price. But after careful consideration, the cost of this thing wasn't low. The equipment, materials, mental damage, and the old craftsman's labor cost would cost at least one tael of silver. Selling it for five thousand taels of silver wouldn't be too much, right?
Through what happened in the court a few days ago, he had a general understanding of the wealth of the officials in the capital. Five thousand taels of silver, there were many people in the capital who could afford it.
"Young master, there are a few monks outside who want to see you. Do you want to let them …" Xiao Huan walked to the door and had just opened her mouth to speak when her gaze was attracted by the transparent Guanyin statue and couldn't move away.
"Monks?" A trace of doubt appeared on Li Yi's face. He said, "Let them in first."
Last time, Ruyi said that the old monk Tan Yin had invited him to the Cold Mountain Temple to discuss Zen, but Li Yi never went. This time, the old monk probably came looking for him.
Sure enough, when a shiny head appeared in front of him, the old monk Tan Yin's face also appeared.
"Amitabha, Young Benefactor Li, long time no see." The old monk Tan Yin's smile was still so kind as he said a Buddhist greeting.
"Master, long time no see."
Li Yi thought to himself that whatever he needed would come. He could also ask the old monk how much this Guanyin statue was worth. That way, he would have a reference price in his mind.
"Master, come quickly. Help me see how much this Guanyin statue is worth."
The smile on Li Yi's face was very warm. He casually ordered the little servant girl, "Xiao Huan, Master Tan Yin is an honored guest. Quickly go tell the kitchen to prepare a table of good wine and good dishes, eight meat and eight vegetables. Remember to cut two taels of pig's ears, with minced garlic …"
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