Chapter 59

On a summer morning, there was a rare coolness. The sun had not been up for long, and the earth had not yet warmed up. This was the most comfortable time of the day. It wouldn't be long before the temperature rose and it became unbearably hot! This was no different in the Tang Dynasty compared to later times. Li Kuan walked slowly towards the dining room.

In the past two years, the Qin王府 had undergone many changes. A dining room had been added, along with armchairs and heated brick beds. These things were all drawn from memory by Li Kuan and then crafted by others. He was reluctant to use energy points to exchange for these small items.

For example, in the dining room, there was now a round table instead of several low tables. This way, the whole family could eat at one table, which Li Kuan said made them feel more like a family. In the past, each person had their own table, and even the closest relatives would feel distant from each other.

When Li Kuan arrived, there were already several people there. Li Chenggan sat on one side of the table, looking at the breakfast with a indifferent expression. Since the banquet at the Qin王府, he had kept his distance from Li Kuan and was no longer as close as before. This was largely due to the efforts of Changsun Wujì, the old and cunning Changsun. Li Kuan did not know what Changsun had taught Li Chenggan behind his back, but he could tell from Li Chenggan's increasingly unfriendly gaze that it was not good. However, Li Kuan had no power at the moment and could only let it be. In his heart, he secretly decided that he would give this smiling fox a profound lesson in the future. Sowing discord among brothers was not something a good person should do.

Li Ke sat on the other side, accompanying Consort Yang. Next to Consort Yang sat a child, about five or six years old, who looked shyly at Li Kuan as he entered, even hiding behind Consort Yang. This was Li Yin, who showed no sign of the troublemaker he would become later, just a shy young boy. When Li Kuan entered, Li Ke nodded at him with a smile.

Li Kuan first bowed to Consort Yang, then looked around. The fifth prince, Li You, had not arrived yet. As for the little fatty, Li Tai, he was sitting on one side, dozing off. He was the type who was only energetic when studying poetry or playing, and was drowsy the rest of the time, which was how he had become so fat. As for Changsun, she usually came last, along with two little girls. Li Lizhi was probably still in bed, and Xiao Nianwei would not get up until her sister did, even if she had woken up early, she would stay in bed sucking her fingers, waiting for Li Lizhi to help her get dressed. No one else could dress the little girl except for Changsun, and her loud crying would let half of Chang'an know that Xiao Nianwei was wronged.

Xiao Nianwei's mother, Lady Bian, had passed away not long after she turned one (of course, this title was bestowed by Li Shimin after he ascended the throne, but it was used here for convenience). The little girl, who was just over a year old, was adopted by Changsun. From then on, Li Lizhi's sleep was accompanied by a doll, and she would only sleep if she held Xiao Nianwei. For this, the little girl Li Lizhi had a long temper tantrum with Changsun. If Changsun did not love her so much, she would not have allowed her to sleep with her little sister. From then on, Li Lizhi's room had an extra bed, and a dedicated maid would sleep there at night to take care of the two young princesses.

Li Kuan sat in his designated seat. The seating arrangement in the dining room was strictly regulated, unlike in ordinary households where people could sit wherever they wanted. The elder sat at the head of the table, and the others sat according to their status. Li Kuan's seat was next to Li Chenggan, and the two boys who did not get along well were seated together, which was probably arranged by Changsun. Li Ke sat opposite Li Kuan, and Consort Yang sat with her son, her status not allowing her to take the seat too seriously. She was the most gentle in the entire Qin王府, always smiling at everyone. But the bitterness behind that smile was known only to her.

As soon as Li Kuan sat down, Li Chenggan turned his head away. This childish action made Li Kuan laugh inwardly. He was not so bored as to take offense at a child. He did not take it to heart, knowing that Li Chenggan would not be able to make him pay attention for a few more years. However, Li Kuan had never thought about competing for power or status, even the throne that Li Yuan now occupied did not interest him. That position was not easy to sit in, it was too tiring. Unless he became a tyrant, but Li Kuan had no intention of being one. He had come to this era to enjoy the life of a feudal noble, not to be busy and exhausted all the time.

Time passed, and a small head peeked in, looking around. Finding that Changsun was not there, the child breathed a sigh of relief and walked in.

"Fifth brother, what are you looking at?" Li Kuan asked. Although Consort Yang and Li Chenggan were present, neither of them spoke because they knew only Li Kuan could control this boy.

The one who entered was the fifth prince, Li You, who would later kill Quan Wanjì and rebel. But now he was just a cute little boy, who would become a troublemaker in the future.

"Second brother!" Li You bounced over to Li Kuan. "I just slept a little longer, and Mother Consort (all of Li Shimin's children called Changsun Mother Consort) hasn't come yet!"

"Don't be disrespectful, Consort Yang is here, go and greet her!" Li Kuan gave him a light tap on the head and gestured for him to greet Consort Yang.

"Consort Yang, this is your humble servant, Li You, greeting you!" Li You bowed.

"Get up! Where is your mother? Why hasn't she come?" Consort Yang asked, noticing that only Li You had come and not Consort Yin.

"Mother Consort was busy making clothes for me last night and is still sleeping. I didn't dare to disturb her, so I let her sleep a bit longer!" Li You's eyes were a bit red, showing that he was a considerate child, but how did he become such a troublemaker later?

"I see!" Consort Yang said no more.

"Eldest brother!" Li You, unlike Li Kuan, dared not ignore Li Chenggan and bowed to him, but Li Chenggan did not treat him well, just grunting in response.

"Ha, little brat, acting so serious!" Li Kuan thought to himself.

At that moment, footsteps and laughter were heard. Li Kuan recognized the sound as Changsun's. Only Li Lizhi and Xiao Nianwei dared to laugh and play so freely in the Qin王府. Li Kuan and Li Chenggan could have done so too, but one was trying to act like an elder brother and the other thought it was childish, so neither of them did.

Sure enough, the door opened, and two small heads poked in, looking around like Li You had done earlier. Then the older one, Li Lizhi, called out brightly, "Second brother, Li Lizhi is here!"

Li Lizhi's voice was followed by Xiao Nianwei's, "Second brother, Niu Niu!"

Li Kuan burst out laughing, while Li Chenggan's face changed, a mix of anger and frustration in his eyes. Li Kuan stood up, "Alright, Niu Niu!" and squatted down, waiting for the two little girls to come in.

Li Lizhi ran in laughing, "Second brother, I'll be the referee! You can't lose this time!"

"Don't worry, Xiao Nianwei won't be a match for Second brother this time. Second brother has been to Shaolin Temple and learned the Iron Head Technique! Now Xiao Nianwei won't stand a chance! Ha ha..." Li Kuan was relaxed, this was what he wanted, a family that was not torn apart by status and etiquette. What kind of family was this?

"Vivian, win!" Xiao Nianwei, who was trying to step over the threshold, heard Li Kuan's words and quickly objected. But she forgot what she was doing and ended up sitting on the threshold, unable to get down.

"Uh uh..." The little girl started to cry, how could she get down?

"Ha ha..." Li Kuan and Li Lizhi laughed and quickly went to help the little knight.

"Bad, Second brother, you're going to get hit!" Li Kuan picked up Xiao Nianwei, still laughing, and was unexpectedly slapped by the little girl.

"Ha ha..." This time it was the two little girls' turn to laugh.

Li Kuan put Xiao Nianwei down and prepared to welcome Changsun, but the little girl still remembered the earlier incident, "Niu Niu!" and reached out to grab Li Kuan's clothes.

"Alright, alright, Second brother and Vivian, Niu Niu! Good girl, let go!" Li Kuan was helpless. Changsun was already at the door, and not going to greet her would be inappropriate. This was a sad part of being in such a family, with too many rules and formalities that constrained natural behavior. So Li Kuan doted on the two little girls who were not bound by these rules.

Squatting down, he brushed the hair from his forehead, revealing a smooth brow, and looked at the little girl leaning forward, "Come on! Second brother's Iron Head Technique will definitely win!"

"Vivian, win, Second brother will cry!" Xiao Nianwei's face was flushed, with a fringe on her forehead. She had pigtails today, which looked like Li Lizhi's handiwork, as one braid was much bigger than the other, making her look very funny. With her round face, she looked like a doll.

"Ready, start!" As the referee, Li Lizhi announced the start of the match and provided commentary, "The Qin王府's bullfighting competition, the nth time, begins. The contestants are the same as before, on one side is the undefeated champion, Xiao Nianwei, and on the other side is the persistent Li Kuan. Let's see who will win today! We'll wait and see!" Li Lizhi had been influenced by Li Kuan, and her words were completely modern, with no trace of ancient language.

Li Kuan squatted still, waiting for the little girl to push him over. Looking at the little girl in her embroidered shoes, jacket, and open-crotch pants, Li Kuan felt like he was playing with his own daughter. But then he realized he did not have a daughter in the future, so why did he have this feeling? It was strange, perhaps a psychological age illusion?

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