Chapter 39

"The Lady also asked me to urge the Young Master to be sure to participate; this is a rare opportunity."

Xuejian said in a respectful and gentle tone: "If you don't go, Young Master, the Lady said she will ground you for three months, take away all your painting paper, poetry books, and ancient zithers, and will not allow you to enter the kitchen again."

While saying this, a strange feeling also arose in her heart. To have such a broad range of interests and hobbies, this young master was truly a talent.

And such a precious opportunity, people outside were fighting for it, but here, she had to painstakingly persuade this young master, which was also inconceivable...

"Isn't this punishment too heavy?"

Li Hao was a bit speechless and said: "Is this a request or a threat?"

Xuejian looked up, her beautiful face full of innocence, blinking her eyes.

"Fine, fine, I know." Li Hao sighed.

Xuejian smiled, this young master was definitely a wonderful person. She bowed gracefully, said goodbye to the Fifth Grandfather, and respectfully took her leave of Li Hao.

"You should listen to that girl Jianlan and go for a trip."

After Xuejian left, Li Qingzheng said lightly.

"Is it for that absolute art of the Black and Bai Dian?" Li Hao asked.

One of the three holy lands of Qingzhou City, the Black and Bai Dian could be mentioned in the same breath as the Tingyu Building. Although Li Hao heard from his second grandfather that the two were not on the same level, the Black and Bai Dian also had some things, such as that absolute art of the palace.

"That's right, that absolute art is enough to be listed on the seventh floor."

Li Qingzheng said lightly: "And the teaching level of the Tan Palace Academy is also good; you should go and restrain your temperament."

"That's the real purpose, right..." Li Hao curled his lips.

Not long after, the maid Qingzhi came running back, jumping and bouncing.

Li Hao saw her empty-handed and asked: "What about the oil pastry?"

"Didn't buy it."

Qingzhi gave Li Qingzheng a proper salute before saying to Li Hao: "I asked Granny Wang next door, Uncle Liu went to the Tan Palace Academy to catch the market. I heard that there are many people there, and talents from the nineteen prefectures have all come, so business is very hot. Besides Uncle Liu, many other peddlers on the nearby streets have also gone there to set up stalls."

"Hiss..." Li Hao took a light breath and couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed that he had to go there.

Although his cooking skills had reached the sixth stage, Uncle Liu had been making cotton-jade fragrant pastries for decades. He could make them himself, but they always lacked that bit of flavor and weren't perfect.

Opposite him, the old man saw Li Hao's helpless look and chuckled, twisting his beard.

"Young Master, when I came back, on the dragon-lion carriage outside the door, Young Master Yuanzhao said he was waiting for you, asking you to prepare quickly and go to the Tan Palace Academy together," Qingzhi said.

"Fine."

Since things had come to this, Li Hao could only set off, for the sake of the oil pastry.

He had Qingzhi prepare his outer clothes and went out.

"Fifth Grandfather, I'm going; I won't see you off," Li Hao said to the old man.

"Go, see how I defeat you when you come back," Li Qingzheng laughed.

Then you'd better ponder it carefully... Li Hao chuckled in his heart and went out with Uncle Fu and Qingzhi.

Qingzhi entered the mansion three years ago. It was said that she was the young lady of a small family, but later the family fell into trouble, she was sold as a slave, and after many twists and turns, she ended up in the Divine General Mansion.

Li Hao heard that she knew a little calligraphy, so he let her come to the Shanhe Courtyard.

With the previous assassination experience, Qingzhi's entry test was naturally screened layer by layer, and after Li Fu's medicine verification check, confirming there were no abnormalities, she was officially transferred to the Mountain and River Courtyard.

Later, she was appreciated by Li Hao and gradually transferred to his side, becoming a personal maid, which could be considered a relatively trusted existence for Li Hao.

Outside the mansion, a team of Li Clan personal guards had already arrived. Five Yanbei dragon-lions, each the size of an elephant, were lined up in front of a huge carriage, looking magnificent.

Because Li Hao and the others of the third generation of the Li Clan, except for a few who had already inherited titles, had no official rank, the carriage was not equipped with a canopy, but the dragon-carved and phoenix-painted carriage body was still noble and imposing. Added to the rugged and wild bodies of the five dragon-lions, it could be said to be full of aura.

Stepping into the carriage, Li Hao saw two men and one woman who had been waiting inside, all of similar age to him; they were Li Yuanzhao and the siblings Li Yun.

Among the third generation of the direct line who had practiced together on the training ground, there were only the five of them, including the children of the Eighth Lady.

But the Eighth Lady's children had been doted on by her since childhood, and their relationship with others was extremely distant and less gregarious. This could be seen from before, and now it was even more obvious.

However...

As time passed, many things had changed.

"Brother Hao!"

Seeing Li Hao, Li Yuanzhao immediately called out with a smile and patted the seat beside him, inviting Li Hao over.

He was thirteen years old now, but his body was becoming more and more round, looking quite humorous. His small, squinting eyes were like two slits on a round bun.

Li Yuanzhao's parents were both dead; he was an orphan of the third generation and had been fostered in the Fourth Lady's courtyard since childhood. It was said that he was quite favored by the Fourth Lady, which was why he was raised so plump and white.

Hearing his enthusiastic voice, the siblings beside him looked over, but their brows were slightly furrowed, and they didn't greet Li Hao.

As they grew older, the knowledge they received on the training ground increased, or due to some other influences, the number of times the siblings came to the Shanhe Courtyard gradually decreased. Since Li Hao was eleven, they had never come again.

When Li Hao went out fishing with the old master, he would occasionally run into them, but the siblings seemed to have lost their former enthusiasm and dodged him a bit when they saw him.

Li Hao took the initiative to greet them a few times. Later, after many times, he understood, and he didn't say anything, didn't complain, and didn't blame them; they just became strangers from then on.

After all, besides the people around him, he himself had also grown up with the passage of time.

Five years of time, too many things would change.

For him, the Fifth Grandfather walked out of the ancestral hall where he had sat alone for decades and often came to the courtyard to play chess and chat with him to relieve boredom.

And the people who used to run over happily to listen to stories in the courtyard gradually dispersed, leaving only Li Yuanzhao, who always liked to run to the Shanhe Courtyard as before.

Sometimes when there were no stories to listen to, he would move a small stool, sit beside Li Hao, watch him paint alone, and watch him chat and play chess with the Fifth Grandfather.

Besides that, the Sword Hut thousands of miles to the south had not sent any letters for a long time.

The last time he received one was a year ago.

However, the letter promised that by this time next year, the little girl would have succeeded and descended the mountain.

Thinking that he would be able to see that little tail in another year, a gentle smile couldn't help but appear in Li Hao's eyes. He lifted his butt and sat on the half-seat vacated by Li Yuanzhao.

"Zhining, why don't you call Brother Hao?"

After Li Hao sat down, Li Yuanzhao saw the siblings sitting beside him without any reaction and called out to the sister among them.

Li Zhining, who used to be dressed cleanly and obediently, now had a bit of a graceful appearance, but compared to the happy and simple eyes of the past, there was now a bit more calmness and perseverance.

She looked at Li Hao, saw that he still had that casual and warm smile on his face, frowned, and didn't speak.

Beside her, Li Yun's face sank, and he said to the coachman in front: "Let's go, Uncle Ming!"

"Yes, Young Master."

The carriage drove slowly, and except for the initial tugging and stumbling, the whole journey became smooth without any shaking.

"Li Yuanzhao, although we have invitations to the Tan Palace Academy, my mother said, try to enter the palace with your own ability, don't rely on the family for everything, and let outsiders laugh at you!"

Li Yun's face was stiff, and he said coldly.

(End of chapter)