Chapter 20

Wang Qi, standing to the side, couldn't help but advise in a low voice:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, he is the Consort of the Prince after all; is it good to do this?"

"What did I do?"

"Didn't you just hit him?"

"Didn't he thank me for hitting him? He even said he would be a cow or a horse for me; didn't you hear just now?"

Wang Qi was somewhat speechless; he already didn't know how to speak and could only close his mouth and say nothing more.

Not only were the people in the Eastern Palace speechless, but even Fang Xuanling looked at Fang Jun speechlessly, and finally could only sigh:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince was not wrong; I can indeed see through people's hearts; this is also the result of cultivation."

"The difference is whether one cultivates Taoism, Buddhism, or Confucianism. Since you also want this skill, then choose a path to cultivate yourself."

"It's really possible!"

Fang Jun jumped up excitedly: "Can I really fly on the wind? That would be too amazing!"

"That depends on aptitude; I have cultivated for so many years, have you ever seen me fly?"

"That's different; I have been smart since I was a child, I must be better than you!"

Fang Xuanling had the urge to expose the lie, but thinking of Fang Jun's temper, he felt it was better to hide this kind of thing for a lifetime:

"Whether you have aptitude is not for me to say, nor for you to say; only Buddha can say."

"If a Spirit Child really descends, you might be able to cultivate it, but that is only a possibility."

"Then what are we waiting for? I'm going to find Mother and the Princess now."

"Go! Pray devoutly, don't just go through the motions."

"Of course!"

Before the words fell, Fang Jun ran away in a flash!

Fang Xuanling sat back at the desk, a look of contemplation appearing on his face:

'The Prince of Wei was beaten and took the initiative to speak up to protect the Crown Prince; now Erlang has been beaten, what purpose does the Crown Prince have?'

'Gaining within oneself, gaining from others! The Crown Prince really takes governing with virtue as his standard for being a person.'

'Erlang is too cheap; he was beaten and still wants to thank others.'

'No, shouldn't I also thank the Crown Prince? What is all this?'

Fang Xuanling shook his head, threw the messy thoughts out of his mind, and refocused his gaze on the book.

Li Chengqian's actions were entirely driven by profit; everything he did first considered the pros and cons.

He didn't lie to Fang Jun either; focusing attention on a certain place is indeed a cultivation method. Whether one can see through others' thoughts after long-term accumulation is unknown, but it can make people more peaceful.

He wants to gain the right to speak, he must drive Chu Suiliang out of Chang'an, and he also needs him to travel everywhere. Only in this way can Li Zhi utilize Chu Suiliang, and only then will Li Zhi remember what he said on the night he was beaten.

Li Tai has already taken action against Chu Suiliang, and he should also prepare for the next step of the plan.

In order for the plan to be executed smoothly, Li Chengqian called Du He again; this person had no other skills, but his mouth was very tight.

Inside the Qingfeng Pavilion, Li Chengqian held a fishing rod, staring at the lake without blinking.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Chengqian threw down the fishing rod in anger:

"Which bastard ate all the fish in the lake? Someone, go buy some more fish and fill the lake."

"Crown Prince, the fish were bought just yesterday!"

"Hmm?"

Li Chengqian looked at Wang Qi with unkind eyes: "What do you mean? You'd better think clearly before answering!"

"I remembered wrong; the batch from yesterday was all sent to the kitchen. I will have someone send a batch of fish in tomorrow."

"A child who can be taught! I think highly of you; do it well, marrying a Cui woman is not a dream!"

Wang Qi lowered his head and curled his lip: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, stop teasing me; I am a eunuch."

"I'm just saying it casually; you just listen casually. How many children of aristocratic families don't marry at thirty? Isn't it just to find a Cui woman."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, you say that as aristocratic families, why is a Cui woman so hard to marry, and all the men in the world want to marry a Cui woman?"

"The family style of the Cui family!"

Li Chengqian sat down in a random place:

"Because although the rise and fall of a family depend on the legacy of ancestors, the continuation of family prosperity actually depends on the actions of descendants; this is the consensus of all aristocratic families."

"The education of children in the family is extremely strict, even for daughters. They will not allow unbenevolent, unrighteous, or unfilial people to appear in their family."

"All things that disgrace the family style are not allowed to be done. One can be mediocre, but not rude; one can pursue profit, but not be rude; one can be ignorant of poetry and books, but not be rude."

"Among them, the Cui family style is the strictest. In addition, the Cui family has been officials for generations and still has connections in the court."

"Marrying a Cui woman can not only get a virtuous helper but also get help in the officialdom. Coupled with the fact that Cui women are not easy to seek, this has caused men in the world to take pride in marrying a Cui woman."

"It's a pity that aristocratic families only look for aristocratic families; those scholars from humble backgrounds are destined to have no hope."

"There are many great talents among the humble, like Doctor Chu Suiliang; why do the Five Surnames and Seven Clans look down on them?"

"They don't even look down on the Li family, let alone others."

Li Chengqian drank some tea and explained faintly:

"Taking the Shandong aristocratic families as an example, what are Shandong aristocratic families? The aristocratic families living north of the Yellow River, among which the Fanyang Lu Clan, Qinghe Cui Clan, etc., are called the Five Surnames and Seven Clans."

"For the sake of family inheritance, they pay attention to family style and teach the children in the clan with rituals."

"In their view, anyone who does not use rituals to teach the children in the family is not qualified to be a marriage partner."

"This ritual does not mean etiquette, but the spiritual core of ritual, which is benevolence and righteousness. Therefore, they value righteousness over profit and pay attention to filial piety."

"And scholars from humble backgrounds usually can't pass the money hurdle first. Although there are some scholars from humble backgrounds who value righteousness over profit, that is only a small part. Rather than gambling on human hearts, aristocratic families would rather find young talents who are also from aristocratic families."

Wang Qi suddenly realized: "So, aristocratic families don't look down on scholars from humble backgrounds and commoners."

"Look down on?"

Li Chengqian sneered: "They don't even look at them at all. To put it bluntly, even if you stand in front of them, they might not necessarily notice you."

"Those commoners don't even need to be mentioned; you don't even have the qualification to pass by their houses."

"The stories in books about scholars and Cui women having a night of pleasure, or aristocratic children bullying commoners, simply won't happen."

"Because they don't treat commoners as people at all. Would you specifically bully an ant? Would you have a night of pleasure with an ant?"

Wang Qi covered his chest: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, your words are a bit heartbreaking; commoners like me are all ants in their eyes."

"If you are overflowing with talent, they might still look at you highly, but you will also feel ashamed of yourself!"

"Do you know Zhang Xuansu?"

"Lord Zhang, the Crown Prince's Left Shuren?"

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian nodded slowly: "With such great talent, he still feels inferior because of his background from time to time. Do you think you can compare to Lord Zhang?"

"Aristocratic families don't just pay attention to education; in their view, character is first, and talent is secondary."

"Why does Li Shimin pay so much attention to the education of princes and princesses? Isn't it just to let the Li family spread for thousands of years like the Shandong aristocratic families."

"Matching in social status refers to more than just class; it is also family style, family law, and family education!"

"Li Chengqian wants to open a channel for the lower classes to rise, but he doesn't want to let the atmosphere of benevolence and filial piety brought by the aristocratic families dissipate, which makes him unable to think of a perfect plan to this day."

Just at this moment, Du He walked into the Qingfeng Pavilion with a relaxed face:

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Sit!"

Li Chengqian pointed to a seat casually: "How is the arrangement? How many people from the Du family are willing to go to the impoverished areas?"

"There are ten in Jingzhao Prefecture! Other branches are still being contacted, but there won't be too many."

"Not bad!"

Li Chengqian nodded with satisfaction: "I will have the Crown Princess select a few more from the Wugong Su family. With the Jingzhao Du family and the Wugong Su family taking the lead, the rest of the people will be settled."

"Where will the people come from?"