Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

A carriage came from the south, passed through Tanzhou, took the route through Luoyang, and then headed east.

Inside the carriage, a thin, pale-faced scholar with a mustache remained silent.

Following behind were eight or nine burly armored men, the two in the lead being one as strong as a bear and the other as thin as a monkey.

"Hey Sun Er, when are we going to get here?" The burly man next to him, despite the cold winter, was covered in sweat and looked miserable.

"Didn't the guards at the Luoyang Library find out that A-Lang went to Chang'an? We'll be there soon!"

"Hey—you said the young master was doing well, didn't he say he was going to the southern border? Why did he go to Chang'an again?!" the burly guy next to him complained.

The tall, thin man, his eyes gleaming, was about to say something when suddenly, several coughs came from inside the carriage, silencing the two men behind him. The entire group fell silent again, save for the howling wind that stung their faces…

In Chang'an, at the Li residence, a carriage laden with snow pulled up in front of the gate. A middle-aged man with fair skin, black hair, and a mustache emerged, took out a golden business card from his pocket, and handed it over.

Upon opening the gate of the Li family's residence, one would find inscriptions such as "Tanzhou," "Li Mansion," "Steward Wang Wen," and "Elder of the Library."

I've never heard of Tanzhou or the Li family's residence, but their library is a household name in both Chang'an and Luoyang! It's hailed as a boon to scholars everywhere! Its influence is so great that no one dares to underestimate it!

***

The Li residence, study.

An old man and a young man were looking at the account books. The old man examined them carefully, occasionally frowning, while the young man seemed somewhat relaxed and carefree, as if he didn't care about the details.

Ever since Li Xingzhi, with the permission of the Li family patriarch, participated in various affairs of the Li family, the patriarch has been taking him along no matter what, causing Li Xingzhi great distress. The numbers written in traditional characters on the desk without any order or structure are a real pain even for a science student from over a thousand years later!

The old man in charge came in a hurry! I don't know what he said, but Old Master Li Gao didn't even have time to eat. He quickly called Li Xingzhi and they came to the study.

"Master, our head chef from Chuyunlou resigned yesterday and went to work at the Sun family's Tianranju. Most importantly, the recipe for our Li family's 'Zuiyangchun' wine has been leaked. Since yesterday, several wineries have started producing 'Zuiyangchun' wine!"

"The recipe for 'Drunken Spring' wine has always been known only to a few old servants, hasn't it? How could it have been leaked? Could someone have betrayed the Li family?" Old Master Li Gao's face was flushed, and he was extremely agitated. You must know, the recipe for 'Drunken Spring' wine is the foundation of his Li family's existence! And now it has been leaked!

What upset him the most was that the cause of the incident was most likely betrayal—betrayal by his most trusted old servants!

Betrayal is the most intolerable thing for those in power!

Li Xingzhi listened from the side, expressionless, seemingly unconcerned. The Li family was nothing to him; if it weren't for his grandfather still holding onto some lingering affections, why would he bother with them? Money and possessions held little use for him now!

Just then, a servant's voice came from outside: "Master, young master, there is a man outside who claims to be the steward of the library. He has come to pay his respects to the young master!"

The people in the study were taken aback. "The library? What a prestigious name! It gathers the power of scholars from all over the world; it's incredibly powerful! Just a few days ago, I heard that a piece called 'Ode to the Dragon Gate' was widely circulated, and it's said to have been written in that library!"

Upon hearing the words "Library Pavilion," Li Xingzhi paused, a smile spreading across his face. With Scholar Wang here, he was no longer needed to concern himself with the Li family's disastrous affairs. As for the Library Pavilion's recent developments, he knew a little about them and was secretly amazed!

"Let's go see him!" The old man's worried expression vanished, and he regained his usual composure.

In the main hall of the Li family mansion, Scholar Wang sipped his tea, a familiar aroma wafting towards him. He was certain that his eldest son had returned to his ancestral home and reunited with his family. As for why his eldest son hadn't returned to the Li family in Tanzhou immediately, that was beyond his control.

At this moment, Old Master Li Gao, along with Li Xingzhi and the steward following behind, entered the courtyard.

Old Master Li glanced at the middle-aged man sitting in the hall, exuding an extraordinary air, calm and composed, with a natural air of nonchalance and composure. His brow twitched, and he was about to go up and greet him. After all, he came from a merchant family, and after years of ups and downs, he was very clear about the status of merchants.

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged, pale-faced scholar with a mustache, who was sitting upright in the hall, suddenly stood up respectfully when he saw Old Master Li Gao. He looked behind him, his eyes fixed on him, and then suddenly turned around and bowed deeply—"Greetings, Old Master! Greetings, Ah Lang!"

The people in front of the hall suddenly showed strange expressions.

"What are you doing?"

Wang Xiucai lowered his head and did not answer, but only glanced at Li Xingzhi with his eyes.

Li Xingzhi stepped forward and explained to the two puzzled men, "I've managed to build up a small business while I was away, and Uncle Wang is the one who's handling things here!" He paused, then continued, "That library is the one I established!"

Wang Xiucai stood before the group, his expression shifting slightly. He stepped forward and said, “Young master, after you left, that cook surnamed Luo, bored out of his mind, begged me to let him go. So, I took it upon myself to build a restaurant. I often heard the young master mention something like ‘Yuelai Inn,’ so I simply named the newly opened restaurant ‘Yuelai Inn’! I hope you won’t be offended!”

Li Xingzhi was taken aback. He had heard of this Yuelai Inn before and felt that something was strange about it; now he understood!

The old man Li Gao, who was standing next to Li Xingzhi, and the old man in charge next to him suddenly looked strange. What Li Xingzhi thought was just something to play with, they found so shocking!

They never imagined that this vast industry and brilliant business empire were all built by this young man who had not yet reached adulthood! Of course, more than anything, they looked at Wang Xiucai with new respect.

They simply didn't know where Li Xingzhi got so much money to build such a business, or how he managed to subdue someone as formidable as Wang Xiucai. With their discerning eyes, they had naturally already seen through Wang Xiucai's extraordinary nature, even noticing the subtle hint of menace in his eyes.

Wang Xiucai didn't care what they thought. As long as Li Xingzhi was safe, he put aside his worries and ignored everything else...

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It was an uncle's birthday party tonight, and I drank a lot of drinks, then went to karaoke. I'm so sleepy I could only manage this chapter for now. I can't keep my promise, but I'll make it up next time! Please forgive me, please understand, I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry!