"Thank you for your trouble, Chief."
"You are too kind." Minister Li bowed to Mr. Meng, "I shall not disturb you further, I take my leave."
"Take care, Chief."
Minister Li walked out of the study, reached out to close the study door properly, and then proceeded to the front hall.
Lv Cong was sitting and drinking tea. Upon seeing Minister Li return, he promptly stood up.
Minister Li, with utmost courtesy, first apologized to Lv Cong for making him wait. In truth, Lv Cong hadn’t waited long, not even a moment. Lv Cong even thought Minister Li had returned too quickly.
"Mr. Lv, this is something Mr. Meng asked me to give to you, hoping you could pass it on to the Crown Prince." Before returning to meet Lv Cong, Minister Li had thoughtfully put the letter and article written by the Crown Prince into a brocade box.
Lv Cong first bowed in thanks to Minister Li and then received the brocade box with both hands. He quickly asked, "Did Mr. Meng have any instructions?"
Minister Li’s expression slightly stiffened, and then, forcing himself to speak, he relayed Mr. Meng’s words to Lv Cong without missing a beat.
After listening, Lv Cong’s face looked very unpleasant.
He asked in some disbelief, "Did Mr. Meng really say that?"
"That’s correct. Mr. Meng repeatedly emphasized that the Crown Prince should not disturb him and said he was not qualified to review the Crown Prince’s work, nor did he pare to the teachers in the Eastern Palace." Minister Li did not embellish Mr. Meng’s words but conveyed them to Lv Cong exactly as they were said.
Lv Cong’s eyes turned cold, and his expression was grim.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "Very well, I will report everything to the Crown Prince." After speaking, he flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand and then turned to leave.
Minister Li did not personally escort Lv Cong to the door but had his son see Lv Cong off.
"Father, by speaking in this manner, is Mr. Meng not afraid of angering the Crown Prince?" Minister Li’s eldest son asked.
"Mr. Meng said he is close to the grave and does not fear the Crown Prince. He also said the Crown Prince could do as he pleased with him."
Minister Li’s eldest son: "..."
After being stunned for a moment, he asked with a shocked expression, "Father, did Mr. Meng really say that?"
Minister Li nodded: "Yes."
His eldest son marveled, "I didn’t expect Mr. Meng to be so..." As a younger person, he felt it inappropriate to criticize Mr. Meng.
Minister Li suddenly chuckled, "It seems Mr. Meng is quite dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. The more displeased he is with the Crown Prince, the more advantageous it is for Prince Chu."
His eldest son also laughed, "It seems Mr. Meng is very angry about the previous incident when the Crown Prince sent someone to disturb him."
"If it weren’t for the incessant bothersome actions by the Crown Prince and Prince Dai’s people, Mr. Meng wouldn’t have e out to lecture," Minister Li said, stroking his beard. "It was right that Prince Chu instructed us not to disturb Mr. Meng." It was said that when the Crown Prince and Prince Dai sent people to invite Mr. Meng, Minister Li had mentioned this to Prince Chu, suggesting that they should also invite Mr. Meng, but Prince Chu rejected the idea.
"Prince Chu is indeed wise." If they had sent someone to invite Mr. Meng, they would have likely angered him as well. "Father, should we spread the word about Mr. Meng’s attitude towards the Crown Prince?"
"There’s no need to deliberately spread it. In a few days, everyone will know."
His eldest son thought about it and agreed.
Mr. Meng had been in the capital to lecture for several days, yet the Crown Prince had not gone to pay his respects, and in due time, everyone would know the reason.
"Father, do you think Mr. Meng will meet with Prince Chu when he goes to Liangzhou to lecture?"
"He will!" Minister Li affirmed with confidence, "Prince Chu is different from the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. In the past two or three years, under Prince Chu’s management, more academies have been established in Liangzhou, more students go there to study, and many scholars and academics are going to Liangzhou to hold official positions."
He continued, "The decision to make the second stop in Liangzhou for lectures is because Liangzhou values scholars, and all this credit goes to Prince Chu."
Fearing Mr. Meng held any dissatisfaction with Prince Chu, Minister Li never boasted about Prince Chu in front of Mr. Meng nor mentioned how much respect Prince Chu had for him.
Previously, Prince Chu wrote to Minister Li and his colleagues, instructing them not to mention him in front of Mr. Meng. Mentioning him would be detrimental instead.
Minister Li not only refrained from mentioning Prince Chu but also did not mention the other princes, speaking only of some talented scholars in the capital.
"When Mr. Meng goes to Liangzhou, he will certainly meet with the Prince."
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