Looking at Li Wenshan's serious face, with his brows furrowed in concentration, Mr. Qin reached out and patted him on the shoulder, "You're by the king's side, although you have to be loyal to your superior, but it's best if you also have a number in mind."

  Mr. Qin's words didn't have much depth, and Li Wenshan basically understood them all, wanting to nod his head, but then he remembered the expression on Ah Xia's face that day, and the things she said, so he didn't nod, instead furrowing his brow even tighter, hesitantly saying: "Sir, His Majesty is only in his thirties, thirty-three...this..."

  Mr. Qin burst out laughing, stood up, spun around twice on the spot, and patted Li Wenshan's shoulder several times with force. "You're incredibly clever, it's truly rare. This is indeed true, so, Li family, as long as you have a clear mind, that's all that matters. You're right, the Emperor is only in his thirties now, and the future is long. The variables in this matter of heavenly fate are extremely great, and no one can predict them until the very end. But when it finally comes to the last...

  Mr. Qin stopped and looked at Li Wenshan, after a while, he slowly said: "In the end, everything is settled, what else can be done? Wealth and honor are sought in danger. Let's not talk about this, you're still young, it's not time to say such things, have you thought about when to return to Beijing to take the imperial examination?" Mr. Qin suddenly changed the subject.

  "Not yet, I was thinking that since I've returned to the capital this time, it's best to take all the exams from Xiucai to Chunji. I feel that my current writing and learning are still far from enough." Li Wenshan thought about Li Xia's worries, if he left, what would happen to his family? What would happen to Ah Xia? He couldn't leave for the time being, so he might as well wait for another year or two, or even three to five years before considering it again.

  "This matter is not urgent." Mr. Qin thought, however, of another aspect, "A few days ago, Zhu Canyi mentioned that the Mingtao Mountain Villa would start construction after the spring began, and they would add several walls to the back garden, as well as build a martial arts arena. The walls wouldn't be needed until winter, so starting construction in the spring means it won't be usable until next winter. Looking at this situation, at least before next winter, the Empress Dowager and the Prince still don't plan to return to Beijing. Compared to serving by the Prince's side, your imperial examination is not something to rush."

  Mr. Qin and Li Wenshan spoke, it was speaking, but also teaching, every matter, explained extremely detailed.

  Li Wenshan sighed, "I also heard Wang Ye mention it once. Gu Liu said that the best view of Duanqiao Residual Snow is in Hangzhou, but there's too little snow this year, so I'm afraid we won't be able to see it. Wang Ye said, if we can't see it this year, then there's next year, and if not next year, then the year after that. It can't be that three or four years go by without a single snowfall."

  Mr. Qin's eyes sparkled, stroking his beard again burst into loud laughter, "Hearing this, these three or four years... Good good good! I've always been worried about this, at your age, friendships that last half a year or a year are really... fleeting clouds, good good good, having three or four years is just right. At the time, you'll follow Wang Ye to enter the capital, and with this imperial examination, as long as there aren't any big mistakes, it will definitely be stable and secure. If..."

  If these years can still have a reputation for being talented, it would be even better... Forget it, the empress dowager and the prince are in this Hangzhou city, all things are extremely low-key, the fifth master is also best to be low-key, so as not to provoke annoyance...

  In the blink of an eye, Mr. Qin had turned over seven or eight rounds of thoughts in his mind, looking at Li Wenshan with clear and piercing eyes, seeing right through to the bottom, watching him scratch his head, with a look of embarrassment, muttering: "I didn't think that much, it's just that being with Prince Wang and the others makes me very happy..."

  ………………

  Hengshan County government office, Li Xia sat on the steps of the second gate, with both hands supporting her cheeks, and her heart was heavy.

  Little Jiu was jumping and kicking a shuttlecock in front of her.

  It's been more than half a month since I returned from the Pinglan Institute, and there was one day of rest in between. Fifth Brother hasn't come back yet, and I don't know if Third Brother has seen him or not. Alas, since Fifth Brother hasn't come back, that means nothing is wrong... Whether something is wrong or not, these are all small matters. The big matter is Grand Uncle and the Beijing Manor, throwing themselves into Minister Ming's arms. But what can be done about it?

  She was appointed during her father's reign, which was definitely smooth sailing. Her father reigned for three years, and her elder brother reigned for five years. Four years later was the 17th year of the Zhengping era...

  What to do? Eldest Uncle is not someone she and Fifth Brother can handle, as for the Qin King's side... at least for now, she still cannot see any possibility of borrowing power... Moreover, in this major matter, Fifth Brother is too useless...

  Li Xiayue thought and thought, sighing deeply, then sighed again.

  In the tea house, Guo Sheng tightly grasped his warm and shiny purple sand teapot, leaning against one side of the window, while vigilantly listening to the movements outside the tea house, intently gazing at Li Xia's worried face.

  Li Wenshan dodged Li Wenlin and Ming Shaoping, now his heart is at ease. On a leisure day, he strolled along West Lake with Qin Qing, admiring the scenery and sipping tea, rather than rushing back and forth like a swallow entering the forest.

  That is to say, Li Wenlin followed Ming Shaoping, and Li Chuo's ambiguous attitude, Li Wenshan definitely didn't see it at all, even if he saw it, he didn't take it seriously.

  But from that day on, this five-year-old Jiu Niangzi Li Xia has been frowning, and her eyebrows have never relaxed...

  The crown prince has the advantage of being the eldest son, and his reputation is still good. He doesn't need to be as fierce and bold as he is now... But that Minister Ming is too fierce and bold, I heard that the Empress Dowager in the palace also has a straightforward and fierce personality... The Emperor this year is only thirty-three years old, in the prime of his life...

  Li Xia suddenly raised her head, her sharp eyes fixed on the tea room. Guo Sheng's heart tightened and he hastily pressed himself against the wall, not daring to breathe a word. After a while, he tiptoed out of the tea room in a few quick steps.

  ………………

  In the late afternoon, all the yamen attendants had gone home. Magistrate Li was invited by the students of the county school to comment on their essays, and the entire yamen of Hengshan County was unusually quiet.

  Li Xia sat on the threshold of the bell tower, holding a pomegranate and eating it slowly with an absent-minded expression, staring at the sunset in a daze.

  Guo Sheng hung his head, standing beside the last house in the front yard, for a while, looked at Li Xia again, and subconsciously turned around to take a look at the quiet front yard, lowered his head to tidy up his long shirt, raised his hand to adjust his hat, took a light breath, took a step forward, and walked quickly towards Li Xia, stopping two or three steps away from him, kneeling down on one knee.

  Li Xia looked straight at him, just about to get up and go in. Guo Sheng bowed his head and saluted, saying in a low voice: "I am Guo Sheng, 35 years old this year, from Shaoxing County, a Xiucai of Yongjia 19th year, with no family or home."

  At the age of four, he offended his elder brother and was tricked into being sold to a human trafficker. He was then taken to Wenzhou Prefecture in Zhejiang Province, where he met Shen Ping from Taiping Village. At that time, Shen was accompanying his new wife, Tao, back to her hometown. Seeing how the child was being mistreated by the trafficker, Shen took pity on him and bought him out, raising him as if he were his own son.

  Li Xia shifted her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and continued eating pomegranate seeds.

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