Chapter 23

"Enough of this! Let's take a look at what's in Er Lang's room! Maybe we can find some clues!" Changsun, unwilling to let her husband continue to wallow in sorrow, spoke up.

"Alright! Let's see if Kuan has hidden anything good. This boy doesn't seem to take after me at all, always being so devious." Li Er rallied his spirits and spoke. However, his words almost caused Changsun, who had taken a step forward, to stumble and fall. Fortunately, she steadied herself by grabbing the side of a reclining chair. She never expected her husband to speak so carelessly, knowing that since they met, he had always been deeply calculating and secretive, even to her, his closest confidant. His ambition was sparked when he witnessed the might of Emperor Yang of Sui in his youth.

Changsun steadied herself and noticed something on the ground. "What's this?"

"What is it?" Li Er also walked over, and the couple looked at the Xuan paper scattered on the floor, exchanging glances.

"This boy, how can he be so wasteful!" Li Er was a bit angry. In the early Tang Dynasty, Xuan paper was not a cheap item. The value of the paper scattered on the ground was enough to support a family of three for a year.

"See what's written on it?" Changsun picked up a crumpled piece of paper and unfolded it, only to find some twisted lines. Many places were just ink blots, making it impossible to discern what they were.

"This boy is truly squandering resources. Good paper, not used to write the words of the sages, not used to paint beautiful pictures, just these black lines and ink blots. This boy really needs a good lesson!" Li Er found this shameful and decided it was not something his son should do.

"That's not right. The ones on the ground seem to be discarded failures. Second Brother, look at the table, there's still one there!" Changsun looked around and saw a desk surrounded by many discarded papers. On the desk was a piece of paper, pressed down by a paperweight, placed there with great care.

"Let's see what this boy has come up with. If it's something frivolous, I won't forgive him. So many years have passed since Shao Hua left, and if this boy hasn't learned well, how can I face her!" Li Er was somewhat melancholic. The woman of extraordinary beauty, in the prime of her life, had left this beautiful world like a withered leaf carried by the autumn wind.

"Second Brother, this isn't your fault. You are always away on campaigns. It's my fault for not teaching Er Lang well!" Changsun didn't want Li Er to blame himself and took the responsibility upon herself.

"Guanyinbi, don't say that. Let's see what this boy has done first!" Li Er didn't want to make things difficult for Changsun. He knew that his vast Qin王府 (Qin王府, Qin Wang Fu, or Qin Prince's Mansion) relied entirely on this woman, and he himself was not a faithful man, having married many women. This virtuous woman had done more than enough, even exceeding his expectations.

"What is this? It looks like a wall, but why is it connected to a bed? And there's a table on the bed! Is this what the boy has come up with? It's outrageous. Today, I'll show him how I write." Li Er's anger reached its peak, and he was about to unleash his fury. Unfortunately, Li Kuan became the target of this outburst.

At that moment, Li Kuan's voice came from the bed: "Father, that's a kang! I designed it!" In fact, Li Kuan had already woken up shortly after Li Er and Changsun arrived, but he had pretended to be asleep. He didn't know why they had come to his room, but he suspected it wasn't for anything good. He knew he had left many clues recently, some intentional and some unintentional, and these would definitely raise suspicions. Neither Li Er nor Changsun were easily fooled, so this was definitely a surprise inspection.

Lying in bed, he had been thinking about what to say, but instead, he overheard Li Er and Changsun's conversation. From it, he saw a glimmer of opportunity, a chance to earn energy points and completely heal his body. He wanted to continue eavesdropping, but his design for the kang became the catalyst for Li Er's anger. The issues with Li Xiu Ning and the Crown Prince's reactions had already made Li Er irritable, and this final straw pushed him to the breaking point.

Li Kuan detected the coldness in Li Er's voice. He knew that if he didn't speak up to explain, he would likely be beaten by Li Er. He couldn't fight back; this was an era where the principles of hierarchy and filial piety were unshakable. Even though Li Kuan was prepared to be a rebel, he dared not challenge such a fundamental rule.

"Kang? What's it for?" Changsun tried to defuse the situation. The sudden anger of Li Er caught her off guard, and she had no way to calm him down as she usually would.

"It's something to keep you warm in winter! Burn charcoal in the wall, and the kang will be warm, so you won't feel cold in winter." Li Kuan spoke plainly, as he couldn't think of any flowery words at the moment.

"Does this mean it can prevent Lizi from getting sick from the cold?" Changsun immediately thought of her frail and often ill daughter.

"Is it expensive to make? Can ordinary people afford it?" Li Er thought of the common people, and his broad-mindedness made Li Kuan admire him. Only such a broad-minded person could achieve the great deeds of a thousand-year emperor. Li Kuan admitted he couldn't do such things; initially, he only cared about himself, and at most, a little girl. After some reflection today, he included the Qin王府 family, but others still didn't matter to him.

"It's not expensive. Just use compacted yellow earth, and cover the kang with felt or wooden boards. As for firewood, that shouldn't be a problem, right?" Li Kuan wasn't sure about the specifics; he had only seen it once at a classmate's house, and he only remembered it because the structure was very simple.

Li Er's expression eased, and Li Kuan felt a bit more at ease. Changsun also relaxed a little.

"From what I said to your mother, I assume you heard it. Tell me, what are their goals or conditions?" Li Er quickly changed the topic. If Li Kuan hadn't been used to the rapid information flow of the modern era, he might have slipped up.

"As Father suspected, there are indeed some people behind me. However, I don't know exactly what they want. One of them only took me as a nominal disciple." Li Kuan answered respectfully.

"Is that so? It seems they have grand ambitions! My son is only a nominal disciple!" Li Er's voice was neutral, as if he was just stating a fact.

"I don't know either! But I think they have no interest in the Tang Dynasty's rule!" Li Kuan suppressed his unease and continued.

"How can you tell who has ambitions for the empire?" Li Er looked at Li Kuan with interest, as if trying to see through him.

"I can't tell, but I can only speculate based on their actions!" Li Kuan repeated the excuse he had prepared.

"Then tell me in detail! How did you meet these mysterious people, and how did they teach you the knowledge you display, and what do they want you to do? You must be clear about all this!" Li Er's eyebrows arched, and a fierce and bloody aura flashed across his face. It was clear that Li Er was very angry that these mysterious people had contacted his son without his knowledge.

"Yes! I don't know how they appeared. I only remember that once I fell into a deep sleep and received their messages in my dreams. They seem to be able to appear in my dreams and teach me knowledge there. I have never met them in reality!" Li Kuan wasn't sure if this explanation would fool Li Er and Changsun, as it sounded far-fetched.

"What? Teach in dreams!" Li Er seemed very surprised, his eyes shining as if he remembered something.

"Father, isn't it strange? Why don't they appear and act so mysteriously? They say that if I silently recite my master's name three times, he can sense it! I never believed it, but the knowledge they taught me seems real. I have tried it a few times when helping Mother with her duties." Li Kuan bowed respectfully to Li Er again.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to talk to your master. There might be unexpected gains!" Li Er didn't say whether he believed it or not, but from Li Kuan's perspective, his adoptive father seemed to believe it to some extent. Li Kuan didn't know why Li Er believed it, but he knew that this time he had managed to bluff his way through. As long as Li Er's meeting with his so-called master went smoothly, he would be seen as a disciple of a revered master.

As for why Li Er didn't directly ask him to communicate with his so-called master, it was probably because he wasn't prepared. Li Er seemed to know something, and there were other things that were not known to the public, which made him very cautious.

"Second Brother, it's getting late. We should go back and rest. You have to attend court tomorrow to see the Emperor!" Changsun saw that the two were not going to continue the conversation and tried to persuade Li Er to leave, fearing that they might say something she couldn't handle.

"Alright, that's enough for today. I'll come back when I'm ready. Kuan, you need to be prepared. If your so-called master is as I suspect, then..." Li Er didn't finish, as if he couldn't bring himself to say it.

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