From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 70: A remote fight with Fan Xian
Linhu Palace is quiet.

Watching Li Chengqian leave the Linhu Palace, sit back in his wheelchair, and slowly slide away, Emperor Qing's eyes twitched twice, and finally, he sighed.

"Alas, the child has grown up and it is difficult to control him."

Li Chengze in the palace: "......?"

His whole body was not well.

Is the emperor so tolerant towards the prince?

Why are you so cruel to me?
Every time he saw Emperor Qing, he was trembling with fear. He dared not disobey Emperor Qing. He dared not chase away dogs when Emperor Qing asked him to catch chickens. Why did he become so filial when he met the Crown Prince?
He could see that the prince's attitude towards Emperor Qing was completely different from his own. It could even be said that he did not have the same fear as himself. He gave people the impression that he was more like a dandy kid from a wealthy family, a second-generation prodigal, and the kind of person who did not listen to his father.

He had seen many such playboys. Many princes and nobles in Kyoto had such playboys, but their fathers just couldn't do anything about such sons.

Yes, that’s how I feel now.

It's helpless and sad.

"Chengze..."

Just as he was feeling sorry for himself and looking at Gu Ying, Emperor Qing suddenly called him.

He hurried to the center of the hall and bowed respectfully, "Father."

"You've been at the Ministry of Justice for some time now. Han Qing has praised you highly, saying that you're quick-witted and eager to learn, and that you're good at accepting advice. However, this isn't enough. You're a prince who's here to observe government, not a student. After adapting for a while, you'll need to take on some responsibility for the Ministry's affairs. Do you understand?"

"My son understands."

"Okay, you can go down too." Emperor Qing waved his hand. Li Chengze didn't dare to say anything more and left.

After Li Chengze left, Emperor Qing said to Fan Jian, "It was a sudden decision of mine to appoint Chengqian as the acting salt administrator without consulting you beforehand. You won't blame me, will you?"

"I dare not," Fan Jian said hurriedly, bowing. "The Crown Prince is intelligent and studious, with outstanding abilities and often brilliant ideas. He is truly the perfect choice to manage the salt administration."

"Oh, you really think so?"

"I dare not deceive His Majesty."

"But I regret it now." Emperor Qing smiled bitterly and shook his head. "This brat is too bold. He's acting as the deputy director of a small salt law department, yet he dares to ask me for absolute power. I don't know what kind of trouble he will cause. I'll protect you at the Ministry of Revenue. The court needs to be stable now."

"Uh... yes!" Fan Jian wanted to curse a thousand times in his heart. With the prince's personality, he was really afraid that he couldn't hold it back!
※※※

The spring weather in March is just perfect.

The warm sunlight filtered through the mottled branches and leaves, casting subtle shadows on the bluestone path. The various flowers and plants in the garden were in full bloom, filling the entire garden with splendor.

On the winding corridor, railings connected the vermilion lacquered columns, revealing a hint of simplicity. Occasionally, a few petals floated down in the corridor, and a maid quickly came over to clean the floor.

In the courtyard, there are several weeping willows, and their tender green branches flutter in the wind, which contrasts beautifully with the rockery and pond in the courtyard.

Beside the pond stood a white jade stone table and chairs. The eldest princess sat at the stone table, Lin Wan'er leaning against her. The two chatted idly, forming a picture of beauty, though not beauty. If she were younger and prettier, she would be considered absolutely beautiful. (In the original novel, Lin Wan'er was just averagely pretty, not inheriting the eldest princess's genes. Furthermore, the name Lin Wan'er was changed after she and Lin Ruofu became kin.)

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is here to visit."

"Crown Prince?" The eldest princess' expression changed, as if she had expected it, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

finally come.

The meeting at Linhu Palace had taken place three days ago, so naturally, what happened in the palace could not be hidden from her, the well-informed eldest princess.

Whether Li Chengqian stood up from his wheelchair or took over as the acting salt administrator, it was a huge event for the imperial court.

Now, the news is still fermenting in the court.

And the protagonist Li Chengqian has become a homebody again.

This kind of behavior of making a scene and then staying at home for a few days always makes people hate it.

But there was nothing she could do. However, when the princess saw Li Chengqian being pushed in on a wheelchair by Mao Qiwu, she felt terrible.

Can't you walk? Why are you still sitting in a wheelchair? Do you really think others don't know that you are pretending?

"Meet Auntie, I wish you eternal youth and beautiful appearance."

"Alas, among you brothers, you are the most slick-tongued." The eldest princess glanced at the wheelchair under Li Chengqian's buttocks and scolded with a smile.

"Greetings, Prince." Seeing Li Chengqian, Lin Wan'er stood up and saluted. When her eyes fell on Mao Qiwu, she shrank slightly and involuntarily took two steps back.

"Chen'er, I didn't scare you last time, did I?"

"With the Crown Prince here, Chen'er is not afraid."

"Look, look, Chen'er is getting more and more talkative." Li Chengqian asked casually with a smile, "From a distance, I can see the deep love between you two mother and daughter. What are you talking about? You look so happy?"

The questioner had no intention, but the listener took it seriously. Lin Wan'er blushed and looked a little embarrassed.

"Oh, Chen'er has really grown up and has something on his mind." Li Chengqian couldn't help but teasing Lin Wan'er when he saw her blushing face.

"It's not me, it's not me." Lin Wan'er looked very upset and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Alright, Chen'er is still young, so stop teasing her." The princess smiled helplessly and said, "She's her classmate, the youngest daughter of Han Zhiwei from the Ministry of Justice. She's old enough to be married off to the son of the Earl of Ning'an. The girl isn't happy about it and is currently quarreling with her family."

"Mr. Ning'an, the Chen family has a good family tradition. Isn't this good? What's there to make a fuss about?" Li Chengqian was puzzled.

"Yuanyuan said that her ideal husband should be a man of unparalleled literary talent and a peerless hero. The young master of the Earl of Ning'an's family is too rude and is not the husband she wants at all." Lin Wan'er said with a blushing face.

"Haha——" Li Chengqian laughed out loud after hearing this.

"Chen'er, stay away from her from now on. Don't learn from her."

"why?"

"Why? You don't think so too, do you?" Li Chengqian looked at Lin Wan'er and laughed so loudly that even the little girl Lin Wan'er could hear the sarcasm in his laughter.

"Come, let me, your brother, give you a lecture on life today." Li Chengqian, in high spirits, pulled Lin Wan'er to sit beside him. He ignored the eldest princess's eye roll and continued, "Unparalleled talent, unparalleled hero—don't say there aren't any. Even if there were, why would anyone want to be interested in her? Can she cook? Can she wash clothes? Can she manage the house? She can't do anything. Why would anyone want to be interested in her?"

"Cheng Qian, what you said is too biased." The eldest princess was unhappy when she heard it. "Why should women be able to cook, wash clothes, take care of housework, and..."

"Aunt, I'm talking to Chen'er about getting married, please don't interrupt."

The warm spring suddenly turned into the coldest days of winter. Even Mao Qiwu, a ninth-grade expert, retreated three feet away and stood behind a willow tree.

Li Chengqian didn't care about the princess's mood swings at all, but smiled and said, "Aunt, we are a family, and as a family, we should tell the truth. Chen'er is my sister, and I naturally want her to marry happily in the future. So, I still have to learn how to deceive men."

Sincerity is a must-win.

Although Li Chengqian's words were harsh to her, she still suppressed her anger and stared at Li Chengqian fiercely, as if giving him a warning.

Li Chengqian continued, "Chen'er, don't believe those novels. The stories about talented scholars and beautiful women, heroes and beauties, and couples for life are all bullshit. Don't believe them. Men are not good. Remember, there is no cat that doesn't steal fish. The more powerful a man is, the less reliable he is."

"But there's no other way. Your status is there, and the man you'll marry in the future will definitely be of high status. So, you must learn how to act and pretend. Before, why did I ask you to read the "Admonitions for Women" and learn the "Three Obediences and Four Virtues"? It wasn't because I wanted you to actually follow it, but to let you know what kind of woman men ideally want. No matter how beautiful they say she is, in the end, this is the type they need most and can't live without. All the other flirtatious women will become just that once the novelty wears off."

"So, you have to pretend to be their ideal type and deceive them. Only by deceiving them can you slowly take control of the future."

Fan Xian trained his sister to become a master of tea art, and he can also train his sister to become a black lotus. This can be considered as a fight with the protagonist from a distance, right?
Seeing Lin Wan'er's confused look, Li Chengqian smiled and stabbed the princess, "It's actually very simple. From now on, just listen to your mother's opinions more often and adopt the opposing opinions."

"Li—Cheng—Qian—!!"

The eldest princess could no longer hold back and shouted angrily, "It's only because she doesn't know martial arts, otherwise, she would have overturned this stone table."

Then, she saw Li Chengqian turn around, look up, face her anger, and smile, "Aunt, I want ten million taels."

(End of this chapter)